The Nerds Awaken

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…Cassian Andor lives! Before he was a Rebel hero helping steal the Death Star plans, he was just a lowly thief trying to avoid attention…but rather unsuccessfully, as Season 1 of Andor proves. In this episode we chat about our thoughts about the first season, from the slow sluggish start to the momentous and shocking finale, and all our questions, theories...

Season 1 of The Rings of Power has come to an end and we are back to share our final thoughts on episodes 7 & 8. Join us as we talk about our evolving feelings towards the Harfoots, the surprising bombshell about Galadriel's relationship status, and THAT Sauron reveal. We chat about the things in the show we loved, and the things that didn't quite work for us, and why we're stil...

This season is officially in full swing and we had so much to talk about for Episodes 5 & 6-the Numenorean drama, the appearance of the creepy and mysterious mystics, THE BIRTH OF MOUNT DOOM. And of course, we continued merrily shipping Halbrand and Galadriel. But despite truly liking the show, we also had some choice thoughts about certain plotlines and certain characters and certain people g...

Four episodes in and despite a few flaws, the Rings of Power has successfully sunk its hooks into us. Joined by special guests Andee and Kirsten, we had an outrageously good time breaking down episodes 3 and 4 of the Amazon Prime mega-series. Listen in to hear our reactions to Numenor, how we REALLY feel about the Harfoots, our updated theories on who several mysterious characters might be, and wh...

We are back in Westeros, where the dragons are plentiful but the male heirs are not . We were so excited to be back amongst the scheming, smirking, and debauchery of King's Landing again. In this episode we talked about the first three episodes of House of the Dragon , from the rampant misogyny and perpetually dark lighting,  to wondering why the suggested answer to every problem always seems...

It's been five years since Amazon first announced that they had purchased the television rights to The Lord of the Rings series, but on September 3rd we finally got to journey back to Middle Earth. And what a journey it was! We broke down the series premiere of the epic billion-dollar series, from our thoughts on the intense prologue to our theories on the identity of Meteor Man. And it would...

This week we are THRILLED to be joined by Ali Hazelwood, NYT bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis , and playwright, author, and fanfic legend Julie Soto, whose debut novel Forget Me Not arrives in July 2023.  Nothing could have been more fun than spending an hour with these two lovelies and personal heroes, chatting about fanfic, getting published, and their upcoming book releases (which you...

We came, we saw, we conquered...San Diego Comic Con 2022! After a whirlwind 5 days full of panels, new friends, and SO! MUCH! WALKING!  we are back and ready to debrief. What was our favorite celebrity sighting? Did Saturday Hall H live up to the hype? Would we do it again? We answer all that and more! See all of our SDCC footage on Tiktok , Twitter, and Instagram ! 

San Diego Comic Con kicks off Thursday, July 21st, and The Nerds Awaken is going to be there!  In this episode, we chat about all things Comic Con: the panels we're most excited for, our speculations for what surprises the big studios might have in store, and Julie (the pro) gets Janna (the newb) hyped for the whole Comic Con experience. Be sure to follow our SDCC adventures on Twitter , Tikt...

Obi-Wan Kenobi has come to a close, and what a ride it was! We have been so impressed with this show, and our gratitude goes out to the writing team and Director Deborah Chow, who captured the hopeful spirit and emotional intelligence that we needed in Star Wars.  In this episode we break down Parts V and VI, from the epic lightsaber battles to the heart wrenching emotional moments. We were sad to...

We're back in a galaxy far, far away, breaking down Parts lll and lV of the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi! We continue to be impressed by the show's heart, emotional intelligence, and appropriate amount of thrilling lightsaber moves.  We chat about Obi-Wan and Leia's adorable relationship, Reva's character development, and THAT character showing up earlier than we expected....

After 18 years, Ewan Macgregor is back on our televisions as Obi-Wan Kenobi! In this episode we process our initial thoughts and reactions to the first two episodes of the new Disney+ series. From Reva's obsession with Obi-Wan to the many surprise appearances (including our joy at *that* character playing such a big part), we nerd out and discuss our theories, favorite moments, and what (or w...

Dearest Gentle Listeners, We bring to you Part 2 of our Breaking Down Bridgerton series where we dive a little further into some of our concerns and  story choices from Bridgerton Season 2 that didn't really work for us. Rest assure, there was still so much that we still LOVED and ADORED. While we may not agree on everything, we can all agree that Bridgerton gave us so much to talk about! Joi...

Dearest Listeners, We didn't intend to talk about Bridgerton, but as turned it out, we had a LOT to say about Season 2.  Brought to you in two parts, we talk about all the things we loved, how we felt the show adapted the source material, and the few elements of the show that just didn't work for us (looking at you, Love Triangle).  Whether you loved or hated the season, we'd love t...

You better hold on tight, spider monkey. We're breaking down all our thoughts and feelings about Robert Pattinson as The Batman. Join us and our friend, Andee, as we discuss all things the caped crusader - from Rob's turn as the Dark Knight to Zoe Kravitz's nearly purrfect (see what we did there) Catwoman to even what we needed to see and what we wished was left on the editing room...

We're continuing our celebration of Reylo authors taking their talents to the mainstream publishing world with part two of our new series, Writing Reylo. This time, we're joined by author and Reylo fanfic writer, Kirsten Bohling, whose debut novel, We'd Know By Then hits bookstores on April 5th. We discuss all about Kristen's journey from fanfic to published author, her experie...

We've made no secret about our deep and abiding love for Reylo fanfiction. So it only makes sense that we'd devote a whole-ass series to all the amazing fanfic authors who are getting book deals and taking their talents to a wider audience. We'll shine the spotlight on these authors and the different journeys they experienced to getting published, squeal about their books (we were e...

If there's one thing you need to know about The Nerds Awaken, it's that we love Adam Driver. Sure, we have other interests and will talk about other things, but he is the glue that brought us together.  In this episode, we look back at the phenomenal year that Adam has had, from the Burberry campaign to the House of Gucci red carpet.  Prepare for our uncensored thoughts on centaurs and A...

We said it would take a few years, but apparently you're never too old to change. That's right, we finally watched Ted Lasso! And did we like it? No. WE LOVED IT.  From 'Biscuits with the Boss' to the Roy/Jamie Bro Hug of the century, Ted Lasso and the AFC Richmond crew (minus Nate) won us over with their heart, humanity, and prolific use of profanity.  Tune in to hear us  disc...

In this episode we rave about our favorite book of 2021, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. A smart, sweet contemporary romcom with surprising origins, The Love Hypothesis has all our favorite tropes: fake dating, slow burn, only one bed (with an ironic twist!) and a prickly hero with a cinnamon roll center. Featuring a brilliant Ph. D. candidate as the heroine and set in the high stakes world...

The lights are out in the 99th Precinct! Okay, not really-you can't actually turn out the lights at a working police precinct (thanks,  Lt. Jeffords)! But our favorite show Brooklyn Nine-Nine has come to a close and we have lots of thoughts.  Join us as we break down the final season and look back on all the hijinks and heists that came before. We'll discuss how the writers addressed cur...

Come on now,  we all NERD hard over something pop culture. Perhaps it's that show that will never disappear from your "Keep Watching" queue, or that book you stan so much, you can recall the exact page of any given moment. Maybe you nerd out for that actor you have more pictures of in your phone than you have of your actual loved ones. Who are we to judge? Friends and proud nerds, J...