I remember hearing about Hunters back when it aired on Amazon Prime in 2020. I thought the concept was interesting. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch Nazis getting murdered by a vigilante group? I seemingly forgot about the show until recently. I was looking for a new show to watch, and Hunters popped up on my radar. I went into watching Hunters with little to no expectations, and I’m happy to say that Hunters is one of my favorite shows I watched this year.

Hunters opens with Jonah Heidelbaum (played by Logan Lerman) as he lives in New York with his grandmother, Ruth (played by Jeannie Berlin). In the middle of the night, Jonah goes downstairs and hears Ruth talking with someone, and before Jonah can figure out who, Ruth is shot and killed. Jonah originally believes it was a robbery until after the funeral, when he goes through Ruth’s personal belongings. It’s revealed that Ruth was partnering with a group of Nazi Hunters led by Meyer Offerman (played by Al Pacino). While Ruth wanted to protect Jonah from the Hunters, Jonah wants in. He’s quickly recruited, and while he’s skeptical, he begins to realize that Nazis have been escaping justice for far too long.

I like how Hunters blends history with fiction. Simon Wiesenthal, who was an actual Nazi Hunter, is a character on the show. I should add that it was an actor portraying Simon, not the real Simon Wiesenthal, in case that wasn’t clear. The show references Operation Paperclip, which was a secretive US government operation that brought German scientists and engineers to the US. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to find out that the US recruited Nazis to work with them. It’s vile. These are war criminals who aided and abetted the Nazi party, and they get a free pass to live in the US because they are smart? In the second season of Hunters, most of the season takes place in South America, and when I looked up some of the Nazis that were brought to justice in history, a lot of them hid in South America. I thought it made the series more compelling that it pulled from actual history, even though, yes, a lot of this is still fictional.

Another thing I liked about Hunters was that it had this comic book feel to the show. The hunters feel like a superhero team even though they don’t have superpowers. The intro to the show shows the characters as action figures on a chessboard, moving to get in front of the Nazis. I don’t normally look up interviews with the cast or the producers, but I found myself curious as to the inspiration behind the show. In an interview with the creator, David Weil, he mentions being inspired by his grandmother being a holocaust survivor and the lack of representation of Jewish superheroes. When I think about this, I don’t know any superheroes who are Jewish in comics, or if there are Jewish superheroes, this isn’t highlighted much. When I read this interview by David, I felt it made a lot of sense as to why Hunters was made the way it was.

You know, when you watch a show, and there’s a character who is awful and evil? I think Cersei from Game of Thrones comes to mind. In Hunters, that character is Travis Leich (played by Greg Austin). Travis is a white supremacist who gets recruited to help the Nazis in the US. He was THE WORST. He’s a Nazi, so this is a given, but everything he did, it sent a shiver down my spine. There were times when he was unhinged, and some of the scenes that he was in were hard to watch. This show had a great cast, and I found each hunter stood out to me with their own backstory and what motivates them to hunt Nazis. The Markowitz’s (played by Saul Rubinek and Carol Kane) are a married couple in the Hunters, and their back story episode, I was crying. For a show that only has eighteen episodes, I felt it was easy to get attached to them.

Hunters was a show I was compelled to keep watching. I don’t normally watch multiple episodes of a show for hours on end, but Hunters was the exception. I’m sad that this show doesn’t have more seasons. Hunters can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

I have less than 100 episodes left of Mighty Nein, Critical Role’s second campaign. It’s a bit daunting to watch this campaign since there are 141 total episodes. It feels like a milestone to have less than 100 left. I’m at the part of the campaign where Mighty Nein partners with Avantika to learn more about Uk’otoa. Fjord (played by Travis Willingham) has a personal connection to this as well and Avantika latches on to Fjord right away. I have been loving this arc so far, it’s been interesting to watch and I wanted to talk more about it.

First of all, I love Avantika. Avantika is one of my favorite NPCs Matt Mercer has created. I’d put Avantika up there with Lady Kima and Allura from Vox Machina. The flirty banter she has with Fjord is entertaining. I think it pulls Travis into more roleplay-heavy situations which has been different than Grog which was Travis’s character from Vox Machina. I have had many things about this campaign spoiled for me, but Avantika’s fate was not one of them. There is still a lot of mystery about what will happen to her and if she will summon Uk’otoa.

While this arc is focused on Fjord, there have been ramifications on the other members of the Nein. Jester (played by Laura Bailey) has expressed to Caleb (played by Liam O’Brien) through hints that she may be jealous of Fjord’s relationship with Avantika. Jester has always flirted with Fjord, but this might be the push Jester needs to admit her feelings for him. Caduceus (played by Taliesin Jaffe) clocks Fjord’s relationship with Avantika before the others. Fjord asks him to keep this a secret which Caduceus agrees to do. The fun part about watching a campaign is the story along with seeing how the characters are impacted by decisions the other characters make.

This whole arc is Dungeons & Dragons meets Pirates of the Caribbean. There have been ship battles and mad dashes through tropical forests. Some characters thrive with all the athleticism while other characters tolerate it. When I watch Critical Role, I blog or scroll through Reddit while the episode plays in the background. It’s tough for me to sit and watch three hours of content straight without my mind starting to wander. For this arc though, I am invested.

I am curious how all this will play out and what this will mean for the rest of the campaign. I wonder if there will be a final showdown with Avantika or what kind of powers Avantika will get if she does summon Uk’otoa. Will Fjord unlock any special abilities? Time will tell once I finish watching the upcoming episodes.

I did it! I finished listening to all 100 episodes of the first campaign of Not Another DnD (NADDPOD) podcast. This campaign was everything I remembered and so much more. I remembered some pieces from the first time I listened, but there was so much I completely forgot about. I wanted to share some of my favorite moments from the last fifty episodes of NADDPOD.

In case you missed my first post summarizing the first fifty episodes, I wanted to provide a summary. NADDPOD is a TTRPG podcast where the cast is playing Dungeons & Dragons. The podcast follows three characters: Moonshine Cybin (played by Emily Axford), Beverly Toegold V (played by Caldwell Tanner), and Hardwon Surefoot (played by Jake Hurwitz). The campaign is DMed by Brian Murphy, or Murph for short. The first campaign focuses on Moonshine, Beverly, and Hardwon as they attempt to save Bahumia again.

Spoilers for the last fifty episodes of NADDPOD

The History of Balnor – Episode #51

In episode #51, the characters are reunited with Alannis, one of the original saviors of Bahumia. She reveals a lot of background on how she tried to take out Thiala, another of the saviors of Bahumia. When Alannis speaks, she talks about Balnor and how Balnor came to them. Balnor was originally picked out of the “Deck of Many Things”; however, Alannis says that Balnor was placed there by her. Alannis found Balnor after his family was killed by Drow Elves. Alannis asked if Balnor wanted to help, and he agreed. Alannis put Balnor in the card that the group drew.

This was so heartbreaking! It shows what a good DM Murph is because of the way he links his stories together. Who would have thought a knight could have had such a tragic backstory? Balnor has helped the group so much, and they would not be alive without him.

Hardwon getting turned into a Vampire – Episode #61

In Shadowfell, the group enters a vampire club. After some back and forth, a group of vampires attacks and takes Hardwon. Hardwon is drained by one of the vampires, and after a tense moment, he’s let go. This forever changes Hardwon’s character because after escaping Shadowfell, Moonshine casts Reincarnate on Hardwon, and he’s reborn as a half-elf instead of a dwarf.

I chose this moment because of how it shaped Hardwon’s story. His backstory is how he grew up in an orphanage and didn’t feel connected to the other dwarves. You could tell that Jake felt a little down after this happened. Once he’s reborn as a half-elf, he gets the respect of the other dwarven kings, who accept Hardwon as worthy to keep wielding the king’s hammer even though he isn’t a dwarf.

Lydia Stormborn becoming the new leader of Shadowfell – Episode #69

Lydia Stormborn is Hardwon’s mom. Lydia was killed by Galad Rosell and became a revenant. Hardwon kills Galad, which traps Lydia in Shadowfell. The group travels to Shadowfell to save Lydia. After defeating Galad a second time, Lydia becomes the new ruler of Shadowfell.

Hardwon reuniting with his mom was so sweet. Lydia becomes an ally to the group and has several personal conversations with each of them. Despite everything she’s been through, she rises to the occasion and becomes the person she was always meant to be.

Moonshine meets her dad. – Episode #70

Before the events of the campaign, Moonshine never knew her father. It’s revealed that Moonshine’s dad is Lucanus, a high elf. In Bahumia, the High Elves are seen as high and mighty, while the Crick Elves are seen as inferior and dense. Moonshine was shocked to learn that her father was a High Elf. This may not be the first episode where they meet, but it’s the episode where Lucanus asks Moonshine for a hug. While Lucanus is introduced later in the campaign, he helps Moonshine learn and evolve.

Moonshine Learns Counterspell – Episode #90

Speaking of learning and evolving, Moonshine learns Counterspell from Lucanus. For those who will be extra critical, Counterspell is not a spell Druids would be able to take. That’s the beauty of TTRPGs: you can homebrew anything. As someone who uses Counterspell frequently, it’s clutch to have someone in your party who can Counterspell.

This is a lovely moment between Lucanus and Moonshine. Moonshine is not known to study, and Lucanus brings it out of her. There’s a moment later on where Moonshine does Counterspell, one of Lucanus’s spells, after he’s under the influence of a plague. He is so proud of her once he’s told of what happened.

Jaina and Moonshine getting together – Episode #99

One part of some TTRPG campaigns and live shows is romance. Jaina, one of Hardwon’s closest allies, approaches Hardwon asking if she can date Moonshine. It leads to an awkward and endearing moment between the two, leaving Hardwon to give his blessing. Jaina talks to Moonshine, and they have fun together before the final battle.

I love these two together! It’s not revealed if they have been together for a long time or if this was a fling, but I ship these two together.

Hardwon rolling so many critical hits on Thiala – Episode #100

In the last episode, the group goes after Thiala. Hardwon unlocks reckless attacks, meaning he can attack with advantage. He’s a fighter, which means he can get a critical hit on a 19 or a 20. I believe there was an ability where he could get a critical hit on a 17 or 18??? I can’t remember the mechanics off the top of my head. Hardwon rolled SO MANY critical hits against Thiala. He was carrying this fight.

I hope Jake saved the d20 he rolled throughout that episode. I picked this moment because, without Hardwon, I think the group wouldn’t have survived. Every group needs a party member who can deal huge amounts of damage.

Balnor being reunited with his family – Episode #100

To end the campaign, Alannis reveals that she can make a wish to return Balnor to the moment the Drow Elves attack his family. With Balnor leveling up with the group, he’s strong enough to defend his village. The group tearfully wishes Balnor goodbye and good luck as Alannis guides Balnor away.

I wasn’t crying. Nope. Not at all. I am so happy for Balnor! He gets to explain all of this to his son, Bobby. How his dad saved the world and how his dad protected him. This was a great send-off to Balnor, who is arguably the most important NPC in this campaign.

This might be my all-time favorite TTRPG campaign. There were so many great moments. As far as what’s next, I’m going to listen to Trinyvale, which is a campaign that Caldwell DMs. After that, I’m going to listen to Hot Boy Summer, which Emily DMed. My goal is to get all caught up on campaign #3. It will be weird to have to wait for the next NADDPOD episode to drop. I still have some time before that happens.

After watching Deadpool & Wolverine, I was reinspired to finish watching X-Men: The Animated Series on Disney+. I have been watching X-Men on and off for close to three years. I would watch a few episodes, then take a break, watch a few episodes, then take a break. I decided enough was enough, and I devoted time to finish the series. I’m glad I did because I think the show still holds up all these years later. Instead of writing a traditional review, I wanted to share some of my favorite episodes from the show.

“Night of the Sentinels Part 1” – Season #1 Episode 1

“Night of the Sentinels” is the first episode of the series. In this episode, the Sentinels attack and go after Jubilee. Jubilee is eventually recruited by the X-Men after the attack is thwarted. I picked this episode as a favorite because it starts the series with a bang. On top of that, Jubilee becomes a valued member of the X-Men. Jubilee develops a close friendship with Wolverine throughout the episodes. She brings youth and positive energy to the X-Men, which I think they needed.

“Repo Man” – Season #2 Episode 5

“Repo Man” is the fifth episode of the second season and focuses on Wolverine. Wolverine goes to meet a woman from his past and is captured. Through flashbacks, we see Wolverine being injected with Adamantium, which explains his increased healing factor. Wolverine is helped by several allies to escape the facility.

One of the many reasons that X-Men: The Animated Series holds up is how great the show is at highlighting classic comic storylines. If someone is new to comics or to the X-Men in general, this show is a great way to introduce them to the characters. Wolverine is often seen as the face of the X-Men, and his story is tragic. He has powers, but because he can be healed so quickly, it makes him close to immortal. That’s a lot to grapple with, and that’s what makes Wolverine’s story so interesting.

“A Rogue’s Tale” – Season #2 Episode 9

In “A Rogue’s Tale”, this episode focuses on Rogue and how she came to be. When Rogue gained power, her father was abusive. Rogue is forced to flee and struggles with her powers.

When X-Men ’97 was released on Disney+, fans critiqued the series for making the X-Men “woke”. I can’t help but laugh. The X-Men have always been political. Charles and Magneto represent two ideas of fighting for basic rights. Charles serves as the pacifist who doesn’t want to hurt humans, even though some truly hate the existence of mutants. Magneto offers a hint of brutality, and why should he protect humans when they hate him? It can’t get more political than that. The X-Men are all about fighting for equality.

With this episode, the look of Rogue’s father reminds me of Trump supporters. Rogue’s father is wearing a baseball cap with the American flag. He believes he’s a patriot because he loves his country, but can’t even learn to love his own daughter? I think this episode is one of the more tragic episodes in the series, and it’s done well.

“No Mutant is an Island” – Season #3 Episode 8

This episode is a Cyclops-focused episode where he confronts Killgrave! For those unaware of who Killgrave is, he’s a villain with mind-control capabilities. He was played wonderfully by David Tennant in Jessica Jones. I wasn’t expecting to see Killgrave in this series, so I thought this episode was a pleasant surprise.

“Nightcrawler” – Season #4 Episode 8

In “Nightcrawler”, this is what you would expect as Nightcrawler’s introduction in the series. While in Germany, Wolverine hears rumors of a demon in the area. When Wolverine confronts the demon, he realizes he’s also a mutant named Nightcrawler. Wolverine and the other X-Men protect Nightcrawler from the other townsfolk. This was another solid episode. I like how this series focuses on each member of the X-Men and how they get their episode to shine

“Family Ties” – Season #4 Episode 13

This episode centers around Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver discovering that Magento is their father. Scarlet Witch is one of my favorite Marvel superheroes, so any episode that features her front and center will automatically be a favorite of mine.

“Old Soldiers” – Season #5 Episode 7

“Old Soldiers” is a flashback episode where Wolverine teams up with Captain America during World War II. During their mission, they encounter Red Skull, another classic supervillain in comics. This episode was unexpected. I did not think any of The Avengers would appear, so I had to add this episode to my list.

This post ended up being much longer than I anticipated! I consolidated my list and removed episodes I originally had. If you have been watching X-Men: The Animated Series, let me know in the comments which episodes you liked the most.

While at my local comic book store, I picked up a few issues of Thunderbolts written by Collin Kelly and illustrated by Nico Leon and Jackson Lanzing. Before reading Thunderbolts, I didn’t know anything about this superhero group. Led by Bucky Barnes, Thunderbolts feels like a much tamer and more heroic version of Suicide Squad. There was a recent teaser trailer posted online for the Thunderbolts* movie set to release in 2025. I watched the trailer and was pleasantly surprised and excited about the film.

While the trailer is three and a half minutes long, it serves as a build-up to who is a part of the group. Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) is shown knocking on Red Guardian’s (played by David Harbour) door. At first, he’s uninterested, but he decides to show up. From there, there’s a scene showing fan favorite, Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan), along with disgruntled John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell), who is uninterested in his mundane life. The group gets together and meets Bob (played by Lewis Pullman), who is trying to figure out why they’re there. The lights go out, and a timer counts down, with the group realizing they have been set up, but unclear as to who would want them gone.

I’m not sure how comic book-accurate this is, but I like the interconnections between the members of the Thunderbolts. Seeing Yelena and Red Guardian together again is fun. I like the banter they have together. I liked the Black Widow movie a lot, and it seems like it’s been forgotten about in the Marvel universe, so having the Thunderbolts keep some of the characters around brings everything together. I love seeing Lewis Pullman in this, who oddly enough plays another character named Bob. For those who are unfamiliar, Lewis Pullman was in Top Gun: Maverick, and his call sign was Bob. With both Bucky Barnes and John Walker appearing, this movie will link back to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. I completely forgot about Ava Starr (played by Hannah John-Kamen) from Ant-Man and the Wasp. It will be interesting to see how these characters interact with each other.

Besides the cast, I don’t know anything else about this movie. Is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character the main villain? I’m not quite sure. After the first two and a half minutes of the trailer, it shows various action scenes between Yelena breaking into a government lab and Bob being shot at. There isn’t much else I know about this movie. With that said, I love action films, so I’m sure that by seeing this movie in theaters, I will be entertained.

Re-watching the trailer, I think Thunderbolts is going for the Suicide Squad vibe, but it feels off. If I had to decide why, I don’t genuinely believe all of these characters are bad like I do with Suicide Squad. An exception could be made for John Walker. For Bucky, I see him as a victim. Yes, he’s a contract killer, but he also had his mind wiped. I don’t want to justify his actions necessarily, but I don’t see him as evil. Yelena could be put in a similar category. For Suicide Squad, these are comic book villains, and I don’t see that with the Thunderbolts. It’s not like it makes me like this group any less; I wouldn’t think of these groups as one and the same.

I’m looking forward to this, and I’m interested to see more trailers as the movie’s release approaches. We have had a lull in superhero films which has been a nice break, but I’m curious to see what Marvel has planned in the future for their superheroes.

I was listening to Geeks Without God, a podcast I recently discovered. They released an episode where they primarily talked about The Acolyte. I would recommend listening to the episode because I think they brought up what they didn’t like about the show in a nuanced way without completely trashing it. I did make the time to finish the series, and while there were portions of the show I liked, there were also things I didn’t like. I wanted to summarize what I liked and didn’t like about the show.

Liked

• The characters. My favorites are Sol and Qimir
• The lightsaber duels
• The detective story of who is targeting the Jedi

I didn’t outright hate The Acolyte, as I think there were things that I enjoyed. First of all, I liked the characters. I felt particularly drawn to Sol and Qimir. I admire Sol’s commitment to the Jedi Order. He wants to do the right thing even though he may not see the consequences of his actions. Qimir was awesome! I liked the look of his helmet and how intertwined he was with the twins. I would have loved a flashback episode of Qimir and why he left the Jedi. Was it noble, like how Ahsoka left? Or was it for his own selfish reasons? This leads me to the next thing I liked, which was the lightsaber duels. The fifth episode was brutal and showed the darker side of losing a lightsaber duel. The dialogue between Qimir and Sol shortly after was top-notch. One of the main reasons I was looking forward to The Acolyte was to see the Jedi in a detective role. There was an element of mystery to figuring out who was going after these particular Jedi. While this is seen from the first few episodes, I think this gets lost once it’s revealed why the Jedi are being targeted.

Disliked

• Unanswered questions, particularly around Darth Plagueis
• There were not enough episodes for everyone to get a good character arc
• Killing off Master Indara right away
• Sol’s Fate

Let’s talk about Darth Plagueis. Darth Plagueis was Emperor Palpatine’s master, whom Palpatine killed and told Anakin about in Revenge of the Sith. I think Plagueis’s appearance is odd. Was Plagueis Qimir’s master? Is Plagueis more admiring of or watching Qimir, but has no relation to him? Plagueis’s appearance was neat, but didn’t add anything to the show. It would have been interesting to see Plagueis tied to one of the characters or if Plagueis approached one of the characters in the last episode.

This is classic Star Wars, where the movies or the shows introduce too many characters, and some characters get dropped. I think The Acolyte falls into this. I think the best examples would be Jecki and Yord. They were clearly skilled Jedi, but it felt like their only purpose was to be killed by Qimir, which is sad. I love Dafne Keen as an actress, and I think she was underutilized in the show, which is a shame. Another example is Master Indara, and I’m still salty over the fact that she was killed right away.

The final thing I did not like about The Acolyte was the fate of the characters. I mentioned how much I loved Sol, and I did not like what happened to him. Sol is killed by Osha after Osha learns that Sol killed her mother. When the Jedi discover Sol’s body, they blame him for everything. Sol did some questionable things, but I don’t think he deserved that. It would have been fascinating to see Sol be put on trial or confess to the Jedi what really happened. Additionally, it would have been interesting to see if the Jedi would punish Sol or try to cover up his involvement, which would have spoken volumes as to how the Jedi operate.

After all the episodes of The Acolyte aired on Disney+, it was revealed that there would not be another season. I’m wary of using the word canceled because while that may be true, this might be similar to other Star Wars shows where the intention was to do one season and that’s it. If The Acolyte was renewed for another season, I wouldn’t be excited about it. I think The Acolyte is my least favorite of the live-action shows on Disney+. Despite my thoughts about the show, the review bombing and the negative reactions from fans were uncalled for and exposed the negative side of the fandom. Unfortunately, these fans felt they got what they wanted. As for the future of Star Wars, I hope to see more shows, movies, and comics being developed, but I want the quality to be there.

I have had “Bye Bye Bye” on repeat whenever I’m driving, thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine. If you have seen the movie, you know exactly why. I have been looking forward to this movie ever since it was announced. I loved the first Deadpool movie, and while the second wasn’t as good, I still enjoyed watching it. With Hugh Jackman returning and wearing the classic yellow Wolverine suit, I had high hopes for this movie. Deadpool & Wolverine was hilarious, and the cameos were excellent.

Deadpool & Wolverine follows Wade Wilson (played by Ryan Reynolds) as he has been jumping around in various timelines after fixing his timeline to save his girlfriend, Vanessa (played by Morena Baccarin). Wade attracts the TVA’s (Time Variance Authority) attention, resulting in him being forcibly brought to TVA’s headquarters. Wade meets Mr. Paradox (played by Matthew Macfadyen), who explains to Wade that his timeline is dying after Logan was killed saving X23. Wade is offered a chance to work for the TVA, but his friends will die as his timeline will be destroyed. Refusing to accept this, Wade wreaks havoc and steals the TVA’s transportation device to find another suitable Logan to save his timeline. Wade and Logan struggle to work together but eventually team up to take on the TVA.

Major Spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine

One of the best things about this movie was the cameos. This is where the spoiler warning comes in because while some of these cameos were spoiled for me, some were not, so they came as a genuine surprise. My favorite cameo was Elektra (played by Jennifer Garner). I loved the Elektra film even though it wasn’t perfect. I loved Elektra’s look in this movie. She’s wearing a burgundy jumpsuit of sorts with black armbands. It was sexy without being overtly sexy. There’s a joke between Elektra and Deadpool where Elektra mentions how Daredevil didn’t make it. For those who aren’t aware, Jennifer and Ben Affleck (who played Daredevil) were married for a long time in real life, so the joke is a subtle diss.

I can’t bring up cameos and not talk about Gambit (played by Channing Tatum). Channing did such a good job as Gambit! The accent was top-notch. Channing was so good that I’m sad to see him not get his own movie. There are so many cameos to talk about, but I don’t want to reveal all of them in case there is anyone reading this who hasn’t seen the movie yet. I will mention one last cameo, and that was Henry Cavill as a Wolverine variant. He looked so good! Deadpool making a comment about how Marvel will treat him better.. oof. The joke was on point.

If I haven’t mentioned this enough, the movie was hilarious. Ryan Reynold’s comedic timing was gold. I liked the joke in the intro where Deadpool mentions how there are 206 bones in the human body, but 207 exist if you’re watching Gossip Girl. The banter between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman was great! I wish they had starred in a movie together much earlier.

Deadpool & Wolverine deserve all the accolades. It was a well-made film that brought back the vibes from the first Deadpool movie.

I have been listening to more podcasts now than I have in the past. I listen to podcasts while I work, driving to and from work, and when cleaning the house. I mentioned NADDPOD (Not Another D&D Podcast) several times as I went to one of their live shows a few years ago. I finished listening to their first campaign several years ago and have since listened to their other campaigns. Since it’s been a bit, I decided it would be fun to go back and listen to their first campaign, and I’m so happy I did. There was so much I forgot about. To celebrate the fact that I’m halfway through the campaign, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite moments or episodes that destroyed me emotionally.

If you have never listened to NADDPOD before, it might help to have some background. NADDPOD’s first campaign centers on the homeworld of Bahumia. Before the campaign began, Bahumia was saved by three adventurers, with the podcast taking place after that moment. The characters in NADDPOD are Moonshine Cybin (played by Emily Axford), Beverly Toegold V (played by Caldwell Tanner), and Hardwon Surefoot (played by Jake Hurwitz). The campaign is DMed by Brian Murphy, or Murph for short. The first campaign focuses on Moonshine, Beverly, and Hardwon as they attempt to save Bahumia again.

Spoilers for the first fifty episodes of NADDPOD

Beverly Tricking a God – Episode #12

In episode #12, Moonshine, Bev, and Hardwon see a god and are each granted a question. Most of the questions center around their character’s stories. After asking their questions, Bev decides it would be a good idea to “trick” the god by handing the god a berry that would induce vomiting. The god rightfully gets pissed and throws Bev off a large tower. Bev almost dies from the amount of fall damage he takes, and the group is astounded. I was laughing so hard.

I like this episode because it’s such classic Dungeons and Dragons shenanigans. One character is trying to do something silly, and it completely backfires. This is an episode to remember.

Hardwon cutting off Galad’s head – Episode #18

This episode was wild! Hardwon finds out that Galad Rosell conspired to murder his parents. Hardwon’s mom, Lydia Stormborn, makes a deal to return as a Revenant. For those who are unfamiliar, a Revenant is an undead creature that solely exists to kill the thing that hurt them. With Lydia becoming a Revenant, she focuses all her energy on killing Galad and earns the nickname “The Widow”.

Moonshine, Bev, and Hardwon catch up to Galad and have him pinned. Galad pleads for mercy and warns Hardwon that if he kills him, his mom will be lost, as he will take away her mission. Hardwon does not care and kills Galad anyway. This moment was such an underrated moment that even Murph was astounded at the outcome. I love this because it shows that you may have an idea as to what a player could do, but they could do something completely different.

Balnor’s First Appearance – Episode #21

Balnor is an NPC that the group picks up earlier in the campaign. Moonshine and Bev agree to pull a card out of the “Deck of Many Things,” which is a deck of magical cards that can grant different abilities depending on the card. They pull a card that gives them a Fighter character named Balnor. At first, the group teases Balnor; however, Balnor quickly becomes an important part of their group, and towards the halfway point of the campaign, the group finds out where Balnor came from.

NPCs are crucial to any campaign. Balnor is so sweet and has some of the funniest moments throughout the remaining episodes.

Marabelle Boss Fight – Episode #29

Moonshine, Bev, and Hardwon go to The Crick to help figure out the cause of Crick Rot. Moonshine learns that her aunt Marabelle is responsible for spreading this disease that’s been revealed to be demonic in nature. When the group discovers Marabelle, while they try to reason with her, they end up fighting her. After defeating her, the group sees a vision where Marabelle is targeted by a Necromancer and is forced into a ritual that turns her into what she is. It’s heartbreaking because she’s framed as a villain when she was a victim.

This episode sticks out to me because you can tell in the way the cast roleplays this that it’s getting to them emotionally. I believe I listened to one of their Q&As after this session, and they mentioned either getting emotional during this portion or being close to that point. This episode solidifies how powerful TTRPGs can be in telling a story and how, even though I’m not playing the game, I still feel emotionally invested in what happens.

Hardwon and Gemma’s private conversation – Episode #35

This isn’t necessarily a favorite moment, but I have to mention this episode. Moonshine, Bev, and Hardwon go to Frostwind, where Hardwon grew up. Hardwon is made aware of his ex-girlfriend, Gemma Bronzebeard, who is getting married soon. Hardwon wants to speak with Gemma because he still has feelings for her. The group orchestrates this so that Hardwon and Gemma can speak privately. As a listener, you think all is well until GEMMA IS KILLED BY AN ASSASSIN. Excuse me, but what in the actual fuck? Murph, how dare you break all of our hearts like that? I felt so bad for Jake in this moment.

I still remember listening to this episode originally and how shocked I was. I’m overusing the word shocked here, but it still applies to this episode. While Hardwon may not have been able to reunite with Gemma, Gemma is an important character throughout Hardwon’s journey and motivates him to succeed in all of his trials and tribulations. If I could bring back one NPC from the dead in this campaign, it would easily be Gemma. RIP.

Hardwon, grabbing the Coldain Kingshammer – Episode #45

After trying to uncover who killed Gemma, the group travels to Mount Forge to seek the Coldain Kingshammer, a hammer blessed by a god. After a pretty intense fight, Hardwon can grab the hammer and unlock the spirits of several dwarven families. Hardwon nicknames these spirits his “dwarven daddies” and the name sticks throughout the remaining episodes.

This episode is so important to Hardwon’s backstory, but also, the dwarven daddies protect Hardwon when he needs it the most.

It’s been a blast re-listening to NADDPOD. NADDPOD taught me how powerful TTRPGs can be in telling an enchanting story. Once I finish the first campaign, I will write a second post summarizing all my favorite moments from the last fifty episodes. After that, I will get caught up on their third campaign, and I may even start a new podcast altogether. If you haven’t listened to NADDPOD yet, you are honestly missing out on one of the best TTRPG podcasts ever.

This is the first Star Wars series that I watch each episode as they air. I would normally wait until all episodes were available on Disney+, but I don’t want to see spoilers, so I have been making time to watch each episode. I finished watching the fifth episode of the show, and I could not believe what I was watching. This episode was intense, and I loved it. There will be spoilers below, so please be mindful if you haven’t watched the episode yet.

Major Spoilers for The Acolyte

This episode was brutal. The mysterious warrior is shown violently killing several unnamed Jedi. Jecki, Yord, and several of the characters race to help. As Jecki pulls off the warrior’s helmet, he stabs her with his lightsaber three times. Each time you see the burn through her chest and on the back of her robes. JECKI NOOO. I liked Jecki and figured she would be around for the whole series, but apparently not. Shortly after Jecki’s death, Yord rushes to help, and his neck is broken by the warrior. I am in shock. Killing off several of the characters in such a short amount of time, I was unprepared. Is this the Star Wars version of the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones?

As I watched this episode, I liked the dialogue between Qimir (played by Manny Jacinto, and the person revealed to be the warrior) and Sol. After Jecki’s death, Sol says something along the lines of “She’s a child”. Sol is disgusted by how Qimir fights with his lightsaber and by the fact that he kills a child. Qimir responds with “Why did you bring her here?” Qimir has a point. The Jedi are supposed to be on the side of the light, yet they are training children to enter war or fight to defend themselves. The Acolyte, in my opinion, is helping to set up the prequels. The prequels show the Jedi’s downfall, but that doesn’t happen overnight or in five years. This type of story moment takes decades to build, and The Acolyte provides context for those moments.

This episode of The Acolyte hit me hard. I was not at all prepared for what would happen. This episode completely changed the tone of the series, and I’m intrigued by how the rest of the episodes will play out. Are you watching The Acolyte? I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially about this particular episode.