The Potter Discussion: The Harry Potter TV Show Podcast

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In the this episode, we discuss Harry's conflict with Mr. Dursley and the Weasley's rescue from 4 Privet Drive in our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:59 Quick recap and Harry at Privet Drive. He is back in Sad Harry mode with his previous life. We want to set this baseline of him hating his muggle existence so later on it means something to him.

·      9:37 The Masons are the driving force. Their story is why Vernon is so uptight, and why he is so adamant that Harry be as quiet as a mouse. This will be the conflict that leads to Harry’s imprisonment, so it’s very important that we set it up early.

·      18:08 Things start to heat up. The Masons arrive and while the Dursleys are greeting them in the driveway, Dobby apparates into Harry’s room with a loud crack, and maybe knocks something off a shelf. The Masons hear it from all the way outside and the tension is already set before they even walk in.

·      29:27 Harry can’t believe what he has done. The whole cake fiasco had lead Harry to believe that he is expelled and will never see Hogwarts ever again. After Dobby drops the cake on Mrs. Mason’s head, Vernon locks Harry up. After a few nights, Ron and the twins come to Harry’s window bars, rips them off, then struggles with the Dursleys to get Harry out. Finally, he’s free.

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In this episode, we discuss the latest news on the Harry Potter TV show and what it might mean for the story. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:18 So what happened? HBO announced that they are already casting for season two, and they also mentioned that they have cast Louis Shelton as future Ron for the first season. He won’t play a huge role in the story, but it opens the door.

·      9:14 Filmmakers are following the books closely. You could also argue that they are completely branching out, but we have to know more before we can say for sure. With characters like the Flamels, the TV is breaking new ground. But with a future Ron, we technically have seen him before.

·      15:16 Flash-futures are dangerous. Imagine we are in the Great Hall or something like that and we flash forward. We watch a scene that is to come, and then are pushed back to the present. In that moment, the present loses some value. It feels like we’re losing ground, even though we saw something from the future.

·      21:09 It is very possible to avoid that danger. If we keep the flashes brief and avoid full scenes, and integrate them into the story, the flashes will only enhance the present. Dumbledore thinking about the future in his office is a great opportunity to explore this.

·      25:46 Despite all the negatives, there is a huge upside. If we avoid the full scenes, the filmmakers can make these visions of the future truly impactful. The truth is we don’t know everything. Some actors and creative choices are still unknown to us, so there is still potential to be surprised.

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In this episode, we begin the second season of our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:54 Let’s set some goals. 1) Explore Hogwarts. We haven’t seen the whole grounds by now, and there is so much more history to explore. 2) Develop relationships. Especially for arcs like Snape and Harry, beginning to see their relationship take form will lead to a huge payoff later on. 3) Begin Voldemort’s arc. Tom Riddle is the main villain of this book, and we can use his past and memories to understand a little more about Voldemort. This Tom Riddle feels almost closer to the Goblet of Fire Voldemort than the back-of-the-head thing from last book.

·      10:33 We begin in the days of old. That’s what I wrote in my notebook. We should begin with the founders of Hogwarts and their dynamics. Salazar Slytherin wanted to keep Hogwarts for pure-blood students and that’s why he was cast out, leading to the creation of the Chamber. 

·      18:15 Moving forward through time. As the founders fall into the legend, the Chamber falls into legend with it. We lose a little bit of the gravitas if we snap forward in time and skip over the thousand years in the middle. We should end this section with Hagrid and Tom Riddle’s time at Hogwarts, and seeing the Chamber open for the first time.

·      25:24 Now we move into the present day. But not with Harry. The diary Riddle was the driving force in the Chamber, but something had to have worked in the background for that to happen. It would make sense for Voldemort himself to have given Lucius the diary and sent him off to get the gears turning.

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In this episode, we discuss what role the set might play in the new Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      Read the interview with Lox Pratt | See the new leaked set photos

·      1:43 So what did Lox Pratt say? He gave us the insight that the TV show would go into Draco’s home and perhaps show us another side to the professors as well.

·      8:14 There were also leaked photos of the set. The first photo is a house, the second a timetable, and the third a courtyard. There are some interesting details that might point to some features of the Harry Potter TV show. The house is labeled for an old couple, and seeing as it is only for the first season, that might be the Flamel residence?

·      19:34 Location vs. Set. The location is literally where the characters are, but the set is where and how the scenes take place. How should we feel? Why are the characters making these choices? Those are the questions a good set can tell us. With scenes at Malfoy Manor, Draco has an opportunity to show us how he really feels. Imagine how much we would learn in a scene with Draco walking the grounds of his house in the summer.

·      25:02 Is this getting too complex? We are seeing so many peaks behind the curtain, and without the finished product to put it all together, it’s hard to see the whole picture. With so many new sets and characters added, the filmmakers are now walking the line between two similar to the films and too complex for audiences to understand. I don’t think it will be too complex in the end, but you never know.

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In this episode, we discuss composer Hans Zimmer signing onto the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:35 Hans Zimmer is scoring the TV Show! He is such a well-known composer in the film world. His music is famous for how profound it is, no matter the film. From Kung Fu Panda to the Dark Knight, Hans knows how to create a world.

·      11:05 Hans has a huge sound. I’m interested how music of that size will fit into the world of Harry Potter. John William’s themes are so personal and quiet, which isn’t what Hans is known for.

·      19:45 There’s a lot of room to explore. Music is a 3D art, and that dimensions will hopefully be used. However, this world has boundaries, and it would be a shame if Hans ventured too far.

·      24:40 His music is intense! It’s full of electronics and different textures. But is that the right feel for Harry Potter? Maybe not. John Williams was famous for his orchestral scores, and Hans would do well to stay in the acoustic world.

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In this episode, we discuss the finale to season one in our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      Listen to Tea Leaves S1 E7 here!

·      1:40 Quick recap and Harry waking up in the hospital wing. Dumbledore comes to see him and explains what went down. I like that they discussed Harry’s family and why Quirrell was turned to dust when he touches Harry. However, it would be super beneficial for the story to discuss Voldemort’s journey and Flamel’s choices more.

·      14:14 Harry heads down to the feast. All exams have been cancelled, and Dumbledore gives his speech. It should be lighthearted, but I want to get some hints of the darkness to come. Neville gets his ten point that gives Gryffindor the house cup, beginning a wonderful arc.

·      20:05 Packing up. This is the quiet peace of the episode because it’s been so crazy for so long. Hogwarts is a huge place, but it is also incredibly personal. I want a few minutes to walk the grounds one last time and live in this world.

·      24:45 Leaving Hogwarts. We aren’t going to end the season at Hogsmeade station, but Hagrid’s goodbye should still mean something. The trio bords the train and watches as Hogwarts fades away. When they get off in London, they say their goodbyes to each other and the cameras pan out to see everyone having their same conversations, and we fade out.

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In this episode, we discuss the trio's journey through the trap door in our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      Listen to episode 315, QuizMaster: Trap Door Edition here!

·      1:19 Challenge question and recap of Tea Leaves S1 E6.

·      7:56 The first shots of the episode show us the quiet stillness of the castle at night. The moon is shining, and there is an eerie air about the corridors. The trio approaches the door and goes through to Fluffy’s chamber. There should be a harp playing and a flute, and they jump through. Fluffy shouldn’t wake up like he does in the films to preserve this eerie air.

·      12:50 The devil snare. It should remain largely the same because a lot of important details in terms of character dynamics are revealed. But when they all escape there should be a more magical escape. Perhaps all the devil snare recedes in a flash and they are left in a room with a door to the key room.

·      18:05 The flying keys. They should stay pretty much the same. The balance of this whole trapdoor sequence is struck already, and we shouldn’t mess with that too much.

·      19:51 The chess match. This is one of the most intense parts of the trap door adventure. The pieces are smashed to pieces when they are taken, and the trio are standing in the face of these blocks of rock are slowly moving towards them to find their next victim. Ron sees the moves and sacrifices himself so Harry and Hermione might go on. Perhaps a sacrifice like that is required by the room for them to move on.

·      24:52 The potions riddle. Hermione is an absolute boss in this scene because she shows us all how critically she can think. Those skills come in handy for sure later on in the story.

·      28:21 The final scene. Quirrell turns around and Harry is shocked that it isn’t Snape. Most of this scene should stay the same, but there’s one moment I want to see. When Voldemort offers Harry power, immortality, and his family back, I want to see Harry’s reaction. The fact that Harry doesn’t react to power and immortality, but he considers his family back for just a moment is super important. That one moment shows us more about Harry than we’ve learned in the rest of the book for that.

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In this episode, we test our knowledge on the trio's journey through the trap door. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      2:04 Warm Up Round

·      4:03 Question #1: How do the trio get around Fluffy? What instrument do they play?

·      10:10 Question #2: What spell does Hermione use to get past the devil snare?

·      14:50 Question #3: What position does Ron play in the chess game?

·      18:26 Question #4: How many potions does Snape leave? How many are poison?

·      23:54 Question #5: What does Voldemort ask Harry?

·      28:22 Question #6: Why does Harry, not Quirrell, get the stone?

·      30:05 Question #7: True or false; the whole thing was a complete secret and none of the students found out.

·      32:07 Challenge Question

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In this episode, we discussed the major developments of 2025 and made some predictions of what's to come next year. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:20 The most important part of this year has been the TV show. We got announcements, casting, and updates on filming that showed us that this thing is underway! There were little details of course, like Hogwarts Legacy, but those things couldn’t hold a candle to the TV show. The leaked photos were the most exciting part of the announcements this year because they were our first true looks at the new world.

·      8:27 Casting announcements made this even more exciting. Learning who would be playing the characters that have defined a generation was super cool, and it isn’t even over yet. 

·      17:36 Filming will wrap this year. I’m not too worried about this one coming true because the filmmakers said that they hoped for a late 2026 to early 2027 release date. With promotions starting a few months before that, and production wrapping a few months before that, we are absolutely going to see the end of filming for season one.

·       22:38 Season two is going to begin churning. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if some minor casting and filming has already taken place for season two. The kids are growing up already, and we don’t want a huge gap between seasons.

·      25:33 We’re going to get some build up and huge casting. Voldemort? They are keeping his identity under wraps very well, and though it’s infuriating, it’s effective. Whether it’s with a trailer or some official release, we are going to see the last few people who make up this new universe.

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In this episode, we discuss Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback and our first encounter in the Forbidden Forest in our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:36 Quick recap, and Hagrid Spilling the beans! If we learn all these new things about Fluffy in a more natural manner, it shows us just how much that information means. Also, if the trio knows it, Snape might too.

·      9:43 Norbert is born. Norbert plays a small role in the story, but still he has a lasting impact. We should have the chance to see why Norbert means so much to Hagrid. Harry and Hermione have to bring Norbert to astronomy tower to be taken away, but they are caught. Off to the forest!

·      19:34 Off to the Forest! This is our first encounter with Voldemort and an introduction into the dangerous life of Hogwarts.

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Nox