Best Sean T Collins Podcasts (2025)

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BLAH 211 | Good and evil in ASOIAF, with Quinn the GM 1:04:25

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4h ago1:04:25

1:04:25

Is there good and evil in ASOIAF, or is just a morally grey mass and mess? I take this up with Quinn the GM, who made a very instructive video essay on it that I really wanted to discuss in depth.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 210 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Ostpolitik, with Jim McGeehin 1:06:29

22d ago1:06:29

1:06:29

Today, we're taking a look at the detente between West and East Germany. What were the factors breaking the deadlock in domestic and international politics? How did it happen? And, most importantly, was it a success?By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 209 | Best of ASOIAF - Jon's death, with Sean T. Collins 48:40

27d ago48:40

48:40

Jon's death comes as a big surprise for first-time readers, and not because it's sprung on you but because Martin is a damn good writer. We explain all the ways of why and how.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 208 | The Best of ASOIAF - The Whispering Wood, with Sean T. Collins 1:00:49

2M ago1:00:49

1:00:49

We’re talking about the Whispering Wood, and come off with one fundamental insight: GRRM is a good writer.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 207 | Designing board games, with Artyom Nichipurov 1:13:02

2M ago1:13:02

1:13:02

I’m talking to Artyom Nichipurov from Wolffdesigna Games, a Latvian firm that’s most famous for the excellent “Guards of Atlantis II”, a tabletop adaptation of the MOBA game experience. If you don’t know what any of this means, no worry, I got you covered - the first seven minutes of the episode explain what MOBAs are and how GoA2 specifically func…

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BLAH 206 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Change, with Jim McGeehin 1:09:33

4M ago1:09:33

1:09:33

Today, we're talking about the period from 1966 to 1974. Witness the Grand Coalition and the coming into power of Willy Brandt, heading the first SPD government of the Federal Republic with his slogan of "daring more democracy".By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 205 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Ulbricht, with Jim McGeehin 1:15:14

4M ago1:15:14

1:15:14

Today, we’re covering the first half of the history of the Democratic Republic of Germany - or East Germany, to its friends. From the earliest days of popular insurrection to the construction of the Berlin Wall and the twilight days of Ulbricht’s reign, we have you covered.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 204 | The Best of ASOIAF - The Bridge of Dream, with Sean T. Collins 45:56

6M ago45:56

45:56

In our ongoing series on the best moments of the series, we take apart the Bridge of Dream sequence, which provides us with some unusualy challenges - we don't really know where any of this leads, so this is more meta and speculative as usual.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 203 | A Tale of two Germanies - Conservatism, with Jim McGeehin 1:14:07

6M ago1:14:07

1:14:07

Today, we're looking at why the CDU could rule for 20 years in the early German republic. There's a good combination of electoral shenanigans, foreign policy questions and old Nazis involved.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 202 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Berlin, with Jim McGeehin 1:02:30

7M ago1:02:30

1:02:30

From the Berlin airlift to the Berlin wall, this episodes covers Germany’s capital (and the capital of spies) from wall to wall.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 201 | Few Dungeons and Rare Dragons, with Adrian Daub 1:13:21

7M ago1:13:21

1:13:21

Everyone and their mother knows Dungeons&Dragons, at least in concept. But few people know the most important German roleplaying game, “The Dark Eye.” With professor Adrian Daub of Stanford, I talk about this game that’s near and dear to my heart - and maybe yours too, soon.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 200 | Best of ASOIAF: The Red Wedding, with Sean T. Collins 54:42

7M ago54:42

54:42

This is our 200th episode. Of course we wanted to do something special. George R. R. Martin asked us if he could guest host, but we were too busy, so we settled on doing the Red Wedding. We hope that’s ok.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 199 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Establishment, with Jim McGeehin 1:11:58

7M ago1:11:58

1:11:58

We’re back again! With Jim McGeehin, I talk about the founding of not one but two German states. We’ll have a look at why we’re creating two states instead of one and how these two shape out. You might want to reference the following two diagrams, but it’s not essential. We keep it light on the legalese.…

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BLAH 198 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Collectivization, with Jim McGeehin 1:05:29

7M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

After 11 months, we’re back talking the history of the divided Germany! After looking at western Germany last time round, this time, we’re taking the deep dive into East Germany 1946 to 1948 and ask ourselves how to succesfully build socialism in Germany.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 197 | House of the Dragon, S02E08, with Sean T. Collins 1:18:00

7M ago1:18:00

1:18:00

The season finale is here! Sean and I have a slightly different view about it, but as is our wont, we agree on a lot, and the show stays superb even though Sean left a bit disappointed.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 195 | House of the Dragon, S02E07, with Sean T. Collins 57:20

7M ago57:20

57:20

There’s a lot of dragons this episode, and we’re comparing the show to Better Call Saul, The Americans and Halt and Catch Fire, because that makes a lot of sense - as you’ll learn listening!By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 195 | House of the Dragon, S02E06, with Sean T. Collins 58:21

7M ago58:21

58:21

Three days, and there’s good news (even earlier if you’re a Patreon!): HotD is STILL one of the best things on TV right now. This episode, characters, actors and dialogue writing are front and center, and the scenes are so damn good we cannot shut up about if for an hour.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 194 | House of the Dragon, S02E05, with Sean T. Collins 1:40:57

7M ago1:40:57

1:40:57

“House of the Dragon” continues to be excellent in this laid-back but still incredibly rich and textured episode. We discuss shot compositions, nightmares, thin places and politics, all in one podcast!By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 193 | House of the Dragon, S02E04, with Sean T. Collins and Gretchen Felker-Martin 40:10

7M ago40:10

40:10

The dragons danced and died, but Stefan skipped town. Yet Sean is not flying solo! Friend of the show Gretchen Felker-Martin, the acclaimed horror novelist behind Manhunt and Cuckoo, joins the Illustrious Co-host for a conversation about the most spectacular, violent, important episode of House of the Dragon yet. Join the ol’ Cut to Black team as t…

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BLAH 192 | House of the Dragon, S02E03, with Sean T. Collins 1:02:36

7M ago1:02:36

1:02:36

This may just be the best episode of a great show yet. Sean and I discuss why in exhaustive and euphoric detail. Also, more detail than you wanted about full-frontal blowjobs, but the show started it.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 191 | House of the Dragon, S02E02, with Sean T. Collins 45:52

7M ago45:52

45:52

Now we’re in episode 2. Who won? Ser Arryk or Ser Erryk? We’re not confused. Because we care about themes.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 190 | House of the Dragon, season 2, episode 1, with Sean T. Collins 51:06

7M ago51:06

51:06

You didn’t think we’d miss this, right? Weekly episodes, from now on, on the regular channel! Listen to us how we discuss the most important thing in season 2: the new title sequence. And some other stuff, like child murder.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 189 | Best of ASOIAF: Dracarys, with Sean T. Collins 53:07

7M ago53:07

53:07

We finally did it and continue the “Best of ASOIAF” series. It’s a crowd pleaser, Daenerys’ “Dracarys” moment, which also marked a turning point for Emilia Clarke in the series. But we are digging deeper: why is it such a crowd pleaser, and what does it mean? What does it portend for Dany? Follow us into the deep dive and fry some slavers.…

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BLAH 188 - Fighting Trump, with Frank Spring 1:02:11

7M ago1:02:11

1:02:11

In a special, political episode, I talk with political operative Frank Spring about the upcoming presidential elections. If you don’t want politics from me, stay away from this episode :) You have been warned.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 187 | Top Ten TV Shows of 2023, with Sean T. Collins 1:06:11

7M ago1:06:11

1:06:11

Sean has written a list of the top ten TV shows of 2023 (https://decider.com/2023/12/29/sean-t-collinss-top-10-tv-shows-of-2023/), and we’re here to talk about it. Take it as your to-do-list, nod along or vehemently disagree!By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 186 | Oppenheimer and logical insanity of nuclear weapons, with Tim Westmyer 1:02:45

7M ago1:02:45

1:02:45

Oppenheimer has been released on BlueRay. Having missed it in cinema and after covering Barbie with Sean, I’ll now took BLAH veteran and nuclear deterrence expert Tim Westmyer to debate why Oppenheimer is such a good movie, to clear up some of the technical questions and to have a deeper look at the genesis of nuclear weapons as portrayed by Christ…

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BLAH 185 | Napoleon, way too short and way too long, with Steven Attewell 58:37

7M ago58:37

58:37

Ridley Scott’s new epic “Napoleon” sure is divisive and polarizing. It takes two historians to get the definitive judgement on the movie, and it’s greatly helped that we are in agreement: this movie is either way too short or way too long. Either one.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 184 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Democratization, with Jim McGeehin 1:24:38

7M ago1:24:38

1:24:38

With Zero Hour dealt with, we’re looking at how the Western Allies laid the foundations for the democratization of Western Germany. From the foundation of parties to the Marshall Plan, the Allies were not exactly on the same page.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 183 | Javi interviews Stefan, with Javi Marcos 56:06

7M ago56:06

56:06

In a crossover with Javi Marcos, you’re getting an episode in which he interviews me.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 182 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Zero Hour, with Jim McGeehin 1:05:58

7M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

Jim and I started a new subseries in our ongoing coverage of German history. This time, we will cover the divided Germany after World War II up until reunification. In our first installment, we set the scene in 1945, directly after the war. How did Germany look, and how was its outlook? And what is the myth of Zero Hour?…

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BLAH 181 | Designing board games, with Bryan Kromrey 1:10:51

7M ago1:10:51

1:10:51

With board game designer Bryan Kromrey, I talk about the adaptation of the famous RTS “Company of Heroes”, how the modern Kickstarter economy works and how his process for a second edition went.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 180 | Best of ASOIAF - The Hounds origin speech, with Sean T. Collins 55:47

7M ago55:47

55:47

Origin stories are a Hollywood trope. Oftentimes, they’re rote and uninteresting, but if done right, they can recontextualize and enrich characters you never thought would rise above mid-level anti-hero-badassery. Case in point: the Hound, who gives the speech of a lifetime to Sansa in “A Game of Thrones”.…

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BLAH 179 | Kaiserreich - War, 1918, with Jim McGeehin 1:08:02

7M ago1:08:02

1:08:02

Finally, we’re in the home stretch. From the peace of Brest-Litovsk to the Kaiserschlacht offensive to the breakdown of the Central Powers and the winding down of the war in the fall, we’re doing the whole picture.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 178 | The best of ASOIAF - Bran's Dream, with Sean T. Collins 49:25

7M ago49:25

49:25

In the next installment of our ongoing series, we talk about Bran’s Dream from AGOT, Bran III. It’s a testament to Martin’s abilities as a gardener as well as to our ability to constantly reinterpret the source text.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAM 177 | Kaiserreich: War 1917, with Jim McGeehin 1:09:19

7M ago1:09:19

1:09:19

We continue into the year 1917! This time, our focus is not on tactics, strategy, weapons and stuff but on the epochal events of the Russian Revolution and the American entry into the war.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAM 176 | Kaiserreich - War 1916, with Jim McGeehin 1:15:46

7M ago1:15:46

1:15:46

We’re continuing the story of World War I with the year 1916. The battles of Verdun and the Somme are the most famous, and we’re giving them the space they deserve, but the Romanian campaign, the Brusilov offensive and the Battle of Jutland also get their share. To top it off, we delve into the politics of the year, which may surprise you in how co…

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BLAH 175 | The best of ASOIAF - Septon Meribald's monologue, with Sean T. Collins 53:36

7M ago53:36

53:36

It was only a question of time until we hit one of the most profound and meaningful pieces of text in the whole ASOIAF corpus, but we did it! Sean and I talk Septon Meribald’s “broken men” speech. Follow us along hitting you over the head with deep in-text-analysis.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 174 | Who is the Knight of the Laughing Tree? 37:01

7M ago37:01

37:01

This is special episode. I have been challenged by Kienn Joiaf to defend my assertion that Lyanna Stark is the Knight of the Laughing Tree and to disprove their theory that in truth it is Eddard Stark. That theory is laid out here, but I will summarize it in the episode - and then take it apart. It’s not a kind thing to do that to a Podator, but we…

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BLAH 173 | Kaiserreich - War 1915, with Jim McGeehin 1:16:43

7M ago1:16:43

1:16:43

We’re continuing the story of World War I with the year 1915. From the massive loss of human lives in the big offensives, the Western stalemate and the breakthrough in the East, to technological innovations like aerial bombardment and poison gas to the political sphere, we have it all.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 172 | Kaiserreich - War 1914, with Jim McGeehin 1:12:52

7M ago1:12:52

1:12:52

We are finally here: World War I has broken out, and now it’s off to the military history. But not so fast! Before you think we’re down to discussing which caliber of gun is superior to which, let me assure you: we take the big view, and look at how politics and war intersect and why the war isn’t over by christmas, but rather evolving into somethi…

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BLAH 171 | Lightning doesn't strike twice, with Sean T. Collins 53:49

7M ago53:49

53:49

Sean and I are on record being huge fans of the German series “Dark”. Their creators now published their follow-up work, “1899”, streaming on Netflix. However, lighting doesn’t strike twice, and the show doesn’t manage to live up to its predecessor. We analyze what went wrong and why it’s still worth the watch.…

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BLAH 170 | Back to the sources, with Mattea Barbagallo 1:18:06

7M ago1:18:06

1:18:06

Greek myths and medieval novels provide a rich tapestry of themes and inspiration that inspire literature for centuries now. Reason enough for us here at the Boiled Leather Audio Hour to go to that well and drink deep. I recruited Mattea Barbagallo for this, who expertly talks about Greek myth and medieval novels and how they pertain to our beloved…

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BLAH 169 | Andor, Episode 12, with Sean T. Collins 1:00:34

7M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

The finale is out! We get a funeral, a rom-com between two fascists, a prison break, a child marriage, police shooting unarmed civilians, a terrorist, a failed assassination attempt and I’m sure I’m missing something else - but what does it matter, for all men must die, and I’ve seen Andor season 1! What a marvelous show.…

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BLAH 168 | All Quiet on Netflix, with Peter Doyle 1:22:09

7M ago1:22:09

1:22:09

I reviewed Netflix’ adaptation of “All Quiet on the Western Front” for the Patreon already, but now I want to do an in-depth-look with an expert and see whether my criticisms hold any merit. Aside from the new movie, we talk about the 1979 and 1930 adaptations, critically comparing them, “1917” and “At Journey’s End” and why World War I is so diffi…

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BLAH 167 | Andor, episode 11, with Sean T. Collins 1:00:50

7M ago1:00:50

1:00:50

What is this? A review of Andor? Isn’t this supposed to be exclusive to the Boiled Leather Audio Moment? Yes, of course. But christmas is coming early! We’re publishing the last two episode reviews of this great show, because we assume everyone should be watching it right now. If you don’t, start right now. And pledge on the Momentalist level to li…

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BLAM 166 | Kaiserreich, July, with Jim McGeehin 1:18:36

7M ago1:18:36

1:18:36

It’s been a long time since episode 151, but after the gruelling regime of covering three shows (HotD, LOTRTROP and Andor) simultaneously for weeks on end, we need to get back to our regular, light-hearted fare. This week, Jim McGeehin and I am covering the July crisis, the beginning of World War I. The good thing is that this topic has almost no c…

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BLAH 165 | House of the Dragon, episode 10, with Sean T. Collins 1:01:03

7M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

Not only did the Boiled Leather Audio Hour produce a roundtable about the finale, the regular episode with Sean T. Collin was produced as well! If my audio sounds a bit worse than usual, that’s because I had to record on a laptop. Sorry for that!By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 164 | House of the Dragon, episode 10 ROUNDTABLE with Elio Garcia and Matteo Barbagallo 1:06:26

7M ago1:06:26

1:06:26

The first season has come to a close! Before you get to enjoy the final review that Sean and I do together, I have a special treat for you: a roundtable discussion coming live from the “City of Dragons”, Caceres, where the King’s Landing scenes are filmed and where I met up with Elio Garcia and Matteo Barbagallo to discuss what we saw!…

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BLAH 163 | House of the Dragon, episode 9, with Sean T. Collins 1:03:35

7M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

The Green Council finally has arrived! People get murdered, smallfolk massacred, a king gets lost, factions betrayed, convictions challenged, all against the backdrop of incredibly sharp writing and great acting. Is there anything more you could want? We don’t think so!By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

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BLAH 162 |House of the Dragon, episode 8, with Sean T. Collins 50:35

7M ago50:35

50:35

What’s more relaxing than a nice family dinner? Maybe a wedding at the Twins. In this episode, the showrunners manage to make a dinner into one of the most tense scenes on TV in months. This show continues to impress, and it’s incredible how much so.By Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse