The Protagonist Podcast

Description

Returning all-star guests Branden Ushio and Nik English join Joe and Producer Andrew to talk about the 1999 film Galaxy Quest. It tells the story of group of actors from an old sci-fi show who are mistaken by an alien culture as real heroes. Those aliens believe the episodes they’ve viewed are historical documents and recruit the actors to help them fight off a very real threat.

Support

Show Notes

Description

Joe and Producer Andrew are talking about a classic dime novel. Nick Carter appeared in thousands of stories in dime novels, pulp magazines, and paperback novels from the 1800s until 1990. The character, as a detective and a spy, was a pop culture phenomenon that has largely been forgotten. We’re talking about one of the earlier Nick Carter stories, in which he solves a seemingly unsolvable murder.

Support

Show Notes

Description

Returning guest Ben Phillips joins Joe to talk about the sitcom Scrubs. Airing on NBC and ABC from 2001-2009, Scrubs was part of a wave of single-camera sitcoms that changed the tone and style of comedy on American network television. We’re discussing JD and Turk in two classic episodes, season one’s “My Old Lady” and season five’s “My Way Home.”

Support

Show Notes

Description

Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to talk about the Bechdel Test. We have an open-ended conversation about what the test is, what issues exist with its application, and why it is an important topic to consider.

Support

Show Notes

Description

First-time guest Wayne Wise joins Joe to talk about the comic book series Giant Days. Telling the story of three college roommates, the series by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Lisa Treiman captures the feelings and drama of figuring out life while pursuing an education. Esther de Groot is a smart goth girl, Susan thinks she is drama-free and serious, while Daisy is naive and discovering the world (and herself).

Support

Show Notes

Description

Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to talk about the 1999 film Sliding Doors. This is an interesting case of a film where the title and concept have exceeded the actual story and characters in terms of cultural awareness. We talk about what the film’s characters and messages, and also it’s place in pop culture.

Support

Show Notes

Description

Returning guest Charly Kueks joins Joe to discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. One of the great American novels, The Great Gatsby is a modernist novel telling the story of Nick Carraway getting pulled into the strange social vortex of Jay Gatsby. 

Support

Show Notes

Description

Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss one of the most iconic tv series of all time (and a consistent answer in trivia games everywhere). M*A*S*H* aired from 1972-1983, and we’re discussing two episodes, “Adam’s Ribs” and the series finale “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” We’re focusing on Alan Alda’s character, Hawkeye Pierce, but also touch on several of the other memorable characters from the show.

Support

Show Notes

Description

Returning guests Norman Mitchell and Cavan Helps join Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss storytelling in Tabletop Role-Playing Games. This type of game, like Dungeons & Dragons for examples, requires collaborative storytelling between the Dungeon Master (or Game Master) and the players at the table. Norman and Cavan (who know these types of games very, very well) bring their expertise to a discussion around this unique type of storytelling.

Support

Description

Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss one of Marvel’s most unexpected break out stars. Rocket Raccoon was first created in 1976, and we’re talking about a 4-issue mini-series written by Bill Mantlo with art by Mike Mignola that was published in 1985. 

Support

Description