Alohomora!: A Global Reread Of Harry Potter

On Episode 249 we discuss... → Foreshadow maxima! → Ghouls: pests of the after-life → Arthur Weasley’s Muggle World Podcast → Honest portrayals of poverty → Is fire travel unique to Potter? → Ring theory epicness! → Draco unmasked → Burke, the body snatcher → What was Hagrid really doing in Knockturn Alley? → So much Harry love → Did Lucius target the Weasleys or was Ginny a convenience? → Mr. and Mrs. Granger - blissfully ignorant

On Episode 248 we discuss... → Guessing about Gamp's Law → Can you conjure air?! → Turns out you can study Alchemy at Hogwarts → Could the plague actually be dragon pox? → Mandrakes are real and science = magic → Flying brooms are less conspicuous than flying bathtubs → Revisiting the desk pig! → No such thing as too many Star Trek references → There actually is a math class at Hogwarts → We pull out our punnett squares to talk genetics in HP → Wizards can use electronics...just not at school → Are wizards really space aliens?

On Episode 247 we discuss...  → JKR told us Harry would live, it’s okay → Wizard cards answer exam questions! → The things the trees have seen → “...after they kill Neville...” → Can ghosts become invisible? → Fluffy went to the Forest... or back to Greece? → Muggle medicinal uses for Devil’s Snare vs. wizard death plant → Where is the Stone from July to December?? → Absurdly easy keys → Chess symbolism on point → Troll wrangling suspicions → One potions riddle, many versions

On Episode 246 we discuss... → We’ve got all four Houses here for a discussion on the four Houses! → The Four Temperaments or “Humors” that make up all of humanity → Katy’s Shoutout Maxima tackles nightmare fuel, Luna love and YouTube → What do the Sorting Hat songs say are each house’s key attributes? → Which students embody the stated attributes of each House / which do not? → Who does Pottermore say were Hatstalls, and what does that mean? → Would Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts Champion, ever be a Death Eater? → The benefits and pitfalls of Sorting too soon → Do Hogwarts Houses overlap with Ilvermorny ones, a la this chart?

On Episode 245 we discuss... → Let the tears flow with Michael's reading of the chapter! → Untested magic → A moment for parallels → Harry's cadaver career → James is important too, guys! → "I'm Spartacus!" → Everything but the Ford Anglia → Other ways to kill a wizard → Stupid movie → The Master of Death → 19 years of recovery → What is the Flaw?

On Episode 244 we discuss... → JKR's admissions of how the death of her mother shaped the series → Immortality and the fear of death → Voldemort: The most useless, magic-dependent wizard ever → Grief over death and loss → How unresolved grief can stunt growth → Acceptance of death and its inevitability → The Flamels are Hobbits → What was on Dumbledore's bucket list? → Church Grims bring out Katy's angst → Death is more trustworthy than God or the Devil → Quotes to grieve by → Listener experiences using Potter to help them grieve

On Episode 243 we discuss... → Best HBP chapter EVAR!! → Leaving Hagrid to grieve alone? Rude. → Half-Blood Prince: a metaphor for being 16 → Slughorn: B+ teacher, A+ motivator → Half an eyebrow now, half an eyeball later! → Felix has no morals... and kind of makes you drunk → Did Tom Riddle get lucky? → Spiders are so ungrateful → Wizard minors can drink alcohol... no biggie → Actors' names in literature → We need more drunk men hugging, crying, and singing → Odo the non-hero... which is sad

On Episode 242 we discuss… → A role model for teenage activism → Why is Harry so determined to be a "good guy?" → Harry, listen to Michelle Obama → Why does he insist on going it alone? → Harry is Batman... and Luke Skywalker → Why should he NOT be angsty? → No, Harry is not his Horcrux... or a Cylon → A sensitive male protagonist? Wicked! → Why isn't Harry a favorite character? → Daniel Radcliffe, we love you! → Harry is brown AF → Cursed Child Harry... WTF?

On Episode 241 we discuss... → Does Harry finally learn from his shortcomings? → A perfect moment for Dumbledore to mention his family → Voldy is watching you, always watching → The Fidelius Charm has so many freakin' loopholes → Four claps for you, Severus Snape; you go, Severus Snape → When do phoenixes actually die? → Harry breaks a bunch of cool stuff → Petunia's complicated feelings for Harry → The flaw in the plan → Would Dumbledore have killed Harry? → "Thrice defied" - how? → Why does Snape not spill about the plan?

On Episode 240 we discuss... → Jack Russel terriers should be renamed Ron terriers → Could Ron ever turn to the dark arts? → Ron's wands reveal a lot about him → Is Ron mean? → Pottle → The "fwoopers and the billywigs" talk → Ron = Nessie → Nose picking on endless repeat → Newsflash: Ron is hilarious → Ron is a voracious eater → Is Ron Aragorn or Gimli?

On Episode 239 we discuss... → Hermione’s got nothing → Who’s the Half-Blood Prince? Who cares? → Dumbledore’s secret Maxima Spell → The ghost pigeons of Hangleton → The Gaunts are NASTY! → Slytherin Monkeys → "Can I borrow your Deathly Hallow?" → Merope the Grey Lady → Tom Riddle, Sr. can’t even → Wuv...twue wuv? → Don’t forget Bob Ogden

On Episode 238 we discuss... → Hermy-own? Herm-own-ninny? → Just who are Hermione's parents? → Does Hermione’s wand core fit her personality? → Otters fall asleep holding hands and we’re verklempt → Minister of Magic in Hermione’s future → Without Hermione, would Harry be dead? → Women in fantasy tropes → Hermione as a role model for young women → Hermione vs. the Lovegoods → Morality of S.P.E.W. → Hollywood-ized Hermione → Bring on diverse Hermione!

On Episode 237 we discuss... → Is Butterbeer alcoholic? → Where do House Elves come from anyway? → You is nosing! → Hermione's hate mail → NIFFLERS ARE SO FLUFFY WE'RE GOING TO DIE → This chapter breaks our hearts → Don't mess with Molly's boys → Percy Weasley defense squad → Crouch's addled brain → Did Dumbledore invent Patronus communication? → Snape and Karkaroff suck

On Episode 236 we discuss... → Harry Potter and the Translator's Nightmare → Names go Rogue → The Smasher, the Steamroller and the Golden Lightning → Translation Strategies → Localizing “Muggle” → Newt Scamander’s French alias → Universal spell-casting → “I am Lord Romeo” → Shopping for the audiobooks → Dubbing’s so yesterday → How do the translations measure up?

On Episode 235 we discuss... → Self-worth, yay! → Needling Hagrid → “Chess! That’ll do it!” → Ancient artifacts for Christmas →The library is always an exception → A malicious mirror → Hearts’ desires by the hour → Dumbledore’s secrets → What’s your Erised?

On Episode 234 we discuss... → Facts about Ginny → Ginny's ties to Tom Riddle → What else could Ginny have grown to be? → Degrees of Ginny love → Do we only define Ginny by her bond with Harry? → Our Ginny feelings: Thor-smash cups and Valkyrie walks → Movie Ginny: a failing of writing or acting? → Is Cursed Child Ginny ineffectual?

On Episode 233 we discuss... → Vindicitive overload - Snape at his worst → At first I was afraid, I was petrified → Did Snape know about Sirius and Peter back in the day? → Time-Turner Apparition → Does your chain hang low? Does it wobble to and fro? → Laws (and lack thereof) of time travel in the Potterverse → Would they have been successful without omniscient Dumbledore? → Closed loop! Closed loop! Closed loop! → So how old actually is Hermione? → Buckbeak is THE BEST → White stags in mythology → Lunar lessons

On this recap we discuss... → Platonic and romantic balance → Platonic examples in fiction → Gay panic → Are Hinny really soul mates? → Is Ron good enough for Hermione? → The destruction of the trio

On Episode 232 we discuss... → Book vs Movie Hinny → Our OTPs → Early Ships → Friendships → True Love → Fan Fiction Ships → Dean &; Seamus all the way! → Bromances → Weird Ships

On this recap we discuss... → All the tears → Lupin love → Bashing on not enough Lupin love → Choices → Jean Grey comparison