WatchOS 11.4 stuck updated too many podcast episodes

Before updating to watchOS 11.4 (from the version immediately before it), there were 70-something podcast episodes synced with my Apple Watch Ultra (gen. 1) from my iPhone 15 Pro Max — and that was the correct number: I setup iOS's Watch app to add to the watch the latest 10 unplayed episodes from about 75 shows, and there were only about 70-something unplayed episodes from those 75 shows (because I had listened to all episodes of many shows).

After updating to watchOS 11.4, the iPhone's watch app has been stuck trying to sync hundreds of episodes from the same set of shows (setup to sync the same number of episodes per show). Curiously, the iPhone's list of unplayed episodes is correct in iOS's Podcast app. So this sync queue problem seems to be coming from iOS's Watch app and/or watchOS's Podcast app.

Troubleshooting steps completed:

1. Extended sync: I put both the iPhone and watch on a charger for a few hours to ensure sufficient time to sync.
2. Unpair and repair the watch, restoring from the latest backup. That actually made the problem worse, resulting in hundreds more episodes in the sync que.
3. Repeat extended sync. After a couple more hours of syncing, the list of episodes to sync has gone up (compared to the screenshot), not down. 🤦‍♂️

Note: during syncing, OS's Watch app usually reports that it is "Updating Podcasts on Apple Watch" for extended periods of time, but this message occasionally changes to "Waiting" (and usually changes back to "Updating Podcasts on Apple Watch").

I really don't want to go through the trouble of restoring the Watch's OS just because I installed a point update (because it mentioned security updates). So before I try that nuclear option, I welcome alternative troubleshooting ideas.