LDS Geeks Podcast #62: Slytherin House

Rounding out our series about the Hogwarts Houses, we have Slytherin. The evildoers and the unexpected heroes. And this was all recorded before the release of the HBO Max Harry Potter trailer. So let's go at it!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 62 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out Michael's recent content: click here

Show notes:

00:12 - Introductions
00:48 - Spencer's Recommendation: Animorphs Graphic Novels
03:06 - Michael's Recommendation: Simply on Purpose on Instagram
04:49 - Slytherin House overview
        "Our Hogwarts Houses" by the LDS Geeks Team
07:21 - Favorite Slytherins
        Spencer: Horace Slughorn
        Michael: Lucius Malfoy
10:49 - Least Favorite Slytherins
        Michael: Bellatrix Lestrange
        Spencer: Severus Snape
        "Why Snape Is the Absolute Worst (Besides Umbridge)" by Spencer
        "Unpopular Opinions: Harry Potter" by Spencer
        "Heroes of Slytherin" by Spencer
14:58 - Slytherin Best Friend
        Spencer: Leta Lestrange
        Michael: Horace Slughorn
18:38 - Slytherin Theme Song
        Spencer: "Good to Be Bad" (Descendants)
        Michael: "Bad Boys Reply" by Inner Circle
21:14 - Analysis of Slytherin House
23:53 - Slytherin from Other Fandoms
        Zuko and Iroh (Avatar the Last Airbender)
        Vanellope von Schweetz (Wreck-It Ralph)
        Emperor Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove)
        Tony Stark (Marvel)
        Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold (Once Upon a Time)
        Hades (Hercules)
29:14 - Conclusion

7 Best Harry Potter Casting Choices

Happy birthday, Harry Potter! In honor of the famed Chosen One turning forty-four this year and in honor of the anticipated Harry Potter series coming to Max, I’ve been thinking about the casting choices we saw in the initial adaptation of the series. I’ve heard many Potterheads comment on how perfect the casting was for the movies. We haven’t heard casting news for the Max series yet, so I wanted to reflect on some of the best casting decisions of the movie series.

Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall 

I’ve never met anyone who had a bad thing to say about Maggie Smith’s portrayal of the strict, gold-hearted Professor McGonagall. She pulls off the stern deputy headmistress perfectly, but also manages to display plenty of warmth as the motherly head of Gryffindor.

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape

While I’ve said my piece about Snape as a hero (multiple times), I’ve also admitted that his character is complexly and masterfully written. As such, only a masterful actor could bring him to life. Alan Rickman’s death from cancer hit hard to any of us who are fans of his works. So while I despise Snape as a person, I can’t imagine anyone but Alan Rickman portraying this character.

Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood

Who could anyone hate our lovable misfit Luna? Evanna Lynch brought her wonderfully to life in the second half of the Harry Potter movies. Her soft-spoken dreamy voice matches perfectly for how Luna would react throughout the series. Much better than the impression of Luna in the audiobooks (sorry).

Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore 

Of the three main Dumbledore actors, the first is my favorite. Before his unfortunate passing, Richard Harris was the level-headed, calm, and collected headmaster that always seemed to know more than he was letting on. I love the meme that goes around occasionally with Richard Harris saying “Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?” It brings peace to my soul as I imagine the book-accurate portrayal of Dumbledore.

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

I feel like it’s well known that Emma Watson took time while filming Harry Potter to attend Oxford and Brown. Who could be better to play our dear Hermione? And then she went on to play Belle afterwards! I love that Emma is just as much a bookworm and intellectual as Hermione. Makes her fit the role even better.

Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney

Professor Trelawney is meant to be a complete nutcase and Emma Thompson with her giant glasses does an amazing job being aloof and intense at the same time. Also her prophecy/trance voice is chilling (though that may have been editing software). But despite being awkward and crazy, she also made us emotional when Umbridge tried to eject her from Hogwarts.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander

Obviously there isn’t source material in the Harry Potter books to say what kind of character Newt was, but I couldn’t help but include him on this list because I love how Eddie Redmayne plays the character. He’s quirky and awkward and lovable–like me, hopefully. Newt has a good heart and Eddie portrays that perfectly.

Now I’ll sit quietly and anxiously wait for news about the Harry Potter series coming to Max. I can’t imagine these actors and actresses being topped, but I hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised. For now, mischief managed.

Eight Moments with Minerva McGonagall

Another year at Hogwarts begins. To celebrate our Hogwarts professors and all teachers returning to work, I wanted to spotlight Minerva McGonagall, headmistress and transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. So enjoy some of the best moments of McGonagall.

"We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legend."

I can't remember how exactly this exchanged played out in the book, but in the movie version of Chamber of Secrets, you can tell that McGonagall (and probably all the other teachers too) were tired of Lockhart's pompous nature. Would McGonagall have challenged him to take on Slytherin's monster if she actually thought he knew where the Chamber was? I doubt it. But she definitely used this dark moment to put Gilderoy in his place. Can't stop sassy Minerva.

“Have a biscuit.”

This moment in the book version of Order of the Phoenix is iconic. Just when Harry thinks he’s in the biggest trouble for talking back to Umbridge, McGonagall throws the unexpected curveball. It’s just the beginning of her (mostly) silent protest against Umbridge and it’s a shame that this scene didn’t make it into the movie.

“I wonder how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking.”

While Umbridge tried to undermine the other teachers, as she slowly took over Hogwarts, some teachers had a hard time (Trelawney) but it was funny to see her get after the likes of McGonagall. Sassy McGonagall is the one who could stand up to Umbridge like no one else could.

“There are several things I’d like to say.”

Occasionally the movie added moments that the book didn’t and it’s beautiful. This is one such moment when McGonagall is defending Trelawney, who she has complained about on more than one occasion. But even this woman, who she perceives to be a fraud, is a human being deserving of respect, despite any personal bias. 

Harry’s Career Counseling

Late in the book version of Order of the Phoenix, prior to the OWL exams, the heads of houses did career counseling with their pupils. And for some reason Umbridge decided to sit in on Harry’s session. Not only was McGonagall supportive of Harry’s career goals, while still giving him stern advice to improve his grade in Potions. But on top of that, she straight up called out Umbridge, who persisted in tearing down Harry’s career aspirations.

"It’s high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she’s got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have."

She was known for being strict and everything, but McGonagall was always supportive of her students. Even the ones that weren’t Harry Potter. So this line to Neville was great. At the beginning of the Half-Blood Prince book she was willing to stand up to Neville’s strict grandmother and validate Neville’s strengths. This boy had spent five years being torn down for his weaknesses, so I’m sure the validation was only too welcome.

“I’ve always wanted to use that spell”

Shortly after dueling Snape (in both the movie and the book), McGonagall and the other teachers started putting protection spells around the school. As part of this, McGonagall animated several stone knight statues. As if that moment wasn’t cool enough, the movie version had her start geeking out to Mrs. Weasley about the spell she'd cast. Just another moment the movie improved upon the book.

The Oscausi Charm

In a Crimes of Grindewald flashback, we see a young Minerva (don’t get me started on why McGonagall shouldn’t be there–she literally said in Order of the Phoenix that she’d been at Hogwarts about 39 years) chasing young Leta Lestrange with a Gryffindor girl. Naturally, as Leta had jinxed the girl, McGonagall was trying to be stern, as always. But when the Gryffindor girl gets her voice back and immediately starts complaining, it’s sassy McGonagall that mutes her all over again. 

If you have any favorite McGonagall moments that I’ve missed, make sure you let us know in the comments and/or by sending us a message. Or if you can rationalize (without trashing the Fantastic Beasts movies–I still like them overall) how the heck she was present at 1910s Hogwarts.

5 Favorite Harry Potter Head-Canons

So while hoards of you are out there playing Hogwarts Legacy, I’m sitting here, Switch-less, listening to my Harry Potter audiobooks. Now as I near the end of Half-Blood Prince, it’s probably as good a time as any to do a Harry Potter post. Like any popular fandom, there are countless head-canons to daydream about. Here are a few of my favorites.

Harry is the heir of Gryffindor

Back when I started reading Harry Potter (circa 2002) I was enthralled by the plethora of speculation on internet message boards (anyone else member those?), waiting for Order of the Phoenix to come out. Before we ever found out he was the Chosen One, people were theorizing that he was the heir of Gryffindor. Perfectly paired against the heir of Slytherin. While this theory never came to fruition in the series, it was also never disproven. So to me Harry will always be Godric Gryffindor’s heir... unless maybe Neville is the heir of Gryffindor? Wouldn't that be a twist?

Voldemort’s appearance changing 

I heard this on the podcast “Tales from Godric’s Hollow” (an old episode from years ago), but the question was posed as to why Voldemort’s appearance became snake-like. Seriously though. How did handsome young Tom Riddle turn into snake-man? The idea was posed (and it’s now head-canon) that the dark acts that Tom did started having a physical manifestation. In the podcast episode, they compared it to the player in Fable, if you remember that game. You could also compare it to the Wicked Witch on Once Upon a Time.

Newt gave Aragog to Hagrid 

Depending on how the Fantastic Beasts franchise progresses (I’m seriously worried that Secrets of Dumbledore was turned into their unofficial finale), we could honestly see this happen. I wrote about it once before, but I would seriously love for young Hagrid to show up in Fantastic Beasts and meet Newt Scamander. With Newt’s love of all creatures, he’d be the perfect person to give Aragog to Hagrid. Until this head-canon is proven false, it’ll be true in my head.

Molly was shouting in book one to get Harry’s attention 

I saw this one on a meme and I completely believe it. If you haven’t seen it, basically the reason Molly Weasley is shouting about Platform 9 ¾ and muggles (despite having attended herself and dropped off kids for about ten years) was because she saw a lost boy with a trunk and owl. She probably assumed he was a confused muggleborn, so she tried to make herself obnoxiously heard to get his attention. That’s just how Mama Weasley does things.

The entire plot of Puffs

Other than a few ways the functionality of magic works in the play, there is no reason that Puffs couldn’t be considered a head-canon. The writers of the play were very careful not to contradict anything from the books and other canon sources. So now as I read about Zacharias Smith and Justin Finch-Fletchley, all I can picture is Nick Carillo. To read more about Puffs, check out the blog post I did about it.

Other than a head-canon I’ve already written about regarding House-Elves and Santa Claus, these five head-canons should suffice for today. If you have any fun head-canons (Harry Potter or any other franchise), let us know and they can be featured in future blog posts. But for now…

Mischief managed.

The Secrets of Dumbledore

My wife and I celebrated our fifth date-iversary by doing something both of us love: Seeing a new Harry Potter movie. And I came out of Fantastic Beasts 3 with one thought: I need to see that again. I’ll try to avoid spoilers here. However, fair warning, it’s a movie review, so there’ll be some minor spoilers.

Let’s start with what I had issues with.

Without getting into the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp’s departure from the franchise, we got the recasting of Gellert Grindewald going to Mads Mikkelsen. His version of Grindewald was certainly different. That being said, I enjoyed it. So why am I including this in my “issues” section: honestly, I wish they’d have explained why he had a different face. It could have been an interesting twist with being in hiding.

So… what exactly were the “secrets of Dumbledore”? They gave away the answers of Dumbledore’s sexual orientation and his relationship with Credence so easily, that it didn’t really feel like his secrets were even really part of the plot. I feel like the bigger secret was how he felt about himself… but that’s a post for a later day I think.

One last gripe: I missed Tina. The actress, Katherine Waterston, hasn’t made any statement as to why her appearances in this film were so limited. There’s speculation it has to do with having a young baby at the time of filming, but we still don’t know for sure. Maybe we’ll learn someday. Regardless: I missed Tina. I’m grateful we had her small appearances, especially at the end. But maybe this’ll just make me appreciate her even more next time. 

Now onto what I liked:

This movie had a feel of a Harry Potter movie (duh) meets spy movie. There were so many moving parts in this film that I need to see it again to understand everything. So many twists and turns, with secrets along the way (very few of them Dumbledore’s). And honestly who’d have thought Bunty would have such a big role to play in the mystery?

I enjoyed the new addition to the team: Lally Hicks. I’m not sure if she was added to the story because Tina was absent or if she was always intended to be part of the team in Secrets of Dumbledore. Either way, she was a wonderful addition to the team and I enjoyed her chemistry with Newt and Jacob in particular. 

The movie also just had so many wholesome, emotional moments. I’ll admit, some of them were kinda cheesy. But to see Lally and Dumbledore try to build up Jacob was wonderful (that’s a post for another day once I can rewatch the movie). It was also heartbreaking to see Dumbledore expressing his self-doubt (that could be its own post as well). If you’re a person who struggles with self-doubt like me, I think you’ll really relate to Dumbledore in this movie. We all end up broken from our life experiences, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy.

It was great to return to the Wizarding World and Hogwarts again (seriously, the Hogwarts scenes were awesome). I’ll always take more Potterverse content. The movie seemed to wrap things up well for now, which honestly makes me wonder if this might be the last Fantastic Beasts movie. I certainly hope they finish the last two movies, but I’m grateful for another glimpse into this world regardless. 

Pokemon Nicknames: Harry Potter

I've recently started re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as I begin the series again. As I do (and as I perpetually play my Pokemon games) I'm looking for more fun nicknames to use. I'm currently using Harry Potter-themed nicknames on Yellow, so I wanted to share a few ideas I had in Gen I and beyong. And a few Fantastic Beasts nicknames as well.

PS: I'm way too proud of a couple of these.

Charizard as Norbert

Raticate as Wormtail (also Scabbers or Pettigrew)

Bellsprout as Pickett

Zapdos as Frank

Moltres (also Ho-Oh) as Fawkes

Furret as Draco

Linoone as Helga

Mightyena as Padfoot (also Snuffles or Sirius)

Seviper as Nagini

Sharpedo as Viktor

“I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him.”

During “The Pandorica Opens”, upon hearing the story of the Pandorica, River Song makes one of her off-handed snarky comments about the Doctor. “I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him.” We never got a clear answer as to whether the Doctor was ever a “wizard” who locked a “feared being” in the Pandorica. Maybe River’s assumption was right and the Doctor locked an enemy in there? But so far, we don’t know. However, it did make me wonder if there are any other wizards we’ve heard of who could secretly be the Doctor. Here are a few I thought of.

Seventh Doctor - Radagast the Brown

Indulge me in some headcanon for a second. After the Seventh Doctor said goodbye to Ace (sometime after “Survival”), the Doctor went to another world. Future? Past? Who’s to say? But let’s call this world “Middle Earth”. Here he learned about “magic” and became known as Radagast and enjoyed isolating with forest animals. This is what Sylvester McCoy plays both the Seventh Doctor and Radagast in The Hobbit. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s a fun thought.

Post-Seventh Doctor - Merlin

This theory isn’t unique to me. If you’ve watched the Seventh Doctor era of Classic Doctor Who, you may recall the Doctor being called Merlin in “Battlefield”. The Doctor didn’t remember being Merlin, so we can safely assume “Merlin” was an incarnation of the Doctor after the Seventh. Based on different versions of the wizard Merlin, you can see aspects of the Doctor. For example, in Disney’s Sword in the Stone, Merlin appears to time travel and he has a bag that’s bigger on the inside. And in BBC’s Merlin, the young wizard appears to live unaged for thousands of years, much like the Doctor. Maybe someday we’ll get a Merlin story?

Future Doctor - Newt Scamander

This idea will be even more amazing if BBC decides at a future date to cast Eddie Redmayne as the Doctor. My first time watching Fantastic Beasts I got definite Doctor vibes from him. Maybe it was the bigger-on-the-inside suitcase. Maybe it was the running down the hall with Tina in hand (just like a companion). Either way, a British guy with a fantastically out-there outfit… he could be the Doctor. He even licked the ground in Crimes of Grindewald. Although if we’re talking Harry Potter world, maybe the War Doctor as Ollivander would work.

Any Doctor - Wizard of Oz

It doesn’t necessarily fit into the 1930s Wizard of Oz, but let’s think for a second. His clothes are super flamboyant (worse than the Sixth Doctor’s clothes) and his hot air balloon could definitely be the TARDIS (chameleon circuit fixed in the future, of course--it’s been done before). Oz could be an alien world that people visit in their dreams. Maybe the Wicked Witch was Missy in face paint? 

Friday Creature Feature - Nifflers

It feels like it should be about time for another Fantastic Beasts movie by now. Alas, we still have some time to go. But since I've got Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts on my mind, I figured now would be as good a time as any to highlight the show-stealing furball we fell in love with immediately: the niffler.

The first time JK Rowling introduced us to a niffler has probably been forgotten by many fans (especially since it wasn't in the movie). In Goblet of Fire, Hagrid did a Care of Magical Creatures lesson on nifflers. Maybe you'll remember Hagrid hiding leprechaun gold in his yard for the students to find with the nifflers.

When the nifflers were shown in this chapter, I pictured them much differently for some reason (I couldn't tell you why). However, Fantastic Beasts gave us a nice clear picture of how they look. They look a lot like a platypus (minus the beaver tail). They don't seem to get their full black coat until they're full-grown, but as babies we saw them in a variety of colors in Crimes of Grindewald. They have a gentle disposition and they're drawn to shiny objects, which can often lead to some mischief.

Back in the 1920s, when Newt Scamander came to New York City, one niffler got loose and ended up causing some havoc at the bank and the jewelry store. They like to store their shinies in their pouches (does this make it a marsupial?) and they seem to have limitless space inside to hide coins and jewels and everything. Talk about bigger-on-the-inside technology.

Despite their gentle disposition, they can become dangerous. In Order of the Phoenix, Umbridge said that a niffler tried to take a chunk out of her leg when Lee Jordan levitated it into her office. But then again, who doesn't hate Umbridge?

One big question to finish off today: Would you keep a niffler as a pet? Hagrid said it was inadvisable, but would you take the risk to have this cuddle-buddy at home?

10 Cuddliest Creatures in Fiction

Life's too hard. Let's focus on something nice for once.

That's pretty much all the premise this article needs.

10: Dex-Starr
A more obscure character for those not at least neck deep in DC Comics, this cosmic kitty is a dangerous member of the Red Lanterns. His fury is only matched by his tragic backstory. He's not an alien or a mutant, he's just a kitty who wants to be loved.

9: Appa
This strange six-legged flying bison was introduced to us in Avatar the Last Airbender, and immediately flew away with our hearts. He's a big friendly mode of transportation and best friend to Aang. His only real competition in his world is when we were treated to baby sky bisons in the sequel series Legend of Korra.

8: Snorlax
When we first ran into Snorlax sleeping in the road in the Kanto region, did any of us really want to wake him up? He's just sleeping there, living his best life in the afternoon sun. It's almost tempting to just hang the rest of the adventure and join him on his big soft belly.

7: Baymax
Specially engineered to be as friendly and cuddly as possible, Baymax is the perfect healthcare administrator. He heals wounds, can warm you up to stave off hypothermia, and is just a pleasant personality program to tell your woes to. Baymax will even read up on you woes to find the best way to help you deal with whatever your dealing with.

6: Baby Owlbear
Found in the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, owlbears have been around since near the beginning. They're large menacing creatures that are not to be taken lightly, unless they're cute little cubs. Found in some supplemental guides, adventurers lucky enough to come across one of these little darlings can train them to be powerful and loyal pets. While they'll be perfect in battle, they also make great places to sleep on the long road.

5: Tribbles
Seen first in the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and later in the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", these parasites multiply incredibly fast, and if left unchecked can endanger starship operations. The reason they are kept though is because they're soft, furry and purr like cute little alien kitties.

4: Nibbler
The deceptively intelligent alien pet from Futurama, Nibbler is a three-eyed bundle of love (as long as he's not hungry). Nibbler is part of a race of powerful warriors tasked with defending the universe from the Brains and other cosmic terrors, but in between life saving missions they're always up to snuggle and put on cute outfits.

3: Niffler
Formally introduced to us in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, these little mole-like critters are attracted to shiny things, for better or worse. They only get to about the size of a house cat, and while cuddling up to you may be a rouse to get that fancy pocket watch they spotted earlier, it's still a nice cuddle for everyone involved. Plus if you can get the Niffler to fall asleep you may get access to its secret magic pouch and get some treasure of your own.

2: All Baby level Digimon
Digimon can be big scary monsters that look like they climbed out of a high school student's edgiest sketchbook, or they can be the cutest little critters to rival even the squishiest of Pokemon. Baby level Digimon, no matter what they turn into, are all like this. Cuddly, friendly and fun little balls of squish, that you almost don't want to Digivolve.

1: Totoro
Duh.
Totoro from Ghibli studio's My Neighbor Totoro is the ultimate cuddle buddy. A forest spirit that protects children who are lost and in need of a friend, Totoro is there if you need an umbrella in the rain or a nap in the woods. Totoro is a big cat spirit ready to give you all the love you need, all you have to do is believe.

***Honorable Mention: Stitch***
Stitch, the adorable and lovable alien from Lilo and Stitch, would be on this list, except for the fact that while cuddling with him there would always be that nagging worry that at any moment he may try to destroy major cities, back up sewage lines, and steal everyone's left shoe. Stitch is cuddly, no doubt about it, but he's a little too unstable to make this list.