The 42cast

Tabletop roleplaying games are a big subject, and we continue our discussion in our next installment of Roll Models. In this episode we ask our panel of experts about their RPG recommendations. They discuss the upsides and downsides of playing the systems and relate their experiences with them. They also discuss content creation for both worldbuilding and game mechanics and they detail where you c...

Across space and time comes a panel over one million years in the making. In this episode we take a step back into time and observe a panel from a bygone age of maskless, in-person convention gathering as we discuss the tour de force that is The Bill & Ted saga. We talk about the comedic greatness of the first film, the quest to do something new of the second, and speculate on what we want to...

WandaVision was the first of Marvel’s Disney+ releases. It faced the seemingly impossible task of progressing the story of Wanda and Vision despite the fact that the latter was dead. What followed was to date the most experimental of the MCU’s offerings, and one that had a wide distribution of opinions from fandom. In this episode we’ll talk about the series, how it utilized sitcoms to tell a stor...

Everything old is new again! After some surprising appearances in some recent MCU releases, Daredevil is relevant again, so we thought it was a great idea to finally make public our review of season 3 of that series. We discuss everything from the aftermath of The Defenders to how we feel that this is probably the end to his stand alone series. We discuss our thoughts for a possible season 4 as we...

The 42cast is proud to present our interview with Sadie Miller . Miller is the daughter of actress Elizabeth Sladen who was best known for playing Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who as well as in The Sarah Jane Advenutres. In this episode Miller talks growing up and gives various details about her mother and her exposure to Doctor Who. She also discusses her feelings about playing Sarah Jane Smith in...

From the beginning of the show we’ve been looking for an opportunity to talk about roleplaying games. With this episode we start a three part series doing just that. Join us as we’re joined by an illustrious group of content creators to discuss roleplaying games. We talk about what is a roleplaying game, what we enjoy about the format, different types of games, and what to do and not do to make th...

Welcome to the first ever Screen Reads. In Screen Reads we look at a movie through the lens of the source material that it’s adapting. In this episode we’re talking about 2011’s Ryan Reynolds film, Green Lantern as well as its antecedents; Emerald Twilight, Green Lantern: Secret Origin, and Green Lantern: Rebirth. We talk about the plot and characters of the Green Lantern film and how well they ad...

We have a lot of really great cast members on The 42cast, so after episode 100 and the conversations we had, we thought it would be good if we interviewed members of the cast. First up is Eric Ratcliffe . Eric is a podcaster, webcomic writer, and all-around geek. He and I will discuss his podcast and webcomic, but we’ll also discuss his geeky interests, toy collections, and what games he’s playing...

For many Star Trek: Discovery was a welcome return to the Trek universe for fans who’d wanted a Star Trek TV series for years. However, the series remained divisive with many long-term fans refusing to watch the series. Enter Star Trek: Picard a series meant to catapult the Star Trek franchise forward but providing ample connections for established fans. In this episode we do a deep dive on the se...

Last year a new series took the Arrowverse by storm. That series was Superman and Lois. Although the character of Superman has been adapted numerous times in numerous media, this series broke the mold by focusing on Superman and Lois as parents of teenage children. Along the way superhuman threats emerge, but the heart of the show is about family. In this episode we talk about that family dynamic,...

Sixty years ago, a queen descended onto movie theaters and has been with us ever since. Mothra is unique among Toho’s Kaijuverse in that she’s depicted as both female and altruistic. In this episode we discuss Mothra’s various appearances and how she relates to other Kaiju. We also talk about the feminine perspective and other influences on how Mothra is depicted. We close up discussing Mothra’s r...

It’s time for us to make a jump to the left as Marvel has brought us a story featuring a different kind of character previously unknown in the MCU. In this episode we review Marvel’s Eternals. We talk about the concept and how it fits into the MCU. We also debate whether the movie works in what it was trying to do. We discuss the cast and our favorites. We also get into comic book origins, minor c...

Before Disney announced approximately 312 new Star Wars series that would debut at some point on Disney+, they gave us The Mandalorian. The Mandalorian ticked all of our boxes in season 1, providing compelling drama in fun innovative ways that only Star Wars can. In this season they built on the formula bringing back fan-favorites from the first season, characters from across the Star Wars univers...

Lost in Space is returning to Netflix, so The 42cast is bringing its discussion of season 2 to your ears. In this episode we discuss Penny growing up, Dr Smith’s ambiguity, party balance, and the potential of a chicken-eye-view episode. Along the way we discuss family drama, killer robots, and whether Bill Mummy will ever be found. We also talk about the end of the season and our predictions for s...

We’ve been podcasting for almost five years, but you’ve only had the opportunity to learn about a small fraction of our cast. We decided now is the time to rectify that situation. In this episode we sit down with three of our most prolific castmates. We ask each other geeky questions and give you some insight into our characters. It’s the same format as episode one, but it’s so much fun that we’ll...

We continue our discussion of the Star Trek Films with Star Treks IV – VI. In this episode we discuss killer whales and whether the move to lighten the franchise worked. We also discuss fan opinion of The Final Frontier and whether it’s as bad as people say. We’ll also talk about dark themes in the Undiscovered Country and how the passing of the torch happened years after the successor series was...

In 1977, Star Wars was released to movie theaters worldwide and created a smash hit phenomenon. Seeing the fervor for media content and merchandise many other sci-fi properties tried to horn in on the action. Star Trek had had a loyal fanbase since the 60’s and even had a new television series in the works, but with Star Wars blowing up the theaters it made sense that Star Trek could follow suit a...

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 brought the titular ship to the far future opening up a wide storytelling vista for the series. In this episode we discuss the changes to the setting. We examine the new characters, new situation, and the new tech and effects. We also debate the merits of the plotlines with the Emerald Chain and the cause of The Burn. Along the way we also talk about the awesomeness o...

The Flash returned to our screens post Covid to wrap up it’s lingering season six plotlines and tell two new stories this season. In this episode we take a deep dive on season 7. We focus on the fallout from the firing of Hartley Sawyer and the removal of Ralph Dibny from the series. We also discuss the new villains and how they stack up to what we’ve seen before. We also go deep into the relation...

We’ve all had the experience. We absolutely love a TV series and follow it faithfully, but then it’s canceled after one or two seasons. In this episode we take a look at all the contenders who got knocked out early in the fight. We air our grievances and talk about why we think these series should have kept going. We also discuss the difficulties in comparing series that lasted such a small amount...

Out of the pages of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, Shang-Chi punches his way into the box office. In this episode we talk about how a character mired in the Kung Fu cinema culture of the 70’s got adapted for the 2020’s. We discuss the cast and what we thought of both the characters and performances. We also get into the greater Marvel story and how this film connects and what we think are the missed opp...

Major changes are afoot as we discuss season two of Batwoman. The CW made a controversial move this year by not only replacing the actress who played Batwoman, but changing the identity of the person who wears the cowl to a person-of-color. We discuss the change and whether or not we think it’s worked. We also talk about the changed storylines and what we think of what’s been done with new and est...

It’s not the episode we promised, but we wanted to make sure and get you another excellent episode of The 42cast. In this episode we talk about HBO Max’s Doom Patrol. Doom Patrol follows a group of super-powered “freaks” as they discover they develop their powers and confront their traumas. We examine the cast of characters and talk about our favorites. We get into the comic origins of the series...

We almost didn’t make it, but we couldn’t let you have a week go by without another episode of The 42cast. In this episode we discuss the MCU’s summer sensation, Black Widow. We discuss the film’s status as a prequel. We talk about the new characters and where we’d like to see them go from here. We also give our opinions on unpowered characters in super situations, visually awesome fights, and the...

Conventions are making a comeback, and we couldn’t be happier. In this episode we discuss conventions from big to small. What makes a small convention different from a larger convention? How does a fan run feel compared to a corporate con? Does the genre being covered change things significantly? What kinds of tips and tricks do we recommend for people fairly new to the con scene. We answer all th...