Episode #349: Back to Hogwarts

  • Welcome Slug Club member Hayden!
  • JKR found inspiration for the Hogwarts Houses in the most unlikely of places
  • Another new Harry Potter video game is coming that’s been in development for two years!
  • It’s set in the 1980s with an open world concept
  • Plus, you can be a Hogwarts student and go through all seven years
  • We discuss David Heyman’s comments about the role of beasts in The Crimes of Grindelwald
  • Eddie Redmayne confirms the Niffler and Pickett are back!
  • We theorize on the formidable Chinese beast: Chinese Fireball, Phoenix, Re’em or other?
  • Many actors have officially wrapped filming The Crimes of Grindelwald
  • Christmas and New Year’s in the Wizarding World – where would we spend the holidays?
  • Does Santa exist? Andrew thinks Hagrid would have made the perfect Father Christmas!
  • What do Potter fans have to look forward to in 2018?
  • A new ride in Orlando, Cursed Child on Broadway, The Crimes of Grindelwald and more!
  • The last Quizzitch question of 2017 targets Goblet of Fire!
  • Thank you for a great year in Potter! We’ll see you all in 2018!
  • Bonus MuggleCast: We read from the latest Potter novel – Harry Potter and What Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash

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Running time: 52:10, 31.3 MB

Episode #348: J.K. Rowling Responds

  • Resistance Radio host and Hypable writer Donya joins the show!
  • We react to J.K. Rowling’s statement on Johnny Depp
  • What finally prompted her to comment?
  • Many fans plan to boycott. How will this impact future Fantastic Beasts films?
  • Will this even be a topic of discuss a year from now when the movie premieres?
  • We call Laura to get her thoughts and she shares an interesting idea
  • Two new Crimes of Grindelwald stills are released by Entertainment Weekly
  • Text messages focus on Christmas and religion in the Wizarding World
  • Eric goes international for our next Quizzitch question

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Running time: 1:06:49, 40.1 MB

Episode #347: Christmas Comes To Hogwarts

  • Andrew and Eric’s trivia night adventures continue!
  • There’s an odd mistake in the Bloomsbury House Editions pulled from a fake JKR tweet!
  • We react to David Yates’ defense of casting Johnny Depp
  • Could Colin Farrell have been recast as Grindelwald?
  • Is Johnny Depp influencing our perspective of Grindelwald? Souring our expectations of his story?
  • One listener thinks it’s simple… TRUST IN JO!
  • Eric and Andrew chat with Michael Aiello, Sr. Director of Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort about Christmas at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
  • Emails tackle Queenie’s potential allegiance with Grindelwald
  • Text messages: metaphorical beasts, the Elder Wand’s allegiance and Jacob’s brute force
  • Quizzitch returns!

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Running time: 1:11:49, 43.1 MB

Episode #346: Beast Mode

  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald… we give our initial reactions!
  • Will most of the film focus on Grindelwald’s past crimes and rise to power?
  • Or can we expect new crimes committed during this movie?
  • How does this impact screen time for Newt? The beasts?
  • Lots of references to the Deathly Hallows (and alchemy?) in the title screen
  • The new cast photo gives us several first looks, including Jude Law as Dumbledore
  • What’s up with Jacob and Queenie staring directly at Grindelwald?
  • Credence is cozied up with a new character! What exactly is a Maledictus?
  • Leta is engaged to Newt’s brother! What does that mean for the brothers Scamander?
  • We’ve got a pretty good theory about when the first trailer is coming!
  • Andrew reports live from Orlando for Holidays at Hogwarts
  • Listener tweets, emails, voicemails and quizzitch!
  • We’ll see you after the Thanksgiving holiday!

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Running time: 1:06:19, 39.8 MB

Episode #345: Harry Potter, I Choose You!

  • Welcome Slug Club member Nicki
  • PO Box Update: some Halloween and British surprises!
  • A Pokemon GO style Harry Potter game is in the works from Niantic!
  • Our initial thoughts on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Portkey Games
  • What does the title suggest? Will it focus on Fantastic Beasts at all or only Harry Potter?
  • What other Potter video games would we like to see? Which old classics do we want remade?
  • Our Main Discussion focuses on the brand-new Fantastic Beasts Illustrated Edition
  • The foreword answers that question we had about Obscurus Books
  • We get educated on the history of what defines a beast and how they’re concealed from Muggles
  • Is it coincidence that Newt includes the story of a jarvey in the introduction?
  • Which beasts caught our attention? Which ones would we like to see in Fantastic Beasts 2?
  • We run through some interesting notes Micah took while reading the book
  • Getting high on billywigs, erumpent mating habits, killer bowtruckles and more
  • We asked our patrons what dream features they’d like from this new Harry Potter app?
  • Emails, voicemails and text messages
  • Quizzitch Question of the Week has a Half-Blood twist!

And here’s Nicki and Robert’s sweet Harry Potter display (with a cameo from their pup Parker)!

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Running time: 1:25:50, 51.5 MB

Episode #344: Baby Voldemort

  • Pottermore continues to troll Andrew about Lavender Brown
  • An adoption agency in Orlando is sorting dogs into Hogwarts Houses
  • Evanna Lynch has launched her brand-new podcast – check it out!
  • Main Discussion: Newt’s Book Release Party in Fantastic Beasts 2
  • Flourish and Blotts and Diagon Alley will feature in the next film
  • What will 1920s Diagon Alley look like?
  • The perfect excuse to bring the fearsome foursome back together
  • Will Theseus make an appearance? Dumbledore? Credence?
  • Is it just coincidence that we had another notable book release in the second Potter film?
  • What’s the deal with Obscurus Books? Is Newt a self-publisher?
  • With the book release taking place in March 1927, the Dark Lord has now been born
  • Emails, voicemails and text messages!
  • Quizzitch returns Order of the Phoenix style

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Running time: 1:11:45, 43.1 MB

Episode #343: Fantastic Beasts And The Not 2

  • Slug Club member Kate joins the show!
  • Andrew and Eric share their Halloween costumes

An Undecided Hat Stall and an @originalromphim mechanic. #????

A post shared by andrewsims (@andrewsims) on

Dangerous bedfellows… #TheExorcist #Beetlejuice #Halloween2k17

A post shared by Eric Scull (@ericjscull) on

  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is headed to Australia! What country will be next?
  • Coming soon: the title for next Fantastic Beasts film! Does that mean a trailer is not far behind?
  • Listeners share their Fantastic Beasts 2 movie title suggestions
  • Main Discussion: Halloween & Harry Potter
  • We talk about the key events that have happened on October 31 in the Potter series
  • That night in Godric’s Hollow, Troll in the Dungeon, the Triwizard Tournament selection and more
  • Did JKR always intend for Halloween to play a pivotal role in each book? Why did she choose it?
  • Is there a reason it stopped being so important after Goblet of Fire?
  • No Halloween discussion is complete without ghosts!
  • The hosts profile the Hogwarts House ghosts, Professor Binns, Moaning Myrtle and Peeves
  • We ask listeners which House they would join if they had to choose based on the House ghost!
  • Quizzitch!

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Running time: 1:23:49, 50.3 MB

Episode #342: A History of Magic

  • Welcome Slug Club member Irvin!
  • Cursed Child tickets go on sale and we’re left in the dust!
  • Until Katy (and her husband) come to the rescue!
  • We discuss ticket prices – why were no special offers made for people buying both Parts 1 & 2?
  • Listeners share their Cursed Child ticket buying experiences
  • We review Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic
  • The book details the exhibition currently at the British Library
  • It feels like touring a museum (in a good way)
  • We explore the original synopsis JKR sent to Bloomsbury
  • The Harry Potter world owes a lot to then 8-year-old Alice Newton
  • Ghost panels, statues, a selection committee of professors – the Sorting Hat that almost wasn’t!
  • Fudge and Vernon Dursely were originally going to be coworkers? WHAT?!
  • We look at JKR’s early list of Hogwarts professors: Enid Pettigrew, Oakden Hernshaw, Mopsus?
  • Harry and Ron almost met the merpeople in Chamber of Sercrets!
  • Steve Kloves shares his story and how judging a book by its cover almost cost him the films
  • Quizzitch: In Prisoner of Azkaban, what does Snape task students with in their year-end lesson?
  • Voicemails on Grindelwald and Wizarding World theme park

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Running time: 1:27:30, 84.4 MB

Episode #341: The Niffler And The Stone

  • Slug Club member Bethany joins the show
  • Eric gives us a Trivia Night update
  • Cursed Child Broadway tickets on sale this week! Who will make the cut?
  • The Cormoran Strike series is headed to Cinemax
  • Chris Riddell set to illustrate The Tales of Beedle the Bard for Bloomsbury
  • Listener Rebuttals focus on the latest Fantastic Beasts casting news
  • Will we find out what Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore discovered?
  • We receive some Death Eater clarification
  • Will Dumbledore take away Grindelwald’s powers out of love?
  •  Taking a look at the entire cast, where do we think Fantastic Beasts 2 is headed?
  • Can beasts even fit into a story with this many characters?
  • Is there a chance FB 2 focuses on one beast that’s integral to the plot?
  • How much time do we think we will spend looking back as opposed to present-day?
  • We review casting to date, including one we have overlooked (who is Krall)?
  • Patrons share their overwhelming support for more Seraphina Pcquery screen time
  • Quizzitch and text messages return!

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Running time: 1:34:46, 83.2 MB

Episode #340: Verified Jerk

  • Eric and Andrew gear up for another trivia night
  • Cursed Child’s Broadway registration is now closed!
  • We review the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition
  • Our main discussion centers around the new Fantastic Beasts casting news
  • We question if there is any relation between Eric and Spielman?
  • Andrew explains the relationship between Jessica Williams and JKR
  • Travers and Rosier: we discuss the two known Death Eaters
  • Nicolas Flamel will appear in Fantastic Beasts 2! In present-day form or in a flashback?
  • Could Grindelwald be in search of the Sorcerer’s Stone? Is that story too familiar?
  • Will Flamel assist Newt in his latest journey?
  • Carmen Ejogo is back as Seraphina Picquery. Will her appearance be short-lived?
  • Andrew attempts the sequel to HP Encyclopedia: The Musical
  • Emails and voicemails return, with a text message thrown in the middle
  • In Bonus MuggleCast — available on Patreon — We discuss the prank Sirius and James played on Snape. What was going through Sirius’ mind? Does it affect our view of him?

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Running time: 1:26:40, 83.2 MB