Episode eight is special for two reasons: We discuss our first song off Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade, and we are joined by our first ever special guest — the writer and critic Mikaela Dery! "Sandcastles" comes down to three queens (with three accents) sitting on a beach and tracing bloodlines, matrimonial lineages, curses, betrayal, anger, forgiveness, and redemption. Cameos include Adele, Dolly Parton, Moira Rose, a conspicuously chastened Jay-Z, and lots of classically contemplative Bey.

Episode seven finally brings in Beyoncé's decades-long collaborator, lover, business partner, and homemaker, JAY-Z. "Upgrade U" wasn't one of B'Day's big singles, and yet it marked the duo's official manifesto as a joint powerhouse — as well as Beyoncé coming out of the closet as a rap artist. It might also have been her first foray into drag, something we see about two and a half minutes into the song's music video. Cameos include Betty Wright, Destiny's Child, and lots & lots of HOV.

Episode six features two giddy cowboys riding Reneigh the horse through Beyoncé’s latest single, her ninth number one hit, 2024’s “Texas Hold ‘Em!” We talk about our Houston girl’s longstanding country credentials and the colorful but fraught relationship between African American musicians and Nashville tastemakers. Needless to say, we pay tribute to the song’s forefather, “Daddy Lessons,” and lasso in special guests, including Ray Charles, Reneé Rap, John Mayer, Rhiannon Giddens, and Tony Hale.