The dragons are once again delighted to welcome Hamish Steele, author of popular comics/ graphic novels Deadendia and Pantheon, and creator of hit Netflix series Deadend: Paranormal Park, to the show. (And with some exciting news too!) This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at that peculiar but appealing phenomenon in long running TV shows - the musical episode. As a long time lover of musicals and a creator of just such a musical episode, Hamish is ideally situated to wade in on the discussion. Tracing the 'lineage' of the trend from cult classics like 'Fame' (1980) through a few very dicey attempts in the 80s and early 90s, before the sub-genre was cemented by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this dissection looks at why a musical episode might be appealing, why it can make or break a show with your audience, and why sometimes it doesn't work. Under the microscope this week: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Deadend: Paranormal Park, Ally McBeal, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic.
Episode 238: Unpopular Opinion Time (part 1) - The Dragons' Hot Takes on Speculative Issues
Episode 237: Sowing Prejudice - Accuracy and Research in Writing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 236: News from the Word Mines - What No-one tells Newbies about Writing and Publishing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 235: The Alchemy of Forever - Immortality in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 234: The Power Behind the Throne - the Hidden Voices of Political Change in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 233: Hidden Cities & Forgotten Kingdoms - Lost Worlds in Speculative Fiction
Episode 232: Murder Most Foul - Killing with Purpose in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 231: Writing for Relaxation - the Therapy of Putting Pen to Paper
Episode 230: Growing Pains - the Coming of Age Narrative in Speculative Fiction
Episode 229: A Tale for Bards - Why Historical Fantasy Works
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 228: Identity Crisis - The Quest for Self Knowledge in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 227: Fighting Fire with Fire - When Good Guys Dabble with Dark Arts
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 226: Continuity Error - Retconning and Misremembering in Speculative Fiction.
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 225: Innocence and Experience - Inadequate Narrators in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 224: The Magic of the Craft - Artists Engineers and Creatives in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 223: Jump on the Train, or get off the Tracks - Pacing, Prologues & Bridging Distance in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 222: Getting the Band Back Together - Subverting Tropes in Fantasy Teams
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 221: A Knight to Remember - Courtly Love, Chivalry and Noble Warriors in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 220: The Greatest Liars - What Actors can Teach Writers about Creating Characters
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 219: Children of the Prophecy - Subverting the Chosen One Trope in Speculative Fiction
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