After some introductory information Filreis' PoemTalk blog post announcing the new episode confesses that "We think this PoemTalk conversation will be especially helpful to those who are reading this poem for the first time: we collaboratively identify all or most of the cultural and historical references (Lochinvar of Walter Scott, the fashion for 'Pantomime Quiz' as another name for Charades, Lear's Cordelia, etc.) and we are able to figure out why so many pairs of dancers appear, despite this couple's pariah status (it is because they themselves reflect a thousand times in the chandelier above them)." He continues, "the group identifies the racist hatred that animates some or likely all the couple's detractors," before asking, "the poem of course counters such violent hatred, but can it (or the speaker) be said to be ideological?"
You can read more about this latest show, read Thomas' poem, and listen to the podcast here. The full PoemTalk archives, spanning more than a decade, can be found here.
