Personal Highlights
Forgive Amelia – A Triptych: A Boiling Point. It’s the final in the three part crossover between Forgive Me! And The Amelia Project. It makes sense that it comes down to Amelia herself to explain exactly what happened at the salt potato festival, and how and why The Amelia Project got involved. The focus is much more on the Amelia crew in this episode, with Father Ben still listening intently even though it’s now around dawn, and expressing his concern and alarm at what happened. The Amelia folks may have a more… unusual outlook on the world, which Father Ben naturally doesn’t approve of, but it is touching to see how deeply the three colleagues care for each other. It’s a lovely epilogue, too, as they celebrate Alvina’s birthday back in their van. Season four of The Amelia Project is planned to start in late October, and the title of episode one was revealed to be Overture in the intro of this episode.
Solar Postal Services: S1 E04 – A Sweet New Year. A celebration of Rosh Hashanah far from home for Jam means trying to put together traditional food, which isn’t always easy when someone always gets hit by the ‘night hunger’. I’m glad to see them getting some support in leaving the spaceport, which is something we know from episode one that they avoid doing. It’s a heartwarming and emotional episode, especially as Jam talks about how much the holiday meant to their mother, in the company of their found family.
Lost Terminal: 5.10 – We have arrived. (Note: I appear at the end of this episode as Yeshi) It’s the season finale, the Molly Hughes II has reached the Antarctic – and Antarctica. It’s a slow, methodical building up to the very last line of the episode, which had me hoping for the best the entire time. The ship may have reached the other side of the world, but what they see is not an unfamiliar sight. Seth makes a comparison to Station 6 that hadn’t occurred to me before, and the episode provides another chance to reflect on what happens to these abandoned AIs on Earth and in space; as well as another perspective on how nature has long since reclaimed what humans had previously built. Season six is due to start on October 6th, and I’m looking forward to what’s sure to be a very interesting journey back home.
This week also saw the public release of the second episode of spin-off series Heliophage, which will be released on the show’s Patreon going forward. Set around ten years after the first episode, there are some more details about this futuristic world, and how the rising seas have affected it. There’s a shocking revelation about the true nature of the AI who’s talking to us; which in true Lost Terminal style, is initially introduced in a subtle, almost throwaway comment, which made me stop and think for a second to process what I’d heard.
StarTripper!!: 017 – The HomeAway Hotel. The importance of looking after our mental health is the key message in this episode, with an emphasis on rest and relaxation, and this comes from a more unexpected source. In typical StarTripper!! style, this is done without making the episode feel heavy, while still having a strong impact. There’s still a lot of fun in the episode before things take a turn, and it’s great seeing Feston’s go up in the world, with a free stay for him and Serena in a fancy hotel.
Trailers and Prologues
Believer follows Lara Campbell, a fake psychic, who investigates the disappearance of her ex-girlfriend. In this new teaser, we hear her frantically running away from something, and a startling, monstrous growl. Believer returns with new episodes this Halloween.
Orbituary, an upcoming queer sci-fi retelling of Frankenstein, released its second trailer this week. It features a recording from a video made by Victor Ichabod Frankenstein, in which he presents ELIZA, a robot he’s worked on. The show is due to launch next March.
Returns
Twenty four podcast creating project Hubris is back for its third round, with the first of seven episodes. In a theatre which is said to be haunted, tensions about having to work around tours boils over into an argument between two exes about their former relationship. All is not quite what it seems, however, leading to a heartbreaking ending. Shout out to the excellent Casper joke!
The Van is back for a new season, after a shocking season one finale. The story follows a group of kids with superpowers who live in a van, under the rule of driver Nova-Scotia. It’s the aftermath, and the kids are trying to figure out what to do now, and how to deal with some very difficult feelings.
Casting calls
A casting call is open for season one of horror anthology Augie’s Attic. Unpaid, deadline 20th September.
A Gas Station Out of Time is an upcoming podcast from the team behind It Was Never Just About the Revolution. The show is currently casting for voice actors. Unpaid, deadline 25th September.
A Sky Full of Pods 