The Protagonist Podcast

This week Todd and Joe discuss Myfanwy Thomas from Daniel O’Malley’s hilarious 2012 supernatural thriller The Rook. Join them as they tackle issues of memory, pain, and identity, and marvel at the novel’s many plot twists and fascinating side characters.

Join us this week as we discuss the astoundingly good 1997 film The Apostle, which was written and directed by, and stars, Robert Duvall. We discuss Duvall’s impressive performance, his character’s poor life decisions, and then dive deep into the theme of redemption. Special thanks to listener Lynell for the request.

This week it’s a Special Movie Pitch Episode! Producer Andrew gave Joe and Todd a director, a genre, and lead actor or actress, and they had to write pitch what that movie would look like. Hopefully you enjoy their made-up plots.

Todd and Joe are joined by special guest Branden Ushio from the Fandom Podcast to discuss a Japanese fairy tale. Momotaro is the story of a boy born from a peach who has a magical adventure. Please listen for the coolest plot summary we have ever had on The Protagonist Podcast.

Todd and Joe are joined by special guest Jeff Dumas from The Fandom Podcast to discuss Quentin Barnes from The Galactic Football League: The Rookie, a 2009 novel by Scott Sigler. They discuss sports’ place in culture, the genres this story aligns with, and what archetypes Quentin Barnes embodies.

Todd and Joe are joined by special guest Allen Voivod from the Star Wars 7×7 Podcast to discuss Lando Calrissian from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. They talk about Lando’s significance in the tale, his mini-arc in the third act of the film, and the excellent production design.

Join Todd and Joe as they tackle the wonderful graphic novel American Born Chinese by McArthur Genius Gene Luen Yang and discuss myth, stereotypes, and the difficulty of navigating identity in adolescence.

Joe and Todd are joined by special guest Andy Mangels to talk about Wonder Woman from the classic television series. Topics of discussion include the way generations are portrayed in these episodes, what makes Wonder Woman different from other superheroes, and what guests would Andy Mangels invite to the greatest dinner party of all time.

Joe and Todd discuss the doctor’s wife from the novel Blindness. They talk about Jose Saramago’s writing, the depths to which humans can sink (and the heights to which they can rise), and the believability of a societal collapse.

Todd and Joe talk about Monty Brewster, played by Richard Pryor in the 1985 film Brewster’s Millions. They talk about the art of adaptation, the highlights of the film, and how they’d spend millions of dollars.