With Molly on pod leave for the week, Tess and Emily bid farewell to Eastbound & Down — clearly reluctantly, because we’re already longing for a version of Kanye West’s “Bound 2” video starring Kenny and April. We then dig into the video and the strong reactions it has elicited, defending it against the haters while also trying to figure out if there’s any point at which we might be giving Kanye too much credit.

The same question could be asked of Lady Gaga and R. Kelly’s incredible performance on SNL this week, yet another musical moment that put us in the Grantland minority for finding it to be a triumph. What is the meaning of Gaga’s post-album-drop plastic wig? Is invoking the art world exploiting a loophole against criticism? Will Black Panties leap over the entire 2013 pop wars like a majestic sex dolphin? We do not have the answers to any of these questions, but we’ll be jamming to “Italian Hero Sandwich of Love” till December 10.

Listen to the podcast here: ESPN.com Podcenter.
Subscribe to the Grantland Pop Culture podcasts on iTunes, and check out our podcasts page.