Personal Highlights
2298: S2 E06 – Troubleshoot. There are some more key details about Profile 13 and their role within The Network, and their knowledge reveals some unsettling truths about Profile 24’s experiences in season one. Given their much higher status than 24, we’re given many more details about the true nature of The Network, and a much broader picture into life in general on this futuristic Earth – and things are even bleaker than we were made to believe. It’s a fascinating contrast with the first season, and the new information Profile 13 continues to give us makes me re-evaluate Profile 24’s experiences, and understand them in a new light.
Lost Terminal: 7.2 – I am gardening. Even though we’ve now spent a lot of time with Seth, I still found the lightness with which he treated traumatic events from his past alarming. As often happens, his intentions are good, but he doesn’t always fully understand the consequences of his actions. The conversation with Peter demonstrates that he’s often better at judging other people’s emotions and state of being than his own, as he’s concerned about Peter’s depression after having discarded his own emotions so easily. There’s a delightful final scene, as Maddie is given a new chassis, giving Seth some new freedom through her. I’m excited to see what new things she’ll now be able to explore.
Chain of Being: 18 – All of this everything. This episode deals with some heavy themes and dark imagery, as Adam returns to Eden. We soon discover that it’s anything but paradise, as Adam and Ichrinth make their way through it. There’s a huge sense of loss in this episode, characterised not only by Eden itself, but also by one part in particular of Adam’s narration. As wildly different as Adam’s experience is, I couldn’t help but think about how it contrasted with Ichrinth in the previous episode; two very different kinds of heartbreak and the pain of love lost, and how they’re depicted. The sound design as always is amazing, conveying the corruption and strangeness of this otherwordly place.
The White Vault: Episode 5.06 – Acceptance. Wow, this is quite the episode! Even though we’re more than used to the Documentarian’s narration at this point, the difference between the recordings and the way in which she presents them is chilling. There’s always been such a huge detachment from the events described, but it’s never been as obvious as in this episode. With the awful decision she must make in this episode, there’s a real sense of the story starting to draw to a close, even though there’s still much left to discover.
InCo: Episode 25 – Shenanigans. Firstly, the episode’s title cracked me up, but it becomes so clear as it proceeds that it’s absolutely spot on. This episode is so chaotic, and I love it. There’s plenty of plotting and scheming currently going on involving some of the royal children, thanks to Nova, and here Kora and her chaotic energy put part of a plan into action. It’s so fun hearing so many of the siblings bickering, especially when you consider that they’re all voiced (as with all of the show’s characters) by the same person!
The Oracle of Dusk: The Eldest Child – Session 2. There are two distinct parts to this episode, and there’s an abrupt break which very effectively conveys this. There’s a certain amount of defending herself that Delphi has to do, with her unusual abilities, and it seems like this eldest sibling is particularly argumentative about it – and now that this is their second session, they’ve had a chance to react to Delphi reaching out to them. The second part of the episode is more typical of Delphi’s usual style, yet some of her defensiveness naturally remains, with her continuing to try and convince this sibling that she’s actually seen what she has. It’s an interesting start to this set of second sessions, and I’m curious to see what the consequences will be of all this season’s clients being siblings.
MonkeyTales: Episode 12 – Gardens. After a short break, MonkeyTales is back with a story written by Ella Watts. In a post-apocalyptic world we meet two survivors, an adult and a child, who are growing vegetables together. Eliza, the adult, has a very positive way of looking at life, and has decided to grow and create in the face of adversity. Hope is key to life and survival in this new world, as Eliza hopes to meet other survivors, even though the world around her and Faith seems abandoned.
Trailers and Prologues
In Transit released a very fun visual trailer on Twitter, ahead of its second season. This new season is due to launch on the 20th of January.
Starcalled also released a trailer on Twitter, announcing a second season, which is due to launch in May.
Returns
I was delighted to see the return of Wooden Overcoats for its fourth and final season, which had been delayed by the pandemic. Things are just as chaotic as ever on the island of Piffling, and the episode opens with things going very wrong for Rudyard and Antigone. Interestingly, as the episode develops, it sees the Funn twins and Eric Chapman working together, on a more…unusual task. I have to admit, I loved seeing Antigone and Chapman spending some more time together, even in some bizarre circumstances. There’s a great punchline at the end of this episode, which also indicates how at least one aspect of the plot might develop this season.
Casting Calls
Calliopic Productions are casting for the second season of sci-fi podcast Voidless. Paid, deadline 14th of February.
Desperado is starting to cast for its upcoming second season. Paid, auditions running until the end of January, or until the roles have been filled.
Other News
This week marked the very exciting release of the Archive 81 Netflix show! In an article with the show’s creators, there was also the announcement of a new podcast that’s soon to be released. Wavelength is a conspiracy thriller which is described as being “about the monsters we create and the people forced to fight them”. It’s due to launch on the 16th of February, and I’m very much looking forward to it!
A Sky Full of Pods 