9/10. A joyful, sharp, and genuinely informative listen. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn the word “parasocial” actually means something, and you’ll immediately text your own “always been close” person. Essential for any pop culture nerd who craves analysis that feels like hanging out.
Let’s be clear—this is not a dry film school lecture. The show’s engine is joy . Tess and Riley laugh, interrupt each other, and occasionally scream when they uncover a hidden detail. The editing is tight, with cleverly dropped soundbites from the movies/shows (e.g., a gasp from Fleabag ’s Hot Priest scene just as they make a point about forbidden longing). Their recurring segment, “The Blink-and-You-Miss-It,” where they highlight a micro-expression (e.g., “Look at Aragorn’s thumb when Arwen drops the banner”), is addictive. You will rewatch scenes immediately after listening.
The Premise: Hosted by culture critics and best friends Tess B. and Riley C. (pseudonyms used for narrative flow), Always Been Close does not recap entire plots. Instead, it isolates one specific, pulsing question: Why do these two characters feel so real? Each episode takes a famous pop culture duo—romantic, platonic, or antagonistic—and dissects the tiny, human moments that make their bond unforgettable.
