In The Stacks With Barry & Latoya

Barry provides an update on the family emergency that caused the one-week hiatus of the show. And how could we not talk about the coronavirus?! It’s impossible to escape, just like Tiger King. If you haven’t seen the salacious series the hosts give you reasons why you need to stop everything and watch. We learn that the Class of 2020 is at a disadvantage and we rank our modern-day Doctor Who doctors.

Did you hear about the coronavirus?! If you haven’t, you’re not living on planet Earth. For some, this and the locusts are a sign of end times. LaToya doesn’t understand why Social Distancing is a big deal since that’s how she lives her everyday life. Barry is now teaching from home and doing some major Netflix streaming. In this episode, he walks us through the plot of a recent straight-to-DVD movie he watched while LaToya lists the many shows she’s viewed in the past week.

My Corona! It’s the Coronavirus episode of the show as all talks turn to the pandemic. Seasons are being suspended (not ours), and industries are putting into place contingency plans. There’s even a run on toilet paper! The hosts wonder, when will the topic not be one you can joke about? LaToya is about to see her workload and income shift while Barry feels he’s superhuman and can repel the virus. Both avid soccer fans and cinephiles, they are saddened by the avalanche effect of COVID-19 and the escapism entertainment they love.

In a reverse of last week’s episode, LaToya plays the role of SPOILER this time around, ruining Barry’s evening. The hosts finally come to an agreement about the merits of the various 911 shows, and LaToya claims that she is now “cooking.” Finally, it’s the end of an era as Judge Judy walks away from her legendary courtroom show, and there’s a shocking new guinea pig announcement.

T’Challa graces us with his presence this episode, and as they say, out of the mouths of babes… Barry puts everyone on spoiler alert. He’s in his feelings about teaching The Great Gatsby and about what’s been done to Jean-Luc Picard. LaToya has more grandma-sitting in her near future and she purchased some grocery items from Amazon. Assimilation complete. When we say Birdman, what do you think of? Let’s just say that neither of the hosts are on the same page. And yes, that’s nothing new.

After a week off for a much needed mental health break, the hosts are refreshed and ready to continue with the season. Barry believes a new theory around the death of Kurt Cobain and is still watching the dreadful 9-1-1: Lone Star. LaToya has a sex tracker app despite no sex on Valentine’s Day, and she’s hunkered down this week grandma-sitting while her immediate family is away on another cruise without her. Plus, you’ve got to hear what a study says one in thirty people do.

The hosts record together in the same room for the first time in six years. When they both decided to leave the library, neither host thought that it would be years before they’d see each other again. While life and circumstances may have previously kept them apart, LaToya made the trek to Milledgeville to visit with Barry. They both go a little off-script, and LaToya goes old school, completely winging it while, as usual, Barry’s the one holding the show together.

If you like a drinking game, this is the episode that best suits one. LaToya reminds everyone that she’s a moody snob. Barry is excited about Gatsby but is disappointed with Star Trek’s dystopian attempts at utopia. The hosts argue over what’s more important, Kobe Bryant or Mr. Peanut. Yes, seriously, this is a real conversation. Plus, there’s the surprising end of the episode that you won’t want to miss.

This week’s episode brings the return of podcast guest, T’Challa. You would think that it would also mean that the show’s content would be a bit tamer. Think not because it is not. Barry talks about his trans guinea pig and LaToya doubles down on her snobbish tendencies. Both hosts are excited about the Netflix hit, Cheer while T’Challa wants to know what’s up with infomercials and medical commercials. LaToya reminds Barry that she’s the queen of crazy and he shocks everyone with his raunchiest close yet.

After a 3-week hiatus, Barry and LaToya are back. The New Year brought with it LaToya’s hypochondriac sickness issues, which aren’t so because they’re real. Barry is living his best life. After his lost week, he’s now in a relationship and not getting much sleep. Yeh, they still have the magic, although someone really should remove LaToya’s access to television and retail therapy.

It’s the day after Christmas, and the hosts are so dedicated that they recorded the 9th season’s finale. Barry has his first Christmas as a divorcee, and LaToya wished on Christmas Eve that she too was divorced. From High Tea to Popeye’s, Penny Dreadful to Bill Cosby and, Kardashians to Cats, their post-Christmas show is a gift.

Barry’s on Christmas break and LaToya’s counting down the days until her own. Barry talks about his new roommates, and LaToya shows how much of a hermit she is when she’s a day late in learning of Trump’s impeachment. Reality shows and Frozen 2 make the headlines as does LaToya’s recent home improvements. Plus, learn more than you know about The Simpsons and their 30 years on television.

It’s yet another day where neither host wants to do the show. However, since it’s therapy for them both, they put on a brave face and bring their B-game. Barry’s reading a book that LaToya’s interested in and LaToya commits a cardinal sin when her Christmas movie list doesn’t include what Barry feels is a required Christmas classic. They both plan on seeing the same movie next week. Separately, of course. As usual, Barry proves that he’s blacker than LaToya.

Barry describes, “It was brilliant, moving and full of the joy and pathos of humanity. You’ll never hear it, but trust us, it was beautiful.” This show was almost dubbed “The Lost Episode.” The hosts start the show early with the hopes of finishing early. However, 90 minutes into the show, LaToya’s iMac crashes, and both are worried that the perfection of those 90 minutes would be lost forever. Breathing a sigh of relief, “That’s why I love my Mac,” says LaToya, “All is not lost.”

It's Thanksgiving, y'all, and what is there that's better than a brand new In the Stacks episode! It's all about entertainment and the gobble. Barry plans on having a low-key celebration while LaToya will be continuing her 15+ year tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving with some of her favorite family members. If you've somehow not yet seen Frozen II, you're in the minority, and Barry suggests a few other podcasts for your listening pleasure.

Barry’s sick, which means LaToya will be sick within days. Sure, they haven’t been in the same room since 2014, but LaToya gets sick at the mere mention of sickness. The show has its first guest in as many years, and he adds some real insight to Barry and LaToya’s musings. And if you want to hear about Angels, this is the show for you.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Jason Statham. Jerry O’Connell. Jeff Goldblum. Kevin Spacey. Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Jean-Claude Van Damme. Sylvester Stallone. Find out how all those names come up in one conversation. Barry, now 47, feels that he’s nearing death, and LaToya shows how much she doesn’t care about the impeachment hearings.

Barry wants to record early, and LaToya wants to try a different audio recorder for the show. Barry wins. LaToya loses because her plan to switch from Zoom to Skype didn’t work as she hoped. It’s been a busy past couple of days for the hosts. One host breaks up a fight while the other attended a wedding. And based on the title of this episode, it turns into a very interesting show.

Barry wants to record early so he can give out candy, but LaToya doesn’t care about the children. Who will think of the damned children??? Barry will, that’s who. Don’t hate, appreciate. LaToya’s taking up the helm of passing out candy for the first time in her adult life. If you’re hoping for a “clean” episode, this one isn’t it. After all, it’s our 100th!

LaToya is sick and didn’t want to do the show. Barry doesn’t care; the show must go on. The show meanders a bit, but there are great nuggets of information on political views, television shows, and Facebook friends. Plus, there’s a spike in our downloads, and it’s all thanks to Michigan. Will the hosts be face-to-face for the first time in over five years to record their upcoming 100th episode?