Season 2, Episode 9: The Magic (Railroad) is Restored! Part 1 (ft. Zoey Wyeld)

Blu-rays, and lost scenes, and leaks.  Oh my!  At long last, we’re returning to the series on “updates” to topics covered last season.  Both Eric AND PJ may be MIA for this episode, but Rico is not alone here.  Zoey Wyeld (Wild Zoey Appears) joins this podcast as a special guest for the first of this two-part episode.  In Episode 9 (coincidentally) of season 1, Rico and Eric discussed the 2000 feature-length film Thomas and the Magic Railroad and all the changes that happened late in post-production.  Since that happened, a feast of lost material from the original film has surfaced!  Rico and Zoey discuss their history with the Thomas franchise and their memories trying to find the holy grail that was this film’s “director’s cut”.  From rumors surrounding a Canadian library, to the various petitions to secure an official director’s cut release, the history of the film leading up to 2020 is discussed.  2020 saw an unofficial workprint leak, a Shout! Factory re-release, deleted storylines with PT Boomer, and a bunch of interviews and new behind-the-scenes footage from the film.  Zoey and Rico travel back down the restored magic railroad to explore it all.  This podcast episode is merely a taste for what’s to come in the second part.  But until then, any lost media enthusiast, Thomas fan, film buff, or fan of this podcast will find something to enjoy from this episode.  Until next time, sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!!

(The outro uses audio from Waltmann13 and Uberduck.ai, and in the case of the former, is used with permission.)

Season 2, Episode 8: Hannah Montana

After an unexpected holiday hiatus, Beyond the Lens is back!  And this time, you get the best of both worlds, as Rico and PJ take a look at the hit Disney Channel Original Series Hannah Montana.  PJ explains what desire she shares with Miley Stewart, while Rico (the co-host) laments at how dissimilar he is to Rico (the character).  There’s another look at the struggles of child actors working in the industry, as well as the strictness of Disney’s contracts with their stars.  PJ and Rico also discuss how successful the “music” formula is for kid’s shows in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and PJ also learns about what other Disney Channel show had an episode that served as a backdoor pilot to the precursor to Hannah Montana.  Mix it all together, and you know you get an unforgettable podcast episode you don’t want to miss!

Season 2, Episode 7: House of Belated / House of Halloween

“You’re late!  2 weeks late,” yelled the grumpy caretaker known as Victor.  In our second and belated Halloween episode, Rico and PJ uncover what lies beneath a very underrated Nickelodeon show: House of Anubis.  From its Dutch roots to how season 3 felt rushed, the duo explores what this show has to offer.  Rico offers an alternate way Nina could have been kept in the story post-season 2, while PJ explains her struggles to understand specific plot points that don’t make sense (like how the characters are rarely caught in Victor’s office).  Also, learn what part of this show is still considered “lost media”, and what Rico and PJ think about a few popular headcanons (including which character may be autistic).  So, come here if you dare and solve the mysteries within the House of Anubis.  Sibuna!!  (Outro audio used under fair use rationale.)

Season 2, Episode 6: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

It’s that wonderful time of the year when children all around the globe write letters to the magical being that gifts toys to all the good boys and girls… The Great Pumpkin!?!?  Due to unforeseen circumstances, the second installment in the update series is delayed indefinitely to make room for more Beyond the Lens episodes.  Kicking off a new mini-series about the spooky season of Halloween, PJ picks the second Peanuts holiday special, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  PJ talks about her favorite joke in the entire special, while she and Rico reminisce about their very different experiences and traditions surrounding Halloween.  Don’t sleep through this episode!  (Even though this episode is extremely short and maybe not all that spooky, the next episode will definitely make up for it!  Don’t worry, chosen ones and Osirians… It won’t be long now!!)

Season 2, Episode 5: Ghostwriter… Word! (Part 2)

Okay, Beyond the Lens team.  Let’s rewind once again.  As a new mini-series kicks off, dedicated to following up on topics talked about last season, Rico and PJ have “come together” to discuss the Ghostwriter reboot that has materialized on Apple TV+.  Produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Sesame Workshop, this new version of Ghostwriter focuses less on detective mysteries and promoting literacy, but rather (as Eric predicted) goes in a folklore mystery direction, promoting literature as the ghost releases fictional characters from books into the real world (all while the kids try to figure out the ghost’s “Unfinished Business”).  Rico compares the two versions of the show and states why it’s hard to pick a favorite between the two versions.  PJ relates her struggles growing up with Hyperlexia with Curtis’s struggles with Dyslexia, and the two also discuss the kinds of books they liked to read growing up.  This episode is one ghostly adventure you don’t want to miss!  (BTW, what will be the next episode’s topic?  A hint is in this very description.  See if you can spot it.  It’s something bigger, a real secret.  The last thing I’ll say is: CHONL HONGGHORAGHOVHOBA GHOB GUHOR DHOHHOBGHORQ JHOBEQF GUHONG HONEHOR PHONCHOVGHONYHOVMHORQ.)

Season 2, Episode 4: iCarly

In a Beyond the Lens first, Rico and PJ BOTH pick a show that took the internet by storm: iCarly!  PJ (who hosts the episode) discusses how the show influenced her childhood, the real (but now defunct) iCarly.com website, as well as the woes of yet another show set in her hometown (Seattle) that wasn’t filmed there.  Also discussed are the various crossovers and continuations over the years after the show, from Sam & Cat to the new iCarly reboot on Paramount+.  If you’re looking for your next hit of Nickelodeon nostalgia, just leave it all to me (or well, us)!

*NOTE: This is the “censored”, clean version of the episode.  This version should be safe for all audiences and all ages.  However, there’s an extended, uncensored version up on YouTube and the Internet Archive that goes into more controversial topics, such as the various accusations against the creator of the show.  Although not graphic in nature, that version will NOT be posted to Beyond the Lens’ RSS feed due to the nature of the subjects discussed and Apple Podcasts’ rules for clean podcasts.  If you want to listen to that version, Google is your friend, and viewer discretion is advised.

Season 2, Episode 3: Phineas and Ferb

In this episode, PJ and Rico go to the Tri-State Area to explore the world of two step-brothers making the most of their 104 days of summer vacation. The duo discusses the difficulties creators faced getting the show off the ground. PJ mentions how the show’s format and running gags helped her relate and connect to the show as an autistic person, while Rico discusses the time Dr. Doofenshmirtz appeared on Shark Tank (although Rico misremembers the amount he was seeking). Also, how does Green Day even fit into this world? All of this and more will be discussed in this episode. Are we a little young to already be nostalgic over this cartoon from 2007? Yes. Yes, we are!

Season 2, Episode 2: FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman

What if 7 kids singing a zipcode turned into 6 kids on a game show hosted by an animated dog?  Beyond the Lens returns to the realm of WGBH Boston to discuss FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, part-spinoff of Zoom (subject of our very first episode), part-spoof of mid-2000s Reality TV trends.  Rico talks about the story of how his love for Zoom impacted his later love of FETCH!, including a time a producer of both shows messaged him about FETCH! before it premiered in 2006.  On the other hand, PJ compares the show to various Nickelodeon Game Shows and explains how she was shocked to learn that it was an animation/live-action hybrid.  Together, they discuss if FETCH! was a worthy successor to Zoom, various behind-the-scenes tidbits about how the show was produced, and the various spinoff media that have appeared in recent years.  This podcast episode has arrived at long last, so… Go FETCH! (this episode and give it a listen!!)

Season 2, Episode 1: A Beautiful Day (to Return to) the Neighborhood

Welcome back, neighbors!  No, this isn’t make-believe.  After a long, unexpected, and unplanned hiatus, we return with a new season (with Eric being MIA this go around) and a new episode about all things Fred Rogers: From his show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to the recent spinoff in his memory, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.  PJ and Rico recall the moments they found out about Fred’s passing as children, and what impact the original show had on their lives.  PJ learns about how Fred Rogers helped in the legal battle over copyright law and VCRs, and the duo discusses whether or not the Daniel Tiger spinoff will be remembered by this generation the same way others remember the original show.  It’s such a good feeling to be back and working on this podcast, and I hope you join us on this Trolley ride of a show!

Episode 15: Sesame Street

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Pre-empting the Mr. Rogers’ episode to next time, we move on to PJ’s pick of Sesame Street. As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, PJ and Rico discuss the iconic children’s show featuring both live-action actors and Muppets like Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, Oscar, and more recently, Julia, the first autistic muppet on Sesame Street. As both Rico and PJ are autistic, they discuss their thoughts on autism representation on the show through Julia, as well as many other points, such as various movies, the recent move to HBO, and even the episode from the 70s after the death of Mr. Hooper. This special episode of Beyond the Lens is brought to you by the letter P (for Podcast) and the number 15! (Please note the intro is from an outtake of an earlier Christmas episode, which is why Eric is heard. Eric was unavailable for this episode due to scheduling difficulties.)