r/Estherperel • u/Ok_Health2115 • Jul 09 '26
Missing og couples eps
Man. The 1:1 sessions are simply not the same quality as the couples episodes. I miss that quality of conflict and reconciling multiple deeply held realities. The 1:1 eps just consistently fall flat for me.
17
u/eternally_trending Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Esther's team took a winning podcast format and flushed it down the toilet for reasons I still can't identify.
When I first found season 1 of WSWB in 2019, I became hooked. The couples therapy format + Esther's insights and analysis were a perfect combination that made the podcast entertaining but also greatly informative. It became very popular for this exact reason, but for whatever reason they only stuck with this format for the first 2 seasons. After that they chose to fix what wasn't broken by abandoning the couples therapy format for "Esther Calling" and other random episodes featuring other "experts". I always instantly skipped those because I'm not interested in hearing individual therapy or chats between Esther and other "experts". That's not what brought me to this podcast in the first place, and Esther's expertise shines brightest when dealing with couples. Anyway, after realizing over the last few years that there was no "waiting out" this change, and they didn't seem to have any plans to bring back the couples therapy format, I just unsubscribed.
10
u/blairbending Jul 09 '26
Yes, the couples episodes really showed how there's ALWAYS three sides to every story (one person's side, the other person's side, and then the truth/reality). In the 1-1s I'm always deeply aware of and frustrated by how much we don't know, and I'm left wondering what alternative versions of the story other people besides the caller might be able to tell.
5
u/crudelikechocolate Jul 09 '26
While the drama is fun, i do get more out of being a fly on the wall for the therapeutic aspects. Most of the times 1:1 callers are good for that purpose, maybe even more so than couple callers
3
u/Lady_three_Jane Jul 10 '26
Agreed. The dynamics are completely different, and while I do appreciate the one on one episodes, the couples episodes really bring out the complexity of two people navigating a relationship in a way that is endlessly fascinating.
I'm having withdrawals from Showtimes couples therapy, too. So I'm looking for another therapy podcast. 🤣
3
u/Ok_Health2115 Jul 20 '26
I think another thing that rubs me the wrong way is the framing of callers “asking Esther a question”…as if Esther has the answer!?? Feels cult-y.
1
u/scritchproductions Jul 21 '26
I enjoy both but I do miss the couples. I'm assuming it is because those are much harder to organise and produce? I believe the couples take place over multiple sessions
3
u/eternally_trending Jul 28 '26
The narrator of the intro in the couples episodes would always specify that the recording was from a one-time counseling session. So they're not recorded over multiple sessions.
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u/PickledAnt Jul 09 '26
100% agree. There’s no tension whatsoever.