Just as a recap, Prototype World of Tomorrow takes place in a world where Walt Disney's dream to create an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow became a reality. It has been a month since the events of Murder in Progress. In that time, Progress City's only private detectives Tim E. Less and Eve R. More have been...struggling to find work and a permanent office. Thankfully, they've recently gotten a case. The Progress City Weather Department has been subject a series of sabotage and trespassing attempts. It is believed that the protest group Spirit of Tomorrow is behind here attacks. The annual air show is due in a few days, and tensions are running high. Can Tim and Eve catch the perpetrators before it is too late?
Prototype World of Tomorrow wowed me with an excellent first season. If season two is anything to go by, the show stands to keep getting even better. First, let's talk about the newest additions to the cast. Remember last time when I suggested that Benjamin Lancaster ought to consider asking Kevin Perjurer, of Defunctland fame, to join the cast? Well, that wish has come true. Kevin joined the cast as Doug McDonald. He's a hotshot aeronautics engineer eager to unveil is latest prototype personal ornithopter. That is, it is a machine that flies by basing its wings on those of insects, such as dragonflies. Kevin is known for his excellent narration skilled over on Defucntland, but it is here that his acting skills get a chance to shine. Kevin really should consider taking more voice acting roles in the future. Also, you should check out the video he did about Walt Disney's plans for Progress City and...well, basically, just binge the whole channel after that. Seriously, it is great stuff, and he puts a lot of love and dedication into the videos.
But there is an even big surprise joining the cast this season: me! I am in this season of Prototype World of Tomorrow...sort of. There was a casting call, back when Fair Weather Foes was still in production, for fans of the show to submit audio samples of themselves performing a series of short lines. The goal was to get enough submissions to create the illusion of a large crowd for certain scene. Naturally I was more than willing to answer the call. Admittedly, I forgot about it until the last day, but I got my submission in on time. Most of you probably have no idea what I sound like. Even if you did, the voices are so mixed together you can't pick me out. Still, it is fun to know that I got to be part of one of my favorite podcasts, even if only in a small way.
The scene in question are when Tim receives an invitation to join the protest group Spirit of Tomorrow. They object to the residency laws in Progress City. The laws say that all residents may not stay in Progress as long as their work visas last, and there are no extensions. There used to be extensions on visas, but that got abolished awhile back. You can also be kicked out of Progress if you lose your job, or aren't attending a school or university. Spirit of Tomorrow believes that there should be no limits on visas. Furthermore, they also believe that everyone who wants to live in Progress should be allowed to stay, even if they don't have a job. I wasn't quite sure what Spirit of Tomorrow supported when I signed up to be an extra, but I suppose there are worse positions to take.
Spirit of Tomorrow also believes that the Chime network of Progress is leading to, paradoxically, both too much and too little connection, and should be done away with. Chimes are devices that all citizens of Progress use. They're pretty much smartphones in all but name. You can check the news feed, place calls, send text messages and more. They're treated as the height of technology, despite not appearing to do anything a smartphone couldn't. Were smartphones never invented in the world of Prototype World of Tomorrow? For that matter, when is it set? I always assumed it was supposed to be the present day, but I could be wrong.
When Tim first arrives at the Spirt of Tomorrow meeting, he his greeted by a presentation that explains the history of the Chimes Network. This includes a song, courtesy of the Progress City Municipal Virtual Choir. That was the other call that went out before this season premiered. Everyone auctioned based on their singing type, everyone was given lyrics to sing and record, and then the voices were blended together into a glorious whole. I passed on that one, as singing is a bit outside of my usual wheelhouse. I must say, I am amazed at how well it turned out. It sounds like one of those Sherman Brother's songs you'd see at early Magic Kingdom attraction. Most famously, they wrote "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" and "The Best Time of Your Life" for The Carousel of Progress. Progress City Municipal Virtual Choir is astounding in its production values. I would never have guessed that it was all recorded remotely if I hadn't already known. I certainly hope this isn't the last we've seen of Progress City Municipal Virtual Choir.
As the name of the season suggests, the city weather department plays a major role in the plot. They have developed technology that allows them to manipulate the weather. At first, I was confused, as that seemed to imply that the dome covering Progress City was large enough to generate its own weather systems. That would imply that that Progress is awfully big, especially for a city of only 50,000 residents. Then it was clarified that the dome only covers about fifty-five percent of Progress. The weather department can even capture storms and other weather systems. They're most proud of having captured Hurricane Zeke. I saw from that start that it was going to get loose, it was only a matter of time. But really, did nobody question the wisdom of keeping a live hurricane stored in the middle of a heavy populated area? Of course, in Progress City, there seems to be more emphasis on if it is possible to do something, rather than if you should do something, or what the consequences will be.
One thing I noticed this season was that it kind of felt like Tim got dumber. In season one, while certainly not as smart he portrayed himself, and in way over his head, Tim did at least display reasonable competence at times. Here, however, it almost seems Eve's primary function is to be Tim's babysitter. Granted, this partially could be because Eve is there from the start this season, and thus serves as even more of a foil to Tim. A foil is band of metal put around a gem to emphasize the qualities of the gem by contrasting with it.
That having been said, I did still enjoy the dynamic that Tim and Eve had. It only just now occurred to me that their names are Timeless and Evermore. Sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake. One of their main goals this season, besides solving the case, is getting a permanent office. Eventually, they get an offer in the Switzerland section of the International Tapestry. Unfortunately, it is sandwiched between the Progress City Yodeling Conservator and a sauerkraut factory. I wasn't aware that the Swiss shared Germany's love of sauerkraut. Though more to the point, this is another reference to never built EPCOT attractions. For the longs while there were plans to build a Switzerland pavilion in the world showcase. It was often rumored that this would be where Disney World's version of the Matterhorn would be. The plans fell through, but we did get Expedition Everest over at Animal Kingdom, which features a yeti. So, in a roundabout away, I guess Disney World did get the Matterhorn.
Another little detail I enjoyed is that Tim's apartment building has a series of pneumatic tubes that transport food to the residents. He often uses it to grab a bagel with lax if he doesn't have time to great a proper breakfast. And yeah, lax not lox, because the company that makes them can't legally call them lox. It's amusing because the proposed plans for the city of EPCOT did indeed include pneumatic tubes. It's even more funny because of a video I saw on Voices of the Past, one of my favorite YouTube channels, which proves readings of primary historical sources. The video was about people in 1901 speculating on what 2001 would be like. Yes, they did predict we'd have pneumatic tubes delivering our food by now. It easy to laugh at them, but many of their predictions weren't too off the mark. If I haven't made it clear, you really should watch the excellent video.
Prototype World of Tomorrow also has a Christmas Special. It's an adaption of the Charles Dickens short story "The Signalman." Eve's aunt used to be the control of the Progress monorail system. It has since become automated, but she still keeps watch. Eve and Annie are both very concerned about her, as she's been even loonier than usual. This is particularly stressful as Christmas is fast approaching.
First of all, I'll give Ben Lancaster credit for not going with the typical choice of adapting A Christmas Carol. I think I listened to The Signalman at some point in the past. I remember not caring for it much. So, even more points for Prototype World of Tomorrow creating an adaptation that I genuinely enjoyed. You've got all the typical wackiness we've come to expect, but underneath it all there's a strong sense of creepiness and foreboding. There's a sense that there might be darker forces at work in Progress. Well, darker than usual. Hey, as the song goes, scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.
Ghost stories were once part of the Christmas season, but have largely fallen out of favor now that Halloween covers most of the spooky stuff. Only the Christmas tales of Charles Dickens survives as a remnant of this tradition. As such, it is nice to see a Christmas Special that evokes the spirit of those old tales. In fact, Dickens saved Christmas in the English-speaking world. A Christmas Carol almost single-handedly revived the Christmas, which was starting to fall out of fashion at the time. In fact, it almost didn't get published because Dickens' publishers thought Christmas was too niche of a holiday. Yes, you read that correctly. Thank you for saving Christmas, Mr. Dickens
This is also the first time we've had someone other than Tim act as narrator. I hope we get some more episodes with Eve as the narrator. Speaking of narration, I may say that Callie Wills and Isa Jones give exceptionally good performances as Eve and Annie. I could easily believe them being sisters.
Apparently, Progress has an annual Nativity pageant. You know, I always did wonder how religion worked in Progress. Granted, it is possible they do it out of tradition rather than religious conviction. Schools in Britain often have Nativity pageants because of tradition; despite the United Kingdom being fairly secular these days. Perhaps it is the same in Progress. And because irony is the unkindest god of all, Tim gets cast as one of the wise men.
It's a Christmas Special that goes against the usual grain, but one that works exactly because of that.
Fair Weather Foes was a worthy follow-up to Murder in Progress. From the sound of it, season three. From what hints we get towards the end, it sounds like it will involve genetically engineered monstrosities. That has a lot of potential, and I can't wait to see what Ben and the gang come up with. But enough from me, go and check out Fair Weather Foes, the latest season of Prototype World of Tomorrow. It is well worth your time.
Well, that's enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time
Ghost stories were once part of the Christmas season, but have largely fallen out of favor now that Halloween covers most of the spooky stuff. Only the Christmas tales of Charles Dickens survives as a remnant of this tradition. As such, it is nice to see a Christmas Special that evokes the spirit of those old tales. In fact, Dickens saved Christmas in the English-speaking world. A Christmas Carol almost single-handedly revived the Christmas, which was starting to fall out of fashion at the time. In fact, it almost didn't get published because Dickens' publishers thought Christmas was too niche of a holiday. Yes, you read that correctly. Thank you for saving Christmas, Mr. Dickens
This is also the first time we've had someone other than Tim act as narrator. I hope we get some more episodes with Eve as the narrator. Speaking of narration, I may say that Callie Wills and Isa Jones give exceptionally good performances as Eve and Annie. I could easily believe them being sisters.
Apparently, Progress has an annual Nativity pageant. You know, I always did wonder how religion worked in Progress. Granted, it is possible they do it out of tradition rather than religious conviction. Schools in Britain often have Nativity pageants because of tradition; despite the United Kingdom being fairly secular these days. Perhaps it is the same in Progress. And because irony is the unkindest god of all, Tim gets cast as one of the wise men.
It's a Christmas Special that goes against the usual grain, but one that works exactly because of that.
Fair Weather Foes was a worthy follow-up to Murder in Progress. From the sound of it, season three. From what hints we get towards the end, it sounds like it will involve genetically engineered monstrosities. That has a lot of potential, and I can't wait to see what Ben and the gang come up with. But enough from me, go and check out Fair Weather Foes, the latest season of Prototype World of Tomorrow. It is well worth your time.
Well, that's enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time
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