When we last left our hero, fourteen-year-old Benjamin Franklin was about to depart from Boston to either New York City or Philadelphia. I assumed it would be the later, but it would seem that I was wrong. New York is a vibrant, but also very seedy and corrupt, city in 1722. Ben’s going to need all of his wits and cunning if he’s going to stay out of trouble. Along the way, he’ll make some new allies, and several new enemies. There’s plenty of thrills and adventures to be had in the next exciting chapter of young Ben Franklin’s life.
Well, I have to be honest, I was not expect this to be the Gen-Z Media show to get a sequel. Don’t get me wrong, season one of Young Ben Franklin was absolutely fantastic, and I loved it. However, the ending felt like it tied everything together pretty well. There weren’t any dangling plot threads, or hints that a new season might be on the way. But then there’s been exciting things happen behind the scene at Gen-Z Media. Gen-Z Media was recently purchased by Wondery. They’re a podcast network that has help make several fantastic shows such as 1865, Imagined Life, Blood Ties, American History Tellers, and a pretty good adaption of The Handmaid’s Tale. To any parents reading this, I must here warn that most of the shows I just mentioned are decidedly not kid-friendly.
Anyway, funnily enough, it wasn’t all that long ago that Wondery got purchased but Amazon. So, this means more money all around. And more money means more audio dramas. I wonder what other Gen-Z Media shows will be getting new seasons? I hope this means we won’t have to wait as long for season three of The Natureverse.
Some of you will probably note that Benjamin Franklin never visit New York City during his youth in real life. Old Ben notes, towards the end of the season, that this is one of the events that didn’t make it into the history books. So, you can view Young Ben Franklin in general as the untold story of the lost years of Benjamin Franklin. Well, assuming that Old Ben can be trusted, and isn’t embellishing/fabricating any details.
Ben makes new allies in the form of some local ne’er-do-wells called The Dirty Dogs. They’re pretty clearly a stand-in for Ben’s friends from season one, The Wharf Rats. Though, there are a few slight differences. The Dirty Dogs are headed by a charismatic Irishman named Danny Quinn, who doesn’t really have an equivalent within The Wharf Rats. Well, perhaps he parallels Ben himself to an extent. Danny is extremely quick-witted and can talk his way out of just about any situation. He also crafts incredibly intricate plans, often on the fly, but always manages to pull them off. I think my favorite member of The Dirty Dogs was Ruby. She’s the token girl of the girl, but she’s streetwise and tough-as-nails. She’s can be a bit jerk at times, and is very snarky towards Ben, but is also kind of endearing. In fact, she’s the first person Ben encounters upon arriving in New York. She pretended to be in need of help, but then mugged Ben at knifepoint after she lured him into a back alley.
In other characters, there’s Hannah. She is a free person of color, and hopes to open the first school for black children in New York. Hannah is a fictional character, and thus, her plan is doomed from the start. Young Ben Franklin has its fun, and bends historical events slightly, but tries to be reasonably true to the historical record. But hey, her granddaughter gets to attend New York’s first school for black children in 1794, so, not a total bust. Overall, I thought that Hannah was reasonably well written. That being said, I found there were a few times the dialogue got a tad clunky. When Ben first meets Hannah, she sasses him around and launches into a lecture about how being a slave is very different from being an indentured servant. Okay, fair point, but it could have been delivered in a far more organically. I’m not a big fan of delivering messages didactically. I find to be lazy, and bad writing in general.
On the other hand, I liked how this season touched on more serious issues, such as the legacy of slavery in Early America. When we think of slavery, we tend to think of places below the Mason-Dixon Line, such as Charleston or New Orleans. However, many Northern states also practiced slavery prior to, and even several decades after, the American Revolution. Many streets of New York and Philadelphia were built using slave labor. The dockside of Manhattan used to be home to a fairly large slave auction. Quite ironic in the case of Pennsylvania, which later become a major stop on the Underground Railroad. New York granted gradual manumission starting in 1799. Full abolitions of slavery in New York was finally achieved in 1827.
Personally, I think that it is good that Young Ben Franklin touches on these issues. In many ways, America’s schools still don’t do a proper job teaching about slavery. Some people say that isn’t patriotic, but I disagree. It is perfectly patriotic to learn from the mistakes of our past. How else will we be able to build a truly better future for all Americans?
I won’t give away the villain of the season. However, I will say that the twist was both refreshing and genuinely surprising. I did not see it coming. So, hats off to Gen-Z Media for that.
There are four mini-episodes that preceded that main episodes of Welcome to New York. They are an interview with historian, and Benjamin Franklin scholar, Dr. George Boudreau. He talks about all sorts of interesting facts about the real Benjamin Franklin. For example Benjamin Franklin invented the world’s first swim fins. This fact winds up getting working into the main show. Swimming was one Benjamin Franklin’s favorite forms of exercise. Another fun fact is that printing presses required a lot of upper body strength to operate. As such, Benjamin Franklin was quite muscular in his youth. We also learn about some of Dr. Boudreau’s own escapades. For instance, he once discovered one on Benjamin Franklin’s original lightning rods at an excavation at Liberty Hall in Philadelphia. He was moved to tears by the thought that he was holding something that Franklin himself once touched. Some tourist were walking by, including a small boy who said “Daddy, a fat man fell into a hole in the ground, and now he’s crying.” ‘
Dr. Boudreau also educates listeners about Benjamin Franklin’s personal failings. Later in his life, Benjamin Franklin spoke out again slavery, and was the president of an abolitionist society. Despite this, he also owned five or six slaves over the course of his life. And yes, they were slaves, not freemen. Franklin’s letters to his wife make that very clear. It is certainly important to praise Franklin for his achievements. Indeed, there is much to celebrate about the man. At the same time, it is also important to acknowledge his shortcomings as an individual.
Unfortunately, the main show fails to do the latter. True, Old Ben does mention that he regrets that he didn’t speak out against slavery sooner. However, he also fails to mentions that he owned five or six slaves. I get why Gen-Z Media probably did this. It would be kind of hard to root for Young Ben if the listeners know he will grow up to be a slave owner. All of his speeches about liberty and freedom would certainly ring a bit hollow. It would also give the unfortunate impression that he got sick of Hannah bossing him around, and tried to get revenge on her by proxy.
Overall, however, I was very pleased with Young Ben Franklin: Welcome to New York. It would seem that Young Ben will be on many more adventures in the relatively near future. In fact, we’ve got a Halloween Special on the way. I wasn’t expecting Young Ben Franklin to be getting any sequels, but I’m excited to see where the story goes. We need more quality historical fiction aimed at kids. Young Ben Franklin is certainly doing its part to bring a quality historical fiction audio drama experience for the whole family to enjoy.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
Some of you will probably note that Benjamin Franklin never visit New York City during his youth in real life. Old Ben notes, towards the end of the season, that this is one of the events that didn’t make it into the history books. So, you can view Young Ben Franklin in general as the untold story of the lost years of Benjamin Franklin. Well, assuming that Old Ben can be trusted, and isn’t embellishing/fabricating any details.
Ben makes new allies in the form of some local ne’er-do-wells called The Dirty Dogs. They’re pretty clearly a stand-in for Ben’s friends from season one, The Wharf Rats. Though, there are a few slight differences. The Dirty Dogs are headed by a charismatic Irishman named Danny Quinn, who doesn’t really have an equivalent within The Wharf Rats. Well, perhaps he parallels Ben himself to an extent. Danny is extremely quick-witted and can talk his way out of just about any situation. He also crafts incredibly intricate plans, often on the fly, but always manages to pull them off. I think my favorite member of The Dirty Dogs was Ruby. She’s the token girl of the girl, but she’s streetwise and tough-as-nails. She’s can be a bit jerk at times, and is very snarky towards Ben, but is also kind of endearing. In fact, she’s the first person Ben encounters upon arriving in New York. She pretended to be in need of help, but then mugged Ben at knifepoint after she lured him into a back alley.
In other characters, there’s Hannah. She is a free person of color, and hopes to open the first school for black children in New York. Hannah is a fictional character, and thus, her plan is doomed from the start. Young Ben Franklin has its fun, and bends historical events slightly, but tries to be reasonably true to the historical record. But hey, her granddaughter gets to attend New York’s first school for black children in 1794, so, not a total bust. Overall, I thought that Hannah was reasonably well written. That being said, I found there were a few times the dialogue got a tad clunky. When Ben first meets Hannah, she sasses him around and launches into a lecture about how being a slave is very different from being an indentured servant. Okay, fair point, but it could have been delivered in a far more organically. I’m not a big fan of delivering messages didactically. I find to be lazy, and bad writing in general.
On the other hand, I liked how this season touched on more serious issues, such as the legacy of slavery in Early America. When we think of slavery, we tend to think of places below the Mason-Dixon Line, such as Charleston or New Orleans. However, many Northern states also practiced slavery prior to, and even several decades after, the American Revolution. Many streets of New York and Philadelphia were built using slave labor. The dockside of Manhattan used to be home to a fairly large slave auction. Quite ironic in the case of Pennsylvania, which later become a major stop on the Underground Railroad. New York granted gradual manumission starting in 1799. Full abolitions of slavery in New York was finally achieved in 1827.
Personally, I think that it is good that Young Ben Franklin touches on these issues. In many ways, America’s schools still don’t do a proper job teaching about slavery. Some people say that isn’t patriotic, but I disagree. It is perfectly patriotic to learn from the mistakes of our past. How else will we be able to build a truly better future for all Americans?
I won’t give away the villain of the season. However, I will say that the twist was both refreshing and genuinely surprising. I did not see it coming. So, hats off to Gen-Z Media for that.
There are four mini-episodes that preceded that main episodes of Welcome to New York. They are an interview with historian, and Benjamin Franklin scholar, Dr. George Boudreau. He talks about all sorts of interesting facts about the real Benjamin Franklin. For example Benjamin Franklin invented the world’s first swim fins. This fact winds up getting working into the main show. Swimming was one Benjamin Franklin’s favorite forms of exercise. Another fun fact is that printing presses required a lot of upper body strength to operate. As such, Benjamin Franklin was quite muscular in his youth. We also learn about some of Dr. Boudreau’s own escapades. For instance, he once discovered one on Benjamin Franklin’s original lightning rods at an excavation at Liberty Hall in Philadelphia. He was moved to tears by the thought that he was holding something that Franklin himself once touched. Some tourist were walking by, including a small boy who said “Daddy, a fat man fell into a hole in the ground, and now he’s crying.” ‘
Dr. Boudreau also educates listeners about Benjamin Franklin’s personal failings. Later in his life, Benjamin Franklin spoke out again slavery, and was the president of an abolitionist society. Despite this, he also owned five or six slaves over the course of his life. And yes, they were slaves, not freemen. Franklin’s letters to his wife make that very clear. It is certainly important to praise Franklin for his achievements. Indeed, there is much to celebrate about the man. At the same time, it is also important to acknowledge his shortcomings as an individual.
Unfortunately, the main show fails to do the latter. True, Old Ben does mention that he regrets that he didn’t speak out against slavery sooner. However, he also fails to mentions that he owned five or six slaves. I get why Gen-Z Media probably did this. It would be kind of hard to root for Young Ben if the listeners know he will grow up to be a slave owner. All of his speeches about liberty and freedom would certainly ring a bit hollow. It would also give the unfortunate impression that he got sick of Hannah bossing him around, and tried to get revenge on her by proxy.
Overall, however, I was very pleased with Young Ben Franklin: Welcome to New York. It would seem that Young Ben will be on many more adventures in the relatively near future. In fact, we’ve got a Halloween Special on the way. I wasn’t expecting Young Ben Franklin to be getting any sequels, but I’m excited to see where the story goes. We need more quality historical fiction aimed at kids. Young Ben Franklin is certainly doing its part to bring a quality historical fiction audio drama experience for the whole family to enjoy.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
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