Podcast
Unreliable Narrators
Hosted by Raymond Dokupil and Sophie Belloncle · EN
Unreliable Narrators is a podcast where we discuss media, literature, and the arts and how they relate to Christ, the self, and the world.
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
S5E6 - Wicked (2024)
3d ago01:02:24Tap to summarizeWhat makes a person wicked? Not only wicked, but positively horrendible? Raymond and Sophie dive into the recent film adaptation of the classic Stephen Schwartz musical Wicked, based on The Wizard of Oz. How does the musical re-imagine classic characters in a more nuanced and interesting way? How does Wicked force us to sympathize--and dislike--all the characters a little bit more? Is the battlefield between good and evil really lie in the human heart (as Dostoevsky said) and if so, what does that mean for the tin man? Raymond fails to restrain himself from talking about Rene Girard, and Sophie fails to restrain herself from singing. All in all, a delectably scandalocious time! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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S5E5 - The Wizard of Oz
4w ago00:57:43Tap to summarizeHot take: We don't think The Wizard of Oz is a very well-written movie. So what makes the 1939 film such an enduring classic? Does the movie present an atheistic worldview, or is there something deeper to the story? If you follow the red brick road, do you end up in Hell? We may spend a lot of time laughing in this episode, but don't worry! We promise that we get around to C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot eventually. Our next episode will be the 2024 film Wicked. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music at https://soundcloud.com/kappamusehttps://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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S5E4 - The Merchant of Venice
Apr 400:59:50Tap to summarizeRaymond and Sophie return again to one of William Shakespeare's most mysterious and complex plays, The Merchant of Venice. Is this play a tragedy or a comedy? Why is Shylock's famous demand for a "pound of flesh" so interesting? Why do cycles of vengeance always escalate? Why is mercy necessary and true justice impossible? Once again, and most importantly: What could equal the value of a human soul? Join the conversation in this exciting new episode and learn why "when in the course of justice none of us shall see salvation." Stay tuned for our next episode on The Wizard of Oz. Register for camp! https://form.jotform.com/241565531242047 Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse
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S5E3 - Neon Gravestones
Feb 2800:42:52Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Raymond and Sophie try to discuss Neon Gravestones by Twenty One Pilots and somehow end up discussing the entirety of the band's discography. What is the lore behind the 2018 album Trench? Who is Clancy? Is selling out actually a good thing? All this and more in our love letter to Twenty One Pilots. Our next episode will be William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse
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S5E2 - Jesus in L.A.
Jan 3100:48:54Tap to summarizeAlec Benjamin insists that his single "Jesus in L.A." is not a religious song, but the Unreliable Narrators think otherwise. How is the song "Jesus in L.A." like a sequel to T.S. Eliot's "The Cocktail Party"? Are Vienna and L.A. metaphors for Heaven and Hell? do you have to go through the inferno of L.A. to get to the paradise of Vienna? Can anything good come out of Nazareth? All this in more in our first episode of Season 5! Register for camp! https://form.jotform.com/241565531242047 Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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S5E1 - The Nutcracker
Dec 2500:59:07Tap to summarizeIn their 2025 Christmas special, Raymond and Sophie discuss the Christmas classic with the least plot and most music: The Nutcracker. Along the way, we talk about the source of the odd story that inspired the ballet, the importance of imaginative play, and the nature of toys and love. Also, we somehow end up interpreting the ending of Jonah. Don't miss it! Our next episode will be the song Jesus in LA by Alec Benjamin. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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S4E16 - Till We Have Faces (Part 2)
Nov 801:17:33Tap to summarize"What sort of god might he be who dares not show his face?" In our final episode of apocalypse season, Raymond and Sophie cover the second half of Till We Have Faces. In the second part of the book, Orual undergoes a radical transformation...but what exactly is transformed? And how does this transformation happen? Sophie and Raymond return to some of the deepest stories and practices in the Christian faith: the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac, the participation of Holy Communion, and the theology of salvation, shedding a unique perspective on these traditions in the light of what many consider to be Lewis's greatest masterpiece. Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse
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S4E15 - Kpop Demon Hunters
Oct 2701:03:15Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Raymond and Sophie jump on the Kpop Demon Hunters bandwagon and discuss the 2025 phenomenon that nobody saw coming. Do people become demons because of what they do or who they are? How does a trio of K-pop singers deal with the problem of sin? How many times has Sophie REALLY seen this movie? All this and more in our latest episode. Our next episode will be Part 2 of C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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S4E14 - Till We Have Faces (Part 1)
Oct 100:58:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Raymond and Sophie discuss the single most influential work of literature ever written (at least to the two of them): C.S. Lewis's final novel, Till We Have Faces. Listen to find out who the god of the mountain really is, how loving and devouring are secretly the same thing, and why Psyche has always longed for death. Or, you know, you could listen to find out why Raymond and Sophie are the way that they are. We won't judge. Our next episode will be Part 2 of C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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S4E13 - "The Waste Land" (1922) by T.S. Eliot
Sep 101:24:15Tap to summarizeT.S. Eliot's famous post-war poem, "The Waste Land", revolutionized modern poetry and represented huge shifts in modern consciousness. And yet to this day, it is still one of the most difficult to understand. What is all this about "April is the cruelest month"? and "Fear death by water"? and "Who is the third who walks always beside you"? In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss the life of T.S. Eliot, modernism, Arthurian legend, images of baptism, and more. If you've been stumped by this poem in the past, never fear: your trusty Unreliable Narrators are here to help you out. Stay tuned for the grand finale to apocalypse season, a two-part series on Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf
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