The Lorehounds

The awards season is also heating up in Europe, with Round Two of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) voting underway. With the longlists announced, Elysia takes you on a tour of the 16 short films longlisted in two categories – what makes each special, which can you find where to watch yourself, which might you have already seen, and which short has turned up in a Lorehounds episode again, for the third time?

Previous episode: 2026 Oscar-Qualified Shorts – Top 20 for Lorehounds

Films discussed this episode:

British Short Animation

• Brain Space – trailer – info
• Cardboard – trailer – info
• Death’s Peak – trailer – info
• Ovary-Acting – trailer – info
• Solstice – trailer – info – making of
• Two Black Boys in Paradise – trailer – info – making of

British Short Film

Documentaries:

• Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites – trailer & info
• This Is Endometriosis – trailer – info – full film*
• Welcome Home Freckles – trailer – info

Fiction:

• 22+1 – trailer – info – full film*
• Blondi – trailer – info
• Magid / Zafar – trailer – info – full film*
• Nostalgie – trailer – info
• The Pearl Comb – trailer – info – available on Disney+
• Terence – Letterboxd – Shortverse info
• Wonderwall – clip – Letterboxd – interview (spoilers)

*May be taken down (e.g., if nominated).

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David is joined by Ian and Deneé from The Captain's Pod to discuss the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, premiering January 15th. The conversation explores the show's premise, its place in the modern Trek landscape, and The Captain's Pod's plans for comprehensive season coverage. Ian and Deneé share their excitement for returning to the optimistic heart of Starfleet through the eyes of a new generation of cadets.

Contact the Captain's Pod:

• Email: [email protected]
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cm4nxyKd2S
• The Show: @captainspod.bsky.social
• Ian: @whittsinned.bsky.social
• Deneé: @deneesays.bsky.social

Contact The Lorehounds

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates:

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, John, and Elysia join Anthony from Properly Howard Movie Review to discuss their shared coverage plans and hype levels for Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, Nichole, and John wrap up season one by exploring Carol and Manusos as parallel characters—one testing the plurbs' capacity for love, the other willing to kill to save. They debate whether Carol was seduced or strategic during her 40-day temptation, discuss Manusos as ham radio expert unlocking hive mysteries through frequency scanning, and theorize about season two solutions including signal jamming and Faraday cages. The conversation concludes with the philosophical question: are the plurbs evil or simply amoral like cordyceps, driven by biological imperative rather than malice—not harm reduction but harm avoidance.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David and John are ready for a new shift in in The Pitt. They discuss the parallels between characters, the lack of character growth of Robby, and their expectations of the new cast.

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David and Nichole discuss their reactions to the season finale, grappling with the episode's theological weight and the revealed nature of the plurbs. The conversation centers on the devastating cold open and they explore how Zosia's manipulation of Carol through mimicking Helen exposed the plurbs' ultimate goal: not communion but assimilation without consent. The episode crystallizes the show's deep engagement with questions of individuality versus collective, examining how the plurbs function as both Thanos-like philosophical antagonists and virus-like assimilation threats, while Carol emerges from her temptation in the wilderness ready to face reality with a nuclear failsafe.

Note on Coverage

This is our quick vibe check reaction episode recorded after the holidays. We'll return with John for a full analytical season wrap-up where we'll dive deeper into Episode 9 and discuss the season as a whole.

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

John and Elysia take one last trip to the Upside Down and discuss the final season of Stranger Things.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Jean joins Elysia to discuss Guillermo del Toro's final form of filmmaking – the movie he's been making in his head for 50 years. They break down the book changes, links to the films from the '30s, and inspirations from Del Toro's own life – plus the costumes, casting, production design, and the rest as they ponder the film's many philosophical questions.

Learn more about the novel, its writer and other contributors, and the films from the 1930s* in the Wool-Shift-Dust feed.

*Featuring Ayesha from Every Single SciFi Film Ever.

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Join us for a massive Boxing Day celebration as David welcomes co-hosts, affiliates, and friends to share their Top 3 TV shows of 2025! This special episode features six segments with Jean & Marilyn, Mark & Nichole from Nevermind the Music, Aaron K & Richard from Radioactive Ramblers, Ian from Captains Pod, Anthony & Steve from Properly Howard, and Ron & JD from Dungeons and Durags.

With nearly four hours of conversation covering the year's best television, this episode is designed for dipping in and out at your convenience. For the complete rankings breakdown and community voting data, visit our blog: The Lorehounds Top Ten TV Shows of 2025

Stick around to the end for a very special announcement!

Segment Time Stamps:

1. (00:07:47) - Jean & Marilyn
2. (01:03:26) - Mark & Nichole from Nevermind the Music
3. (01:32:11) - Aaron K & Richard from Radioactive Ramblers
4. (02:06:15) - Ian from the Captains Pod
5. (02:46:51) - Anthony & Steve from Properly Howard
6. (03:13:33) - Ron & JD from Dungeons and Durags - Special announcement at the end!

Special Thanks:

This episode wouldn't be possible without our incredible community. Special thanks to Gregsaw for community survey data analysis, DaveyMac for survey assistance, SubZero for maintaining the 2025 Show Tracker all year, NancyM for communications and show notes throughout the year, Doove71 for writing our year-end blog post, Brian8063 our editor-in-chief and Discord mod, and AaronK for podcast artwork and Discord emojis. And a special musical thanks to Mark from Nevermind the Music for the original compositions used as segment breaks.

Contact Us

Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates

linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David, John, and Elysia present their personal top 10 television shows for 2025 in this annual tradition released on Christmas Day. The hosts share their rankings, discuss standout moments from the year in television, and reveal the community's collective top 10 list compiled from subscriber surveys. Read the full rankings and analysis on our blog: The Lorehounds Top Ten TV Shows of 2025

The episode also previews upcoming 2026 coverage including Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Wonder Man, and the DCU vs. MCU showdown, with a special announcement teased for the end.

Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: [email protected]

Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.

Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates https://linktr.ee/thelorehounds

Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.