Mar 26 2020

How COVID-19 Works

66 min 12 movies discussed
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We’re in the middle of an odd, tense time and Josh and Chuck are here to explain what’s going on and how to stay safe.

AI Summary

# Summary

This Stuff You Should Know episode provides a comprehensive, level-headed breakdown of COVID-19 that covers everything from what the virus actually is to how it spreads and affects the human body. Josh and Chuck dive into the science behind the coronavirus, explain the difference between the disease and the virus itself, trace its origins to a live animal market in Wuhan, and discuss the symptoms that range from mild cold-like cases to severe respiratory distress. They also tackle practical information about transmission, fomites, hand-washing, masks, and what the current statistics tell us about mortality rates and recovery, all while keeping the focus on science rather than politics or economics.


Movies Discussed

Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare
Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare
1976 PG 1h 24m
★ 6.9
"That's an Alice Cooper song, right? That's welcome to my nightmare. — Josh references the Alice Cooper song at the beginning of the episode as a joke about the topic." — Josh
Candyman
Candyman
2021 R 1h 31m
★ 6.0
"Have you seen the new Candyman that's coming? Are they remaking Candyman? Yeah, Jordan Peele's producing it. — Chuck asks Josh about the upcoming Candyman remake produced by Jordan Peele." — Chuck
Contagion
Contagion
2011 1h 46m
★ 6.6
"just like in the movie Contagion, it started with a bat and then this animal, this very strange animal. — Josh references Contagion when discussing how COVID-19 may have originated from an animal to human transmission." — Josh
Electric Vehicles: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Electric Vehicles: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2025 NR
★ 10.0
"I was not moved entirely by it. I really like get out a lot more than us. — Josh discusses his reaction to Jordan Peele's film Us, comparing it less favorably to Get Out." — Josh
Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon
2015
★ 8.3
"Just pretend like you're in the MASH camp and just wash like they wash. — Josh references MASH when giving hand-washing instructions, suggesting to wash like surgeons do in the film." — Josh
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
1987 1h 34m
★ 6.9
"it reminds him of Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies. Who by the way has a really good backstory. — Josh mentions that the coronavirus under a microscope resembles Pinhead from Hellraiser, then discusses Pinhead's backstory." — Josh
Red Dragon
Red Dragon
2002 R 2h 4m
★ 7.0
"a flame in a wheelchair like Philip Seymour Hoffman and Red Dragon. — Chuck makes a reference to Red Dragon when joking about burning cardboard boxes." — Chuck
Slacker
Slacker
1990 R 1h 37m
★ 6.7
"I want to like put a loudspeaker on top of my car like in, oh, geez, why am I in Slacker. — Chuck references the opening of Slacker when discussing wanting to warn people about social distancing." — Chuck
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
1980 2h 13m
★ 7.7
"When I think of loudspeakers in cars, I think of Blues Brothers. — Josh references The Blues Brothers in response to Chuck's Slacker reference about loudspeakers on cars." — Josh
The Purge
The Purge
2013 1h 25m
★ 6.3
"Or it becoming like the purge or something like that. — Chuck references The Purge when expressing fears about societal breakdown if key personnel become sick." — Chuck
The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment
2015 R 2h 2m
★ 6.8
"I really like get out a lot more than us, but I'm a fan of Jordan Peele. — Josh and Chuck discuss Jordan Peele films, comparing Get Out favorably to Us." — Josh
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
1959
★ 8.5
"It's like a sort of a Twilight Zone-y kind of wacky. — Josh describes the tone of Us as having a Twilight Zone-like quality." — Josh

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