The Protagonist Podcast

Description Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss Glass Onion, the second film starring Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc. This film sees Benoit Blanc solving a murder mystery on a billionaire’s private island. Support Patreon Show Notes Glass Onion … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss Daredevil, a Marvel comic book character created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964. Daredevil’s secret identity is Matt Murdock, a lawyer who had his other senses … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Rachel Armstrong joins Joe to discuss the BBC murder mystery series Annika. Nicola Walker plays Annika Strandhead, a single mother who was just placed in charge of Glasgow’s new Marine Homicide Unit. Yes, she solves water murders … Continue reading →

Description For our special 500th episode, Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack returns to discuss two classic films with Joe: The Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven. The Seven Samurai is a 1954 film directed by Akira Kurosawa about farmers hiring … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Cavan Helps joins Joe to discuss Ahsoka Tano from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. We discuss Ahsoka’s character arc through the show, and how she stands as an interesting contrast to Anakin Skywalker. Support … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss Lavinia, a 2009 novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. The story centers the life of Lavinia, a very minor character in Virgil’s Aeneid. The Aeneid is a 2,050 year old poem … Continue reading →

Description Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to play a game of Disney Song Mount Rushmore. We all picked a representative song from four categories: 1) the Classic Disney era, 2) the Disney Renaissance era, 3) the modern CGI … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the manga series Naruto. One of the most popular mangas of all time, we’re talking about stories from the first collections of Naruto. In these volumes, a young … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss Paul Atreides from the films Dune and Dune Part II. We talk about the Dune franchise, this film adaptation, and some of discomfort felt in Paul’s ascension. We also acknowledge what … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss the novel Daisy Jones and the Six. This 2019 novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the story of a band’s rise to popularity in the 1970s and their eventual break up … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Dr. Kyra Hunting joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss one of the most popular kids’ shows being produced today. Kyra studies children’s media, and is the perfect guest to help break down the massive success Bluey … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Ryan Haupt joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss science in popular culture. The good, the bad, and the wildly inaccurate. We talk about sci-fi as a genre and some specific examples of how science is used … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the comic book series Strange Academy. This school for magic users in the Marvel comic book universe introduced readers to a wave of new young magic characters, including Doyle Dormammu and … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Rachel Armstrong joins Joe to discuss the 2003 film Big Fish. Directed by Tim Burton, the film tells the story of an estranged father and son reconciling before the father passes on. Support Patreon Show Notes Big … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to discuss The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, the first story in a series written by Martha Wells. The series tells the story of a part human, part robot Security unit. This SecUnit … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to talk about the character of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We’re looking at two episodes, “Elementary, My Dear Data” and “Measure of a Man.” In one, the holodeck causes chaos (as always) … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to discuss The Sapphires, a 2012 Australian jukebox musicale dramedy that is loosely based on real events. It tells the story of an Australian music group that travels to Vietnam to sing for … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Chris “Mav” Maverick joins Joe to talk about a comic book written and drawn by Art Adams with colors by Laura Allred and Matt Hollingsworth with letters by Lois Buhalis. It tells the story of an intelligent … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Rachel Armstrong joins Joe to discuss Daniel Nayeri’s autobiographical book Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story). This novel tells the story of Daniel, his mother, and his sister leaving Iran and arriving in Oklahoma as refugees. … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Branden Ushio joins Joe to discuss the tv show The Rookie. Starring Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, the show is about the oldest rookie in the LAPD. We discuss Nathan Fillion’s charm as an actor, whether the … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Chris “Mav” Maverick joins Joe to talk about the Academy Awards. Why do we care who wins? What are some of the biggest mistakes that have been made in awards history? What are some of the biggest … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Julian Chambliss joins Joe to discuss Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, a comic book series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates with pencils by Brian Stelfreeze, inks by Karl Story, and colors by Laura Martin. This 2018 … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The film stars Chris Pine as Edgin Darvis and tells the story of plans going wrong in an entertaining way … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are talking about one of the most iconic absurdist stories ever written. The novella by Franz Kafka tells the story of Gregor Samsa who wakes up having turned into an insect. We talk about the … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Christopher “Mav” Maverick joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the nature of storytelling in comic books. Comic books/graphic novels offer storytelling options that are distinct from any other medium. We break down some of the strengths … Continue reading →