Episode 173:
In this episode, we break down the character of Severus Snape. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· Huge thanks to Leona Dolfie who submitted a fascinating theory about Grindelwald’s skull. If you want to submit any questions, comments, or theories, you can email it to thepotterdiscussion@gmail.com.
· 2:57 Who is Snape? He was born on January 9th, 1960. He died on May 1st, 1998. Snape grew up in a rather depressing area, but he did have a friend. Lily. Lily had no idea about the magical world and wanted someone to tell her about it, and Snape wanted a friend. They were perfect for each other. They both went to Hogwarts together, but they drifted apart after Snape slipped and called Lily a mud blood. They never made up.
· 8:32 What is Snape’s role in the story? There might be a fancy English term that could get close to describing him, but he is too much of a complex character to be fully encompassed in a single term. He played both sides while fighting for only fighting for himself. There is an art to what he does and the things he says. He is way bigger than a single role in the story. He is a 3D character for sure. He fights for so many things and so many people, there is no way we can call him just one kind of hero.
· 13:42 How would the story be different without him? First, Voldemort would have won and there is nothing they could do about it. Harry would have gotten captured far earlier, Dumbledore would have been killed, and there would have been no hope. Dumbledore would have tried to make a plan without Snape, but Snape’s position as a trusted advisor of Voldemort. Harry also wouldn’t be as good a wizard. We can lose sight of how good a wizard and teacher Snape was because of how mean he was to Harry. Come to think of it, Harry would be dead without Snape. Think of the first book. Quirrell was trying to kill Harry in the quidditch match, and Snape stopped him. Without Snape, Harry would have died.
· 21:40 What is his motivation? Obviously, his love for Lily is paramount. However there are others. When James died, Snape felt bad. Not for James, but about the fact that he died thinking Snape hated him. It was true, but Snape felt like he owed him. So Snape decides to protect Harry in his first year at Hogwarts. He did, and Harry lived. Snape went back to hating James’ memory. After a while, another motivation starts to evolve. He begins to care about Harry. Snape saw Lily’s son in Harry and wanted to protect him for the person he was.
· 26:32 Is Snape a good person? Is he trustworthy? Of course, we know that Snape is a good person. But is he trustworthy? Know it gets a little more complicated. This is the root of his character. At his core, he is trying to protect, avenge, and remember Lily Evens. So technically, he is loyal to Lily. If Voldemort decided to protect Lily, Snape would have been loyal to him. So is he really that trustworthy after all?
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Episode 172:
In this episode, we discuss the downfall of Cornelius Fudge. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· 2:09 The downfall of Cornelius Fudge. His reign began pretty well. The economy was stable and the secret of magic was safe. However, that didn’t stay. Once Voldemort began to creep back into the picture, Fudge fell apart. He was alright in the first book, but when the Chamber of Secrets opened, he was under fire. He arrested Hagrid just to show the world that he was doing something. In Prisoner of Azkaban, they can’t catch Sirius Black for the life of them. Fudge is panicked and he put everything they could on the case. It does eventually work, but Sirius then escaped, and they never saw him away. So, he was already set up for failure in the Goblet of Fire. The dark mark was cast at the Quidditch World cup and the world goes into a panic. Fudge denies Voldemort’s return as much as he can and convinces himself that Voldemort is gone. How wrong he is.
· 12:35 Fudge didn’t listen to Dumbledore. This was really the final nail in the coffin. Dumbledore is the one of the most powerful wizards in the world and the only person Voldemort feared. Fudge knew this and was writing to Dumbledore early on in his career. The times became good, and Fudge stopped writing. When evil came back, Fudge still believed Voldemort was gone, scared that the dark days would return. Dumbledore could see his crumble, so he sent envoys to the giants and pretty much became the Minister. There is a direct correlation between listening and the times going well, and not listening to him and times going bad.
· 19:21 Fudge was far too controlled by fear. Fear dictated his entire life after the Prisoner of Azkaban, and it prevented him from seeing the truth. He had the facts in front of him and simply ignored them. He did everything he could to make sure the world thought Voldemort wasn’t back, as if that would kill Voldemort again. If he had just done one single thing right, they would have stood a chance. But he didn’t and Voldemort returned. Fudge acted too late and didn’t do what he was supposed to. By the time Fudge finally realizes what was really happening, it was too late.
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Episode 171:
In this episode, we discuss whether the Defense Against the Dark Arts job is cursed. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· This episode was submitted by a listener! If you want your idea featured on the show, send it in to thepotterdiscussion@gmail.com.
· 2:14 A history of Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) teachers. First is Quirrell who appeared in the first book. He seemed like a good person, but was actually harboring Voldemort in the back of his head and was burned to ash a the end of the book. Lockhart in the Chamber of Secrets seemed too good to be true, and turned out to be a complete fraud. He placed a memory charm on himself that made him forget his entire life. Lupin was probably one of the best teachers Harry had, but he had one flaw: he was a werewolf. He resigned quickly after that. Alastor Moody seemed like a good person at first, but was really a Death Eater is disguise. Umbridge was arguably the worst DADA teacher we have ever seen, teaching through a book for fear of an uprising. Snape was the final DADA teacher we saw at Hogwarts. Snape took his class very seriously and had some very strict policies. Snape was killed by Voldemort who was in pursuit of the Elder Wand.
· 11:53 Does the subject itself have anything to do with their deaths? The reason why there is a higher rate of death for DADA teachers is the fact that those people are most involved with dark magic and dark wizards. Quirrell was young and wanted to teach, so when he took a trip to Albania and met Voldemort, it was the perfect situation for Voldemort to descend and get an inside man at Hogwarts. Similarly with Moody, Barty Crouch Jr. was a very skilled wizard that the world thinks it dead, so he was in the perfect position to take a post at Hogwarts. His downfall came when he had no Polyjuice potion. He was also one of Voldemort’s closest followers. Snape is also a Death Eater who is mostly in support of Dumbledore. Snape’s end comes when he became too involved with Voldemort and his position was one Voldemort wanted.
21:03 Is the DADA job cursed? Absolutely, but not for the reason you might think. There isn’t any magic that is involved with the position, it’s just the fact that DADA teachers are more involved with the dark arts than others. It is very difficult to find a DADA teacher who is morally good and good at magic. That’s why Dumbledore is forced to hire these people that aren’t the perfect choice by far. There are two ways you can avoid dying as the DADA teacher. The first is: completely eradicate every ounce of evil from every part of the world and make certain that there is no chance of any evil coming back. Or 2: don’t take the job.
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Episode 170:
In this episode, we discuss Tom Felton’s new book. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· Get Tom Felton’s book here.
· 1:47 What can be gained from this book? There are a lot of different stories that have a wide variety of stages in Tom’s life. The book doesn’t move in perfect chronological order. It’s very well done and every piece of the story fits in place. As to what can be gained, we can gain a peek behind the curtain of production on the Potter set and of Tom’s life. We now have a different view of the filming that deepens our understanding of the filming. We also see what was going on in Tom’s head. It’s hard to be put on a set with millions of dollars on the line and pressure of producing a fantastic film. With this book, we can fully understand what was going on in Tom’s head every step of the way.
· 9:52 Was there an element of surprise? No! Granted, I didn’t know 99% of the things he wrote about in the book about his life and just about every page held a story or piece of information I had no idea existed. But at the core of the book, it is the story of a kid dealing with the difficulty of being in a stressful situation.
· 14:55 Did Tom’s childhood affect his acting? Of course. He had a pack of brothers that showed him the world and were some of his first big supporters. They taught him how to fish and how to keep a job and how to steal something from a store. Perhaps what was more influential in his acting before Potter was his experience acting beforehand. He did several ads and projects including The Borrowers which was his first real time on a large-scale set.
· 19:24 Should similar books be published like this? Absolutely. Having this 3D view of the story is extremely valuable and any more stories of the goings on behind the curtain on set are only going to help the story. Anyone else who worked on the set could write something just as amazing.
· 22:25 What are some of my favorite parts in the story? First is the first chapter where he stole a CD. It showed his character and was a great introduction to the book. I enjoyed his stories of getting driven into work and his dyed hair. He also wrote about how often they corpse on set. A story that stood out to me was toward the end of the book when he left rehab for a bit and wanted to see some of his friends across town and met some very amazing people along the way.
· 28:25 Thumbs up or thumbs down? Well, surprise surprise, I give Tom’s book a giant thumbs up. It is a fantastic behind the scenes look on Harry Potter and what goes on in Tom’s life.
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Episode 169:
In this episode, we discuss Ravenclaw and how it is very underrated. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· This episode comes from a listener! Thank you very much. If you want to have your own idea featured on the show, submit it to thepotterdiscussion@gmail.com.
· 2:11 Who are some famous Ravenclaws? Rowena Ravenclaw is the founder of Ravenclaw and the founder of the diadem of Ravenclaw. Luna Lovegood and Cho Chang are some of the modern students in Ravenclaw house that we know in the story. Ollivander the wand maker is another Ravenclaw that is a huge help to the wizarding world. Flitwick is an awesome character with fantastic lines and a great sense of humor that brings a fascinating depth to the story. Perhaps the least known on this list is Millicent Bagnold who was the Minister of Magic when Voldemort was first in power. She handled the situation well and famously said “I assert our inalienable right to party.” Click here to learn more.
· 9:55 What are some of the traits of Ravenclaw house? First and foremost, there is intelligence. But it goes past a good grade on a test. Ravenclaws think about what they say before they say it and are very quick thinking. They make clever jokes and have form a retort in a matter of seconds. They are also funny. You can always count on a Ravenclaw to give a good jibe. Ravenclaws are also quite intuitive. They can read the room and have a good sense of what’s going on just by looking at someone’s mannerism.
· 15:59 What would happen to Hogwarts if Ravenclaw house didn’t exist? The education would skew away from wand-based magic. Thinking back, the things that are associated with Ravenclaw are dueling and quick thinking, the wand user’s friends. So, if Ravenclaw were to disappear, learning the theory behind magic would become a lost art. You’ve got to know what you’re doing instead of what happens.
· 21:50 What are some common myths and misconceptions? There have been several Ravenclaws who haven’t aligned with the Ravenclaw values and began some of these myths. Firstly, the thought that every Ravenclaw is a smart-Alec. It is very easy for a joke to come off as made to put someone down than get a laugh. Ravenclaws might also be seen as self-centered. Professor Lockhart might have something to do with the beginning of this one.
· 25:13 What are the takeaways? It’s simple: Ravenclaw is cool. There are a ton of amazing qualities Ravenclaws have and there is so much depth they bring to the story.
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Episode 168:
In this episode, we examine different couples in Harry Potter and give them a rating based on how healthy it is. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· 1:53 Why are we talking about relationships at all? Well, relationships are what everything in the Harry Potter story is built on. And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I figured it would be fun to analyze more romantic couples in the Harry Potter story.
· 3:52 Remus and Tonks. These are two amazing people that are fighting for good and with Harry, and they have an overall good relationship. However, they have one major problem: Lupin is a werewolf. Lupin was petrified that any children they would have would turn out to be a werewolf and it would turn out to be his fault. They get a thumbs up and a rating of 8.4.
· 9:13 Hagrid and Madame Maxime. They are two unique people who share many traits that allow them to be so close. What makes them so perfect for each other is the fact that they are both half-giants who find it difficult to form romantic relationships with any other person than someone who is a similar size to them. They also managed to iron out any difficulties early (unlike Lupin and Tonks) which allowed them to form a strong bond early on. They get a thumbs up and an 8.9
· 14:31 Lily and Snape. Though they might not have an openly romantic relationship, there were certainly feelings between them. Let’s look at them separately. Lily is a good person. She has good morals, and she understands social situation and is easy to be friendly with. Snape is thrilled to have a friend who cares about him the same way he cares about him. Lily needed someone who was magic like her to teach her about the wizarding world and Snape wanted someone to talk to. If they were left alone, they may have turned out very happily, but alas they went to Hogwarts and Lily met James. Lily fell for James, and Snape was devastated. He turned bitter and burst out, calling Lily a mudblood. Lily never liked him again. Snape was too volatile to form a healthy relationship. They get a thumbs down and a 6.7.
· 22:37 Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Their relationship is like that of Lily and Snape. There is one good person who understands how to have good values, and one person whose feet is too big for their boots. The difference comes with their separation. Dumbledore and Grindelwald still loved each other when they broke up, whereas Lily and Snape had no such feelings. This is one of those relationships that is difficult to decide a rating because they have gone through many stages. To rate their early stage, they get a tentative thumbs up and a 7.9.
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Episode 167:
In this episode, we discuss the future for Fantastic Beasts and the new development that there may not be another film. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· Check out the interview with Eddie Redmayne here.
· 2:43 Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Depending on your view of the series, you may prefer different things. If you enjoy the films for the story and the characters, another film is exactly what you want. But, if you take the more critical path of analyzing the film, you might not enjoy the fourth film if Warner Brothers were to put it out. Whatever your view, returns on investment might point towards the fourth Fantastic Beasts film staying away from a reality.
· 10:13 Where can we go from here? This is another question that we can’t have a correct answer to. It’s hard to think that this whole chapter of Harry Potter is going to fade into the background and amount to far less than what the filmmakers wanted to make and what we wanted to see. This is a dangerous and expensive game that, in this scenario, WB has lost. Now, we’re looking to WB for a continuation of the story.
· 15:26 How can the story continue? The perfect situation would be two more films to finish of the series, but let’s just assume that’s not going to happen. More realistically, I’m hoping they put out a sort of short film that wraps up the story that doesn’t cost more than $20 or $30 million to make. Unfortunately, that might not happen. What I think will really happen is some sort of statement from WB addressing this. They might say that they are planning the next films or say that the project is coming to a close. As consumers, we have no say in this. We just have to wait.
· 22:12 Let’s make a plan. Warner Brothers can take this many ways. When/if they put out a statement, we can react accordingly. If they say that they are planning the next film(s), we can gear up for the next release. If they say that nothing is going to happen, we can put Fantastic Beasts up on the shelf and call it a day.
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Episode 166:
In this episode, we discuss if Dumbledore is really a good person.
Topics/Summary:
· Check out episode 147, Dumbledore is a Death Eater here.
· 2:44 Why are we talking about this at all? Well, it changes the story a lot. If Dumbledore was helping Harry in a selfish way, we can see this in a very different light. In the Battle of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore comes to Harry’s rescue. Just think, what if Dumbledore was saving Harry so Harry could die at the right moment instead of just saving him so he would be spared.
· 10:30 Dumbledore makes a lot of sacrifices. His entire plan was to keep Harry alive until he could die at the right time, and he used human shields to do this. Harry’s sacrifice was the only one that had to happen. Sure, others may have died, but it was Dumbledore who put the rest of the people who died in front of Harry. It might have gone better if they set a trap for Voldemort or thinking of something else besides hope that he can’t kill everyone until Harry.
· 15:31 Dumbledore bears an uncanny resemblance to Grindelwald. A lot of the things Dumbledore is doing is very similar to a ‘for the greater good’ mentality. Both Grindelwald and Dumbledore think they need sacrifice to reach the perfect world they are fighting for. Even Dumbledore says he isn’t a perfectly moral person, and though this doesn’t mean Dumbledore is trying to develop these secret plots against Harry, just keep in mind the influence from Grindelwald.
· 20:42 Given the chance, would Dumbledore change his life? Not his current one, no. But his past… yes. If Dumbledore could go back and change his relationship with Grindelwald and give his young self advice, he absolutely would. Dumbledore wouldn’t change his life in a huge way, but he would want to tweak a few key things that would steer him away from Grindelwald.
· 25:10 So. The zillion dollar question. Is Dumbledore a good person? Overall, yes. Dumbledore is a good person. But, he’s not perfect. Dumbledore has made many mistakes in his life, making sacrifice upon sacrifice. The reason Dumbledore is a good person, is he didn’t make any big mistakes when it counted. Dumbledore used his youth to be with Grindelwald, then in his adult life, saw his mistakes and became a good person.
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Episode 165:
In this episode, we explore AI combined with Harry Potter. Enjoy!
Topics/Summary:
· There have new developments in the world of AI recently, involving tools such as ChatGPT. In this episode, we are going to be asking ChatGPT questions about Harry Potter and seeing if it can answer the question.
· Challenge question: What boat company did Newt use to get back to London at the end of Fantastic Beasts? Answer: The Royal Star Steam Company.
· 5:06 Is Harry Potter a good person? ChatGPT: “Harry Potter is a fictional character and it is ultimately up to the reader whether they consider him to be a good person or not.”
· 9:55 What could the story of Harry Potter have done better?
1.) Develop secondary characters more.
2.) Address racial prejudice more directly
3.) Explore the aftermath of the war more
4.) Address the consequences of magic
5.) Show more diversity in the wizarding world
6.) Show more of the Ministry of Magic
7.) Show more of the muggle world
8.) Had a more satisfying ending
· 17:02 What could Harry Potter the character have done better in the story?
1.) Communicating with his friends and allies.
2.) Trusting in his own abilities
3.) Not being so reckless
4.) Being more forgiving
5.) Seeking help when needed
· 27:43 Give me an outline for a potential 8th Harry Potter book please.
o “The book would begin with Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all being in their late thirties and living their own lives. The book would follow Harry as he is drawn back into the wizarding world when a new threat emerges. Harry would then seek help from his friends and allies, including Hermione and Ron, who would help him investigate this new threat. As they investigate, Harry and his friends would uncover a dark secret about the organization and its true purpose. They would also learn that the organization has been recruiting young witches and wizards, and Harry would have to stop them from doing so. Along the way, Harry would have to face his own demons, including his past and his feelings of guilt and regret about hie role in the previous war. The final showdown would take place at Hogwarts where Harry and his friends would have to face off against the organization and its leader. The book would end with Harry and his friends finally defeating the organization and bringing peace to the wizarding world again.
· 31:17 Tell me a Harry Potter joke. Here’s the best we got: Why did the Death Eater cross the road? To get to the dark side!
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Episode 164:
In this episode, we test out knowledge on Newt Scammander. Enjoy!
Topics:
- Where does Newt live?
- Which bank did Newt meet Jacob?
- Why did Newt say he was in America?
- Much more!
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Episode 163:
Hi everyone! I’m sorry to say I’m not feeling my best at the moment, so this episode is a rebroadcast of my favorite episode from 2022. Enjoy!
See original episode, show notes, and transcript here.
Episode 162:
Thanks. The world’s been pretty crazy this year, and I’m glad I could sit down every weekend and ramble about Harry Potter. I have a blast every episode and I look forward to every week, knowing there’s an episode or an Instagram post or a newsletter waiting for me. I couldn’t have done any of this without you, so I just want to say thanks. See you soon.
-Oscar
Favorite Episodes of 2022:
Episode 138: My Visit to Harry Potter Filming Locations in England! (Lacock, Oxford, The Harry Potter Studio Tour)
Episode 123: The Music of Harry Potter!
Episode 120: Analyzing the New Secrets of Dumbledore Trailer!
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