Best Justin Bender Podcasts (2026)

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Tread Perilously -- Stargate SG-1: Thor's Chariot 2:23:04

Play Pause

5d ago2:23:04

2:23:04

Winter Total Request Live 2026 begins as Tread Perilously watches an episode of Stargate SG-1 called "Thor's Chariot." When the SG-1 team receives a distress signal from Cimmeria, they return to the planet finding a Goa'uld invasion and few Cimmerians left to fight. While O'Neil and Teal'c scout out the enemy encampment, Daniel and Sam learn the se…

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Tread Perilously -- Beauty And The Beast: God Bless The Child 2:24:41

12d ago2:24:41

2:24:41

Tread Perilously's final 2025 episode is, oddly enough, a Tread Merrily. But that also means Special Review Unit Captain Charlie Wright is joining Erik and Justin for an episode of the 1980s Beauty and the Beast called "God Bless The Child." When Catherine volunteers at a crisis hotline, she encounters a young woman who is both pregnant and on her …

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Predictable, with José Marichal 55:30

15d ago55:30

55:30

José Marichal is exceptionally good at making the case for why we should all become algorithmic problems and also much more reflective of our engagement with social media. We are altered by recommendation algorithms -- and we should probably think now about how to renegotiate these terms? Happy holidays! Recorded Nov 27. Released Dec 22, 2025. You …

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Tread Perilously -- Trapper John M.D.: 'Tis The Season 2:09:40

19d ago2:09:40

2:09:40

Tread Merrily heads to San Francisco for an episode of Trapper John M.D. called "'Tis The Season." Although Trapper is trying his best to get to Aspen for a Christmas ski holiday with his kids, the hospital is overrun with problems. Dr, Gates is taking care of a boy who needs his spleen removed, but there's not enough AB- blood in the county to mak…

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Tread Perilously -- Spenser For Hire: The Hopes And Fears 2:00:51

26d ago2:00:51

2:00:51

Tread Merrily continues with a return to Boston for a Spenser: For Hire episode called "The Hopes And Fears." A chance encounter with Rita near a department store leads Spenser to treat the assistant district attorney to a "Spenserian" Christmas. Matters are complicated when a gang of hockey-masked hoodlums begin a rash of break-in robberies -- the…

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Advocates, with Meg Rintoul and Kathryn Barnwell 1:01:40

29d ago1:01:40

1:01:40

In this episode I speak with friends-neighbours-advocates Meg Rintoul and Kathryn Barnwell about current plans in place to build an AI data center in Nanaimo, B-C. -- and allowing ourselves to write a new story about the future. Recorded Nov 27. Released Dec 8, 2025. 'Very scary': Nanaimo neighbours have water worries about new data centre https://…

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Tread Perilously -- Doctor Who: The Time Of The Doctor 2:10:24

1M ago2:10:24

2:10:24

Tread Merrily 2025 begins with the annual tradition -- a Festive episode of Doctor Who. This one is called "The Time of The Doctor." When a signal broadcasts across all of time and space, The Doctor soon finds himself in orbit around a mysterious planet. But he is not alone with Daleks, Sontarans, Cyberman, and more also investigating the signal. M…

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Tread Perilously -- MacGyver: The Coltons 1:56:32

1M ago1:56:32

1:56:32

Tread Perilously's month of backdoor pilots concludes with an episode of MacGyver called "The Coltons." After a mission with both Frank and Jesse Colton leaves MacGyver wanting an escape to the mountains, the Coltons get a new job via the local assistant district attorney. They must find a young woman who witnessed the hit on a Chinatown Godfather.…

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Tracking, with Stefanie Felsberger 54:30

1M ago54:30

54:30

In this episode, I got to walk through a recent report called “the high stakes of tracking menstruation” with its author, Stefanie Felsberger, a sociologist of tech & gender. I cannot express enough how much there is to learn from this topic that can help us understand the bigger landscape of tech promises and harms. Recorded Oct 23, 2025. Released…

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Tread Perilously -- Gilmore Girls: Here Comes The Son 2:05:58

2M ago2:05:58

2:05:58

Tread Perilously's backdoor pilot month continues with a visit to Stars Hollow and Venice, CA in the Gilmore Girls episode known as "Here Comes The Son." While Rory tries to tackle her final weeks in high school, Lorelei faces the reality that she may not be able to pay for Yale. Will she give in and ask her parents after finally paying them back f…

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Tread Perilously -- Diff'rent Strokes: The Girls School 1:52:15

2M ago1:52:15

1:52:15

Tread Perilously's month of backdoor pilots turns the spotlight on, arguably, the most successful backdoor pilot ever made: an episode of Diff'rent Strokes called "The Girls School." When the dorm mother at Eastlake quits over an argument with the headmaster, Mrs. Garrett volunteers to help Kimberly make costumes for the upcoming play. Once at the …

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Surveillance, with Justin Hendrix 52:28

2M ago52:28

52:28

In this episode, I speak with Justin Hendrix, the CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy. We talk about ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), surveillance, and AI. Recorded Oct 21, 2025. Released Nov 10, 2025. Republican Budget Bill Signals New Era in Federa…

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Tread Perilously -- "CHiPs": Force Seven 2:15:23

2M ago2:15:23

2:15:23

Beginning a month of backdoor pilots, Tread Perilously finally watches an episode of "CHiPs" -- but it's really a pilot for another show called "Force Seven". When John and Ponch pull over a seemingly drunk scientist, his confidential papers suggest he may be involved with a recently stolen missile system. Enter Force Seven: a tactical unit pilot p…

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Tread Perilously -- Supernatural: The Benders 1:57:27

2M ago1:57:27

1:57:27

Tread Perilously's annual horror month wraps up with this year's episode of Supernatural: "The Benders." When Sam and Dean look into a rash of disappearances in a small Minnesota town, Dean begins to suspect there is nothing supernatural about the case. Sam, meanwhile, disappears. Soon, Dean must team up with a local sheriff's deputy to find Sam an…

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Tread Perilously -- Bates Motel: Underwater 2:12:05

3M ago2:12:05

2:12:05

Tread Perilously's month of slasher TV leads to Bates Motel for an episode called "Underwater." After dealing with dope-smoking young people staying at the motel, Norma is ready to pull up stakes and move to Hawaii. Norman, meanwhile, is getting positive reinforcement at school and is not happy about the possibility of starting life over again. Mea…

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Sovereign, with Paris Marx 53:58

3M ago53:58

53:58

Host of Tech Won't Save Us and acclaimed tech critic, author, and international speaker, Paris Marx joins me for this episode where we discuss AI futures in a Canadian context: the idea of a "sovereign cloud", an "AI minister", and much more! Recorded Oct 15, 2025. Released Oct 20, 2025. Website https://parismarx.com/ Tech Won't Save Us https://tec…

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Tread Perilously -- The Hitchhiker: The Killer 1:45:51

3M ago1:45:51

1:45:51

Tread Perilously's horror month continues with a look at the anthology series The Hitchhiker via its slasher-esque episode called "The Killer." Despite Meg's protests, her family plans to leave her behind while going on a vacation. Well, her brother, Jonathan, may also be staying to do some shooting. But when most of the clan is killed via shotgun …

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Tread Perilously -- The Alfred Hitchock Hour: An Unlocked Window 2:00:19

3M ago2:00:19

2:00:19

Tread Perilously's tour of slashers on television continues with an episode The Alfred Hitchcock Hour called "An Unlocked Window." When a slasher targets nurses in an unidentified town, Stella and Betty find themselves tending to a sick professor at his remote home in the countryside. Also helping out are a groundskeeper, Sam, and there's Maude, th…

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Tread Perilously -- Psych: Tuesday The 17th 1:59:21

3M ago1:59:21

1:59:21

Tread Perilously's annual horror month for 2025 centers on slashers, starting with an episode of Psych called "Tuesday the 17th." When Jason, who used to go to the same summer camp as Shawn and Gus, arrives to reveal he bought the camp, he also admits he needs their help with a missing counselor. He doesn't want to involve police because of the "in…

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Tread Perilously -- Star Trek ENT: Carbon Creek 1:38:49

3M ago1:38:49

1:38:49

Tread Perilously's Star Trek month concludes with an Enterprise episode called "Carbon Creek." When Captain Archer invites T'Pol and Trip to a dinner celebrating the Vulcan's first full year aboard Enterprise, she tells the secret story of the first Vulcan contact with humans. The tale concerns her great-grandmother, T'Mir, a small Pennsylvania tow…

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Tread Perilously -- Star Trek VOY: Drone 2:00:36

4M ago2:00:36

2:00:36

Tread Perilously's Star Trek month continues with an episode of Voyager called "Drone." When a close call in the transporter merges Seven of Nine's nano implants with the Doctor's 29th Century holotransmitter, a future Borg gestates in the silence lab. Despite the similarities to the Tuvix incident, Captain Janeway allows it to live and assigns Sev…

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Tread Perilously -- Star Trek TNG: Imaginary Friend 2:01:23

4M ago2:01:23

2:01:23

Star Trek month continues on Tread Perilously with an episode of The Next Generation called "Imaginary Friend." When the Enterprise surveys a nebula formed around a collapsed star, an energy being makes its way inside the ship and assumes the form of little Clara Sutter's imaginary friend. But it soon becomes clear to the child that her playmate, I…

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Tread Perilously -- Star Trek TOS: Catspaw 2:01:11

4M ago2:01:11

2:01:11

Tread Perilously begins its annual Star Trek month with an episode of the original series called "Catspaw." When a landing party including Mr. Scott and Mr. Sulu is overdue, Captain Kirk meets the one person to come back in the transporter bay only for the red shirt to die moments later. Soon, Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to determine what's go…

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Tread Perilously -- NYPD Blue: Oh Golly Goth 2:18:53

4M ago2:18:53

2:18:53

Tread Perilously rounds out the summer Patreon request month with an episode of NYPD Blue called "Oh Golly Goth." With Sorenson on desk duty, the others -- including visiting detective Connie McDowell -- work on a stabbing at an upscale hotel. With the victim claiming to only recall the attacker being white with dark hair, the case seems to point t…

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Witnessing, with Michael Richardson 1:10:48

4M ago1:10:48

1:10:48

In this episode, I get to chat with the brilliant Michael Richardson on the concept of "Nonhuman Witnessing" especially in how this relates to algorithms and AI. In his book, "Nonhuman Witnessing" (Duke), he argues that a "radical rethinking of what counts as witnessing is central to building frameworks for justice in an era of endless war, ecologi…

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Tread Perilously -- Spartacus: Sacramentum Gladiatorum 2:07:42

5M ago2:07:42

2:07:42

Tread Perilously's summer Patreon request month continues with an episode of Spartacus called "Sacramentum Gladiatorum." When the Thracian known to the Romans as Spartacus wakes up after his failed execution, he discovers he has been sold to Quintus Lentulus Batiatus. The Lanista plans to train him as a gladiator in the hopes of currying the favor …

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Tread Perilously -- Emergency!: 905-Wild 1:30:40

5M ago1:30:40

1:30:40

Tread Perilously's summer Patreon request month continues with an episode of Emergency! called "905-Wild." When paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto encounter an escaped tiger at an early morning call, they enlist the help of Los Angeles County Animal Control officers Les Taylor and Dave Gordon. Successfully capturing the tiger, the rest of their da…

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Dopaminergic, with Rohit Revi 58:48

5M ago58:48

58:48

Rohit Revi walks us through paranoia, care, conspiracy, capitalism, and catastrophe, in relation to technology and culture, to draw us into a deeper consideration of collective psychic resources and psychological commons. We talk about psychometry and linger on the dopaminergic. Recorded July 16, 2025. Released August 11, 2025. Great Delirium: Cult…

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Tread Perilously -- Pink Lady And Jeff: Episode 4 1:54:19

5M ago1:54:19

1:54:19

Tread Perilously begins Summer Total Request Live -- the Patreon Subscriber request month -- by honoring Patron Peter and finally watching an episode of the short-lived NBC variety show Pink Lady and Jeff. Jeff welcomes special guests Lorne Green, Florence Henderson, Sid Caesar, and musical guest Blondie. Pink Lady performs a disco medley, "Yesterd…

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Tread Perilously -- Cop Rock: Happy Mudder's Day 1:48:06

5M ago1:48:06

1:48:06

Tread Perilously concludes the Summer Grab Bag with the third episode of Cop Rock -- "Happy Mudder's Day." Hollander continues his pursuit of LaRusso -- now centering in on Potts and offering him immunity if he testifies against his partner. The mayor receives some difficult news from her image consultants and goes under the knife to initiate a bid…

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Con, with Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna 56:44

5M ago56:44

56:44

Emily M.Bender and Alex Hanna have been leading the charge against "AI", helping us understand it for the con that it is, and how AI companies are turning to health, education, and other social realms to try to recover their costs. In this episode we discuss LLMs vs. what the AI (and AGI) con is -- who benefits, and who loses -- and much more. Reco…

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Tequila and Bonetti: Wonderdog 2:01:26

6M ago2:01:26

2:01:26

The Tread Perilously Summer Grab Bag returns to Tequila and Bonetti for an episode called "Wonderdog." When the South Coast paper publishes a photo of Tequila as a heroic pooch, it gets the attention of a talent scout who wants to put him in a commercial. Captain Midian Knight uses it as a chance to be Tequila's agent and forces Visiting Detective …

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Control, with Paul Schütze 55:42

6M ago55:42

55:42

In this episode, Paul Schütze and I pick apart the inherent contradictions of “sustainable AI”, marketing language that aims to convince the public that one of the most extractive industries can be used to solve climate change. We delve into the layers of control embedded in the logics of AI, when technology becomes the fix that needs fixing. Recor…

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Tread Perilously -- Automan: Ships In The Night 1:54:01

6M ago1:54:01

1:54:01

Tread Perilously Summer Grab Bag continues with an episode of Automan called "Ships in the Night." When a number of American businessmen go missing in the Central or South American island country of San Cristobal, Lt. Jack Curtis and Roxanne are dispatched to get to the bottom of one particular disappearance. But when Automan connects to the Bureau…

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Tread Perilously -- Baywatch: Blindside 1:55:18

6M ago1:55:18

1:55:18

Tread Perilously returns to the Ballad of John D. Cort with an episode of Baywatch called "Blindside." After a long period away, John D. Cort returns to Baywatch to complete his mandatory ten days and go through his lifeguard recertification. Everyone is thrilled to see him except C.J. They had a thing going before she left Baywatch some years prio…

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Tread Perilously -- Legends Of Tomorrow: Here I Go Again 1:37:56

6M ago1:37:56

1:37:56

The time loop is shattered as Tread Perilously finally watches an episode of Legends of Tomorrow called "Here I Go Again." When Zari is left behind to fix the Waverider, she soon finds herself in a time loop. Needing to convince the others that they are dying over and over again, she learns the secret words that will get Nate to believe her immedia…

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Tread Perilously -- Person Of Interest: If-Then-Else 1:42:13

7M ago1:42:13

1:42:13

Tread Perilously's wandering in the time loop brings it to Person of Interest and an episode called "If-Then-Else." When the team must stop Samaritan's manipulation of the stock market, they end up pinned down in the New York Stock Exchange building. The Machine must work out a scenario that will allow them to complete their mission and escape. It …

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Water, with Rebecca Kilberg, Mary-Clare Bosco and Jonathan Gilmour 52:46

7M ago52:46

52:46

In this episode I speak with Rebecca Kilberg, Mary-Clare Bosco and Jonathan Gilmour who together use policy approaches to solve problems related to data center water usage and the various planetary and health outcomes that emerge from water consumption and extraction. They talk about how you get such data and what to do with it, and the importance …

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Tread Perilously -- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: As I Have Always Been 1:46:22

7M ago1:46:22

1:46:22

Tread Perilously's return to the time loop brings them, at long last, to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with an episode called "As I Have Always Been." When Fitz's time drive begins to break down, Daisy finds herself reliving the same 90 minutes or so. She eventually discovers Coulson can remember every time loop and that they've been stuck in the cycle fo…

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Tread Perilously -- Fringe: White Tulip 1:41:40

7M ago1:41:40

1:41:40

Tread Perilously returns to the timey-wimey with a month they just had to call "Let's Do The Time Loop Again!" First up: an episode of Fringe known as "White Tulip." When Olivia, Peter, and Walter are called to the scene of a train car filled with corpses, it soon becomes clear a former MIT professor may be to blame. Walter quickly discovers the sc…

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Solidarity, with Shannon Wait 52:58

7M ago52:58

52:58

In this episode, Shannon Wait — Alphabet Workers Union-CWA organizer — speaks with me about the labour conditions for data center and AI workers. We talk about contracts, sub-contracts, sub-sub-contracts, NDAs, invisible labour -- and how all of this leads to unions, solidarity, and a fight for tech workers’ rights globally. Recorded May 8, 2025. R…

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Tread Perilously -- Modern Family: New Kids On The Block 1:48:14

7M ago1:48:14

1:48:14

Tread Perilously's WandaVision month concludes with an episode of Modern Family called "New Kids on the Block." While Alex deals with the reality of doing research in Antarctica, Hayley, Claire, and Phil contend with the reality of Hayley's twins -- who will not go to sleep. Jay needs to cut a new commercial, which Manny uses as a chance to get a d…

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Tread Perilously -- Malcolm In The Middle: Living Will 1:39:07

8M ago1:39:07

1:39:07

Tread Perilously's WandaVision month continues with an episode of Malcolm in the Middle called "Living Will." Hal's inability to make a decision comes to the fore when he is given power of attorney for a neighbor currently in a vegetative state. With doctors, family, and other neighbors encouraging him to make a choice, will Hal be able to decide i…

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Remade, with Allison Carruth 1:02:12

8M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

Allison Carruth and I talk about her new book which gets at some of the material infrastructure and social systems that have made the US a settler state ever obsessed with new frontiers, including space. We talk about tech imaginaries, worlds remade, and better futures — a vision that invites confronting the state of things head-on, a slower redoin…

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Tread Perilously -- Family Ties: Suzzane Takes You Down 1:38:02

8M ago1:38:02

1:38:02

Tread Perilously's WandaVision month enters Quality Time territory with an episode of Family Ties called "Suzanne Takes You Down." When Elyse's friend, Suzanne, admits to feeling unfulfilled now that the kids have left for college, she hires the forlorn friend to do some clerical work. But almost immediately, Suzanne begins offering opinions about …

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Tread Perilously -- The Brady Bunch: The Winner 1:36:44

8M ago1:36:44

1:36:44

Tread Perilously's WandaVision month continues with an episode The Brady Bunch called "The Winner." When Cindy comes home with a trophy for winning a jacks tournament at the park, Bobby laments that he is the only member of the family to lack an award. Talking it over with Mike and Carol, he resolves to win at something. Anything. It soon leads to …

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Hype, with Dani Shanley and Gemma Milne 1:00:06

8M ago1:00:06

1:00:06

In this episode, Dani Shanley and Gemma Milne walk me through "hype" -- what it means in various technological contexts, how it works, what it is definitionally, how it feels in the body, who it serves, who it harms, and how we might need to nuance our relationship to it, especially as critical (tech) scholars. Recorded May 1, 2025. Released May 5,…

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Tread Perilously -- The Dick Van Dyke Show: Racy Tracy Rattigan 1:44:50

8M ago1:44:50

1:44:50

Tread Perilously settles in for a month of shows that inspired WandaVision with an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show called "Racy Tracy Rattigan". With Alan Brady out on vacation, Rob and the others must write the next two shows for guest host "Racy" Tracy Rattigan. The British actor proves to be funny and charming, but his immediate interest in La…

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Damage, with Dustin Edwards 57:24

8M ago57:24

57:24

Dustin Edwards and I discuss the damage caused by digital infrastructure and its extractive requirements. We talk about data centers and copper mines, but more than this, we delve into the what a decolonial, feminist, anti-racist approach can look like for white settler scholars grappling with their inheritances and obligations to the landscapes an…

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Tread Perilously -- Doctor Who: Listen 2:06:07

9M ago2:06:07

2:06:07

Tread Perilously concludes its month of celebrating the new series Doctor Who with "Listen." As Clara goes on a somewhat uncomfortable date, The Doctor realizes he is talking to himself and supposes there might be a more sinister reason for it. Soon, he picks up Clara for a trip to the past, the future, and an impossible era to learn the truth behi…