Alohomora!: A Global Reread Of Harry Potter

On Episode 269 we discuss...  → Laura is back! → Good in depth discussion, kick ass usernames → Delving into some magical science → Struggling to keep track of timelines → Once again the trace has questionable mechanics → The significance of the Riddle house to Voldemort → Looking for an ounce of Wormtail's morality → Noah was nearly prophetic about Nagini → Nagini's back story came out of nowhere → A totally different format than previous first chapters → Voldemort is basically a Batman villain → An honorary sorting for Frank

On Episode 268 we discuss... → Welcome back, Micah! → Holiday homework? → The themes are all here → Owls are dumb → Weasley Winnings → Sneakoscopes are terrible gifts → Trusting Rowling → Furry books were a thing → The failures of adults → "Lumos Maxima!"

On Episode 267 we discuss... → Is this actually Harry's worst birthday? → Cinnamon roll Harry → Hedwig vs. Dobby - who would win in a fight? → Book one skippers unite! → Our first glance at physical abuse from the Dursleys → Sassy Harry...how we love thee → Did the Dursleys acknowledge Harry's early birthdays? → What homework could Harry have actually done? → First glance into Harry's PTSD and horcrux dreams → Ring composition time! → Why does Dobby pick this day to show himself? → Underestimating House Elves 101

On Episode 266 we discuss... → Why does this chapter turn off so many new readers? → Rainy days and Tuesdays always get me down...or not → I assert our inalienable right to party! → How much magic can one do in animagus form? → The mystifying missing 24 hours → How did Dumbledore figure out the blood protection so quickly? → Harry's numerology → Ted, the magical newscaster! → Cigarette lighters that talk to your soul → Sinister, uncaring, cold Dumbledore? → Privet Drive: the best place for Harry → How did McGonagall know? And how has their relationship changed?

On Episode 265 we discuss... → Hermione’s Crushin’ → The Filch Liberation Front → Meet Jack Valentine → Happy accident or deeply layered genius? → Is Riddle Ginny’s ghostwriter? → Ron’s prophecies → “Oops! He’s Hitler” → Bad basilisk! → Snakes, not spiders → Horcruxes, Hallows and Half-Blood Prince

On Episode 264 we discuss… → Welcome Head Prop Modeller, Pierre Bohanna! → Behind the Props of Potter  → The theory of adaptation → Other adaptations → How close should we stay to source?→ One person's vision? → Columbus and the early years → Cuarón and the need for change → Newell and the turning point → Yates and the build to the battle.

On Episode 263 we discuss... → Morfin Gaunt = malnourished Steve Buscemi? → Insensitive Ron is insensitive → Floo problems → Oh Harry, if only there was someone out there who believed you → Sassy Flitwick and Dumbledore are on point → When did Dumbledore start collecting memories? → Did Hagrid know that Voldemort was Tom Riddle? → Traceless Tom → "I shouldn't have said that, should not have said that." → Modifying your own memories vs. modifying others' → What if Harry had not retrieved the real memory?

On Episode 262 we discuss… → What is mythology?                                  → The real and magical worlds sitting side by side → Harry Potter as a Death myth → What do Rowling and Disney have in common? → The mythology of Fantastic Beasts→ The story of the White Heart → “Merlin’s beard!” and more Wizard slang → The dangers of folklore → Let's eat! The symbolism of food → Harry Potter and the Appropriation of Culture

On Episode 261 we discuss... → Mad-Eye is putting ideas into Harry's head...again → Rosie has an OGM! → Harry is clueless about magic → In what ways could Harry be a weapon? → Phineas Nigellus should have had a Fantastic Beasts cameo → Hermione chooses the magical world over the Muggle world and her parents...again → Foreshadowing abounds with Kreacher's den → The BEST Ginny chapter in the series → Is Molly slightly anti-Muggle? → Nagini and the complications of maledictions → The tragedy of Neville's family life

On Episode 260 we discuss… → Luna and Newt definitely hung out → Is Luna a manic pixie dream girl? → Casually talking about death → How close were Ginny and Luna? → Hermione's ultimate foot-in-mouth moment → Pair the spares syndrome → Luna's emotional intelligence → Her belief in oddities is genuine → Nature vs nurture → Katy makes cosplay plans → The anti-Luna

On Episode 259 we discuss... → Find us on Pandora → The most insane challenge → Is Crouch Jr. trying to be caught? → Humble Harry → "Oh no, it's sports day." → Irresponsible adults → Magical 3D printing → Did Harry cheat? → The pros and cons of widening the Wizarding World → The Life and Lies of Rita Skeeter

On Episode 258 we discuss… → First Impressions →Do you HAVE to see the original cast? → 30 Crescendos → Main character confusion → The Search for Scorpius → Thor Cups for Poppy Miller → Nomione → Move along, timeline → “That sheep is on fire!” → Trains and . . . sewing machines? → The dementor’s hug → Crying hangover → Another Human Horcrux? → Cursed Child: The First Draft → Will the play last?

On Episode 257 we discuss... → I don’t like puzzles, I’m a Gryffindor! → Hermione gets acknowledged! Gasp! → Harry’s wand, a crutch and a rebirth → Grindelwald vs. Voldemort: who was worse? → Did Dumbledore create his own enemy? → Possibly projecting power’s pull onto Harry → Five years? Are we seeing a possible retcon? → Can veritaserum break through dementia? → S***! S***! S***! → The depths of despair → Why didn’t Rita interview Grindelwald? → Do we want to know everything about Dumbledore?

On Episode 256 we discuss… → Ghost rules - personality, portraits and progression → Ghost Amazon → Historical ghosts around the world → Ghost festivals → More haunted than Hogwarts? → Ghosts on camera → The Hogwarts Ghosts  

On Episode 255 we discuss... → Hermione gets no birthday love → Does Jo hate cats? → The unforgivable vanishing spell → Sirius is an angel from on high → How close are the Dumbledore brothers? → Luna has a temper! → Harry, the next Lupin → Was the Hog’s Head the best meeting place? → Are we any better than Zacharias Smith? → Read the fine (invisible) print! → Hermione - brilliant but manipulative → Political or escapist fantasy?

On Episode 254 we discuss... → Ring Theory vs. Ring Composition: Wizards don't do math → Shoutout Maxima: Percivals; supporting a large family; what's going on in Percy's head?; Does Percy have anxiety? → What is Ring Composition? (Hint: Turtles!) → Immediate chapter parallels: Peeves's water balloons and the lake task?! → A handy visual from John's book → Kat has a new podcast idea → Latches and turns → Privet Drive by motorcycle → The obviousness of "Owl Post" and "Owl Post Again" → Speculation about the rings in the Fantastic Beasts series → Alison has a major new academic project → The literary value of Rowling's work → Internal book rings

On Episode 253 we discuss... → Lupin, chocolate, and rain...all Michael needs to be happy → Love potions and pimps named Posie → Are we getting our first glance at the Order of the Phoenix? → Double hugs all the way! → Carriage vs. Compartment - a lesson on British trains → How good of an actor is Lupin? Asleep or faking? → Sneakoscope are useless → LUPIN LOVE → Watch out Willy Wonka...here come Lupin Bars! → Flitwick sortings → Hagrid’s a teacher! Hallelujah! → One of the best movie adaptations of a chapter

On Episode 252 we discuss... → Shoutout Maxima: Ireland; Potter as a Netflix series; poems! → Percy's namesake, meaning, and tangled wizard family lines → Percy and Ron: astrology match - or maybe not? → Secret Hufflepuff inter-house make-out rooms → Percy is the Weasley that tries the hardest → What might Percy's wand be? → Sibling relationships → Is Percy a coward? → Coping through family → Redemption arc parallels → Should Percy have died? → Slytherin or Gryffindor?

On Episode 251 we discuss... → Happy birthday, Harry! → Too bad wizard google doesn’t exist → Harry doesn’t know he’s in a 7 book series → Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches → Scrimgeour’s relationship with Dumbledore → Elections for the Minister of Magic → Could the deluminator be a tracking device? → The sign of the deathly hallows as Grindelwald’s sign → Horcrux lessons carefully curated to build

On Episode 250 we discuss... → What is popular culture anyway? → J.K. Rowling made bank! → Harry Potter’s YA ancestors → From Baby-Sitters Club to Shakespeare → What’s Potter got that the others don’t? → The fan fiction springboard → “Snape… Snape… Severus Snape…” → The diminishing return → Can Potter really be everything?