Personal Highlights
Hand in Glove: Episode 4 – Love in a Car. Okay, first of all, this episode is adorable. A diner like the one depicted in this episode is just so quintessentially American, and to me it perfectly complements the very American sport of baseball, with both aspects also providing examples of the multicultural diversity of the country. A location away from the baseball field also creates a space for a more personal conversation between Jack and Javy, away from their teammates and the pressures of the game. The conversation isn’t always easy though, as they share their experiences of being queer men in baseball, but it does allow the two to get to know each other better. Much better.
InCo: Episode 58 – Hypothetical. Yeah, I don’t like this story either, Zahlia. This extremely hypothetical story that has absolutely nothing to do with Nova and Hatov’s discoveries about what really happened with the ambassador project. Nope, nothing at all. Hatov, especially, has been put in an impossible position, and this episode is the continuation of him trying to solve the dilemma he and Nova were left with in the previous episode – what do they do with the information they’ve uncovered. Thankfully, through this entirely hypothetical story, Zahlia tells Hatov what the audience wanted to hear – but not necessarily what he wanted to hear.
The Vesta Clinic: 11 – Lab Notes. It’s a difficult case for Dr Underwood, in an episode that explores challenges that can be faced when living away from one’s home planet. In the case of this patient, technological advances assist with his particular issue, while the doctor treating him has issues of her own. Her problems are brought up towards the end of the episode, as a conversation shifts towards her relationship – something she’s, understandably, avoided getting into much detail so far. Her pain is heartbreaking, and her frustration expresses a lot more than the words she actually says. In an interesting development, hers is not the only relationship brought up at this point, with some new information about life in the clinic that might also shed some light on a different aspect of the nature of relationships in the wider universe.
Human Error: S1 E04 – Siren Song. There are some more very interesting details about this post-apocalyptic world, in an episode which focuses on sirens. There continue to be some more twists on your traditional zombie story, as sirens can appear as humans, and this episode explores not only what it means to live as an ‘error’ – a monster – but also what it means to have a family, and to belong. Kyra’s mother’s sacrifice when Kyra was a child is such a great example of the humanity of sirens, and also of the perceived threat they will always pose to anyone who witnesses them in their siren form. It seems that each siren has a choice to make: to continue to try to live as a human, or as a monster – and here we see both sides of this choice, and some of the consequences of making it.
Debuts
Hallway to Nowhere is a new six-part microfiction horror from Leslie Gideon (The Path Down), which launches in time for Halloween. In this first episode, titled Office Halls, we meet Jessica, who is trapped in a seemingly endless, and horrifying, series of empty hallways.
Trailers and Prologues
Moonbase Theta Out (Note: I play Reception Bot in MTO) released the fourth of its fifth prologue episodes ahead of the show’s fourth and final season. There’s a considerable amount of moving around of characters to be done on Earth, and these prologues have allowed the story to gradually set a new location for the freehold refugees, before the show gets into its final season proper. In a different part of the world, this new location needs to be established; as well as its history, and resistance movements within a world ruled by mega-corporations, which go back decades. The parallels between events on Earth and on the moon continue, as the rocket also makes its arrival on the Moon, but sadly under some very different circumstances to the refugees’ arrival. And I have to admit, I was full-on sobbing.
Nine II Midnight is a collaborative storytelling project, due to be released on the 30th of October, and is a sequel to last Halloween’s Nine to Midnight episode. Twelve different fiction podcasts have been involved in the creation and production of two different episodes: Hell Gate City, Malevolent, Nowhere, on Air, Out of the Ashes, Parkdale Haunt, The Cellar Letters, The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio, The Night Post, The Storage Papers, The Town Whispers, Wake of Corrosion, and WOE.BEGONE. The prologue for Nine II Midnight was released rather appropriately on the 1st of October, where the characters who will be bringing us their horrific tales break into the long-abandoned Darklight Carnival.
Returns
Rapture 518‘s second season brings a distinct change of pace to the story. Sarah has a lot to catch her audience up on since the end of the previous season, with a whole new location and understanding of this apocalyptic world. She has one specific goal in mind – apart from, you know, surviving when she’s surrounded by a constant threat – and I’m looking forward to seeing what this journey will bring for her.
I’m delighted that Tin Can Audio’s The Tower is back for Part III of its story. Kiri’s journey up the impossibly high tower continues, and while this episode examines the nature of the relationship between herself and Chris, the main focus is on a disturbing discovery that she makes. The whole series is available for download from Tin Can Audio’s Bandcamp page.
Crowdfunding
Re: Dracula is an upcoming adaptation of the classic vampire story, and boasts a hugely impressive cast and crew. Episodes are due to be released telling the story chronologically, with the first on the 3rd of May 2023. The crowdfunding campaign for the podcast is currently running, and a trailer has also just been released.
A Sky Full of Pods 