Laci and Matt fall into the world of Christian Grey, a mysterious and mercurial billionaire (age: 27) who enjoys flying his helicopter and tickling womens' tummies.
First, the show explores author E.L. James and how her Twilight fan fiction evolved into the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades trilogy. Then, a cultural industry grows like a weed, trying to figure out what exactly it says about our society that we love these books, ya know?
The 2010s is also when fandom completely seizes control of the production of its favorite intellectual properties. Author E.L. James was not happy with how far the first Fifty Shades film deviated from her book, and she kept a much tighter leash on the subsequent entries. But what exactly was she unhappy with?
Is Fifty Shades of Grey conservative or progressive, sex-positive or prudish, feminist or retrograde, pro-BDSM or anti-BDSM? The answer, of course, is yes.
I'll bet you five you're not alive if this movie about transactional law doesn't turn you on. Plus, we answer a sex advice question!
Next week (April 10, 2026): SEX MONTH continues with the '90s sex comedy classic Can't Hardly Wait (1998)!
Time stamps:
- 00:05:06 — History segment: Author E.L. James writes a Twilight fan fiction that then gets turned into Fifty Shades of Grey; the novel becomes a blockbuster, leading to huge movies and a huge cultural industry; the production of the movie is difficult; Dakota Johnson still confuses us; the #notmychristian backlash to Jamie Dornan's casting; director Sam Taylor-Johnson later expresses regret that she did the movie, claims E.L. James doesn't like her
- 00:43:05 — Movie discussion
- 01:55:19 — Sex advice question of the week: "Help! My girlfriend wants to pee on me!"
- 01:59:15 — Final thoughts & star ratings
Sources:
- "Unexpected Lessons From 'Fifty Shades of Grey'" by A.O. Scott | The New York Times (2015) - https://bit.ly/4lYHR46
- "'Fifty Shades' Sequel: Author E.L. James Demands Control Over Script" by Justin Kroll & Ramin Setoodeh | Variety (2015) - https://bit.ly/4bIqIIz
- "Mommy porn?: Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James: review" by Laura Barnett | The Telegraph (2012) - https://bit.ly/3PJsaSq
- "Sir Salman Rushdie: 'Fifty Shades of Grey makes Twilight look like War and Peace'" by Chris Irvine Chrisirvine | The Telegraph (2012) - https://bit.ly/3QaVlxP
- "Sam Taylor-Johnson reveals Fifty Shades regret: 'EL James didn't like me'" by Alice Vincent | The Telegraph (2017) - https://bit.ly/4bZPC5s
- "'Fifty Shades' Casting: Shailene Woodley and Other Surprise Names That Passed" by Tatiana Siegel & Borys Kit | The Hollywood Reporter (2013) - https://bit.ly/3O9Ag6s
- "50 Shades film: Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson cast" by Ben Child | The Guardian (2013) - https://bit.ly/3PHuolp
- "Jamie Dornan fled to rural hideaway after 'ridicule' over Fifty Shades of Grey" by Vanessa Thorpe | The Guardian (2024) - https://bit.ly/4tlqFbD
- "Fifty Shades Of Green: How Fanfiction Went From Dirty Little Secret To Money Machine" by Hayley C. Cuccinello | Forbes (2017) - https://bit.ly/4cgEDpo
- "Christian Grey Began His Fictional Career As A Vampire" by Neda Ulaby | NPR (2015) - https://n.pr/41actGq
- "Is Fifty Shades Of Grey Twilight Fan-Fiction? Origins & Inspiration Explained" by Adrienne Tyler | Screen Rant (2024) - https://bit.ly/4s7gZR1
- "Fifty Shades of Grey: what BDSM enthusiasts think" by Anna Smith | The Guardian (2015) - https://bit.ly/4cgEL8m
Transcript: https://1weekrentalpod.com/2026/04/fifty-shades-of-grey-2015/#transcript
Artwork by Laci Roth.
Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-kKLhWb2g0bKA-RrvvLh0Q/
Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4jRL2K1), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4a8jM6E), and YouTube (https://youtube.com/@podjob007).
Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).
Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:
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