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In this episode, we discuss the casting annoucement of John Lithgow as Dumbledore and what we can expect. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 2:00 What did we get in the book versus the film? In the book, Dumbledore is very wise and much more chill than the film. In the film, Dumbledore has a much more intense way about him. Especially when Michael Gambon took the part, Dumbledore became an intense guy with a lot of energy.

· 12:51 How will he be translated? In an ideal world, it will be in the small moments. It’s the little conversations and interaction that really give the characters their dimensions, so if we could have that with Dumbledore, we could get a more rounded view of him.

· 17:00 Was he translated well? Yeah, I guess. On the whole it was fine, there were just little details that weren’t so great. The change in character gave the films a challenge to match the characters yet continue to build upon them.

· 21:52 Should he be the same? No, defiantly not. But that isn’t because he was bad in the film, but because he should be more expanded. If one of the films was stretched out, would Dumbledore be the same? Probably not, the same way the show won’t be the same in the best possible way.

· 24:31 Prediction. I predict that Dumbledore won’t be perfect, which might be a fail in my book. Absolute perfection would be the only way to succeed, and the bar is too high for true perfection. But that’s not to say that he won’t still be a fantastic character.

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In this episode, we discuss how certain things give the wizarding world its magic. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:38 Owls. Owls are closely tied to the story because they are symbols for magic. In the beginning, owls are the first introduction we have to the wizarding world. Later, Hedwig’s death represents the beginning of a new era for Harry and the difficulty of the path ahead.

· 7:34 Moving portraits. They aren’t at the very core of the story, but they are integral for the overall feel of the castle. The point of a painting is for it to be frozen in time, which is why the portraits moving are such a fascinating part of Hogwarts.

· 12:57 Hogwarts grounds. One of the most interesting parts of the grounds is their lack of magic. Of course, there is a giant squid and a forbidden forest, but its just the lake, the mountains and the castle. Nature surrounding the castle is very important for the feel of the story.

· 17:35 Diagon Alley. This is the first place where Harry sees a bunch of wizards and magical things in one place. Essentially, this is the first place he lands after entering the world of magic. For him, this is the coolest place he has ever seen. Later in the story, the darkness represents the state of the wizarding world as a whole.

· 21:59 Great Hall. This is a fantastic place. It has an enchanted ceiling, candles floating in the air, and suits of armor and torches everywhere. You really can’t beat the ambiance of the Great Hall. The beginning and the end of the story as we know it happens in the Great Hall, which speaks to its importance.

· 25:30 Quidditch. Something that can never be replaced is quidditch. What is the story without this sport? There is so much development of the story and of characters that would be lost without quidditch. Just like the rest of the things in this episode, all these little details are the very things that make this series so great.

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In this episode, we discuss characters we should have known better. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:34 Luna. We hear something of her backstory, but we don’t have the chance to truly understand who she is and where she came from. We did get to meet her father, but only for a moment.

· 6:31 Lupin. He has only a few moments of venerability, but those give us such a sophisticated perspective of who he is. More of those would go a long way.

· 11:47 Dumbledore. It’s pretty obvious why we need more of Dumbledore. He has such a big impact on the story, and it is too big to overlook his past.

· 14:35 Snape. We do get a good look into Snape’s inner workings, but we don’t understand why he hates James so much. Absolutely, his relationship with Lily is explored, but not his interactions with James.

· 18:07 James. Our view of James is through other eyes, whether that be memories or some other form. All we need is a few moments of him being himself. That would give us a more neutral view of his character.

· 21:45 Sirius. We know a lot about him, but always it is always helpful to have more context around the Marauders.

· 23:21 McGonagall. She is one big question mark. We don’t know a thing about her past, what she did before Hogwarts, or where she found her rock-solid morals. It might give us an interesting perspective on her interactions to know where they came from.

· 26:10 Voldemort. The line between Tom Riddle and Voldemort is a little too solid for my liking, so a few scenes that could show us more plainly his transformation would go a long way.

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In this episode, we break down Nymphadora Tonks. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:40 What role does she play? This is a difficult question because we see her in many different settings despite her short time in the story. She begins as a way for Harry to share his grief about Sirius. But in the end, she becomes a representation of all the sacrifices that have been made so Harry can win.

· 10:12 Strengths and weaknesses. For strengths, Tonks is very positive. She always has a good outlook and doesn’t let what others say get her down. However, one of her weaknesses is how she gets in her own head and blames herself for her problem. For example, she blamed herself for Sirius’s death.

· 16:12 How would the story change if she wasn’t in it? We probably wouldn’t have the same perspective for the story. She helps Harry with Sirius in the Half-Blood Prince, and later she is killed in the line of duty. Without her, we wouldn’t understand just how much had to be sacrificed for Harry to beat Voldemort.

· 25:09 What is Tonks’ defining moment? It may have been when she died, because that is when the true value of her sacrifice came into focus. That’s the moment that represents the culmination of her actions. She died fighting for a better world for her child. If she had the chance to take it back, she probably wouldn’t. To rap it all up, Tonks is the representation of what we are all fighting for and the hope that was the difference between victory and defeat.

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In this episode, we discuss how I would take over the world as Voldemort. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:59 Start with Hogwarts. Voldemort should have focused on Hogwarts more intensely early on, because most of his greatest enemies are there. He has to start planting spies much earlier if he wants to turn it into a more valuable asset of information.

· 9:50 Take control of Gringotts and Olivander’s. These two are the most important shops in the wizarding world. If Voldemort could take control of the wand production, he could influence who gets to learn magic at Hogwarts. If he controlled the bank, he could hire an army large enough to defeat Dumbledore ten times over.

· 15:59 Infiltrate the Ministry. Voldemort does this, but it is too late. If I was him, I would start planting spies in the Ministry earlier, and hopefully work up to installing a puppet minister. How hard could it be to get Fudge out of office and support someone else for the position?

· 20:51 Incite more killings and disappearances. The thing that scared the public the most was all the disappearances and killings of civilians. He does some of this, but if he could ramp it up, he might be able to drum up enough fear to influence the war.

· 24:49 Protect the horcruxes. To be fair, he does this well. However, it obviously wasn’t good enough. He should think of a way to better protect his horcruxes, which would guarantee his success.

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In this episode, we discuss how the story would change if Harry were more like James. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:56 Why are these episodes are important? Well, it isn’t too early to start discussing possibilities for the show. He probably won’t turn out exactly the same in the TV show than in the book or the film, so we should use the time we have to examine all outcomes and possibilities for the story.

· 6:00 He wouldn’t be as close with Ron and Hermione. The trio is a classic group and they are very tight knit, but it might not be as strong if Harry were more like James. Hermione and Harry balance out Ron’s brashness to some degree, and all is well. However, Hermione might not be able to keep the group together if both Harry and Ron were even a little bit bold.

· 12:11 Harry would be more popular and less respected. If Harry were more like James, he would probably be more of the popular quidditch star which would overshadow what he did with Voldemort. Additionally, he would enjoy the attention instead of shrinking away from it like he does in the written story.

· 20:39 He would have more confrontations. James is more of a hot-head, and can be exited into a fight much easier. If Harry picked up these traits, his relationship with Malfoy would probably be more violent. Further, Voldemort could prey on this weakness and get Harry off his game much more than if Harry had his head on straight.

· 26:11 He would fiercely protect his friends and family. We’ve talking a lot about the bad, but this is something towards the good. James sacrifices himself to give Lily a chance to escape with Harry on the night they died, and that sentiment transferred to Harry would result in a very committed person so protecting those who he cares about.

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In this episode, we discuss the most important side characters from each book. Enjoy!

Listen to episode 267, QuizMaster: Potions here!

Topics/Summary:
· 1:23 Challenge Question

· 2:25 Professor Quirrell. Quirrell drives the story forward with a masterful hand, and we wouldn’t have the same conflict without him. Snape is also a good option for this, but it is the contrast between Quirrell and he that makes the first book so interesting.

· 7:25 Professor Lockhart. He is an absolute idiot, but an important idiot in the second book. Lockhart allows Harry to begin his journey as a hero. He also allows him to realize his connection with Voldemort which evolved later.

· 13:13 Professor Lupin. I was so close to putting down Sirius Black, but in the end, Lupin takes the cake. He somehow finds a way to be everywhere. He is at the center of the conflict surrounding Sirius even though we don’t know it, and he is one of the most important Harry has when it comes to a connection to James.

· 16:42 Barty Crouch Jr. This is one of the easier ones on the list, because if we pick out any one event in the fourth book, Crouch had something to do with it. He was influencing the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the search for Voldemort, and the rise of Voldemort all at the same time.

· 18:34 Professor Umbridge. This is another easy one. What would happen in this book without her? We wouldn’t have the trial, any of the conflicts at Hogwarts, or Dumbledore’s Army without her.

· 21:05 Draco and Dumbledore. I’m going to cheat a little bit here and choose both Draco and Dumbledore because it is the dance of death they do in this book that drives forward the plot. Dumbledore’s death was Dumbledore’s own fault as much as Draco’s.

· 24:37 Snape. Finally, Snape. He is doing everything. He is probably the most powerful person in the wizarding world at this point just because of how many sides he is fighting for. Snape could take down anyone he chooses and influence the entirety of the war. One of the most impactful scenes of the book is when Snape is dying in the Shrieking Shack. These reasons are more than enough.

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In this episode, we test our knowledge on potions. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
· 1:55 Warm Up Round

· 4:22 Question #1

· 9:07 Question #2

· 14:21 Question #3

· 18:25 Question #4

· 22:19 Question #5

· 25:26 Question #6

· 27:50 Question #7

· 29:36 Challenge Question

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