Garret Castleberry

Garret L. Castleberry (Ph.D., The University of Oklahoma) is Program Director and Associate Professor of Communication, Media, and Ethics at Mid-America Christian University. Garret has an interdisciplinary background in Communication Studies, Rhetoric, Performance Studies, Mass & Political Communication, with specialty areas in Genre, Film and Television Studies. His work has appeared in the scholarly journals Cultural Studies Critical Methodologies and the International Review for Qualitative Research. Contributions to edited anthologies on popular culture include chapters in "Television, Social Media, and Fan Culture" (Lexington Books, 2015), "Communication Theory & Millennial Popular Culture" (Peter Lang, 2015) and "The ESPN Effect" (Peter Lang, 2015). Projects on the horizon include analyses of True Detective, The Walking Dead, and Mel Brooks' sci-fi satire Spaceballs among others. Garret writes for the scholarly website and online journal In Media Res and Flow, as well as the upcoming contributions to the cultural encyclopedia "Hooray for Hollywood" (ABC Clio, 2016). He is currently co-editing the book, "Competition, Community, and Educational Growth: Contemporary Perspectives on Competitive Speech & Debate."
Westworld’s Trompe L’Oeil Is a Placeholder Episode With a Jaw-Dropping Twist

Westworld’s Trompe L’Oeil Is a Placeholder Episode With a Jaw-Dropping Twist

Mid-season, Westworld may be marking time, but shocks and reversals still abound.
’24 – Legacy’ Is Fox’s Post-Super Bowl Post-Truth Bomb

’24 – Legacy’ Is Fox’s Post-Super Bowl Post-Truth Bomb

24: Legacy and the dilemma of mediating a xenophobic aesthetic resurgence.
Maeve Ascends as More ‘Westworld’ Secrets are Revealed in “The Adversary”

Maeve Ascends as More ‘Westworld’ Secrets are Revealed in “The Adversary”

Despite the ubiquity of corporate intrigue and maze imagery, "The Adversary" delivers another fascinating episode.
‘Westworld’s “Contrapasso” Episode Suggests Dehumanization and Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell

‘Westworld’s “Contrapasso” Episode Suggests Dehumanization and Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell

The narrative pivots and complicates the reality of Westworld in "Contrapasso". The show is about the most HBO-ized episode of an HBO drama ever produced.
Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story

Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story

Trace Adkins and company bring Western cosplay to the forefront in this 90-minute elegy to a once mighty genre.
‘Stranger Things’ Nightmare/Nostalgia in the “The Upside Down” Episode

‘Stranger Things’ Nightmare/Nostalgia in the “The Upside Down” Episode

The gang confront the creature in "The Upside Down" as Stranger Things season one draws to a close.
“Dissonance Theory” Both Reveals and Conceals Westworld’s Purpose

“Dissonance Theory” Both Reveals and Conceals Westworld’s Purpose

Westworld goes beyond HBO's usual visual spectacle and raunchy window dressing to offer philosophical meditations on both narrative and character.
‘Westworld’ Continues to be a Cerebral Examination of Consciousness and Story

‘Westworld’ Continues to be a Cerebral Examination of Consciousness and Story

"The Stray" deepens the narrative as both story and characters move forward in unexpected ways.
Dualities, Glitches, and Playing God: Just Another Week in Westworld.

Dualities, Glitches, and Playing God: Just Another Week in Westworld.

Here lies the Creator's plan for his world, overtly displayed and covertly ambiguous at the same time.
Stranger Things: Seasons 1, Episode 7 – “The Bathtub”

Stranger Things: Seasons 1, Episode 7 – “The Bathtub”

A shorter, but brilliant, episode brings together adults and children as the season rushes headlong into the finale.
Westworld: Season 1, Episode 1 – “The Original”

Westworld: Season 1, Episode 1 – “The Original”

Ethical conflicts between creator and created are just one aspect of Westworld's brilliant and epically ambitious first episode.
Stranger Things: Season 1, Episode 6 – “The Monster”

Stranger Things: Season 1, Episode 6 – “The Monster”

"The Monster" is the narrative fork-in-the-road leading to the finale, as each character struggles to find their way out of real or metaphorical woods.