The Potter Discussion: The Harry Potter TV Show Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we test our knowledge on the Ministry of Magic. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      Some of the information in this episode came from the Ministry of Magic page on Fandom. Thanks!

·      2:17 Warm up round.   

·      4:52 Question 1: How old is the Ministry?

·      10:14 Question 2: What is the succession of Ministers?

·      15:46 Question 3: What is the visitors entrance code? 

·      18:54 Question 4: On which level is the atrium? 

·      21:16 Question 5: What is the name, subject, and function of the fountain in the atrium? 

·      26:36 Question 6: How many levels are in the Ministry?

·      28:58 Question 7: What is the name for a magical jury?

·      30:46 Challenge Question: What is the name of the security guard? Tune in next week to hear the answer!

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss the best classes in Hogwarts. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      2:08 #8 Divination. What a surprise. Divination is a very specific skill that a very small amount of people can really use. Even true seers don’t have too many visions. Trelawney had about three in her entire life. Plus, she has a flair for the dramatic. Most of her class is spent predicting the death of Harry, which might be another reason why he doesn’t like it very much. Harry knows his time is somewhat limited, but it is unsettling for someone who can see the future tell you that death is in the future. Harry also doesn’t like how divination is opening the gap between him and Voldemort wider.

·      8:38 #7 History of Magic. History is a fascinating topic and magical history is even better, but Professor Binns makes the subject as dull as it could be. It is almost useless. If Binns put in the effort, there might be something there. But he doesn’t. 

·      13:05 #6 Astronomy. Though this is still not a great class, it is a bit better than the others on this list. Wizards can use the planets for more than just understanding more about science, however. Centaurs use the night sky to tell the future, which they did with one glance at Mars better than Trelawney did in all her years at Hogwarts.

·      17:28 #5 Transfiguration. It might seem low on this list, but transfiguration isn’t ever the center of magic ever in the story. It is a very specific kind of magic that can’t be applied to other areas of magic. That is also a plus, because in those moments where you need something specific, transfiguration might be the subject to use.

·      20:22 #4/Honorable Mention Herbology. Herbology is a slept-on subject that fades into the background which is why not a lot of people think about it. However, understanding plants is a very important part of all branches of magic and supports the areas that would otherwise collapse. 

·      21:53 #3 Potions. Potions are extremely powerful and has a wide range of skills. With the right potions, any battle can be won. However, there several drawbacks. They have to be prepared in advance, so you can’t just use an infinite supply. They also can wear off. Despite this, potions is still high on the list.

·      24:30 #2 Defense Against the Dark Arts. This is a fantastic class, even though there are some factors that change this. If there is no war, it isn’t as important. Also, if the teacher changes ever single year, it’s hard to get a well-rounded education. But even with all those reasons, DADA is still one of the most useful classes in Hogwarts.

·      28:06 #1 Charms. Charms is fantastic! All you need is a wand, it is fast, useful, and covers a wide range of subjects. The vast majority of spells that Harry uses in the story is learned in charms. There is also no cool down or preparation time before hand. They can also be very powerful, helping anyone with a good knowledge of charms class in a pinch.

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

Sooooo... yeah. I know I said there would be an episode this week, but unexpected events have come up and unfortunately I am yet again away from the studio. See you next week!

In this episode, we discuss Deathly Hallows, and if it was a good end to Harry Potter. Enjoy!

Topics:

•  All the unanswered questions! We never found out what happened to Lavender Brown for sure after being attacked by Fenrir Greyback. We also never saw several characters again, like Fluffy or the flying car.
• Was Dumbledore's plan good? And if he didn't exist, would the trio have still come out on top or would Voldemort have won? Dumbledore had a very large effect on the story, but the question is: was it good or bad?
• Why did Harry make such a bad decision when it came to the Elder Wand? He broke it in the films without fixing his own wand or any of the castle, and just left it be in the books after the Battle of Hogwarts. Did it never occur to him that a random person might stumble upon the wand and another Voldemort would appear?
• Much More!

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss different topics for a separate TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:58 The Marauders. We don’t really know anything about that group, aside from who was in it, and what they did. An interesting spin on the story could be to combine the Marauders’ story with the first Order of the Phoenix. We go through their story, then Voldemort enters the scene, and we see the first battle between good and evil. It would be really cool to see the overlap of James and Lily’s story and Harry’s. It would be great to explore the lives of the people who we only vaguely get to know in the main story. 

·      9:08 Severus Snape also deserves to have his story told. He has had a lot of bad things happen to him and a lot of loss and pain. Was his transformation built from his childhood or the course of events later in his life? We know very little! There a lot of value from answering some of these questions, because we can more deeply understand the story and know why we makes the decisions he does. 

·      14:30 Though his past is a lot farther back than Snape, learning what happened in Dumbledore’s past is arguably the most important in the entire story. His time in Godric’s Hallow with Grindelwald, Aberforth, and Ariana is a very cloudy time that would do us well to become uncovered. Seeing his past and uncovering some of the stories that have molded who he is as a person today could show us secrets that have been covered up for far too long.

·      21:14 Going even farther back than Dumbledore, another element of the story that we know little about are the founders of Hogwarts, and their stories. There is an endless number of things that we don’t know, and different secrets to the castle that haven’t seen the light of day for hundreds of years. Could the castle be more sinister than it appears?

·      24:40 A TV show from the different perspective of someone far away from Hogwarts! Similar to the episode Magic Outside Hogwarts, I would love to see the Voldemort situation from someone who has a completely different set of values and lives in completely different world. What is their style of education, magic, and life as a whole? 

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss the new Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:04 So what’s going on? We are still in the very early days of this announcement, so we don’t have a great idea of what’s going on. Here’s what we know so far: the timeline is very spread out. The first season isn’t going to be released for several years. As far as we know, there are going to be seven seasons with each season covering a book in the story. We should look to the future to see what comes next. 

·      6:08 What is the benefit of a TV show? We are going to be able to explore more of the wizarding world that we haven’t seen. Things like the Quidditch World Cup and SPEW and Peeves; things and people that we haven’t seen. The show will also be an opportunity to right the wrongs of diversity in the story. TL;DR There is very little. HBO will hopefully foster more diversity in the casting. There is also the issue of the signature Harry Potter things, like Harry’s scar, Hogwarts, and Hedwig’s Theme. It would be great for the show to branch out, but these themes are some of the things that keep the magic alive and create such a fantastic world. I would personally like to see some of the things like Hogwarts, filming location, and robes to be the same. One thing that would be great to see is classes. Really diving into a class and seeing how it works would be fascinating. Are they going to close Leavesden? Maybe. They could save a ton of money be reusing some of the things at Leavesden for the filming. It would be great to see some of this overlap, but they still shouldn’t rely on those original props to carry to show.

·      22:34 Is the show going to include more movie-isms or book-isms? I’ve been going back and forth, but scenes from the book seem to make the most sense. They show is going to have a lot more time per season to explore the story, so the things that were cut from the films because of time have no excuse to be cut from the show. They might also include things that weren’t in the book like Neville and Luna’s backstory and the duel between Dumbledore, Aberforth, and Grindelwald. There is an endless supply of questions to be answered that will make the story all the more magic.

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

Hey everyone! I'm sorry to say I did not get to the studio this week, so the episode is a rerun of episode 159. 

In this episode, we talk about the main theme of Harry Potter. Enjoy!

Topics/ Summary:

·     2:40 Why does the main theme of the story matter? The theme of the story is the core element that it needed to understand the plot and characters and give us a better view of the story. We have a better grasp on the different events, the climax, and why different characters do what they do. 

·     6:31 J. K. Rowling said the main theme of the story is death. Does that make sense? Essentially, yes. Death is described as not the end, but the beginning of another great adventure. Harry sees his parents and Sirius and Dumbledore long after they died. This theme applies to may different aspects of the story, but death is not the only message in the story.

·     12:07 What are other main messages in the story? Love and friendship are the obvious ones, but what are some others? The inner struggle also takes a front seat. Harry struggles with Voldemort possibly possessing him in the Order of the Phoenix and beyond shows this. One of the main story lines in the fifth book was Harry trying to escape Voldemort. The value of working together was also highlighted. Harry was rarely working alone. He always stood united with his friends. Voldemort is the opposite, working with his supporters in much more of a cold relationship. The final theme that I saw was the “you’ll be fine” mentality. Harry learns very little information in the beginnings of the story, and only knows the full story at the very end of the story. Did the world collapse? It was close, but no. 

·      20:54 Which characters have the authority to make a theme out of a message? There are three scenarios: single person, multi-person, and prolonged single person. The first example (single person) is the least common. This is when a message is already present, and a character points it out. Multi-person is the most common. This is when many people join a movement or commit an act of make a statement that has lots of repercussions. Single person prolonged is the final example. This is when a single person will create the theme themselves over many years, doing the same things and helping the same people, creating a dynamic that allows for a theme to grow.

·     26:01 Do characters or events create themes? Both! One or more characters should be performing an act over a long period of time or do something so monumental it has lasting effects. 

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss magic outside of Hogwarts. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:00 Why should Hogwarts students end their education at 17? 11-17 is a pretty wide range, but they would gain so much more value from more magical schooling. There may be an element of diminishing returns, but it can’t diminish so far that going further would be a waste. Just think how valuable it would be to have other schools in the UK like universities for magic that would specialize in different areas like in the muggle world. Wizards would be more prepared than ever to take on the world and they would have a skill set that Hogwarts can’t give them.  

·      9:36 Can’t students go abroad? Hogwarts isn’t the only magical school in the world, and it seems a simple thing to go to a different school before and/or Hogwarts. It would be great for wizards to learn about different parts of the world before they start their formal education. It is a simple next step to take a simple journey and see a different part of the world and have a completely new layer of knowledge to add to education in your home country that would add such vibrancy to magic as a whole. 

·      14:44 There are different kinds of magic in different places. For example, in Uagadou, a magic school in Africa, magic with the hands in far more popular. They are very well versed in Astronomy, Alchemy, and self-Transfiguration. The young students in Africa are chosen in an interesting way as well. A Dream Messenger will appear to a child in a dream and give them a token. That child will wake up with the same token in their hand, and they have been chosen to go to Uagadou.

·      21:10 The expectation of what happens after school is also different. In Hogwarts, you graduate at 17 and get a job. But in different parts of the world, students might graduate at a very different time and have a contrary experience. They might travel around the world and learn skills that they would need to then pick up a job. At Mahoutokoro, a Japanese school on top of a mountain, students begin at age 7 during the day and begin to board at 11. They begin a lot earlier than Hogwarts and might have a much more solid base of education when they eventually do get more serious.

·      25:23 Skills that wizards need in different places dictate what they learn. Every place is different and there are many different specialties and requirements that people need for different climates and situations that change what they learn and how they learn to live. 

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss the wonderful traits of Jacob Kowalski. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:12 Jacob is a good person. That single fact drives his entire character. He is a fantastic companion and friend to Newt. Newt has always been on the outs of society and has had trouble finding friends. But with Jacob, Newt had no trouble at all fitting in. Jacob was also a good support system for Newt. Jacob is the living representation of “we must always make the choice between what is right and what is easy”. When Lally came to the bakery in the Secrets of Dumbledore, Jacob made the decision to go with her and help save the world even though he knew it could be the end of him as well.

·      8:18 Jacob helps even though he isn’t a wizard. He can’t cast spells or take part in duels, but he still aids in other ways. For example, he helped Newt find the erumpent in Central Park. Without Jacob Newt wouldn’t have found the erumpent and might still be looking for it today. Jacob also was the thrower of the bug in the teapot in the Macey’s department store. He also helps Newt in his case with all the magical creatures. He may not be a wizard, but Jacob can still help out.

·      12:49 Jacob understands people. One thing in particular sets his understand apart from everyone else. That is his attempts at getting Newt and Tina together. Jacob can see they’re perfect together and they should be together, so he tries to urge Newt to make an effort to show his affection for Tina. 

·      16:58 Jacob’s branding is on point. There is a distinct set of trademarks the Jacob has that make him the person we know and love. Dan Fogler delivers his lines in such a charming way that really shows the person behind Jacob. Jacob also has a fantastic musical motif associated with his person. He also has a great set of lines. From “Hey Mr. English Guy. I think you egg is hatching!” to “That’s me. I’m the pan.”, Jacob has awesome lines the put a great spin on the story.

·      25:42 Jacob can handle magic. That is a quality that a muggle like him could dearly use. Though he may have not been so happy about it in the beginning, he developed a tolerance for spells flying left and right. The story would be very different if he was terrified of just the simplest spell.

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss some of the more confusing aspects of Fantastic Beasts. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:50 Yusuf Kama. He was introduced later in the story and seemed to play a strange role in the story. I wasn’t sure which side he was on for the entire film and I’m still not completely sure. Another thing that made him so confusing is how he was trying to tell us the true background to Credence when his entire story wasn’t the truth. Now that we know that Credence is actually a Dumbledore, it makes Kama’s story all the more confusing because it plays no part in the story and its existence has become pointless. 

·      7:04 Tina Goldstein. Tina was a fantastic character in the first film with multiple layers and was a true 3D character. However, that didn’t last. In the very next film, Tina became this dark and depressed person who wore long trench coats and had a different hair style. It was further exaggerated in the third film when Tina seemed to return from the dark and was still kept away from the story. Why? It’s strange that a main character just disappeared, and we never saw her again for the longest time. What is going on with Tina?

·      12:51 Couldn’t the obliviating rain have missed someone? It must have. An umbrella worked to keep the rain away from Queenie, so what about the muggles who put up an umbrella. And the aurors were walking around in the open air and they were just fine? What if someone just stayed inside and didn’t take a shower or a drink of water? It would be such a simple to fix this problem, yet we got no more information. 

·      18:53 Why didn’t Newt’s case get all shaken up? And how it is so big? Newt runs around and does all these crazy things holding his case. How does all his stuff stay the same? And it seems far too big. It is absolutely huge. An entire world exists inside of that little case. And there are some extension charms within in case, so could you just keep on extending until you had an entire planet? This is far too big a plot hole to be ignored.

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we break down the character of Severus Snape. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      Huge thanks to Leona Dolfie who submitted a fascinating theory about Grindelwald’s skull. If you want to submit any questions, comments, or theories, you can email it to [email protected].

·      2:57 Who is Snape? He was born on January 9th, 1960. He died on May 1st, 1998. Snape grew up in a rather depressing area, but he did have a friend. Lily. Lily had no idea about the magical world and wanted someone to tell her about it, and Snape wanted a friend. They were perfect for each other. They both went to Hogwarts together, but they drifted apart after Snape slipped and called Lily a mud blood. They never made up. 

·      8:32 What is Snape’s role in the story? There might be a fancy English term that could get close to describing him, but he is too much of a complex character to be fully encompassed in a single term. He played both sides while fighting for only fighting for himself. There is an art to what he does and the things he says. He is way bigger than a single role in the story. He is a 3D character for sure. He fights for so many things and so many people, there is no way we can call him just one kind of hero. 

·      13:42 How would the story be different without him? First, Voldemort would have won and there is nothing they could do about it. Harry would have gotten captured far earlier, Dumbledore would have been killed, and there would have been no hope. Dumbledore would have tried to make a plan without Snape, but Snape’s position as a trusted advisor of Voldemort. Harry also wouldn’t be as good a wizard. We can lose sight of how good a wizard and teacher Snape was because of how mean he was to Harry. Come to think of it, Harry would be dead without Snape. Think of the first book. Quirrell was trying to kill Harry in the quidditch match, and Snape stopped him. Without Snape, Harry would have died.

·      21:40 What is his motivation? Obviously, his love for Lily is paramount. However there are others. When James died, Snape felt bad. Not for James, but about the fact that he died thinking Snape hated him. It was true, but Snape felt like he owed him. So Snape decides to protect Harry in his first year at Hogwarts. He did, and Harry lived. Snape went back to hating James’ memory. After a while, another motivation starts to evolve. He begins to care about Harry. Snape saw Lily’s son in Harry and wanted to protect him for the person he was.

·      26:32 Is Snape a good person? Is he trustworthy? Of course, we know that Snape is a good person. But is he trustworthy? Know it gets a little more complicated. This is the root of his character. At his core, he is trying to protect, avenge, and remember Lily Evens. So technically, he is loyal to Lily. If Voldemort decided to protect Lily, Snape would have been loyal to him. So is he really that trustworthy after all? 

 [email protected]
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox