I choose to listen to “The Bechnal Cast: ‘Black Panther.” I wrote my first essay on feminist portrayel in the movie Wonder Woman, so I already had a lot of interest in feminism in classic movies and box-office hits. I’m also a big fan of Black Panther, so I knew this podcast would be quite engaging.

The hosts Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus immediately established their Ethos. Their credentials as the hosts of a popular podcast with numerous episodes established their experience and credibility. Furthermore, the informal tone and use of humor throughout the episode made the podcast more relatable, and established a connection with listeners. 

The hosts had a conversation with Naomi Ekperigin and Ify Nwadiwe to discuss the women of Black Panther. They dived into both issues of race and gender in the film industry, a fascinating and intersectional conversation. Naomi Esperigin and Ify Nwadiwe established their own credibility as actors in the film industry. Their view on race dynamics also added to the conversation, bringing in their perspectives as people of color.

The podcast is centered around the value of gender equality, specifically in the film industry. It touches on The Bechdel Test, a test that measures the representation of women. In order to pass the test two female characters must at some point talk to each other about something other than a man. The Bechdel Test provided a clear setup for looking at a movie, specifically Black Panther, through a feminist lens. The podcast also compared Black Panther to Wonder Woman, something I found fascinating due to my study of the film. For me, the comparison to Wonder Woman strengthened their argument, as I too thought that the message of female empowerment in Wonder Woman was undermined by the sexualization of Gal Gadot. In contrast, the women of Black Panther are strong and empowering characters, even without being the “stars”.