The Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Episodes

Find all Rosie the Reviewer episodes here.

Ep 67 – Masters of the Air – The Spielberg-Hanks WWII Saga (Part One)

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we cover the first three episodes of Masters of the Air, the latest Spielberg-Hanks WWII series following the Bloody Hundredth Bomb Group. Joined by our resident SAS Rogue Heroes correspondent George to talk about not the SAS, we unpack what works and what doesn’t. From Buck and Bucky banter to B-17 flight scenes you come to a WWII show for. We talk ball turrets, bike races, bomber boys, what we think is a missed opportunity to cast a critical look at the morality of bombing strategies.

Plus: why Harry Crosby’s memoir is a must-read, how the ground crew kept the B-17s flying, and straight-out-of-Blackadder Brits.

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25/07/2025

Ep 66 – The Imitation Game – Alan Turing, Oscar Bait and the Spy Subplot No One Asked For

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we take on The Imitation Game (2014) and unpick all the ways it does Alan Turing dirty. With guest George (our usual SAS Rogue Heroes correspondent) taking on several sidequests with us this summer), we tackle the unnecessary spy plot, the myth of the lone genius, and why turning one of history’s most brilliant minds into a socially inept robot is just lazy, disrespectful writing. Sam did all the reading, Maartje Googled for one minute and George has actually been to Bletchley Park. All of us instantly agree: this movie is not it.

We talk queer erasure, posthumous pardons, codebreaking accuracy (or lack thereof), and Sam explains EXACTLY how Turing’s codebreaking machine works ;).

This movie is Oscar bait biopic mayhem (it worked, I guess), and we have some strong thoughts.

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18/07/2025

Ep 65 – Ballad of a Soldier – The Sweetest Russian War Movie You’ve Never Seen

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss the beautiful Ballad of a Soldier (1959), a Soviet-era WWII film that might just be the gentlest war movie we’ve ever seen. The film follows a young soldier named Alyosha as he travels across Russia to visit his mother on furlough. Along the way, he meets the love of his life. Not a very outspoken war movie, but a gentle story with sincere performances from main cast and supporting actors.

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11/07/2025

Ep 64 – The Devil’s Brigade – The Birth of the Black Devils on Monte la Difensa

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we take on the 1968 WWII film The Devil’s Brigade, a movie full of misfit characters, Italian mountains, and a whole lot of bagpipes. Based on a real American-Canadian commando unit known as the Devil’s Brigade or the Black Devils, the film mixes adventure with questionable casting choices (why does everyone look 47 or up?) and a fun hour long training session. We talk about William Holden, snake collections, the birth of the Green Berets, and good old Americans scrapping with Canadians. Also: fake red berets, what’s up with that?

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04/07/2025

Ep 63 – Clare Mulley on the Women Who Fought – Polish Paratroopers, Nazi Test Pilots & Churchill’s Favourite Spy

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we’re joined by award-winning historian Clare Mulley, author of The Spy Who Loved…, The Women Who Flew for Hitler, and Agent Zo. We talk about Polish paratrooper Elżbieta Zawacka (Zo), Nazi-resisting test pilot Melitta von Stauffenberg, and the razor-sharp Christine Granville. Clare shares how she builds trust with her readers, balances storytelling with historical rigour, and restores women to their rightful place in the WWII record. And, this episodes is full of stories about the heroic women Clare writes about. You’ll want to pick up a book or two after this!

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27/06/2025

Ep 62 – X Company Season 3 – Closing Up Camp X

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we break down the final season of X Company, the gripping Canadian WWII spy series set at Camp X. We discuss what worked, what felt rushed, and what made us yell “girl, no, don’t kiss that Nazi!”
Season 3 brings heavy losses, moral complexity, and a too early farewell to our favourite Canadian covert operatives. From Krystina’s subterfuge, Faber’s redemption arc, to how the show handles antisemitism, resistance, and trauma without easy answers.
Bye, X Company. Gone too soon.

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20/06/2025

Ep 61 – X Company Season 2 – The Dieppe Raid, Enigma Machines, Ian Fleming and David Stirling Nods

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we take on Season 2 of X Company, the tense Canadian WWII drama set at Camp X. This season brings higher stakes, deeper trauma, and a brutal reckoning with the Dieppe Raid. We talk Alfred’s Magneto cage, the complexity of Faber and Sabine’s marriage and a certain “code machine that looks like a fancy typewriter”. Yes, the Enigma makes an appearance. Plus: tortured romances (literal and metaphorical), and Aurora absolutely going off-script.
We also get into the real-life inspirations behind the season, from David O’Keefe’s Dieppe theory to the heartbreaking Canadian casualties. And no one is safe, emotionally or narratively. Not even Tom.

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13/06/2025

Ep 60 – X Company Season 1 – Canada’s Secret Spy Camp X Meets Gritty WWII Drama

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we dive into the explosive first season of X Company — the 2015 Canadian WWII drama about five secret agents trained at Camp X, Canadas’ spy training camp. From high-stakes sabotage in occupied France to moral grey zones and surprise betrayals, we explore what makes this little-known show so gripping. We talk about the character arcs we love, historical accuracy, and the surprisingly brutal tone. Expect fake dating, trauma flashbacks, Nazi hypocrisy, and a that one guy from Schitt’s Creek.

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06/06/2025

Ep 59 – The Narrow Road to the Deep North – Australian POWs and the Burma Railway

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we unpack The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the harrowing new WWII series starring Jacob Elordi as Australian surgeon Dorrigo Evans. Based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel, the show follows Dorrigo’s life before, during, and after his time as a POW forced to build the Burma Railway. We talk symbolism, adaptation choices, and why every character in this show feels trapped—by war, by love, by legacy. Plus, we ask, once again, why is it so f*cking dark?

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30/05/2025

Ep 58 – Other Than Honorable – A Riveting Debrief with Spy Fiction Author Matt Hartman

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we sit down with Matt Hartman, retired US Navy Chief Petty Officer and author of the WWII spy thriller Other Than Honorable. We talk about writing spy fiction, morally complex heroes, the feeling of Berlin on the brink of war and what it’s like building a Jason Bourne-ish spy with zero suave and actual consequences. From the emotional roots of Ridge Frost to Hartman’s enigma rabbit holes, this one’s got historical deep cuts, an awkward leading man and a leading lady who might be more competent than the man himself. We love spy shit.

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23/05/2025