Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan - Zehra Fazal Helps Find the Golden Ball in King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella

Zehra Fazal Helps Find the Golden Ball in King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella

07/29/24 • 55 min

This week in nerddom, Mandy Kaplan embarks on a pixelated journey to the 1980s with special guest Zehra Fazal, a renowned voice actor known for her roles in countless animated series and video games. Zehra, a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for retro gaming, guides Mandy through the world of Sierra Games' classic "King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella."

As Mandy navigates the text-based commands and dated graphics of this beloved adventure game, she finds herself equal parts frustrated and fascinated. With Zehra's expert guidance (and a little help from Mandy's husband), our intrepid host manages to clean the dwarves' house and acquire a mysterious blue pouch. But the real challenge lies ahead - can Mandy unravel the puzzles and save both Princess Rosella's father and the enigmatic Genesta?

Throughout the episode, Mandy and Zehra bond over their shared love of cooking, baking, and the Bachelor franchise. They even make tentative plans for a future culinary collaboration. But beneath the laughter and nostalgia lies a darker question - is Princess Rosella's quest a charming fairy tale or a thinly-veiled kidnapping scheme? Tune in to find out if Mandy can conquer "King's Quest IV" and emerge victorious in her quest to embrace nerd culture.

Members are in for a treat as Mandy and Zehra dig into their shared love of Iron Chef and it’s many cultural problems over the years, and the notable feminist bent in modern video games. Want to hear it? Easy! Join for $5/month or $55/year today!

Follow Zehra on Instagram and here she is on IMDB!

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Follow Zehra on Instagram and here she is on IMDB!

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Previous Episode

Make Me a Nerd Takes a Hearty Breath of the Wild with Jonny Lee, Jr.

In the latest installment of the podcast "Make Me a Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan ventures into the world of gaming with the help of guest and dear friend, Jonny Lee Jr. This week's mission? Tackling the fan-favorite Nintendo Switch game, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Mandy, a self-proclaimed extrovert and musical theater aficionado, finds herself out of her element as she navigates the vast, often lonely landscape of Hyrule. Armed with a controller and a shirtless avatar named Link (for eye candy purposes, of course), Mandy embarks on a journey filled with puzzling button combinations and the occasional accidental jump instead of a slash.

You might wonder, dear listener, if Mandy will continue her Zelda adventure or retreat to the comfort of her beloved musical theater. One thing is certain: watching a gaming novice navigate the world of Hyrule is an entertaining journey in itself, filled with laughter, frustration, and the occasional longing for the simplicity of an Intellivision controller.

Follow Jonny on Instagram

Go play Zelda

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Next Episode

Resistance is Futile: A Star Trek Intervention with Brian Bradley

This week, Mandy welcomes an old friend and collaborator, the multi-talented Brian Bradley, to the show. The pair reminisce about their shared history at the sadly now-defunct Acme Comedy Theater. But what secrets lie hidden in the NDA-protected annals of their legal battles? Mandy and Brian remain tight-lipped.

Brian, a lifelong devotee of all things geeky, reveals the origin story of his nerd journey, from comic books to Star Wars to the theater (purely to meet women, of course). But the real question is, can he convert Mandy to the ways of the Trekkie with a curated selection of Star Trek episodes?

First up, "The Inner Light" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This acclaimed episode sees Captain Picard living out 40 years on an alien planet in the span of mere minutes. Mandy is quick to point out the decidedly '90s aesthetic, from the Coldwater Creek-esque costumes to the cutting-edge electronic doorbells. But beneath the dated veneer lies a poignant exploration of the human condition – and the comforting universality of soup.

Up next is the musical extravaganza "Subspace Rhapsody" from the new series Strange New Worlds. In this whimsical and surreal episode, the crew of the Enterprise finds themselves trapped in a mysterious nebula that compels them to burst into song and dance numbers, much to their confusion and consternation.

As the conversation veers into the mainstreaming of geek culture, Brian laments the "cool kids" co-opting Comic-Con, while Mandy posits that The Big Bang Theory played a significant role in the nerd zeitgeist shift. But does the show accurately represent geekdom, or is it a Hollywood caricature? The debate rages on.

Tune in next week to see if Mandy has fully embraced her inner Trekkie, or if she'll be forever lost in the uncanny valley of Star Trek's retro-futuristic makeup.

Brian Bradley on IMDB

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.