In the finale of the first season, Jon takes over as host and Daniel gets the chance to talk about one of his fixations. In this case, Tim Minchin’s dramedy Upright. They discuss how the show combines an irreverent tone with outlandish humour and very real dramatic beats and characters. They also gush about the killer soundtrack as an added bonus.

Content Warning: Upright deals a lot with issues involving mortality and suicide.

Andy and Daniel talk about the intriguing worldbuilding of the Dorsai books, how it has inspired generations of science fiction writers and how its storytelling and characters are infused with intriguing philosophy.

Daniel is joined by his Stories Across Borders co-host to talk about iconic 90’s/early 2000s cartoon, Courage the Cowardly Dog. They discuss how the show explored various fears, and often surprisingly dark storylines, in a way that was both educational and palatable for children.

Daniel is joined by the Brockton Bay Chronicles’ Keith for a break in the formula. They discuss Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - both the original Carl Sagan version and the Neil deGrasse Tyson remake - and how the show uses storytelling to foster an interest in history and the sciences.

Eva talks to Daniel about Gillian Flynn’s novel-turned-film, Gone Girl and why she counts it among her fiction fixations. They discuss the deep layers of characterisation and theming in the story, as well as the masterfully executed plot and its big twist.

Marv_Missy introduces you to the weird world of Kingdom Hearts, a game franchise mixing Disney with Square Enix JRPGs. She unravels the franchise’s twisted timeline, expounds upon why Kingdom Hearts III makes her mad and does a pretty good job of convincing Daniel it might be worth giving the franchise a chance.