Personal Highlights
Tartarus: Episode 3 – Terra Incognita Part 3. The quote from the beginning of Dante’s Inferno really sets the tone for the episode; with Brie being guided through a hellish experience, surrounded by alien creatures, by AI Ellis. We’ve really been thrown into the horror and danger of this story right from the beginning; there’s no waiting for the story to progress to discover just how much is at stake, and absolutely no ambiguity about how much danger Brie’s life is in when things go wrong at the facility. This also means that we also start to learn more about the creatures at the facility, and one in particular, and just how horrifying their powers are.
Someone Dies In This Elevator: S1E5 – South of Palenque. The elevator in this episode is ancient, as the story explores themes of colonialism and racism. The professor is very much a symbol of white academia; an outsider claiming to understand a culture he does not, and thinks he’s superior to. It’s a small revenge on the part of those who were colonised, as the episode reaches its expected conclusion.
The Strange Case of Starship Iris: 2.07 – A Quarter to Midnight. Things just constantly go from bad to worse for everyone involved during this episode – in a stark contrast to the joy in the previous episode. I loved how the scenes alternated from one ship to the other, leaving cliffhangers and problems to be solved, constantly building up the tension throughout. My jaw dropped at the shocking turn of events towards the end of the episode!
Marsfall: S03E03 – Holed Up. This episode really explores the intensity of isolation, as Chip and Jacki are stuck in their buggy. Their isolation is extreme, alone on Mars, far from anyone else, and this naturally gives rise to some difficult emotions – especially for Jacki. It’s also a testament to Chip’s strength especially, as he tries to look after Jacki and create some positive and fun moments as they fight to carry on. There’s also some fantastic sound design at the beginning of the episode, as it opens depicting the harsh environment of Mars.
Palimpsest: Episode 406 – Snowblind (i). A very unsettling and atmospheric episode, as Ash is still stuck in Hawthorn House at night, during a terrible storm. There’s a big focus on the fear of the unseen, or of what’s hidden, and it works so well in audio. There aren’t any jump scares here, what’s scary is what the house is hiding – Ash now knows one terrible secret, but there’s still a lot that needs to be explained. The silence of the night is punctuated by eerie footsteps, reminding Ash that she is never alone in this old house.
Second Star to the Left: 9 – Last Night on Euphoria Station. After what we’ve learned about Bell’s past, and the scout programme in general, here we see what the cost is of doing what’s right. It’s Bell’s last night on the station, after their past actions – including saving the settlers on their uninhabitable planet – have been discovered. The episode ends on an emotional note; after Gwen tells a story about what love is, she and Bell say goodbye. I really liked how Gwen’s voice appeared without the filters of the transmitter at the end, highlighting how close she and Bell have become.
Debuts
The Waystation is a new sci-fi horror, and in this first episode, Hannah Dahl begins her investigation into what happened to the waystation Concord. The show opens with Dahl giving us the background to the Concord waystation, which had been orbiting above a wormhole since 2145, and how it was found destroyed by an explosion in March 2152. Dahl starts to present a series of recordings by the 13th crew of the Concord, which arrived on the station in January 2152, and was due to stay on board for six months. One recording from the crew’s first day on the Concord introduces us to the crew and their roles on board, during a meeting, and is really useful in helping the audience start to get to know the different members of the crew and their personalities. So far, there are hints of what could have gone wrong, with several fleeting mentions of ‘protesters’; and a recording by physicist Professor Yoshida, to a professor who has now mysteriously disappeared.
Trailers and Prologues
Harlem Queen released a sneak peak of the first episode of their upcoming third season; and we are re-acquainted with Madame Stephanie St. Clair’s daughter, Michele, and crime boss Lucky Luciano, at an important party. Luciano is determined to get at Madame St. Clair’s business, and threatens Michele in order to do this.
Realms of Peril and Glory is a new actual play podcast from the creators of The Orphans, due to launch on August 18th. This trailer features some fun clips of the show, and introduces us to the players, who are some well-known voices from the world of fiction podcasts.
Electromancy. an upcoming fantasy adventure show, released a trailer this week, introducing us to some of the story’s characters and its setting. Here we meet Jenna, who seems to have extraordinary magical powers. The show is due to launch on July 7th.
Return
Out of Place returned for its second season, and protagonist Andrew Moss has a very different job to what we saw in season one. Instead of just being sent artifacts from different timelines, he’s part of a team that investigates them. In this episode, he records a report following the Extant team’s visit to a post-nuclear Earth. It’s a very different perspective and format to the show’s first season, as we now hear from other characters, from people who have directly seen these alternate timelines, as well as recorded evidence from them.
Unwell is back after its mid-season break. The introduction of the Delphic Order into the story has provided some very interesting insights into the strange town of Mt Absolom; and here we have another exploration of the thin veil between life and death in the town, but from a new perspective. It’s also interesting that, after the audience has spent so much time in and around Fenwood House, there are still so many secrets we are still left to uncover – and this is a big one. And there’s another very interesting post-credits scene!
Casting Calls
The Way We Haunt Now is casting for their second season. Paid, deadline July 18th.
Other News
The amazing sci-fi show Midst is due to return for its second season on July 30th.
A Sky Full of Pods 