Personal Highlights
Welcome to Night Vale: 191 – The Many, Many Lives of Frank Chen. Back after its annual July break, I was wondering in which direction the show would go this year, and we soon discover that things are not what they should be in Night Vale. There’s been some time travelling to get Frank Chen back to the present, and this has altered reality. I enjoyed how the episode fit in with how the show’s been playing with its own storytelling and format recently, as we see what could’ve been in this strange desert town.
Great & Terrible: Real Reveal. A series of episodes have built up to this point, Jane’s justified anger and determination slowly building up to a breaking point. It’s such a clear and terrifying demonstration of her power, which leaves me wondering what will happen to her next.
The Silt Verses: Chapter 14 – And In Ruined Flesh Ascend. I love the constant contrast between the old and the new in The Silt Verses; the outlawed gods and their old ways, and the new, lawful gods and their followers. After the discovery of a drowned village during the previous episode, a realm of the Trawler Man, here we meet a new god, who has somehow got loose. We’d seen a glimpse of this god before, but here we really see how people are at his mercy, a god who can’t be appeased or controlled. It doesn’t matter which manufactured new god these people pray to, this is a land of fear, of gods who can go rogue and make everyone do their bidding.
Lost Terminal: 5.5 – We are becalmed. Things have gone from bad to worse for Seth and the crew of the Molly Hughes II. In the past, Seth has always tried to control the situation he’s found himself in, helping others often at a cost to himself, but here he’s powerless. He’s still trying his best, but he can’t fix the situation on the ship, or help Antarctica, whose systems are failing. For now, he seems fairly upbeat, even in the middle of a storm, distracting himself with the ship and its crew, and there are still plenty of new things to discover and understand – such as where the green leafy boys came from.
Marsfall: S3 E05 – Ad Venture. Well, that episode took a turn. Jacki and Chip make a horrifying discovery that makes them – and the audience – question everything they’ve seen since the Sound Tunnel. It’s a shocking twist of events, and Jacki’s response to what they see is very unsettling. There are always more secrets hiding on Mars, and some, like those in this episode, are not Martian in nature.
Chain of Being: Episode 17 – Lengthening Hitlist. I really enjoyed seeing new aspects of the extensive universe of Chain of Being, but what struck me the most about this episode was the highly relatable and brutally honest depiction of unrequited love, and the pain it can cause. In an episode where we’d seen constant threats to Adam, Ichrinth and Lanralis’ lives, horrific creatures, and a city in ruins, It made for an incredibly stark contrast, which only highlighted the intensity of the emotions felt.
Electromancy: Episode 3 – Orientation Seminar. I enjoyed the change in framing device, as this episode is presented through a letter Jenna writes home to her dad. After a whirlwind experience for her, here we get a bit more perspective on how she feels about her new school, and the people she’s met – while still advancing the plot of Jenna’s duel challenge. I found her feeling of being alone in a new environment while still being surrounded by people very relatable, and it helped me understand the character of Jenna a bit more.
Starfall: Act 1 Scene ii. I loved the positive message at the end of the episode, as Leona tries to make herself useful to the troupe. This episode also serves as an introduction to the members of the Caravel Acting Troupe, and their different roles, and it’s quite the mixed bag of folks! There are several interesting glimpses into Leona’s past, from her behaviour and interactions with the people she meets, which leaves me to wonder what kind of upbringing she had. There also turns out to be a big misunderstanding, 10/10 for the wordplay!
Trailers and Prologues
To Chart a Well Trod Course, an upcoming sci-fi podcast, released a trailer, which features a recording of a debriefing. It gives the audience an introduction to a story, which features an AI called LAVINI, and an AI specialist who apparently can’t be trusted. The four-part series is due to launch on October 5th.
Returns
The detective microfiction Creep is back for its second season. Miami, June and Sasha are still on the road with the painting, after we were re-acquainted with them in the prologue, and are on their way back to Miami. Miami doesn’t know what their plans are, and with no chance to escape, he has to go along with it for now.
Mockery Manor‘s second series is set three years after season one, and the late 80s pop music has been replaced by early 90s dance and a ‘cheesy boy band’. Through JJ’s desperate need to leave Japan, where she has somehow ended up, we’re introduced to a new theme park that Mockery Manor has links with – Dunkelschloss in Germany. After what we saw in season one, it’s not a surprise that some sinister seeds are already being sown as to what Dunkelschloss and the Black Forest might be hiding.
Casting Calls
Sci-fi anthology series Breathing Space, Fading Frontier is casting for an upcoming stand-alone episode. Unpaid, deadline 10th August.
Crowdfunding
What Will Be Here is an upcoming sci-fi podcast from the creator of Sidequesting. The crowdfuding campaign is currently running on Seed & Spark.
The Land Whale Murders is an upcoming alternate history comedy podcast, and is currently crowdfunding.
Orbituary is a retelling of Frankenstein in space, and is currently crowdfunding.
Other News
Oblivity published an update about their upcoming second season, with the show having to record remotely.
A Sky Full of Pods 