Can You Be Poly Without “Catching Feelings?”

A woman moved into a new house and promptly slept with her roommate. It was great sex and the caller wants a repeat. He claims he wants more as well, but then never actually takes her up on it. One night she asked if he wanted to…you know…do it, and he chose to play video games for 14 hours instead. So.

A veteran of the polyamorous lifestyle would like to push back on the idea that you can sleep with people and avoid catching feelings. It’s just not a realistic rule, says this pragmatic lady. What do you think?

On the Magnum, Dan chats with Alexandra Petri- humor columnist for the Washington Post. They talk about comedy writing in these dark times, and Alexandra helps answer a question about horny fantasy titles creeping into a woman’s bookclub.

A woman is enjoying a friends-with-benefits situation with a man in an open marriage. She’s beginning to fall in love with him in fact. But he and his wife are trying to get pregnant, and he has made it clear that the instant they see that pink line, he must switch to friends-only as he focuses on fatherhood. How can the caller protect her heart when she knows this relationship has an expiration date?