You just know a podcast is going to be good when it begins with the words: “I’ve been thinking about God, lately.”

This week, Tertiary co-hosts Heaven-Leigh and Justin discuss the latest installment in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series of films, Wake Up Dead Man (2025). Along the way, they break down their personal experiences with religion through the lens of William James’ theory that if a religion produces positive “fruits” (i.e., if a religion makes an individual more courageous, charitable, and better functioning in life) then it is both valuable and true.

What is true? What does it mean to believe in something? What value does religion offer society? Big questions guide the conversation this week—Christian nationalism, religious extremism, fear mongering alike—and, while we don’t pretend to have any of the answers, we’re excited to dive into the grey area with you.

Want to be a part of the Tertiary community? Follow us on Instagram, send us an email at tertpod@gmail.com or fill out our Google Form to submit a question that we’ll answer in a future episode. We want to hear from you!

Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

Assigned Reading:

• Find William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience (Penguin Classics, 1982) here or on Project Gutenberg
• Read Richard Brody’s “The Best Movies of 2025” here

I know what you’re thinking: Tertiary posts new episodes on Tuesdays, right?

Well, our first episode (“Decolonization is Not a Metaphor”) sparked so much debate, we decided to introduce an entirely new series to respond to listener feedback, circle back to particularly hot topics, and reserve for other special occasions.

We’re calling them “Side Quests.” (Don’t worry, Episode 2 is still coming out tomorrow!)

To kick things off, we revisit the timeless “Dumbledore versus Gandalf” debate, featuring a surprise guest … who shall not be named. Then we spiral into a conversation about cancel culture and censorship, inspired by the controversy surrounding HBO’s revived Harry Potter series. We consider the ways nostalgia and wishful thinking can conflict with where we “draw the line,” á la Amazon, Trump, and J.K. Rowling. We also started bleeping occasional profanity so Justin’s mom will finally listen.

Want to be a part of the Tertiary community? Follow us on Instagram, send us an email at tertpod@gmail.com or fill out our Google Form to submit a question that we’ll answer in a future episode. We want to hear from you!

If you noticed a brief clip of Bennett Wyler (@bennettwyler) on guitar, riffing the LOTR theme song, you heard right. Don’t miss his brand new album, “More Human,” wherever you listen to music.

Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

Assigned Reading:

• Read J.K. Rowling’s article, “J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues,” here
• Read u/Nestramutat-’s Reddit rant here
• Watch Stephen Colbert’s interview with James Talarico here

What does it look like to put your money where your mouth is? Beyond voting, protesting, and donating to grassroots movements, what can people TODAY do to help solve the problems they see in the world?

This week, Tertiary hosts Heaven-Leigh and Justin break down the shortcomings of left wing rhetoric, through the lens of Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang’s essay, “Decolonization is not a metaphor” (link below). Buckle up, because we leapfrog from hot topics like performative activism and white fragility to unpacking the MAGA critique of anti-racism and the Democrat’s half-steps toward actionable solutions.

If you’ve ever wrestled with the question, “What can I do?” this is definitely a podcast for you.

If you’re just here for the hot takes (no shame in that), Heaven-Leigh and Justin tackle questions like: Is Timothee Chalamet a frat guy or a sexy thespian? Who would win in a fight between Gandalf and Dumbledore? Should an American Ratatouille (i.e., Glock-atouille) exist?

Works cited:

• Check out Brett’s Letterboxd (here)
• “Decolonization is not a metaphor” (Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 2012) by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang (read the PDF here)
• Orientalism (Vintage, 1979) by Edward Said (buy the book here)
• Unwhite: Appalachia, Race, and Film (University of Georgia Press, 2018) by Meredith McCarroll (buy the book here) (Incorrectly named as “Whiteish”, sorry)

Our intro and outro music comes from "Cloud Dancer" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

Get to know your hosts, Heaven-Leigh and Justin, and the inner workings of their brains through a quick Q&A session. What starts with covering the who, what, when, where and why behind Tertiary concludes with imagining life as Patient Zero in the apocalypse and creating solutions for all the bicycle training wheels we leave behind.

Our intro and outro music comes from "Cloud Dancer" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.