Super Fantastic Nerd Hour!

“My umbrella concern is that you as a character represent the end of what I used to call ‘our show.’“ Community returns and we review the Yahoo! produced sixth season premiere. Does this new Community still have the same mix of meta, self-aware, existential angst of its former NBC self? Is there enough of the original cast to keep the show going? And what’s the deal with those tech problems behind Yahoo!’s launch? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, it’s a streaming showdown between Yahoo!’s Community and Netflix’s Arrested Development. Class is in session as we rank our top 5 TV schools. 0:00 - 35:40: Community Season 6 Premiere; 35:41 - 55:20: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Community (Yahoo!) VS. Arrested Development (Netflix); 55:21 - 1:20:04: Top 5 TV Schools.

“The faker the fodder is the more you love it.” We explore (without spoilers) Charlie Brooker’s British anthology series Black Mirror. What makes this 2011 speculative fiction series unlike anything else on TV? Why is it gaining popularity now? What is the series saying about our relationship with 21st century technology? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who has the more piercing social commentary — Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone? We share our top 5 TV anthologies. 0:00 - 49:35: Black Mirror (non-spoilers); 49:36 - 1:05:31: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Black Mirror VS. The Twilight Zone; 1:05:32 - 1:28:25 : Top 5 TV Anthologies.

“It’s never the changes we want that change everything.” We explore The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. How does Díaz’s story about a young geek growing up in New Jersey redefine what it means to be American? How it does mash up fiction and history? What makes this pulitzer prize winning narrative so timey wimey and why are readers calling it the best novel of the 21st century? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, what novel makes better use of its nerdy references — Oscar Wao or Ready Player One? We share the top 5 media that influenced our lives. 0:00 - 13:30: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (non-spoilers); 13:31 - 43:00: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (spoilers); 43:01 - 58:19: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Oscar Wao VS. Ready Player One; 58:20 - 1:44:32: Top 5 Influential Media.

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.” We depart from our regularly scheduled programming to remember Leonard Nimoy — the actor, director, poet, singer, and photographer. From Star Trek’s Spock to Transformers and The Full Body Project, we explore all the wonderful things that made Leonard Nimoy such a unique person and the elder nerd. 0:00 - 40:00: Remembering Leonard Nimoy; 40:00 - 1:13:09: Top 5 Leonard Nimoy Moments.

"Manners maketh man!" We discuss all things Kingsman: The Secret Service! Why did director Mathew Vaughn leave X-Men: Days of Future Past to make this Mark Millar comic adaptation? What is this self-referential spy film saying about social class? Does its stylized violence offer more than just beautiful choreography? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, it's a fight to the death between Kingsman and Kick-Ass! We share a pot of tea and discuss our top 5 British exports. 0:00 - 14:33: Kingsman (non-spoilers); 14:34 - 53:00: Kingsman (spoilers); 53:01 - 1:01:26: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Kingsman VS. Kick-Ass; 1:01:27 - 1:32:25 : Top 5 British Exports.

“We lost the war.” Join us as we discuss the newest Philip K. Dick science fiction adaptation — Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle! How does Amazon crowdsource its pilot season? Why is streaming media changing the type of content that gets produced? How does this alternate history about the Nazis winning World War II relate to its source material? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, we debate the post-WWII world building of The Man in the High Castle VS. Agent Carter. We binge review our top 5 made for streaming programming. 0:00 - 16:48: The Man in the High Castle (no spoilers); 16:49 - 38:57: The Man in the High Castle (spoilers); 38:58 - 50:18: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: The Man in the High Castle VS. Agent Carter; 50:19 - 1:46:31: Top 5 Made for Streaming Programming.

“I know where I came from — but where did all you zombies come from?” We discuss Ethan Hawke’s new science fiction film — Predestination! How does its time travel premise explore identity? What is the film telling us about sex, gender, and sexual orientation? And who is Sarah Snook and why isn’t she starring in everything?!? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, we debate Predestination the film versus the original Robert A. Heinlein’s original 1958 short story. We share our favorite film plot twists and recent listener feedback. 0:00 - 13:06: Predestination (no spoilers); 13:07 - 38:55: Presdestination (spoilers); 38:56 - 1:01:21 Top 5 Film Plot Twists; 1:01:22 - 1:06:48: Listener Feedback.

“What if you could take it back? All of it? A reset switch? You'd hit it right?” We review SyFy’s series premiere of 12 Monkeys! How has the story departed from Terry Gilliam’s 1995 film? What’s remained the same? How is it influenced by Back to the Future, Terminator, Walking Dead, and Planet of the Apes? Things get timey wimey in the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER as James Cole (Aaron Stanford) takes on James Cole (Bruce Willis). We share our top 5 TV adaptations of feature films. 0:00 - 41:31: SyFy’s 12 Monkeys; 41:32 - 55:00: 12 Monkeys (TV) VS. 12 Monkeys (Film); 55:01 - 1:13:50: Top 5 Movies to TV; 1:13:51 - 1:18:36: Listener Feedback.

“During the war I had a sense of purpose - now I connect the calls but never get to make them.” Join us as we review the series premiere of Marvel’s Agent Carter! How did this miniseries emerge out of Captain America: The First Avenger? Where does it fit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe? In what ways does Agent Carter connect with real history? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Agent Carter takes on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D! We share our top 5 agents. Listener feedback for Into the Woods and our 50th episode spectacular. 0:00 - 35:34: Agent Carter; 35:35 - 51:26: Agent Carter VS. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; 51:27 - 1:18:17: Top 5 Agents; 1:18:18 - 1:30:23: Listener Feedback.

It’s our 50th episode spectacular! We bring back your favorite guests to answer the essential question of what is a nerd? How are nerds different from geeks? Has our understanding of these terms changed over time? What is geek culture? How is it liberating and in what ways do the “fake geek girl/boy” backlash limit fans? What does the mainstreaming of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books mean for the future of nerdery and geekdom? We share our favorite nerdy moments from 2014. Special guests: Diana Chang (host of Without a License), Derek Bishop (speculative fiction writer), Bill Wadman (photographer, cohost of On Taking Pictures), Nhu-An (lover of learning). 0:00 - 1:03:17: What is a Nerd & Nerds versus geeks; 1:03:18 - 1:23:52: Top Nerdy Moments of 2014.

“Anything can happen in the woods.” We review Disney’s film adaptation of Into the Woods! Is this a fitting adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s classic Broadway musical? Does it suffer from “Disneyfication”? What’s the story saying about fairytales? Why are our hosts so upset about the film's casting? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, it’s a sing off between Into the Woods and Les Misérables! We journey into our top 5 fairytale retellings. 0:00 – 21:23: Into the Woods (non-spoilers); 21:24 - 33:10: Into the Woods (spoilers); 33:11 – 46:56: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Into the Woods VS. Les Misérables; 46:57 – 1:13:48: Top 5 Fairytale Retellings.

“In the 60s your father was convinced that the U.S. could launch an interstellar spaceship — I think he did it." We review SyFy Channel’s Ascension! How does the miniseries link to real history and what does it mean for the future of SyFy’s programming? Does the show's social commentary about space travel, the evolution of culture, eugenics, and technology hold up to nerd scrutiny? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Ascension faces off against REDACTED! We share our top 5 TV miniseries. 0:00 – 16:45: Ascension: Non-spoiler discussion; 16:46 – 40:05: Ascension: Spoiler discussion; 40:06 – 56:24: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Ascension VS. REDACTED; 56:25 – 1:28:23: Top 5 TV Miniseries.

“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor.” Your favorite nerds review the Stephen and Jane Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything! Are the portrayals of the leads worthy of all the early Oscar buzz? How does the film depict Stephen Hawking’s scientific contributions? What about all the other messy details that got left out of the script? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, it’s The Theory of Everything versus A Beautiful Mind. We share our top 5 biopics. 0:00 – 34:22: The Theory of Everything; 34:23 – 48:40: The Theory of Everything VS. A Beautiful Mind; 48:41 – 1:23:03: Top 5 Biopics.

“As with most of life's problems, this one can be solved by a box of pure radiation.” We discuss Andy Weir’s breakout scifi novel The Martian! How did this self-published story become a bestselling novel? What’s unique about its blend of science and fiction? If you take out The Martian’s technobabble, is it still a compelling story? Will Matt Damon be a convincing astronaut in the 2015 Ridley Scott film adaptation? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who would you want to live with in a space station — The Martian’s Mark Watney or MOON’s Sam Bell? We share our top 5 survival stories and review the Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World trailers. Special guest, bibliophile Zainab Chaudary of The Memorist. 0:00 – 19:45: The Martian - non-spoiler discussion; 19:46 – 49:00: The Martian - spoiler review; 49:01 – 58:35: The Martian VS. MOON; 58:36 - 1:36:35: Top 5 Survival Stories; 1:36:35 - 1:48:32: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens & Jurassic World trailer review.

“Fire Is Catching!” We review The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1! Can Suzanne Collins’s slim novel be adapted into two films? What’s Mockingjay saying about reality TV and war propaganda? Looking back, what's The Hunger Games's contribution to the scifi genre? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who’s the better instigator of rebellion — Katniss Everdeen or Terminator's Sarah Connor? We gobble down our top 5 things to watch on Thanksgiving. 0:00 – 43:32: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1; 43:33 – 58:16: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Katniss Everdeen vs. Sarah Connor; 58:17 – 1:29:18: Top 5 Things to Watch on Thanksgiving.