NewtCast: A Harry Potter Podcast

You may remember when Alexis said they would release their Potterhead questions next, trailer or not!! And you may be unsurprised that this is, indeed, a trailer episode! (Internships, man, what can you do?)

This episode deals directly with the ComicCon trailer—we give you theories, we give you Christmas carols, we give Yates the side-eye. The usual kind of banter.

• We kick it off with the new promo poster and don't understand the need for a new Grindelwald symbol. Isn't it supposed to be... the Deathly Hallows...??
• WHO WILL CHANGE THE FUTURE and why is it Eddie Redmayne
• Some fun times with the cast, some speculation as to why people actually boo'd Grindelwald
• Jude Law is actually a Dumbledore genius and we approve
• David Heyman understands Grindelwald probably better than Grindelwald himself
• Trailer tid-bits: America's wizarding prison? The giant fabric? Dumbledore is actually... really super gay?
• Okay what is wrong with Queenie and why isn't she safe, PROTECT HER
• The saddest puffskein life that ever was

Love u guys, I'll for sure edit the Potterhead one next. Until then, ttyl!

Alexis and Mallory forgo the fun sleepover idea for a discussion on the first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. (Don't worry, we'll get our goof on next time, even if there's another trailer.)

• On the news front, we spend some time speculating what changes are being made at Pottermore, due to a mass staff firing situation and a new Wizarding World logo
• Apparating at Hogwarts? Hmm...
• Some thoughts on Theseus, except not really (which dude is he again?)
• French Ministry and area looks neat-o, except the circus. Will the circus be the fantastic beasts tie-in we're expecting?
• What does Leta Lestrange and Credence Barebone have to do with each other???
• Some cool creatures appear, notably an Augurey
• A super cool theory by @patrick_lester on Twitter about why Dumbledore can't attack Grindelwald outright
• Bit'o'Rememberall on why the dementors really, really like Harry
• Results of our Imperius vs Verataserum question!

Alexis and Mallory catch up on the last few months' worth of Wizarding World news, focusing on the more disappointing of the bunch in the Suitcase.

• We kick off with an excerpt from "Harry Potter and the Portrait of What Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash," or the AI-generated Harry Potter chapter that had us rolling around laughing. If you have no patience for frivolity, skip to minute 3.
• There's a film title! Locations! Casting! And confirmation that yes, Saul Marquez of bookstacked.com fame is, indeed, a seer!
• A hilarious snafu in the house editions, probably due to some Intern picking up a tidbit from the Internet (a Most Reputable Source), and we can't help but laugh
• More editions
• Um, kind of an awesome VR RPG mobile app ????? Will this be a dream or a disappointment ???
• The foot in mouth diseased Yates and the words he used in explaining the casting of Grindelwald. Plus: Rowling's take on everything with a dash of Heyman. We added a sprinkle of Radcliffe to sweeten the problematic pie.
• Dumbledore is Gay and We Might Not Know it in This Film
• Next time: unanswerable (with canon) questions people ask about the Harry Potter universe when they're high!

Tweet us your questions: @newtcasts (Twitter) /NewtCast (Facebook)

Mallory and Alexis celebrate 1 year of podcasting on our boy Harry's own birthday! They discuss a good chunk of news alongside fun Potter party games.

• Jack Thorne, the writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will be rewriting Star Wars 9
• Filming for Fantastic Beasts 2 is underway... and we know some new plot details!
• Including a wizarding circus. Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy.
• Are there new Harry Potter books being released?!?!?! (Saved you a click: not really, no)
• Some wizarding world extensions and deletions...
• The "Polyjuice Potion" game, where we try to guess characters the other has written down
• Would you rather? Wizarding style.
• Personal fandom experience kinda questions where we dive into some wizard rockery :)

We hope to be able to continue podcasting at least once a month (or until the news really ramps up!), so chuck us your ideas for episode themes!

Mallory and Alexis delve into the new edition of the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Six new beasts give us some new canon to chew on while we receive updates on casting for the second film.

- In the last showing of the OG Cursed Child cast, there was a surprise kiss at the end… but no video proof

- Some nostalgia over the 20 year anniversary induced by your friendly neighborhood Pottermore

- Fantastic Beasts 2 is filling its cast and we know a few new tidbits…

- Mallory, our resident expert on magical beasts and creatures, takes us through what’s new and what’s missing (she’s not entirely overjoyed, but there are some goodies!)

- Head canons created

- We have a particular interest in the new information on three Ilvermorny mascots

- Where’s my jackalope

- House scarf drawing winners announced! Is it you??

Alexis and Mallory dig into the themes of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and find some nice gold nuggets after sifting away the obvious...

• Misfits and Misunderstandings—how the universal theme of the Harry Potter series translates to Newt and company, and how deception is used as well
• Friendships—the other Harry Potter theme that pervades within the film
• Humanity—what does it mean to be human? How does that relate to being animal? How do Newt's goals to nurture, rescue, protect, and educate relate to how we should treat each other?
• Repression—the punch-in-the-face theme of obscurials
• Credence—okay, but who is he really?

Mallory and guest host Cate tackle the many, many plots (and plot holes) within Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. So much happened (and yet didn't happen), and these ladies have some beef with how it was all laid out.

• In news, those house books could be really cool or really not
• Bruce Springsteen: Wizard Rocker
• Catching the creatures: do you all know anything..? Are you a witch or not??
• Grindelwald: was his motive sufficiently explained? How did Newt catch on?
• Second Salemers: DEFINITELY scourers, and a good inclusion against Grindelwald's "greater good" motives
• The (improper) use of magic, the magical solution, and the magical death penalty

Mallory and Alexis discuss the characters in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. What's Newt's deal with his brother? How is he going to stay relevant to the broader Grindelwald/Dumbledore story that J.K. Rowling is trying to cover? Plus, we gush over our love for Queenie.

• David Heyman is spreading false rumors on twitter, but at least Jo's clarified some things
• Newt wasn't expelled! Or he kinda was! Or he was! We think we get some clarification but in this era of FALSE NEWS who actually knows
• Newt Scamander is a sweet, irresponsible pumpkin
• Grindelwald: a lying seer, which meaaaans....???
• Tina: who is she, really?
• Jacob the could-be Wampus
• Queenie and a power of connection that alienates her from everyone :(
• Other characters and how they may return in future films
• Our wands on Pottermore!

Twitter: @NewtCasts

Mallory, Alexis, and guest host Liz review what parts of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them stood out, both on screen and on page in the form of the published screenplay! We cover everything from magic feelings to fan theories in this special post-premiere episode.

- Is Newt the protagonist for the series, or will he become side-character?

- How Magic works in this world vs. the Harry Potter world; Newt's proficiency and how his story with magic parallels with Hagrid's; the heavy use of "obliviate"

- Jacob Kowalski as a vehicle for an older audience introduced to magic; JK Rolls = JK Rowling???; how muggles and wizards reflect each other in America vs the UK

- GRINDELWALD: how did he transform?? And other thoughts and theories!

- Credence & Co: thoughts on the witch’s mark; Credence

- Graves… is a follower of Grindelwald? (Where is he?)

- Theseus Scamander and the beasts behind his name

- Puns puns puns

- How the films might incorporate seeds planted in the first movie

Next time: CHARACTERS!!

Alexis and Mallory dig into the truckload of Harry Potter related news from these past two weeks and pick out all the relevant bits from the introduction of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook!

• soundtrack score released!
• FIVE MOVIES. NOT ONE. NOT THREE. FIVE. WHY. NO ONE I KNOW IS EXCITED FOR THIS. Also, what this means and why it’s in all caps here.
• Mobile game app?! What could it be?!
• Chamber of Secrets illustrated edition is gorgeous as ever, the VR headset google announced has some element of Wizarding World wizardry, and all 8 films were on IMAX for a week
• Pottermore Patronus quiz: our patronuses and the fandom reaction
• additional writing on MACUSA released!
• the first bits of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: the 2001 textbook (about the author, introduction, and what is a beast)
• how does this old information fit in with Harry Potter canon now (and future) as we discussed in episode 5?

What the fresh heck: Celeste joins Mallory and Alexis in a discussion on Ilvermorny!

• Irish Beginnings: Elias Story an amazing anagram, very neat lore on magical creatures
• Hodag: the Google image search that will be seared into our brains; also, other creature lore
• Boot boys' personalities and speculation on James’ heritage
• Founding of the school, how Native Americans might’ve influenced curriculum
• the good part of Parseltongue in Gormlaith’s revenge
• Ilvermorny today, how the new houses work within the Potter universe

Tweet us your thoughts @NewtCasts or leave a comment on our website or Facebook!

Next time: Fantastic Beasts the book.

Alexis, Mallory, and guest host Moriah dig into what canon even means and the different ways our notion of canon is evolving!

- Jesus fandom (AKA the OG canon)

- Shakespearean, Sherlockian, Lord of the Ringsian canons and how they’ve been adapted/added to

- Transmedia storytelling and sci-fi world-building (the different ways Star Wars and Star Trek have dealt with this issue)

- How Potter is unique, how it’s canon has been interpreted

- Publishing: the birth of canon?

- Cherry-picking and other ways the fandom has coped

Tweet us your thoughts @NewtCasts or leave a comment on our website or Facebook!

Next time: Ilvermorny.

Mallory and Alexis discuss the themes and relationships of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and how the plays handled our golden trio. It's all spoilers!

• Paternal Love: how Harry's father figure(s) influenced his own parenting model and what he comes to learn about himself and his son; Scorpius and Draco's closed off relationship, how young Scorpius mirrors young Harry
• The "platonic" relationship between Albus and Scorpius, the importance of friends
• How romance is portrayed, especially within the trio but also a bit of Scorbus
• Cursed Child Harry is Book!Harry through and through
• Hermione: the good and the bad
• Ron: what the cuss and some good stuff too

Next week will cover Albus and Scorpius and the rest of the cast (plus those who went missing!) in our next episode, along with parts of the story that present some challenges for fans of the original series.