PotterCast #264 – Fantastic Theories

Dec 31, 2016

Posted by: Emma Pocock

Audio, Fantastic Beasts, Fantastic Beasts Movie, J.K. Rowling, News, PotterCast

It’s round two for PotterCast and Fantastic Beasts! The show picks up where it left off and dives back in with your submitted questions and theories to guide them. If you hadn’t noticed, Harry Potter has come back big time in 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child. We’ve been gifted with new stories to get excited about, and the guys at PotterCast are not passing up the opportunity.

The episode begins with a question about Newt’s line about working ‘mostly with dragons’ on the eastern front in WWI. We know wizards contributed to split war efforts (unbeknownst to the No-Maj community), but the podcasters try to gauge what exactly Newt was up to. The chaos of a world at war is also noted to be the perfect opportunity for dark wizards to take their opportunity to raise to power, which is where Grindelwald comes in, of course. The podcasters discuss Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s potential involvements in the war, and question what rules are involved in a wizarding war, given their capacity for destruction.

John then introduced his official obscurus theory, where Credence is not the only main Obscurial in the movie. Melissa adds to this by asking the question that’s been bugging us since the plot twist: what was Graves’ vision, if it wasn’t of Credence? Credence must know he’s an obscurial, and John points to the screenplay for more details of his hunt for others like him in the family, and Modesty’s interesting relationship with magic. Listen to the episode to discover more – what do you make of the theory?

It is also noted that Mary-Lou’s no-maj ancestor (Bartholomew Barebone) was the reason for Rappaport’s Law being enacted to segregate magic and non-magical communities. We see the impacts of his actions in the segregation of 1920’s American wizarding community, primarily through Jacob Kowalski. Melissa gives the explanation that Mary’s hatred of the magical world would most likely come from the fact that her family (who were magic-hating Scourers) were executed.

Later moving onto the havoc wrecked on New York in the movie, it’s noted that the swooping evil’s ‘Obliviation potion’ is one of Newt’s experiments – so how effective is it? The podcasters ask just how much irreparable damage has been done to the wizarding and no maj communities, and how this will feed into the next films, if at all.

The podcasters then ponder what could feature in the next movie, which will be set in Paris. They note the importance of Newt and Tina’s relationship being highlighted at the end of Fantastic Beasts, and discuss how Leta Lestrange will fit into this. The question of Credence’s whereabouts is also debated, and, of course, WHAT HAPPENED TO MODESTY?

MACUSA is also briefly discussed, and the podcasters question the exact workings of the killing potion Tina was faced with in the harrowing white room with a chair. How is the veil at the Ministry of Magic in Order of the Phoenix connected to this, and who created it?

The team concludes by celebrating just how much Jo’s presence can be felt in this movie, and look forward to more in depth discussions of the movie’s content in 2017. You can submit your questions and theories to their websiteTwitter and Facebook.

You can also now support PotterCast on Patreon, which comes with perks, of course! Everybody on the PotterCast team sends their sincerest thanks those who listen to the show, and reminds you only to help support the show as a patron if you have the means to. Reviews on the iTunes podcast section are always appreciated as well!

Listen to the full episode below:





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.