The talent-show Jingle Bell Rock performance and Amy Poehler dancing in the aisle are nominated
The sabotage montage is praised while the purse-theft setup raises questions
The four-way phone call is nominated
Cady inheriting the followers after Regina’s lunchroom humiliation is nominated
The Burn Book outbreak and principal’s gym intervention are nominated
Janis’s confession through Regina being hit by the bus is nominated
The first lunch is praised for introducing Regina’s manipulation
The first Burn Book and cool-mom scene is nominated
Cady’s oversized pink lacrosse shirt is a personal selection
Amanda explicitly chooses the first lunch

Regina George, Lohan’s performance and Tina Fey’s script

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 00:27:44Read transcript

Four-way calls, the coach subplot and Africa generalizations

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 00:35:35Read transcript

Four-way telephone calls feel obsolete beside FaceTime
The soundtrack is criticized as underselling its young female audience
Kelis’s Milkshake is defended as an exception
Budget limitations are suggested as a possible explanation for music choices
Jonathan Bennett’s narrow subsequent screen identity is lamented
The surprise of Lacey Chabert having grown up is harder for later viewers to share
Fetch not catching on is raised, then reconsidered because the rejection phrase endured
The teacher-underage-student joke feels uncomfortable
Samantha Ronson’s song evokes the later celebrity relationship for one host
Cady lowering her grades for Aaron is criticized and defended as intentional satire
Racial stereotypes and treating Africa as one homogeneous place are criticized
Final preferences split among technology, the coach plot and Africa references

Kevin G and Damian; Amy Poehler’s nomination is disputed

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 00:54:08Read transcript

Kevin G is the initial leading choice
Bill nominates Poehler and argues for ten percent less intensity
The others strongly defend the cool-mom character’s broadness
Damian’s candy-cane delivery is proposed as too heightened
One participant retains Kevin G while another accepts the Damian alternative
Bill concedes he will not formally choose Poehler despite his personal preference

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 00:55:59Read transcript

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:03:16Read transcript

Lohan is the emphatic unanimous choice for this being her career peak
Fey is placed at the overlap of 30 Rock and Sarah Palin impressions
Poehler and Seyfried are rejected for this point in their careers
Tim Meadows is floated, with The Ladies Man as an alternative
Chabert is placed at Party of Five
McAdams’s power is associated with completing the Mean Girls–Notebook–Wedding Crashers run
The Gosling/McAdams MTV kiss is recalled as part of that moment

Damian

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:05:04Read transcript

Damian is recognized as an actor strongly identified with this role
The girl later appearing in Ariana Grande’s video is an alternative without a confidently supplied actor name
Amanda explicitly breaks the tie for Damian
Aaron Samuels is also mentioned in this recognizable-character discussion

A smart television version

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:15:06Read transcript

The panel agrees a ten-episode adaptation is possible but questions whether it should exist
One host would immediately sample it
Another requires the original’s intelligence rather than a generic teen soap
The Bold Type is offered as a useful tonal model
Mean Girls 2020 is floated as an election-like title

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:18:01Read transcript