The Protagonist Podcast

This week, after a big announcement, Joe and Todd discuss The Little Tramp and the Gamin in the classic Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times. Discussion topics include the film’s humanity, tight story structure, and the way Chaplin’s comedy still holds up today.

All-star guest Kjerste Christensen returns to help Joe and Todd and Andrew workshop story ideas based on mashups of iconic creators with genres they are not accustomed to working in. What would a Buster Keaton sports film look like? How about a Silent Ken Burns action movie? Listen in to find out.

Joe and Todd are joined by Producer Andrew and special guest Kestra Darowski to discuss the Cartoon Network classic TV series Over the Garden Wall. Topics for discussion include the shows beautiful animation, stunning soundtrack, and what things ought to be feared.

Joe and Todd are talking about Kvothe from Patrick Rothfuss’s novel Name of the Wind. They talk about reliable narrators(?), world building, and classic storytelling.

Joe and Todd are talking about Silver Surfer and Dawn Greenwood from the 2014 Marvel comic book series “Silver Surfer.” Topics of discussion include art styles, grand cosmic comic book weirdness, and tonal similarities with other works.

Todd and Joe are talking about Roger Thornhill from the Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest. Topics of discussion include what is an everyman, chaotic story writing, and dodging the Hayes Code.

Joe and Todd are joined by returning guest Virginia McAlister to discuss the ancient Greek play Antigone (the oldest text we’ve discussed). Topics include loyalty, obedience, rebellion, and the importance of tradition.

Joe and Todd are talking about Jim Lake Jr. from the Netflix series Trollhunters. They discuss the hero’s journey, all-ages entertainment, and some fantastic voice acting.

This week Todd and Joe are joined by special guest Nik English to talk about Don Lockwood, Kathy Selden, and Cosmo Brown from a truly classic film, Singin’ in the Rain. They talk about film history, this movie’s villain, and life lessons learned from Debbie Reynolds and Kathy Selden.