This week on “What The Frock?”, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod wander into the Underworld of Homer and somehow emerge in modern America, surrounded by TikTok livestreamers, AI-generated summaries, driverless Waymo cars circling suburban cul-de-sacs, and a civilization increasingly obsessed with shadows instead of substance.

The conversation begins with the internet outrage surrounding the casting rumors in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of the Odyssey, but quickly takes a turn nobody expects. What if Achilles was never meant to be remembered as a triumphant warrior? What if Homer himself was warning us about the emptiness of glory? In Book 11 of the Odyssey, Odysseus encounters the ghost of Achilles, no longer a shining hero, but a regretful shadow whispering that fame was not worth the price.

From there, the episode spirals into the Greek concept of skia, the idea of shadow-like existence, and sciamachy, literally “fighting shadows.” Along the way, Dave and Rod tackle AI culture, livestream economies in China, the death of real human connection, social media narcissism, and why young people are now afraid to dance in public.

Ancient Greece meets the algorithm age, and frankly, Homer saw all of this coming.