The secret alien war is starting to seep into the geopolitical conflicts of a pre-9/11 America! Visser Three is in charge now, and all hell is breaking loose. We talk about Ax's impossible choices as an alienated Andalite, the sudden presence of the American military, and the ongoing Andalites-as-Americans motif.

[TRT 01:03:34 We do not own the evergreen jam "American Idiot" by Green Day.]

Given the recent hateful spouting of a once-beloved children's author, the Animorphs series is getting some attention recently as a better alternative. We discuss the differences between the Harry Potter and Animorphs series, J.K. Rowling and K.A. Applegate, and, just for fun, toss in some musings about The Himbo Discourse that swept through Twitter.

[TRT 01:48:06. We do not own anything, verbal or musical, of Baz Luhrmann's 1999 classic, "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)." This was recorded before JKR's most recent hateful spouting on July 5.]

WELCOME TO THE BEGINNING OF THE END. ...to clarify, we're talking about the events in the Animorphs series, not the current global pandemic. :/ Join us as we connect during self-isolation to talk about this book's journey for Marco and his family, plus the Big Changes that unravel the core tension of the series, fulfill long-awaited hopes, and pivot us to begin the final battles of the Animorphs.

Wishing health and safety to all, especially those sick and recovering, and those that are putting themselves at risk to do their jobs during this truly surreal and awful situation.

[TRT 47:41 As ever, we do not own "Father of Mine" by Everclear.]

Two Star Wars hermits come out of hiding to review the latest movie on opening weekend, having read no reviews online, then wait one month to post it. We talk about how everything is basically fine, the challenges of talking about Star Wars with other fans, and oh yes, the New Force Rules.

[TRT 01:43:45. We do not own John Williams' "Training of a Jedi Knight" or any of his maestroworks.]

Join us to talk about Cassie being an earth goddess, moral philosopher, and bonafide action hero! Cassie's Australian Adventure shows there's no limit to our girl's potential, as she battles aliens, performs surgery, and quick-thinks her way to the outback... and back.

[TRT 59:15 We do not own Kylie Minogue's "Butterfly" or any other Australian national treasures.]

This Tobias book brings us back to Taylor, the Yeerk-infested teen villainess who returns with an unbelievable proposition - truly. Listen in as we talk about the suspension of disbelief required for this plot, how well Taylor was handled the second time around, and which characterizations got short shrift in The Test.

[52:37 We do not own the musical stylings of any Taylor, and certainly not the one who sings the perfect anthem for Yeerk Taylor, a definite nightmare dressed like a daydream.]

On March 31, 1999, both The Matrix and 10 Things I Hate About You hit theaters and entered the cultural consciousness. Naturally, we wanted to explore the ways these movies reflected where we'd been, where we were headed, and how they affected popular culture, in similar and different ways.

It's a long one! Topics include: the nexus of past and future, nerd fantasy wish fulfillment, technology onscreen, the self vs. the collective, atypical villain structures, female-gaze male characters, and Riot Grrrls Kat and Trinity. PHEW.

[TRT 01:54:16. We do not own Semisonic's "FNT" but we invite you to daydream about going on a date with Heath Ledger while listening.]

Rachel, or The Friz? The gang's journey through Marco's body systems brings up questions of visual storytelling, so we tackle the events of the book plus the tough questions in bringing the Animorphs series to a screen, big or small.

[TRT 57:14. We do not own the Magic School Bus Theme Song.]

Let's talk about another hypothetical timeline, this time when Jake wakes up 10 years older and the Yeerks are in power! We delve into the plausibility of these future-projections, who's pulling the strings, and what any of this means if it's not even real.

BONUS GAME: count the references to other TV shows, books, plays, and movies! I've got 17...

[TRT 01:08:51. We do not own, and could never dream of owning, Britney Spears's "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman."]

WHAT IF. We discuss the parallel timeline where the Animorphs never met Elfangor and never banded together to fight the Yeerks: the ins and outs of this particular sci-fi/fantasy trope, comparing and contrasting each character's story and arc, and the ways in which the two realities diverge and converge.

[TRT 1:05:45 We do not own "Otherside" by California funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers]