The Fellowship assembles one last time before the final curtain.

Not for a quiet conversation.

For war.

This week on Regarding Music from The Elder, Chaz, Wolfy, Scott D. Monroe, Corey Morrissette, Laura Morrissette, Sean McGinity, Debbie and Michael Pastore, Dan and Pang Papathopoulos—and even virtual appearances from Heath McCoy and Kevin Brown—return for the largest panel in the series as Scott unveils the penultimate chapter of his screenplay.

What follows is the most ambitious chapter yet.

Corey awakens blind after destroying the mysterious orbs, only to discover he has begun seeing the world in an entirely new way. The Cat discovers that loyalty has consequences. Terminus Village reveals its tragic past through Sypha's memories. Allies fall. Hidden powers awaken. Philosophies collide. And Mr. Blackwell returns more terrifying—and more unstable—than ever before.

Meanwhile, the panel compares cover versions, discusses the band's late-career what-ifs, and marvels at how an album once dismissed as an infamous misfire has somehow become the foundation for an unexpectedly compelling fantasy epic.

• The largest cast ever assembled for a Regarding season 5 episode
• Corey loses his sight... and gains a different vision
• The Cat's shocking fate
• Sypha's heartbreaking return to her childhood village
• The Fox's final stand—and the ideas that die with him
• Mr. Blackwell arrives like a force of nature
• A screenplay racing toward its final confrontation

I — KISS

Every great adventure reaches the point where escape is no longer the objective.

The only way out...

...is through.

The Show

In this season of Regarding…, the panel tackles KISS’s Music From The Elder one song at a time—testing whether its epic ambition holds up under scrutiny. Alongside the analysis, Scott D. Monroe’s original screenplay tries to turn the album’s abstract mythology into an actual story.

Ambition meets accountability.

GO BONELESS

Certified boneless in the state of Ohio by the Boneless Podcasting Network. Go Boneless. Boneless Makes a Better Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chaz and the assembled Order of Mildly Concerned Scholars (Wolfy, Scott, Corey, and returning guests Heath McCoy, Laura Morrissette, Debbie Pastore, Michael Pastore, and Dan & Pang Pappathopoulos) arrive at Terminus Island expecting a rescue mission.

Instead...

...they're invited to dinner.

Because this week isn't really about "Escape from the Island."

It's about what happens when the hero finally reaches the villain... only to discover the villain has already set the table.

What unfolds is less another chapter of Scott's ever-expanding Elder screenplay and more a psychological chess match disguised as a fantasy adventure. Corey and his companions battle a crystal-powered war wagon, survive an underground labyrinth, and descend into a cavern so impossibly vast it feels like the album itself has finally become a location.

Meanwhile, Mr. Blackwell isn't waiting on a throne.

He's waiting with a goblet.

And manners.

There are flashbacks revealing the terrible truth behind Mrs. Blackwell's death.

There are creatures pouring from fractures in reality.

There is a warhorse with a change of heart.

There is a fox serving bitter wine mixed with crow's blood because, at this point, subtlety has officially left the island.

And hovering over everything is the growing realization that Blackwell no longer sees himself as the villain.

He sees himself as the only adult left in the room.

There is action.

There is tragedy.

There is a battle wagon that somehow feels perfectly reasonable by Episode 10.

And somewhere beneath Terminus Island, Corey begins asking the most dangerous question of the entire season:

What if saving Mr. Blackwell... is no longer possible?

• Heath McCoy embracing his inner Macho Man for a rap performance nobody saw coming
• Laura Morrissette, Debbie Pastore, Michael Pastore, and Dan Papathopoulos returning as the Fellowship pushes toward the finale
• A battle wagon armed with purple lasers, flaming wrecking balls, and one very angry cat
• A dinner invitation that somehow feels more threatening than the battle
• Mr. Blackwell proving that the most dangerous villains are often the most polite

"Escape from the Island" — KISS

Sometimes the hardest part isn't escaping the island...

It's escaping the story waiting for you when you get there.

The Show

In this season of Regarding…, the panel tackles KISS’s Music From The Elder one song at a time—testing whether its epic ambition holds up under scrutiny. Alongside the analysis, Scott D. Monroe’s original screenplay tries to turn the album’s abstract mythology into an actual story.

Ambition meets accountability.

GO BONELESS

Certified boneless in the state of Ohio by the Boneless Podcasting Network. Go Boneless. Boneless Makes a Better Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chaz and the assembled Order of Mildly Concerned Scholars (Wolfy, Scott, Corey, and returning guests Heath McCoy, Laura Morrissette, Debbie Pastore, and Michael Pastore) set out this week expecting to discuss "Mr. Blackwell."

Instead, they find themselves attending his funeral.

Not literally.

Emotionally.

Because this week isn't really about the song.

It's about what happens when the villain finally gets a chance to explain himself.

What unfolds is less a chapter of Scott's ever-expanding Elder screenplay and more a direct transmission from a past nobody was expecting to feel sorry for. The armies vanish. The battlefield falls silent. The purple lightning takes the night off.

And standing where the monster used to be...

...is a father.

A grieving widower trying to protect his daughter.

A man desperately looking for purpose after loss.

A future tyrant who, disturbingly, sounds an awful lot like a hero.

Laura Morrissette returns as a young Sypha and immediately steals the episode, while Heath McCoy takes on a younger Mr. Blackwell—a version of the character who still believes the world makes sense, the Elders can be trusted, and promises actually mean something.

Meanwhile, Scott continues constructing a mythology that becomes more complicated every time someone tries to explain it.

There are sacred groves.

There are magical oaths.

There are mysterious ceremonies that become increasingly difficult to distinguish from recruitment into an extremely powerful fantasy cult.

And hovering over everything is a growing realization that Cornelius and Blackwell may not be opposites at all.

They may simply be standing at different points on the same road.

There is sympathy.

There is suspicion.

There is the uncomfortable sensation that the story has quietly shifted beneath everyone's feet.

Because once you've seen the man before the fall...

...it's a lot harder to cheer for the fall.

Featuring:

• Heath McCoy becoming Young Mr. Blackwell and somehow making him "relatable" (woah yeahhh)
• Laura Morrissette returning as Sypha, future heartbreaker of podcast listeners everywhere
• Debbie and Michael Pastore reprising Sarah and Thane as the Fellowship of Mildly Injured Heroes continues its journey
• Morpheus presiding over an oath ceremony that raises significantly more questions than answers
• The Elder somehow becoming even less trustworthy than they were last week

THIS WEEK'S SONG:

"Mr. Blackwell" — KISS

FINAL VERDICT:

Not the story of a villain.

The story of how a hero becomes one.

That feels much closer to the established Regarding Elder house style.

The Show

In this season of Regarding…, the panel tackles KISS’s Music From The Elder one song at a time—testing whether its epic ambition holds up under scrutiny. Alongside the analysis, Scott D. Monroe’s original screenplay tries to turn the album’s abstract mythology into an actual story.

Ambition meets accountability.

GO BONELESS

Certified boneless in the state of Ohio by the Boneless Podcasting Network. Go Boneless. Boneless Makes a Better Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.