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Have you ever had a friend that you were so close with that you could just say one word and they would laugh? With a common experience, you two could understand each other and find something funny that no one else understood.

Entertainment can be the same way. While some entertainment makes reference to other works of art to speak to its viewer, sometimes, if a work is large enough, it may make reference to itself. Only those who have seen the other episodes, read the other books, or seen the other movies will get what’s going on, making the work a bit of an inside joke between the writers and the consumer.

That’s what Br. Tito and I set out to discuss this week on Everyday Liminality. Looking at three popular works (30 Rock, the Marvel universe, and Arrested Development) we investigated how this is done, what benefits/drawbacks it offers, and how it speaks to our lives.

For previous episodes, click here, and check us out every Tuesday this fall!