Best J. K. Rowling Podcasts (2025)

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211. Ghostwritten by J. K. Rowling (SNW 3.08) 1:11:13

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21d ago1:11:13

1:11:13

With heavy hearts, Anika and Liz discuss "Four and a Half Vulcans", the worst episode of Star Trek's streaming era, and possibly one of the top five worst episodes of Star Trek ever. So that's fun. Liz keeps returning to the question, "Is this worse than 'Code of Honor'?" "I understand that this is meant to be funny." Genetics and hair don't work l…

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Breakdown: Harry Potter (EPISODE 300) 33:49

3d ago33:49

33:49

Send us a text In this episode, we break down the character of Harry Potter. Happy five years, and enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 4:20 Why haven’t we done a breakdown of Harry before? He’s only one character. It’s everyone else around him that make the story pop. Also, we understand Harry pretty well. The point of closer analysis is better understanding …

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213. Twentieth Century Thinking (SNW 3.10) 1:03:52

7d ago1:03:52

1:03:52

Noted Doctor Who podcasters Anika and Liz settle in to watch a very bad Steven Moffat pastiche. Yes, it's time for the season 3 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and spoilers, turning into a statue might be preferable to this. It turns out Marie's whole arc has been about becoming tradwife statuary The weird Christian subtext of the season i…

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If Jude Law doesn't play young Albus Dumbledore, I quit | Why we need two actors, Why it should be Jude Law, Other characters who deserve multiple actors, More! 32:08

10d ago32:08

32:08

Send us a text In this episode, we talk about why Jude Law should play young Dumbledore in the new TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · Listen to episode 298 called “Warwick Davis is returning as Flitwick? Who else should reprise their role?” here! · 2:14 Why two actors? Well, Dumbledore has a complex past. He feels like he was a different person back…

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212. Gamer Gorn Girlfriend (SNW 3.09) 1:03:07

14d ago1:03:07

1:03:07

Anika and Liz get sucked into a wormhole and trapped on a moon orbiting a gas giant, which is actually pretty standard when you're adults with jobs trying to organise a board game night. We're discussing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 3, episode 9, "Terrarium", an episode which comes so close to being good before it snatches defeat from the …

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Warwick Davis is returning as Flitwick? Who else should reprise their role? | Matthew Lewis, Jude Law, Jason Isaacs, More! 31:41

17d ago31:41

31:41

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss which actors should reprise their roles in the new Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · Listen to episode 287, “Tom Felton is returning to Broadway. Who should return to the TV show?” Here! · 4:10 Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy. He was the perfect blend of haughty, rude, and fearful. He portrayed …

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Cut the fluff, let's get straight to it | Making new stuff up, History, Welcoming back, More! 31:16

24d ago31:16

31:16

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss how to reintroduce an old world. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:33 It’s not welcome, it’s welcome back. None of this is going to be brand new, so I’m hoping the filmmakers realize that they shouldn’t be trying to reinvent the wheel. We didn’t know what any of the characters or sets looked like when the films w…

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210. Selling Starfleet (SNW 3.07) 49:09

29d ago49:09

49:09

It's documentary time! Anika and Liz look straight into the camera and share their feelings about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "What Is Starfleet?", including... We have complicated feelings about this episode! It interrogates the documentary as a form of propaganda, but also interrogates the Federation in bad faith? SNW is not equipped to deal w…

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Lucius Malfoy is the worst person ever | Analyzing the Malfoy Family, change their dynamic, pulling back the curtain, More! 30:42

1M ago30:42

30:42

Send us a text In this episode, we analyze the Malfoy family and discuss what should be carried over into the TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:53 Something has to change. I’m not saying something is wrong, that’s just a fact. The books are the books and the films are the films. The TV has to show us something new, and that will mean they have to…

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209. The Shape of Star Trek (SNW 3.06) 58:09

1M ago58:09

58:09

Anika and Liz battle an ancient and unbeatable enemy: grimdark anti-morality in Star Trek. We're discussing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail", an episode with all the ingredients of Star Trek except its soul... This feels like a backdoor pilot for a series which has been around for nearly 60 years Why are we spending so m…

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I Want More Flashbacks! | Snape, Marauders, Dumbledore, More! 30:22

1M ago30:22

30:22

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss why we need more flashbacks from the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:33 The Marauders. We didn’t get any flashbacks from the Marauders in the story, even though we know a lot about the characters individually. Each of the characters are vital for Harry’s life, and their relationships defin…

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208. There's Always A Bigger Fish (SNW 3.05) 50:04

1M ago50:04

50:04

Anika and Liz beam down to a nice planet where nothing bad happens and everyone leaves with the same amount of eyeballs they started with. WAIT, NO, we're discussing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Through the Lens of Time"... This once again felt like several unrelated episodes smushed together Like season 5 of Discovery, this video game is on eas…

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QuizMaster: Sorcerer's Stone! | Harry's first spell, Finding out Norbert, Meeting Draco, More! 32:42

2M ago32:42

32:42

Send us a text In this episode, we test our knowledge on the first book in the Harry Potter series. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:38 Warm up round · 5:15 Question #1 · 10:06 Question #2 · 14:48 Question #3 · 18:46 Question #4 · 22:35 Question #5 · 26:15 Question #6 · 29:06 Question #7 · 31:52 Challenge Question Having anything you want to hear or say?…

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207. Jaunt and/or Romp (SNW 3.04) 54:21

2M ago54:21

54:21

Anika and Liz are here, and we hunger for braincells! Unfortunately, before we can celebrate our favourite episode of the season so far, we have to talk about the Spock/La'an of it all... When Anika said she shipped Spock/La'an, she didn't mean in canon! "I want to slut shame Spock, and not in an ironic way." At this point it's gonna look pretty ba…

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And So It Begins! | Leaked Dursley at the zoo photos, official first look at Harry + Hagrid 30:25

2M ago30:25

30:25

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the official beginning of filming on the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:00 Leaked Dursley photos. They look authentic for the time, and the book. This is part of a larger idea of separating the films from the core of the fandom, and instead bringing the books back to the foreground. Looki…

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206. Her Body, Pike's Choice (SNW 3.03) 48:03

2M ago48:03

48:03

Anika and Liz go on a nice road trip to pick some flowers, and nothing bad happens to anyone. Okay, fine, we are discussing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 3, "Shuttle to Kenfori", including... First of all, WHAT IS HAPPENING ON REBECCA ROMIJN'S HEAD Season 3 has a recurring motif where a woman states explicitly what she wants, and …

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So. Voldemort. | Potential actors, necessary traits, non trio-centric TV show, More! 31:52

2M ago31:52

31:52

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the lack of casting for Voldemort and what that might mean for the TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:19 If we haven’t had an official casting, we might have a story that isn’t based around the trio. Of course the story is going to be centered around the trio because that is what it is, but having a big b…

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205. The Girlfriend Edit (SNW 3.02) 42:50

2M ago42:50

42:50

Anika and Liz put on their cutest wedding outfits and settle in to discuss episode 2 of Strange New Worlds' third season: "Wedding Bell Blues". Liz is gonna try not to talk about Pike. Anika is going to do her best not to implode. It's fun! This episode was engineered in a lab to target Anika personally Is this a mean-spirited commentary on shipper…

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204. Berman Era Level Misogyny (SNW 3.01) 54:23

2M ago54:23

54:23

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back, baby! Anika and Liz fight off some Gorn and settle in to discuss the premiere! (We did not realise, when we recorded, that "Hegemony" part 2 would be dropping along with "Wedding Bell Blues", so we're only discussing that first episode now.) This is certainly an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is Chri…

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The Dursley Family: Yay or Nay? | Mean to Harry, rather unintelligent folk, Harry and Dudley friends from the start, More! 30:41

2M ago30:41

30:41

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss aspects of the Dursley family and 4 Privet Drive and if we give them a yay or nay. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:24 The Dursleys are mean to Harry. Yay! This is the hallmark of the Dursley household. We would really be missing something if they were complete angels to him. It might be an interesting story if …

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Ranking Most Important Harry Potter Film Sets! | Great Hall, Privet Drive, Ollivander's, More! 38:19

2M ago38:19

38:19

Send us a text In this episode, we rank the seven most important sets of the Harry Potter films. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:11 #7: Ollivander’s Wand Shop. We aren’t there for too long, but what goes on here is extremely important. This is where Harry got his first wand and learned of the twin cores, themes that would follow him forever. · 9:49 #6: …

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203. Hair Trek (part 2) 57:35

3M ago57:35

57:35

Anika and Liz let their hair down, and as it tumbles over their shoulders in perfect beach waves identical to the hair of every other woman on television in the 2020s, they return to their discussion of hair and hair styling in Star Trek... Liz has a theory about why Janeway's early hair was … like that. And we're sorry, but it does involve Margare…

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Harry Potter TV Show Darkness Mode Engage | Cinematography, relationships, Voldemort's rise to power, More! 31:21

3M ago31:21

31:21

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the TV show's connection to the HBO show 'Succession' and how the filmmakers should take some inspiration from it. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 3:30 Different cinematography. Longer shots, less music, and more personal moments can really make a difference in how we understand the show. Now that the audience in…

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The TV Show cast is very similar to the film cast. So what? | Actors playing actors, similar sets, exploration of plot, More! 30:30

3M ago30:30

30:30

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the similarities of the TV show cast to the film cast and what that might mean for the show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:30 Might point to reduced creativity when making the sets. If they’re recasting the cast, why not just use the same sets. To be fair, the silhouette of Hogwarts is iconic as well as some …

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202. Hair Trek (part 1) 45:32

3M ago45:32

45:32

Anika and Liz put their hair up and settle in to discuss the most pressing topic of our time -- hairstyles in Star Trek. We talked for so long that we wound up splitting this into a two-parter, which is PEAK Antimatter Pod, but in this first half, we discuss... Janice Rand, Marie Antoinette and Sabrina Carpenter Pavel Chekov, The Monkees and appeal…

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Tom Felton is returning to Broadway. Who should return to the TV show? | Tom Felton, Mark Williams, Matthew Lewis, More! 31:31

3M ago31:31

31:31

Send us a text In this episode we discuss cameos that should appear in the new Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:14 Tom Felton as Lucius Malfoy. If we have a reminder of all Draco went through in the films, we could understand his character earlier on. Perhaps we could make deeper revelations on his character by the end of the TV sho…

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Flip the Script: Harry is sorted into Slytherin! | Friends with Malfoy, enemies with Sirius, disconnected with his parents, More! 31:45

4M ago31:45

31:45

Send us a text In this episode, we flip the script and discuss how the story would change if Harry was sorted into Slytherin. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · Listen to episode 285 about the new cast for the trio here! · 2:13 Harry and Draco are going to become friends. They both have difficult families, and are somewhat alone in the world. They can connec…

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201. Very Sixth Season TNG (Derogatory) (TNG 6.22) 52:41

4M ago52:41

52:41

Anika and Liz put on their least comfortable lounging clothes and settle in to discuss Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 6, episode 22, "Suspicions". Why is Beverly Crusher hosting an astrophysics conference? And other questions that will forever go unanswered However, this episode, which makes no sense in the context of TNG, makes a LOT of se…

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The Trio is Cast! Who's Next? | Malfoy, Voldemort, Weasleys, More! 31:46

4M ago31:46

31:46

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the recent casting of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and who should be cast next. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:36 The Deadline article said Malfoy, Cho Chang, and Cedric Diggory were more prized roles. Really? Chang and Diggory cover only a few books. Malfoy is an important casting, however. The actor has to unde…

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Analyzing Fred Weasley's Death! | Harry's Past, Reality of the Battle, Personal for the Weasley family, More! 33:20

4M ago33:20

33:20

Send us a text In this episode, we analyze the larger implications of Fred's death. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:14 Fred is killed in the Battle of Hogwarts in the seventh book. It really represents the death of Harry’s past, and puts into starker contrast the fact that he can never go back. Of course, Harry can’t go back to events that have already …

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200. Performative Femininity 1:07:47

4M ago1:07:47

1:07:47

It's our 200th episode! A victory for quantity over quality and our small, chill audience of friends! To celebrate, Anika and Liz are talking about Star Trek: Open A Channel - A Woman's Trek, Nana Visitor's book about women in Star Trek. Open A Channel is much more substantial than just girl power feminism. How Lucille Ball was erased from Star Tre…

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Designing the Battle of Hogwarts in the TV Show! | Flying Duel, Charge of the Houselves, Final Showdown, More! 30:54

4M ago30:54

30:54

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the Battle of Hogwarts in the TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:09 The charge of the houselves. This moment is only in the book, but is impactful. Kreacher has finally found something that he believes in, and it would be a shame if his arc ends without that final resolution of charging into battle. This …

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Characters that DON'T deserve a second chance! | Umbridge, Bellatrix, Pettigrew, More! 30:32

5M ago30:32

30:32

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss characters that don't deserve a second chance. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:30 Umbridge. She will never deserve a second chance. She was an evil toad in the books and and an even worse person in the books. She likely didn’t have a good time of it when she was carried away by the centaurs, but it’s hard to fe…

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199. Arm Day (Star Trek: Of Gods And Men) 1:00:57

5M ago1:00:57

1:00:57

Anika and Liz don their sparkliest shirts and biggest earrings, and sit down to watch Star Trek: Of Gods And Men, a fan film starring Nichelle Nichols, Alan Ruck, Walter Koenig and more. You can watch it here, or -- in a much smaller window -- watch an unauthorised HD remaster. We're in our Alan Ruck era, but we were not prepared for the unbelievab…

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"Filmsms" that should be included in the TV show! | Voldemort's death, snapping the elder wand, Neville's arc, More! 30:10

5M ago30:10

30:10

Send us a text In this episode, we talk about moments in the films that should be in the TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:10 Harry breaking the elder wand. In the book, Harry simply repairs his own wand then returns the elder wand to Dumbledore’s grave. It’s a nice message, but the film does this much better. Harry snapping the wand and throwing…

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We NEED to see more of these places! | Ministry, Diagon Alley, The Burrow, More! 31:56

5M ago31:56

31:56

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss places we need to see more of in the TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:37 Diagon Alley. In the book, this is the meeting point of the Muggle and magical worlds. It is the first place Harry sees that is truly magical, and also acts as a sanctuary for him later on. When it is taken over, that should mean s…

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198. Plus A Change 1:01:47

5M ago1:01:47

1:01:47

Liz takes a deep dive into Usenet archives and tells Anika about fandom's earliest discussions of Star Trek: Deep Space 9! (Please note, we are still having audio problems -- despite literally nothing changing in our set ups, Liz's feed is echoing on Anika's channel. This means Anika had to be muted for a lot of the time. At this point we may have …

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Major Castings Confirmed for Harry Potter TV Show! | Johnathan Lithgow, Paapa Essiedu, Janet McTeer, More! 32:14

5M ago32:14

32:14

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss some of the major castings that HBO recently confirmed. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:17 Still nothing on the trio? We’ve already heard a lot surrounding other characters, and now we have confirmed other casting. But the series revolves around Harry, Ron, and Hermione, not these others. They are still importa…

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Scenes That Should Never Change! | End of Prisoner of Azkaban, Battle of the Ministry of Magic, Ron leaving the tent, More! 29:11

5M ago29:11

29:11

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss scenes that should never change. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:37 Ollivander’s wand shop. This scene sets up the conflict between Voldemort and Harry, and without the careful assembly of this scene, the effect is lost. There’s wind and light when Harry finds his wand, and Ollivander tells him of the twin core…

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Harry's POV Sucks | Lily + James Murder, Graveyard, Dumbledore's Death, More! 32:16

6M ago32:16

32:16

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss why certain scenes shouldn't have been from Harry's perspective. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:50 James and Lily’s murder. This scene is pretty blurry and vague because it’s from Harry’s perspective. Now that we know what’s going, seeing what Voldemort is feeling and how he is defeated would mean more than sh…

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Core Trait of Characters in Harry Potter! | Dumbledore, Snape, Ron, More! 29:44

6M ago29:44

29:44

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the core trait of certain characters in Harry Potter. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:23 Dumbledore – Wisdom. He had lived through a lot. Wars, duels, deaths, and so much more. The lessons he has learned are infinite, and can be synthesized into some pretty potent knowledge bombs. Those lessons he teaches Harry…

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Designing the First Episode of the Harry Potter TV Show! | Godric's Hallow, Sirius with Lily and James, Voldemort, More! 29:17

6M ago29:17

29:17

Send us a text In this episode, we design what the first episode of the Harry Potter TV show should be. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:33 We open in Godric’s Hallow. It’s important that we see the Potters as one big happy family so we can better understand the conflict of their death. For a good few minutes they’re living their lives; perhaps Sirius is…

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197. Gel Budget (TNG 3.15) 51:39

7M ago51:39

51:39

Anika and Liz apply a normal amount of hair gel and step into a grim alternate universe to discuss Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Yesterday's Enterprise", including... Is this TNG's best episode? It could be! This story turns on Picard absolutely trusting the word of a Black woman Rachel Garrett was Liz's very first female starship captain The o…

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What can we expect from Dumbledore? | CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT! 29:40

7M ago29:40

29:40

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the casting annoucement of John Lithgow as Dumbledore and what we can expect. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 2:00 What did we get in the book versus the film? In the book, Dumbledore is very wise and much more chill than the film. In the film, Dumbledore has a much more intense way about him. Especially when Mic…

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Without these things, the Wizarding World loses its magic! | Portraits, owls, quidditch, more! 31:08

7M ago31:08

31:08

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss how certain things give the wizarding world its magic. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:38 Owls. Owls are closely tied to the story because they are symbols for magic. In the beginning, owls are the first introduction we have to the wizarding world. Later, Hedwig’s death represents the beginning of a new era for…

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Characters We Should Have Known Better! | Dumbledore, Lupin, Snape, More! 30:07

7M ago30:07

30:07

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss characters we should have known better. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:34 Luna. We hear something of her backstory, but we don’t have the chance to truly understand who she is and where she came from. We did get to meet her father, but only for a moment. · 6:31 Lupin. He has only a few moments of venerability,…

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163. Stepford Beverly (Star Trek: Generations) 1:42:13

7M ago1:42:13

1:42:13

Anika and Liz are joined by guest Jonathan to discuss a movie Jonathan calls "the greatest Star Trek movie ever made": Star Trek: Generations. Our feels run the spectrum: Jonathan loves it, Liz loves everything except the plot and script, and Anika is … not a fan. Everything that happens on the Enterprise B is the fault of Starfleet PR This is a mo…

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Breakdown: Nymphadora Tonks! | Role, Strengths + Weaknesses, Defining Moment, More! 30:13

7M ago30:13

30:13

Send us a text In this episode, we break down Nymphadora Tonks. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:40 What role does she play? This is a difficult question because we see her in many different settings despite her short time in the story. She begins as a way for Harry to share his grief about Sirius. But in the end, she becomes a representation of all the …

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If I was Voldemort, here's how I would take over the world | Hogwarts, Ministry, Diagon Alley, More! 28:50

8M ago28:50

28:50

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss how I would take over the world as Voldemort. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:59 Start with Hogwarts. Voldemort should have focused on Hogwarts more intensely early on, because most of his greatest enemies are there. He has to start planting spies much earlier if he wants to turn it into a more valuable asset o…

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Flip the Script: Harry is More Like James! | Popular vs. respected, Confrontational, Protective, More! 30:41

8M ago30:41

30:41

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss how the story would change if Harry were more like James. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: · 1:56 Why are these episodes are important? Well, it isn’t too early to start discussing possibilities for the show. He probably won’t turn out exactly the same in the TV show than in the book or the film, so we should use th…