Paragon Marathon

We’re taking the hobbits to Isengard: Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in part one of a marathon analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” along with a broad look at Tolkien’s life, philosophy and the companion texts that build out the LotR universe. In the first part of our analysis, we examine the creation story and some Silmarillion background before embarking on the dank adventures of Loado Bongins and his faithful servant Spliffwise Ganjee on their perilous road too Mordor. Peter Jackson’s trilogy did Frodo dirty, so some Baggins rep rehab is in order, along with a look at what heroism meant to someone like Tolkien. Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! My darlings!

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they put on their Edgar Suits and watch the 1997 classic "Men in Black" in an attempt to feel at peace in a chaotic universe. Featuring the diverse talents of beloved actors like Will Smith and Tomas Leeroy Joins, this sci-fi comedy classic would set the tone for the 2000s moviegoing experience through its liberal application of CG aliens, dead-eyed bureaucracy, and, of course, people getting SLIMED.

Hey tall, dark and handsome; let’s have another cup off coffee, let's have another piece of pie. It’s time to discuss one of the most beautiful and complex series on television: Mad Men. Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in their focus group on Don Draper, Impostor-King of Madison Avenue, and the Anti-Hero phenomenon. Digressions include seccret-best-character Pete Campbell, tears for sweet Peggy, and other assorted gushing. It’s toasted!

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they watch the beloved Coen Bros. film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000) and come to grips with the fact that they just can't escape the Homeric Orbit. Join us as we discuss the film's vivid mythic action, whether or not this movie's a musical, (it is), and share our finest Tim Blake Nelson impressions.

Tell us, O Muse, of a particularly complicated Ithacan. The Marathon takes a jog through Homer's "Odyssey," one of the oldest texts in the Western canon; Tom, Dan, and Sarah, armed with a few decades of pop-culture connections and some modern, less-stuffy-than-most translations of the 3,000+-year-old-poem, find a way to cram in discussions of crypto, mom-guilt, and of course, Super Mario (wahoo!). Alongside these key topics you'll find discussion of the Odyssey's dynamic structure, its influence on modern stories, and the unavoidable Homeric intertextuality storytellers have been dealing with for a few millennia. Greece is the word!

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they find their happy thought and/or marbles through a deranged viewing and discussion of Steven Spielberg's criminally underrated classic, "Hook" (1991). Found within: Julius Robert's idiosyncratic Tinkerbell, Thud Butt Cheese, and the inescapable power of Dustin Hoffman's eyebrows.

Serf's up milords! Join your sibling hosts on the marathon as they follow King Arthur into the mists of Avalon for the conclusion to the Arthur Mythos and a deep dive into the story of Gawain and the Green Knight. Fasten your seatbelts (and don't cum on them); this is a wild ride into surrealist Arthuriana.

Hail, milord! Fall in with the Marathon as it bounds across the shimmering fields and glittering spires of Camelot while Tom, Dan and Sarah take a closer look at the stories of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In Part One we take a look at the origins of the pseudo-historical Arthur, and try to reckon with some of the more well-known tales of this great Warrior-King, Bringer of Peace, and world's Most Famous Cuck. We discuss the ideas of Chivalry and Courtly Love, as well as broom-legged dudes, the goblin economy, and the morality of carts. So come, marathoners: learn at our feet as a kid in King Arthur's Court.

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they come to terms with their entire sense of humour and identity, and discuss Jim Carrey's "The Mask (1994)". We discuss the power of Cuban Pete, the brief swing resurgence of the 90s, and learn that "we all wear masks" (thanks Ben Stein). 

Keelah se'lai! The Marathon hits the relay and (finally) moves into the sphere of video games as Tom, Dan and Sarah discuss the influential "Mass Effect" series, chronicling the exploits of player-hero Shepard's attempts to navigate the tough decisions of galaxy-saving. Is submission not preferable to extinction? Discussions of narrative mechanics, romance, sci-fi tropes, and character-building in a player-paced story await within.