Harry Potter is a cultural touchstone for many people, but it’s a touchstone that people have grown more cynical about over the years. The official continuations with the Fantastic Beast series and the Cursed Child book have not resonated with people as well. J.K. Rowling’s centrist politics and her Twitter’s associations with transphobia have also further alienated fans. In all this, are the Harry Potter books still golden? Or do fans just have an extremely flawed view of the books? This is where the Shrieking Shack comes in.

The Shrieking Shack is a re-read podcast by and for lapsed Harry Potter fans, hosted by Xeecee and Liz. Since March of last year, the duo has been diving back into the books, dedicating each week to a chapter or two. Along with the main Harry Potter readings, the two have been doing “Common Room” episodes focusing on side materials and other media, available for people that support the podcast’s Patreon.

Episodes typically begin with a quick news segment, which doesn’t sound like much, but Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling news is surprisingly frequent. At the end of the episodes, the duo take a look at something in Harry Potter culture that’s usually related to the reading. They often take a look at the reddit side of the Harry Potter fandom, which has oddities like a wand-making community that dedicates itself too seriously to canon, people that have just caught on to the “hidden meanings” of names in the series, and sincere arguments about character heights.

As for the actual readings, it’s a rollercoaster of issues. A general thing is that as the books grow to become more serious, the hosts become more cynical, as the tone shift comes with a whole host of problems. One main issue with the books’ tonal shift is that they lose their whimsical atmosphere, which makes the occasional, sillier chapter feel out of place. The world is also criticized for becoming less magical, especially with the introduction of Avada Kedavra; derisively called the “Gun Spell.” Why use spells creatively when there’s just a specialized spell that kills people instantly?

What about the characters? Well, one thing that’s frequently brought up on the Shrieking Shack is that Harry is a completely passive character. The plot rarely advances with him taking active action and often times the plot advances because he overheard a conversation, with the hosts frequently comparing it to a video game stealth mission.

This frustration comes in full force with the Order of the Phoenix reading, where almost the entire main cast is doing something else while “J.K. Rowling’s epic spy drama” goes on behind the scenes. It is sincerely maddening when the cast puts together a mystery involving completely minor characters that happened offscreen, with the hosts joking about using said characters for a “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead“-type fanfic.

i've brain pic.twitter.com/wE06GfRTtc

— The Shrieking Shack (@shriekcast) February 21, 2019

What about Ron and Hermione? Regarding Ron, the podcast frequently points out that the series repeatedly rehashes the same plots with him, never mind his sudden attitude shifts that make him come off as unlikable. While Hermione gets less hate, it’s often pointed out that she’s treated as a joke by the books that’s mainly there to hold the other characters up. Her portrayal in the Order of the Phoenix chapters has also been criticized as bizarre, with the hosts pointing out that her morals and emotional intelligence just flucuates depending on what the scene needs her to be.

The podcast not only talks about the books’ narrative flaws, but its flawed politics as well. Harry Potter is frequently upheld as a progressive series yet, listening to this podcast, it’s made me realize that it barely is. The Shrieking Shack reading of Goblet of Fire alone points out that it isn’t, with discussions on the book’s disdain for the press and the long and painful episode on S.P.E.W., whose main message is ultimately “slavery is okay because that’s how the culture works.”

Listening to the podcast, it makes one consider if the Harry Potter fandom has a bizarre skewed view of the series; one contributing factor may be the alternate impressions given by the movies, which the hosts dub as “movie poisoning.” Within one of the last few episodes, for example, the hosts came across Ginny saying “anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” It’s a quote in the fandom that’s associated with her character that gives off a cool impression of her. Then the hosts kinda lose it because the full context reveals that the quote refers to Fred and George and that Ginny herself ultimately does nothing.

oof pic.twitter.com/6DEc9YKWDA

— The Shrieking Shack (@shriekcast) April 5, 2019

This is all not to say that the Shrieking Shack is just a podcast hating on Harry Potter. Xeecee and Liz avoid being full caustic critics or CinemaSins-esque reviews, giving credit where credit is due. Even with their current frustrations with Order of the Phoenix, they have a lot of appreciation for Sirius Black’s character, the world-building, etc. In fact, their readings of the first and third books are generally positive, save a few big hiccups; like the Norbert chapter and the fact that Harry’s Quidditch success in the third book was because somebody bought him an expensive and top-of-the-line broom.

There is stuff to like in these books, it’s just that they may not be as good as people remember them to be; the podcast really highlights that. The Shrieking Shack is a podcast that I enjoy a lot at work and I look forward to the hosts covering the future books. If you’re interested but don’t want to start at the beginning, I recommend listening to “Primo Shrieks,” which is a compilation of some fun moments during the readings of the first four books.

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