Personal Highlights
Radio Elusia: 11 – Liar. The ending of the episode literally gave me chills; the sound design was so effective, especially with the sudden stop in the dialogue. Until those final few seconds, the focus of the episode had been on the friendship between Lia and Suz – and how the new archive booths now also play a part in it. I really loved how clips of news broadcasts, and sounds from demonstrations were mixed into the episode; it provided such an interesting contrast between the huge societal and political issues at stake in Elusia, and the small bubble of a two-person friendship which is falling apart.
Lost Terminal: 4.8 – It’s quiet. Well, that sure was an interesting cliffhanger! I loved how there were so many more details about this futuristic world in this episode; and not just that, but also how Seth is now able to understand what happened to the world, unlike in season one. The exploration of personhood is also a theme that’s being expanded on this season; with the discovery of another AI, Seth finally has someone he can compare himself to, and I really love how MINI has been helping him to accept himself.
Someone Dies In This Elevator: S1E3 – Let The Elevator Die. One of the more adventure-themed episodes of the season, and this episode is full of surprises, which builds up to a tense finale where everything is at stake. The sound lock is an interesting way of exploring the power that sound holds, and I love how much the music added to the atmosphere and conveyed the setting of the episode.
Tales from the Tower :: Mines and Mysteries (Part 4). The final part of this series, and the group has reached the final day of lockdown. The physical and psychological effects of playing the Mines and Mysteries RPG are now clear to see, but the players decide that they must reach the end of the module in order to escape the caves. It’s a tense and claustrophobic episode, as the group’s fate – both in-game and in the real world – relies on their rolls. The end of the game, and the end of lockdown, brings about a chilling discovery.
Palimpsest: Episode 404 – Day Four/Five/Five and a Half. Things are definitely getting more haunted at Hawthorne House, and that ending is not good. More pieces are being added to the puzzle as the renovation continues, and the discovery at the beginning of the episode that the strange man Ash saw is wearing an old-fashioned suit definitely makes sense to those of us familiar with the premise of this podcast.
The Ballad of Anne and Mary: 5 – Redoublement. It’s jail break time, as all the schemes come together. The absolute highlight of this season finale for me – and one of my favourite moments of the series – was the slightly unconventional love song, it was both fun and so touching, and perfect for our two pirates. It’s a superb ending to the show, which also poses the question that’s been so key to this story – “Whose tale do you want to believe?”.
Y2K: Episode 5 – Katarina – Age 35 – Boston – May 2011. Here we’re almost at the mid-point between the Kat of 2000 and Ina of 2020 who we’ve both met before, and this episode serves to fill in some of the blanks about what happened during those 20 years. The first scene reminded me of the opening scene with Johnno and Julia in episode 3, and I really liked how this very different dinner date works as a contrast. It was also lovely to catch up with Shirin, who’s very much settled in the States. Shout out to Shannon Perry of Oz 9 for breaking out another of her accents!
Second Star to the Left: 7 – The Voice From the Sky. Wow, this story has really taken a turn since we first met Gwen in episode one, and I was really surprised at how much time has passed. The end of this episode is so heartbreaking, and left me so concerned as to what will happen next. Life on Gwen’s planet may be dangerous, but it turns out that that’s not the biggest threat to Gwen, and the other scouts’, situation.
Trailers and Prologues
Monkeyman Productions posted a trailer on their Twitter account for the upcoming Moonbase Theta, Out post-season three bonus episodes.
Omen is an upcoming fantasy show from the producers of Girl in Space. A trailer was released this week, ahead of the first episode on June 6th.
Badlands Cola is a fantasy/horror podcast which is due to launch next year. A teaser video was posted on Twitter, and I’m so intrigued!
StarTripper!! released a prologue titled The Outrider ahead of its upcoming second season. I’ve missed Feston and his chaotic energy so much, that “vacatioooon” in the background was wonderful. We get to know Serena – a character we met at the end of season one – a bit better, and I’m really excited to see where this season will go.
Return
Marsfall returned for its third season, and we pick right up from where season 2 ended. The sound design and use of music in this show has always been superb, but I loved how the music really accentuated the otherworldly atmosphere of the episode. This is another insight to the secrets that Mars holds, and there is some really bizarre stuff going on. I’m really excited to see how these discoveries will unfold over the course of the season.
Everything is Alive is back for its fourth season, and the first inanimate object to be interviewed is Adam, a bar stool. Adam is a stool in a comedy club, and this naturally leads to a discussion about the nature of stand up comedy, and what he’s learned from his time as the bar stool on the stage. There’s also a poignant examination of existence during the pandemic, and the loneliness it’s created.
Casting Calls
Less is Morgue is casting for its second season, which is due to launch in September. There are 16 paid roles, deadline June 15th.
A Sky Full of Pods 