Ranking Thrones

Sean Tanktop host of the Burlington Bar Reacts of Westeros joins Jamie to chat about House of the Dragon Season 3. We get into the news of the Aegon Movie, how does Rhaenyra the Cruel compare to the Mad Queen Daenerys, and the Nettles Controversy and more!

Jamie and Evan meet-up to chat about the Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon, and their overall thoughts on Season 2. Oh, this is episode 2 of Season 3? Ah well, still, listen to our overall thoughts on this episode. We dive into the utter brilliance of Clare Kilner as a director in her first of three episodes in this season. The Emmy-worthy performance by Emma D'Arcy. All of this and more.

Jamie and Evan are back to dive deep into House of the Dragon! We weigh in on the penultimate episode of Season 2 in this spectacular action-packed episode. What, this was episode 1 of Season 3? We get into the structural issues of this being an episode 1, and more!

Maria has returned to join Jamie to chat about HotD Season 3 Episode 6: Faceless Men! Join and listed to a big debate about the very different responses to the death of Ser Criston Cole, the wisdom behind being mean to dragon riders, and the magnificent comeback for Ser Gwayne Hightower.

Jamie and Evan are back to chat about the actual debut of Season 3 of this show. We cover the POV structure of the episode, the brilliance of Clare Kilner, and more!

Maria of Nerdgasm Noire and the Burlington Bar joins Jamie to chat about episode 5 of House of the Dragon Season 3. We dive deep into Criston Cole and futile sacrifice. The fascinating subtext of the director of this episode. The nature of sibling envy. All this and Twilight on this episode.

Jamie and Evan tackle the two best movies from Marvel and DC. We tackle the amazing talent of Heath Ledger, how much being in the MCU had on Scarlett Johansson's career, but most of all, the main theme at the heart of these two masterpieces, Security vs Freedom. In the face of imminent danger must our first concern be safety, or should we accept the risks to preserve our freedom?

Jamie and Alex meet to chat about Julie Taymour's Titus! Listen to the exploration of the infamously dark and depraved play, and Taymour's brilliant unique vision. The unlikely (and illegal) connection to Zach Snyder. All this and more in this delicious tale of vengeance. Trigger Warning discussion of themes of sexual violence.

Jamie and Evan begin a new podcast series, Double Features. Jamie and Evan will chat about two movies that have surprising common themes. This week, we dive into the Glicked Phenomenon. We touch on the similarities to Barbenheimer. Evan shares some personal connections with Oz. Jamie goes on about Ridley Scott's consistently ridiculous amount of artistic license. All of this and a love of a surpri...

James and Evan dive deep into what may become a standout episode for Westeros. Listen to how big of a Trekkie Evan is, comparisons to Catelyn Stark, debating the innocence of Henry I of England, and Season 4 predictions? All this and more.

Jamie and Evan get deep in episodes 2 and 3 of House of the Dragon. Jamie continues to make comparisons to Shakespeare and real historical figures. Meanwhile, Evan is fascinated by Daemon and thrilled by the Bracken-Blackwood presentation. Celebrating the magnificent performances by Tom Glynn-Carney, Eve Best, and others. All this and more as we dive deep into the latest two episodes of House of t...

James and Evan cover the debut of Season 2 of House of the Dragon! Listen to everything from the overall thoughts, historical parallels, Miguel Sapochnik's exit, and more!

James and Evan dive deep to compare the first season of Game of Thrones to the first season of House of the Dragon. Which is easier to get into as a show. Did some parts of Game of Thrones not age greatly? Also speculation for season 2 of House of the Dragon. All this and a discussion of how Rings of Power perfectly emodies JRR Tolkein and traditional prequels to the more avant garde House of the...

Evan and James team-up to chat about episodes 6-10 of House of the Dragon. We cover Hollywood's insane casting for age, Rhaenys and Corlys' relationship being the best marriage in Westeros? All this and a discussion of nepotism and Doctor Who.

James and Evan meet-up to discuss the first half of Season 1 of House of the Dragon. How does this first half of the season compare to Season 7 of Game of Thrones? Love to Emily Carey's underrated performance. Amazing direction for a scene. Gender roles and the strength of Milly Alcock. Love to Eve Best as Rhaenys. Evan has a hot take on Daemon and much more!

Jamie & Evan analyze the two debut King's of Westeros in the first seasons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Mark Addy's legendary turn as Robert the Usurper, and Paddy Considine's harrowing turn as Viserys the Peaceful. A king in the shadow of an evil tyrant haunted by his past, while another is living in the shadow of one of the greatest kings and is obsessed with the future. We get in...

Alex and Jamie finish off the York Tetralogy with four adaptations of Richard III. We discuss how vastly different the play reads in isolation compared to being the fourth chapter of a Tetralogy. Listen to discussion of Return of the Jedi, Oliver's camp, the Hobbit movies, and the Abdication Crisis.

Alex and Jamie continue their deep dive into the BBC's York Tetralogy. Henry VI Part 3 is the most action-packed Shakespeare play with 4 onstage battles. Join us as we dive into parallels to Titus Andronicus, the tragedy of Henry VI, the vital origins of Richard III, the magnificent performance of Julia Foster as Margaret, and the nature of revenge stories.

Alex returns to chat with Jamie about Jane Howell's adaptations of Henry VI Part 1 and 2 for the BBC's Television Shakespeare Series. We get into the mixed quality of the BBC Shakespeare series, a surprisingly good Wikipedia page, historical accuracy vs storytelling, the co-authorship debate, Solo: A Star Wars Story, great performances, cast doubling and of course the magnificence of Jack Cade.

Evan and James team-up once more in this series to review the Hands of the King. In our inaugural episode we discuss the first Hand of the King, Orys Baratheon. The bastard half-brother of Aegon the Conqueror would command the land forces of Aegon's Conquest. He would supplant House Durran for his own House. But is he truly worthy of being known as a Stag? Or is he simply a name in the legend of A...

Known as the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon would make Nine Legendary journeys across the sea. He would briefly become the richest Lord of Westeros. He would also marry Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of the heir to the Iron Throne. He would soon become embroiled in the Dance of the Dragons, becoming the only man to serve as Hand of the Queen. Will he stand as one of the greatest Hands of the King, or...

Rogar Baratheon would stand against the tyranny of Maegor the Cruel and help to make young Prince Jaehaerys the King. Rogar Baratheon would become Hand of the King and one of the most powerful Hand's of Westerosi history. How will he measure as Hand of the King to James and Evan?

Galen joins James to chat about Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Spirited Away. They get into the beauty of 2D animation, the themes of maturity, Buddhism, communism, all this and a discussion of live-action Disney remakes.

James and Evan meet-up to chat about the first two episodes of House of the Dragons. We note the historical parallels, adaptation choices, and analyze the parallels and strengths of numerous characters. All of this and a discussion of the most controversial choice and presentation.

Toniiiiight, Jamie is joined by the Shakespeare Online Rep's Lucy to chat about the two movie adaptations of West Side Story. We dive deep into the controversial aspects of the original 1961 film, the greatness that is Rita Moreno, the complexity of Sondheim's lyrics, the brilliance of "America" and how it relates to the immigrant experience, all of this and a small tangent about Dune.