House of R
The Ringer
Welcome to ‘House of R,’ where Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson explore your favorite fictional universes with their signature Deep Dives into everything from ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Star Wars,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to Marvel, and beyond. Whether they’re parsing mythology, story themes, and character arcs or tracing influences across decades of fantasy and sci-fi stories, Jo and Mal will be here weekly with Deep Dives into new nerd culture releases, nostalgic revisitations of their favorite tales in fandom, Tropes Course examinations, Hall of Fame inductions, Hype Meters, drafts, mailbags, watch lists, top moments countdowns, recommendations, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 9, 2026 • 2h 21min
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Season 4 Rewatch (Part 2)
They rewatch the back half of Buffy Season 4 and pick apart the Initiative and identity stakes. Conversations cover Riley’s arc, Tara’s early representation, and Xander and Anya’s growth. They celebrate Faith’s return, Jonathan’s surprising spotlight, Spike’s charisma, and the season’s funniest, horniest, and most emotional moments. College as metaphor and costume highlights round out the chat.
Apr 7, 2026 • 1h 13min
‘Star Wars: Maul—Shadow Lord’ Check-in
A lively breakdown of the first two chapters of Star Wars: Maul—Shadow Lord, focusing on timeline placement and how it ties to Clone Wars and Rebels. They unpack Maul’s revenge‑driven identity and his pattern with apprentices. Visual style, noir influences, standout supporting characters, and Sam Witwer’s creative role get plenty of attention.
Apr 3, 2026 • 2h 14min
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Season 4 Rewatch (Part 1)
They break down Buffy Season 4’s shift to a college setting, comparing campus staging, fashion, and late-90s cultural markers. They debate cast changes and new characters like Riley, Anya, and Spike’s evolving role. They deep-dive into the landmark silent thriller Hush, analyze uneven episodes and pacing, and swap favorite fights, comedic beats, and wardrobe highlights.
Mar 25, 2026 • 2h 21min
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Check-in. Plus, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’ Trailers.
They break down the Daredevil: Born Again season two premiere, from returning threads and character arcs to surprising new players and a tense on-the-run training scene. They unpack the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer, teasing mutation hints, cameos, and tonal shifts. They close with a look at the Dune: Part Three trailer, Villeneuve’s time jump, war imagery, and casting mysteries.
8 snips
Mar 21, 2026 • 2h 28min
‘Project Hail Mary’ Deep Dive. Plus: Andy Weir!
Andy Weir, author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary, joins to discuss his knack for hard-science fiction with humor. They dive into the film adaptation: puppetry and Rocky’s design, adaptation choices and memory structure, score and sound design, and why cooperation and hope drive the story.
Mar 17, 2026 • 2h 8min
‘The Martian’ Revisited, With Amanda Dobbins
Amanda Dobbins, critic and culture writer, brings sharp, personal takes on The Martian and sci‑fi tastes. They revisit the film’s scientific storytelling, casting choices, and emotional beats. Conversations range from NASA believability and ensemble casting to survival logistics, humour, and how the movie compares to other Andy Weir adaptations.
Mar 14, 2026 • 1h 34min
The 2026 Versies Awards | House of Midnight
A playful awards rundown celebrating fandom highs from 2025. They reveal fan and panel picks across categories like visuals, music, and directing. Memorable moments include split wins, surprise ties, and dominant sweepers. The conversation highlights standout performances, new characters, and the year’s most talked-about shows and films.
8 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 1h 46min
The Space Movie Draft
Chris Ryan, Ringer writer known for sharp film analysis, and Rob Mahoney, film-and-culture commentator with a love of space genre, join to pick and debate classic and wild-card space films. They cover visual splendor, space horror, first contact, heroic rescues, movie connections, and surprise selections. Fast-paced, opinionated, and full of passionate movie takes.
15 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 2h 51min
‘Interstellar’ Revisited With Van Lathan | Chill Nolan Winter
Van Lathan, media personality and podcaster known for sharp cultural commentary, joins to revisit Interstellar. They debate the film’s science versus faith, praise the Miller’s Planet set piece and Zimmer’s score. Conversations touch on Nolan’s storytelling through time, memorable visuals, and which moments linger emotionally.
Mar 4, 2026 • 1h 54min
The 2026 Winter Mailbag
A wide-ranging mailbag covering fan theories about knighthood in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and reactions to news of a Game of Thrones movie in development. Rapid-fire book recommendations and 2026 releases get highlighted. They shout out underrated TV gems, preview The Vampire Lestat buzz, debate Pride and Prejudice casting, predict Survivor 50 and White Lotus cameos, and riff on Wonder Man and moving to LA.
