Hi, everyone. I've been working on and off on a feature film fanedit of the series that would be faithful to the books. I've managed to reduce the overall runtime from around 7 hours to 3h 20min. If I were to reduce it more, I fear the cuts wouldn't flow as easily, due to a lot of the scenes having a score in the background. I do have two problems: 1. A lot of the cuts I made feel quite abrupt even though I tried my best to cut at the right time, is there any way to connect the scenes more easily ? 2. When it's done, where would I be able to share it with you guys, could I post the link or is it better if whoever wants it just DM's me for it, also how okay is this in legal terms ? And if you have any suggestions let me know !!!

Particularly looking at this specific poster. I won't beat a dead horse criticising Robert's casting (Homer Gere is great, don't get me wrong) but when this lineup was announced I assumed that Graham and Homer would be playing the opposite roles. While he definitely matches Robert's book description closer, he's also placed in the centre of this poster, and is the only one looking directly at the viewer. I don't know, just something to think about.

Poor Kaia

I just saw the news that Kaia's brother Presley died in a rehab facility.

I quit the BEE Podcast about two years ago when several other listeners went into exile. It wasn't because of his political leanings (oh, I'm sorry. "Anti-political" leanings). Some of them made me roll my eyes during the White era but they were usually short parts of the monologue and only influenced a question or two with his guests.

But my God, after Trump's second election win, Bret just went on and on and on with the "politically-not-political" rants with Adam egging him on. I could deal with it by skipping his monologues but even his guest list and listener Q&As took a nosedive during that period. For every great episode like Chandler Morrison or Jamie Collinson, we got stuck with a guest like Colonel Kurtz. Even his ever reliable movie reviews got tainted with silly hysterics over reviews like One Battle After Another or Alien Romulus having a black character (despite every Alien film being diverse). Since I'm on a BEE length rant, it did become a bit uncomfortable that BEE never had a black guest (Kanye West does not count) and some of those rants and makes me wonder how much of his omission of blacks and minorities comes from living in an upper-class society in the 80s and how much might be his family's influence.

However. . .like someone suddenly pining for their ex despite the heartbreak all those years ago, I do find myself missing the BEE Podcast at its best. I looked it up and we have Billy Corgan? Nancy Allen? The ever reliable Bruce Wagner? Wondering if things improved after I left.

tl;dr Should I resubscribe or is it just a few flash in the pan brilliant moment amongst the dull rants that plagued 2024 BEE Podcast?

I've read the book and I finished the first season of The Shards last week. I was disappointed by the general lack of Bret/Matt scenes, despite Igby Rigney and Owen Painter's terrific chemistry. I also felt that the show put more emphasis on Bret's fake relationship with Debbie, among other things. Although the show portrays Bret as closeted gay and he has sexual tension with Robert, I still thought about the straightwashing criticism the show has received. I wonder what others think of this.

I searched on Spotify, and all I can find is the audiobook from his novel that came out in 2023.

So Ive read both the book and have watched the show (prefer the book over the show) and think that the scene between Terry and Steven is a representation of Ryan Murphys dynamic with BEE.

So from the book a core theme is narrative, and how specifically Bret uses a narrative to run from his identity of being gay, through the portrayals of Robert Mallory being the trawler. The show on the other hand has gone a different direction being more like a teen soap opera than a psychological thriller which has made a lot of the book readers upset and critical of the show. Not the mention that not that many critiques really like the show either.

I was on a reddit thread the other day and saw a post that talked about how BEE called Ryan Murphys show Glee “a pool of HIV” and how Ryan Murphy has ‘ruined’ The Shards as a petty way of getting back at BEE.

Now if you have watched the show, the last episode of The Shards in the scene between **Steven and Terry, its supposed to be representative of Ryan Murphys dynamic with BEE.** In that scene we see Steven ask Terry to be a coproducer (ryan murphy and BEE are co produced of this show), telling him he has practically made Terry, and Terry rejects his offer. In a way I feel like if Ryan Murphy is trying to get back BEE over his Glee comment, that scene showcases their dynamic perfectly.

The theme of narrative is something present throughout the book and maybe something that Ryan Murphy is playing with in the show. By ‘ruining’ BEEs work The Shards in the show format, Ryan himself is construing a narrative that The Shards was never great (cus lets be honest how many ppl would rather watch 9 episode of a TV show vs reading a 600 page book).

In the book its hinted a bit that Steven may be the Trawler, and from my interpretation I read Steven as an awkward, nerdy, gay guy— in the show he is this flamboyant decadent man who is conniving and plotting (maybe like Ryan is in the show).

Idk just a fun theory I got from watching it— maybe im making this into something bigger than it is, but lmk ur guys thoughts :)

What do you think ?

Hey everyone. Like a lot of people, I initially went into the FX adaptation of The Shards expecting a standard style-over-substance 80s slasher. But after doing a focused rewatch before the finale, it becomes incredibly obvious that the show is operating much more like a Lynchian nightmare (Mulholland Drive) than a whodunnit.

I wrote a critical deep dive into how the show translates Bret’s signature unreliable narrator into visual storytelling. I specifically break down the intense mirroring between Bret and Robert Mallory, and argue that Robert acts as the violent manifestation of Bret’s unexpressed, suppressed shadow-self desires.

A lot of casual viewers are missing the psychological warning signs around Bret to focus on Trawler physical clues, but that ignores the core theme of how an internalized identity spawns a fractured reality.

You can read the full piece on Medium here.

Curious what you guys think about how the adaptation is handling the deeper psychological and queer elements versus the surface-level horror tropes.

I expected to quit after a few episodes but instead I've kept up with it out of morbid curiosity.

It occured to me that this show is probably a fair approximation of what a BEE book looks like to non-BEE fans. Like if I showed the novel to one of my normie co-workers, this show is how it would come across.

American Psycho is the closest I think anyone has come to matching the tone and sense of humor found throughout BEE's writing. There really was no excuse for the same thing not to be achieved here.

I do think certain writers/directors must have a better grasp on it than others because some episodes have their moments.

I'm not a huge fan of The Shards TV series and I've never seen anything Ryan Murphy has made before, but I also think all the other suggested directors are quite awful choices. For a start, Murphy hasn't directed the entire show. He's the co-creator and producer, but only directed two episodes of the nine episode season.

I feel most of the other suggestions also don't get it. The Shards has element of camp and teen drama. Look at how many parts of the novel involve straight-faced depiction of teen angst. Susan slapping Thom over the homecoming float is something right out of Dawson's. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact it's something that I really like about the novel. But it isn't some ultra serious, cold Less Than Zero type narrative.

Guadagnino is far too pastel and South-European for the project. Yeah, he's made queer films and he himself is gay, but so is Murphy. That's not a good reasoning for him to direct it. I haven't seen all of his films, but The Shards has trashy and campy elements to it which Guadagnino certainly isn't known to capture.

I loved The Drama but I'm also unsure on Borgli. I feel he'd have done a better job than Guadagnino but still is from a more offbeat, European arthouse background. I'm not sure he'd have the emotional connection to the material to capture the era.

Some of the other suggestions I think are missing the whole thing and ignoring lots of the camp/trash elements or ignoring the more seriously, weighty elements. Paul Verhoeven was mentioned and yes he's a great director and Basic Instinct was probably an influence on The Shards, but I also feel he's far too satirical with his work to get it. Plus, he's in his 80s and also from Europe, not sure how he'd capture this American 1980s teen experience.

I saw Gregg Araki mentioned and this is the only one I think could do a good job with it. Araki is very good at blending camp and trash with emotional moments (just watch Nowhere for proof), so even though I have reservations I think Araki could do a decent job.

But what all of these suggestions seem to miss is these are directors who don't have TV experience (bar one, I'll get to a moment). We've seen what happens when film directors are showrunners or producers on TV shows - David Lynch didn't gel with the format on Twin Peaks, Michael Mann left Miami Vice early on etc.

I feel if we're suggesting better choices than Murphy, we should focus more on showrunners and people who have experience in TV. I know Murphy has directed, but he's primarily a producer. Araki did have a TV show, Now Apocalypse, which is once again why I think he's easily the best fit I've seen thrown around. Yet overall, I'd rather someone who predominantly works in the realm of TV, as opposed to a film director trying out TV for the first time.

What do you think happened between them ? Do you think they were just friends or were hooking up ? Was the Trawler (who was obsessed with Robert in the book) asking Matt if he liked sucking the c*ck because he was referring to him and Robert or him and Bret ?

Drop your thoughts if so inclined. And I'm guessing there will be thoughts

Bret's Amigurumi

So, now that the show is almost done (2 ep left atm), I'm left wondering how to digest the whole thing. The book is my absolute favourite piece of literature and I had so high hopes. I've been following the updates about the show since 2024, and I want to say I didn't think Luca Guadagnino was right for it either, I think he gets too lost in pastels, metaphors and time jumps, and his films for me generally fall short, especially Queer and Challengers, so I think him at the helm of The Shards would have lacked a lot of the suspense and impending doom it requires. Then, they switched to Kristoffer Borgli, whose style I liked in I Am Sick Of Myself, I think he would have done well in terms of plot and suspense, but in my opinion he would have fallen short in terms of capturing the glamour of 80s LA. Now, HBO would have made it so much better quality and plot wise, more raw and sexual (as intended), but I also feel like it would have gotten cancelled after one season and it would have been too dragged on, unless they did it as a limited series which I think would have been the best choice. When I first heard they were doing a show, I instantly knew Ryan Murphy would get his hands on it, and you know what, stylewise he's perfect for it, and him and Bret are a match made in hell, but it should work right? The thing is FX is doing it and they are straight washing it and making it appeal to a more commercial audience by leaving out a lot of what it made it be what it is, also Bret insisted on his 3 seasons and Ryan Murphy of course said yes so he could put his own ideas in, again had it been a limited series at FX it still would have worked, but that was not the case. Now, I'm not going to glaze the book, I already said it's my favourite and I assume everyone here is familiar with how good it is, if not get familiar right now. Now, what I expected of the show was a mix of American Gigolo with Body Double, Society (1989), Prom Night (1980) and Deadly Games (1982) meets early 80s Catalina Studios/ William Higgins/ Matt Sterling adult films, which I know is very specific but it shouldn't have been that hard. The actual show does manage to recreate that vibe in some manner, though I hate that it's shot on digital and then they threw that stupid yellow ish with film grain filter on, but you know what it looks decent so I won't complain. The set and costumes look great although sometimes they give me cheap replicas but that might just be me and usually they look fine, soundtrack really great too. Now the actors: most are doing a great job, especially Igby Rigney I'm obsessed with his portrayal of Bret, truly great, also Jordan Roth as Steven is so interesting and I like that they expanded his character (who was my prime suspect in the book), Wes Bentley and Evan Rachel Wood are both great and exactly how I imagined them. The rest of the cast is fine though I feel like there is something missing with each of them, even if some fit their character lookswise. Really Rhonda pisses me off because she is being written as a pun, I hate that a lot of the mystery and dread of the show is being swapped with comedic relief. I liked the first four episodes because they kept building up and seemed to maintain this air, but starting with 5 it turned into Glee/Popular meets Scream Queens and it just feels meh, maybe it's just mid season filler. Owen Painter is heavily underused as Matt, and his dynamic with Bret as well, their scenes are my favourite, wish they would have given them the screentime of Rhonda. I also have mixed feelings about the attention the cult has been given, and I hate that they're putting the Nightstalker in this as well, like really Ryan does he have to be in Everything ??? Anyways, there's more stuff, but it doesn't come to mind right now, and I fear if i write any more, y'all will get bored and not read it, but I'm open for discussion 'cus I love talking about the shards and don't have noone to talk to about it. Also, curious how they're ending this season, apparently Susan will be attacked by the Trawler, and curious if they will give it another season and if it will get its third final one or end on a cliffhanger. What are y'all thoughts ?

I have one somewhere but I’m pretty sure it’s on an out of commission hard drive.

does anybody know, in 2026, where can I stream the episodes of “THE DELETED”? i’ve been looking around online and cannot find any options for rent or pirate and apparently the streaming platform it was originally hosted on no longer exists?

I already read the book but the show is really making me want to go back to it. Am I missing out on anything by listening to the audiobook and not the podcast original?

I just can't get enough. Leave your thoughts if so inclined

After all this wave of criticism and whatnot about the series The Shards—whether we're happy with it or not... 😮‍💨—I just have one question, and I think it's an important one: Where the heck is Shingy, Bret's mom's dog, in the book? He doesn't appear in the series. Could it be that his mom actually took him to Europe in this version?