Personal Highlights
Great & Terrible, Blood Lust. Driving is difficult enough, even without all the inner turmoil of dealing with immortality. Linnaeus the absolutely-not-demon also appears, scaring Jane, and causing her to swerve – which she, of course, has to explain to her mum with a lie. There’s also the issue of the detective who’s on her trail, how is she going to shake him off?
Hubris, 1.3 – Just Wait for Dawn. Another group featuring some big names from the audio fiction community; and a very different, but no less interesting, theme than what I’d normally associate with episode writer Evan Tess Murray. An unlikely group of people come together in an office building during what seems to be the actual apocalypse. And what’s happened for people to forget that Venice ever existed? The group have to work through their differences and suspicions in order to survive and make it through the night. There’s some particularly chilling sound design by Brad Colbroock!
Moonbase Theta, Out, Episode 5 – Strategies. (Note: I play Reception Bot in season three of Moonbase Theta, Out.) The Science Bros are in the spotlight this episode, and they’re still busy plotting how to govern the moonbase. Unsurprisingly they all have different ideas, and Dr Just basically has to try and herd cats. Roger has still been isolating himself, recording messages to Alex that can’t be sent, and he very much takes a back seat this episode. Another member of the crew has been woken up, and this episode we meet Jaxon, the base nutritionist and an absolute cinnamon roll. There’s a sad conversation between Jaxon and Wilder about Nessa, and it turns out that she had a plan not just for base Theta, but for all the moonbases.
Lost Terminal, 3.3 – Do you hear that? In a complete contrast to the show’s first season, Seth is anything but alone in this episode. Seth can feel someone else in the bunker’s network, an intruder that sounds like him – so that’s the interference we’ve been hearing this season. There’s a reply from Ali in the Alps, and Seth and Antarctica try to work through the problem of the Council there not having enough food; but end up arguing, and Antarctica stops talking to Seth. Ivan is taking too much power, and tapping into Seth’s frequency, which leads to Seth having to use backup power – and a discovery that I’m very excited about!
The Strange Case of Starship Iris, 2.02 – The Hard Sell. Heck yes grey-ace representation! I really loved that scene, and the wording that was used to describe what being grey-ace meant for Arkady. There are discussion around mental health and trauma – after all, war and conflict play a big part in this show, and they’re a key element of this episode. I really loved the scene with McCabe, Krejjh and Brian bonding over a TV show, it’s really interesting to see how the former agents are integrating into the crew, and how their past comes up – sometimes it’s just through something as small as a piece of media. And there’s an ending that’s worrying for more than one reason.
The White Vault, Episode 4.07 – Confess. Things have got really weird up on the mountains. Really weird, and really scary for the rescue team. There’s a frightening beginning to the episode, as we clearly hear a recording of two monsters, and come face to face with what’s been lurking in the caves. After this episode, I have SO many questions.
Dos: After You, 20 – Doubt. There’s such a sense of loss in Deck’s words in the opening scene, loss and betrayal, as he talks about what the world felt like with Sil. Then we see that the gods have finally caught up to him, after having been following him on his journey. There’s a confrontation with Bre, and a really shocking turn of events!
Jar of Rebuke, S1E11 – Observations B. I literally went ‘oh nice!’ at that opening. That reveal turns into something much bigger, as there’s a completely different perspective this episode. The entire season and everything we know about the character of Dr Jared Hel – who we don’t even hear from this episode – is turned on its head, and I spent the entire episode re-evaluating everything I’d heard in previous episodes! This was the big season finale, the second season is due to start on April 7th, after some interlude episodes.
Me and AU, 14, Pictures of Success. It’s an episode of two very different halves, as there’s a stark contrast between the two friendships in this episode – with Kate spending the day with Ella, before going back to Whitney’s in the evening. Kate is still in Toronto, and it sounds like she and Ella had a really lovely day together, and they arrange to have dinner later in the week. After getting back to Whitney’s, Kate has to come back down to Earth. There’s a tough discussion between the two, as Whitney questions their friendship. Whitney’s been struggling, and she’s miserable in her job, but she hasn’t talked about that with Kate. Kate manages to comfort Whitney, as she tries to encourage her to rethink her decisions. And with that ending, it sounds like the next episode’s going to be a big one!
The Magnus Archives, MAG 191 – What We Lose. The apocalypse as seen by two different couples, and the importance love has when everything around you is terrible. The difference in location between the two scenes only highlights the differences between Jon and Martin, and Melanie and Georgie. Jon and Martin are naturally still hiding in the tunnels, and there’s a difficult conversation about the impending end to their mission. Melanie and Georgie are on the surface, and it’s interesting to get a different point of view about Jon again, after having followed him and Martin and having seen everything from their perspective this season. The not-so-subtle digs at podcasting cracked me up, and that discussion certainly made for quite a contrast to the world the survivors now find themselves in.
Seen and Not Heard, Mischpocha. A beautiful ending to the story, which shows just how much the characters have grown throughout the course of the season. The episode revolves around the different connections Bet has – with friends, family, and new people – and the positive impact they create on Bet, and vice versa. The very first encounter we had with Bet was with her struggling to fit in in her ASL class, and this episode is the complete opposite – and her ASL teacher even tells her that she’s making great progress. It opens with laughter, as Bet and Ivy are on a video call, and it’s just a beautiful way to start the episode. The art exhibition, however, is a mixed experience. When David goes to get drinks, Bet meets Kit, the artist. They share experiences with losing their hearing, and Kit gives Bet some advice, in the form of a beautiful metaphor. Bet then realises that David has left, and he shows up at her house the next day, in a bad way. David talks about his OCD, finally opening up to Bet about what’s been going on with him recently, and I’m so glad he could talk to Bet about everything. Bet takes care of him without any judgement, giving him an awesome blanket and cooking dinner. The episode ends with Bet going to her mum’s to decorate for Chanukah, where she finds a book about Deaf culture and an ASL dictionary, thinking her sister left them there. But surprisingly, they’re actually her mum’s. Bet sums up her thoughts at the end of the episode – things aren’t perfect, and she knows that things aren’t going to be easy, but she realises that she will be okay.
Primordial Deep, Five – Days of Night. A deeply emotional episode, in the aftermath of Destan’s death, who was killed in the previous episode. The crew come together to remember and mourn him, while also trying to deal with their own feelings of guilt. The beautiful music after the funeral scene had me in tears! The unity seen at the funeral doesn’t last, however, as Destan’s death is a breaking point for some of the crew, and the opportunity to go home arises – until the crew make a disturbing discovery at the end of the episode. Marella also goes for a dive without telling anyone, looking for answers. Wracked with grief and guilt, she breaks down in a heartbreaking scene.
Debuts
Solo, Episode 1. An introduction to Dr Deirdre Sheffield, and the story which led to her being on her own in an escape pod. She tells the story of how she was on a medical ship, on its way to a potentially habitable planet, when the ship was attacked by pirates. She’s been in an escape pod for nearly a year, but now supplies – especially water – are starting to run out. She decides to start an audio log, in case she’s ever found.
Where the Stars Fell, Episode One – The Olive Branch. Dr Edison Tucker arrives in Jerusalem, Oregon. The mood is set as she drives to the cabin she’s rented, when she talks about how she’s immortal, though the explanation as to why is saved for a later time. Ed’s car breaks down, and when a local person helps her out, we find out some details as to why she came to Jerusalem. Ed’s specialty is cryptozoology, and she’s been given a grant to research ‘abnormalities’ in the flora and fauna, which apparently Jerusalem is famous for, though the details are kept vague at this point. Ed also meets the cabin’s other tenant, who is not pleased at her moving in, and is definitely not happy about the fact that she’s a ‘monster hunter’.
In Transit, Episode One – Mayday. The spaceship Eurus is one of several that have left Earth on long journeys to find a new home for the human race. Alecto, a Sentinel, is woken up after 113 years of cryogenic sleep. There’s a murderer on board, and she’s the best person to catch them. A lot has changed on Eurus since Alecto was last awake, as society has evolved in an isolated space, but Alecto doesn’t have much time to adjust, as she’s thrown straight into the investigation.
Trailers
The Night Post is an upcoming supernatural horror I found on tumblr, which released their trailer this week. Postmaster Best reports a missing ‘asset’, in a world where conscripted couriers face the borderlands between society and the untamed Skelter.
Return
Temporal Light released the first episode of their second. Zaneta’s safe, though she obviously can’t say where she is. She’s dealing with the consequences of leaving her home, and of not having planned everything out. She talks about the shock of discovering that her mother was still alive, that her father hid that from her, while still caring for her and their family at the same time. When arriving at a house – where she doesn’t specially state that she thought she’d meet Lucent there, but it’s implied – she meets a woman, around her own age. After an awkward start (after all, it isn’t her house) they become friends, and Zaneta is relieved that they have the same memories of pop culture growing up. Those memories, she now knows, are real. And, at least for now, Zaneta isn’t alone on her journey.
Other News
PodUK, a British podcasting convention which was held in Birmingham in 2020 and 2019, is holding a virtual pizza party on Twitch on Sunday 7th February, and are looking for folks to get involved with the stream.
It Makes a Sound announced their upcoming second season, and their departure from the Night Vale Presents network.
A Sky Full of Pods 