The Midnight Myth Podcast

What makes a Star Wars hero? In a world concerned with fan theories and mysterious backstories, how do we assess the value of who our hero is here and now. Join us for the first of a two-part mini-series on Rey, the central hero of the new Star Wars saga. This first part tracks her journey through the Force Awakens, compares her to the heroes we recognize, and tries to understand what makes Rey truly unique for a new generation of Star Wars fans. When an ordinary scavenger goes head to head with the strongest Dark Side Force user we’ve ever seen—and makes it out the other side stronger—we know we’re dealing with something new.

Where did our obsession with zombies come from? Whether you cringe or cheer for the movie violence, plan for the zombie apocalypse, or animate corpses with your own home recipe, tune in to our latest episode for an exploration of zombies in pop culture. From its origins in Haitian and West African folklore to the serialized tv sensations of today, the zombie myth persists because it touches a very real, very universal fear. With a dash of Eighteenth Century history and philosophy, this zombie cocktail will delight and inspire.

From Dragon’s Daughter to Mother of Dragons. From Orphan to Wanderer to Warrior to Martyr. With the most straightforward hero’s journey of almost any character on Game of Thrones, it’s easy to fall in love with Daenerys. She wins us over from episode one. This week on the Midnight Myth Podcast, come with us back to Westeros, where characters often represent whole schools of thought and morality. We’re exploring Secular Humanism through the arc of Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, of the blood of Old Valyria. We’ll also dive into her personal hero’s journey, and the religious imagery surrounding and elevating her. Will she win the Game of Thrones? Let’s hold up a magnifying glass to her greatest virtues as well as her most glaring faults.

If you’re like us, you’re missing Game of Thrones hard. As we wait (and wait, and wait) for Season 8 to drop, we’re jumping back into Westeros and its gray moral landscape to study fan favorite character, Tyrion Lannister. He’s a hedonistic nobleman whose philosophical alignment makes our heads burst with ethics questions, whose constant quips make for great tee shirts, and whose arc is as hard to parse as it is fun to watch. Join us as we deconstruct why we love Tyrion, and why we should look closer at some of his actions before we pick up where we left off with him. Questions of morality, monstrosity, and Medieval English history abound in this SPOILER-FILLED adventure of an episode.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder—but what does that say about the beholder? In an exploration of this year’s Best Picture, The Shape of Water, Derek & Laurel examine its structural similarities to the tale as old as time, Beauty & the Beast. Aesthetic philosophy, Enlightenment politics, and civil unrest all find their way into the discussion as we try to understand what makes a fairy tale for our troubled times. Come on in, the water’s fine.

Last week we began a conversation about what makes a good king. To continue probing the possible answers, we had to go back to one of our favorite monarchs in storytelling, The Lion King. In this episode, Derek and Laurel explore the connections (and departures) of the Lion King and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the historical roots of the political systems laid out in the animated classic, and the ultimate philosophical messages it leaves us with. It may seem easy and ideal to say “no worries” for the rest of your days, but of course, we know there is no problem-free philosophy. Be prepared for a sensational podcast.

What makes a great king? The archetype of the king is an age-old convention in storytelling, and we can find answers to that question in Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, Disney, and Tolkien. But let’s look to the Marvel Cinematic Universe once more to try and understand how that question informs its latest installment “Black Panther.” Join Derek & Laurel on this journey from Oakland to Wakanda as we demystify the makings of great monarchs—and how the answer to that question has changed in the modern world.

Derek and Laurel breakdown there picks for this years Oscars.

Is there a soul? One of the oldest questions humankind has ever asked works its way through almost all of our stories in some form or another. But it’s a question that pops up continually in the popular Netflix series, Black Mirror. A vision of a technological future that often devolves into dystopia, Black Mirror pits humanity against machine-learning tech, sentient digital copies, and transferred consciousness on a frequent basis. We’re taking this question up with a quieter episode though. Season Four’s Crocodile asks about whether we have a soul, not as opposed to a robot, but as opposed to the rest of the animals. And if we have a soul, what happens when it’s corrupted?