In an effort to change things up, Bryan has decided to start allowing other people to have some say in the topics of choice. Stephen is first up this week, and has been inspired by the Batman v Superman trailer to discuss the concept of tone in storytelling. Why the recent appetite for the tonally dark and grim? How can tone subvert expectations? Has Abigail actually been reading anything this week? These questions and more will be answered before your very ears! Also, Stephen does a killer George Lucas impression.

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

So bad news. Stephen's dead. The good news is we managed to build a replacement! Parker Crow (aka, Stephen 2.0) joins Abigail and Bryan in their discussion/incoherent chattering about some of their weirdest and least popular opinions on storytelling. Bryan spends most of his time defending the arguably indefensible (ex. Revenge of the Sith and Frozen) while Abigail spends most of *her* time laughing at nothing in particular. Parker takes it all in with his trademark cool, though this may just be him wondering why he ever agreed to come on in the first place.

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

Additional sound effects and music are from freesound and Incompetech.

Audio clips are included from Dark Souls II and Frozen.

Whoa! Stephen's back! It turns out he didn't abandon us to a fate of misery and sorrow after all! To celebrate, we discuss a genre near and dear to our formerly absent friend's heart: high fantasy. The origins, virtues, and pitfalls of the sub-genre are all discussed, as is Bryan's firm but baseless claim that Star Trek is categorically stupid. (He's actually right.)

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

Stephen is mysteriously absent this week, so Bryan and Abigail take this advantage to have a surprisingly coherent discussion! The topic is twofold: the use of nonfiction to enrich storytelling and the use of storytelling to enrich nonfiction. The first step is to define just what exactly these two concepts mean, which leads to a comparative study of the works of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Also discussed: how Resident Evil teaches us about powerlessness as a technique in horror and why Friends isn't a complete waste of time!

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

There are times in stories where the protagonists seem a slave to the narrative's whims, losing their sense of individuality and personality in an effort to keep the plot moving. This is The Puppet Problem. We discuss this, as well as the larger issue of character agency in general, doing our best to sound well-informed, educated, and totally aware of what the heck "character agency" even means. I think we do a pretty darn good job of it.

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

So! Turns out not talking about books was really fun. Stephen, Bryan and Abigail have decided it's time to expand their horizons and take the show in a new, broader direction. Kicking this movement off, they introduce the hot new segment "What Have You Been Narratively Involved With?" and go on to discuss different storytelling mediums and their preferences. Books, movies, TV shows, puppet shows... it's all fair game now in the Third Person world, and we couldn't be more excited. (FINE. YES WE COULD BUT I LIKE TO USE HYPERBOLE SOMETIMES OKAY?)

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

This Episode: The Book Thief: The Movie

After talking about books for, like, three whole episodes, the Third Person crew decided it was time to kick back and watch a movie about a book instead. Turns out, and this might be a spoiler, movie adaptions of books aren't always that great. But nevertheless, Stephen, Bryan and Abigail try to dissect *why* The Book Thief movie isn't that great, and do what they can to shed some positive light on what it does right.

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Currently Reading: The Golem and the Jinni, Chapters 1-10

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

This Episode: The Book Thief, Part 7-Epilogue

Things finally wrap up for The Book Thief with one bombshell of an ending! Abigail and Bryan come fresh off of finishing it, which gives Stephen a chance to come off as comparatively well-composed as they discuss their final thoughts about this first book.

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Currently Reading: The Golem and the Jinni

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

Following up on their hit episode about Endings and Third Acts, the Third Person crew returns to discuss Beginnings and First Acts to ring in the new year. Turns out how you start a story is pretty important, and discussions include what distinguishes a first act from a prologue, the flow of reaction to action as a story progresses, and other splendidly relevant topics!

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Currently Reading: The Book Thief, Part 7-Epilogue

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly

This Episode: The Book Thief, Part 4-6

The adventurous trio continue their way through the Book Thief as Bryan leads them across several tangents, whose meaning even he isn't sure of. Stephen and Abigail do their best to provide some sense to the discussion, however, and interesting points are made all around. How is Death progressing as a narrator? What's the value of Max and Liesel's relationship? Does Rudy really need to exist at all? These are just some of the questions we mostly answer. Or at least bring up.

If you want to get in touch with us, check us out on Twitter or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We promise not to yell at you, and will actually be really appreciative!

Currently Reading: The Book Thief, Part 7-Epilogue

Our theme song is "Three's Company", composed and arranged by Bryan Kelly