Michael has been binge-watching a lot of Star Trek, so Mandy and Michael chat about it! Almost everything before the Kelvin-verse movie trilogy is covered (turns out there was so much to talk about that the TNG movies didn’t get much of an explicit mention). The topics in order are: The Original Series The Animated Series The Original Series Movies…

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted. In this episode the Superman run continues with a single episode for the 3rd and 4th Christopher Reeve Superman films. It’s a severe understatement to say these movies were found to be absolutely ridiculous.…

Years ago Mandy got Michael to start watching Supernatural, a show with plenty of horror-esque content in its first couple of seasons (Michael doesn't do horror). 15 seasons later it's time to bid adieu to the Winchesters and their 1967 Chevy Impala. In this episode you’ll hear about the finale, sure, but before that you’ll hear much more: Recommen…

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted. For 49 episodes, Mandy and Michael have discussed how important stories are. They reflect the world, they help breed empathy, they help shape world views, and which stories resonate with a person in youth can help explain who a person i…

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted. Michael and Mandy spend some time chatting about Zatanna as written by Paul Dini, an author also known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toons Adventures, and a whole lot of comic book writing. Amazon links to works reco…

This episode is part of our Trivially Crucial Backlog - Episodes recorded previously and until now left unposted. In this episode Michael and Mandy the power and utility of different storytelling mediums. What they’re good for, how they’ve been used well, and more. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)…

Michael and Mandy discuss Avengers: Endgame, everything it means, its emotional impact, its plot issues, and hopes for the MCU moving forward.بقلم Trivially Crucial

As we continue catching up, this episode is about Spider-Man: Homecoming. There's a lot of Spider-Man background and MCU meta-commentary before discussion of the film even begins, followed by plenty of Spoiler-free content.بقلم Trivially Crucial

This episode covers Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and how it signals odd views on parenthood, redemption, adorable baby tree goofiness, and everything the group of misfits gets up to.بقلم Trivially Crucial

Mandy and Michael discuss Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi bout 3 hours after Michael finished watching it on opening weekend. Listen to them working through initial thoughts even as they inevitably would change (and have changed) over the course of the next few days.بقلم Trivially Crucial

We're finally back with a much delayed live recording from Dragon*Con 2017. We go through the con day by day!بقلم Trivially Crucial

This 42nd episode discusses the only thing that could possibly be appropriate: Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in its many forms. Spoilers, which don't matter in the slightest, are as abundant as logical holes and differences between releases of the story. Bring your towel, hit play, and whatever you do–Don't Panic! Check out D…

Mandy and Michael talk about the brand new 2017 Wonder Woman, with only a few hours to have processed and thought about the movie after seeing it on opening weekend. If you're on the fence about seeing the movie, the first 24 minutes are spoiler free and may persuade you to watch the film sooner rather than later. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial…

Mand and Michael discuss three classic short stories from Isaac Asimov, celebrating the quotation from which the show gets its name. “Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today — but the core of science fiction, its essence, the concept around which it revolves, has become crucial…

Mandy and Michael resume their journey through the history of DC Comics in film, this time focusing on the Man of Steel's film adventures that essentially kicked off big budget superhero films altogether: The original 1978 Superman and its closely intertwined 1980 sequel Superman II. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @B…

In this episode Mandy and Michael continue going through the Wheel of Time with books 4 and 5 in the series: The Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven. Michael's discovery continues while Mandy is able to do more than just listen in frustration. If you're following along, the next Wheel of Time episode (to be recorded at an unknown date) will cover…

Mandy and Michael continue going through the Batman films with the Schumacher directed entries: 1995's Batman Forever and 1997's Batman & Robin. After the last Batman discussion some of the feelings on these films are surprising! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)…

Mandy and Michael discuss the two Tim Burton directed Batman films, 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns. Feelings are very different across these two films, their characters, and the interesting choices made by a director who has a very distinct style and no loyalty to the source material. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (M…

This week Mandy and Michael talk about the first three novels in Robert Jordan's epic (in scope and length) series, The Wheel of Time. These three books are: The Eye of the World The Great Hunt The Dragon Reborn Michael is new to the series while Mandy grew up with it so two very different perspectives make for quite the conversation! Follow us on …

Mandy and Michael talk about Rogue One, the first of what is likely to be many Star Wars anthology films. As the first non-numbered Star Wars film, what are the implications for the wider universe and general Star Wars enjoyment to come? Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)…

Mandy and Michael chat about the first movie in the Harry Potter universe without a book predecessor. There's a lot to unwrap for the movie and the universe as a whole! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

Starting blooper included! In time for Christmas, Mandy and Michael synchronized a viewing of The Muppet Christmas Carol and chatted at the same time. To listen to this, get the Theatrical release of the movie (iTunes, DVD, etc.) and sync up your viewing according to instructions spoken aloud in the podcast. *Warning* Make sure any features of your…

Netflix's third Marvel show, Luke Cage, is the topic du jour. It's a powerful show relevant to modern race discussions with an unapologetic focus on Harlem as representation of Black America. Come for the superficial superhero discussion, stay for the intense social themes, and enjoy Michael and Mandy disagreeing at length on the nature of evil. Th…

Magic and Sorcery makes its biggest impact in the MCU yet with Doctor Strange, and Michael and Mandy talk all about it. The film did a lot right while missing some major opportunities at the same time. It has plenty of material to talk about. The duo also does an Infinity Stone count to see where we stand as the MCU marches ever onward towards a ce…

Mandy and Michael have a fun discussion in which they draft their favorite villains from all sorts of movies, games, television shows, book series, and comics. It's fun and kind of random! This idea was outright cribbed from the excellent podcast, The Incomparable. These are some of Michael's favorite draft (and draft-ish) episodes of the show: The…

Mandy and Michael talk about the first season of CBS's Supergirl just before the start of Season 2. They talk about aliens, love triangles, awkward production approaches, silly plot points, questionable writer decisions, and the most lovable pair of cross-universe superheroes this side of… anywhere! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Au…

Mandy and Michael discuss Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the new play that picks up during the Epilogue of the original book series. There are wonderful things to love about the story as well as many things that cause discomfort in unwelcome ways. The discussion eventually takes a turn on the very nature of "canon" and differing opinions on how…

*Note* If your podcast app supports chapter markers, you can use that feature to jump between show conversations. In honor of the just-resumed Spring TV season, Mandy and Michael chat about all of Marvel's TV up to this point! This was recorded before the airing of Luke Cage or Season 4 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and covers every Marvel show…

Mandy and Michael record live from Dragon*Con in Atlanta! This episode was recorded in meandering chunks across the Con weekend. It's pretty random, just like the con itself! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

Mandy and Michael talk about all three Ghostbusters films: the first two from the 80s and the recent estrogen-bolstered relaunch of the franchise. The films are talked about one by one, so feel free to listen to commentary about the first two and stop there if you haven't yet seen the newest film in the series. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (T…

Mandy and Michael talk about all 11 seasons of Supernatural, the long and meandering tale of Sam and Dean Winchester, two often brave and sometimes idiotic brothers who both save and wreak havoc on the world around them. We talk about how strong the show is at times, how far it fell, and discuss whether or not the show is–and the brothers themselve…

Mandy and Michael talk the first 11 issues of The Wicked + The Divine. It's the modern day supernatural multi-pantheon ongoing comic written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie. The first bit is spoiler free, so feel free to listen and find out if you're interested! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brow…

Mandy and Michael talk about Matt Fraction's Hawkeye. It's funny. It's goofy. It looks bad. (Ok, no. That's a reference. The comic actually looks fantastic.) You should read it before listening to this, but if you won't, listen to us and maybe we'll convince you to! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)…

Mandy and Michael talk about Joss Whedon's greatest (fact) work: The 2002 sci-fi classic space western Firefly and its conclusion movie Serenity. We talk about amazing rogues, wonderful dialog, botched scheduling and production on the part of Fox, and more. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)…

Mandy and Michael discuss Captain America: Civial War, the third movie starring the Greatest American Hero, Steve Rodgers, which many have perhaps not incorrectly dubbed Avengers 2.5. There's plenty to criticize and discuss, regardless of how much they liked the movie, so brace yourselves for some character-by-character critique. Tune in to find ou…

In this episode, Mandy and Michael finally talk about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the long awaited 7th Episode of the franchise. Disagreement and affection for the new movie abound in an *extremely* long look recorded when the movie was still in theaters. Buckle in! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Man…

Just a little late for Season 2 of its show's debut, here's yet another long-ago recorded episode in which Mandy and Michael discussed the first season of the joint Marvel and Netflix project Daredevil. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

In another long-ago recorded episode, Mandy and Michael spoke right after Sherlock Series 3 concluded. Listen in for our impressions back when our feelings were fresh! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

In this long-go recorded episode, Mandy and Michael go over Ender's Game, both in book and movie forms. Listen as Michael struggles to hand over the reigns of directing discussion to Mandy and rudely steals her thunder multiple times. Meanwhile, Mandy jogs Michael's memory of the fantastic book with her scene-by-scene memory of the entire story. Du…

This week Michael and Mandy did something a little bit different. This episode is a commentary audio track for one of their very favorite movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas , just in time for Halloween. Don't have time to watch it before Halloween? That's ok! It's a great Christmas movie too, so you can watch it any time between the two holiday…

This episode wraps up the length discussion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1 - Water. This episode touches the remaining chapters, including many many spoilers! Make sure you listened to episode 012 first! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

This episode begins the temporary conversion of the podcast to one primarily discussing Avatar: The Last Airbender. This episode touches the first 8 "chapters" of Book 1 of the series. Spoilers abound! Take heed! Do not enter without watching the series first! Book 1's discussion will be completed in the next episode of the podcast, so be ready! Fo…

After a too long hiatus, Michael and Mandy return to talk about their love of, and the need for, Dragon*Con and other cons in the concrete and the abstract. Digressions abound, including how to leverage fandom itself for: Revisiting the thinking behind critique Finding recommendations Understanding others Also covered: many other small topics, incl…

Welcome to our 10th episode! In this, Michael and Mandy finally wrap up the 3-part Harry Potter discussion. Lots of music, lots of discussion, and Michael getting tired, thereby resorting to using the word "like" way too many times. So sit tight and enjoy this conversation about the finale of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Order of t…

This week, Mandy and Michael continue the Harry Potter discussion with nothing but Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth and middle entry in the series. Make sure to listen to episode 008 first! Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

This week's episode begins our 3-episode spoiler-filled high level discussion on the Harry Potter series. We start with our thoughts on the series as a whole, then proceed to discuss the first three entries: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [Philosopher's Stone] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban F…

In this week's spoiler free episode, Mandy and Michael spend an hour talking about children's media: why it's important, why its quality matters, and what some good stuff is. Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)بقلم Trivially Crucial

This week we do a lot of talking about barriers to entry in approaching different media. Lots of non-spoiler conversation about comics, video games, books, movies, and television. At ~1:23, Mandy mentions her blog post: Where to Start: Epic Fantasy Follow us on twitter: @TrivCrucial (The show) @Auhim (Michael) @Brown_Ajah (Mandy)…

This week's episode is all about Time Travel. In it we talk about all these things: The Two/Three Types of Time Travel Terminator & Terminator 2 12 Monkeys Looper Back to the Future Primer Doctor Who Chrono Trigger A Sound of Thunder The Time Machine The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Bill & Ted's Excellen…

This week is a 2 hour discussion about Superman. This may seem a much more focused topic than our other episodes so far, but Superman as a character is a very broad subject. This episode is a special treat, and Michael doesn't want to spoil any of it here. One thing: The episode is Man of Steel spoiler safe until 1 hour, 11 minutes in, and it's mad…