Transcript for MuggleCast Episode #287, Always
Show Intro and Remembering Alan Rickman
[Show music plays]
Andrew Sims: Welcome to MuggleCast Episode 287. It’s our first show of the year. Micah, Eric, and I are here. Hey, guys.
Eric Scull: Hey.
Andrew: We unfortunately have to start the show on a bit of a sad note. On January 14, Alan Rickman, the actor who plays – who played – Severus Snape in all eight Harry Potter movies, passed away. It was a shock, was it not?
Eric: Yeah.
Andrew: I woke up to the news, saw it on Twitter, and I was actually in denial. I just couldn’t believe it. It was like, “No, what? First of all, how old was he? Second of all, why?”
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: “And third of all, not so soon after David Bowie!”
Eric: Yeah, that’s really been the shock of it all, in addition to Alan Rickman’s death. We’ve lost a lot of great, prominent people this month alone. It’s brutal, actually; within the first few weeks of 2016, we’ve lost just so many. But Alan Rickman, definitely for Harry Potter fans, for movie, film fans, those of us who got to see him live, and really the outpouring of support we’ve seen after following after his death, the stories about him, you just feel like… obviously, it’s very sad that he’s gone, but you learn so much about the man after their death through obits and through people who knew him even closer than we did.
Andrew: Oh, yeah.
Eric: And it’s just he was an amazing guy, and his loss is felt worldwide.
Andrew: Yeah. I mean, keeping with the Harry Potter angle on this, we saw so many great tributes, immediately, from Emma Watson, from Dan Radcliffe, from… Sean Biggerstaff actually had one of the more touching tributes. What others stood out to you guys?
Eric: Evanna.
Andrew: Evanna Lynch?
Eric: Yeah, Evanna talked about always avoiding him on set, as many did, because he was intimidating or whatever. But she was at a dinner with him a couple years later and was seated… it just so happened that their place settings were next to each other, and she asked to change seats because she was still afraid of him a little bit, but he sat down and just basically asked her all about herself, and listened and offered advice. And she just said, “I never knew he was just so…” For that whole evening, his attention was for her and her alone.
Andrew: Yeah, that seems to be a common theme throughout many of the tributes to him, that he would really take the time with these… even a new actor like Evanna or with Sean, and to get to know them and to help them with their career. And of course, J.K. Rowling; she sent out a statement on Twitter. And also Emma Thompson, who was apparently a very good friend of Alan’s, and they worked together on many films, including the Harry Potter movies, and she just had an absolutely sweet tribute as well. So that was an emotional day.
Eric: Yeah, that was a kick… emotional week. I mean, just seeing all of that come out in the… it’s still sinking in, I think, to be honest. You just don’t imagine these people who… in certain ways, they are immortal, but in other ways, you’re just like, “Oh, they were like all of us. They’re going to die someday.” [laughs] I know that’s really sad, but I mean, he’s no longer here. The interesting thing is with big actors, they still have a couple of projects. There is a movie that’s coming out with him in it upcoming in a couple months and stuff, and we’ll be able to see sort of his final performance. But I mean, really, just all you can do is celebrate who he was. The films… I mean, I knew him long before Harry Potter in Die Hard. Grew up watching that movie a hundred times a week as a kid.
Micah Tannenbaum: That’s a lot.
Eric: And you all have… yeah, it was that and Look Who’s Talking I just played on repeat all the time as a kid.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Which, they’re two vastly different movies. But you know what I’m saying. It’s just these roles that moved you. We knew them as an actor; of course, they were real people, but even his portrayal of Snape, and knowing that that was something that J.K. Rowling sought him out for it, it just goes to show what an impact he had. And I know he’s impacted all of our lives. It’s really sad to see him gone.
Andrew: Micah, how did it strike you?
Micah: I think a lot of what has already been said, and Andrew, you touched on it; it was just shock. I also found out on Twitter. I probably should have done a better job of checking my phone that morning as I was going to work on the train. And it was the same morning that the Oscars were announced…
Eric: That’s more drama. [laughs]
Micah: … so when that went on, I thought that perhaps he was trending because he was going to be honored in some capacity. I had no idea. And then I, of course, clicked on his name and saw… first I think it was the response or the tribute from Emma Thompson, and just reading through, I was completely shocked, much like how I was shocked when I learned about Robin Williams. These are actors, and – Eric, you used the word – they’re somewhat immortalized in the roles that they play, and you just feel like you lose a part of yourself because they have meant so much to what you have grown up with over the course of your life, at least where you are right now, and that’s how I felt. And it was great to see the reaction by those that worked with him, those that knew him, but also the fans. I think the way that the community responded was one of shock, but then also one of just deep appreciation for what he brought to them over the years that he portrayed this character, and he really portrayed this character and gave him a level of personality that perhaps he didn’t have in the books, and I think that’s what made Snape such an endearing character on the screen. And part of that may be what J.K. Rowling told him, but I just think a lot of that probably just had to do with how great of an actor he was.
Andrew: Yeah, especially… yeah, so seeing his facial expressions on screen, knowing what we know now about Snape, I think is really interesting to watch.
Eric: That’s a good point. “What are the three of you doing inside on a day like this?” [laughs]
Andrew: You mentioned obituaries; I was reading Alan Rickman’s Wikipedia page after he died, and I was so moved by his relationship with his wife, Rima. I became interested because J.K. Rowling in her tribute to Alan Rickman specifically named… “My heart’s out to Rima.” So it turns out that Rima and Alan were together for basically their entire lives. They met in 1965 when Alan was 19 and Rima was 18. She was his first girlfriend.
Eric: Wow.
Andrew: They got married in 2012, so they were together for about 50 years. Essentially together for his entire life. I just can’t imagine what it would be like. First of all, they must have had an amazing relationship to be together so long. Alan’s first and only girlfriend, I guess.
Eric: To have that endure as well, especially in Hollywood.
Andrew: Yeah, and it’s just beautiful that they got married… they didn’t rush into marriage, clearly. I mean, they only got married four years ago.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Andrew: I just was so moved by that. And that’s what really kind of upset me more than anything. I was just thinking about poor Rima losing him after all these years.
Eric: Yeah. No, for me, it’s the tributes too. People dropping off flowers at King’s Cross.
Andrew: Oh, yeah.
Eric: All of the sort of public mournings.
Andrew: Yeah, well, at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, there was a tribute held. People put their wands up to Hogwarts Castle; there’s pictures of it.
Eric: Augh.
Andrew: I knew… a friend of a friend was there and took a picture, and we shared it on Hypable. It was a whole… people were really moved by it.
Eric: I can just see them hanging a portrait of Alan Rickman in the common room at the Wizarding World.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Micah: Well, it would be a fitting tribute. And I think I also saw that somebody – whether it was staff or a fan – placed a lily at the door of Snape’s Potion room inside Hogwarts.
Eric: Oh, come on.
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: To tug at your heartstrings.
Eric: Yeah, just release the flood of tears.
Andrew: It makes you think – and I’m really sorry to say this – but it makes you think, how are we going to pay tribute when J.K. Rowling dies? I hope she’s immortal, but if she’s not…
Eric: I mean, I think the world will just stop. I think we don’t even need to bother going to work that morning. It’ll just be the end of the world.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
Micah: And I’m pretty sure they plan on doing some sort of tribute to Alan Rickman at the celebration that’s coming up in… I don’t know if it’s a couple days down in Orlando that they do every year?
Andrew: It’s really soon.
Eric: Yeah, the Harry Potter Celebration. There’s an event… MuggleNet is throwing another event. It’s a gathering where you raise your wand, just like already Andrew mentioned.
Andrew: Oh, okay. You should tell them they should just burn down Hogwarts.
Eric: I think so too. I think it should be.
Andrew: Just burn it down in tribute.
Eric: It’s ready for it to become sort of just a mob at this point.
Andrew: Yeah, plus there’s another one opening here in Hollywood.
Eric: It wasn’t a joke, and Alan is really… oh, yeah, that’s what we’ll do. We’ll add value to the park in California by burning down the one in Florida. That’s a great business idea.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Eric: They’ll thank us afterwards. For you, Alan.
Andrew: Yeah. So another story kind of related to this: We had always known that J.K. Rowling had told Alan Rickman a secret about Snape…
Eric: Yes.
Andrew: … early on while Alan started portraying Snape, so that he knew about Snape’s feelings towards Lily. And it came out that Alan Rickman had received the secret from J.K. Rowling, and at premieres and whatnot, people would try to ask him, “What is the secret? What is the secret?” And he refused to say. Emerson and I, when we interviewed him for MuggleNet on the Half-Blood Prince red carpet, we actually pressed him on this question because we had heard CNN ask right before us, and we said, “Come on, we’re fans. The book’s been out for a few years. You can tell us what the secret was.” And he didn’t want to still, because he didn’t want to spoil it for any kids who hadn’t read the books yet, which I thought was sweet. So anyway, it remained a secret up through his death, and somebody asked J.K. Rowling on Twitter what that was, because it’d kind of become lore. And J.K. Rowling did reveal on Twitter; she said, “I told Alan what lies behind the word ‘Always,'” obviously meaning Snape’s love for Lily.
Eric: I love how she didn’t just outright say…
Andrew: Right.
Eric: Again, she’s kind of keeping off the spoiler for…
Andrew: Yeah. It makes you think, “Oh, Alan Rickman should have just told us that… gave us that answer.”
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Eric: Yeah, but he said he never would.
Andrew: Right. Yes, exactly. That’s the other thing; he also vowed to Jo – he made an Unbreakable Vow – that he would never reveal it, so I thought it was sweet that she did reveal this. Some people said, “Well, didn’t we already know this?” But I racked my brain, and I really don’t think we ever did, because Alan, as we just said, never revealed it, and J.K. Rowling never had any reason to reveal it. It was just kind of assumed that this was the secret all along because, you know, obviously.
Eric: Right. Well, once we knew it… which was, I mean, 2007, so it was six or seven years after he found out about it. Well, I mean, actually, it must have been even longer, because that was what made him agree to play the role, that it wasn’t just this one-note villain character.
Andrew: Asshole character.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, that there was something behind it. Not only that, but… I mean, I guess it really is a big reveal that I don’t even think has sunk in for me, and I know it’s been nine years, so I should just get over it.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: But the idea that the entire time Snape does what he does because he had this love for Harry’s mom.
Andrew: Yeah. So we have some thoughts from listeners; we asked on Facebook, “What was your favorite Snape scene? How do you feel about the passing of Alan Rickman?” But first, I want to start with an email. This came in from a listener named Matt. He writes,
“I have been listening to you and the fellas and ladies on MuggleCast for years now, and felt compelled to drop you a line and say how devastated I am about Alan Rickman passing away. I don’t personally know you, Eric, Micah, and the rest of the wonderful MuggleCast folks, but I very much consider y’all friends. Listening to y’all on MuggleCast is like having a nice conversation about Harry Potter with my best friends, and I appreciate it so much. Alan Rickman made Snape a lovable character, when he truly was quite opposite in canon. Such as shame to have lost an amazing actor. We are fortunate to have had him bring Snape to life on screen in such incredible fashion.”
So there are Matt’s thoughts there, and really reflecting what I think a lot of people were feeling. Like I said on Facebook – Facebook.com/MuggleCast – we asked, “What was your favorite Snape scene in the Harry Potter movies?” Lucien writes,
“The opening moments of Deathly Hallows – Part 2 as he stares down menacingly upon the Hogwarts students and ‘Lily’s Theme’ plays. A haunting way to start the final film, with Rickman’s face establishing firmly a tone of dread.”
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: So right. I still remember the first time watching that scene and just being moved by it. Being like, “Ohhhh, shite.” [laughs]
Eric: Yeah, we’re back at Hogwarts, and look who’s here.
Andrew: And stuff is getting real. [laughs] Mary says… she quotes this scene:
“Umbridge: ‘You applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?’
Snape: ‘Yes.’
Umbridge: ‘But you were unsuccessful?’
Snape: ‘Ob-viously.’
Ron: *snickers*
Snape: *whacks papers in his hand against Ron’s head*
I really loved the deadpan way in which Alan Rickman delivered his lines in that scene, especially because of his iconic voice.”
[Eric laughs]
Micah: Eileen?
Andrew: Yeah, want to read that?
Micah: Yeah, Eileen Jones says,
“I am always moved by the scene they show in Snape’s memories when he finds Lily dead in her house. I know people have issues with this scene because he ignores James and Harry, but Alan Rickman’s acting was so good! You feel the devastation with him.”
Andrew: Well, I mean, wasn’t the point to…? I actually never heard that argument before that he ignores James and Harry. I mean, obviously the focus of that scene was Lily, which is why he’s focused on Lily.
Eric: I just lose it every time I see that.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah. And we’re going to play that, by the way, at the end, that whole scene from Deathly Hallows – Part 2, in tribute to Alan Rickman. Cindy writes,
“My favorite scenes were when he was dueling Lockhart in Chamber of Secrets and in Deathly Hallows – Part 2 when he is battling Professor McGonagall. They both did an awesome job in that scene.”
That first scene that Cindy mentioned was actually one of my favorite scenes as well. I loved that scene in Chamber of Secrets where Harry and Draco are dueling, and Lockhart and Snape also have that duel.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: Just John Williams’s score during that, and the progression of it, how they walk, how they get in position…
[Eric sings “The Dueling Club” by John Williams]
Andrew: Right! That song still runs through my head today. [laughs]
Eric: I know! But I mean, that’s…
Andrew: It’s iconic.
Eric: That character… again, I know there’s… we got a lot of replies about Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and that’s fine, but it was really those early movies where he had even more to do, and he did it so well, playing against all of those children.
Andrew: Right.
Eric: He was a suitable villain. He wasn’t too harsh. He wasn’t too hateable; he also wasn’t too lovable. I mean, I’m thinking even the Occlumency scenes; it’s just Snape as a character messes them up so badly by letting his rage control him, but in the film, there was always that something more. There was always that extra level. And the other thing about – I read this somewhere too – him passing and him knowing that secret about Lily, is that apparently he would refuse direction at certain points during the production.
Andrew: Because he knew what was really going on?
Eric: He was like, “Well, J.K. Rowling told me…”
Andrew: Oh, that’s funny. “Guys, I’m smarter about Snape than you guys are, so just let me handle this.”
Eric: Yeah! That just gets me so amused, because you remember that thing about Dumbledore where J.K. Rowling had to tell Heyman or Kloves about Dumbledore, before that was revealed that he was gay? Because there was a scene where they wrote Dumbledore as trying to relate to Harry about girls, and he’s like, “Well, I knew a young girl,” and this, that, the other thing. Like, “Uh, actually, he’s gay.” So again, with Snape, I wonder what scenes they would have had him write that contradicted enough for Alan Rickman to say something like, “Oh no, he’s totally got more going on.” So I don’t know. Basically Alan Rickman, his judgment on those matters, and his honest, deep portrayal of that character were exactly what was deserved of us, and we were lucky to have had him, I think.
Andrew: Absolutely.
Micah: Yeah, no question. Another Eileen, or maybe it’s Ellen. I don’t know. I apologize in advance. But she says,
“When he tries to shut Ron and Harry up in study hall. It just looks like the cast had fun making that scene.”
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: I assume she’s talking about Goblet of Fire when he throws their heads into their books?
Andrew and Micah: Yeah.
Andrew: And there’s that behind-the-scenes picture of Alan Rickman with Dan and Rupert and the director, Mike Newell, and I think Alan Rickman is laughing on the scene. It’s a pretty good picture.
Eric: Yeah, that’s such a winning laugh right there.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
Micah: Yep. And she went on to say, “It’s as if you see a bit of Alan Rickman, not just Professor Snape.”
Andrew: Yeah. Well, I think that’s all we have to say about Mr. Rickman.
Eric: Except that we’ll miss you, sir, and it was a pleasure to have known you.
Andrew: Absolutely.
Micah: Yeah. If I could just add one more thing, among many tributes, some of which we’ve discussed, there was one that I thought was really well done by the New Yorker, and it was a photo – or actually, a cartoon, a sketch – of Bruce Willis/John McClane sitting in a bar with Dan Radcliffe/Harry Potter…
Eric: [laughs] Oh, I’ve seen this.
Micah: … cheering to the life of Alan Rickman under the caption, “Here’s to the best damned antagonist a guy could ask for.”
Andrew: Agreed.
Micah: So I think that really sums it up well, just… and he had other roles, but I think he was clearly best known – at least amongst our generation, certainly – for playing Snape, and then for his role as Hans, the villain.
Eric: I watched Die Hard afterwards, which I loved him in; I saw that this week. And I will be watching Galaxy Quest. He just did so many things. And Micah, you saw him on Broadway, right? He was in Seminar with Jerry O’Connell?
Micah: Yeah.
Eric: He was amazing in that. He played an old writing teacher who is, of course, a little bit cynical, but had a big heart, and he was perfect. And it was just really engrossing. He was just a man who – this might be running long – but was just so generous to everybody. And yeah, you just don’t get…
Micah: Yeah, certainly afterwards, too, was very willing to interact with those that, as is custom for Broadway shows, wait outside for the actors to leave, and he was always, from what I understand, very giving of his time. And he was one night – I don’t know if it was the same night that we had seen him – but leaving the theater, and was just very happy, smiling, interacting with everybody, and just that’s definitely a memory that I’ll take away, having been just standing a few feet away from him.
Eric: Yeah, we’ve waited at stage doors before and the actors won’t come out, but he did. Props to you, sir.
Andrew: All right. Well, RIP Alan Rickman.
Make the Connection
Andrew: We’re going to shift gears now. We have some news to talk about today, including some very interesting Cursed Child news that broke last month after our December episode. But first, we’re going to jazz things up a bit with a couple games, one old and one new.
Eric: That’s right, Andrew. We tweeted and Facebooked a little bit back that we would be reviving one of our fan favorite old segments of the show tonight or at next recording, and so it is without further ado that we announce Make the Connection. It’s back!
Andrew: Oh, I remember that one.
Micah: Is Jamie here? Isn’t he the ring leader of this?
Andrew: Jamie is not here this week, but after the last episode he was on, he expressed a lot of interest in coming on again, so I’m sure he’ll want to come back soon.
Micah: All right.
Andrew: Especially when we start up more episodes a month. You know what I’m saying?
Micah: I hear you.
Eric: Uh-huh, uh-huh. Well, to replace… temporarily, of course. Not permanently. To temporarily replace the whimsy, the wit, the randomness of it all that lives on a daily basis inside the mind of Jamie Lawrence, we’ve just reached out to our listeners and asked for submissions from them. So the responses that we got are extremely enjoyable, and we’re just going to pick from them on both Facebook and Twitter right now to see if… we’re rusty, I’m sure, but to see if we can do anywhere near as good as we used to. So the challenge is make the connection between Harry Potter and so-and-so. Who wants to go first?
Andrew: I’ll go first. I’m scared.
Eric: Okay. [laughs] This one comes from Amy. This should be easy. Andrew, make the connection between Harry Potter and an empty fish tank.
Andrew: Oh my gosh, an empty fish tank. Well, it… an empty fish tank. I used to have fish, and they smelled bad, so when a fish tank is empty, that probably smells bad as well, assuming fish were once occupying it. So I’m going to say Umbridge’s office, because she has those cats on the plates, and presumably she would like to have a real cat in her office maybe, and cats do not smell good, in my opinion. Assuming that they poop like they do in real life in the wizarding world, her office probably smells like animal, so that’s my connection.
Eric: Okay!
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Eric: The other thing about this game – I’ll remind our listeners – there are no wrong answers.
Andrew: No.
Eric: All we have to do is attempt it, and we’ve won the game. I think that’s probably true with all of our old MuggleCast segments. [laughs] Everybody wins.
Micah: Well, I’ll just say, “Oh, that was good, Andrew. Very, very good.”
Eric: Yes.
Andrew: “That was very…” I don’t think Jamie would like that, my answer.
[Micah laughs]
Eric: He would be like, [imitating Jamie] “Oh, that’s not good, Andrew. You’re so rusty.”
Andrew: Well, I was going to try to think of something during that underwater part of the Goblet of Fire tournament, but…
Micah: Could have talked about Slughorn, too. His story in Half-Blood Prince about Lily and the fish.
Eric: Oh, God. Pfft. Movie-ism. Let’s move on.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Micah, you’re up, buddy.
Micah: No movie-isms.
Eric: I have one from Rico Ortega on Twitter, who says make the connection between Harry Potter and – you’re going to love this – the WWE Royal Rumble Match.
Andrew: Let’s get ready to rumble!
Micah: Well, I would compare it very much to… I guess the Triwizard Tournament. It’s not exactly the same; in the Royal Rumble, the idea is that you have to be the last man standing, but the way that you get to that point is by throwing your opponents out of the ring. But I guess maybe through the tasks, you could make that analogy, right? Especially the last task where Harry should have been the last man standing, but of course, his pride got in the way…
Eric: Absolutely.
Micah: … and his humbleness, and him and Cedric end up being co-champions. But yeah, I would say that there’s a close comparison there.
Andrew: I was going to say, getting back to our conversation about Alan Rickman, that scene in Chamber of Secrets where they’re getting ready to do that duel and they put their wands up, and that has the same anticipation of the beginning of a WWE match, I would say.
Eric: I would agree with that. But Micah’s answer was also adequate.
Andrew: No.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I’m kidding.
Eric: Okay, okay. I don’t even know what the Royal Rumble Match is, so I had to ask.
Andrew: Eric, I’m picking one for you.
Eric: Okay.
Andrew: This is from Jennifer. This is really random, and I think you’ll do good at it. Breaking the speed of light while…
Eric: Wait, wait, you’ve got to say, “Make the connection…”
Andrew: Make the connection between Harry Potter and breaking the speed of light while surfing on a turtle shell in the Swan Nebula.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: Now, for anyone who doesn’t know, the Swan Nebula appears to be some sort of galaxy.
Eric: I don’t know what the Swan Nebula… on a turtle shell; that sounds like you’re Mario, like you’re Super Mario, and breaking the speed of light. All right, I’m going to go with… as fun as it would be to really be able to break the speed of light while surfing on a turtle shell in the Swan Nebula, I have to assume it would be equally, if not more, amusing and enjoyable to ride for the first time a brand new Firebolt broomstick.
Andrew: I was going to have the same answer, because if you’re Harry, a young boy, or even going back to the first movie, just getting on a broomstick for the first time and being able to fly would probably feel equivalent to traveling at the speed of light.
Eric: I mean, and he’s got… he moves from the training broom to the Nimbus 2000, and the Nimbus 2000 is great, and he gets used to it, and it’s fast, but then he gets the Firebolt? There’s no comparison. That’s even ten times faster than the broom he was previously riding. So I definitely think of broomsticks; I think that’s not misplaced. And as always, there are no wrong answers.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: So that’s how we make the connection. [laughs]
Andrew: Make the connection between – this can be a group one – Harry Potter and Donald Trump.
Eric: Hmm.
Andrew: It’d have to be somebody crazy.
Eric: This is dangerous territory.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Let’s just… oh, who do we know in the Harry Potter series that has a hairpiece?
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Eric: Does Donald Trump wear a hairpiece? I don’t even know.
Micah: Well, we don’t know what that is on top of his head.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: How about comparing him… connecting him to Cornelius Fudge?
Eric: You could.
Andrew: The former Minister of Magic, because Fudge was in denial about Voldemort being back, right?
Eric: Yes.
Andrew: Sort of like Trump is probably in denial about a few things, like…
Eric: Having a shot at the GOP nomination?
[Andrew and Micah laugh]
Eric: Who knows?
Andrew: That feels increasingly realistic. [laughs]
Eric: I know, ugh.
Micah: There’s parts of Umbridge in him too.
Eric: Well, and I think… I mean, he’s ambitious, he’s a politician, he’s got a very nice building in Chicago, not to mention his decades of experience in the real world business. But I’d say… I’m thinking of Fudge. We don’t know many businessmen who are wizards, who have a lot of holdings or earnings or anything like that.
Andrew: Maybe we’ll learn about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Eric: I think so. I think there will probably be an entrepreneurial wizard at some point in J.K. Rowling’s new movie trilogy.
Andrew: Yeah, lots of real estate. [laughs]
Eric: So we’ll get back to you on that one, whoever sent that in.
Andrew: That was Hayden. Sorry, I forgot to mention that.
Eric: Yeah, we’ll get back to you, Hayden.
Andrew: All right, is that it?
Eric: I think that’s it. Actually, I was surprised that nobody replied on Facebook, so shame on you, listeners.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Go reply. It’s not too late. We’ll use them next time.
Andrew: All right, well, those are always fun, and I’m sure we’ll play that again in the future.
Ex-SPELL-iarmus
Andrew: Now, Eric, you came up with another game for us this week as well.
Eric: Yes, we got a lot of feedback to bring back fun segments and to not forget to do them on our episodes. And certainly, we’re all still very sad about the passing of Alan Rickman, so I came up with a game called Ex-SPELL-iarmus, with the word…
Andrew: Are we going to duel?
Eric: No, that’s the Dueling Club segment, which is gone but not forgotten.
Andrew: Well, how are you spelling Ex-SPELL-iarmus?
Eric: Oh, I see, I see.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: So yes, the title of this segment includes the word “spell,” because this segment is primarily a spelling challenge. We are going to take incantations from the Harry Potter series and try to spell them without messing it up.
Andrew: Okay.
Eric: So who wants to go first?
Andrew: I’ll go first.
Micah: Oh, you’re going to go first again?
Eric: All right, Andrew. All right. So your challenge for Ex-SPELL-iarmus is the Revealing Charm, whose incantation is… are you ready?
[Andrew whimpers]
Eric: Aparecium.
Andrew: Can you use that in a sentence, please? No…
Eric: “I cast Aparecium and something was revealed.”
[Jeopardy theme song plays]
Andrew: Wait, say it again slowly?
Eric: Aparecium.
Andrew: Oh, man. This is… A-P… am I on the right track?
Eric: I think you are.
Andrew: … A-R…
Eric: Uh-huh.
Andrew: Really?
Eric: Yeah! We can encourage people on during the middle of…
Andrew: … I-U-S-M.
[Eric makes an incorrect buzzer sound]
[Andrew groans]
Eric: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Micah, you double your points if you jump in.
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: All right. Well, I know at least the first couple of letters he got right. Hoping my memory serves me well. So A-P-A-R-E-C-I-U-M.
Eric: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
Andrew: E-C… oh, man.
Eric: E-C. It’s tough. It’s Latin. Kind of reminds me of paramecium, which is a single one-celled critter with no brain that can’t fly.
Andrew: Damn you, Latin. All right, it’s Micah’s turn to be challenged.
Eric: All right. Micah… why do I have a feeling that this page I’m on only has A-spells?
[Everyone laughs]
Micah: You can page through to other…
Eric: Where? How? Oh my God, the tabs.
Andrew: … letters of the alphabet.
Micah: I have no idea. I haven’t clicked the link, so I don’t know.
Eric: Okay, well, when it’s time to challenge me, just click on the link I put in the show notes.
Andrew: Yeah, I see.
Eric: Okay, your word is the wand extinguishing charm, also known as Nox.
Andrew: Wait, what? What?!
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: Eric, go to hell. I’m not even playing the Jeopardy song for that one.
Micah: Okay, are we going to do another one, or is this…?
Eric: Yeah, we’ll pick a different one. I just… for the sake of time. What’s a good one? Okay, all right, here we go. It’s questionable whether or not this is an actual spell, so here’s one of a varying difficulty, more comparable to what Andrew had. Your word – your spell on Ex-SPELL-iarmus, Micah – is Peskipiksi Pesternomi.
Andrew: Oh, all right. And to add to the challenge, you have 30 seconds, because that’s how long the Jeopardy song is.
[Micah laughs]
[Jeopardy theme song plays]
Micah: So say it again? Peskipiksi?
Eric: Peskipiksi Pesternomi.
Micah: All right. Pesky, P-E-S-K-Y, Pixie, P-I-X-I-E, and what’s the last word?
Eric: Pesternomi.
Micah: P-E-S-T-E-R-N-O-M-I?
Eric: You actually got the second word correct. The first word was all I’s instead of Y’s.
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: Oh, okay.
Andrew: Micah, you’re an idiot. Everybody knows that.
[Eric laughs]
Micah: And the last word was what? Completely wrong?
Eric: No, the last word was correct. You got it. You got Pesternomi fine. But I guess it’s actually… so because it’s a spell, it’s not the word “pixie”; it’s P-I-K-S-I.
Micah: Oh.
Eric: So the full was P-E-S-K-I-P-I-K-S-I Pesternomi.
Micah: Got it. Okay.
Eric: All right, all right. We’re learning here.
Micah: N-O-X.
Andrew: I have for you, Eric. This was a spell to make light. Lumos! No, I’m kidding.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: This one was suggested in 1997 by Arthur Weasley to Ron as the best way to clear up the rain jinx on a Ministry office.
Eric: Oh no.
Andrew: It is Meteolojinx Recanto.
[Jeopardy theme song plays]
Eric: Huh.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: Meteolojinx Recanto?
Andrew: Right. I’ll give you a hint: two words.
Eric: Okay. Fortunately, I don’t think I have to say “space” when I’m spelling.
Andrew: No.
Eric: M-E-T-E-O-L-O-J-I-N-X R-E-C-A-N-T-O?
Andrew: That’s right! Good job. That one was a little stressful, because it’s long.
Eric: Two years of Latin.
[Andrew and Eric laugh]
Andrew: Do you think you would have gotten that one, Micah?
Micah: No, not a chance.
Andrew: Really? Oh, okay, good. All right.
Eric: This segment could use some polish, perhaps, but I think we’ve just succeeded in having a lot of fun.
Andrew: I think it’s fun, yeah.
Eric: That was, for listeners out there, Ex-SPELL-iarmus.
Andrew: Well, we’ve got to keep it around for the name alone. I mean, you can’t not do that segment when the name works so well.
Eric: [laughs] I’m glad you like the name.
Micah: You need a buzzer when somebody’s wrong to just…
Andrew: I know.
Micah: As soon as they say the wrong letter, just hit it.
Eric: Do you still have the “Easy” button lying around?
Andrew: I don’t have the “Easy” button. Oh, yeah, that’d be pretty funny, actually.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: Yeah, no, I don’t… we can get that ready for the next time we play.
Eric: Okay.
MuggleCast on Patreon
Andrew: So today we’re excited to announce that we are launching a Patreon for MuggleCast!
Eric: Woo!
Micah: You know, guys, we’ve been around a while.
Andrew: I know.
[Eric laughs]
Micah: MuggleCast has, for a long time, been the premier Harry Potter podcast on the web, discussing a range of topics like news, literary discussion, and diving deep into the fandom. These last ten years have really been the best of our lives with everything that has gone on with respect to the Harry Potter community, and of course, MuggleCast has been a huge part of that.
Eric: Sure has. As everyone does know who listens to the show, we took a little hiatus at one point a couple years ago, but then we came back over a year ago with regular broadcasts, and as we’ve discussed a bunch of times now, the Harry Potter fandom is heating up again, and it’s getting hotter every day.
Andrew: We really came back at the perfect time about a year ago, I guess I would say, because as soon as we came back, so to speak, we had tons of great news to talk about, and we’ve had such a blast over the past year. So this is all where supporting us on Patreon comes in. Patreon is like a Kickstarter, but for podcasters. By supporting us on a monthly basis for a small cost, it’ll make it possible for the hosts to spend less time in the Muggle world and more time in the wizarding world.
Micah: And our Patreon is really simple. Even Dudley would understand how it works.
[Eric laughs]
Micah: You can pledge $2 a month or $5 a month, and based on the milestones that we’ve created, we’ll be able to produce and release the show either twice a month or four times a month, which, based on my calculations – I’m not that good at math – means weekly episodes.
Eric: It certainly does.
Andrew: Back to the old days.
Eric: [laughs] Also, we’ve created a bunch of rewards to thank you for supporting us on Patreon. For example, those who pledge $2, we’ll be adding you to our “Thank you” page, and we’ll give you early access to our show notes each episode. Plus, and most importantly, you will be helping us get closer to releasing more episodes of MuggleCast monthly. I know we said that before, but it bears repeating. And then for $5 a month, you will get the $2 benefits, in addition to a printed version of our album art signed by the three of us, which has never happened before; a T-shirt, that’s curious; and also, the ability to suggest topics for special segments, to interact with us in new and exciting ways, and did we mention bonus MuggleCast?
Andrew: Yeah, so bonus MuggleCast, which what we’re calling for now… it’s not the additional episodes we’re doing every month. What we mean by bonus MuggleCast is that two times a month, we’ll be releasing bonus segments featuring more news, more fandom, and more fun. And in addition, we’ll be releasing chapter readings, where we’ll be taking turns reading chapters from the books and releasing them on Patreon, which I’m actually really looking forward to doing because I’ve always wanted to be Jim Dale, so this is the perfect opportunity.
Eric: [laughs] This is great, yeah.
Micah: And of course, there’s the benefit that’s bigger than all the others, right? More episodes each and every month, which means no theory is going to be safe again.
Eric: Even fewer theories will be safe.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: So for those of you who are curious and interested and want to know more, our special tiers and stretch goals are all listed on the side of the web page, which is located at Patreon.com/MuggleCast. And all of these were designed after receiving ideas and feedback from you, our listeners! Thank you to all who completed that survey. Pledges will enable us to increase production value and frequency of our podcast, and also, just in general, ensures a really strong future for the show. I know I speak for all of us when I say we really anticipate many years of magic to come.
Andrew: Yeah. And this year in particular, we’re really going to grow the show. We’re going to have more guest hosts on. I think we’re going to dive more into fandom, just the different aspects of fandom. We have a lot of stuff planned, because this is easily one of the most exciting years for Harry Potter fans in a while. So get ready, because MuggleCast is back, and we’re so excited to dive deep into the wizarding world once again. So visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast, and you can learn more information and pledge, and if you do pledge, you will immediately have access to a piece of bonus content, that and bonus MuggleCast. Thanks, everybody.
Eric: Thanks, guys.
Valentine’s Day at Leavesden Studios
Andrew: So moving on to some other news now, Valentine’s Day is upon us. I know, Micah, you’ve already set your plans with Jamie, but I actually have a greater plan for you two this Valentine’s Day. You and your loved one can have Valentine’s Day dinner in Hogwarts’s Great Hall in Leavesden Studios!
[Eric gasps]
Andrew: So you guys may remember… I’m not sure if we spoke about this on MuggleCast, that they did a… they let you have Christmas dinner in the Great Hall just last month, actually, and it was a huge success. They went viral, because everybody’s like, “Oh my gosh, Christmas dinner in the Great Hall! I can be basically in the movies.” They kept that Great Hall set up for the Studio Tour. And so it was a big success, so they’re doing it again this time for Valentine’s Day on Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14. It’s a little pricey, though. It’s $360 per person. [laughs]
Eric: Oooh. Dollars, not pounds?
Andrew: Dollars. But can you really put a price on the perfect date night? That’s what I’m asking.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: I don’t think you can. It’s a pretty cool night. You sit at an individual table, so you don’t have to share a table. It’s decorated with flowers and candles. You and your partner will enjoy a delicious three-course dinner, including a starter, main course, and an assiette – whatever that is – of desserts to share.
Eric: Huh.
Andrew: I’m assuming that’s like a platter. You’ll then be given exclusive after hours access to the Studio Tour, with the chance to see sets. And by the way, even before you get into the Great Hall, you’re greeted with welcome drinks and… canapés. [laughs] Clearly, I don’t know British words.
Eric: Yeah, small appetizers.
Andrew: Hors d’oeuvres?
Eric: Hors d’oeuvres type stuff, yeah.
Andrew: Okay. Including a special love potion cocktail. I mean, come on. Come on. Coolest date ever.
Eric: [laughs] Okay, all right, sold. When they start giving out love potions, and then you go and have dinner at the Great Hall…
Andrew: Yeah. I mean, this would just be the… I cannot imagine what it would be like to have dinner in the Great Hall, especially for Valentine’s Day.
Micah: It’s cool that they’re doing themed holidays, or themed events based on holidays and other things. That’s smart marketing.
Eric: They realize what they have here, which is people’s childhood memories.
Andrew: On the other hand, though, I’m not sure if J.K. Rowling is in love with this idea, because she’s all about…
Micah: Let’s ask her.
Andrew: … making things accessible to everybody, and this seems high-brow at this price.
Eric: Well…
Andrew: Now, I understand that they can get away with pricing at this high because the Great Hall…
Micah: They own it?
Andrew: Well, they own it, and it’s not that big, so tickets would sell out in a heartbeat if this was the cost of going to McDonald’s. But I don’t love how high these prices are. I think it’s a little unfair.
Micah: Yeah, it is.
Eric: So what is it in pounds? Is it like £150?
Andrew: No, £247 pounds per person.
Eric: Per person?
Andrew: Yeah.
Eric: Oh, wow. Yeah, that’s a lot. I mean, I guess it’s probably one of these things that J.K. Rowling has come to accept as inevitable. I mean, I think we have to as well, right? You said it; they own this, and they’re going to try and make money out of it anyway they can.
Andrew: Right. Well, they know they’ll be able to find, let’s say, 50 couples who will pay this much.
Eric: Right.
Andrew: That won’t be hard.
Eric: No, I mean, heck, if I lived anywhere near Leavesden… for me, it would be an extra $1,000 plus the $300, so I won’t be going.
Andrew: Even if you don’t have much money, it’d be hard to resist. If you did live near Leavesden, like you said, so you don’t have to pay for travel… I mean, if you wanted… when you do a Valentine’s weekend with your loved one, you spend a little money. I mean, I know I’ve spent money on a weekend getaway, and it’s probably gone up to $360.
Eric: Especially if it’s a themed dinner as well, with a starter and all this kind of plans. Plus, you’re in Hogwarts, so for the couple that is also both… if they’re both Harry Potter fans…
Andrew: Right.
Eric: … or better yet still, if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, and your girlfriend or boyfriend are Harry Potter fans, and you want to really surprise them and impress them…
Andrew: Oh, yeah.
Eric: … and maybe that’s the weekend you decide to give Harry a shot. I want to hear if any of our listeners…
Andrew: Give Harry a shot?
Eric: Give Harry a shot. Not physically…
Andrew: At love?
Eric: Yeah, for love. Like, to read the books and get into it.
Andrew: Oh, oh.
Micah: Yeah, if you weren’t interested in it…
Eric: Previously. Like, if you didn’t know anything about it.
Micah: And Andrew, you said you get after hours access on Valentine’s Day? I mean, that just sounds like a recipe for bad things to happen.
Andrew: [laughs] Micah.
Eric: The Room of Requirement set is open…
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: I don’t know what Micah is getting at, honestly.
Andrew: You can have 20 minutes alone in the Slytherin dungeons, for those of you who love S&M. [laughs]
Eric: I can’t believe where this conversation has turned, when I was just going to say that if I did live in the area, it wouldn’t even matter if I was single. I’m not single currently, but if I was single, I would take my mom. You guys are talking about S&M, so I don’t want anything to do with…
Andrew: Whoa, whoa, Eric. [laughs] What immediately… what I wrote on Facebook was I was thinking of this from the perspective of if, let’s say, you don’t care about Harry Potter, but your loved one does, if you surprise them with this date…
Eric: I’m telling you.
Andrew: … you would get laid that Valentine’s Day. Sorry to be crude, but it’s true.
Eric: Yeah, maybe in the Great Hall.
[Andrew and Micah laugh]
Andrew: With people surrounding you.
Micah: Or the parking lot.
Eric: Beneath the tables. I assume… so I guess the long tables are just going to be gone, which is a shame, because I wouldn’t mind eating… I mean, I guess for Christmas, it’s one thing, and for Valentine’s, it’s a little bit more personal.
Andrew: Yeah, for Valentine’s Day, I don’t think I’d want to be in a cafeteria setting.
Eric: With the long tables, yeah.
Andrew: But yeah, very cool. I’m sure they’re going to do this more in the future, because it’s obviously been very successful for them so far.
Eric: They just need a 365 days out of the year “Eat inside the Great Hall” at a Hogwarts hotel. That’s what they really need in the world. That’s what this world needs.
Andrew: Yeah. I mean, I’m really shocked that we don’t have a Great Hall at the theme parks yet. That seems like something you would expect to exist.
Eric: Sure. Do you know, is Hollywood going to have one?
Andrew: No. I mean, unless they’re about the really surprise us, but I don’t think so.
Cursed Child casting
Andrew: So one of the big news items that happened in December after we recorded our final episode of 2015…
Eric: Huge.
Andrew: … was we found out the three actors who are going to play Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which begins performing in June on London’s West End. And the three actors are Paul Thornley, he’s playing Ron Weasley; Jamie Parker, he’s playing Harry Potter; and then Noma Dumezweni – hopefully I’m pronouncing that right – is going to play Hermione. Now, Noma is a person of color, and of course, this shocked the fandom, because, “Oh my gosh, Black Hermione? We’ve had white Hermione in the movies!” And as far as many people assumed, white Hermione in the books as well. So fandom lost their minds. I still can’t tell if there were people who were… how many people were genuinely upset, because there were people who were upset, but it’s just hard to tell, amongst all the noise, was it just that the people who were upset were being louder than the people who approved? I think that’s what happened.
Eric: I’d like to believe that we’re generally a very accepting group of people in this fandom, generally…
Andrew: [laughs] Right.
Eric: … but I mean, I think it is a good question, because ultimately, the number of people who came out in defense of this… and notably, J.K. Rowling herself addressed it, and so apparently people were loud enough to get that kind of response. But of course, as is with any crisis or imagined crisis in the fandom, J.K. Rowling is able to address it and win it and shut it down completely.
Andrew: Yeah. So she tweeted… so somebody asked her, “What do you think of it?” J.K. Rowling responded, “Canon: Brown eyes, frizzy hair, and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves Black Hermione. (kissy face emoji)” So people were very excited by that tweet; it got 76,000 retweets. And she’s right, and this is actually something that’s been examined before. There’s a great article on BuzzFeed about the fact that Hermione’s skin color was never referenced in the Harry Potter books. Some people debate certain little lines, but as Rowling seems to confirm here, she never said whether Hermione was white or Black.
Eric: And I don’t compare this with a large reveal… to equate with “Dumbledore is gay.” “Hermione is Black; she’s been Black all along!”
Andrew: Oh, no, no.
Eric: No, but I understand where you’re coming from, but it’s… I don’t think it’s a big reveal. What she’s saying…
Andrew: [laughs] “Breaking news: Hermione is Black!”
Eric: Yeah, “Oooh, big news!” I think what she’s saying is people need to really loosen their skirts a little bit over this, because I… somebody else go.
Micah: To me, this whole story is just such a non-issue, right? And maybe… I mean, my perspective is probably far more liberal than maybe others who had issue with this, but my thing is… I don’t understand the issue, right? This is a play. This is a production where people get cast, and it should be completely irrelevant what the color of their skin is to play the role. It’s just… especially in 2016, can we…? I had more of a problem with the fact that I saw these articles making such a huge deal about it, and I understand that, but to me, it just is like, “Okay, this woman was cast. She’s going to play the role; I’m sure she’ll do a great job. Let’s move on.” But that’s just my feeling.
Andrew: By the way… well, yeah, of course. I mean, of course we agree with you. J.K. Rowling also added that Noma was her personal first choice for the role of Hermione. So there were auditions and…
Eric: And that’s great. Noma is a 2006 winner of the Olivier Award, which is the highest honor in British theater. Essentially, she is a better actor, a better actress, than anyone else we’re like to see on stage if we’re… just as Harry Potter fans. I think that her accomplishments speak for themselves. The very interesting thing that I was thinking actually just in general about this casting announcement was touched on by Evanna Lynch, who tweeted, “To be honest, new Hermione is Black, Harry looks like Ron,” and she said, “When I was cast, people complained about my HAIR, and it’s people’s heart, NOT their looks that matter.” But actually, Harry looking like Ron was my big issue.
Andrew: I totally agree with that.
Eric: You do? Okay, because if you look at them side by side, and it’s like, “This is…” And that was the announcement, right? “These are the three leads of the Cursed Child.” The guy who’s listed as playing Harry, which is Jamie Parker, and the guy who’s cast as Ron, Paul Thornley, actually look a lot like their other characters. But what are we going off of? Are we going off of the films? Are we going off of Dan and Rupert? Because actually, if so, that’s that way. But also, Jamie Parker does seem to have more brownish or auburn hair, so you just think of him as being a Weasley.
Andrew: Well, Paul… right, that’s why I see him as Ron. But I also see Paul Thornley as Ron, who is actually playing Ron. He kind of seems tall, kind of lanky. He just kind of reminds me of Ron, whereas I do agree with you that Jamie Parker kind of looks like a redhead to me. [laughs] Maybe it’s the lighting. I don’t know.
Eric: Yeah, I don’t know. You can just see it easier. Maybe it’s the lighting. That’s the thing; it’s just so… I think this is what makes me more comforted about this play, is that it is striving to be different. It’s actually setting itself apart, and by casting actors based on merit and not book descriptions – or movie descriptions, rather – public expectation is not how you should cast a play ever, no matter what.
Andrew: Yeah. And you know what? Once the glasses go on Paul Thornley – or sorry, Jamie Parker – everything’s going to be fine.
Micah: Peter Parker?
Eric: I’m actually taking Photoshop right now and I’m putting… [laughs]
Andrew: And I mean, I guess the other question is, is Noma going to wear a wig?
Eric: Yeah, I don’t know.
Andrew: Because didn’t…? Yeah, J.K. Rowling said the frizzy hair. I don’t know.
Eric: Well, and I’m just interested in where these characters are at in their lives. I guess from the plot, we know Harry is kind of struggling to father his son and kind of keep away the darkness and the fame and all that stuff. But I want to see the interaction specifically between Ron and Hermione, especially because that relationship was called into question in that article, right? Emma Watson interviewing J.K. Rowling. That dreaded… was it Wonderland? Or what was it called? The name of the publication?
Andrew: Wonderland Magazine. Yeah, that’s right.
Eric: Wonderland Magazine, yeah. And that expressed… it was just J.K. Rowling said that Ron and Hermione would have needed counseling or something if they were to keep their relationship going. And I’m just thinking, “Oh my God, but now we have this opportunity to… she has an opportunity to really follow up on that.” Not that she’s writing the play, but I really want to see some conflict between Ron and Hermione, even if they are peripheral characters in the Cursed Child. Except with a two-part play, there’s probably no peripheral characters, because you have plenty of time to address…
Andrew: One thing that may suggest what kind of answers we’re going to be getting is when additional actors are announced. So far, we only know that these three have been cast, and it makes sense, because they obviously want to build this play around the trio. But you also have to wonder how much time is Hermione actually going to have on stage? And Ron? I mean, this is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This follows Harry Potter and his son.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: So how involved are Hermione going to be exactly? It may not be much.
Eric: I do want to know who they cast as Ginny, because I’m looking forward to that relationship above all else being made more realistic. Even the books ignored it.
Andrew: Ginny better be a redhead. That’s all I have to say.
Eric: No, I don’t… well, maybe. Well, yeah, because the Weasleys have red hair, and that’s in the books. But I don’t know.
Andrew: I’m kidding.
Eric: It’s going to be interesting. But there was a lot of uproar or controversy, or people were certainly talking about it for weeks and weeks and weeks, and I think it’s…
Andrew and Micah: Yeah.
Micah: They were, but you mentioned it earlier, Eric, though; I think you hit the nail on the head. It’s different. It’s not the norm as we know it from reading the books, so anytime you depart from that and create change, people don’t like change, and that’s exactly what we saw in the reactions that certain individuals had.
Andrew: Yeah, it was pretty embarrassing to complain about this.
Micah: All I will say is this, okay? If you look around – we mentioned a certain presidential candidate earlier in this episode – and you see some of the things that are being said about different types of people in this country, I’m not surprised that we saw, still in this day and age, the reaction that we saw to Hermione being cast. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way that things are.
Andrew: Well, it’s funny you mention that, because I’m just reading a tweet here from Donald Trump. He just announced he’s vowing to make Hermione white again if he’s elected president.
Micah: Okay.
Andrew: I think that’s really amazing.
Micah: Well, he’s also partially banned from the UK, so I don’t think that he can make that happen.
Andrew: [laughs] They’re working on that, but that’s a good point.
Eric: They were working on it. They talked for hours about it the other day on the floor, I was reading. But they don’t actually have the power to make it happen.
Andrew: [laughs] So I think that’s all to say about that. But we did an article on Hypable I wanted to plug: “70 Questions Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Needs to Answer,” because this Hermione thing aside – like we’ve been saying here – there’s a ton of stuff this play could potentially answer. That’s one of the reasons why I think we were all so excited to hear that this was actually going to be a sequel, as J.K. Rowling kept telling us, [laughs] and very few people believed. It’ll be great to get a bunch of answers, and that’s why I’m excited to go to one of the first shows, so I can spoil it for everybody. [laughs] If you want to be spoiled, of course.
Eric: Oh, yeah, number 49 out of these 70 questions: Are Ron and Hermione still together? I want to know.
Micah: Yeah, I would just copy these all and start tweeting them to J.K. Rowling.
Andrew: Do you guys have any…? [laughs] How about the final 70 days in that countdown, we’ll just start pestering her with one per day?
[Eric laughs]
Micah: Yeah, one a day,
Andrew: By the way, Micah, didn’t you vow to start tweeting at J.K. Rowling about something on the last episode? I can’t remember what it was, though.
Micah: Yeah, no, I did tweet at her, either during the show or not too long after the show. I forget exactly what it was about. [laughs]
Andrew: Well, you better get back on that. You said you were going to bother her more, and I haven’t seen any tweets from you at her.
Micah: Well, come up with something right now, and I’ll ask her.
Andrew: Well, I think we decided on…
Micah: She’s probably asleep, though.
Andrew: Yeah, all right. Well, listen back to the other episode and start working on that.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: So I think that’s all we have for this week. Don’t forget, we have launched our new Patreon. Go to Patreon.com/MuggleCast to help support us. We’re really excited about what we’re doing, as we said earlier, and right now there is bonus content there waiting for you, and the first 687 people who sign up are going to get signed album art.
Eric: Woot!
Andrew: And we really appreciate your support, and we’ll have more news about this in the near future, because once we hit those milestones, we’re going to start doing more episodes. So I hope you guys are ready, hosts and listeners. [laughs]
Micah: I’m ready.
Eric: That many more versions of Ex-SPELL-iarmus.
Andrew: Yeah. And we’re going to start recording on the weekends again, so the sun will be out when we record this…
Eric: Ah, looking forward to it.
Andrew: … and we’ll have more hosts on because our cohosts will be more available, since it’s not during the week. So lots of good things to come.
Micah: Really exciting. And I actually found what I tweeted at J.K. Rowling; it was about the encyclopedia.
Andrew: Oh, that’s it! Yeah, you’ve got to start bothering her about that.
Micah: I’ll do another one.
Andrew: Okay.
Micah: This was on December 16; we’re now well into January. I think it’s time to follow up.
Eric: Once a month is fine.
Andrew: We should make a new Patreon milestone where, if we hit it, you have to fly to London and stand with a sign in front of the Palace Theatre that says, “We demand the encyclopedia.” Every day, every Cursed Child performance, you have to be out there protesting. What do you say?
Micah: Okay.
[Andrew laughs]
Eric: I think I would do that if the price was right, but okay.
Andrew: I’ll do it just for the Instagram photo. [laughs]
Eric: Honestly, our Patreon supports the show and supports us to make the show possible and make it continue to happen, so we appreciate any and all of our patrons, and there’s plenty of explanation, plenty of material over on our Patreon.com/MuggleCast.
Andrew: Yeah, and we’ll be happy to continue hearing feedback about it. Feel free to email us – MuggleCast@gmail.com – or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook. We’re on both all the time. Thanks, everybody, for listening. I’ll say we’ll see you soon for our next episode. [laughs]
Eric: Yeah! Yeah!
Andrew: I’m Andrew. Don’t bring that up again.
[Micah laughs]
Eric: I’m Eric. Yeah!
Micah: And I’m Micah.
Andrew: See everybody next time for Episode 285… 289. I don’t know where I just pulled that other number from. Let me try that again. We’ll see everybody next time for Episode 288.
[Eric laughs]
Andrew: And to close out the show, we will be saying goodbye to Alan Rickman by playing a scene, one of his final scenes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Goodbye, everybody.
Alan Rickman outro
Dumbledore: If you truly loved her…
Snape: No one can know.
Dumbledore: I should never reveal the best of you, Severus.
Snape: Your word.
The Sorting Hat: Gryffindor!
Dumbledore: When you risk your life every day to protect the boy…
Snape: He possesses no measurable talent, his arrogance rivals even that of his father, and he seems to relish his fame.
Harry: Don’t say a word against my father!
Snape: James Potter… lazy, arrogant…
Harry: My father was a great man!
Snape: Your father was a swine!
Snape: Drink the rest. It will contain the curse to your hand for the time being. It will spread, Albus.
Dumbledore: How long?
Snape: Maybe a year.
Dumbledore: Don’t ignore me, Severus.
Draco: Harmonia Nectere Passus…
Dumbledore: We both know Lord Voldemort has ordered the Malfoy boy to murder me, but should he fail, one should presume the Dark Lord will turn to you. You must be the one to kill me, Severus. It is the only way. Only then will the Dark Lord trust you completely.
Snape: Avada Kedavra.
Dumbledore: There will come a time when Harry Potter must be told something, but you must wait until Voldemort is at his most vulnerable.
Snape: Must be told what?
Dumbledore: On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric’s Hollow to kill Harry, and Lily Potter cast herself between them, the curse rebounded. When that happened, a part of Voldemort’s soul latched itself onto the only living thing it could find: Harry himself. There is a reason Harry can speak with snakes. There’s a reason he can look into Lord Voldemort’s mind. A part of Voldemort lives inside him.
Snape: So when the time comes… the boy must die?
Dumbledore: Yes. Yes, he must die.
Snape: You’ve kept him alive so that he can die at the proper moment. You’ve been raising him like a pig for slaughter.
Dumbledore: Don’t tell me now that you’ve grown to care for the boy.
Snape: Expecto Patronum.
Dumbledore: Lily? After all this time?
Snape: Always.