Personal Highlights
InCo: S3 Episode 9 – Letters. Oh I do love Nova when she’s super sneaky. It’s quite a sweet scene with Nova and Hatov, really showing how their friendship has changed since they first met. It really highlights the two sides to Hatov, too, as Nova really gets to see how he lives his 1% life, and compares it to the Hatov she saw aboard her ship. This season has definitely been asking the question of who he really wants to be, and we’ve just got a lot closer to the answer.
Wizard Seeking Wizard: S1E9 – Finale. It’s the season finale of this community-created show, produced during the pandemic, and it’s a heartwarming ending. It’s a new beginning for Chemistro, and I loved the wizard farmers’ market date recap. The winning wizards’ from last episode’s vote also had an interesting time at their date, and the outcome of it definitely felt appropriate for a season finale.
The Night Post: 2.07 – Mob Mentality. We’ve been seeing a lot more of Gilt City this season, and it’s been interesting getting a new viewpoint and learning more about the world in which this story exists. After following the couriers since the beginning of season one, it’s both interesting and, naturally, concerning seeing how much conflict the Night Post creates just by existing. There’s always been a lot more going on under the surface than we’ve actually been seeing – some of that came to the surface at the end of season one – and this episode provides some new insights into the society of Gilt City, and some of the schemes that have been going on, with protests against the Night Post.
Midst: S2E05 – Sugarcoat. We’re in the capital city, and it could not be any different to Midst. I loved all the imagery in the episode, the gorgeous descriptions of this lavish, enclosed city – with the sound design, and especially the music, adding to the image that’s created of The Highest Light. It’s not the first time we’ve been in such a lavish location outside of Midst, but it’s a valuable insight to the wider universe, and the workings of the Trust on their home soil. But as the episode comes to an end, we learn that all may not be what it seems.
Y2K: Episode 9 – Shirin – Age 27 – New York – September 2001. (Note: I appear as Emma in this episode) Y2K has never shied away from difficult topics, and this episode deals with the events of 9/11, and the aftermath.. It’s naturally a very emotional episode, with a really powerful performance from Anjali Kunapaneni as Shirin. The events are initially introduced, fittingly given the nature of season one, through a series of voicemails. Even though she receives a day’s worth of voicemails from friends and family, the beginning of the episode really emphasises how physically alone Shirin is. Distance was obviously so important to the show in season one, but this sense of isolation is so stark and so different. But as the episode goes on, it really highlights the importance of connection, and talking to others.
Debuts
Milky Way Underground is a new podcast from some of the team behind The Orbiting Human Circus. A trailer was published in The Orbiting Human Circus’ feed, and the comparison to Studio Ghibli films instantly sold me on the concept. In the show’s first episode, we meet teenage siblings Lydia and Elijah, and their difficult home life. At the end of the episode, their dad doesn’t come home, which promises to set up the dreamlike journey they’ll go on to find him.
Trailers and Prologues
The White Vault released a special episode ahead of its fifth and final season. It’s a very intriguing episode, set on Iceland, as Dr Amelia Murray prepares for a journey to Svalbard. I’m looking forward to seeing how this fits into the upcoming season!
The Luchador: 1,000 Fights of El Fuego Fuerte is an upcoming podcast, set in the world of Mexican wrestling. El Fuego Fuerte is the champion of Mexico City, but the show promises much more than just battles inside the ring.
Returns
Oz 9 is back for a new season, and brand new shenanigans. The Narrator is getting even more meta, and honestly, I don’t blame him. Things have got very tangled up on the Oz 9, more so than usual after the events of the previous season’s finale, and who’s that familiar voice serving the Narrator his cocktails?
Tin Can Audio’s The Tower is back for Part II, and it’s so wonderful hearing the show’s beautiful music again. In this experimental modern fantasy, we follow Kiri as she climbs and impossibly high tower, and makes a series of phonecalls to her friend, Chris. As with Part I, episodes were released daily, from Monday to Saturday. The story takes a very intriguing turn, as Kiri tries to make sense of more of the tower’s mysteries, while trying to continue with her climb. It’s a beautiful story, one which I related to very much, and I loved the ending.
Rapture 518 released the first episode of a miniseries titled Found Recordings. Third year student Alex Johnson hosts a show on his university’s radio station, the only remaining show broadcasting on campus, some months after the beginning of the lockdown. On his latest trip outside to get supplies, he found a portable recorder – belonging to Dr Sarah Penn. The first recording he plays is from when she was settling into her new apartment at Rapture, and I’m intrigued to see what new insight into the pandemic these previously unheard recordings will provide.
Everything is Alive is back for its fourth season, and the first inanimate object to be interviewed is Vinny, a vending machine. Vinny lives in an office break room, and you might think that’s a quiet existence, but he’s definitely Seen Some Things. In true Everything is Alive style, he also provides some unexpected insight into his position in this office’s micro-society.
Forgive Me! returned for its second season, after releasing a trailer earlier in the week, which introduces us to some more members of Father Ben’s congregation. The first episode of this new season begins with us meeting Father Klem, after having heard so much about him. It’s a very different episode to anything we saw in season one, as even though much of the episode consists of a conversation between two people, it doesn’t take place in the confessional booth. Father Klem’s brush with death has changed his outlook on life, and this sets up a very interesting co-existence in the church, as we go into this season.
A Sky Full of Pods 