The Midnight Myth Podcast

Content Warning: This weeks episode deals with themes of sexual assault. On this weeks podcast Derek and Laurel dive into season 5 of Netflix’s original hit cartoon series, BoJack Horsemen. As we watch BoJack’s perpetual self-destructive cycle, we are left to ask if there is a reason to be moral in a post-Enlightenment world where rationality gives life little reason to behave. From Philosophy to...

This week on the Midnight Myth Podcast, we look to the film Dead Poets Society, the lessons it hopes to teach, and the new significance it has taken on in the years since the death of its star, Robin Williams. We examine the themes that his character John Keating recognizes and hopes to impart to his students: carpe diem! Gather ye rosebuds while ye may! Sound thy barbaric yawp. We recognize that...

It’s another edition of your favorite pop culture storytelling debate—the Boomerangerang! This time, we’re inspired by last week’s conversation about Dr. Watson and the sidekick, so we’re pitting the great sidekicks and henchmen of stories against each other in a one of a kind debate. We’ll each pull a sidekick or henchman from a hat, then argue who’d be the best right hand confidant of a particul...

We spend a lot of time here at the Midnight Myth discussing heroes, villains, epic adventures, and feats of derring-do. But it’s easy to lose sight of those characters just outside the realm of glory, just to the right of the protagonist, propping them up in times of need. This week, we’re talking about the sidekick—through the eyes of one of the greatest sidekicks in all of storytelling, Dr. John...

CW: Language, Sexual assault. As we wait with bated breath for the final season(s?) of HBO’s Game of Thrones—another delay, ugh—the Midnight Myth is here to quench your thirst with another deep dive GoT character study. This week, we’re exploring one of the series’ most charismatic and manipulative monsters, Cersei Lannister. We’ll compare the ruthless queen of the seven kingdoms to the philosophy...

Some artists leave their mark on everything they make. This week on the Midnight Myth Podcast, we’re surveying the work of Christopher Nolan, with a particular focus on four of his most popular and important films: his Hollywood breakout Memento, the second installment of his Batman trilogy The Dark Knight, the mind-bending Inception, and his sci-fi epic Interstellar. As one of the few contemporar...

Hot on the heels of the Boy Who Lived’s birthday, Derek & Laurel are revisiting the Harry Potter series for a discussion of the mentor role in storytelling. The Obi-Wan’s, Gandalfs, and Mr. Miyagi’s of the world inspire our heroes, give them strength, and hold them to a standard of morality and courage. To unpack Harry’s many mentor relationships, we’ll focus in particular on the one that develops...

Great rivalries throughout the ages: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, Black Swan and White Swan, Black Panther and Killmonger, Batman and the Joker… but few rivalries have the intensity, longevity, or singularity as the one between Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane. Two girls in all the world, chosen to defeat the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness, when two slayers come head to head, it’...

Derek and Laurel are back at competitive story-themed debates in a very special Boomerangerang— as they engage in all things Buffy. Your hosts pit Sunnydale High's superhero, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her Scooby gang and monsters from the Hellmouth in odd and unexpected scenarios, and they’ll try to figure out which character would fare better. This no-holds-barred debate has something for ever...

Season two of the Handmaids Tale concluded last week with an epic finale that saw our heroine, June, make a controversial decision. Expanding on the first-person limited world of Margaret Atwood’s novel, the Hulu series, and this season in particular, brought us into the minds and hearts of characters in every strata of Gileadian society. In this podcast, Derek and Laurel examine the effect that h...

The Pixar train continues to roll here at the Midnight Myth, where this week, we’re picking apart the science and magic of Inside Out. Watching the coming-of-age of a young girl through the eyes and oculus of her tiny, anthropomorphized neurotransmitters, we’re got pressing questions about what the movie says about us, our emotions, and our role in the universe. We’ll compare Inside Out to classic...

There is a power in all of us, waiting to be tapped into, and it is unlocked through the magic of human emotion. This week’s episode is dedicated to celebrating one of the Hollywood’s greatest studios: Pixar. In a part game, part analysis, and part fresh take into The Incredibles 2, Derek and Laurel cherish and toast the animation studio which brings man, woman, and child together for a nice song...

The arrival of Pixar’s long-awaited sequel to ‘The Incredibles’ has us itching to revisit the beloved family of superheroes. Turning a critical eye to the story of the Parr family and their secret identities, we’ll explore each character’s journey toward becoming fully actualized beings—with or without superpowers. For a kids’ movie, ‘The Incredibles’ digs into surprisingly mature subject matter,...

Yes, the world may actually be going straight to hell. But what can we learn from the onslaught of inhuman behavior to the weakest of us happening at the American-Mexican border? To understand what makes immigrants enemies and how to combat the dehumanization of refugees, Derek and Laurel turn to the 2006 masterpiece of film, Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuarón. While the movie may have had...

We live in strange times, in which the truth and fantasy are sometimes blurred, sometimes synonymous. Here on the Midnight Myth, we often look to our stories are guides to cope with our troubled social, political, or moral questions. Today, we explore the theme of corruption through the iconic and epic fantasy series the Lord of the Rings. They say power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrup...

Eleven years after the iconic, genius, frustrating, scintillating, upsetting finale—the cut-to-black heard round the world, we’re jumping headfirst into the underworld of New Jersey crime, and into the den of the Sopranos. HBO’s critically acclaimed series captured viewers instantly by asking a simple question: what if a mob boss went to therapy? But instead of turning it into a punchline, the sho...

It’s good to be back in the studio with a new Boomerangerang—an all-game, all-debate, all-awesome back and forth starring your favorite Star Wars heroes, villains, and unexpected side characters. Join us as we explore the merits of Jar Jar Binks as a web developer, Admiral Holdo as an international diplomat, or Darth Vader as a travel agent. Pick a side, make an argument, and enjoy.

We are moving to a new studio! Because of this, we're taking a week off. Fear not. We'll be back in two weeks with a brand new episode. In the meantime, follow us on social media for bonus content.

Once upon a time, way down below the ocean, there lived a little mermaid who longed to be part of a different world. This week, Derek and Laurel deconstruct one of the most beloved stories of all time, from its ancient mythic inspiration to its 19th Century origins—all the way to the classic Disney animated movie. We’ll break apart tragic themes and what it means to give a happy ending to a heartb...

How did we get here? Where are we going? The future may seem an abstract concept, a faraway thing, but every action we take, every word we set down in the present determines the outcomes and intricacies of our world to come. This week, we pull apart some of the religious references in Hulu’s hit series The Handmaid’s Tale to further understand the message the story is really telling. We’ll discuss...

Have you every questioned the nature your reality, or podcast? Per chance you should…Listen this week as The Midnight Myth applies its thoughtful analysis the HBO hit series Westworld. Central to West World is the idea of the west, a frontier, a lawless land ripe for civilized folk to come and claim— if they are tough enough to keep it. Amid the moral questions of artificial intelligence and a wor...

Warning: This episode completely spoils Marvel's the Infinity War! In 2008, Tony Stark said the age old proverb that the best weapon is one you never have to fire, was wrong. He preferred the weapon you only have to fire once. That weapon is here, and it has 6 stones. The infinity gauntlet as arrived, and is being wielded by a purple skinned Titan— Thanos. Listen as Derek and Laurel do their heavy...

Who would make the better souffle—Nick Fury or Tony Stark? The Boomerangerang is back to get you pumped for Marvel’s latest blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War! Join Derek & Laurel for a silly yet stimulating battle royale between your favorite Marvel heroes and villains (in some wacky and unexpected scenarios). Let us know who you think wins the debates!

Last week, we talked about the Force awakening in Rey, our hero. This week, Derek & Laurel explore the continuation of Rey’s character journey through the Last Jedi. As a mentor-less orphan wandering the galaxy in search of guidance, Rey’s coming-of-age is unique in the Star Wars universe. Where the heroes who came before her were aided by the likes of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rey must find her wa...

What makes a Star Wars hero? In a world concerned with fan theories and mysterious backstories, how do we assess the value of who our hero is here and now. Join us for the first of a two-part mini-series on Rey, the central hero of the new Star Wars saga. This first part tracks her journey through the Force Awakens, compares her to the heroes we recognize, and tries to understand what makes Rey tr...