Paragon Marathon

We're back with Part 2 of our deep dive into the Earthsea Archipelago. (We hit a COVID snag last month--sorry for the delay!) Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah as they discuss the main themes of the first three books in Ursula Le Guin's opus before ending with a conversation on the author's changing views of feminist fantasy through "Tehanu," the fourth novel in the series (and one of the best fantasy novels ever written). The discussion this week focuses on comparing Le Guin's concise storytelling to other well-worn fantasy tropes, (aka "commodified fantasy") and unpacking the impact of a bildungsroman where violence and power aren't the be-all-end-all. Contained within: ageless Rudds and Ruffalos, permanent hallucinogenic trances, and the wind waker music again because it's too good.

Only in silence the word, Only in dark the light. Only in an oversaturated YA Fantasy market, the ascension of a talentless loser like J.K. Rowling. Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in the first part of their exploration of Ursula K. Leguin’s fantasy opus, “A Wizard of Earthsea.” Striking out from Gont Port into the seas of the Archipelago, the intrepid siblings navigate serene straits of functioning magical metaphor, but also brave the deluge of discourse with a quiz examining the history of wizard schools in fantasy canon. This episode gives an overview of Leguin’s life and background before explaining the foundational aspects of the Earthsea novels, setting up for a look at The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu in Part 2. Contained within: boy wizard intellectual theft, weed grandma thinks celibacy is for dorks, wind waking, and literally hitting the griddy.

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they embark on a voyage through the North Atlantic and the hearts of millions. The exploration of good ol' Jimmy Cameron's back catalogue continues with 1997's "Titanic," inheritor of a proud disaster movie lineage and unknowing herald of a decade of "Downton Abbey." After recontextualizing the spritely Fabrizio's uncanny accent as a product of our ancient narrator's Edwardian prejudices, we finally get down to the serious business of making our own luck with the real Billy Zane. That, and a whole lot of well-deserved Winslet worship. Contained within: light-hearted PCP pranks, the token DiCaprio Squawk, and Animorphs spoilers. Lights, Cameron, Action!

January twenty-fifth, Dan's podcast diary continued: Began recounting the tale of Bram Stoker's Dracula. First, I administered a quiz to my intrepid sibling co-hosts Sarah and Tom, regarding that most sinister and infamous real-estate mogul, Count Dracula. As a university-trained vampire hunter, I am the most qualified to guide them through this 1897 classic, and best guard them against the hornier deviations from Francis Ford Coppola's film "adaption." Please find within, a broad discussion of vampire powers, their weaknesses, and their continued prevelance in pop culture. My account ends here, dear reader. For like the devious Count, I, too, have been slain by a cowboy.

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they dodge-roll their way through 1999's "The Mummy!" After briefly pontificating on the nature of old-school remakes, the Marathon puzzles over the nature of an Old-Testament-Powered Imhotep, seemingly at odds with the very literal Anubis who suddenly appears to whip ass in the finale. Mostly, this episode is about gushing over the pulp-action classic that brought us actually-charming video game protagonist Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), iconically loveable action librarian Evie Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), and, of course, BENI (Beni). Contained within: the torment of glasses guy, "my daddy loved Egypt so much he married it," scarab Eva-pilots, and the incomparable Billy Zane's finest performance.

Who is to say that the Cardinal Sin must be Cardinal forever? Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah as they grow eyes on the inside in an attempt to understand the boundless vision of Hidetaka Miyazaki's "Soulslike" games, before changing gears for a deep-dive into the religion-infused indie marvel management game, "Cult of the Lamb." Be prepared for some discussion of apocalypse, some reckoning with the nature of virtual worlds, and some truly maidenless behaviour. Contained within: Uncle Junior loves eatin' poop, random-number-Jesus, and the Great Dark Throne of the Pope.

What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets! Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in an exploration of Religion in Video Games. After some discussion on the nature of play, escapism, and the literary bonafides of video games as a medium, the Marathon cruises through a quiz on some famous depictions of myth and religion in games. After that, it's time for some analysis of literary apocalypse, and how "belief" (or "faith?") is a factor any time a player interacts with a created virtual world. Contained within: Republican hate-fantasies, Good Saint MissingNo., Jordan Peterson vs. Richter Belmont, and best friends getting together to attack and dethrone God.

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they tear open the past and realize that Goofy contains the essence of their entire personalities. This week we're watching the 1995 Disney B-Team classic, "A Goofy Movie!" After taking another run at the Furry Agenda, the marathon simmers in the delicious nostalgic stew of this Father-Son bonding vacation adventure. Featuring the iconic bops of Powerline alongside traditional musical fare, this one definitely earns its place in the Disney-Banger-Rotation. Contained within: Lion bedroom eyes, Kingdom Hearts lore, and whatever we called incels in the 90s.

We did it; we did the mash. Join Tomb, Dankenstein, and Scare-ah on a special tour of mythic and modern monsters. After a brief meditation on scary stories and Horror movies, the marathoners run for their lives through monster tales from Greek, Japanese, Cree and Celtic mythology. Also featured are some monstrous figures from modern stories and legends, including the Alzabo from Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, and the infamous Pale Man from Guillermo Del Toro's fantasy masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth. Contained within: getting bodied by a gadfly, wildly violent defecation, Ickybod Clay, Gabba-Ghouls, and asking tough questions like "Is it a sin to do karate with a bong?"

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they travel back in time to humanity's simple, idyllic origins: 1950s-style American capitalism, but it's cavemen in dinosaur-times. That's right, this week we're watching the 1994 boomer-nostalgia classic, "The Flintstones." The marathon engages in a Socratic Dialogue on whether Fred Flintstone is a hero of the working people or a neoliberal golem before going down the list of horrific and beautiful Jim Henson working-monsters that fill the colourful and terrifying world of Bedrock. Included within: shrieking garbage disposals, honeymoonery, and all manner of sweaty, himbo-adjacent Goodmans.