Episode
"Frankenstein" And The Craft Category Juggernauts with Bilge Ebiri
- Podcast
- Critical Darlings
- Published
- Feb 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5259
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/critical-darlings-7771666/episodes/frankenstein-and-the-craft-category-juggernauts-with-bilge-ebiri/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/critical-darlings-7771666/frankenstein-and-the-craft-category-juggernauts-with-bilge-ebiri.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
This week we’re brooding, Victorian style, with Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri! Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is a Best Picture nominee and is well represented in the craft categories, but it has only one acting nomination, for Jacob Elordi’s hulking monster. It’s of a piece with past craft-heavy Oscar contenders like Dune or The Lord of the Rings, but does Frankenstein actually stand a chance? We discuss the film itself, its lavish sets and costumes, del Toro’s choice to center the monster as the hero, and how that decision reshapes the monster’s opposite, Victor, played by Oscar Isaac. We also touch on the new Wuthering Heights, also starring Jacob Elordi, the history of Wuthering Heights adaptations, the shameless state of celebrity Super Bowl ads, and finally atone for our past sins, as Bilge defends previous subjects Train Dreams and Hamnet against our critiques. As it turns out, we were the monster all along. Subscribe to Richard's newsletter, Premiere Party, and read Alison's work at Vulture. Follow Critical Darlings on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices