Does being ostracized make people aggressive? How does distrust warp perception and memory? What are the risks of seeking other people’s validation for your relationship? Paul and Eli rehearse dance moves and draft wedding toasts for Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama, the twisted 2026 rom-com starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.
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Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel
Intro
1:10: (Eli) Who are the characters and couples?
2:20: (Paul) 1-minute plot recap
3:30: What is our relationship to this movie?
What the movie gets right
6:55: (Eli) It’s vexing to continue which aspects of selfhood, if any, stay constant across time
Ship of Theseus wiki
The Self Explained book by Dr. Baumeister
8:00: (Eli) Trust is a process of uncertainty reduction that culminates in a sense of faith in one’s partner
The quest for conviction review by Dr. Murray
Trust and memory distortion study by Dr. Luchies
The development of trust study by Dr. Rempel
14:50: (Paul) We look to other people to help us make sense of ambiguous information
Bystander behavior in emergencies study by Dr. Latané
Social disapproval harms relationships study by Dr. Lehmiller
18:45: (Eli) Forgiveness is an interpersonal process
Amends and forgiveness study by Dr. Hannon
Perpetrator empathy and sincere apologies study by Dr. Schumann
Perpetrators often underestimate how much victims want an apology study by Dr. Leunissen
22:30: (Paul) People who are ostracized are indeed much more likely to be aggressive
Ostracism and aggression study by Dr. Warburton
Multiple-victim aggression as a consequence of social rejection study by Dr. Gaertner
Teasing, rejection, and school shootings study by Dr. Leary
Completed vs averted school shootings study by Dr. Winch
Misconceptions in the movie
28:05: (Eli) Incidents that shatter trust are typically those that happen within the relationship itself
Expectations and social cognition review by Dr. Holmes
29:10: (Paul) It didn’t seem credible that the Zendaya character wouldn’t have close friendships
“Are we ok with this?”
33:10: (Eli) The movie grapples with serious moral issues
Sins of thought vs. sins of action
When, if ever, should somebody be fired for a job-irrelevant moral transgression?
34:45: (Paul) The film forces us to reckon with the fact that it may be easier to sympathize with violent women than with violent men
36:50: (Eli) To what extent is moral behavior due to character vs. circumstance?
41:00: (Eli) Are we obligated in intimate relationships to disclose negative events from our past?
Relationship Quotes!
43:10: (Paul) The film capitalizes on the multiple meanings of the word “shoot”
44:10: (Eli) Relationships as performance
What do we wish we knew?
45:20: (Paul) Is the performative nature of relationships problematic?
46:05: (Eli) To what extent, and under what circumstances, are relationship reboots effective?
46:35: (Eli) Are there flashbulb moments when people’s worldview changes almost instantaneously?
47:45: (Eli) To what extent can interventions train people to resist violent urges vs. to eschew those urges altogether?
Stars (1–5): The hosts rate the quality of the movie
Rusbults (1–5): The hosts rate the accuracy of the movie’s ideas about relationships
Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons
Artwork by Katie Keil
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