The Protagonist Podcast

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Returning guests Nicole Freim and Chris “Mav” Maverick join Joe to discuss the John Hughes’ film The Breakfast Club. Starring several members of the Brat Pack of up-and-coming actors and actresses, this film signaled a change in how teenagers are portrayed in meida. We discuss the pros and cons associated with the film forty years later.

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Producer Andrew joins Joe to talk about “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. The classic short story about a man foolishly making a trek into the Yukon territory after being warned not to lets us explore ideas like man’s hubris, an uncaring natural world, and why so many short stories can be a bit of a downer.

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Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the iconic tv series Columbo. We discuss the odd and long production history of the show, how Peter Falk embodies the character, and the unique twist the franchise has on the mystery genre.

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It’s our annual Fantasy Box Office game! As a look ahead at the films coming out in 2025, Producer Andrew and Joe are drafting teams of movies that will be released this year. They will each get the films’ domestic box offices multiplied by their Rotten Tomatoes score, so they want to pick big hits that are well-reviewed. It also gives a chance to discuss the upcoming film slate and highlight films we are looking forward to.

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First-time guest Josh Allen (the middle grade book author, not the NFL quarterback) joins Joe to discuss Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim. We talk about the unique nature of the story and its world, how unlikable but fascinating Scott is as a character, and highlight the supporting cast.

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Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss a couple classic short stories that are set during the holiday season. The Gift of the Magi sees gift-giving go awry for a couple while they see how much they love one another, and The Man Who Missed Christmas sees a man get locked in a bank vault over Christmas and he realizes he is so isolated from others that nobody noticed or cared.

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Returning Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack joins Joe and Producer Andrew for their tenth annual Christmas Special. Producer Andrew has sent Todd and Joe a list of seven real titles for recently produced Christmas movies, and we have to make up plots to match the titles. Producer Andrew then chooses which summary he prefers, and whoever has the majority of plots selected wins. 

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Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss Alison and Mike Cooper from the BBC sitcom Ghosts. Starring Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe, the sitcom features a woman who can see the ghosts of people from various eras of British history who are haunting her manor. We are discussing two Christmas specials that were produced by the show.

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It’s our second annual TTRPG as Kevin Anthony is back to GM a festive adventure. Norman Mitchell, Producer Andrew, and Joe are the players as they attempt to navigate the Christmas-themed role-playing world that has been prepared for them. 

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First-time guest Emily Darowski joins Joe discuss the romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail. Starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, this is the second pairing of these two leads in a film directed by Nora Ephron. Set in the late 1990s, this is an update of a classic story of a pair of people who fall in love anonymously before meeting in person.

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Show Notes