I have mixed feelings about Hothouse Bruiser. I appreciate that each episode takes on a different subgenre of noir: heist, murder plot, etc. There's an episode where Bruiser has to figure out who slipped him a drug that will kill him in 1 hour if he doesn't find the antidote, reminiscent of the plot of D.O.A. And I appreciate that the revelations come at a steady beat.But the way that Bruiser talks about and describes femme fatale Vera Grayle is so gross, it just makes me feel icky to listen to it. Sure, she's hot, willing to sleep with him and completely amoral, as femme fatales often are. And Bruiser is happy to cheat on his wife, if not necessarily with Vera. Compared to the many noir podcasts I've listened, the degree to which Bruiser salivates over Vera is notably excessive. The time he asks his boss if he's ever thought of having sex with Vera and the boss is like, yeah, all the time, it's like two frat bros comparing notes. The exchange is followed by Bruiser happily commenting that Vera's looks will go quickly now that she's been cast out to live at street level. He may grouse about acting morally compromised for money but he acts like she is beneath him because he considers her akin to a prostitute, and that is way worse. This is after an episode where she sticks out her neck to save him, btw. It's so gross.