Before we start our Chapter by Chapter re-read of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this week we’re watching the fifth Harry Potter movie together!

Bring your own copy of the Order of the Phoenix movie and watch the film with us in this commentary track. We offer commentary, behind-the-scenes info, wonder why there are so many montages, and fun facts about the production.

To sync up with us, pause the movie right after the camera fully sweeps through the ‘WB’ logo, about 20 seconds into the movie. In the commentary track, we then tell you when to hit Play. (This is also explained on the episode)

To listen to more of our Harry Potter movie commentaries, check out our Must Listens page.

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It’s time to put Goblet of Fire in the rear-view mirror as we conduct our ceremonial book wrap episode, featuring our 7-Word Chapter Summary redo, 7 Word Book Summary, and more MuggleMail than you can shake a non-plot-holed Portkey at! Join Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah for this fun-filled episode catching up with all that our listeners have had to say recently.

• Next week we will be hosting an Order of the Phoenix movie watch commentary and on the following show we’ll begin Book 5 chapter-by-chapter with new segments!
• Micah is back from a visit to Scotland! He tells us what he did over there.
• Andrew and Micah interview actor Joel Meyers, who currently plays Albus Severus Potter in Broadway’s Cursed Child!
• Revisiting our Goblet of Fire 7 Word Chapter Summaries.
• Book Four 7-Word Summary: Resurrection for Voldemort awakens old echoes past.
• Two listeners point out that the return Portkey mystery is not a plot-hole, but was part of Voldemort’s plan to stay hidden while alive.
• Is the Dark Mark on the arms of Death Eaters the best kept secret on the part of the dark side from the Ministry?
• A listener compares Voldemort’s return ritual with Barty Crouch Jr.’s specific method for his father’s end, and underscores BCJr’s daddy issues.
• Do the Death Eaters keep their D.E. robes nearby in case Voldemort returns? Do they ever wash them?
• A listener asks, which characters will be the hardest to replace on the HBO Max show, given their film adaptation counterparts?
• Shakespeare references, snakelike features, and low-security portraits are the topics of more Muggle Mail!
• Quizzitch: in the United States, Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix movie was the 5th highest grossing film of 2007 domestically. name at least 2 films that year which earned more money.
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• Coming up on Bonus MuggleCast, we react to the release of Harry Potter: Quidditch World Champions after playing it this week!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 673 Transcript!

This week, the four MuggleCasters are all under one roof for the first time since 2010! While attending Podcast Movement in Washington, D.C., we held a listener meet-up and later gathered around a single hotel room desk to answer questions about the show and each other. The entire experience was relaxing and fun, which you can hear for yourself now! Join Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah IN PERSON while we celebrate 19 years of MuggleCast.

Questions answered include:

• How does recording in person differ from recording on-line?
• Are the hosts as tall and as short as they each remember / expected?
• What city would we all live in if we could live together?
• What piece of HP merchandise would we never get rid of?
• How do each of the hosts take their coffee?
• If we went to karaoke, what would be the songs we would sing?
• Have any of us read books in foreign languages?
• Which HP character’s life would we want to swap ours with?
• Which HP book would we re-write if given the chance?
• What plot lines do we wish would have paid off more in the series?
• …and more!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 672 Transcript!

Eric, Micah, and Chloé record a special, 19 years later-themed episode of MuggleCast live from LeakyCon in Portland, Oregon! We reflect on the show’s journey so far, revisit the epilogue in Deathly Hallows, and play two of our show’s games (Make the Connection and What If…) with listeners!

This week’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Explore your curiosity with a therapist, today! Visit BetterHelp.com/mugglecast for 10% off your first month.

Download now OR, now read the Episode 671 Transcript!

This week, we wrap up  our fourth year at Hogwarts, say goodbye to some new friends and prepare for what’s to come! Join Andrew, Micah and Laura as we raise a glass to Cedric, Harry and our journey through Goblet of Fire!

• 7-Word Summary: Relationships blossom when the trio parts ways
• Chapter-by-Chapter concludes with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37: The Beginning
• Could there be a less creative title for this chapter?
• What?! There was still a bit of term left after the Third Task?
• Harry & The Diggorys: examining another example of a mother’s love
• Why is the real Mad-Eye Moody still hanging around Hogwarts?
• Tea Time with Hagrid is what we all need right now
• Dumbledore tells the student body Voldemort has returned. Smart or reckless move on his part?
• Should Dumbledore’s have toasted Harry? Did any Slytherins stand for him?
• Do we think the Triwizard Tournament was successful in breeding international magical cooperation? 
• Hermione & Rita: how long has she been in that jar?!
• Showdown on the Hogwarts Express
• Quizzitch: What does Harry ask Viktor Krum, when they shake hands before going to the Hogwarts Express?
• What’s Coming Up on MuggleCast: Next week, we’ll be recording a special, laid back episode all together in Washington D.C. (releasing August 27); the following week, MuggleCast Live at LeakyCon (releasing September 3);  MuggleMail (releasing September 10); Order of the Phoenix Movie Commentary (releasing September 17); Order of the Phoenix Chapter-by-Chapter Begins (releasing September 24).
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast

Download now OR, now read the Episode 670 Transcript!

This week, the battlelines are officially drawn between Dumbledore and Fudge! Join us as we try our very best to convince the Minister for Magic that Voldemort has indeed returned!

• News: MinaLima will not be releasing further editions of their illustrated books (we’ll discuss this story in more detail in Bonus MuggleCast)
• 7-Word Summary: Fudge makes disastrous decisions about Lord Voldemort
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36: The Parting of the Ways
• Sympathetic Grandfatherly Figure or Master Manipulator: Is what Dumbledore says to Harry truly heartfelt and genuine?
• Does Fawkes know what went down in the graveyard?
• Should Harry tell his story without other Ministry officials present?
• The Gleam of Triumph and its connection to Deathly Hallows
• Why, specifically, did Voldemort and Harry’s wand cores come from Dumbledore’s pet phoenix?
• Ollivander has Dumbledore on speed dial!
• Comparing parental figures: Sirus and Molly’s love for Harry is on full display, foreshadowing things to come in Order of the Phoenix
• Why did Fudge feel the need to bring a Dementor to Hogwarts to face Barty Crouch Jr.? Where are all the Aurors?
• COMPLETE DENIAL: Can Fudge find anyone in the Hospital Wing he believes?
• Why does nobody force Fudge to see the truth? Why doesn’t Dumbledore go get the Pensieve or Veritaserum?
• Snape takes a major risk in showing Fudge his Dark Mark tattoo!
• Dementors & Giants: Does Dumbledore overstep his bounds? Does he go too far? Or is Fudge already lost?
• With Fudge a lost cause, Dumbledore begins moving his chess pieces against Voldemort
• Quizzitch: What does Harry ask Viktor Krum, when they shake hands before going to the Hogwarts Express?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 669 Transcript!

On this week’s episode, hard truths are revealed… by force! The culprit is finally revealed in our Chapter by Chapter discussion for Goblet of Fire Chapter 35, ‘Veritaserum.’ And, there’s been news about the new Universal theme park!

• A reveal trailer for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic theme park has been released! We discuss it in a new edition of Bonus MuggleCast, and now non-Patrons can listen for a one-time purchase of just $3!
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35: Veritaserum
• Secrets are revealed by truth telling serum
• With Harry back at Hogwarts but his world turned upside down, how does Dumbledore let him out of his sight?
• Should we have predicted that ANOTHER Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a baddie?
• We review Barty Crouch, Jr.’s history of acts throughout the book so far.
• …but what Barty really wants, is a father figure! We discuss his possibly unique relationship with Voldemort.
• Dumbledore has “a look.” What does it look like?
• Should the Foe Glass have told us definitively where Snape’s loyalties lay?
• How exactly did Mrs. Crouch continue to evade the Dementors and fellow prisoners while in Azkaban?
• Given Crouch Jr.’s confession, was Winky culpable for any of his actions? She’s pretty rude about Bertha.
• How do we feel about Barty Crouch, Sr. using the Imperius Curse on his son?
• Should Wormtail receive more credit for helping to subdue the real Mad-Eye? How much danger was Arthur Weasley in unbeknownst to him?
• Quizzitch: What six Death Eater names does Harry give directly to Fudge?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 668 Transcript!

On this week’s episode, we’re causing chaos in Little Hangleton, striking fear into the heart of the Dark Lord himself. Join us as we face the echoes of Voldemort’s past trangressions! Someone should have studied Priori Incantatem at Hogwarts, Voldy!

• Welcome Slug Club member, Elizabeth!
• Chapter-by-Chapter returns with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 34: Priori Incantatem
• 7-Word Summary: Echoes confront the dark past and spells
• Upon seeing Harry’s ability to resist the Imperius Curse, do the Death Eaters now view him as a true and worthy adversary?
• Did the Horcrux aid Harry in his resistance to Voldemort’s Imperius Curse?
• From Name Origin to effectiveness, we analyze Priori Incantatem
• To what extent do Harry’s instincts allow him to “win” the Priori Incantatem battle? Is it a mark of a true Gryffindor?
• Was Fawkes at all impacted by this encounter between brother wands?
• Oh no, not again!!! What was going through Voldemort’s mind?
• How do the echoes know that the Cup will take Harry back to Hogwarts?
• WHAT IF… Voldemort had been successful in making Harry’s wand spit out echoes of recent magic he had performed?
• Oopsie Doodle: In early versions of Goblet of Fire, James came out of Voldemort’s wand before Lily!
• Did we enjoy how Priori Incantatem came to life in the films? Why did they use its effect for every other spell battle in the series?
• Should the Death Eaters have intervened even though Voldemort told them not to? What would have happened if they did?
• Fun Segment: Echoes Said WHAT?! (To Voldemort) While it’s clear what each of the echoes say to Harry, we’re told they also say some not-so-nice things to Voldemort. But we can’t hear them… until now!
• Quizzitch: Which 3 individuals appear in Mad-Eye Fakey’s Foe Glass when he takes Harry up there to kill him?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 667 Transcript!

In this week’s MuggleCast, we’re setting book 4 down and picking up on real world controversy that was happening RIGHT as Goblet of Fire was first published, in July of 2000. At issue was whether the series, quickly gaining national publicity in the US, was instructing young readers to take up witchcraft, join the devil and abandon God. It’s HP vs Christianity on MuggleCast 666!

• New episodes of MuggleCast will now be released in full video on our YouTube channel, right when they are released on our podcast feed!
• For today’s Main Discussion, Eric has compiled a PDF of sources from the late 90’s to 2007 news media. The polished PDF is available via this link.
• By July of 2000, Harry Potter had gained massive popularity in the US, and raise alarm bells with some concerned parents.
• Were any of the hosts told not to read the HP books on religious grounds?
• The controversy may be categorized as a moral panic, not unlike the Satanic Panic phenomenon of the 80’s/90’s, which unfortunately had large ramifications.
• Why was HP targeted? And why were evangelicals in particular caught up in it?
• We discuss four main arguments against the Potter books: that they will make children want to do witchcraft or join the occult; that they make children susceptible to evil by downplaying the danger of magic; that the books themselves are intentionally demonic; that the books are just plain immoral! (We find it hard to disagree with the last point).
• Is there any evidence that kids joined the occult after reading the books?
• Years later in 2005, what did Georgia parent Laura Mallory add to the discussion surrounding the books?
• We review our own attempts on MuggleCast to get a hold of Mrs. Mallory.
• As late as 2019, the argument was still being used to ban books. What lessons can we learn from these events?
• Be sure to subscribe to MuggleCast Gold via Apple Podcasts, or join our Patreon for access to Bonus MuggleCast segments.
• Visit mugglecast.com for transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, favorite episodes and more!
• A very special thank you to Connie Neal, Judy Bloom, Rainbow Rowell and others for extolling the virtues of the Harry Potter series when we were all children and too young to do so in print media.

Download now  OR, now read the Episode 666 Transcript!

This week, witness the return of Lord Voldemort himself after 13 years without a proper body! To celebrate this ‘rebirthing party’, we’ll be discussing two chapters of Goblet of Fire!

LAST CHANCE to grab this year’s physical gift…  The MuggleCast 19 Years Later t-shirt! If you aren’t a Patron, now’s a great time to join! Pledge today at the Slug Club level and fill out the form by July 19 to be eligible. Note: you will only receive your shirt after you’ve been a Patron at this level for a minimum of three months. In addition, you’ll get other great benefits such as twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, the chance to co-host the show, a video message from one of the four of us and much more! Visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast today!

• Thanks to everyone who came out to see us at LeakyCon Portland!
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 32: Flesh, Blood and Bone and Chapter 33: The Death Eaters
• 7-Word Summary #1: Cedric falls to his untimely, sad demise
• Main Discussion #1: The Death of Cedric Diggory
• In such a frantic state, how can Wormtail muster the ability to cast the Killing Curse? Would Cedric have a had chance at survival if not for helping Harry?
• Does Harry have any time to process what’s just happened to Cedric?
• Kill The Spare: Voldemort shows his complete disregard for human life
• Main Discussion #2: The Dark Lord’s Return
• We walk through the steps one must take in order to recreate a Dark Lord and analyze the symbolism of Voldemort in baby form
• Bone of the Father, Unknowingly Given. Why is it necessary for Voldemort to use his father’s bone given the magic comes from his mother’s side of the family?
• Flesh of the Servant, Willingly Given. How can one hand regenerate an entire body?
• By severing his right hand, has Wormtail eliminated any hope of Sirius’ innocence?
• Blood of the Enemy, Forcibly Taken. Why did Voldemort have to wait for Harry?
• 7-Word Summary #2: Loyalists arrive and worship Voldemort’s triumphant revival
• Main Discussion #3: Voldemort Is Feeling “Chatty”
• How much does Voldemort know about his mother and father’s relationship?
• Should Voldemort really be giving lessons on Chosen Family? Are any of his Death Eaters truly loyal to him?
• If Voldemort knew of Wormtail’s debt to Harry, would he have killed him right there?
• Roll Call: We analyze the Death Eaters who are and are not present in the graveyard
• Main Discussion #4: How Did Voldemort Do It?
• Horcrux Tease! How much do the Death Eaters know about the lengths Voldemort went to in order to avoid death?
• Did Nagini’s venom help Voldemort resume a more human form because Nagini herself used to be human?
• Quizzitch: What does the shadow of James Potter tell Harry he must do?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 665 Transcript!