Alohomora!: A Global Reread Of Harry Potter

On Episode 299 we discuss... → "We don't know jack about this boy" → Why did we not get a backstory on this critical character? → The weakest link → How much magical talent did Peter have? → "If there is a way to survive, he will find it" → Adaptable, resourceful, and competent? → Is Peter the best evidence that we sort too soon? → Why did Peter choose Percy to be his human? → The silver hand: a gift and a burden → Forever "Wormtail" after his first betrayal → Peter and Snape - the worst roommates EVER → Mercy is better than revenge

On Episode 298 we discuss... → "Thoughts can leave deeper scarring than almost anything else." → Is Madam Pomfrey a master potioneer? → Is Umbridge's trauma due to loss of control? → Harry is just DONE → Ultimate sassy McGonagall → Harry actually has a moment to grieve! → Ron's emotional teaspoon grows into a dessert spoon → Sirius and his parallels to the Deathly Hallows → Where Nick fails, Luna succeeds → "They always come back in the end" → Dumbledore's Army takes down Slytherin → Ginny, the confident feminist with a plan

On Episode 297 we discuss... → Turtleback storytelling → This is structured writing. Character-driven? Baloney! → We know that C.S. Lewis used this technique because of Rowling! → What do Twilight and Star Wars have in common with Potter? → OOTP = OCD → J.K. Rowling has a tattoo? → Literary alchemy is here to blow your mind → What does Order of the Phoenix have to do with Ewoks? → GoF = the crucial book containing the crucial chapter → While Harry is being torn down, Neville is rising up → Deathly Hallows Structure??

On Episode 296 we discuss... → GoF - the one time we see Sirius as a good father figure → Why does FakeMoody teach students to throw off the Imperius Curse? → What DID Moody do to the witch who shouted, "Boo!" behind him on April Fool's Day? → "Hagrid is the actual worst." → Goblin rebellions sound fascinating! → *cough*Lockhart*cough* → "Fanfiction - the gift that keeps on giving." → House Elves = Brownies or Robots? → Beauxbatons and Durmstrange entrances - #impressed

On Episode 295 we discuss... → How did Ron get away with bringing a rat to school, anyway? → Are magical pets a reflection of their owners? OMG YES → "Errol's going to outlive them all." → Crackpot theories about Crookshanks and Mrs. Norris → Amphibious metamorphosis and how it compares to Neville → How phoenixes are like jellyfish... and hipsters → "In the Harry Potter universe, rabbits exist only to die." → Snakes, spiders, and creepers, oh my! → "I think Voldemort is the best pet owner." → Why do Squibs and cats get along so well? → Fang is a heckin' good boy - 14/10 would cuddle → Pygmy Puffs are THE CUTEST... but, BOGIE EATERS?!?

On Episode 294 we discuss... → Does Golpalott’s Third Law actually make sense? → What if Harry had given a bezoar to Snape? → Slughorn compares Harry to Lily more than James → Why didn't Harry just ask Dumbledore what a Horcrux was? → Alohomora Research Corner: powered by Ctrl-F → A glimpse into classroom seating charts courtesy of the Hogwarts houses → Is Wilkie Twycross yet another bad teacher? → And then, Harry becomes a stalker → Fiery UNDERWEAR? WHAT? → Willow vs. A Midsummer Night's Dream → What if Ron had died? → Hogwarts, social-distancing before it was cool

On Episode 293 we discuss... → The political structure of the wizarding world → Do wizards see the Queen as the Head of State? → Is there magic within the monarchy and Parliament? → Rosie has become the official wizarding world archivist → The hierarchy of departments within the Ministry of Magic → Arthur Weasley - a lovable example of benign corruption? → How does British politics work, anyway? And, do wizards care? → Political influencers - from the Malfoys to Harry Potter → Irvin and Alison agree on something! Fudge sucks! → The corruption of the Daily Prophet is becoming far too real → Potterwatch = pirate radio → Be careful what you're reading, do your research, don't trust headlines

On Episode 292 we discuss… → Was Quirrell a victim of toxic masculinity? → You had me at hello → Lockhart is amazing at alliteration → "There is plenty to be learned even from a bad teacher..." → Lupin is Elsa...conceal, don't feel → Harry's first sane DADA teacher! → Did Barty Crouch Jr. enjoy teaching? → Good teacher, good actor, good plot twist, terrible human being → Parallels between Umbridge and Hermione?? → Gendered hatred or incredible hypocrisy? → Is Snape less vindictive as a DADA teacher? → Screw entitled incel Snape 

On this special bonus episode we discuss… → Getting involved with Harry Potter → The Wizarding Language of Heraldry → Deep dive into imagery, cover by cover → Black Dog and Potter → Artistic style, keeping 20 years new → Crafting the covers → Drawing Hogwarts

On Episode 291 we discuss... → Inbreeding is bad because it causes confusion! → Bellatrix has a dragon heartstring wand, which is a core shared by an odd cadre of characters → Why Bellatrix was killed by Molly Weasley → All of London should be covered in statues of Molly Weasley! → Why does Narcissa protect Harry in the Battle of Hogwarts? → Why did Narcissa only have one child? → How did Andromeda and Ted Tonks meet-cute? → Andromeda and Harry look after each other post-war → Alison makes herself cry a lot → Draco and Andromeda’s hypothetical post-war relationship makes us so happy!

On Episode 290 we discuss... Why is there no mention of Lily’s birthday? Harry is always comparing Bellatrix to Sirius Why is Umbridge terrible at everything, and why does she have it out for Trelawney? Snaps for Lee Jordan! Snape is the WORST at teaching Occlumency Kat’s teenage dating stories! Zoe wants to yell at Eric Scull Irvin has a ship that completely horrifies the other hosts Roger Davies has got game! Irvin should go work for Universal We try to think of the unlikeliest drinking buddies How would Harry’s Quibbler interview have gone with Cho present?

On Episode 289 we discuss… → Red shirt Death Eaters → The slippery slope of the Elder Wand's power → "I look real good in half-moons." → "The shop will choose the apprentice." → Could Boggarts be deadly? → Inter-species education → What happens to Muggleborns who aren't allowed to go to school? → Wizard money and taxes - good luck giving correct change! → Hidden animagi and where to find them → Room of Requirement money-making schemes → Inter-species relations - yep, we went there → The Sorting Hat secret

On Episode 288 we discuss… → How much do broomsticks cost?? → Who would have taken Harry's place as Seeker? → Oliver Wood's best chapter → How did Sirius REALLY buy the Firebolt? → How did Hermione keep Lupin's secret for so long? → Are Boggarts sentient? Remus certainly has an affinity for them! → Why "Expecto"? → Dungeons and Dragons makes its way into Harry Potter → Daniel Radcliffe's most iconic movie spell? → How a Patronus can be a form of therapy for Harry and for us! → Is Azkaban the only prison that employs Dementors? → Perhaps "happy memories" are not truly the best fuel for this spell

On Episode 287 we discuss… - Do we pronounce the T in “Voldemort”? - Why is Voldemort drawn to Horcruxes, and why 7? - We hate controversy… but was Harry a Horcrux? - What was Voldemort going to turn into a Horcrux with Harry’s murder? - Why not use the Fidelius Charm on Horcruxes? Can you be your own Secret-Keeper? - Did Voldemort choose how he looks? What inspired him? - We want to hunt diadems in Albania! - "Don’t look at me!" – What a diva! - How did Voldemort get his body back? Irvin has some really nasty theories! - Irvin staged the entire resurrection of Voldemort at MISTI-Con… because of course he did (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKpEcQwjMPQ&t=4s) - Does Voldemort have Voldybits? - Where does Voldemort fall in the pantheon of pop culture villains, and is he a successful villain?

On Episode 286 we discuss...  → Everyone is sad that Ron is dead gone → The cause for Hermione's tears → Mutiny! → Les MiserHogwarts → "This is some Gryffindor nonsense!" → Grindelwald, the Deathly Hallows, and who knows anymore? → Cursed Child parallels! → Bonding in graveyards → Fitting epitaphs → Rings and connections → We all cry for a while

On Episode 285 we discuss… - Deathly Hallows is book-ended by good food - Home is where the food is - We'll never look at movie food the same way again - One minute feasts? Yes please! - Oh, that's why Hufflepuffs sleep near the kitchens! - Hermione is not the domestic type - Growing boys need a LOT of food! - Danielle explains British food for us Americans - Crazy American foods in comparison - Why is there no tea time at Hogwarts?

On Episode 284 we discuss... → Lockhart should have been the Hogwarts Drama teacher...or a Siren → What really happened to the Wagga Wagga Werewolf? → The Not-So-Restricted Section → Hermione's one track plan → Symbolic Quidditch → Alison (and everyone) just really, really, really loves Oliver Wood → Fred and George, ultimate protective Beaters → Where are the adults with this Bludger? → "Breathing in Harry's bones" → How does Skele-Gro work? → Complications of Dobby's magic → Sock foreshadowing → British hospital grapes

On Episode 283 we discuss... → Is Lily Evans a Mary Sue? → Irvin recommends the “Lily Evans” web series by Apple Juice Productions → What was the turning point for Lily and James coming together? → Lily’s unusual inter-house friendship with Snape, and how much you can forgive your friends → Would Harry be spoiled if he had been raised by Lily and James? → Harry gets his bravery from James and his love from Lily… and so do Potter fans! → Ring theory: the Lily & James edition! → Why is it so hard for fans to forgive James Potter his transgressions against Snape? → James matured beyond his teenage years, while most of his peers didn’t → Everything about The Forest Again is beautiful and makes us cry!

On Episode 282 we discuss... → Tom Riddle the pun master → Harry doubts expelliarmus for the first and last time → Harry's journey with unforgivable curses → Voldemort's psychological torture backfires → Mechanics of fighting the imperius curse → Harry's quidditch training is very applicable → All Voldemort talks about is killing Harry → Does it hurt to die? → Lots of ring composition → More than one mistake in this chapter? → Not a single complete sentence in OotP → THE mistake → Bring my body back…if convenient

On Episode 281 we discuss... → J.K. Rowling - the master of reprise → Even Jo's tweets are written in rings! → A quick history of ring composition study in the HP fandom → Geeky glee → Literary alchemy in Potter → Too many parallels to list → Lethal White is Goblet of Fire → More internal book rings → OH MY GOD/WHAT/WOW/STOP IT! → Alison stops breathing → Would Voldemort have won if Lucius hadn't been a moron? → But wait, there's more!