Caitlin and Alan are watching the Netflix hit Lockwood and Co, and want you to listen along! The Problem will cover each episode of the season, in the hopes that the show can find a new home. Just like in Measures of Truth, we will be comparing the books to the show, and trying to figure out what it all means. You can find the podcast page HERE or …

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about the final two episodes of His Dark Materials! Warning: these episodes could make you violently cry! We sure did. We love gay Mary! Metatron was almost human looking enough to be perfect! Will and Lyra’s story was perfectly heartbreaking. Our theme song is Clockwork Conundrum by NathanGunn Follow us on Twi…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan finish “The Amber Spyglass!” We debate the nature of Dust. What it means to grow up. If Philip Pulllman planned it all out from the start. We love this book, and we love the bittersweet ending. Sophia is a wisdom thing. Novellas are a thing. Telenovelas are a totally different thing. Teleology is a philosophical thi…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan loved episodes 305 and 306 of His Dark Materials. No notes. Just great. There is a His Dark Materials stage play. Amber is a tree thing. No Man’s Sky is a galactic exploration video game simulation. Wheel and axel is a tool thing. Ball Bearings are also a tool thing. Limbo is a liminal thing. Purgatory is a Catholic…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan debate if Will is a Jedi, can’t remember MacPhail’s new title, and are delighted to hear “Everyone is beautiful.” Ruth Wilson is our favorite again- but we still love to hate Lord Asriel. Iorek using a hammer off-screen was the right choice, but changing the Gallivespians was a mistake. The Matrix is a film thing. I…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan debate what exactly happened between Will and Lyra when they confess their love for each other in chapters 33-35 of “The Amber Spyglass.” We also learn about the science of coevolution and the garden of Eden. Who is sex-crazed on the podcast, and are they right? Christian Fascism is a political thing. Marzipan is a …

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about the return of His Dark Materials! Why is there so much Lord Asriel? What is Mrs Coulter doing waiting for a man? Why is Father Gomez so hot? And… wow Father Gomez has dreamy eyes… and- hot Father Gomez! Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe performing a poem in sign language. There are lots of sign language. The Swiss …

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about taking the lid off of canned god in chapters 30-32 of “The Amber Spyglass.” Mrs Coulter and Lord Asriel meet their fate, String Theory and Hermes make an appearance, and we argue if Marissa Coulter can be redeemed by one good deed. Tater tots are not archangels. Fragile Masculinity is NOT a thing. And fur…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about escaping the land of the dead in chapters 26-29 of “The Amber Spyglass.” Lord Asriel reminds us of a certain billionaire. Roger rejoins the universe. We argue about if souls have mass. All of the important stuff. NFTs are a scam thing. Elon Musk’s Hyperloop is a dumb thing. Monism might be a thing. Trepan…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan discuss chapters 23-25 of “The Amber Spyglass.” We gush about the perfection of chapter 23. Well… most of us do. What will you tell the harpies when you die? Maybe it will be a metaphor, but does that make it a lie? Will it be a buddy cop story with Lord Roke and Mrs Coulter? Because we want that. Modernity is a par…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan march into the world of the dead in chapters 19-22 of “The Amber Spyglass.” We rant about the Suburbs of the Dead, learn about Psychopomp Ferrymen, and argue about what Mary’s bliss is all about. Swindon is a (boring) place. Garth Nix wrote “The Keys to the Kingdom” series. Each of the seven books is named after a d…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan read Chapters 15-18 of “The Amber Spyglass!” Lyra and Will move to The Suburbs of the Dead, and re-forge the Subtle Knife. What kind of rocks did Lyra use for forging? Is the knife an Abstract Machine? Are children fully human? We talk about all of it. The idea of a White Savior appears in lots of Western Art, but i…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about Chapters 11-14 of “The Amber Spyglass.” We talk about the factions that clash over Lyra. What is Africa in Lyra’s world? Does quantum entanglement require violins? We find all the answers. Check out a binaural version of this episode! The Swiss Guard are the personal security force of the Pope. Meganisopt…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan read chapters six through ten of “The Amber Spyglass.” For the first time ever we all agree about our Least Favorite Thing- and so we argue about it. We talk about the science of Mulefa evolution, the real-world history of the Consistorial Court, and the morality of hunting children. Stephen Jay Gould proposed the t…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan are back to talk about the first five chapters of “The Amber Spyglass!” We debate if the book starts too slow, or just right. Should Lyra’s dreams of Roger get edited out? What on Earth is Gnosticism? Are Gallevespians venomous or poisonous? We (do not) have all the answers! Balthazar is a monster-of-the-week demon …

Caitin, Francis, Anya, and Alan loved Æsahættr, even if they can’t pronounce it. We talk about all of Season Two and our favorite parts of the finale. It was mostly people dying. We love it when we cry about characters dying. That is totally normal. Self-harm is a symptom of other struggles that can have many causes. If you or someone you know stru…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan debate if children deserve hugs in ‘Malice’. Mrs Coulter comes out as a super-hero, we ask ‘do daemons shed’, and Sarafina finally meets Lyra. Do you feel bad for Lord Boreal or do you want more child murder? What kind of choice is that? What kind of podcast is this? Alexandre Dumas was a famous writer, and had a mi…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan debate about who exactly is The Scholar, does theology enter into science, and is Mrs Coulter out of Lord Boreal’s league? Buckle up your monkeys for a lesson in spiders, snakes, and the Spanish Inquisition. Devon, England is certainly a place… with cottages… Spiders have a body part named Pedipalps which are usuall…

Francis, Caitlin, Anya, and Alan break into the Tower of Angels and find a civics lesson on English governance, sacred geometry, and the greatness of Hester. We talk about Metatron- who is NOT an fascist alien robot- and the best translation of a scene from the book into the show. Mary talking to angels!…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan reflect on Theft and disagree about what’s great and what needed more work. But we all agree it has a wonderful moustache. Come fan the hammer with us as we learn about life in an observatory and the philosophy of pedagogy. Bad Wolf makes ‘His Dark Materials’ and does not listen to our podcast. Probably. SciPy is a …

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan explore The Cave. We talk about Mary Malone, Oxford geography, and building a credit score with God. Watch out for the return of our Spoiler Section at the end! Hobnob Biscuits are popular in England, but would be called cookies by anyone in the US. The number of co-authors for Scientific Publications is increasing …

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan talk about witches, submarines, and witches on submarines. We loved the premiere of the second season. And not JUST because of Red-Panda-Pan. OK maybe 95% because of Red Panda love- but be honest! That is a cute daemon. We recorded this episode on Nov 7 2020 when media predictions in the US claimed an electoral vict…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan finish the second book of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and feel good enough about it to talk for over two hours. Do we finally figure out what Dust is? Does this book have an ending? What is the Alamo anyway? Some of these questions will probably be answered, but no promises. Our theme song is Clockwork Conun…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan discuss chapters 12 and 13 of “The Subtle Knife” by Philip Pullman. We can’t stop talking about Science as Mary Malone steals the show. We talk about Serpents, how Ruta is completely the worst, and question if Dust is Angels. Our theme song is Clockwork Conundrum by NathanGunn Follow us on Twitter: Anya @StrangelyLi…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan read chapters 9, 10, and 11 of “The Subtle Knife” by Philip Pullman. We remember that we love the witches, that we really missed Mrs Coulter, and we debate how exactly the Subtle Knife works. Are you ready to talk about the Z-Axis? Well get ready! Our theme song is Clockwork Conundrum by NathanGunn Follow us on Twit…

Caitlin, Francis, Anya, and Alan pull a heist as the COVID timewarp continues in chapters 6, 7, and 8 of ‘The Subtle Knife’ by Philip Pullman. Our theme song is Clockwork Conundrum by NathanGunn Follow us on Twitter: Anya @StrangelyLiterl Cailtlin @inferiorcaitlin Francis @franciswindram The Podcast @MoTPod Please email us contact@hallowedgroundmed…

Caitlin, Anya, Francis, and Alan read chapters 4-5 of’The Subtle Knife’ by Philip Pullman. Our theme song is Clockwork Conundrum by NathanGunn Follow us on Twitter: Anya @StrangelyLiterl Cailtlin @inferiorcaitlin Francis @franciswindram The Podcast @MoTPod Please email us contact@hallowedgroundmedia.com…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan welcome Francis to the team as we start Will’s adventure in ‘The Subtle Knife’ by Phillip Pullman. We talk about mental health, willpower, and how much we hate a certain Witch Queen. The Subtle Knife has a very different start and tone to it- which fits our weird pandemic time-capsule perfectly. We recorded the podcast on Ma…

By Hallowed Ground Media

By Hallowed Ground Media

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about great screams, too much hugging, and the heroine’s journey. We liked the bear fight but loved Lord Boreal and Elaine Perry. We stay on topic with robot murder, Spaceballs, and debating if Beyonce has a last name. Lord Asriel’s reaction in the video game of The Golden Compass. Meat-O-Vision is a visual trope in car…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about Bolvanger. Anya listens to the podcast in order to remind us of what we thought the first time around. Caitlin reluctantly enjoys witchy flight. Alan smoothly crams Dostoevsky into the discussion. Its one cliffhanger of a podcast. What is Floofy? What is a Bag of Holding? The Sami people are an ancient people in E…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan wrestle with this episode. Ma Costa is amazing, but Will is very different. And Will is fantastic, but Billy’s loss is not properly realized. Iorek is incredible, but can anyone be magnificent while struggling up a hill. All this, and knitting too. Halo is an ongoing video game franchise, and will be a TV show in 2020. Caitl…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about geese. We get foxed by some accents with our special guest Francis, we discover that Anya was metal AF in middle school, and Hester is the best. Is it Armor or Armour? Kaisa settled in the form of gyrfalcon in this adaptation. Why are geese hot right now? Oh The Untitled Goose Game. The Daily Show Correspondents. …

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk Ma Costa’s knit sweater-overall look, the great way Lyra was told about her mother, and teleology. Because we were made to talk about teleology. We don’t like book burning, and Caitlin has thoughts about Lyra wearing pants. But we all love Ma Costa and the Gyptians. Who is Kylie Minogue? Anti-Roma riots in Bulgaria are …

Caitin, Anya, and Alan loved ‘The Idea of North’. Pan is perfect, Mrs Coulter is scary, and Lyra is a North fangirl. We talk knitting, daemon manners, and Spinoza. Typical for us! John Adams was in an HBO special with his name, as well as being a supporting character in Hamilton. However, he was not given a part in The Addam’s Family. The Cursed Ch…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about the premier of His Dark Materials, Lyra’s Jordan. We have thoughts about the Gyptian Bar Mitzvah, opening the show with Lord Asriel, and the meaning of “EVERYONE’S SPECIAL!!” Explain yourself Beta-Asriel. Who is Lorne Balfe? He created all the amazing music on the show. String Theory? Mat Fraser has had a varied c…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan Book-Over The Golden Compass (Northern Lights) by Philip Pullman. We spoil the Narnia books, the Bible story of Abraham and Isaac, and the amount of energy needed to break chemical bonds. We spoil everything. So much spoiling. Horseshoe Theory is a thing. Cliffhanger vs Game Changer Harry Potter changed the world of publishi…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan cover Chapters 18-20 which is all about Sinful Chicken Stew, Iorek Bear-Jesus, and teleology (of course). What is Mrs. Coulter’s endgame? Why will only Anya stand up for Avocados? Listen and find out! Mortal Kombat was a thing in the 90s. Jamestown was initially a failure as a colony, but Carolina was more successful. Both o…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk Chapters 14-17, cassette tapes, and how Caitlin got all the science right. Anya spots a Plot Hole, Alan says scientists have no butts, and Caitlin brainstorms an ending quote live on mic. The Samoyedic is the Russian name for the Indigenous People of that region- especially Siberia. Meet Anubis from American Gods as pla…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about a universe where they banged a physicist- and a universe where they didn’t. We also talk about Chapters 10-13 of The Golden Compass. We find out that John Calvin believed in boring things, that no cats were harmed in Schrödinger’s experiment, and #NotAllBears. The slur ‘Gypsy’ comes from a mutation of Egyptian. Th…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan read Chapters 5-9 of The Golden Compass (The Northern Lights) by Philip Pullman. We talk about same-sex daemons, daemon sex, daemons giving away your emotions…. listen, we really like daemons! Also Astronomy, Freud, and Gyptians on the river. ‘Gypsy’ is a racial slur for Romani people who had an actual Scottish leader in Eng…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan kick off The Golden Compass by talking about its “real” name of The Northern Lights, the scruffiness of shoes in academia, and the danger of Gargamel’s pussy(cat). Paradise Lost by John Milton is the source of His Dark Materials and Golden Compasses. Read more about What’s Up With The Title of the first book and the HDM seri…

Caitlin, Anya, and Alan talk about the trailer for ‘His Dark Materials’, problematic authors who should not be taken too seriously, and polar bear plushies. Seriously. Will there be a chance to buy an Iorek plush?! This is important. And we talk about why we care about these books and the show and stuff. Panserbjorn plush!! Here is LSU’s Creative W…