The Potter Discussion: The Harry Potter TV Show Podcast

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In this episode, we discuss different Greek myths that appear in Harry Potter. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:25 The Basilisk and Medusa. Medusa has snakes for hair and the basilisk is a snake. They both petrify with their eyes. But what would happen if they looked into each other eyes? There’s no way to know for sure, but Medusa was die instantly and the basilisk would begin to petrify but would live because Medusa would die for it could turn to stone entirely. 

·      8:33 Hermione. Hermione was the daughter of Helen of Troy, and there are some parallels in their love lives. Hermione of Troy was set to marry Orestes, her cousin, but during the Trojan War, she was instead promised to Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. They got married, but he was soon killed and Hermione could marry Orestes in piece. This resembles Hermione Granger’s experience was Cormac McLaggen and Ron? No one dies, but it takes a war for Hermione of Troy to finally be with Orestes, and so it does for Ron and Hermione. Read more here.

·      15:01 Professor McGonagall and Minerva. Minerva was the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and defensive war. She also looks over metal work, pottery, and using materials for good. McGonagall did just this when she cast Piertotem Locomotor and brought the statues to life.

·      18:26 Quirrell and Janus. Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and endings, gateways and entrances. He is sometimes called Janus Quirinus which also happens to be Quirrell’s first name. Janus has two heads as well, with one head telling the truth and the other not. Sound familiar?

·      22:42 Fluffy and Cerberus. Cerberus was a giant three headed dog that guarded the Underworld. Fluffy is a giant three headed dog that guarded the Sorcerer’s Stone. This is a simple one. 

·      24:56 Trelawney and Cassandra. Cassandra was a Trojan princess who was cursed by Apollo to be able to see the future but never be believed. That already sounds like someone we know. We also know that Trelawney has a great-great-grandmother named Cassandra. Maybe sight runs in the family.  

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In this episode, we discuss if Harry and Hermione would have reached as great heights is Ron wasn't with them. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:53 What role does Ron play? There isn’t a single word that can sum up Ron’s role in the story. A lot of what he does is away from the spotlight, and that is also the reason why he gets into the occasional spat with Harry. He is constantly out of the spotlight in his own family, and being with the chosen one can’t help. To put words to it, Ron is a shoulder for Harry and Hermione to lean on and he acts as an ally for the day to day. Ron can also act as Ron’s therapist because of their long talks and how close they are.

·      8:54 Ron’s strengths. If there are strengths that Ron has that the other two do not, then there might be a case to make. One of his strengths is his loyalty. When Goyle is destroying the Room of Requirement, Ron is the first to run after him to protect his friends. Another one of his strengths that is irreplicable is his knowledge of the wizarding world. Neither Harry nor Hermione grew up in the magical world and they don’t have the off the cuff knowledge that would give the other two the upper hand. Ron is also a helping hand to Harry as mentioned. He is a backboard for Harry’s ideas and a wall to lean on.

·      15:19 Weaknesses. Ron’s big weakness is he lets the little things get in his head and trip him up. While he was camping in the woods with Harry and Hermione, Ron didn’t eat very good food and that really ruined his life. When Harry is entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Ron was too angry at Harry for not telling him how he did it to stop and think how Harry would be the last person to enter.

·      19:09 Would Harry or Hermione miss Ron the most? It depends which book. In the books before the trio goes off on their own, Harry is the one who would miss Ron the most because they are very close friends. When Ron and Hermione grow closer in the seventh book, Hermione might feel even worse about Ron’s disappearance because that is when they became romantically involved.

·      24:41 Would they go on? Let’s split it in two parts. First, would they be able to make it through Hogwarts? Probably not. Ron is a big help to Harry in Hogwarts and he and Ron are also very close. Now, would Harry and Hermione be able to find all the horcruxes and defeat Voldemort? Most likely. Ron is important, but many of the things that he does are only a negative on the group. There are certainly moments where he isn’t the biggest help, and Harry and Hermione might make it through.

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Nox

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This week marks 200 episodes and three years of this podcast. I would not have been able to do any of this without your continued support, and for that I thank you all. Here's to another 200!

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In this episode, we discuss some additions to the story that would help out a bunch. Enjoy!

Summary/Topics:
·      2:22 More accessible portkeys. Portkeys are effective, but they take too long to set up and aren’t a quick us. They take time to set up and advanced planning. If you’re running down an alley with snatchers on your tail, the last thing you’re thinking of is a portkey. How convenient would it be to have a smaller device that can be used at moment’s notice?

·      7:13 Making quidditch pitches safer. Falling of your broom and falling to your death is a fairly likely outcome of quidditch, which we saw Harry do in the third book. If Dumbledore wasn’t there, Harry might have gotten really hurt. Making charms that soften the field is a great innovation, or even just stationing wizard on the ground to make sure there are no kids freefalling through the air.

·      14:42 More advanced security at Gringotts. In the first book, the goblin saw Harry’s key and brough them to his vault. That seems so easy. A better system to would be to put more security in place. People would be scanning all those who enter the bank. They would have to prove their identity with veritaserum, then they would be taken to their vault.

·      23:08 A secret list. A place for someone to keep their thoughts where no one could get to. Neville left a list of passwords on his bedside table, which is how Sirius got them and opened the tower. There is a lot of use for a device that would do this.

·      25:29 Self-spelling wands. “We’re no closer to catching Sirius Black than inventing self-spelling wands.” Arthur Weasley said that in the third book before the Ministry caught Sirius, so if they did that, why not self-spelling wands?

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In this episode, we put Hermione and Bellatrix head to head. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
Episode 198:

·      1:03 Why these two?

·      4:04 Hermione’s Strengths and weaknesses

·      11:45 Bellatrix strengths and weaknesses

·      19:42 Malfoy Manor duel

·      24:47 Battle of Hogwarts duel

·      27:43 Flat plane duel

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In this episode, we discuss what could have happened if Dumbledore joined Grindelwald. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:00 The Harry Potter story wouldn’t happen. Dumbledore is the person that sets pretty much everything in the books into motion, so without him, there is a fairly low chance that the story would play out like it did or even happen at all. Dumbledore hired all the teachers and is the one who oversees the everyday.

·      6:11 There’s no Voldemort. Dumbledore was the one who went to visit Tom at the orphanage and set him on his path to Hogwarts and then into evil. Even if Tom managed to get to Hogwarts by some other method, Dumbledore was the main factor that pushed Tom at Hogwarts, so without him, Tom can shine as a star student and might not have to be Voldemort at all. 

·      11:22 Hogwarts is not the same. Dumbledore was one of the greatest headmasters Hogwarts had ever seen. He put in place many different rules and ensured that it was a safe and helpful place for students and staff. And though any other headmaster would try to do the same thing, no one could match Dumbledore. And once he and Grindelwald took control of Hogwarts, there might be a descend into dark magic.

·      16:57 Dumbledore and Grindelwald likely have control of the entire world, and they’re probably in a relationship. They fall out because they have a violent split of views, but if that doesn’t happen and they join with each other instead, they would become the most powerful people in the world and wouldn’t hesitate to seize control.

·      21:16 Grindelwald likely has the Elder Wand. Dumbledore and Grindelwald duel in 1945 (making that event the climax of they’re rivalry) and Dumbledore wins, taking control of the Elder Wand and putting Grindelwald away. But if they never become enemies and never have a duel, there is no reason why Grindelwald can keep the Elder Wand.

·      24:28 Together, they are the most powerful wizards in history. If they are both dabbling in evil, there are no morals holding them back. Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in the world without using dark magic, so to think that he wouldn’t have anything holding them back would mean that his power would know no limits. 

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In this episode we test our knowledge on quidditch. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·       2:56 Warmup

·      4:40 Question 1

·      8:51 Question 2

·      14:56 Question 3

·      19:54 Question 4

·      22:55 Question 5

·      25:56 Question 6

·      29:05 Question 7

·      31:42 Challenge Question: What is cobbing?

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In this episode we discuss if I achieved my goals for my second trip to Leavesden. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      Listen to episode 190, “I’m Going Back to the Harry Potter Studios”

·      1:14 Did I take my time? Absolutely. I was going at a snail’s pace through the entire place. I read and watched everything I possibly could and took in every piece of information that was available. I learned a lot about what I was seeing, valuing information over seeing the sights. Group after group was passing me, and an unforeseen benefit was that fact that because I was going so slow, I had some moments alone. I took my time and it paid off.

·      10:42 I also went back to see the rest. It might have been almost better than the first time. Though nothing can beat the feeling of turning a corner and seeing an something iconic, though this time around it was pretty cool. A photo can’t capture seeing it in real life, so my expectations were at the level of a photo. So when I got to see it all again in real life, the magic came rushing back.

·      16:02 There were some new things. I thought the opposite was going to be true, but it turned out that more had been added and open since my last visit. There were some areas outside like the greenhouses that I hadn’t seen before that were just as amazing.

·      20:54 Did anything really change? Though there were some new elements to the place, the soul of the Studios has stayed exactly the same. All the things I saw last time were there in addition to the new things, and I could really see the spirit of the films despite the changes. 

·      25:13 Would I go back? It’s pretty simple. Without a doubt. There is little that can top something like that and though there may be many years in between now and later, I will try my best to get back. Someday. 

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In this episode, we discuss what the story would look like if it was told from different perspectives. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      2:23 Ron Weasley. Ron is very close to Harry and he has seen everything Harry has. Ron has been by Harry’s side for the entire story and he certainly has his own view on things. Next to Harry, Ron is considered number two which he doesn’t like. Ron is the youngest in his family and he’s afraid that he might not be as valued as he might be. Seeing the world from his eyes would be very interesting. It would also be valuable to see his relationship from Hermione from the inside and understand this triangle better.

·      8:15 Hermione Granger. If Ron’s in here, it goes without saying that Hermione should also have her story told. In the beginning of the story, Hermione was third wheeling and might have felt on the outside, and though that may have changed later on in the books, she still may have felt like Harry and Ron had a closer bond. She is also a muggle born which would have made her story more interesting. How would her parents have reacted? Many questions unanswered.

·      12:56 Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore has plans upon plans. He has a web of ideas that he has been carefully planning for many years. Someone that close to the story and someone who thinks that deeply would be fascinating to read through. We have zero idea about what Dumbledore was really thinking at any point in the story, so seeing into just one thought would be amazing.

·      17:15 Severus Snape. Snape’s childhood and time at Hogwarts would be one of the most interesting things about Snape’s life. We could learn more about Snape’s motivations and why he grew up to be the person who he did. It would also be cool to see a behind the scenes on his time as a middleman for Dumbledore and Voldemort. Finally, we want to see how his feelings towards Harry changes and how he begins to see Lily more and more.

·      22:07 Draco Malfoy. Draco is another character that would amazing to understand more about. He is Harry’s nemesis in Hogwarts and the one who Harry hates the most for a time. We might be able to understand more about him and his actions if we could see more of his childhood and moving into his time with Voldemort. 

·      25:00 Voldemort. How different would the story be if we were to see it through Voldemort’s slits. Seeing how he rules with fear and death and where that came from would be a staple of his story. Even going as far back as to Tom Riddle Sr. days and how he grew up without love and care, and how he developed his power.

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In this episode, we discuss if the music of Harry Potter fits the picture. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      Listen to episode 123, the Music of Harry Potter here!

·      1:53 Yes. It is a very simple answer, so it may be better to work backwards from the answer than analyze the evidence and try to come up with an answer. We already know the answer to the question and just about every member of the fandom agrees that the score is fantastic.

·      6:16 The composers knew what they were doing. The composers that worked on the films are household names at this point. They’ve had decades of experiences that all fed into Harry Potter. They also worked very closely with the directors so both of their visions could align.

·      9:32 Themes. The themes in the story are really what sets these pieces apart and helps us interpret scenes. The Prisoner of Azkaban and both Deathly Hallows really stand out as using themes very well. Lily’s theme in the Deathly Hallows and A Window into the Past theme in the Prisoner of Azkaban are two themes that really stand out in both of the films that are used many times throughout the film and convey a huge amount of emotion. The music also uses silence to connect scenes like when the trio escaped Gringotts on the dragon and they jumped into the water. The music is quiet for Voldemort and for Harry which shows the connection between the two characters that we as the audience don’t even know yet. 

·      17:51 The music works with the film. This comes from the composer and director working together. We can really see their working relationship and the time and money they invested into the soundtrack. It sounds like the two were developed together and work in harmony. The music doesn’t take center stage, and yet it adds a depth to the story.

·      21:49 The score is magical. Yeah. What I mean by that is the score uses effects and instruments that add a certain magicality to it. We hear things that aren’t in a traditional orchestra that add a bizarre element, like the celeste used for Hedwig’s theme and all the chimes and effect. 

·      25:16 We heard the score so many times, we cannot see the films with any other music. Every time we hear the music or watch the film, we’re hearing the music that we have been listening to for 20 years. It is engrained in our brains and sounds like the only music that can ever be in Harry Potter.

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