What happens when a nerd-loving ethicist makes a mainstream mom watch The Last of Us? Spoiler: Mandy Kaplan barely survives two episodes, Matthew Fox brings the emotional support, and somehow we end up sobbing over fungus and philosophy.
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Ladies and gentlemen, Swifties and skeptics, gather round, for today we embark on a journey of seismic cultural significance. No, not another election cycle. No, not the discovery of yet another billionaire’s secret doomsday bunker. We are talking about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—a three-and-a-half-hour pop music odyssey, equal parts spectacle, sermon, and strut.
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This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes a cubicle tour of Apple TV+’s Severance. Joining her is Jon Cassie, a certified nerd extraordinaire, former podcaster, and educational innovator, who has spent more time thinking about sci-fi and board games than most of us spend awake.
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This week, Mandy sits down with Exorcist Minute co-hosts Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, two men who decided that watching Everything Everywhere like normal people just wasn’t enough, so they’ve chosen to break it down minute-by-minute, which is either a brilliant act of cinematic devotion or a slow descent into madness. Probably both.
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Wheel of Time—a sprawling, epic fantasy series filled with magic, palace intrigue, and, apparently, an unlimited budget for breathtaking visuals and absurdly attractive people. This week, Mandy welcomes back Audrey Kearns, aka the Geek Girl Authority herself, to painstakingly explain what the hell is going on in this Amazon Prime behemoth.
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This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy marches barefoot into the unwashed, coconut-scented, betrayal-laden world of Survivor. And who better to guide her through this mosquito-infested fever dream than Patrick Gomez, Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has spent an alarming amount of time thinking about reality television strategy.
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This week, Mandy steps into the Operations Center of the most complex, layered, and politically charged Star Trek installment: Deep Space Nine. And guiding her through this cosmic storm? Manny Patel—a man whose nerd credentials run deep, from organizing conventions to crafting meticulous Star Trek mashups that have captivated fans for decades.
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Is it possible that a historical drama with time-traveling elements could captivate a mainstream audience, birthing a fandom so fervent it borders on the delightfully obsessive? This week, Mandy wades into the world of Outlander to find out.
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Is “The Exorcist” just a scary movie, or is it a cultural artifact, a theological debate wrapped in celluloid? Mandy Kaplan confesses her way into the abyss with Lester Ryan Clark and Kenan Diaz, the minds behind “The Exorcist Minute,” a podcast dissecting the film minute by agonizing minute.
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What makes a nerd? Is it the obsessive cataloging of obscure details? The unyielding commitment to lore? The passionate embrace of minutiae deemed trivial by the larger world? Is it one estemed performer’s love of The Jungle Book? Let’s find out.
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