The Nerdologues Present: She-Ra: Progressive of Power: Recent Episodes
She-Ra: Progressive of Power
A rewatch podcast with a sociopolitical twist. Each week, hosts Lauren Faits and Eric Garneau discuss episodes and issues from the surprisingly progressive 1985 cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power -- and get ready for its forthcoming Netflix reboot!
One last spin around the block. We recount the Secret Origin of this podcast, recall our favorite episodes of both our show and the show, and leave with a fun little surprise. MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Scorpions - "Wind of Change" w/ the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5 a very special "Listen to Your Heart"
We're tired of talking. We want to hear from y'all -- the people who really made this iteration of She-Ra something special. About a dozen and a half really incredible, thoughtful, open listeners send us audio recordings that tell their own story about how She-Ra, the Princess of Power has better helped them find acceptance, create art, understand the world, or even understand themselves. Thanks to everyone who sent recordings in; we can't thank you enough for sharing your stories. This episode, we hear from: Avery Aghata Megan Nathan Aaron Clara Daniela Emilia Jacob Hadas Jared Alex Jennifer Jem Annaya Paige JB MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Pretenders - Message of Love
As we near the end of our podcast, we wanted to put a nice bow on our time covering She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and fortunately, Dreamworks was down to help! In this, the first of two Twitch streams we're calling the "Exit Interviews," we've got a bevy of guests from SPOP ready to answer burning fan questions like "could Angella be alive?" and "does Catra shower?" This interview features: Jen Bennett (director) Josie Campbell (story editor) Phil Lomboy (editor) Noelle Stevenson (executive producer) Sharon Sun (board artist) M. Willis (writer) The second part of these streams is happening Wednesday, 8/26 at 5:30 PM PST! You can catch it over at twitch.tv/ericcgarneau.
Flashback Week ends with a very special episode (at least to one of us) -- Eric's favorite piece of Hemanimation, the 1984 classic "Into the Abyss," a super early look at what a character-driven story might look like for our favorite Twins of Power. Then we circle around to a wider discussion of nostalgia, criticism, and pushing cultural narratives forward, because of course we do. You can watch "Into the Abyss" here.
Our tour through He-Men of the past continues with this stop in, uh, the future to check on the origins of Mara. In Dreamworks' She-Ra she was an unforgettable character -- were the '90s as kind? Probably not. If anyone's curious, you can watch "Save Our City" here but, uh, that's your choice to make.
Our week of classic flashbacks starts with a look at the rarely discussed 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reboot! We're discussing the episode "The Power of Grayskull," which contains that series' only look at the Horde (they sadly would never get their own season), as well as the first-ever appearance of Despondos! Plus lots of neat lore about what Grayskull could actually be! We'll be back Wednesday with another throwback! If you're curious, you can watch "The Power of Grayskull" on YouTube. MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Duran Duran - Union of the Snake
The kiss. Redemption. The power of love. The future. Endings. Plus an interview with the one and only AJ Michalka! We talk Catra (of course), her forthcoming record, AND Celebrity Family Feud. What an episode. MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: R.E.M. - What's the Frequency, Kenneth? Heart - Alone Dio - Rainbow in the Dark Taylor Swift - All You Had to Do Was Stay
This week, the incredible Matt Young (Hello from the Magic Tavern, Improvised Star Trek) joins us for a deep chat about what basically becomes Adora's emotional climax for this series. We also talk about important ways the 2018 She-Ra improves on the classic (of which Matt is also an avowed fan), AND a hatchet gets buried...! MUSIC IN THE EPISODE Heart - Never
Yo, there's another She-Ra podcast in town, and that's awesome!! This week, we're joined by Jane and Nero, hosts of Podcast of Power, a podcast that's just begun its own journey back through the entire She-Ra series. They were gracious enough to jump ahead to the penultimate episode of the series with us this week; we spent a LOT of time talking about Catra/Adora/Shadow Weaver and you will probably have opinions about what we say! Get episodes of Podcast of Power here, please!! MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire) The New Pornographers - Failsafe Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
We're stoked to welcome streamer and She-Ra fan Bailey Meyers to the show this week to dive into an episode about friendship, love, helping in any way you can, and I guess learning what Grayskull is in this universe?? Also, Lauren, Eric, and Bailey launch their brand-new podcast! Catch Bailey's Goosedrunks as well as her Twitch stream! MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Best Coast - Who Have I Become? David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
Lauren and Eric get feisty on this guestless episode that recalls classic She-Ra tropes (remember "Duel at Devlan"?), and then there's some stuff about cancel culture, too. We are not on JK Rowling's side here. MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Roxette - The Look
Directors Jen and Kiki return for part two of their interview as Catra adventures with the Best Friends Squad for the first time! We meet the adorable Melog, and Eric and Lauren wade into the fandom's more contentious waters. MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Ozzy Osbourne - Shot in the Dark Karen Fukahara & Sydney Mikayla - Heroes on Fire
Once upon a time, we'd have as many guests on the show at one time as we wanted. It was a lawless period of vigilante podcasting. We return to those days with the first of TWO episodes featuring TWO wonderful episode directors for She-Ra, Kiki Manrique and Jen Bennett, who happened to work on the next two episodes we're covering, "The Perils of Peekablue" and "Shot in the Dark." This week, a classic POP character makes an appearance, Scorpia sings, and Lauren finally comes around on Sea Hawk. SONGS IN THE EPISODE: Peggy Lee - Trapped (In the Web of Love)
This week, staff writer extraordinaire Laura Sreebny joins Lauren and Eric to discuss "Taking Control," a heck of an episode that has serious implications for our friends both in space and on Etheria. Also, Eric gets some validation re: shipping Glimmer and Catra. Music in the episode: Springtime Carnivore - "Under the Spell" The Mountain Goats - "No Children"
There is SO MUCH to talk about this week. Not only are we rescuing Catra, not only are we fighting against the homogenizing terror of Horde Prime, but we're also talking to Keston John, the incredible actor behind Hordak, Horde Prime, and, making his stunning debut, WRONG HORDAK. You better believe we asked some stuff about The Good Place too (and Avatar, and Fortnite, and Killmonger). MUSIC IN THE EPISODE: Spice Girls - Wannabe The Good Place theme
She-Ra goes sci-fi and meets the Star Siblings in this week's episode, where Lauren and Eric are joined by staff writer M. Willis for an in-depth discussion of Bow and Glimmer's reconciliation, the power of genre fiction, and also Star Trek. Lots about Star Trek. For anyone interested, I cannot recommend enough that folks watch "Far Beyond the Stars" from Deep Space Nine. It is especially relevant this week. It's on Netflix! Music in the episode: Skunk Anansie: Intellectualize My Blackness
The guests are back! This week, friend and roleplay podcaster extraordinaire James D'Amato joins us for a discussion of one of the season's heaviest episodes. We're gonna talk a lot about cults, space, and apologizing. To check out James' podcasts, make sure to visit the One Shot Podcast Network online! For Noelle Stevenson's One Shot episode, you can listen here. Music in the episode: Sylvan Esso - Radio Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now Tegan and Sara - Closer Hootie and the Blowfish - Hold My Hand
Entrapta gets absolution, Horde Prime shocks Glimmer, and for some reason we talk a lot about the Office.
The season premiere is here, and it's all about the terrifying new threat facing Etheria! Lauren and Eric talk about the series' new Big Bad, and a tangent about 90s cartoons gets them thinking about the political landscape when they were young. Hey, remember Bill Clinton?
In this (much more focused) second half of our return episode, Lauren and Eric generate a literal Bingo card's worth of predictions on what they think will, may, and possibly-but-wouldn't-that-be-crazy happen in season 5! Here's a custom Bingo card generator you can use! Our predictions: 1. Catradora becomes canon 2. Glimmatra becomes the new key ship 3. NEW sword 4. Adora transforms without sword 5. Entrapdak fanservice 6. Hordak "restored," becomes hero 7. Castle Grayskull appears 8. Adora learns she's princess by blood 9. Prince Adam 10. obscure reference to New Adventures 11. Swift Wind gets partner and/or baby 12. Swift Wind sings 13. Lauren embraces Sea Hawk 14. Razz flies on a broom 15. classic MOTU/POP villain cameo 16. classic Rebellion characters appear 17. Glimmer wins Academy Award 18. epic space battle 19. Rainbow returns 20. Horde Prime jams hair tentacles 21. Shadow Weaver: bad again, good again 22. Catra gains suppressed superpower 23. Angella alive - on Eternia 24. a kingdom for Scorpia BONUS: Imp dies protecting Hordak
So, uh, it's been a while. This was supposed to be a quick catch-up episode, but it turns out we had a lot to say. Covered here: personal updates, Joe Biden, Shelter-in-Place, The Legend of the Fire Princess graphic novel, the Sonic toys, and the She-Ra soundtrack! What DOES Eric think of the new theme song? We'll be back Wednesday with our season 5 predictions!
It's the season finale, and so much is happening! Also, by fan request, we interview Sunna Wehrmeijer, She-Ra's incredible composer!
Lauren and Eric have lots to talk about on this week's episode of the podcast, as all of the plot threads for pretty much the entire series coalesce into the season four finale!
We asked, and the universe answered! This week, a real-live teen enters the studio to talk about their thoughts and feelings about She-Ra and the Princesses of Power! Plus, Micah and Entrapta are back, we have different opinions about what it would take for Catra to earn a redemption arc, and we talk about the bogus concept of "balance."
New content is back! This week, Lauren and Eric dive into an episode with lots of EMOTIONS. We talk about fighting with friends, bad guys, and, oh yeah, lots and lots of shipping (and also topics with much more gravity).
A rerun? I know, I know. Unfortunately Eric couldn't record a new episode this week due to some personal stuff involving his dog, but this podcast episode from the pre-Dreamworks days was on his mind a lot so he thought he'd share it again. Maybe you'll enjoy this look back at how the show used to be! Even if you don't, please give some thoughts, love, and care to our animal friends this week. If you'd like to check out some of our favorite local organizations doing just that, you can visit Sit Stay Read and Alive Rescue.
It's the densest, most continuity-filled episode yet! Our fan and great friend Ben Rathert joins us to talk about the tantalizing backstory of "Hero" and its many questions and answers. Colonialism will be discussed. Also, we've got some letters to read!
This week it really is ONE FOR THE BOYS as She-Ra writer/script coordinator Shane Lynch joins us to talk about the music, the feelings, the men, and the women of one of She-Ra's most harrowing episodes yet, "Boys' Night Out"!
This week, we're delighted to be joined by longtime Harry Potter podcaster Eric Scull (14 years!!) for his first She-Ra experience as we dive into the tangled reef of "Mer-Mysteries." Also, JK Rowling and impeachment.
This week, Scorpia defects, and we talk to retired veteran and RPG author Danny Oliver about his time in the military, diversity in the ranks, and why he saw people leave the armed forces. If you want to learn more about Danny's writing, you can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon.
Just like the old days, Lauren and Eric go guestless on this episode to chat about Light Hope, Mara, and our favorite trio of Horde Cadets, including this episode's unlikely hero, the one and only Kyle! Also, some political stuff happened.
This week, we take a dive into some of our favorite major and less-major characters with special guest Sean Rose, creator and host of the podcast The Hornet's Nest! From Catra and Glimmer to Netossa and Spinerella, all of your favs get put under the microscope.
This week, RPG author/convention organizer Ginny Loveday joins us for a discussion of parties, deception, and a very mean Catra. It's "Flutterina" time!
We're back to the Crimson Wastes this week with special guest Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, She-Ra's voice director and a person with an incredible career in animation (that makes Lauren nerd out a little). The return of Geena Davis! The debut of Double Trouble! We've got it all, plus a little Cowboy Bebop history for all the anime fans out there.
Season 4 is here! Join Lauren, Eric, and Rebecca Goldberg, Director of Current Series at Dreamworks Animation, to dive into a big new era for our favorite characters, starting with Glimmer's ascension to queendom! (And apologies for some weird audio glitches that creep up in this episode; I guess our studio was taking an off day)
We're back! This week, we look forward to season 4 and share our hopes and dreams with Professor of Communications Zack Stiegler, who was kind enough to visit the studio while he was in town for DePaul University's Fan Studies Network North America Conference, presenting a paper on fan responses to She-Ra and the Princesses of Power!
This week, Lauren and Eric are joined by the one and only Aimee Carrero, the voice of Dreamwork's She-Ra/Adora! Get insight into She-Ra's recording process, Aimee's background in International Relations (!!), Adora's emotional grounding, and so much more in this sweet interview with a wonderful talent!
The incredibly talented Tim Seeley makes a triumphant return to our show to talk about a couple of the comics he's been cooking up lately, including the must-read He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse! We also get to be a few of the first to introduce him to the new She-Ra series with a discussion of the episode "Remember."
This week, we discuss the time-honored tradition of fan art with the incredible artist Fey, who, among other things, has made a pretty freaking beautiful She-Ra tarot deck you can see on her Tumblr page! We also chat with Fey about "Moment of Truth," the Endgame of She-Ra episodes!
Technical difficulties pushed our next guested episode to next week, but that's okay! Lauren and Eric have a lot to unpack from the news coming out of last weekend's Power-Con convention, including new toys, a sweet new comic from our friend Tim Seeley, and an animated sequel to the original He-Man!
This week, we unpack the rich and evolving Catra/Scorpia dynamic with guest Katie Utke, a student of fan culture, Disney, and especially of queer coding in animation! Plus, New Adventures of He-Man makes a surprising impact on the Princesses of Power.
This week, a classic She-Ra character returns in a version that Lauren and Eric like way way better. Plus, Lauren and guest Stephen Poon recap their visit to She-Ra co-creator J. Michael Straczynski's recent book signing in Chicago!
She-Ra's back and so are we! This week, Lauren and Eric discuss an incredibly dense and rewarding episode that takes a deep dive into Adora's history.
For this week's season finale, men get emotionally vulnerable as, inspired by Bow's two dads, we talk nontraditional families with special guest Chris Zamiar! Get ready to feel stuff!!
This week, it's all Shadow Weaver all the time as we talk about raising children, power, and trauma with actor and nanny Shannon Campe!
When one of your listeners reaches out to try out an RPG inspired by She-Ra that she created, you listen! This week, we talk to designers Quinn Bleiler and Keisha Howard about their experience in the gaming industry and their love of She-Ra, and we try out a couple scenarios from Quinn's very own RPG, For the Honor! To keep up to date with For the Honor, visit its homepage here or follow Quinn on Twitter for all her projects! Keisha hangs out on the web here and Project Violacea has its own page on the Sugargamers website.
Lauren and Eric finally unpack their trip to visit Dreamworks in Los Angeles last month, AND they get to have a lovely chat with She-Ra's executive in charge of production, Gregg Goldin!
We tackle She-Ra's biggest relationship episode yet with, well, a relationship expert -- Trin from the podcast Friendshipping! Get ready for some scorching hot takes about your favorite characters! Is Scorpia purely misunderstood? Who's the most evil Horde member? Is Sea Hawk actually cool? The answer to these questions may surprise you!
We all know what a delight this week's episode of Princesses of Power is, right? We're gonna share that delight with special guest Liz Burton from the all-female D&D podcast Dungeons, Dice, & Everything Nice! We discuss roleplaying, animation, nostalgic tributes, and Netflix foibles in an episode that Eric has watched over and over again.
This week, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power staff writer Katherine Nolfi joins Lauren and Eric to talk about "Signals," which brings Hordak out of the shadows and into the narrative in a big way. You think we'll find out what he's up to?
The second and final installment of our tribute to co-creator of the original She-Ra series Larry DiTillio finds our adventuring party closing in on the mystery of the Inverted Pyramid. Finally, some combat! Special thanks to Logan Dean for writing and running this adventure. You can enjoy his podcast Low on the regular! If you didn't hear the first part of this story a couple weeks ago, you should probably check that out. Thanks to our fans for being willing to go along with a couple of weird episodes; we're back to the Dreamworks series next week in a big way! And thanks, of course, to Larry DiTillio, one of the coolest cartoon writers of all time.
Our heroes grapple with the meaning of community -- and Glimmer and Bow grapple with a real ethical dilemma -- on this week's episode. Featuring guest Jess Cwik, a lover of She-Ra, an expert on cosplay, and part of the Arda Wigs family! This is probably also the only time in our podcast's history we'll earnestly recap an episode of the 2002 He-Man reboot.
The first of a few episodes this season that do a little something different! Longtime She-Ra/He-Man scribe Larry DiTillio passed away in our off season; listeners of this show know the tremendous impact Larry had on this mythos we love but also on us personally. So, we thought we'd pay Larry tribute by embracing one of his other huge contributions to the world -- the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game! This week, guest Keeper (it's like a Dungeonmaster) Logan Dean from the podcast Low runs Lauren, Eric, and returning guests Jacob Torbeck and Marcus Warren through the first part of a brief adventure inspired by Larry's incredible Call of Cthulu campaign "Masks of Nyarlathotep" as well as his classic Masters of the Universe two-parter "House of Shokoti"! We hope to heck you enjoy this cuz it was really fun to make.
Lauren and Eric return for the fourth season of their show with a discussion of the season two premiere of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, plus a little bit of catching up from the break and a little bit of information on what you can look forward to on this latest batch of Progressive of Power! We're gonna have a lot of fun over these next few months, folks.
It's the only way our season could end! Lauren and Eric welcome She-Ra executive producer and showrunner Noelle Stevenson to the pod to chat about nets, real-life villains, rainbows, and so much more! Thank you Noelle and Dreamworks for all of your support. To our listeners -- we'll see you in about a month!
The introduction of Light Hope to Princesses of Power brings a lot of surprising and fascinating lore with it. Who better to chat with about her episode, then, than She-Ra story editor and writer Josie Campbell? (No one, that's who!) Also, if you've ever wondered about how much math writers use in their job, this episode is for you.
Two adults who host a She-Ra podcast are at least self-aware enough to know that ultimately, the show's meant for kids. So we decided to interview one! This week, Vera, 8, tells us about why she loves the Princesses of Power and why "Promise" is her favorite episode. Eric also reveals the source of his longstanding feud with the Goldbergs.
Art director Elizabeth Kresin joins Lauren and Eric to discuss one of the most emotional and character-driven entries in the first season of Princesses of Power, and we get a look inside the creative design process of the show to boot!
Character designer Rae Geiger joins Lauren and Eric via Skype to chat about their favs Entrapta, Mermista, Olivia Octavius, Kate McKinnon, and a bunch more on this very sweet episode of our show! There's also some political stuff at the end. Definitely follow Rae on Twitter and giant thanks to them and the whole Dreamworks crew for a really excellent interview.
This week, Lauren and Eric get fashionable with special guest Ashley Demma, an expert on dress who shares some terrific insight into the formal wear gracing our heroes and villains in one of the most striking episodes of Princesses of Power! Follow Ashley on Instagram for more insights, and stick around for one fan's tremendous theory about Kyle! As promised in the episode, here as Ashley's Shoplook sets if YOU want to channel some Princess Prom style at your next formal outing.
We're heading back to Mystacor for a look at some of the deeper themes of trauma and healing in the episode, including a chat with school psychologist and returning guest Rachel Megibow, who even uses She-Ra to talk with her students! Also, any fans in New Orleans, we are serious about coming to see you!
In the first of our two-part look at this episode, we talk with Emily Mozartmaid (author of the OTHER political She-Ra project, the She-Ra Generation Blog) about an episode rich with connections to the past, including digging into our favorite character, the one and only Shadow Weaver. Definitely give Emily's blog a read, especially if you're feeling nostalgic for some classic Princess of Power action!
Lauren and Eric respond to some tweets and emails from fans of the show, including a mea culpa re: our treatment of the topic of veganism last season. Thanks to everyone who continues to write in and give us lots of good stuff to think about!
This week, it's Eric's turn to throw some shade as we cover Princess Entrapta's introduction to the squad, "System Failure." Good thing we're joined by the awesome Duo Yang, who goes hard for his favorite princess and brings some fascinating observations about the role of technology in society.
This week, Lauren, Eric, and guest Ryan Ferguson take on toxic masculinity, finding your tribe, and being "over it" in a discussion of a trio of rich new characters -- Sea Hawk, Mermista, and Scorpia. Huuuuge thanks to impromptu engineer Logan Dean for helping us record Ryan on Skype. Logan hosts his own podcast, a super-sweet synth-drenched D&D actual play called Low that I think y'all would really dig! Find this episode on: Apple Podcasts Google Play Spotify Stitcher (feeds may take a few minutes to update new episodes)
Illinois Science Council Associate Board president Michael Sherrillo joins Lauren and Eric in the greenest, most political episode yet of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power! From the failures of Good Vibes Only (TM) to eating bugs, this episode has it all!
Vintage toy reseller and longtime She-Ra fan Matt Leuck joins us to chat about the Princesses episode with the strongest connection to the past. Plus, we dive into how political this reboot really is (or isn't), and Eric has a beef with the new theme song. You can shop Matt's online store here!
She-Ra's back on Netflix, and our show's back for season 3! In the first part of our two-part premiere, we talk with a couple adults -- one television critic, and one longtime Noelle Stevenson fan -- who've never watched She-Ra before! Do you think we all liked it? Recorded live at the Cards Against Humanity Theatre! Make sure to check out Clint over at Consequence of Sound and Alcohollywood, and Shelby will be taking over the Nerdologues' Your Stories podcast in December!
Lauren and Eric check in with a pre-election message and some initial responses to the Netflix series' promotion! In case you haven't for some reason, you can catch the Dreamworks She-Ra trailer here. And more importantly, make sure to vote on November 6. Great resources include Vote.org and BallotReady.org. We'll see you on November 17!
Lauren and Eric pop back for a summer check-in on the unveiled Netflix designs, the forthcoming Power of Grayskull documentary, and any reasonably good political news they can scrounge up. DISCLAIMER: This was recorded at a venue that wasn't meant for podcasting (though we were invited to record there). There's some background noise and it's pretty echoey. Sorry about that!
Well, friends, here we are at the end of our second season. Just like last year, we wanted to close out the season with a live finale celebrating our show, our past guests, and our favorite franchise. This time, we decided to watch 1987's live-action Masters of the Universe at that party, and we invited our friends Jon Clarke (Caffeinated Comics, Without U2) and Symphony Sanders (Welcome to Night Vale, Good Morning Night Vale) to join in the fun. Special thanks to off-stage returning guest Tim Seeley; make sure to pick up his Injustice vs. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe this summer. We'll see ya soon!
Turns out we released last week's prediction episode a little too early. This week, Lauren and Eric jump back into the studio for a better-informed look ahead at the Netflix reboot based on last week's press release.
This week, Lauren and Eric share their thoughts and hopes on the forthcoming Netflix She-Ra reboot. From politics to cast size to serialization to fan culture, let's all look forward together, huh?
This week, Lauren dives into her expertise in costuming as we analyze the function & fashion of the clothing of Etheria. If you ever wanted a shortcut to understanding effective costume design, Lauren shares her three key aspects here. Also, Frosta gets saucy.
As we round the corner on season 2, Lauren and Eric wanted to take some time to dive into topics that are especially important to them. This week, Eric's up first with a look at some iconic '80s soundtracking. From He-Man to Power Rangers to Hillary Clinton, composer, publisher, producer, and political donor Haim Saban sure has a story. This week, we dive into his musical creations for She-Ra: Princess of Power -- and also consider arts education and the show's resident musician/kinda jerk.
Even in the far-off fantasy land of Etheria, society's stratified in a way that values status and possession. This week, we look at three episodes that show how nobility is falsely valued, how an ineffective class of elites can help lay down a red carpet for fascism, and how the thirst for possessions and status leads to a destructive mentality of "never enough" that we see in politicians at both a national and homegrown level. All in, yes, a show about toys that only exists because of Reagan-era deregulation! This podcast is for the 99% of She-Ra fans. Featuring special guest Holly Chernobyl.
This week, we look at three episodes that can teach us a little something about giving people the space to change with special guest Jeffrey Johnson. Whether it's your parents, your romantic interests, or a super-powerful wizard who lives inside a tree, She-Ra gave some pretty thoughtful presentations to important social issues over 30 years ago.
This week, strength training podcaster Bryan Duff joins Lauren and Eric to talk about self-confidence and strength in a world of Charles Atlases. Bryan's one of the hosts of the podcast Average Strength, another new show in the Nerdologues family!
Every once in a while, She-Ra reminds us how '80s it is. This week, as we look at how the show (and its brother program Masters of the Universe) treats physical beauty, we get a pretty messed up lesson. Featuring special guest hairstylist and beauty expert Abby Doud!
Since the beginning of this show, Shadow Weaver has been Lauren and Eric's favorite character. This week, it's all about her and a bevy of issues she touches -- the intersection of science and religion, technology as a cure for impatience, lust for power, and of course Skeletor. Featuring special guest theology professor Jacob Torbeck!
After a season of making fun of Loo-Kee, Lauren and Eric thought it was time to give him the attention he and his end-of-show moralizing deserves. Appropriately, we brought along an ethics professor to help us out. We're taking a look(ee) at the only two episodes in which he factors into the narrative, the aptly named "Loo-Kee Lends a Hand" and "Loo-Kee's Sweety," and we learn a whole lot about ethical dilemmas in the process thanks to special guest professor Russell Ford!
NEW TO THE NERDOLOGUES! SEASON TWO PREMIERE! Lauren and Eric look at the very beginning of He-Man and She-Ra and consider the recent Netflix documentary The Toys That Made Us with special guests Sam Wells (half-owner of Chicago's incredible vintage toy store Toy De Jour) and Tim Seeley, a guy who literally wrote the book on He-Man toys... and also, it turns out, wrote the brand bible for Netflix's forthcoming She-Ra reboot. On the episode Lauren mentions we both made She-Ra inspired playlists in the offseason. Here's Lauren's; here's Eric's.
The only way the season could end! Guests JB Anderton, Dean Neilly, and Rachel Pitt join Lauren and Eric to discuss a wide swath of holiday traditions and their media representation against the backdrop of one of the most infamous entries in the He-Man/She-Ra canon. Skeletor has his Grinch moment, Horde helicopters take dubious shapes (we’ll talk about it!), and Prince Adam denies the War on Christmas. This was a nice time. Recorded live at the Cards Against Humanity Theater, and we also had punch & pie, so it’s a little looser than normal. Be warned. This is also our season finale. We’ll be back next year! Watch this page for our return!
Lauren finally gets to meet one of She-Ra’s colorful friends as we travel to Frosta’s Kingdom of Snows for a brewing conflict with the Selkies over some Horde trickery. Russia’s on the table, and so is the hilarious incompetence of Multi-Bot. With special guest Sean Kelley from Improvised Star Trek! Shout out to Teaching for Change, an organization that helps teachers and parents cut through bias and propaganda in education. Referenced in the episode by Eric, this is one of the best pieces of journalism you’ll ever read — but seriously, block out an hour to do it. From the Atlantic, “How America Lost Its Mind.” IMPORTANT NOTE: We recorded this before this week’s exciting news about a Netflix reboot. Suffice to say, we definitely aren’t ending our show now!
This week, we’re finally talking about an issue that is (mostly) bipartisan – animal rights! We’ve got special guest zoo professional Jon Meisenbach to share his thoughts on the Horde’s attempted conquering of Unicorn Island, and Lauren and Eric gush about their dogs a lot. Special shout-out to Sit Stay Read, one of Eric’s very favorite Chicago nonprofits. You should definitely read about the amazing work they do.
The Whispering Woods is broken and so is the way we think about caring for people. This week, Dr. Adam Del Conte joins Lauren and Eric to talk about access to healthcare, how environmentalism relates to well-being, and meeting the real She-Ra (almost definitely). In this episode we shout out to the Patient Advocate Foundation, an excellent group that can help those struggling with medical access and debt.
This week, the Rebels find a friend in an unlikely place, and Lauren and Eric discuss the potentials and limits of finding real-life allies from across the aisle. Is John McCain an actual General Sundar? Eh, maybe! Roy Moore definitely isn’t. Shout out to Flippable.org for putting considerable energy into doing some allegiance-flipping in three dimensions!
Skeletor drops in on Etheria with the most dastardly plan of all: EVIL PIE. Someone has to cry for Hordak, and we discuss the social and political value of empathy. Featuring special guest elementary school psychologist Aaron Hosek. Shoutout this week to 826 Chi, a great local organization helping foster empathy by giving kids the tools to share their stories.
This week, we look at an under-the-radar gem of the She-Ra series that teaches kids everywhere how important it is to play to their own strengths, even if they can’t lift tanks over their head like our favorite Princess of Power. Lauren and Eric learn something, too, as we talk about trying to develop our own strengths that don’t relate to trashing robot troopers.
This week, we tackle a beloved episode and She-Ra’s biggest issue — representation of anybody who isn’t white. And hey, thanks to Hordak’s evil plot, Fake News is also on the docket! With special guest Dawn Xiana Moon.
What happens when a group of spacefaring rocks that transform into pacifist humanoids try to immigrate to Etheria? What a hot topic! Plus we welcome guest Christina Bailey, who speaks on her own experiences as part-Latino, part-white in the US, and we finally dive (a little bit) into the really poor gendered marketing of the Princess of Power and Masters of the Universe toys. Here’s that super sweet Rock People commercial we assumed must exist. It does!
This week: Hordak treasures guns, Madame Razz runs into an ex, and, in an episode about the power of art to resist, we once again confront Confederate monuments. Plus, we welcome special guest Marcus Warren, a gallery preparator and shop coordinator at the University of Chicago, who certainly knows a thing or two about preserving art.
This week, we look at the most beloved of all She-Ra episodes, and Eric lays out his idea that the relationship between He-Man and She-Ra perfectly displays male privilege. Also, Loo-Kee really misses the mark on the moral, and Mantenna doesn’t own enough shoes. Poor guy.
I’ve heard of ghosted, but guested?? This week, Progressive of Power welcomes its first guest in real-life teacher Tom, a high school science educator from rural IL. Tom tells us what it’s like teaching some hot-button topics like global warming and evolution in the era of Trump, and we look at the Horde’s attempts to control Etheria’s curriculum via a snake man who kinda sounds like Wallace Shawn.
This week, it’s crystals galore as the Rebels find the Crystal Castle and then battle the Crystal Spider. But they’re also battling their own bias towards Etheria’s poor Trolls. Quoth episode writer Larry DiTillio, “Twiggets are bigots”… at least sometimes. Reminds me of a song from Avenue Q…
This week, Shadow Weaver steals the Rebellion’s ability to speak, and Lauren and Eric discuss one of the most contentious (and most misunderstood) issues in politics today. Oh boy. In the show, Eric references a BackStory episode featuring a conversation with the University of Virginia law school vice dean. You can listen to that here if you want to go deeper with a super compelling expert on the topic.
This week, we’re taking on the episodes routinely referred to as the “romance” shows. Adora gets a boyfriend — or does She-Ra? What do we think of Sea Hawk’s portrayal and, more importantly, Adora’s reaction to him? Why does Loo-Kee think you should just tell everyone you have a crush on, and what precisely is wrong with Saraha?
This week, Lauren and Eric discuss the first episode after She-Ra’s pilot, which, as in most shows, ends up providing a pretty solid template for the rest of the series. She-Ra teaches a village to #resist a guy with a face for a body, a bunch of people get pies in their face, and Lauren gets incredibly happy that Spirit really can talk! This week, we’re pretty high on Resistbot. It’ll help you write your reps fast!
The premiere episode of She-Ra: Progressive of Power! Longtime fan Eric introduces his cohost Lauren to this wonderful, silly, weirdly relevant 1985 cartoon and the two explore the character of She-Ra, her world, and how that relates surprisingly well to what many of us are feeling in 2017. Covers the five-episode pilot of She-Ra: Princess of Power: “Into Etheria,” “Beast Island,” “She-Ra Unchained,” “Reunions,” and “Battle for Bright Moon.” Special thanks to he-man.org for all the wonderful, weird images we’re sure to use to accompany our podcast posts. They’re a tremendous source for all She-Ra and He-Man knowledge!