For our holiday special, we’re entering The Sapphic Canon.
This week, Ariel and Morgan are joined by filmmaker and comedy icon Amanda Holland (On the Phone with Ash and Amanda) to dissect one of the most breathtakingly intimate love scenes in queer cinema: the motel moment from Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015).

From tension you could pour over pancakes to the robe pull that changed lesbian history, the trio breaks down why this scene still feels like a masterclass in sensual restraint, visual storytelling, and character vulnerability.

They unpack it all:

• How power dynamics shift without a word, told only through body language
• Why the simulated oral moment works… and where it gets a little thigh-heavy
• How Cate Blanchett seduces by doing absolutely nothing except existing in a robe (a power move we should all aspire to)

This episode is equal parts craft, chaos, holiday cheer, and deep queer yearning: the perfect festive treat.

Give a Little Queer Holiday Love

If you’re feeling the spirit, consider supporting organizations that protect and uplift trans and LGBTQ youth year-round. A few of our favorites:

Buy Fruity TV Gear (Like a Christmas Carol or Happy HoliGays) here!

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
Ali Forney Center: https://www.aliforneycenter.org/

Even a small donation helps keep queer kids safe, supported, and celebrated, and that’s the kind of holiday magic we believe in.

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Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Phyllis Nagy (screenplay); Patricia Highsmith (novel)
Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen; Christine Vachon; Stephen Woolley
Actors (selected): Cate Blanchett; Rooney Mara
© 2015 Number 9 Films / Killer Films / Film4 Productions. All rights reserved.

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🔗 Connect & Support the Show

👀 Watch the Video Version: See our reactions! The video podcast is available on Spotify and YouTube.
💌 Suggest a Scene & Get Bonuses: Join our Patreon to request movies for us to break down and access exclusive bonus episodes. patreon.com/FakingItThePod
📱 Follow Us for Chaos: Get behind-the-scenes content and updates on Instagram @FakingItThePod
🌐 Visit Our Website: Find all our links and more at FakingItThePod.com

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💬 Review Us: Love the show? Give us 5 stars! It helps other listeners discover us.

Stay real, Fakers 🫡

Legal Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own. This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing here is intended to defame, slander, or infringe upon any individual or entity. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.

Marking the end of hoa hoa hoa season, we finally did it. We tackled the honeymoon scene: the headboard-shattering, pillow-exploding, furniture-destroying moment that launched a thousand fanfics and exactly zero realistic intimacy expectations.

In this episode, Ariel and Morgan break down why Edward and Bella’s “rough sex” isn’t rough… or even sex-adjacent. From supernatural metaphors to YA-safe choreography, they unpack how a scene expected to portray feral passion somehow ends up looking like a vampire doing light construction work.

We get into it all:

• Why the choreography feels like a Marvel fight scene wearing a silk robe
• How PG-13 rules shape what “intensity” is allowed to look like onscreen
• Why the scene is accidentally more about property damage than eroticism
• Bella’s incredible chill despite the world’s craziest bruises
• How an intimacy coordinator might approach supernatural strength without losing human stakes
• And whether anyone in film history has ever looked more relaxed in freezing cold water

It’s part genre analysis, part supernatural thirst discourse, and part home-renovation commentary, a true Faking It classic.

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Director: Bill Condon
Writer (Screenplay): Melissa Rosenberg
Writer (Novel): Stephenie Meyer
Producers: Wyck Godfrey; Karen Rosenfelt; Stephenie Meyer
Actors (featured in the scene): Kristen Stewart; Robert Pattinson
© 2011 Summit Entertainment / Temple Hill Entertainment / Sunswept Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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🔗 Connect & Support the Show

👀 Watch the Video Version: See our reactions! The video podcast is available on Spotify and YouTube.
💌 Suggest a Scene & Get Bonuses: Join our Patreon to request movies for us to break down and access exclusive bonus episodes. patreon.com/FakingItThePod
📱 Follow Us for Chaos: Get behind-the-scenes content and updates on Instagram @FakingItThePod
🌐 Visit Our Website: Find all our links and more at FakingItThePod.com

🎧 Subscribe for Free: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to Faking It on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

💬 Review Us: Love the show? Give us 5 stars! It helps other listeners discover us.

Stay real, Fakers 🫡

Legal Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own. This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing here is intended to defame, slander, or infringe upon any individual or entity. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.

This one’s flexing in all the right ways.

Ariel and Morgan break down the sweaty, gritty, gloriously unhinged intimacy of Love Lies Bleeding, a film where bodies don’t just collide, they transform. From gym-floor lust to desert-heat devotion, they explore how the movie uses athleticism, desire, and danger to tell a love story that’s as physical as it is emotional.

They get into it all:

• Why Love Lies Bleeding treats strength as a love language
• How the film choreographs intimacy that’s sexy, sweaty, and deeply character-driven
• The power (and vulnerability) of hyper-built bodies in erotic storytelling
• What makes Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian’s chemistry feel so raw, charged, and grounded
• How muscle, menace, and mythology collide in this neon-soaked queer thriller
• And yes… what it means to stage a scene where love might actually burst a vein

This episode is equal parts admiration, analysis, and gym-class nostalgia, celebrating the beauty, intensity, and feral tenderness of one of the most unforgettable romances in recent memory.

(A big thank you to our listener Brielle for suggesting this one!)

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Director: Rose Glass
Writers: Rose Glass; Weronika Tofilska
Producers: Andrea Cornwell; Oliver Kassman
Actors (selected): Kristen Stewart; Katy O’Brian
© 2024 A24 / Film4 / Lobo Films / Escape Plan

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Support the show

🔗 Connect & Support the Show

👀 Watch the Video Version: See our reactions! The video podcast is available on Spotify and YouTube.
💌 Suggest a Scene & Get Bonuses: Join our Patreon to request movies for us to break down and access exclusive bonus episodes. patreon.com/FakingItThePod
📱 Follow Us for Chaos: Get behind-the-scenes content and updates on Instagram @FakingItThePod
🌐 Visit Our Website: Find all our links and more at FakingItThePod.com

🎧 Subscribe for Free: Never miss an episode! Subscribe to Faking It on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

💬 Review Us: Love the show? Give us 5 stars! It helps other listeners discover us.

Stay real, Fakers 🫡

Legal Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own. This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing here is intended to defame, slander, or infringe upon any individual or entity. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.