Tread Perilously is a podcast in which hosts Erik Amaya and author Justin Robinson watch the “worst” episodes of popular TV shows, attempting to determine if they would continue to watch the series based on the most off-key moments.

This Week: Sara’s Summer of the Swans

Tread Perilously finally returns to the ABC Afterschool Specials for a month featuring YA novels before YA became a thing, surprising guests stars, and one special that did not air on ABC. It all begins with Sara’s Summer of the Swans.

Riding out what she claims to be the worst summer of her life, Sara Godfrey’s bad attitude is about to be adjusted by the disappearance of her younger brother, Charlie. Is he at the lake to see the swans before they leave south for the winter? Is he in the forest? And will a helpful Christopher Knight be the key to Sara finding Charlie and feeling better about her bummer of a summer?

Erik and Justin debate whether or not a certain surprise guest is a surprise guest. Geography Corner leads to various Los Angeles locales that could play as the Midwest. Justin notes the huge change in YA fiction across the last 50 years. He also recalls his old AfterSchool Specials column on The Satellite Show blog. A character’s choice to dye her shoes leads to a lot of tangents. Erik and Justin both recall going into the woods unsupervised as children — both literally and metaphorically. A wild Eve Plumb appears and an invitation to an end-of-summer party leads to a potent running joke.

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