Podcast Fandom

Set nearly 200 years before they did my girl Dany dirty (I’m not interested in arguing with you about this), House of the Dragon is follows the events in George RR Martin’s 2018 book Fire & Blood — the first of two volumes detailing the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty. Because the show begins at the halfway point of volume one, we don’t get to see Aegon and his sister-wives bring Westeros to heel. Instead, we’re in the year 101 A.C. when King Jaehaerys I names his grandson Viserys the Prince of Dragonstone and rightful heir to the Iron Throne. This sets off decades of betrayal and infighting (and incest) that culminates in the infamous Dance of the Dragons.

As odd as it sounds, it felt good to be back in this world of political machinations, tragic pregnancies, violent jousting, and dragons. Oh, so many dragons. Sarah and I discussed the season premiere, providing a bit of Westerosi history along the way.

We love an old-fashioned tale of revenge and when it comes with a side of questioning class, privilege, and belonging in South Korea, even better. And if it stars Park Seo-Joon? Well, now Itaewon Class is just showing off.

We were instantly invested in the relationship between Park's ex-con turned bar owner Park Saeroyi and his hardworking, generous father played by Son Heung-Ju.

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Even though the episode hit all the beats of a series premiere (origins of the hero’s power, training montage, etc.), it still felt like a 30-minute cold open and that’s fine. It set up the quirky tone of the show nicely with hints of higher stakes and bigger dangers to come. Tatiana Maslany shines, but those of us who loved Orphan Black expected as much.

This a special free listen to our Premium coverage of She-Hulk. To listen to us discuss the full season, subscribe on Patreon.

Not having read the graphic novel series, my anticipation for Netflix’s live-action adaptation of The Sandman was based on solely on my love of Neil Gaiman’s other works (American Gods), the visuals in the trailer, and the diversity of the cast. Everything delivered in the first two episodes. Charles Dance’s Roderick Burgess was like if Tywin Lannister went to Hogwarts — and you know he’d have been Slytherin — and Tom Sturridge is about to AMSR his way into reading some Buzzfeed thirst tweets. It’s not until episode two, when Sturridge’s Morpheus witnesses the cost of his absence, that things get truly beautiful.

We doubled up and covered two episodes this week because Paper Girls is just so damn good. The time travel, healing robotic insects, and giant mech are all cool, but the best moments continue to be the ones in which the girls bond. Those scenes are so well-written and the actors bring them to life in a way that feels natural. A few highlights include KJ calling out Mac for the hate speech she repeats, Mac and Erin clearing the air after that whole “you shot me in the gut” thing, and the four new friends unpacking what it means to be decades ahead of all the people and things they love.

We’ll be reviewing episodes 4 and 5 together for next week’s Paper Girl podcast. Really looking forward to seeing adult Tiffany and more of Mac coming to terms with the news about her health and her oddly wholesome relationship with her brother.

What we have coming up this week and beyond. Send show feedback to feedback@projectfandom.com.

Based on the graphic novel by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, Paper Girls is a live-action 8-episode series set in the '80s and follows four girls on their morning paper route. Too bad it's the morning of Hell Day.