Episodes

This month’s Rewind finds a lot of commonality between the chord shenanigans in “Hold On” and this week’s throwback from Season 1! Was this song written just for this podcast? Tears for Fears’ 1985 smash “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is so perfect that even the band name is a psychology refere...

We got two new shows to cover, which means twice as many reasons to go off on tangents! This week, David from our sister show, The Lorehounds, joins to discuss Vision Quest episodes 1 and 2. Then, after he bails because of bedtime, the Usual Suspects stay to discuss the first episode of Carrie. We’r...

David is joined by Nathan Ledbetter, Instructor of Asian History, Department of Humanities, Rider University, and new Lorehounds Community Co-Host, to begin a three part series ahead of Godzilla Minus Zero. This first installment explores the history and context of Godzilla, from the 1954 original a...

Marilyn and Sara examine rituals of trials (all–sorts) and home, and the testing of faith. We see parents and children who keep talking past each other, recognize that Pharazôn is walking on a path of seawater as the rituals of power-over fail him, and wonder if Nenya really would work with Morgoth’...

Is nepotism a key part of a good nineties pop anthem? This week we reach for Wilson Phillips’ inspirational 1990 hit “Hold On.” Nichole explains how some songs you love give you different doses of dopamine, at different times and different regions of the brain, as the song unfolds. Mark shows us how...

The first two episodes of VisionQuest have given us a new surprisingly lovable Peepaw, his murderbot Frankenstein of a son, and a human grandson with a split personality – and Elysia and Jean are here to dissect it all. From Ultron's most quotable moments to all the shades of moral gray, not to ...

Now that Lanterns is done, we are giving you this little holdover where Edu, Javon, and I discuss the Drama. You know how much he LOVES that movie (JK). Also, a quick announcement about the next shows we'll cover on the podcast. Until next week, enjoy.

Sara revels in dwarves, even in the midst of their dilemmas, Marilyn treasures the shrine of Nienna, the oldest shrine in Númenor, and both grieve over its desecration, agreeing that Kemen is a broken wart of a human being. They see symbols of seeds everywhere, retch metaphorically over Annatar‘s ga...

David and Jean are joined by Elysia, host of the Wool Shift Dust podcast , to close out their season-long coverage of Lanterns. The three dig into listener feedback on Kerry’s choices, Noah’s uncertain future, John’s complicated homecoming, and Sinestro’s unfinished business, while also unpacking th...

Oh, no, another episode of Mark’s music? Sadly, yes! In this episode, Nichole listens to the eight new NTM mini-themes, and pitches which corporate sponsors each music bumper would best lead into. Is this a tongue-in-cheek bit or is Mark still trying to pay off these fancy microphones? Believe it or...

Lorehounds Host David and Lorehounds Community Co-host Stewart (Doove71) are joined by special guest Marilyn R. Pukkila for the first publicly available Eagle Eyes episode, a deep dive into the 2026 film Pressure. The conversation covers the film’s remarkable portrait of the 72 hours before D-Day, c...

VisionQuest – Marvel's latest (and last?) high-concept television outing – begins this week on Disney+, and Elysia and Jean couldn't be more excited to see some of their favorite characters back on screen. Join us for a recap of the key events from Avengers: Age of Ultron , Avengers: Infinit...

John, Aaron, and Richard discuss Vin's return to noble society and discover secrets within secrets. https://linktr.ee/cosmerecorner Schedule for Mistborn: The Final Empire -8/7/2026 - Prologue -8/14/2026 - Ch 1-5 -8/21/2026 - Ch 6-9 -8/28/2026 - Ch 10-15 -10/9/2026 - Ch 16-20 -10/23/2026 - Ch 21...

David and Jean cover the season one finale of HBO’s Lanterns , a conversation-driven episode that resolves the season’s major threads through character work rather than action. The fresh takes cover the show’s bold choice to end on a dialogue-heavy note, the season’s throughlines of fear, courage, a...

Galadriel chafes under Elrond’s command, Isildur confronts a feisty woman and a slimy surprise, the Stranger finds a goat-herder, and Nori and Poppy find — more Harfoots? Sara and Marilyn compare rituals of hospitality —or not — and greeting. They also explore a few cultural dining practices. Where ...

Welp! That was definitely a show. Temu Lanterns. Unnecessary plot lines. Never-seen-again characters (And those we wish we never saw in the first place. Looking at YOU, Maggie.) As you might expect, the fellas have a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings about the finale and this season of LANTERNS in ...

What’s the sweet spot between challenge and comfort? This week we tackle Journey’s 1980 anthem “Any Way You Want It.” After knocking Mark down a notch because of his taste in early-oughts literary fiction, Nichole relates this song to the so-called arousal and flow theories of motivation. Mark expla...

David and Jean dig into listener feedback on "The Jordan Boys Legacy," covering emails, voicemails, and Discord comments packed with fan theories, including ongoing speculation about Noah's origins and the identity of a second Manhunter. The conversation also touches on the show's so...

Elysia is celebrating Filipino-American History Month with the help of Paulo from The Oscars Death Race Podcast, with a deep dive into Dreamworks' new animated adventure Forgotten Island . The first half of the episode is dedicated to a spoiler-free intro to Filipino culture and mythology and di...

Welp! You knew the fellas were gonna have a lot to say about this episode. From John's full-blown transformation to "Jules" from Pulp Fiction, to the apparent string-pasta-thin budget, the boys wanna know: how many of these 24 got-damn mystery boxes are we gonna get solved in one episode...

In this episode, colors take on political significance, Númenoreans and Pelargir folk show grief in various ways, Annatar finds that some dwarves are harder to deceive in others, and Berek finds Isildur, who in turn finds Estrid. We also learned that even the best – planned coronations may have unex...

David and Jean cover the penultimate episode of HBO's Lanterns season one, praising the continued chemistry between Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as the show digs into Hal's backstory. The fresh takes cover the episode's striking visual effects work, the throughline of fatherhood woven ...

David sits down with Tolkien scholar and Lorehounds co-host Marilyn R. Pukkila for a conversation about Rings & Rituals Season 2, currently running on the Rings & Rituals feed. They discuss the show's analytical approach to ritual in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power , the early listener...

How long can the pop stars survive? In this episode, we debut our first ever NTM draft game! Welcoming back two all-star guests, Bree Thomas (“Mariah Carey Girl” from episode 60) and Chris Fafalios (from Punchline, One Hit Thunder, and episode 76), we each battle to build a team of former child musi...

Here in season 3, we’re starting a new feature! Once per month, we’ll be turning back the clock and showcasing an episode from our back catalog! This month, we callback to one of our favorites from Season 1! Wait, was “Undone” really the most popular early Weezer song? In this epic episode we unrave...

David and Jean dedicate a full episode to listener feedback on "Bad Optics," covering emails, voicemails, and Discord comments on fan theories and character motivations. Comics Corner contributor Connor M also joins to answer a listener question about Green Lantern ring mechanics. We did som...

For this special Silo season 3 bonus episode, Elysia is joined by Silo series book author Hugh Howey and Silo TV showrunner Graham Yost to discuss the tricky process of TV-making and adaptation – from why worldbuilding details were changed, to how key scenes came together, to how Peter Gabriel won h...

For this special Silo season 3 bonus episode, Elysia is joined by Silo series book author Hugh Howey and Silo TV showrunner Graham Yost to discuss the tricky process of TV-making and adaptation – from why worldbuilding details were changed, to how key scenes came together, to how Peter Gabriel won h...

Is it our imagination, or is John getting and sounding blacker? Is Kerry after that John D? And how many mystery boxes is Damon Lindelof going to drop in this show and never answer? The fellas discuss these and all the usual tangents. Email the fellas at: dungeons.n.durags@gmail.com Watch online at ...

David and Jean continue their episode-to-episode coverage of HBO's Lanterns with a tightly plotted sixth episode. The fresh takes cover the show's continued strength with character work, particularly the strained dynamic between John Stewart Jr. and his brothers, and a growing unease around ...