If you've been following my last two editions of The Audio File, then you'll know the drill by now. I'm happy to help anyone who ask me to review their audio drama podcasts. However, I also maintain a policy of strict honesty, and I won't hesitate to critique any elements that I think aren't working. I don't really have any more to add, so let's jump right into it. We're taking a look at season one of Visionaries.
Visionaries takes place in the post-apocalyptic future of 2185. Humans have evolved various superpowered abilities. What these abilities are depend on what eye-color you have. Hence, these powered individuals are known as Visionaries. However, not all humans managed to evolved powers. These powerless individuals are known as Dead Eyes. Dead Eyes are kept as slaves by the Visionaries. This is how it has been for years, but all of that is about to change. The Dead Eyes are about stage a revolt against the Visionaries. But they aren't doing it alone. Rumor has it that a Visionary is leading them.
I had heard about this show before, and I'd been meaning to listen to it. What finally got me around to it was when I was contacted by Visionaries series creator Richard Seneque. He discovered by reviews from the r/audiodrama subreddit. In particular, he enjoyed my reviews of Lights Out and Sticks Shift Incorporated. I said I'd be happy to take a look at his podcast, and now here we are.
On the technical aside of things, this is a very well produced audio drama. The audio is very slick and professional sounding. The audio is the same high-quality sound you would find in any professionally produced audio drama. The actors as also quite talented. I don't know if they are professionals, but they certainly sound professional. The sound effects and music are well done, and there's plenty of them, which keeps the audio drama properly immersive, and contributes to the professional feel of it.
Another aspect I liked was how the narrator will describe the scenes and the action. It reminds me of various recorded plays I have listened to, mostly stuff written by Shakespeare and Sophocles. They too will feature narrators who describe the action for the benefit of the listening audience. It is good that it reminded me of those plays. Fall of the Shah did something similar due to it nature as a docudrama. It also reminds me of those podcasts that adapt prose short stories into audio. Honestly, descriptive narration is something I miss from those short story podcasts, and I wish more audio dramas would consider incorporating it. There's certainly a lot that a little bit of descriptive narration can add to an audio drama.
Okay, I put it off as long as I can so let's get to it: the podcast has more than a few issues. Let's start with the setting. The premise makes this sound like the audio drama is going to be a science fiction adventure, but it wound up being fantasy. The powers of the Visionaries are pretty much magic in all but name. There's some official artwork on the podcast's website that depicts Seer's Rock, one of the settings of the series, as a medieval-style castle that wouldn't look out of place on the cover of a fantasy novel. The names are the characters also wouldn't be out of place in a fantasy novel. This podcast feels much more like a fantasy that was wearing the skin of a science fiction podcast.
Now, to be fair, the audio drama's website does specifically describe Visionaries as a fantasy podcast. And I wouldn't have minded that if Visionaries didn't bill itself using clear science fiction elements; such as the setting being a post-apocalyptic future, or the Visionaries' powers being explained by evolution. When you include stuff like that, it creates certain expectations within your listeners. So, when your podcast then turns out to be fantasy, it kind of feels like false advertising. It would have been better, I think, if the podcast had gone the full nine yards and set itself in a separate fantasy world.
We get some hints and justification about why the world has reverted into a quasi-medieval fantasy world. There's mention that there was a World War III, and that the Visionaries banned pretty much all advanced technology because they didn't want another war. Well, that's what they say at any rate. I suspect the real reason for the ban was because technology might put Dead Eyes on equal footing with Visionaries.
The setting just felt reminiscent of at least a dozen or so young adult fantasy novels, which aren't something I typically seek out of my own volition. Which is interesting, as I've always felt that those novels were just re-skinned young adult dystopias. Oh, science fiction dystopia, especially ones like The Hunger Games, might not be as common as they once were, but fantasy young adult, especially ones set in secondary fantasy worlds, often hit a lot of the same beats as young adult dystopia. Oppressive ruling classes, generic badass (usually female) protagonist, love triangle, getting cool clothes at some point, rebellion to overthrow the oppressive kingdom, deadly challenge or quest that must be completed, it's all there.
I should add that Visionaries doesn't follow this formula as slavishly as other examples I can think of. For example, we have a male protagonist, no love triangle, no quest beyond the rebellion.
The worldbuilding felt like it left something to be desired. It felt like I was being plopped in the middle of the story without being given much to go on beyond the whole slave revolt angle. This is particularly bad given the aforementioned use of the narrator. Give me a sense of this world; descriptions of clothing, food, social customs. I suppose it is possible these things are being saved for future seasons, but I still found their absence annoying.
Richard has said that he intended Visionaries to be a commentary on racism and discrimination. Essentially, what if we discriminated people based on eye color, rather than skin color? If this is meant as allegory, well, then we have some issues. Let's have a brief refresher on terms. Allegory is a form a storytelling where everything in the story is meant to be a stand-in for something else. Applicability, by contrast, is where a story can be interpreted numerous way because it is written in such a way that it could apply to numerous things, even those the author might not have known about. If we interpret Visionaries as an allegory, then we have a problem.
In our world, white supremacists claim that whites are inherently superior to other races, despite there being no evidence to support such claims. In the world of Visionaries, the Visionaries claim to be superior to the Dead Eyes...and they're absolutely correct. Yeah, doesn't really work as an anti-racism allegory. However, if we take the audio drama as applicable, then we could see it as applying to discrimination against the physically handicapped, but also having some elements of racial discrimination. Applicability would also work because Visionaries don't seem to care much about skin color anymore. Though, as mentioned, that just means they focus on eye color. The official artwork does seem to show the slaves as multiracial. They also look like they got lost on their way to a Mad Max themed BDSM club, but I digress.
As for the characters, I struggled to keep track of who was who, which is never a good sign. I just didn't find that any of them really made much of an impact on me. I'd also like to take a moment to clarify a point. I know it sounds like I've been ragging on the official artwork, but I actually think it is quite good. It looks like something you'd find in a high-quality indie comic. Besides the castle and the slaves,my of get to see what the different colored eyes look like.
Look, I need to be perfectly honest with you guys. This isn't the sort of podcast I'd normally seek out: especially after I realized just what kind of podcast this really is. It's not that I'm opposed to this kind of fantasy. The Two Princes is set in a fantasy world, and I very much enjoyed it. Though, it took a considerably different tone than Visionaries does.
Now, that having been said, I must give Visionaries the benefit of the doubt here. I still encourage all of you reading this to checkout Visionaries. It might not have been my cup of tea, but maybe it will appeal to you in was that it doesn't for me. At the end of the day, it is important to try things for yourself. It didn't matter what other people say or think about an audio drama, what matters is what you think, even if that goes against the consensus. I give you all full permission to like things I don't like, and to dislike things I do like. I will not hold it against you.
In sort, listen to Visionaries and decide what you think about it yourself. Season one is only five episodes long, and the episodes themselves aren't very long in length. You can easily binge it in one sitting. So, even if you don't like it, you won't have lost too much time.
Well, I think that covers everything for now. I will see you guys next time.
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