S5E1 - The Nutcracker

Raymond and Sophie tackle everyone's favorite non-linear director, Christopher Nolan, and the most talked about film of the year, The Odyssey. What do we think of Nolan's adaptation changes? Why does the violation of Zeuss's law lead to the downfall of civilization? Did Nolan Christianize The Odyssey? (Hint: the answer is yes.) Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music at: https://soundcloud.com/kappamuse

The church father Tertullian famously asked, "What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?" In this episode, Sophie and Raymond do their best to answer him in their discussion of Raphael's 16th century painting popularly known as School of Athens. Why did Pope Julius II commission a painting of pre-Christian philosophers for the Apostolic Palace? Would the Apostle Paul like our podcast? Are you a Jew, a Greek, or a Roman? All this and more in our latest episode. In our next episode, we'll be discussing Christopher Nolan's 2026 adaptation of The Odyssey. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music at https://soundcloud.com/kappamuse

James Cameron's Alien famously stated "In space, nobody can hear you scream." But the Unreliable Narrators think Project Hail Mary tells a different story. In space, not only can your screams be heard...so can your whispers. What's the relationship between theology, space, and music? Was Ryland Grace's forced involvement in the mission a case of problematic utilitarian ethics, or an example of the classic hero's journey? Is the long string of coincidences in this story a case of lazy writing, or evidence of the providence of God? Most importantly, is there love in space? All this and more in this latest episode. In our next episode, we'll be discussing the painting "School of Athens" by Raphael. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music at https://soundcloud.com/kappamuse

Bram Stoker's Dracula hard launched the world's literary vampire obsession, but what makes the book such an enduring classic? Over a hundred years later, why do we still care so much about vampires? We talk a lot about Dracula in this episode...but we also get distracted and talk quite a bit about Twilight. Don't say we didn't warn you. Our next episode will be the 2026 film Project Hail Mary. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music at https://soundcloud.com/kappamuse

What makes a person wicked? Not only wicked, but positively horrendible? Raymond and Sophie dive into the recent film adaptation of the classic Stephen Schwartz musical Wicked, based on The Wizard of Oz. How does the musical re-imagine classic characters in a more nuanced and interesting way? How does Wicked force us to sympathize--and dislike--all the characters a little bit more? Is the battlefield between good and evil really lie in the human heart (as Dostoevsky said) and if so, what does that mean for the tin man? Raymond fails to restrain himself from talking about Rene Girard, and Sophie fails to restrain herself from singing. All in all, a delectably scandalocious time! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Hot take: We don't think The Wizard of Oz is a very well-written movie. So what makes the 1939 film such an enduring classic? Does the movie present an atheistic worldview, or is there something deeper to the story? If you follow the red brick road, do you end up in Hell? We may spend a lot of time laughing in this episode, but don't worry! We promise that we get around to C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot eventually. Our next episode will be the 2024 film Wicked. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music at https://soundcloud.com/kappamusehttps://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Raymond and Sophie return again to one of William Shakespeare's most mysterious and complex plays, The Merchant of Venice. Is this play a tragedy or a comedy? Why is Shylock's famous demand for a "pound of flesh" so interesting? Why do cycles of vengeance always escalate? Why is mercy necessary and true justice impossible? Once again, and most importantly: What could equal the value of a human soul? Join the conversation in this exciting new episode and learn why "when in the course of justice none of us shall see salvation." Stay tuned for our next episode on The Wizard of Oz. Register for camp! https://form.jotform.com/241565531242047 Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse

In this episode, Raymond and Sophie try to discuss Neon Gravestones by Twenty One Pilots and somehow end up discussing the entirety of the band's discography. What is the lore behind the 2018 album Trench? Who is Clancy? Is selling out actually a good thing? All this and more in our love letter to Twenty One Pilots. Our next episode will be William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse

Alec Benjamin insists that his single "Jesus in L.A." is not a religious song, but the Unreliable Narrators think otherwise. How is the song "Jesus in L.A." like a sequel to T.S. Eliot's "The Cocktail Party"? Are Vienna and L.A. metaphors for Heaven and Hell? do you have to go through the inferno of L.A. to get to the paradise of Vienna? Can anything good come out of Nazareth? All this in more in our first episode of Season 5! Register for camp! https://form.jotform.com/241565531242047 Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In their 2025 Christmas special, Raymond and Sophie discuss the Christmas classic with the least plot and most music: The Nutcracker. Along the way, we talk about the source of the odd story that inspired the ballet, the importance of imaginative play, and the nature of toys and love. Also, we somehow end up interpreting the ending of Jonah. Don't miss it! Our next episode will be the song Jesus in LA by Alec Benjamin. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected], visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf