Personal highlights
Great and Terrible, Pom-Pom. The second episode of this new season provides a lot of insight into how Jane has completely changed since we first met her, but also how little has changed in other aspects of her life. There’s a strange and unsettling contrast between her life as a teenager, and the supernatural aspect that she must live with.
The Amelia Project, Episode 29 – Mai-Linh. The Interviewer is still in prison, and has another client. Mai-Linh has written a series of books about Haruka, an Asian female knight in Medieval Europe, and she has very demanding fans. It was interesting seeing the roles reversed, with Mai-Linh coming up with suggestions on how she could disappear, and the Interviewer saying why they wouldn’t work. And where are Amelia and Alvina?
MonkeyTales, Episode 8 – Extra-Natural Creature Solutions. (Note: I play Viola in this episode). The first in a series of episodes by guest writers, this one by Maddy Searle, creator of The Prickwillow Papers. An urban fantasy story, with a heartwarming twist on your average monster story. One character helps another explore a different career path, with an unusual job that might bring more meaning to their life. Sometimes opportunities can come from the most unexpected places.
Unseen, Episode 3 – The Secret Ingredient. I was waiting for the magic to show up when, oh, this woman working at a bar in Chicago? She’s a fae woman. Nice. In this world people see her as just another human – unless they who can see magic. And that, obviously, brings a lot of complications. Especially, in this case, when there’s a cute girl who she wants to date. What do you do when the odds are against you in love?
Lost Terminal, 2.6 – I don’t know how to feel. Seth is, understandably, having a bit of an existential crisis. He’s discovered that he ‘died’ in the shuttle crash, and had to be rebuilt, using pieces from different computers, which were sacrificed for him. Naturally, as the title says, Seth doesn’t know what to feel about all this new information. But even with all this new information to process, Seth dedicates some time to talking about friendships, and it’s so heartwarming to see how much Seth understands about human friendships, even just the little things.
The White Vault, Episode 4.03 – Baited. An episode that had me holding my breath the entire time. I was really intrigued by the discussions wondering as to how the site could’ve been forgotten about by everyone until recently. Did something sinister happen? And what about Svalbard? There was one point where I was literally shouting ‘No! No! No!’ at the episode, just wanting them to get the heck out of there as quickly as possible.
Dining In The Void, 2×03 – Seek Guidance Among the Stars. This episode we see Aveline bringing up Mars’ past and the awful things they’ve done, and Sawyer and Elory trying to make plans to protect their family. It’s interesting catching up with other characters after the events of episode one, and seeing how everyone’s trying to adjust to their new reality. The episode ends with a new threat to the station, and oh boy, I have a feeling that things are about to kick off even more!
We Know None, 05 – Undercover. (Note: I play Helen in this episode) Gwen talks with Alex, Frankie’s sister, and one line in particular from Gwen was so heartbreaking. Gwen and the audience discover that a woman named Millie went missing while at uni in London, someone who Gwen and Frankie both know from school, and Frankie wanted to write an article about it and investigate it. So why are these women disappearing? Why Millie, and why Frankie, two women who seem to be very different, or at least from the details we’re told about Millie. Gwen decides to go to London to investigate.
Witchever Path, Catamount Part Three – You Have the Right to Remain… This episode follows on from the gruesome discovery at the end of the last episode, and its inevitable consequences. Those neighbours we met before who lied about having found a runaway cat? Yeah, them and their winter plans are giving me some really bad vibes. Knowing how Witchever Path incorporates characters and elements from mythology and folklore into their stories, I’m so curious as to who they are and where they’ve come from. There’s a surprise encounter at the end, which gives us this episode’s vote.
Temporal Light, Vignette 1 – Pieces. Zaneta talks about a doll she had, and it’s so difficult to see that she can’t even trust childhood memories. It’s good to see that she has some good memories, ones that she clearly treasures a lot, and that she had one good adult figure in her life who cared for her, but it’s still so sad that so many good memories are potentially missing. She also has to deal with the guilt of having escaped from her family, having left her siblings behind, and not knowing if she can ever go back to get them.
The Magnus Archives, MAG 187 – Checking Out. Martin is still in the Lonely (oof), leaving Jon to deal with a new domain on his own. There’s an eye-raising break to the usual statement format from this season, as we come face to face with the person who made it. There’s an examination of hospitality with a hotel, but beyond hospitality, it also deals with friendship. The Distortion is manipulation and gaslighting; and this is something that both Jon and the audience have to see through. Even in this episode, Helen’s funny, she’s sarcastic, and I was laughing at her comments as Jon was reading the statement. The end was such a relief, and Martin’s description of his own domain made me laugh. And that very last line was so exciting!
Y2K, Episode 46 – November 13-19, 2000. Kat gets an audition, and Claire’s getting her life back together, leaving Jess a voicemail to make amends and apologise. Or, well, try to apologise. And in 2020, there’s the cumulation Olivia’s search for her bio-dad, as she talks to Mike over Skype. With only about a month and a half worth of voicemails left, it’s really starting to feel like some things are beginning to wrap up, but with Kat still with Johnno and making plans for Christmas, and Rachel still pregnant, we’re not at the end of the story yet.
The Milkman of St Gaff’s, 7 – The Story. Howie goes to the radio station, keeping details of exactly what he’s doing up there vague, and runs out of petrol on the way home. It’s a strange night for him, as he looks for shelter. As the episode, and Howie’s night stuck in his van, come to an end, we start to hear details of things that have remained hidden from the audience so far – including a mention of ‘going underground’. There’s a lot we’re not being told about the milkmen, and this was just a glimpse of it.
Solutions to Problems, Episode 30 – The Time Travel Tapes. In the season three finale, the perspective completely shifts, as Janet and her time travelling shenanigans are profiled on a true crime show. It delves deep into her life, from childhood up to her time as a co-host of Solutions to Problems. It’s been a lot of fun seeing this time travel storyline develop this season, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next!
Primordial Deep, Two – The Goddess Claw. The second episode in the season, and things have gone straight from 0-100, as the crew of the underwater station have to deal with creatures that turn out to be prehistoric sea scorpions. With one horrifying discovery after another, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!
Debuts
Margaret’s Garden. Everton was meant to be a suburban paradise, a perfect example of the American Dream, with white picket fences and malls, and the advert at the beginning of the episode paints this picture so vividly. Then 70 years ago, everyone who lived there disappeared overnight, never to be found. Everton has been abandoned since, and was eventually forgotten about by most of society. But the place isn’t completely abandoned, it turns out – there’s a groundskeeper, who elected himself mayor of Everton. After a strange blackout hits the suburb, two agents are sent to investigate, and have a very strange encounter. There are so many mysterious and otherworldly things in Everton, I can’t wait to discover more!
The Oyster features some big names from TV and film, and is co-written by indie audio fiction’s Jordan Cobb (Primordial Deep, Janus Descending). Set in the near future, Earth is becoming uninhabitable due to carbon emissions. 80% of the world’s population live in underground shelters, which they gain entry to by being judged by their ‘usefulness’ to future society. People’s ‘usefulness’ is boiled down to a number, and the show examines systematic racism, with Black people only making up a small percentage of those living underground. There are promises that a section of Antarctica will be habitable in 2070, and The Oyster is what’s created in the meantime.
Trailers and Prologues
Moonbase Theta, Out, Prologue 3 – Three To Get Ready (Note: I play Reception Bot in season three). Ah, classic Roger composing poetry. It’s also a reminder of what he’s fighting for, he wants to get back home, to his husband and dogs. At the end of the episode Tumnus’ decides on new pronouns, showing just how much she’s developed over the course of these three prologues. With this new self-awareness, we go into the full season 3 episodes.
Khôra released their second teaser, titled A Radio Star. This teaser focuses on Greek mythology’s Apollo, but this time, in a sci-fi setting – presenting a TV show, to be exact. Episode one is due to be released on 28th December.
Return
Void is back for its second season, and it picks up from the cliffhanger in the season one finale. It’s a surprising start to the season in many ways, and there are some stark contrasts to life back on the dying Earth.
Inn Between returned for it third season. A new crew of adventures meet in the Goblin’s Head, and find out what their mission is. They discuss, and try to figure out why each of them is part of their particular mission, and if they actually want to be a part of it or not. I have a feeling that this ‘fact finding’ mission will turn out to be more sinister than the adventurers are made to believe.
New Listens
The Godfrey Audio Guide. I’ve been slacking on starting shows recently, and this podcast being featured in a PodTales showcase was the reminder I needed to start listening to it. Each episode is an audio guide to artwork found in the Godfrey Historic Estate and Museum; and as well as real artwork, there are some very strange pieces. There are also dark shadows, and rumours of strange disappearances…
Casting Calls
Folxlore are looking for a queer woman of colour, preferably with a connection to Scotland, to join their cast for season one. Deadline Friday 20th November.
A Sky Full of Pods 