We cover episode three of The Prisoner by Patrick McGoohan. In this episode, Number Two is under pressure from Number One, so Number Two tries an experimental procedure to get Number Six to give up his secrets in a dream . . . manipulated and observed by Number Two! We get a bit of “the … Continue reading The Prisoner: A, B, and C

We’re starting a series on The Prisoner by Patrick McGoohan. There was a reboot of the series, but we don’t talk about that. This episode is an introduction to how Food for Thought Police will handle the series. This TV series inspired a lot of science fiction and futuristic TV series, so it’s a classic … Continue reading The Prisoner: Introduction

We cover episode one of The Prisoner by Patrick McGoohan. A spy-type angrily resigns in a wordless montage, is kidnapped and transported to a seaside resort prison, and gets pursued by a weather balloon from which he cannot quite escape. What are the dystopian themes of The Prisoner? I’m glad you asked! Listen to this … Continue reading The Prisoner: Arrival

This is episode two of The Prisoner by Patrick McGoohan. Number Six is beginning to find his place in The Village. In this episode, we have the good Number Two, played by Leo McKern. Of course, by good Number Two we mean Number Two with a Good Laugh. What does it mean to be an … Continue reading The Prisoner: The Chimes of Big Ben

This is our fifteenth episode in our longer series on Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Winston has a dream of his mother. Winston remembers his selfishness and how he abandoned his family during the Chocolate Incident. Winston and Julia have a conversation. They conclude that the Thought Police can’t get inside you — they can’t make … Continue reading E75: 1984 Part 2, Chapter 7 Soul Force

This is our fourteenth episode in our longer series on Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Winston finally meets O’Brien! Is this a signal? Is this a call from the resistance to the Party? It’s actually a false-flag operation by the Thought Police, but we’ll get to that in another episode. We see Orwell’s foreshadowing in full … Continue reading E74: 1984 Part 2, Chapter 6 Foreshadowing

This is episode two of two on All the President’s Men, a film directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. In this episode, we look at what this film has to say about the media and how it works. Woodward and Bernstein did a lot of tedious checking up. In turn, their editor … Continue reading E73: All the President’s Men, Pt 2 – Editorial Oversight

This is episode one of two on All the President’s Men, a film directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. In this episode, we look at the relationship between media and politics. Woodstein reporting brought down the Nixon presidency because it was truly on to something. The Fourth Branch of Government has … Continue reading E72: All the President’s Men, Pt 1

This is our thirteenth episode in our longer series on Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. We look at the meaning of propaganda, how different people respond to it, how young people and old people resist propaganda differently, history as a means to resist propaganda, and the scary thing about propaganda: it works. There’s a look at … Continue reading E71: 1984 Part 2, Chapter 5 – Propaganda

This is our twelfth episode in our longer series on Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. In chapter 4 of part 2, Winston and Julia rent the room above Mr. Charrington’s junk shop. We look at the role of singing in cultivating individuality apart from political propaganda. Also, the assertion of gender roles against pseudo-egalitarian uniformity as … Continue reading E70: 1984 Part 2, Chapter 4 – Individuality