Episode 150: Bangarang! | Hook (1991), Psychoanalysis & Piracy

The five-week nostalgia gauntlet continues on the Midnight Myth with the 1991 Spielberg classic HOOK. This clever reimagining of the story of Peter Pan begins with one fundamental question: What if Peter Pan—the boy who wouldn’t grow up—grew up? This week, we follow the second star to the right (straight on till morning) and revisit Neverland as adults, feeling a lot like Peter Banning as we do. In the process, we uncover the lost memories of childhood, interrogate our nostalgic responses, and ask ourselves what the real difference is between a pirate and a Lost Boy. Are childhood and adulthood really separate countries that can’t be united? Do we lose some sense of magic and innocence as we age? What treasures can we find when we integrate our past selves with our current selves? Through the lens of psychoanalysis, history, and mythology, we put all these questions to Hook.

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Episode 128: Maclunkey | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Mythology & Psychoanalysis | ***Giveaway***

In just over a month’s time, we’ll gather, along with millions across the globe, to partake in an ancient ritual: the viewing of Star Wars. The Rise of Skywalker, the conclusion to the epic Skywalker Saga, is just around the corner, so we’re going back to the source. In this discussion of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we’ll work to decode the symbolic language in this myth for our time. Drawing on the work of Joseph Campbell, Sigmund Freud, C.G. Jung, and others, we’ll attempt to understand the true power and legacy of this beloved story.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Subscribe to our friends at the Pop Venture Family on YouTube, and listen to THIS EPISODE for details on how to enter our joint ***Star Wars Funko Pop giveaway!*** Here is the video you’re looking for.

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Episode 124: Doomsday Clock | Watchmen (2009), History & Psychology

Who watches the Watchmen? We did! This week on the Midnight Myth, we’re jumping down the massive rabbit hole that is Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of the iconic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. We analyze some of the film’s most fascinating and disturbed characters from a psychological and philosophical perspective, trying to learn what makes the Watchmen tick. It’s a landscape of real and imagined gods, human and institutional monsters. In the context of alternate history, we discuss the consequences of the counterfactual—what happened to the American Dream? It came true.

Episode 113: HULK SMASH | The Incredible Hulk, Greek Mythology, Gothic Literature & Psychology

You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. Yes, friends, the time has come—we’ve endeavored to analyze Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor of the MCU, but there’s a (very) large gaping hole in our exploration of the core Avengers: The Incredible Hulk. In this case study of the dual-natured hero, we’ll uncover his relationship to the Greco-Roman myths and cults of Hercules, as well as his inspiration in 19th century literature like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. From there, we’ll learn more about the psychology of anger and the journey we all face to confront our emotions and the Hulk inside all of us.

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Episode 76: Shame!

As we wait with bated breath for the final season(s?) of HBO’s Game of Thrones—another delay, ugh—the Midnight Myth is here to quench your thirst with another deep dive GoT character study. This week, we’re exploring one of the series’ most charismatic and manipulative monsters, Cersei Lannister. We’ll compare the ruthless queen of the seven kingdoms to the philosophy laid out by medieval author Niccolo Machiavelli, and introduce modern psychology’s dark triad. We’ll dig into feminist studies and examine how Cersei intersects with the monstrous feminine, and the long line of literary ladies who came before her, with ambition as her tragic flaw.

Episode 70: Outside In

The Pixar train continues to roll here at the Midnight Myth, where this week, we’re picking apart the science and magic of Inside Out. Watching the coming-of-age of a young girl through the eyes and oculus of her tiny, anthropomorphized neurotransmitters, we’re got pressing questions about what the movie says about us, our emotions, and our role in the universe. We’ll compare Inside Out to classic forms and conventions of storytelling while diving into the complex and fascinating world of emotional theory.

Episode 65: What Ever Happened to Gary Cooper?

Eleven years after the iconic, genius, frustrating, scintillating, upsetting finale—the cut-to-black heard round the world, we’re jumping headfirst into the underworld of New Jersey crime, and into the den of the Sopranos. HBO’s critically acclaimed series captured viewers instantly by asking a simple question: what if a mob boss went to therapy? But instead of turning it into a punchline, the show used that springboard to open up questions about humanity, mental illness, family, and the American Dream. Now Derek and Laurel pull apart the characters, the influences, and the ultimate successes and failures of the series that brought epic, romantic stories back down to earth. Brief lessons on Italian Opera, the theatrical form Commedia dell’Arte, and the most famous thought experiment in quantum mechanics.

Episode 43: Darth Podcast

The force is strong with this podcast. It took 42 previous episodes, and we are finally ready to jump into the galaxy far far away. The topic this week is Darth Vader and the role of fatherhood as villainy in storytelling. As we all gear up for The Last Jedi, it is time to look at Vader, and his legacy in the Star Wars universe and in villain construction.