Once Upon a Time (Various Seasons)
4.6/5
Critic Rating
It’s the groves of academe: Bennington College, the wildest and wickedest school in America. In the last great decade: the 1980s. Bennington class of ’86, class of Bret Easton Ellis, future writer of American Psycho and co-leader of the literary Brat Pack; Jonathan Lethem, future writer of Motherless Brooklyn and MacArthur Fellow; and Donna Tartt, future writer of The Secret History and Pulitzer Prize winner. All three are, at various times, infatuated and disappointed with one another, their friendships stimulated and fueled by rivalry as much as affection. And all three will mythologize Bennington in their fiction—fiction that, as we’ll...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4.4
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Oct 27, 2021
"Once Upon a Time … at Bennington College didn’t make a particularly strong first impression. There’s something that feels a little old-fashioned about maintaining a not particularly critical interest in that kind of thing these days, but if that’s in your wheelhouse as a cultural consumer, this is most definitely the show for you. The Streisand Effect is a thing that exists, and this legal meta-story has added a much more interesting layer to this podcast."
Score: 4.8
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Oct 18, 2021
"The format is interesting...It’s tricky—so many podcasts have been called out for telling stories that they shouldn’t be telling and it’s a real problem. I wouldn’t want a podcast about my own life. But as a fan of literary dramas, I find this show too appealing to boycott."
