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- Bobby's Snacks Vol. 18: And When It's Fiction It Never Heals
Bobby's Snacks Vol. 18: And When It's Fiction It Never Heals
Bob Raymonda
May 19, 2024
Happy #AudioDramaSunday Pals!
This week was another one of those ones that felt like it was over before it even began. This entire weekend was double booked: Friday night we went from Sam photographing a marriage proposal in Queens straight to the Yankees game where we caught the final three innings of the game, and yesterday I had to go from blessing a fleet at a yacht club (this is… a weird life) to my niece’s confirmation party. It was also the kind of day where, the suit I’ve been wearing to events for the last 5 years is not fitting quite as well as it used to, and the fly broke apart the SECOND I got out of my car at the club, and had to spend the first twenty minutes rooting around their office for a safety pin. So you know, that was fun.
But let us get to the fiction, shall we?
Lauren Mallard is no more… now the conniving Strex Corp corporate shill has taken on a new life as Mother Lauren, a powerful priestess from the Church of the Smiling God! It’s always a joy to hear from Lauren Sharpe on this show, and to see what machinations she’s up to now, especially after all that time she’s spent away in the Desert Otherworld. Separately, I also had a chance to interview Jeffrey Cranor for a personal project I’m not quite ready to unveil just yet, but boy was it an absolute treat. It was so nice to be able to speak about the legacy that this show has had in the always-evolving fiction podcast space over the last 12 years. I genuinely feel so lucky to be in the position I am, to be able to let folks whose work has literally changed the trajectory of my life what it it means to me.
What’s funny about Whiskey’s reunion with Don is that, now that the novelty of another person existing within the ripple is starting to wear off, she has to remember what it’s like to make decisions with someone else’s opinion involved again. Clearly there was a strain during her time with Harry on how and why they should live the way they were, so much so that they eventually split up, so it should come as no surprise that she and Don are already starting to disagree about what the next best move forward is going to be. That said, there’s still a lightness to her voice, knowing that they aren’t as alone as they once thought they were. And that, for now, is enough.
Every show that is this close to its series finale needs an episode like this one, and I am so glad we’ve got it. That moment where nothing is quite resolved, and there’s still a lot of uncertainty about where the story will eventually end up, but our protagonists (or at least in this case, some of them) have a chance to kick their feet up and enjoy one another’s company. Sure, the world could still be falling apart around them, but they’ve surpassed some real insurmountable odds in order to come back together again, and when has there ever been a better reason to celebrate than that? Seeing Sherman and Tzila be fully accepted into the community of Midst, and realizing that they can make a real home here? Genuinely beautiful stuff.
It was only a matter of time until we got a story like Delainey’s… and yet still, I wasn’t prepared for it. Witnessing the immediate ascent of AVS through the eyes of a teenager who still has so much life to live truly eviscerated me. Especially as her untimely death drew nearer, and she still clung on to the hope of all of the experiences she still had yet to have in her life. Big props to Van Donnell of Boom: A Serial Drama for this absolute tear jerker. In other Apollyon news, Faith Mcquinn just shared the first draft of our upcoming Forgive Me! crossover and let me just tell you right now, the lens in which these two very disparate worlds are going to collide is so fun. I can’t wait for you all to hear it!
Season two continues this week with another bonus episode, this time written by series star Sean Williams and exploring the relationship between the residents of Red Camp and the soldiers who are tasked with keeping them in line. Rebecca Comtois who is a regular player in the Gideon Media stable gets a chance to shine here as Liz/Robin, who has a far friendlier relationship than one might expect with a man who is quite literally responsible for ensuring the members of the Nevada Project understand that they continue to be second class citizens. I’m so glad that this team decided to lean in on bonus content this year (and will only take a LITTLE bit of credit for convincing them to do so). It’s so great to get a chance to stay deeply entrenched in Mac Rogers’ world between mainline episodes.
I really hope you aren’t sleeping on this show, because we’re halfway through the season, and it’s incredible. I had two episodes to catch up this week and I’ve now witnessed both the Escape and the Swap of our titular alien as she takes over the life of a human woman to explore the true meaning of family. It’s really got that perfect blend of high concept sci-fi and relatable family drama that draws me into all my favorite types of stories. A huge shout out to creator and writer Stephanie Elie for her work putting this show together!
The thing I’m specifically loving about season 4 of this show is how it’s allowing us to see both the aftermath of season 3, as well as moments from before the series even started so we can get a full picture of who Stephanie St. Clair really was. The second episode gives us a chance to show her chance meeting with Bunky, a young man stumbling through the woods right along side her during her first trek through the country. Bunky has been Madame St. Clair’s top lieutenant for as long as we’ve known her, so getting to see their individual circumstances when they first entered into each other’s lives was super satisfying.
BONUS SNACK
Okay, hear me out for a second. I, like many of you, am not typically one to trust Netflix with any new show anymore, knowing how frequently things are cancelled after an incredible first season… but this gritty Irish true-crime podcast mystery ruled. It’s got Will Forte playing the down on his luck podcaster who needs, more than anything, to get another hit on his hands after his last two projects failed to live up to the show that helped him make a name for himself. It’s got Siobhán Cullen as the cutthroat investigative journalist assigned to the project to get her away from her own colossal fuckup back in London. And it’s got Robyn Cara playing the passionate research assistant who is far more capable than either of her partners are willing to recognize. What I particularly love about this show is that it in no way falls into the trap of copaganda that so many other shows (and more pertinently, podcasts) of its ilk fall into, and in fact scrutinizes the medium as a whole. It was truly a wonderful watch and while I’d love for it to get a second season, I would be just as happy with this story leaving off where things were resolved across its seven episodes.