Ryan Engley
Special guest
Ryan Engley is a PhD candidate at The University of Rhode Island. His dissertation, To Be Continued: Serial Storytelling in New Narrative Media examines the intersection of psychoanalysis and contemporary serial media. His work has appeared in The Serial Podcast and Storytelling in the Digital Age, Can Philosophy Love? Reflections and Encounters, The International Journal of Žižek Studies, and Cinematic Cuts: Theorizing Film Endings.
Ryan Engley has been a guest on 2 episodes.
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Episode 314: What Makes a Movie a Christmas Movie?, with Todd McGowan and Ryan Engley
December 18th, 2025 | 1 hr 6 mins
It’s the holiday season and for many of you that means curling up on the couch with some popcorn and some candy and watching one of your favorite feel good Christmas movies. What if all those cozy Christmas movies aren’t really about comfort at all—but about desire, loss, and what we’re missing deep down inside? Today I’m joined by Todd McGowan and Ryan Engley from the Why Theory podcast to psychoanalyze our favorite holiday films. From small-town miracles to last-minute reconciliations, we’re digging into what these movies reveal about enjoyment, fantasy, and why Christmas keeps pulling us back in year after year. Grab some eggnog—this conversation might change how you watch Christmas movies forever.
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Episode 131: Why Theory, with Todd McGowan and Ryan Engley
October 19th, 2018 | 1 hr 17 mins
My guests are Todd McGowan and Ryan Engley. They are the co-hosts of "Why Theory," a podcast that brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to examine cultural phenomenon.