The Audio File: Terms

There are many times that one great podcast leads to another. If I really enjoy a podcast, I'll take a look at any other works the creators might have made. For example, I absolutely adored the podcast 1865, and I went to see if Airship, the company behind it, had anything else to offer. That brings us to the podcast we'll be reviewing today. We're taking a look at the podcast Terms, from Airship and Wondery.

Terms is a modern-day political thriller that follows lame duck president Oliver Pierce. Lame duck means a president who has been twice elected and is about to finish their second term. A highly contentious and controversial election has resulted in Republican nominee Charles Dunwalke becoming president-elect. Despite also being a Republican, Pierce is appalled at Dunwalke's victory. He fears that Dunwalke will undo all the hard work his administration has carried out. Moreover, Pierce feels that Dunwalke will be a disaster for America and the world at large. He's got to stop Dunwalke by any means necessary. The clock is ticking, and Pierce has only got seventy-three more days until Inauguration Day. But just how far is Pierce willing to go? What lines is he willing to cross?

I'm not usually inclined to seek out political thrillers; but I was extremely impressed by what I'd listened to with 1865, and I needed something to fill the 1865-shaped hole in my life while I wait for season two. Since Terms is created by Lindsay Graham, Rob McCollum, and Michael Federico, two of whom also had a hand in making 1865, I was reasonably certain that Terms would be of similar quality.

Well, admittedly I was a bit weary when I read the initial premise. I was a little worried that it might turn out it be an "Orange man bad!" show that would beat listeners over the head with that message. Charles Dunwalke certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to Donald Trump. Still, I decided to give the series a fair shake. When they got to an episode where we meet a Dunwalke supporter I was worried the supporters would be portrayed as ignorant, racist, uneducated hayseeds. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how nuanced the portrayal of Dunwalke's supporters turned out to be. They are shown to be working-class people with blue-collar values, who feel that their voices are being ignored by Washington. They feel that the establishment needs to be shaken up, and if that shake-up takes the form of Charles Dunwalke, then so be it. They're also shown to not be blind to Dunwalke's faults, but again, they view him as their best chance of finally having their voices be heard. After that, I was much more relaxed about the show.

Lindsay has said that the point of Terms is about the workings and process of government, not debates about political policy. Obviously, it draws inspiration from government procedurals such as The West Wing. Terms might draw parallels to modern politics, but it does so as a springboard for discussing the workings of government. Lindsay has also said that he didn't want the show to be about Democrats vs. Republicans. This is why Pierce and Dunwalke are both Republicans. And obviously they had to both be Republicans, because there's no way anyone like Dunwalke could possibly get nominated as a Democrat, much less elected. I suppose the series could have work if they were both Democrats, but Dunwalke's entire character would have to be totally rewritten. For that matter, we don't know much about Pierce's positions on pretty much anything, only that he was a very popular president, and he views Dunwalke as trouble.

Moreover, Lindsay and Rob have both said that they view radical tolerance as being what America needs to get through these increasingly tumultuous times. That is, that while we don't need to agree with each other, we should be able to understand and accept each other's differing views and opinions.

Throughout the series there's a running question of how far Pierce is willing to go to ensure his plan for America. Dunwalke is certainly an unsavory fellow, but does that justify taking such drastic actions? It's a bit like on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Caesar might have done some questionable thing, but did mean the other senators were justified in killing him? We'll get back to this particular theme in just a minute.

I mentioned that I came into this podcast via 1865, and it is certainly interesting to compare and contrast them. In fact, in many ways Terms feels as though it was the test run for what would become 1865. They're both government procedural and political thrillers that focus on presidents who got into the Oval Office via controversial means. They also feature protagonists who view said president as a threat to America, and view it as their moral duty to oust the president by any means necessary. Again, this is unsurprising as both podcasts share creative teams. Both podcasts also feature original music scores, sound effects, full casts, and other things that result in a true cinematic experience.

It was certainly interesting to see some of the things Pierce tries to do to prevent Dunwalke from taking office. For example, at one point he tries to persuade the electors of the Electoral College to change their votes. I realize that I've got a few international readers, so let me explain how that works. For my American readers, this will probably be stuff you already know. In America our elections are done via an Electoral College. The number of votes each state gets is determined by their number of representatives in Congress. Each state gets two senators regardless of population, and then a certain number of representatives in the House of Representatives. How many representatives you get is determined by your population. So, three is the minimum number of electoral votes a state can get. How these votes are cast is determined based on who gets the most votes in each state. We do a first past the post, winner take all system. So, for example, if a state votes Democrat it is expected that the electors will cast all Democrat votes.

However, the electors are allowed to override the votes of the public, but this rarely happens to a great extent. For example, during the 2016 election a few electors cast votes for candidates who weren't even on the ballot. 270 electoral votes are needed to be president, which Donald Trump still achieved despite this. The person who wins is called president-elect because they have been elected, but haven't yet taken the Oath of Office. The Electoral College system means that it is possible for someone to lose the popular vote, as in votes overall, but still be elected president thanks to the Electoral College  There are arguments for and against the Electoral College, but I that's better saved for another time. The Electoral College determines the Vice President in a similar fashion. Keep that in mind, it turns out to be import later in the show.

One more thing I ought to explain for our international readers. In America a president can be elected for a maximum of two terms of four years each. This was started because George Washington, America's first president, stepped down after serving two terms. All other presidents followed his example, even though there was no official rule. Then, Franklin Delano Roosevelt ran for four terms in office, but died in the middle of his fourth term as a result of polio. After that, Congress added and constitutional amendment making the two-term limit official. The two terms don't need to be consecutive, but thus far, only Grover Cleveland has served two non-consecutive terms has president. And we've already gone over what lame duck means. The only exception to the two-term limit is if a president dies in office. The former Vice President is allowed to finish the remainder of the former president's term and then run for two of their own for a maximum of ten years.

Terms clocks in a little over three and a half hours. You can probably binge it in an afternoon or two. I bring this up because now we have to talk about some major spoilers for the finale. So turn back now if you don't want to know.

This is your last chance. Sure you want to keeping going?

Okay, you must want to know, or already do.

The season finale ends on Inauguration Day. Dunwalke is about to take the Oath of Office when suddenly military forces descend on Washington DC. Pierce appears on television announcing that he has ceased control of the military, instigated martial law, and suspended the Constitution  Moreover, he plans on totally rewriting the Constitution, but assure the American people that they'll do it together as a nation.

Well, damn. I did not see that coming. So yeah, Pierce was so determined to ensure his vision for America that he staged coup and overthrew the democratically elected government. Remember what I said about the show asking if the ends justify the means? Well, here is your biggest example of that. We started off as The West Wing, and we ended up as 24.

That is a hell of a cliffhanger to end on, and I'm dying to know what happens next. However, from what I understand Terms has been put on the back burner so that the team can focus on 1865. Don't get me wrong, Terms is great, but if it means more 1865, I'm willing to put up with Terms going on hiatus for the foreseeable future. As much as I loved Terms, I'd say 1865 is easily the superior show of the two.

It is good that shows like Terms and 1865 are bringing more diversity of genre to the podcast landscape. I know Lindsay ruffled a few feather when he said that audio drama is dominated by science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I don't think that was meant as a judgement, simply as statement of fact. And, well, he's not wrong in that regard. Though I will slightly disagree with him. Car chases might be hard to pull off, but I think a race car audio drama could be pulled-off reasonably well.

Don't get me wrong, I love my speculative fiction shows, but I'd love to see more historical fiction and down-to-earth type shows get some more love. Audio drama can tell all sorts of stories, and we're all the better for having more diversity of genre.

So there you have it. Terms is a modern-day political thriller about the workings of government, and how far we're willing to go for our beliefs. Well, I think that should do it from me for now.

I will see you guys next time.