The Protagonist Podcast

Description First time guest Nicole Freim joins Joe to discuss the 1944 film Gaslight. This film is the origin of the term “gaslighting” (which we explain in depth). Starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, Gaslight tells the story of a … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kate Darowski joins Joe to discuss one of the most popular novels of recent years. Lessons in Chemistry was written by first-time author Bonnie Garmus and tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist, single mother, … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Anna Peppard joins Joe to discuss Kyra Nerys from the tv show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. DS9 was the third Star Trek television series. We’re focusing on the episode “Duet” which sees Kyra capture a Cardassian … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Anna Peppard joins Joe to talk about the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Thing, charter member of the Fantastic Four and beloved fixture of Marvel Comics. We’re discussing the 2021 mini-series written by Walter Mosley with art by Tom Reilly … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Chris “Mav” Maverick joins Joe and Producer Andrew to map out movies to watch during the year. We each select a movie that feels right to watch for every month. Please feel free to let us know … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss the film That Thing You Do! Written and directed by Tom Hanks, the film stars Tom Everett Scott as Guy and Liv Tyler as Faye. It tells the story of a … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss Susanna Clarke’s 2020 novel, Piranesi. Only Clarke’s second novel—her first was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell—this novel had near-universal praise when it was released. The novel tells the story of a man lost … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to talk about the tv series Stargate SG-1. A continuation of the Stargate film, this series and its spin-offs was one of the most successful sci-fi television franchises of the 1990s and early … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are discussing one of the formative stories in the early Marvel Comics universe. We talk about the legendary pairing of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee as storytellers, and some of the significance of this cosmic … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Chris “Mav” Maverick joins Joe and Producer Andrew to talk about love and hate in fandom. It seems that some portions of fandom love nothing more than to complain about the media they claim to love, but … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe discuss a cult classic film that features some amazing Ray Harryhausen stop motion animation. The Valley of Gwangi tells the story of cowboys capturing a dinosaur and bringing it back to an Old West show … Continue reading →

Description Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack joins Joe to discuss two short stories, “Los Ojos Verdes” by Spanish Romantic author Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by American Romantic author Edgar Allan Poe. “The Green Eyes” tells the story … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Francis Agnoli joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the episode “Zuko Alone” from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Zuko was introduced as an antagonist in the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but serves as the … Continue reading →

Description Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack joins Joe to discuss Mafalda, an Argentinian comic strip by an artist named Quino. Mafalda is a 6-year-old girl with lots of big questions and concerns about the world around her. The comic strip … Continue reading →

Description Joe and Producer Andrew are joined by returning guest Ben Phillips to play a game of Truth or Lie. We’ve each found a handful of examples of obscure media that has actually been produced (despite some of these sounding … Continue reading →

Description Returning all-star guests Branden Ushio and Nik English join Joe and Producer Andrew to talk about the 1999 film Galaxy Quest. It tells the story of group of actors from an old sci-fi show who are mistaken by an … Continue reading →

Description Joe and Producer Andrew are talking about a classic dime novel. Nick Carter appeared in thousands of stories in dime novels, pulp magazines, and paperback novels from the 1800s until 1990. The character, as a detective and a spy, … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Ben Phillips joins Joe to talk about the sitcom Scrubs. Airing on NBC and ABC from 2001-2009, Scrubs was part of a wave of single-camera sitcoms that changed the tone and style of comedy on American network … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to talk about the Bechdel Test. We have an open-ended conversation about what the test is, what issues exist with its application, and why it is an important topic to consider. Support Patreon … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Wayne Wise joins Joe to talk about the comic book series Giant Days. Telling the story of three college roommates, the series by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Lisa Treiman captures the feelings and drama of figuring … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to talk about the 1999 film Sliding Doors. This is an interesting case of a film where the title and concept have exceeded the actual story and characters in terms of cultural awareness. … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Charly Kueks joins Joe to discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. One of the great American novels, The Great Gatsby is a modernist novel telling the story of Nick Carraway getting pulled into the … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss one of the most iconic tv series of all time (and a consistent answer in trivia games everywhere). M*A*S*H* aired from 1972-1983, and we’re discussing two episodes, “Adam’s Ribs” and the series finale … Continue reading →

Description Returning guests Norman Mitchell and Cavan Helps join Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss storytelling in Tabletop Role-Playing Games. This type of game, like Dungeons & Dragons for examples, requires collaborative storytelling between the Dungeon Master (or Game Master) … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss one of Marvel’s most unexpected break out stars. Rocket Raccoon was first created in 1976, and we’re talking about a 4-issue mini-series written by Bill Mantlo with art by Mike Mignola that was … Continue reading →