Should life always come before death? Should we favor the journey over the destination? And can there be an episode of Superhero Ethics without Matthew? In this episode, Jacob is joined by special guest Rob McKenzie for a discussion of The Way of Kings, book 1 in the Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson.
What makes Netflix’s The Punisher so compelling, and so troubling, at the same time? Can you tell a story about the evils of guns and violence, while simultaneously glorifying gun violence? And can anyone explain the concept of collateral damage to Karen?
A hero is supposed to be devoted—to their country, to their cause, to their friends—whatever it may be, heroes are often defined by the thing they are willing to go to any extreme to protect and defend.
But what happens when that devotion goes too far? In this episode, Jacob and Matthew discuss the costs of devotion, looking at ways a cause can blind a person to the damage it is doing, to themselves or to others.
What happens when social media and public opinion rule the world? How does an all-male species react to the birth of a female child? And can Seth MacFarlane leave behind the problematic elements of much of his earlier writing?
Jacob and Matthew take a look back at 2017, talking about our favorite characters and ethical questions from the year, and where we think we dropped the ball. We also look ahead to 2018, talking about what we are most excited about and what we are most concerned about, in terms of movies and TV coming to us in the next year.
Thor: Ragnarok is pretty and fun, but there’s nothing here that we can dive into for an episode, right? Challenge accepted!
This week we explore a number of themes from and about Thor. We talk about Odin’s revisionist history and the evolving relationship between Thor and Loki. We also discuss the value of movies that don’t hit us with deep ethical questions and how that balances with our love of heavier fare.
From the Justice League to the Avengers, we know that heroes work best in teams. And sometimes the obnoxious brilliant guy does have the best idea. But both of those things can also go wrong. Join us as we dive into questions from the Magic: The Gathering storyline, tying them into larger questions that are pervasive in geek literature and culture.
Jacob and I are joined by Lee Henderson. Lee is a Level 2 judge in the Magic: The Gathering world, an avid gamer, and an all-around nerd.
All three of our hosts, Matthew, Jacob, and Paul, come together to talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender. We take a deep dive into a number of characters, including Aang, Toph, and Uncle Iroh, examine the way the show portrayed martial arts and alternatives to violence, and discuss why it is so beloved by many.
For some time, we have been given villains whose actions need no explanation—they are just “crazy.” The aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting reminds us how strong the stigma against mental illness still is in this country.
What can Captain America teach us about Kaepernick, and vice versa? Are heroes just on screen, or can we find heroes in our own world? And what happens when our heroes fall from grace?
Note – we added a brief addendum to address an issue that came up in our discussion. Thank you again to our fans for your feedback, both when we do well and when we stumble.