Animorphology

Episode Noteshttps://inchwormpodcast.com/Before reading anything, Jenny and Ted discuss Worm generally and introduce the podcast. NOTE: We had some technical issues with the audio in this one that should be resolved before the next episode.Episode Notes:What is Worm?Wait, Worm is HOW long?Ted's pitch for why you should read WormA quick introduction to WildbowCharacter-driven superpowersJenny introduces us to Taylor“Capes”Jenny imagines where the story will goThe 2011 superhero zeitgeistCreator Chose Not To Use Content WarningsWorm fic is like Avengers fic Should this story have been called Bug?Insect Aside vs. the Bug BearTed names a favorite cape and Jenny guesses her powerHow you can (optionally) read alongThere are 2+ fan audiobooks of WormLinks:https://parahumans.wordpress.com/https://www.patreon.com/Wildbow

In this episode, Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss Vegemorphs (part 2).

In this episode, Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #10: Understand the Unknown.Why Everworld 10 is like Kingdom Hearts 2Whether David is qualified to be the Mayor of AtlantisWhy these books aren't interestingWe casually reference a sario rip at least three times because listeners knowTed drops spoilers for book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire and season 5 of LostHow Brigid is the threefold goddess of ageism, misogyny, and never appearing in these books againHow far up the faun does the fur go?Ted proposes a Remnants podcastRemembering to breathBody EnglishA very special musical performance

In this episode, Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss the 1998 Animorphs parody book, Vegemorphs.

Content warning: mention of rape and false rape accusations in a fictional contextIn this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #9: Inside the Illusion.Senna's actually a pretty good narratorBut also she's trying to take over EverworldBuuuuut also every parental figure in her life completely sucked??Ted thinks Senna's a cartoon, but he's wrongCool theories about the watcher in the voidWe are very optimistic about how much will ever be explained in this worldWhat if Everworld is just a game played by the Ellimist?The real four gendersApplegrant: still bad at mental health issuesTurns out these books don't do a great job of portraying Egypt. ShockingBonerwatch updateWhy are there aliens in this?

Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #8: Brave the Betrayal

In this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #7: Gateway to the GodsA wild plot appears!Theological discussionsWe hope you aren't still playing the “Animorphology Drinking Game” because Gray says the word “interesting” like 10 times in one minute.Comparisons to AnimorphsThoughts on how Everworld is constructed (poorly)April's assessment of the other characters - and oursApplegrant's authorial racismApril and the Disney ProblemReal world consequences of Everworld problemsCassandra and the Very Stupid ProphecyHints of bisexuality, quickly ignoredPegasus, PegasiAughties and NaughtiesA TV-tangent (and Jenny's next podcasting venture?)Predictions

In this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #6: Fear the FantasticThe “very special episode” about homophobiaImpatiently acknowledging that Christopher has “an arc”Hetwan sexual dimorphism and other cool alien stuffWhat was Ganymede like as gay representation in 2000?Christopher vs the Nazis vs responsible YA themesIs Christopher on an arc to be a good person or just a “real man”?We catch up on the lack of plot in the series so far and how it contrasts with Animorphs as a seriesThe nature of Ka AnorPreviewing the GreeksClarista Flockhart and Dylan McDermott, among others

Content warning: sexual abuse of a child, attempted sexual assault of an adultIn this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #5: Discover the DestroyerGray spills some more tea about leprechaunsFairies are normally cool. What happened here?In a thousand years, these magic people haven't come up with anything better than the telegraphWow, David is truly terrible. He also has some major trauma. These things are questionably related.The kids are missing their chance to become palantirsThis portrayal of nymphs is sexist! We are shockedGray explores 50 shades of YAThe Ka Anor pun run

In this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #4: Realm of the ReaperWe get TWO quality mythology rants from Gray!Ted learns where 8-legged horse babies come fromJalil proves himself to be our most competent narrator yet

In this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #3: Enter the EnchantedThe glimmer of a larger plotWhat should the teens do about Senna?RENT is surprisingly usefulApril is funny and empatheticTattoos and the 90s (Bonus: Gray reveals her most embarrassing tattoo to justify her judginess)Gray rants about religion. And then about dragons. Sexism. So much sexism.Humanity is the battery for EverworldLeadershipThe plot keeps attacking usApplegrant writes things Gray hatesConcerns about concussionsCynicism is not inaccurateMerlin SUCKS at poetry90s Moments, Chicago Mentions, and Predictions for book 4

In this episode:Jenny, Ted, Gray, and Meg discuss Everworld #2: Land of LossWhat we think of Christopher and his bookChristopher’s “humor” and “difficult personality” i.e. his racism and sexismExposition we didn’t know from book 1Opposite girlsAimless plottingWe meet the Coo-HatchThe totally unsurprising yet painfully lazy portrayal of the AztecsSnakesMerlinChristopher watches too much TVPredictions for book 3!

In this episode:*Jenny, Ted, Gray, and new host Meg(!!) discuss Everworld #1: Search for Senna*This is classic Applegrant in so many ways*Where does this book fall on the Swear Scale?*The pants-wetting plothole*The (only) two characters we all liked*All cultures are sexist in the same way*Does this world have an Ellimist, and is it Merlin?*Theories on:-Senna’s whammy powers-Will the kids split up?-The secret history between Christopher and April-Applegrant’s diversity fatigue*We try to pronounce Jörmungandr*Thank goodness we finally have a theater kid*In an apocalypse, we all want Gray's backpack*Chicago references!*A surprising number of descriptions of butts*The truth behind hauling*The inauguration of Boner Patrol

In this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss The Invasion: The Graphic Novel*We got the band back together!*Spoiler-free discussion (no hints about the way Grine adapted it) during the first 12ish minutes*Chris Grine feels the same way about morphing as Gray does, but with more glee*Overall thoughts: We really like it!*Some spoilers on:**Thought speak**Chris Grine does his own Inking and Lettering**Some design and character choices**The animals are really cool*We request additional Chris Grine graphic novels, please

In this episode:Jenny, Ted, and Gray host returning guests Liz, K.C., John, Lauren, Catie, Nicole, Jeremy, Emily, Claire, Rena, Meg, Joysweeper, and Kevin for a wide-ranging series retrospectiveHow did we feel about the end of the series, either now or twenty years ago?What happened in the last chapter, and why did it only happen to the boys?Cassie: the good, the bad, and the ghostwrittenMeg’s pitch for an animated Animorphs TV showEmily’s update from Scholastic on the future of the audiobooksCatie’s excited take on the art style of the graphic novelJake’s guilt and the Pool Ship decisionYeerk robot bodies and other unexplored avenuesTaxxons and other nothlit endlingsJudging the series against its own potentialWhat is the instinct of the human animal?What we would say to ApplegrantOur favorite moments from the series

In this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss the ending of Animorphs and the series as a whole*The ten-second series recap*Did Animorphs cause us lasting trauma when we were kids?*Our desires for book characters can be very cruel*Jake needed to fall apart to teach us that war is bad*Applegrant's letter to readers after the ending*Does the ending sacrifice character to theme?*There really aren't enough Scientologists out there to justify the Yeerks' strategy*The Americentrism of the turn of the 21st century*The series's fundamental optimism about humanity and the future of Earth*Is Jake a bad person?*What happened to Ax's revenge fantasy?*Ted finally tells Ax he loves him*Tobias should become a therapist*Jenny accepts the bad parts of Rachel*What if a thousand anacondas attacked the pool ship?*Gender dynamics in the series's treatment of the Animorphs*The future of the podcast!

In this episode:CW: Major character death, crying noisesWe read together and discuss one section at a time.Chapters 1-4:*Trauma at the hands of a paperback*A warrior’s deathChapters 5-9:*More emotions, especially about Tobias*Living with ambiguityChapters 10-13:*Jake needs therapy. So. Much. Therapy.*Dealing with the aftermathChapters 14-19:*What comes next?*We’re worried about JakeChapters 20-21:*The start of the new adventures of Jake and his crew

Animorphs #53: The AnswerIn this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss Animorphs #53, The Answer for, like, a really long time*The most important answer of all: how tall is Jake?*Actually it’s mostly discussion about the tragedy of Jake, but also:*We celebrate the triumphant return of Applegrant*Jenny explains Jake’s last name*Visser One’s bad management comes home to roost*The sudden appearance of new factions and the retconning of old ones*The proposal scene*Rachel’s missing pieces*Fridging*The politics of being a Taxxon*Seerow’s Kindness*How Jake gets to the point where he does that thing that he does in this one*The trolley problem*Real soldiering and what it could do to you*Aughties moments*Gray predicts the final Animorphs book*Where do trains come from, anyway?

Animorphs #52: The SacrificeIn this episode:Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss Animorphs #52, The Sacrifice*Gray thinks they might kill off Rachel, and she's real mad about it*Jenny revises her end-of-series feels*The REAL secret plans of the Andalites*Why are we doing this dance with Ax's loyalties again?*This ghostwriter was set up for bad characterization*Cassie, Rachel, and misogyny*Gray brings down some behavioral psychology on Cassie*Gray comes out against sapient pandas*We're a little baffled by Jake and Cassie*This book just fails at logistics, so hard*The mysterious Tuan*Jake continues to be great at standing up to authority*Let's free the Hork-Bajir homeworld*Ax is canonically an Animorph*Visser One hides out in the pool in his spare time*Where do trains come from, anyway?

Mailbag 4!In this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss comments and questions from listeners*Middle grade authors on Twitter*Trans Tobias*Esplin’s Gender*Australia*Stuff Ted Laughed At*The Council rules against war crimes*Taxxonomy*Animal insights, starring antechinus*Science corner, starring a new jingle and helpless stupid giggling*Ted-slowly-driving-Gray-crazy corner*Andalite language*Disability*Reflections, including book recs and character arcs*Ending feels*Speculation/head canons, including the Helmacrons and related puns*Cassie’s choice*Pokemon trainers*Book rankings

The AbsoluteIn this episode:*Jenny, Ted, Gray, and guest host Nicole discuss Animorphs #51: The Absolute*The “twist” of a female governor*Why is the Yeerk invasion so small and slow? *Should the Animorphs have gone public sooner? *Stealing TANKS from a TRAIN*Happy Marco and Happy Tobias are Good Buddies*What Marco should really feel guilty about*No sign of Tom or the Auxiliaries, but instead: Collins!*We check in with the Governor again and she’s still an absolute badass*The fantasy of government heroes*Coffee, musical theater, and being a beautiful duck*Ax finishes his humor arc*Marco crosses an ethical line*The “finesse” team*90s (map) moments*Predictions and fears for the final three books

The UltimateIn this episode:*Jenny, Ted, Gray, and returning guest host Claire discuss Animorphs #50: The Ultimate*There is some ableism here! But some good treatment of disability, too*The new Animorphs are delightful even if Jenny is mad about them*Oops, the Animorphs have probably been making the Yeerks kill lots of people*Everything in this book is actually from Yeats' The Second Coming*The last of the Animorphs missions as we knew them has happened already*Cassie has to face herself at the start of the series*Leadership vs. paternalism*Do we sympathize with Naomi?*Jake definitely thinks he's about to die*How many stores are in this town, anyway?*Someone needs to make us fan art of the costumes from this book*Heart-eyes for Marco*Cassie uses her superpower of emotional manipulation*We just want Jake to be able to cry*Will the narrative vindicate Cassie's decision to give Tom the cube?*Even if it does we are SO MAD about it (except maybe Ted)*The book covers are different now but Gray still hates them*The series is spiraling out

The DiversionIn this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss Animorphs #49: The Diversion*Is this the worst Tobias book?*The first book Jenny has disliked more than either Gray or Ted!*Jake is a badass (who sometimes makes bad decisions)*What it means to be a family*The Yeerks make a good plan*Let's pretends 47 didn’t happen*Telling their parents*Tobias has mommy issues, Jenny has threefold objections.*Various headcanons*Ableism strikes again*Our bodies reflect our interactions with the world*Morphing gives you magical baby skin*Breaking the morph rules AGAIN*“Science” corner*The Geocities website for blood banks*The Toy Boys*Jenny ships Marco with everyone*The moral panic of the 90s*Rachel + Tobias

The ReturnIn this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss Animorphs #48: The Return*The Council weighs in on David’s ultimate fate*Rachel’s need to fight for the good guys*David’s moment-of-grace-ex-machina*Ted tries to defend this book by ignoring the writing and the plot*Jenny rants about how reality- and character-bending dream-logic sabotages the story*The series sells Rachel short in its second half, especially in her own POV*Rachel as a leader and Rachel alone*Rachel’s loyalty amidst a series of betrayals*Rachel of the Poorly Edited Callback*Gray reminds us just how effing awful David is*The internet age has arrived*How the Animorphs see each other*Ted promises the worst is over

The Ellimist ChroniclesIn this episode:*Jenny, Ted, Gray, and returning guest host Joys discuss The Ellimist Chronicles*Gray updates her endgame prediction*Toomin is basically Bella from Twilight*The Ketrans are cool and not a monoculture*Lift for all!!*Turns out the Ellimist invented dogs*Free will vs. the predictability of the universe*The true Y-space*The importance of a balanced opponent*Gray has a new goal in life*Crayak is evil but also super boring*Applegrant and the value of military preparedness*What is a game, anyway?*Toomin and Menno were secretly in love*Ketrans are part of American gamer culture, somehow*Secret revealed: Chee can fly*Trauma changes you and you can never go back again*Misogyny continues to be universal*Crayak is the ultimate emo kid*We (mostly) like the Ellimist but we wouldn't if we knew him

Animorphs #47 (The Resistance) In this episode: *Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss The Resistance *Approximate Rant Tally: Jenny: 4, Ted: 5, Gray: 9 *This book was a wasted opportunity, especially as we get to the end of the series *The depiction of Trekkies *Jake is a true monster in this book *The nobility of war *Let's get into it: It's Civil War Rants Time (a.k.a. Gray does Wikipedia research) *The Hork-Bajir battle is a bad analogy for the Civil War *90s lip-service to color blindness *“Both sides” bull-shirt *A few things we do like, including ominous omens *The Smurfette problem *An extremely plausible plan to flood the valley *Marco x Ax is now canon *Jake needs a nap *The cover of the next book breaks Gray’s predictive abilities

Animorphs #46 (The Deception) In this episode:*Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss The Deception *A Visser Two character study *We’re mad about MAD *The need for narrative balance in fictional war *The Animorphs cry over spilled ethics *Ax plays the Hitman video game and has an identity crisis *Andalite high command is the worst *Concussion discussion *Why Jake tells the Animorphs it’s time to escalate their tactics *Cassie and Jake agree to disagree *Why Ax knocks out his Prince *Would the Council blow up the Yeerk Pool? *Only boys get to know about war toys *Hack the NSA 101 *Marco vs. the end of history

Animorphs #45 (The Revelation)In this episode:*Jenny, Ted, Gray, and guest host K.C. discuss The Revelation*We liked this more than we expected!*Gray is so the queen of predictions*Animorphs as an Avengers movie*This would have been a great format for a series ending*How does this mess with the premise?*Weird that Marco's parents don't interfere more in his fighting*That's gonna be an awkward valley*Was Nora a Controller all along?*Z-Space nonsense*Support for the theory of universal symbols*Ax continues to get funnier*This is the "Marco's greatest hits" book*How is Marco going to deal with being dead after the war's over?*Is Marco really about the clear bright line?*The Rachel-Marco team-up*Hork-Bajir with extra hit points*Marco's question-mark betrayal*Jake-Marco tension (but not the good kind)*Why not give Marco's dad morphing power?*Living in a field of dogs >> any other kind of social distancing*Maybe the Chee are just kind of dumb*The logistics of kandrona ray starvation*Eva's revenge*The beginning of the end

Animorphs #44 (The Unexpected)In this episode:*Returning guest host Rena!*Cassie’s greatest hits*The green light freeze-tag ray*Yeerk technology woes*Cassie’s ethical standards*What does it mean to be a risk-taker?*Travel to distant locations, meet people who tell you what you need to hear*The treatment of the Australian aboriginals*Rena’s amazing Australian accent*Eating bugs*Cassie takes “boomerang lessons”*Andalites are not marsupials*A geography lesson*The Chee are still useless*Funny moments*Cassie’s ending arc*90s/00s moments

Animorphs #43: The TestIn this episode:Animorphs: PTSD EditionTobias’ theory of radical freedomIs Tobias strong or weak?Don’t trust TaylorDeciding to blow up the Yeerk poolYeerker lurkersRachel’s reaction to passive killingCassie tells Tobias it’s not okayTobias gets resolution that the other Animorphs don’tTaylor is the best villain with the worst planWas Taylor actually working with Visser Three?DemocracyTaylor and RachelTomato soup from a mugTobias does morphing magicnotallsith and unschweetWhat do Taxxons do when their Yeerks are feeding?Is dirt on the Taxxon homeworld nutritious?Does Ted want a Taxxon for a pet?Tobias morphs Taylor90s moments

Alternamorphs #2: The Next PassageIn this episode:Jenny, Ted, and Gray livestream the second Alternamorphs bookYou becomes YouvidThe book makes LOTS of choices we would have liked to make for ourselvesWe discover Visser Three’s current formWe want to punch the EllimistGray makes the best choiceThe Tri-Rex provides crucial sound effectsThe Animorphs cross some major linesNo really, we are all horrifiedA surreal ticker-tape paradeThe ghostwriters fill some word countWe learn why there was no Alternamorphs 3

#42: The JourneyIn this episode:-Our first long-distance episode, please forgive the questionable audio quality-Guest host Emily Ellet, the voice of Rachel in the Animorphs audiobooks, shares her Animorphs Journey-Gray is the Queen of Predictions-Not enough Rachel and Tobias content-Did we learn anything from this book?-Bugs in your nose-What are the potential themes of this fluffy book?-Marco x Rachel: Banter Buddies-Cassie’s method for storing the Escafil device-The Chee are useless-A few funny moments-Rabies: not good, actually-The more we talk about it, the less sense it makes-We learn the correct pronunciation of “flaccid” (and hate it)

#41 The FamiliarIn this episode:The two things Ted finds unforgivableHow dreamy is dreamy enough?Jake’s undefined decisionSpike logicIs there a Star Trek episode like book 41?“Middlegrade” violence and horrorUsing disability as tragedyGray drops knowledge about moonlessnessJake argues with his subconsciousTaxxons are awesome, horrible, and almost cuteThe space goddess KandronaThe free/dead binary90s moments

Megamorphs 4: Back to Before In this episode: We read the first two chapters in their entirety With great power comes great responsibility, especially for Jake The series will eventually end Cassie’s magic nonsense Tobias makes sensible decisions and is the best We are not here to tell you to join a cult Ax’s sense of humor Rachel and Marco How old are the Animorphs here? Rachel is a BAMF Cassie and Jake Lots of 90s references Gray updates her endgame prediction

Mailbag #3In this episode:-Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss questions and comments from listeners-Visser Three’s potential menagerie-The limits of Chee nonviolence-What kind of cyborgs can morph?-Genocide vs. xenocide-How would a Taxxon wear a skirt?-How do Andalites talk at parties?-The Animorphs’ different styles of manipulation-Who would the Animorphs play in a musical?-The definitive Animorphs Villain Ranking-New theories on why the Yeerks are parasites-The Council votes in favor of shipping-How did the Council of Animorphology originally meet?-How would the Council pair off in a plot-necessitated fake-dating scenario?-What would Gray's name be if she were Crayak?-Jenny and Gray imitate the Drode-Our impression of the ghostwritten books so far-The Animorphology drinking game-Gray’s Bingo card-Our updated book rankings-Call for listeners to record fake ads for animorphology

Book 40: The OtherIn this episode:- Guest host John!- Marco brings his best self to a Very Special Episode of the Animorphs- Bury Your Gay Andantes- We are desperate to identify shippy Ax/Marco moments- Subtweeting in real life- What if Ax met Alan Fangor?- Jake stands up to Andalites again- Eating cookies with your hooves- Spoilers for Jane Eyre- Marco and Rachel break Gray’s morphing rules together- The special ops team has bad plans- Marco’s canonical math ability- Aughties References- Can birds watch TV?- Post-Visser Marco and his cowboy fantasies- Marco’s canonical understanding of communism- Bees and their capabili-bees- The gender bee-nary- An important BSA- Gray changes her prediction for the endgame

Book 39: The HiddenIn this episode:The council is divided on the existence of the buffa-humanSeagull ex machinaHow good was this plan to drop an anvil on the helicopter? (Spoiler: it was not even a little bit good)The rules for giving someone the morphing powerDo simpler minds morph via alternate mechanisms?Buffa-human did nothing wrongHow much technological empowerment do you have to give a buffalo before it has the rights of a human?Buffa-human as a Turing testThe wonder of the buffa-andaliteThe Animorphs' strategy in this book is so bad. It's just SO bad.They must be running out of Hork-Bajir by nowWhy doesn't Erek just eat the escafil deviceDon't worry, Gray, there are still good books left

Book 38: The ArrivalIn this episode:-An Animorphs spy novel-The Animorphs break-up?-Jake as a leader-The real megamorph-Learning about Andalite society-Science corner-Moral quandaries-Ax has pants feelings-The Animorphs are really cool-Misogyny is universal, apparently-Visser 3 makes a good plan?-Andalite “humor”-9th Grade Jenny’s review of 38

Book “37”: The WeaknessIn this episode:What head canon if any can make this book better?The Animorphs aren’t themselves“Ew” and “?????”Complex feelings about hubris, Oedipus and HamletJenny thinks Tobias and Rachel need to break upTed teaches everyone how to do “The Rachel”Things Jenny almost likesAnimorphology’s three word mantraThe inspector90s momentsIs this book better than Christine Baranski? (No)14 year old Jenny reviews Book 37The council votes on a change to the Animorphs canon

Book 37: The WeaknessIn this episode:Gray, Ted, and Jenny read what is definitely, without a doubt Animorphs book 37. At least, as far as Gray knows.The Iskoort come back!The Animorphs meet their fiercest opponent everFun with agency and consentWould you want to let someone else inside your mind?Killing in cold bloodThe closest we’re going to get to a megamorphThe return of Chee JennyThe secret hairstyle Jake’s been hiding from usMogul invents Space NetflixRACHEL AND TOBIAS. That is all.

Book 36: The MutationIn this episode:This book is bad, so this episode is shortVisser 3 is very bad at plansMany unmotivated actions and stupid decisionsThe Animorphs meet the AtlanteansRevenge as a motivationThe ghostwriter knew some things and wanted to tell us about themSad makeout time and buddy breathingAre orcas an exception to the morphing rule?Gray gets irrationally angry about the orca morphTobias saves the daySome cool descriptions but mostly not

Jenny and Ted make Gray choose what happens in Alternamorphs #1: The First Journey. Watch with live chat replay on YouTube!

Visser (Part 2 of 2) In this episode: The Council of Animorphology passes judgment on Vissers 1 and 3 Yeerk torture methods Yeerk fascism Yeerk relationships, emotions, familial bonds, and allo/aromanticism The logistics of Eva’s marriage Yeerk-host emotional bleed What if Vissers 1 and 3 infested…each other Who ends up on the Council of Thirteen? How to tell Jenny and Gray apart in an emergency Yeerk death Are the Ellimist and Crayak each other’s exes? Humans are the Yeerks' social media addiction Bonus: Ted and Jenny give Gray an unexpected gift, with help from Joys

Join Jenny, Ted, and Gray live on YouTube this Saturday 1/11/2020 12pm eastern for an interactive reading of Alternamorphs #1: The First Journey.

Visser (Part 1 of 2)In this episode:Guest host Joys!Visser 1 is a magnificent bastard Are Visser 3’s worst jokes Alloran’s fault? Marco is great, and has grown so much V3 continues to be incompetent Fighting the Animorphs is terrifying Humanity's strengths and weaknesses Marco’s mom finally says his name Is this a middle grade book?? The timeline once again makes no sense The Chronicles books are about interspecies love and kids The Americans plus brain slavery The Council of Thirteen Gray predicts the time matrix

Book 35: The ProposalIn this episode:We can’t suspend our disbelief about the timeline in this oneThe cliffhanger ending is so exciting we have to talk about it right awayWhat kind of answering machine does Marco’s dad have?What if the Animorphs was less episodic?WWWRTD?Mighty Cassie stages an interventionMarco takes orders from JakeHow Marco is like Gen Z“What is a Hanson?”Why we’re glad this ghostwriter doesn’t come backAx is a treasureThe Animorphs as a hockey team

Book 34: The ProphecyIn this episode:We consider that there might be some plot holes in this oneFor example, why was Toby not really a character?The Arn’s secret evil planHow has Jake and Marco’s friendship evolved?Marco is a great lieutenant in this oneAldrea’s growth or lack of same since HBCDoes Cassie have a moral obligation to let Aldrea stay in her head?This is super real science, you guysWhat if it’s really…an OT4??The ethics of species choice and species essentialismHave the morphing rules changed?Do the Andalites have an empire?Erek is totally trolling the Animorphs

Book 33: The IllusionIn this episode:Guest host Lauren returns!Can there ever be enough Rachel and Tobias?We’re all a little mad at RachelTobias continues to struggle with where he belongsAlmost most of a good planFlashes of Tobias’s life and Elfangor’s memoriesJake’s manipulationSo. Much. Torture.More about mental health languageWe learn more about the Yeerks and the AndalitesWhat was the Illusion anyway?

Book 32: The SeparationIn this episode:Guest host Meg!Gray’s live reactions to reading 32Rachel’s inner turmoil becomes outer turmoilIs mean Rachel “crazy”?What would happen if the other Animorphs got split?We swoon over Tobias and Rachel (no surprise there)What would happen if the hosts of Animorphology got split? And what if you played board games with them?Why we love mean RachelHow the split Rachels each manifest internalized misogynyOur separation-fueled megamorph and Helmacron theoriesWhen was peak Mary Kate and Ashley

Book 31: The ConspiracyIn this episode:The Animorphs finally face realistic logistical obstaclesThe Yeerks are bad at thingsNo, but really, the Animorphs give the Yeerks way too much creditDid Ax really torture Chapman?Jake’s leadership crisisThe Jake-Marco dynamicThe no-confidence voteHow selfish is each of the Animorphs?WWII-Animorphs parallels

Book 30: The ReunionIn this episode:Marco’s “Clear Bright Line”Lots of great relationship momentsFrom where does Marco get his strategic abilities?Visser One is very coolThe humility of AndalitesGhostwriter cornerMarco makes bad decisionsGray makes a number of very specific predictions