Stern Men and Power Femmes
Steely-eyed men and uncompromising women—that’s who we’re thirsting after this week.

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Episode Notes
Buttoned up. Taciturn. No-nonsense. We all know the magnetism of a stern man and how it compels thirst. Writer, benevolent internet queen, and genteel bisexual lady Nicole Cliffe joined us to discuss her many thirsts, both real and fictional—from her formative crush on Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully on The X Files to Mindhunter’s Bill Tench. We also made a stop at the door of stoic-but-filled-with-rage KGB agent Ilya Kuryakin (played by Armie Hammer) in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Last but not least, we explored the flinty charm of 1920s-but-modern Detective Inspector Jack Robinson from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Both our drabbles are caretaking masterpieces, if we do say so ourselves.
Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. And you can leave us a voicemail at our new phone number, (510) 9-THIRST.
Be safe out there, thirst-buckets—undo your top button and get to it!