For Valentine’s Day, some of the Discover Pods staff submitted their Valentine’s Day podcasts with the prompt that the episodes they chose could be about anything to do with love: romantic love, platonic love, self love, why love is great, or why love sucks.

Here are our picks this year, and we hope to those celebrating that your Valentine’s Day is as sweet as possible here in 2021.

36 Questions

“Act 1 of 3”

36 Questions is one of my favorite podcasts, and I bring it up pretty much whenever I can. Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to get people to listen to this three-part podcast musical starring Jessie Shelton and Jonathan Groff, given it’s one of my favorite examinations of love, trust, and identity. When the truth it outed that the woman Jace (Groff) married, Natalie (Shelton), is a completely fake identity, can these two estranged spouses rekindle their love . . . and should they? Using the “36 Questions That Lead to Love,” this podcast takes twists and turns, all waltzing around in some phenomenal music. If you’re not a musical fan, this might just convince you. If you think love sucks, this podcast has your back (or does it?). If you love love and think it rules, this podcast has your back (or does it?).

—Wil Williams

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Arden

“Rosalind and Pamela Are Dead”

I know an episode about two people discovering a dead body is a weird pick for a Valentine’s day list, but hear me out, okay? Rosalind and Pamela Are Dead is really about the complicated friendship of the two characters and the complicated relationships they have with others. For the bulk of the episode, Rosalind and Pamela stand in a field and discuss their personal lives. Pamela brings up her marriage. She paints a realistic picture of it, sharing some of the arguments she has with her husband but also why she loves him. “What is marriage if not commitment to a bit?” she jokes at one point. It’s a sweet depiction of a tough but loving relationship. Rosalind, however, talks about the struggles of being Asexual, loving someone platonically who wants to return that love in other ways. She says, “I don’t know how I can trust someone who views my friendship as a compromise.” As someone who is Ace, I find this moment incredibly relatable. To me, love is complicated, and this episode shows that. It breaks down different forms of love and what it means to different people, and that’s why I think it exemplifies Valentine’s day.

–Tal Minear

Read more: “Arden” is a Unfaltering Subversion of the True Crime Genre

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The Godshead Incidental

“Episode 5: In The Dark”

Full Disclosure: I am the voice of Lorem in Godshead, though I wasn’t involved in any of the writing or production process. I adore this episode because it handles Ace/Aro representation so well. Lorem starts to set up a date-like evening and Em drops that she’s Asexual and Aromantic. Lorem responds that they know, they just wanted to do something nice for her, while also planning an elaborate dinner and heist planning meeting. Em’s sexuality isn’t played as a joke. Lorem doesn’t try to convince her to be anything else other than herself. It feels like such a natural way to introduce that aspect of her identity without seeming performative and just having that meant so much to me.

—Cole Burkhardt

Read more: New Religion: “The Godshead Incidental” Review

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Equal Parts

“Tash & Marthe”

Equal Parts a romantic storytelling podcast out of the UK for people who just want to bask in people’s love, via the voices of the partners themselves with minimal to no interruptions from the host, Maria Passingham. “Tash & Marthe” opens Equal Parts‘ second season this Valentine’s Day with peak lesbian romance, where these women met while traveling, spent copious amounts of travel time going between London and Amsterdam, and then ended up moving in together in the UK the day lockdown started. Threaded together with exquisite care by Passingham so that their voices are balanced to make it feel like equal parts of one heart, Tash and Marthe tell their story and guide listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, supported by a sweet and upbeat instrumental background. Guaranteed to make you smile as they shift between many possible relationship configurations for a couple, Tash and Marthe are just the right, heart-warming vibe for queer folks looking to hear love in someone’s voice.

—Elena Fernández Collins

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The Cut

“You Might Actually Be In Love With Your Best Friend”

I love love, but it often feels like romance is the only kind that gets major airtime, something that’s never more in-your-face than on Valentine’s Day. This episode of The Cut chooses to explore in the other direction, diving into the power and intensity of platonic relationships and why it’s a bit silly that they’re overlooked when compared to romantic/sexual ones. Plus, it features journalist Angela Chen, author of one of my new favorite reads– ACE: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex.

–Rashika Rao

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