68. Prequels

Inspired by this great article about prequels by Noel Murray for The Dissolve, Joe and Ed use this week's episode as an opportunity to talk about the weaknesses of the prequel model of storytelling. It's not entirely about laying into the Star Wars prequels (though that is somewhat unavoidable where this topic is concerned) since it also encompasses a discussion of the differences between gap-filling, mythology-based prequels and standalone adventures, which prequels they perceive as being especially cynical and mercenary, and examples of prequels that are actually good because they use their pre-established endpoint to build tension. Mainly, it's just an excuse for Ed to talk about how rad NBC's Hannibal is, especially when compared to some of the other Hannibal Lecter prequels.