Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan

In this episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes a special guest - her husband, Jeremy Klavens. The couple, married for nearly 18 years, takes listeners on a journey into the world of "Game of Thrones,” in which Jeremy delicately introduces Mandy to the complex wordplay of the title of the show vis a vis, well, characters who are trying to sit… you know… on a throne.

Jeremy himself is a reluctant GoT nerd. But it’s hard not to be drawn in by the show's attention to detail and immersive world-building. 

The episode takes an unexpected turn when Jeremy reveals his distaste for the show's more fantastical elements. OK, specifically he doesn’t dig on dragons. No, Jeremy is more of a Thrones policy wonk, preferring political intrigue and power struggles to witches and giant fire lizards. 

As the conversation winds down, Mandy confesses to using a character guide to keep track of the "unshowered people with beards," while Jeremy shares a FUN FACT about a real dead deer used in filming - a detail that simultaneously impresses and disgusts his animal-loving wife, but introduces a new opportunity for a sound effect, and a producer’s hope for a long-running segment to come.

Even in a world of dragons and white walkers, the real magic lies in the ability of a married couple to find common ground in the fantasy between them. 

Not that kind of fantasy, pervs... the other kind.

Whatever. 

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What is Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan?

Hey folks. Mandy Kaplan here. I’d like to share a bit about my intentions and mission for MMAN if you’ll indulge me. You will? Huzzah!

Look, I am a lot of things. I’m a writer, actress, mother, and lover of musicals and cats, but NOT Cats, The Musical. Give me a little bit of credit, would ya? So...throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded (and intrigued) by all things nerd. A sister who plays D&D, a Star Wars-obsessed husband, friends who love anime, comic books, video games, and...well, you get the picture. Somehow, I have always held it all at arm's length. Not to get too deep, but maybe I never thought I was smart enough to follow it. Or maybe I have control issues and have never been able to embrace fantastical things like dragons and time travel. Until now!

So, with an open mind and heart, I am ready to join this massive (and beautifully inclusive) club and GEEK THE #%$ OUT! It’s time for all my wonderfully strange friends to baptize me into NERD-DOM. Please join me on this journey. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover or remember a side of yourself along the way. Or at least make fun of me as I try!