Audio Fiction Sunday 7th November 2021

Personal Highlights

Lost Terminal: 6.5 – Antarctica is speaking to me again. Much of this episode is very different to what we usually hear from Seth, as he reads extracts from a journal the ship’s crew were given in the previous episode. It’s a very old journal, and it provides a lot of detail that we didn’t have before, including a loose timeframe of the collapse; as there are some exact dates keeping track of society’s gradual fall. There hasn’t been this level of insight from Seth as to what happened to the world as it grew hotter, and the writer’s privileged position makes for a stark contrast to the way of life we’ve seen since Seth’s arrival on Earth. Some things are very much the same as always in this episode though, such as Seth’s attitude towards fires onboard the ship! There’s also a very emotional ending to the episode, that honestly had me welling up!

Within the Wires: Season 6, Episode 4 – Thursday 25 October 1973.  Oh nope, things have got really creepy for Cliodhna, and I do not like how the episode ended. Cliodhna also begins to familarise herself with the local geography, but there are more of the strange vibes she’s felt not only in her house, but on her journeys to and from it. The insight Grainne gives us into local life before the Reckoning is interesting, but even this ends on an unsettling note. So many questions are raised in this episode, and we can only imagine what the answers are.

Elaine’s Cooking for the Soul: 2.03 Doña Trini’s Mole. It’s Dia de los Muertos, and Elaine and Doña Trini are making mole. It’s naturally a more emotional episode than usual, as Elaine and her guest remember the dead and the family they’ve lost; and through this, it also provided reflection on our society’s experience with the pandemic. There are also more interesting insights into this post-apocalyptic world, as Doña Trini is not who she seems to be.

InCo: S3 Episode 15 – Negotiations. Yes Nova! This was such a fun episode. I loved seeing Nova get invested in the trashy TV show she discovered in last week’s episode; having some time to herself to just relax and forget about everything, and I would also like to know who the heck Galu is. It was also extremely satisfying to see her stand up to Chell, by insisting that she knows that her worth is a lot more than what she’s getting paid right now. If she does get that freedom to leave the palace grounds, I can see that leading to a fun time!

Midst: S2E08 – Wake. I loved the contrast between the lavish setting of the capital city, and this episode’s return to Midst, and all the strange and gruesome effects the Fold has had. Saskia’s disorientation is effectively conveyed through the sound design, and the particular effect used takes on another meaning after a bizarre revelation. In this new unfamiliar world, where not all the changes are bad, there’s a stark physical reminder of the difference between the Trust and Stationary Hill and its people.

StarTripper!!: 019 – An Astichor Special. I loved the Proxy backstory in this episode! It was so interesting getting a completely new insight into her after having known her for a season and a half, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this new discovery plays into the rest of the season. What was also interesting was the return to a planet that Feston had already visited in season one, and the contrast this provided to his original plans of seeking out amazing experiences and moving on to his next destination. When the episode opened I was hoping he’d be able to have some time to relax – after things inevitably went wrong! – but I really enjoyed the unexpected direction the episode went in.

Trailers and Prologues

Where The Stars Fell released a ‘sneak peak’ of their upcoming second season, and I was highly amused at the use of the beeps to censor spoilers! It sounds like a lot of big things are going to happen this season, and I’m looking forward to finding out exactly what all those beeps were hiding!

Wolfwhistle’s trailer was posted on Twitter by Emma Sherr-Ziarko, of Wolf 359 fame. Set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Wolfwhistle is a radio show, and there are promises of ‘intrigue and corruption’ that the hosts and listeners get caught up in. The ten-part podcast is due to be released on November 17th.

Returns

Red Valley returned for its second full season, and after the events of the end of season one, we’re picking up in a very different place. The focus has shifted completely, as more of Red Valley’s secrets are revealed. The episode’s ending completely caught me by surprise, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Hopepunk anthology series MonkeyTales is back after a few months’ hiatus, with a very appropriately themed episode for Halloween, written by showrunner D.J. Sylvis. October is a world inhabited by monsters and cryptids, and unsurprisingly, the moon is also key to this episode. It’s a heartwarming story, as the focus is on the love between Kora and Yvonne, as Kora introduces Yvonne to her home, a completely unfamiliar world.

I was also very glad to see paranormal mystery Believer back after a hiatus, releasing an episode on Halloween. First of all, what a bombshell at the end of the episode! As Lara was getting deeper and deeper into the cult, with seemingly no way of escaping, that really came out of nowhere. And with Lara caught up in the cult, what’s going to happen now?

Diary of a Space Archivist is back for its third season, and Sam’s in a bit of a…situation. Plans need to be made. Somehow. I was going to say about how I’d forgotten how much CAL cracked me up, but then something very interesting happened. I’d been very curious to hear more about CAL’s past, and if this new season is going in that direction, I’m definitely excited!

SHIFTS is back, and after the release of sibling show Surreal Love back in February, we’re going into this new season with a brand new perspective. Things are very different this time round, Dahlia has a different understanding of the world she finds herself in, and so does the audience. I’m very intrigued to see what happens next.

I caught up on Dirt earlier in the year, and I was excited to see its return for a second season. Joseph’s unusual treasure hunt has taken him to a small town on the Washington coast, where he tries and fails to not bring attention to himself. This new location also gives him an opportunity to describe the landscape of the area, and the state in general, and some peculiarities of its geography.

Special Episodes

Me and AU released some in-universe content that I am absolutely here for! Created as a Patreon reward, and appropriately released on Halloween, this is the pilot episode of Selkirk, the TV show that introduced Kate and Ella to each other. It’s even more wild than I imagined, and a lot of fun!

We Know None released a Halloween episode, and I really enjoyed this glimpse into Gwen and Frankie’s lives and their relationship, before the events of season one. It’s also a different setting, up in North Wales, as Frankie wants to check out a well-known legend – that of the Angelystor. Appropriately, things get very creepy, and there’s some excellent sound design that gave me shivers!

On Less is Morgue, it’s Halloween, and Evelyn is living her best afterlife. Her joy at having a mostly physical body is delightful, and I absolutely approve of her eating ALL the candy. However, in very Less is Morgue style, the fun and games don’t last as there’s a very scary threat from the afterlife. Maybe friendship was the true meaning of Halloween after all…?

Crowdfunding

Light-hearted fantasy podcast Sidequesting is crowdfunding for its third season, which is due to be released next summer.

Ritual Six is an upcoming time loop horror from Cole Burkhardt, the creator of Null/Void. The show is crowdfunding for its first season. The pilot episode was also released to coincide with the launch of the crowdfunding campaign.