Alienating the Audience

By Andrew HeatonComedy Fiction Science Fiction

Alienating the Audience episodes

June 20, 2023 The Ineffable Planet of Sentient Goo
"Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem follows a crew of scientists trying to understand an utterly alien intelligence--a planet covered by an ocean of (apparently?) conscious goop. How can we communicate with something truly, truly foreign to our evolution and understanding? How can we even confirm it's "intelligent"? John Krikorian returns to discuss.
1 hr 20 min
June 13, 2023 Rick And Morty is Hilarious Nihilism
"Rick and Morty" is the funniest science fiction to grace the world sense "Futurama"--if not the best comedy in general.

What is it about, and what distinguishes it from other, lesser comedies?

Jeff Maurer joins to discuss.

(Note: this episode was recorded before the fall of Justin Roiland)
48 min
June 08, 2023 The Fifth Element Is Teenage Scifi
"The Fifth Element" starring Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich is a cult classic. But... does it hold up? Did it ever? To answer that question, we turn to Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch.
1 hr 25 min
May 31, 2023 Irritating Vulcans in "Enterprise"
"Enterprise" is the prequel of Star Trek, exploring the foundation of the Federation of Planets, and the bump, suspicious period when Vulcans and humans get to know one another. Scottish science fiction twins Dickie & Stone Lynch return to discuss.
1 hr 4 min
May 18, 2023 Lady Terror in "Don't Worry, Darling"
There's a subgenre of science fiction we might call "femme fear," exemplified by writers like Margaret Atwood.

Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling" is the latest example. And while it was mostly panned by critics, Heaton enjoyed it.

Ashland Viscosi joins to discuss.

SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating
1 hr 17 min
May 12, 2023 Jesuits in Space!
In "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell, life is discovered on an alien planet, and the first humans to arrive are... Jesuits. The book explores the terrifying consequences of missionaries on a new world, who are there for good reasons--with good intentions--but don't know what they've got themselves into. Richard Amiro joins to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi
1 hr 4 min
May 04, 2023 The Sith are Emo Fascists
The Sith are the dark lords of Star Wars. But what do they want? Are they logically consistent antagonists, with clear rationales for their goals and methods, or just mustache-twirling villains with no depth? Stephen Kent and Mike TV join to discuss
1 hr
April 13, 2023 "They Live" is fear of Reagonomics
John Carpenter's "They Live" is a cult classic about seeing through societal mirage to glimpse the strings of the puppet masters. It's also a specific and intentional "primal scream" against Reagonomics. Ron Hayden joins to discuss.
59 min
April 11, 2023 If Sociopaths Had Super Powers: The Boys
In "The Boys" super heroes superficially fight crime, but are really corporate pawns and predators, ranging from ladder-climbing reality show scumbags to full-blown Nietzschean demigods. What happens when super powers are not always entrusted in the super moral? Andrew Young joins to discuss.
45 min
April 05, 2023 But What if We Swapped Brains?
Brain swaps are a beloved sci-fi trope, but how feasible are they?

Dr. John-Paul Kolsun is a brain doctor, and host of "The Neurosurgery Podcast"

He joins to discuss the feasibility of brain transplants.
1 hr 26 min

About Alienating the Audience

From the publisher's feed

Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what's science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying…