The Audio File: The Call of the Void

I have my tastes and preferences when it comes to audio dramas. Having said that, at lot of times, I won’t know if I’ll like something until I give it a try. As with many things, finding a great audio drama often comes down to pure chance and luck, more than anything else. Though, I certainly hope my reviews help you to find great audio dramas. There’s no much more to add, so let’s get right into it. We’re taking a look at The Call of the Void. 

Topher Sommers is a tour guide who works at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. He’s got a fairly good life, and is reasonably happy. Then his father, a prominent physics professor, disappears. Topher and his sister Simone try to retrace their father’s steps. This leads Topher to a palm reader named Etsy Delmen. She went to school with Topher, but he kind of forgot about her over the years. Etsy is hide a few secrets of her own. Topher and Etsy hit the road to retrace Mr. Sommers tracks, while Simone stay behind in New Orleans. Topher and Etsy are about to find more than they bargained for. They will discover arcane symbols, deranged cultists, morally questionable experiments, and eldritch horrors from beyond this universe. This is The Call of the Void. Stay tuned, stay sane.

I had known about The Call of the Void for a while. I’d seen it get recommended alongside shows such as Spaceships, The Strata, and Residents of Proserpina Park. The Twitter account for The Call of the Void even followed and unfollowed me a couple times. I did follow them back eventually, but I think I ought to explain my process. I don’t follow shows on Twitter until I have caught up with all available episodes that they have. It’s nothing personal, it’s just how I conduct myself. But it was also clear that The Call of the Void was trying to get my attention. Okay, it worked. You guys twisted my arm enough, and I gave the show a listen.

I sometimes get the feeling that shows follow me on Twitter in order to fish for a review. As such, I must repeat what I said during my review of We Fix Space Junk. If any of you who create audio drama would like a review, just be direct. You can message me on Reddit, or send me a direct message on Twitter. You can also comment on one of my many posts on r/audiodrama, or the other subreddits I post in. Or you can message me on Facebook; I'm active in the Audio Drama Lovers group and the Audio Drama Hub group. You can also message my Facebook fan page for this blog, Sam McDonald's The Audiophile. Point is, there's a lot of way to get in touch with me. The best way to guarantee that I'll review your show is to directly contact me. As you might have noticed, I'm more than happy to give any show a shot.

I’ll admit that horror investigation audio dramas aren’t really my go-to genre. Despite this, The Call of the Void managed to hold my interest for all three seasons. I was worried that things would move too slow, and both the mystery and plot would drag on. Thankfully, this was not the case. The plot moved at a decent speed. In fact, there were times when season one felt like it was moving a bit too fast. Fortunately, these pacing issues were smoothed out in seasons two and three. I was also intrigued by the references and connections to the Lovecraft Mythos. I am a fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Let’s see: incomprehensible eldritch horrors from beyond this universe, deranged cultists who worship said eldritch horrors, mysterious archaic symbols, academics driven mad by the eldritch horrors. I don’t know about you, but that all sounds pretty Lovecraftian to me.

Also, as someone from Louisiana, I’d be lying if I said that The Calling of the Void being set in Louisiana didn’t intrigue me. My dad’s side of the family is from throughout the greater New Orleans area. So, I’ve visited New Orleans on quite a few occasions over the years. While we’re on the subject, points for getting the pronunciation correct. Those of us from Louisiana pronounce it New Or-Lens, not New Or-leans. I realize this makes no sense to non-Louisianans, but that’s how we pronounce it. Saying it as Or-leans is a good way to get yourself marked as a tourist. Also, points for remembering that Louisiana is divided into parishes, not counties. It is a legacy from our days as a colony of France and Spain, who were both Catholic nations. Louisiana is one of only two states that don’t use counties. The other one is Alaska, which uses boroughs.

Let’s talk about the characters, starting with Topher. As previously stated, Topher has a degree in history, and works at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. It is a real museum that is located in the French Quarter. I’ve been going to New Orleans for many years, but I haven’t been to the Pharmacy Museum yet. I’ll have to correct that next time I’m down there. It certainly looks like and interesting place, and I’ll be able to mark it on my Atlas Obscura list, which is a nice bonus. I’m kind of tempted to ask if Topher Sommers is in just to see how the tour guides will react. As someone with a bachelor’s degree in history, I can confirm that Topher working as a tour guide checks out. A lot of history majors hope to work in museums someday. Though only a lucky few actually manage to achieve that dream. It helps if you can find work at a smaller museum, but even then it can be a bit dicey.

I also liked how Topher has a habit of cheerily rattling off disturbing medical history facts. That’s something else that is common to history majors. Depending on what your focus is, you can get desensitize to some pretty grizzly stuff fairly quickly. I helps if you’re a fan of Horrible Histories, both the books and the television series. I did my senior paper on the history of Mesoamerican civilizations. Human sacrifice was an unavoidable topic, as were religious rituals involving flaying and blood letting. Unavoidable, but I was never really phased by it all. In fact, I took a more nuanced view. At least the Aztecs and Mayans killed people because they thought it was required to keep the world running. The Romans, by contrast, killed people just for entertainment. Yet we don’t discount all the achievements the Romans made because of that.

Time to move on to Etsy before this turns into a Mesoamerican History lecture. Etsy works as a palm reader at a voodoo shop, and she actually has psychic powers. When I first start listening, I was worried that The Call of the Void would fall into the stereotypical depiction of Voodoo. In real life, Voodoo, known in Haiti as Vodou, is a syncretic religion that combines traditional West African religions with Roman Catholicism. It believes that there is a creator god, but he’s preoccupied with keeping the universe running. So, the day-to-day affairs are relegated to lesser spirits known as loa. Practitioners of Voodoo don’t worship the loa, but they do serve them, and give them offerings. Voodoo is a religion like any other. All of that folk magic stuff is known a Hoodoo, also known as root working. Besides the similar names, both Voodoo and Hoodoo are practiced in New Orleans, and there’s been some cross-pollination over the years.

But “voodoo dolls” are totally fake. West African religion often uses dolls known a Fetishes for rituals. Europeans mistook these for Popits, which are a form of folk magic from Europe, and ironically closer to the traditional view of voodoo dolls. The confusion persisted and the myth of the voodoo doll was born. Having said all of that, Louisianans will happily sell “voodoo dolls” to gullible tours, often for a very high price. Hey, don’t give me that look. Louisiana’s economy has been in the toilet for decades. We get excited every time a new Popeyes opens because it means seven or eight new jobs. Swindling drunk gullible tourists helps keep our economy floating.

Thankfully, Etsy’s job was a red herring. Tourist Voodoo is just a bogus in The Call of the Void as it is in our world. Etsy get her powers as a result of experiments she was subjected to as a child. Her mother believed that subjecting Etsy to sensory deprivation experiments would lead to her being able to reach into other universes. And it did, sort of. Etsy can experience another person’s memories by touching them. So, I guess she’s kind of like Rouge from X-Men. Of course, the experiments also lead to her making contact with an entity known as The Void. It is entropy and nothingness incarnate, and it is trying to enter our world. I would argue that, in many ways, Etsy is the true protagonist and driving force of the series. Her connection to The Void drives much of the action across all three seasons.

That said, we do experience Etsy’s story, for the most part, from Topher’s point of view, for the most part. It kind of like those anime where the girl character appears on the cover, and is the one who gets the attention from the fandom, but the boy is the viewpoint character. This is especially amusing, as I believe that’s suppose to be Etsy on the series title card.

There’s also a colorful cast of side characters. Etsy has gotten into numerous run-ins with the law over the years. As such, she’s well aquatinted with Officer Mason. He kind of sounded like Rabbi Bengelsdorf from the HBO miniseries adaption of The Plot Against America. Though, it was just coincidence, as they’re played by separate actors. Officer Mason starts off as a grumpy middle-aged man, but he warms up to Topher and the gang with time.

Topher’s sister Simone is also an enjoyable character. My only complaint with her is that she works at a bakery in season one, but then she’s studying theoretical physics in season two. It felt like there was no set-up for that, and it felt like it came out of left-field. Also, she used to work at a bakery, and she has a boyfriend named…Baker? I mean, its not really anything major, but it a little on the nose.

In season two we get to meet Fargo Kaminski. Under normal circumstances, she’d be like one of those crazy conspiracy loonies you see on The History Channel. However, though more than a tad eccentric, she prove to be a valuable ally to Topher and Etsy. Fargo lives out in the swamp, and has a pet alligator. She just does. And yeah, maybe she’s a little crazy, but hey, its a Lovecraft-inspired story. Pretty much everyone is going to be a little crazy.

I’d now like to take a moment to talk about the voice acting. Etsy and Topher are voiced by series creators Josie Eli Herman and Michael Alan Herman. They both look fairly spot-on for how I envision Etsy and Topher looking. In fact, that’s Josie cosplaying as Etsy on the series title card. Needless to say, they portray their characters quite well. Michael nails Topher’s dorky, but endearing, personality. Likewise, Josie really captures Etsy’s conflicted nature. She gives an understated and somewhat emotional detracted performance, but also give subtle hints at the sadness and trauma Etsy carries within her. I must also give praise to Amanda Buchalter’s performance as Simone. She and Michael sounded like that could pass as actual siblings. Really, the entire cast gives very strong performances. I have not complaints there.

As I noted at the beginning, The Call of the Void draws heavily upon the works of H.P. Lovecraft for inspiration. The Void itself wouldn’t be too out of place in a Lovecraft story. Even the way it factors into the plot of The Call of the Void evokes Lovecraft. H.P. Lovecraft came up with a pantheon of Great Old Ones with a very detailed mythology. However, the Great Old Ones usually don’t directly appear in Lovecraft’s short stories. They’re usually lurking just off-screen, for lack of a better way of putting it, and manipulating things from the shadows. The Void only directly appears a few times, but its presence is very much felt. 

The main antagonist of season two is known as The Yellow King. This is an obvious reference to The King in Yellow. The King in Yellow was created by Robert W. Chamber. However, Lovecraft was a big fan of Chamber’s work, and incorporated The King in Yellow into the Cthulhu Mythos. Speaking of Cthulhu, I get the impression that the title of the series might be a reference to “The Call of Cthulhu.” Topher, Etsy, and the gang are also menaced by Night Gaunts at the end of season two, and the start of season three. Points for picking one of the more obscure Lovecraft monsters.

Topher is a big fan of Lovecraft’s work as well. However, we only find this out towards the end of season two. Considering all of the Lovecraftian motifs, starting all the way back in season one, Topher really should have spoken up sooner. Also, when faced with a dark cyclopean city in season two, Topher likens it to R’lyeh, the resting place of Cthulhu. Uh, given that the Yellow King is the antagonist of season two, wouldn’t Carcosa be a more fitting comparison? A supposed Lovecraft fanatic like Topher really should have picked up on that.

Also, The Call of the Void bills itself as science fiction, but it’s really science fiction to the same extent that Stranger Things is. Though, this isn’t too surprising, given that the creators are big fans of Stranger Things. They’re also big fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Parts of the finale for The Call of the Void remind me of what the lion-turtle said to Aang in the Avatar finale.

Okay, so now we’re going to have to get into some major spoilers. If you don’t want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

If everyone who wants out is gone, let’s get into it.

Now, I stated that season one felt like it was moving too fast. That also extends to the ending. Etsy gives into despair decides to help the cult summon The Void…and then, in the very next episode, changes her mind, decides she does have something to live for, and seemingly banishes The Void. It was such a jarring whiplash of an experience it almost bordered on comical. It felt like the production team wasn’t sure if they’d get more than one season, and were trying to hastily wrap things up. Nothing about the season one ending feels earned or satisfying.

However, the team seems to have realized this, and seasons two and three have much better pacing. It is also clear that they were playing the long game this time. In fact, season two and three feel like they are two halves of a single continuous story arc. They take time to properly develop Etsy and Topher’s characters and motivations. We get proper build-up for Etsy’s growing feeling of despair, but also how Topher acts as her rock in troubled waters. The ending of season three has a similar set-up to the ending of season one, but the execution is much better. In fact, the series ending almost feels like an apology for the way season one ended.

And this is actually in keeping with the series’ Lovecraftian roots. Lovecraft was famous for being a pessimist and a nihilist, but a surprising number of his stores had happy endings. Or at the very least, ended in ways that weren’t completely horrible. The Dunwich Horror, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath all qualify. A case could be made that even The Shadow Over Innsmouth counts, given that the protagonist comes to terms with what happens to him.

The fact that Topher and Etsy finally become a couple is even sweeter when you remember that Josie and Michael are married in real life.

I also loved the episode of season two where Etsy flickers in and out of multiple universes. In one universe, she meets a Topher who works at the botanical gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He’s a botanist, rather than a history major. Well, he calls himself an herbologist, but that’s probably what botany is called in that universe. This Topher, known as Christopher, loves to rattle off facts about deadly plants. You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The idea that Etsy’s powers were surging in way she couldn’t totally control was very clever, and leads to some twists that I did not see coming.

If there is a central message to The Call of the Void, it is that bad things happen, often to good people, and the world is an often cruel and unkind place. But there is still hope despite all of this. A light within the darkness. Bad things may happen, but they can be overcome. It helps if you can find people who genuinely love and care about you. Darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light.

Well, it took me a while to get her, but I’m glad that I gave The Call of the Void a try. Don’t sit on this one like I did. Give it a try today. It is well worth your time. Come for the Lovecraft homages, stay for the engaging characters.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: SINKHOLE: Season 1

Sometimes I get asked by various individuals to review their audio dramas. I’m alway happy to oblige these individuals. For this audio drama we’re reviewing today, however, I got volunteered by someone else. Certainly a new experience for me. So, without any more preamble, let’s get into. We’re taking a look at season 1 of SINKHOLE. 

SINKHOLE is set in the future. I can’t get more specific without getting into major spoilers. I can, however, say that most people directly connect to the Internet via neural implants in their brains. Older form of media, such as CD, DVD, and especially tapes, have fallen by the wayside. However, there are dedicated online communities working to preserve and access these older forms of media, and the information contained within. We follow a person chooses to remain anonymous. They’re an expert in all things pre-NEV tech. They’ve also got plenty of secrets about their past, and a listenership who are eager to dig them up.

As I previously stated, this one was a new experience for me. Usually, I get audio drama creators directly asking me to review their shows. In this case, however, Ivan Mirko S, the creator of The Program Audio Series, recommended me as someone who would be good to review SINKHOLE. It began, as with many things, on the r/audiodrama subreddit. SINKHOLE creator Kale Brown, who uses they/them pronouns, was asking about finding people to review their show. IMS recommended me, and here we are now. Well, I got a bit sidetracked by other things, but we’re here now.

Kale Brown has been involved in several other audio dramas. For example, they have provide voice work for shows such as Breathing Space, Fading Frontier and Two Flat Earthers Kidnap a Freemason. Kale has also worked as editor on the Breathing Space episodes “The Tale of the Knock at the Airlock” and “The Station at the End of the Universe.”

I also have to give a quick area of praise. I like the way Kale Brown approach making audio dramas. I remember them saying on Twitter that you don’t have to follow a lot of the so-called “commandments” of making podcasts. Some people might say SINKHOLE has episode that are too short, but I strongly disagree. Episodes of SINKHOLE usually average between ten to twelve minutes. I think that the episodes are exactly the length they need to be. Residents of Proserpina Park usually has episode around the length, and it works out pretty well for them.

Some people say that you shouldn’t drops shows on Friday, but I also strongly disagree with that. Greeking Out, Friday Knight Fights, and The Centropic Oracle all drop new episodes on Friday. I alway listen to those episodes on the day they come out. The point being, as Kale notes, if you just want to make a show, well, just make it. Don’t worry if you aren’t an instant smash hit. You’ll find your fans with time.

A lot of audio drama advice assumes that everyone is making the same sort of show. I’m developing an anthology audio drama, and I’ve become well aquatinted with how the advice tends to be geared towards serialized shows. Kale strikes me as someone who is true to themselves and willing to stick to their guns. I respect that attitude. In fact, that Twitter thread is what reminded me I needed to get my ass in gear and get this review out.

Let’s talk about the voice acting. Now, there are a few other characters who appear via recordings. However, for the most part, the narrator has the carry the lion’s share of the show. I’m happy to say that Kale an excellent job carrying the major of the series. They really capture that feeling of world-weariness and detached cynicism that the narrator embodies.

Okay, now there’s something else we need to discuss before we go any further. SINKHOLE is one of those shows that relies on slowly peeling back the layers, and slowly revealing its worldbuilding. As such, it is very hard to discuss the plot of SINKHOLE without getting into major spoilers. So, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.

If everyone who wants out is gone. Let’s get into it.

So, we start with learning about data retrieval and preservation. I must admit, I’ve never really been into that sort of thing. However, the narrator makes it all sound very interesting. Of course, for people in-universe, there are some unique risks. The narrator advises against downloading the data over a neural implant. The implant slows down your perception time to match download speed. However, this can take a while, meaning that you can be severely dehydrated, or even dead, by the time the download finishes. All the while, we get some hints that there’s something very sinister lurking in the background of all of this. It’s all very atmospheric, and builds a sense of tension and uncertainty.

Alright, all well and good, but what’s it all leading to? Why should I care about any of this? I don’t mind a bit of mystery and intrigue, but I don’t like to be strung along for too long. Thankfully, the answers to these questions would be revealed before long.

Now, there’s a small number of people who can’t use neural implants due to health conditions. However, there are special procedure they can undergo to correct this. Albeit, said procedure is often very expensive. Pretty much all jobs require neural implants, as do many other aspects of modern life. For example, people an use their implants to directly connect to each other’s minds, and experience another person’s emotions and feelings.

However, that’s not a option for the narrator. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with money. You see, they don’t really have the top part of their head. They fell into a sinkhole, and when they came out, the top of their head had become a void known as a sinkage. Anything that falls into their sinkage disappears into the void. They have to be aware of something on their head, or else it falls into the sinkage. Hats are okay, as you’re always kind of aware that you’re wearing a hat. Glasses, however, have to be uncomfortable, or they fall into the sinkage. There’s about ninety-nine other people who also fell into the Hole. They also came out of the Hole much like the narrator did. Oh, and on top of everything else, the narrator and their compatriots came out of the Hole thirty years in the future. Though, from their perspective, it was all instantaneous.

Alright, now we’re talking! The general vibe I get from SINKHOLE, now that I know all this, is that it reminds me of The SCP Foundation. We’ve got an average person who encountered a seemingly normal object, in this case a hole in the ground. But said object wasn’t so ordinary, and changed the person in a fundamental way. As a result, the person isn’t exactly a normal human anymore, and finds themselves in a strange new world. I don’t know about you, but that sounds exactly like the set-up for an SCP article. I don’t know if this is intentional, but Kale Brown really captured the feeling on an SCP tale. The SCP Foundation is most famous for its articles detailing information about the various anomalies. However, there are also short stories, known as tales, set within the SCP universe. Some SCPs are objects with unusual qualities, but some are people or animals with unusual qualities. In fact, some humanoid anomalies were just regular humans that got exposed to something that turned them into SCPs.

So, in many ways, SINKHOLE kind of feels like a tale told from the perspective of an SCP. I wasn’t sure about the cyberpunk elements at first, but they grew on me. They really added to the story, and the atmosphere of the setting. The fact that the narrator is an inadvertent time traveler also leads to some interesting culture clash. The people of the future don’t really believe in privacy and personal boundaries. As previously stated, the implants let them literally get inside peoples’ heads. The narrator, being from our time, has far stronger views about privacy, hence their deliberate anonymity.

Well, I have to be honest. SINKHOLE isn’t the sort of show that I would have sought out on my own. Despite this, I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. The episodes were exactly the right length, things really picked up when the bigs secrets were revealed, and said secrets didn’t drag for too long. I would recommend giving season one of SINKHOLE a try for yourself.

And who knows? Perhaps I’ll be coming back for season two when it comes out. From the looks of it, season two will be here before long.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Seen and Not Heard

Audio drama, and audio fiction in general, is the last place you’d expect to find people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Despite this, there are a surprising number of such individuals involved in the world of audio drama. And it isn’t just fans. In fact, the audio drama we’re taking a look at today was created by one such individual. We’re taking a look at Seen and Not Heard. 

Seen and Not Heard follows a young woman named Bet Kline. She has recently lost most of her hearing as a result of an unspecified illness. The series follows a few weeks in Bet’s life as she tries to navigate her now mostly soundless new life. She has to deal with her rather insensitive mother. She meets a nice young man named David, who might be more than he appears. More than anything, Bet has to decide what she wants out of her new life.

I first become aware of Seen and Not Heard when it got recommended to me on that “You Might Also Like” section of the Apple Podcast app. The first thing that stood out to me was the title card. You see a circle of hands using sign language. That, plus the title, clearly indicated that this would be something involving deafness. A non-fiction podcast about deafness would certainly be odd, but not necessarily out of the question. But this was recommended based on my recent listening. Surly, it couldn’t be an audio drama about deafness, could it? I tapped the cover art, and sure enough, that’s exactly what it was.

I admit that this show had a certain dancing bear element to it. It’s not everyday that you find an audio drama where the main character is deaf. Oh, but that’s not the only unusual feature about Seen and Not Heard. You see, it is also created by a deaf individual. Series creator Caroline Mincks, who uses they/them pronouns, is legally deaf. They describe themselves as being exactly halfway between fully hearing and fully deaf. So, they have some hearing, but it is less than optimal. They often get help from their friends to make sure that the audio from their podcasts is correct and up to snuff. And yes, that’s podcasts plural. Caroline Mincks has made several other podcasts besides just Seen and Not Heard. They have also worked on several other audio dramas, and have helped make transcripts for several shows. Speaking of which, transcripts are available on the Seen and Not Heard Twitter account.

And Caroline isn’t alone. As it turns out, there are a surprisingly high number of deaf and/or hard of hearing individuals who enjoy audio dramas. They come because the shows all seem interesting, and they want to take partake in them. Just the same as hearing people do. This is why it is important to include transcripts with your audio dramas. Without them, it is very difficult for deaf and hard of hearing individuals to enjoy audio dramas. Also, transcripts are very handy for people who write reviews of audio dramas.

Now, prior to listening to Seen and Not Heard, I’d had a less than stellar experience with depictions of deafness in audio dramas. The only other time I’d seen deafness in audio dramas was in The AM Archies; which is season six of The Bright Sessions. There’s a scene between a hearing character and a deaf character. The deaf character communicates using sign language, which is conveyed by a series of barely audible wind rushing noises. I actually had to rewind multiple times to just to figure out what the hell I was listening to. It didn’t help that Lauren Shippen bragged about how groundbreaking the scene was on Twitter. She came across less as someone who wanted to sincerely depict deafness, and more like she was cynically trying to virtue signal. It also didn’t help that the characters only appeared in that one scene, and had no impact on the plot.  

I went into Seen and Not Heard with an open mind, but I was fully prepared for it to be terrible. Much to my surprise, Seen and Not Heard proved to be quite well-written, and took great care to execute it premise in an entirely audio medium. There is strong feeling of sincerity and genuine care being put forward. This is clearly a very intimate subject for Caroline Mincks, and they wanted to do the topic of deafness proper justice in an audio medium. I alway give points to those who act with sincerity and genuine conviction.

We get a few scenes where we actually get to hear what things are like from Bet’s perspective. It sounds like she has her head underwater. I could kind of make out a couple words and phrases, but I was fairly lost during those scenes. Of course, that’s the point of those scenes. We’re suppose to sympathize and empathize with Bet’s struggles. Bet communicates verbally both in interactions with other characters and her internal monologue. Bet was not born deaf, so presumably she remembers the mechanics of talking. It is also mentioned that she can lip read, and can somewhat better understand people if she’s facing them. She does enroll in a sign language class. She’s the only actual deaf person in the class. Pretty much everyone else has family of significant others who are deaf or hard of hearing.

I should probably mention that, technically, Bet’s real name is Beth. Apparently, she had a slight speech impediment as a kid, and pronounced her name as Bet. So, the mispronunciation stuck later in life.

I must also give credit to Seen and Not Heard for another aspect. There are three mini-episodes that occur before the main series. They offer brief vignettes into Bet’s life. One of them involves Bet going to visit her rabbi for advice and guidance. Now, in the past I have made it no secret that I have an extreme disdain for ordained clergy, and other religious figures. So, it is a testament to Caroline Mincks’ skill as a writer that I found the rabbi to be an incredibly enjoyable character. One of my favorite lines from her was towards the end of the mini-episode. She says, basically, “You don’t have to love your lot in life. Be angry, be pissed off, very Jewish thing to do. But for as long as you can, however you can, leave goodness in your wake in spite of how the world treats you. And if you can’t do any good, just don’t do any harm.”

Bet’s mother is someone who really ought to heed that advice. There are very few audio drama characters who have made me feel genuinely angry. Mrs. Kline, however, was one such character. It is very clear that she and Bet have been having issues for quite a while. She frequently chides Bet for not focusing more during family dinners and other family gatherings. She ignores how Bet genuinely is trying her best, but still has understandable struggles with keeping up. It doesn’t help that the rest of Bet’s family is fairly inconsiderate of her needs. Mrs. Kline also considers Bet’s sign language classes to be a waste of time and money. In fact, Mrs. Kline boarders on being flat out abusive at times.

I’m reminded of a PBS documentary I once watched about the history of deaf people in America. It mentioned how education deaf children used put a lot of emphasis on lip reading and vocalization. The educators claimed this was for the benefit of deaf children, but it was really because doing that made things easier for hearing people. It used to be like that for autistic people too. In the past, emphasis was on getting autistic children to act more like neurotypical people. However, in recent years the emphasis has shifted to accommodating the needs of autistic individuals. You’re probably wonder why I brought this up, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Bet works as a food photographer. She has a true passion for all things culinary. In fact, she wanted to be a chef, but losing her hearing put the kibosh on that dream. Granted, there are some restaurants where the kitchen staff are all deaf, but Bet has made peace with giving up that dream. In Bet’s defense, professional kitchens can be fairly dangerous; with lots of things that can seriously injure you if you aren’t careful. Still, I wonder how Bet would be faring if she’s dreaming of doing something involving sound. Like, say she wanted to becoming a musician, or a 911 dispatcher.

I do wonder how much of Seen and Not Heard is autobiographical. It didn’t escape my notice that Bet and Caroline Mincks share a number of similarities. They are both Jews from northern Virginia. Many of the foods that Bet cooks and eats are also ones I’ve seen Caroline mentioning cooking on Twitter. They also seem to be fairly similar in terms of personality. There’s also the obvious similarity that they are both deaf to the same degree.

There’s a bonus episode where Caroline Mincks gives advice on how do write deaf characters, as well as a bit about what it is like to be a deaf audio drama creator. They said it is considered rude to ask deaf people how they became deaf. Be that as it may, given all of the other similarities between Bet and Caroline, I can’t help but wonder. I also wonder how much of the plot draws from Caroline’s own life. There are some differences, like how Caroline identifies as non-binary, while Bet identifies as female. However, I also don’t know how Caroline identified when Seen and Not Heard was made.

I should also mention that, in addition to being the series creator, Caroline also provides the voice for Bet. Caroline gives a very earnest and heartfelt performance. It was quite clear, as with everything else, that this was a very personal subject for Caroline. Caroline also assembled a team of very talented voice actors to help bring the other characters to life.

As an aside, this is probably one of the scariest audio dramas I’ve encountered in quite some time. I was diagnosed with a learning disability, which included elements of dyslexia and dysgraphia. I learned from getting tested for learning disabilities that I’m very audio oriented. I often do best by listening. Audiobooks have been a major lifesaver for me. So, the idea that I could loose my hearing as a result of an illness was quite terrifying on an existential level. And yeah, Seen and Not Heard make a point that being deaf isn’t the end of the world. Still, I’m not sure how well I’d fare in such a scenario.

Towards the end of the series, Bet goes to an art show. Specifically, it is the art of the non-binary artist name Kit, who is also deaf and autistic. I was excited when I heard this because I am also autistic. I don’t often bring this fact up. I don’t actively hide that side of myself, but I don’t necessarily draw attention to it. I want people to think of me, for example, as Sam McDonald the Audio Drama Critic. I don’t want people to think of me as just Sam McDonald the Autistic Audio Drama Critic. Having autism is certainly a very important aspect of who I am, but it is not the only aspect of who I am.

In fact, I think this might be the first time I’ve actually encountered an autistic character in audio drama. I used to think that I was the only autistic person involved in the world of audio drama. I know of a grand total of one other autistic person in audio drama. That doesn’t mean that others aren’t out there; just that I haven’t found them yet.

Kit provides insight into what it is like to be deaf. Up until this point, Seen and Not Heard had done a good job of portraying deafness without being patronizing or dipping into sentimentality. Unfortunately, it found Kit’s scene to be far too saccharine for my liking. I also felt that Kit inadvertently played into the magical disabled person trope. A close cousin to the magical negro, and alternatively known as inspiration ally disadvantaged, a magical disabled person provides folksy wisdom and down to earth advice. They almost alway provide this advice to an able-bodied person, and their only function within the story is to lift the spirits of the able-bodied protagonist. Now true, Bet is also deaf, but she was born hearing. However, Kit’s only function within the story is to be Bet’s deaf senpai, and provide words of inspiration.

I mean, I do have to give Caroline credit for actually including an autistic person. It also isn’t their fault that autistic characters are still so rare in audio drama. Still, I was hoping that Kit would have been less of a stereotype and more fleshed out. I suppose that this is an example of how even well-intentioned individuals can still wind up playing into negative tropes.

Seen and Not Heard did manage to redeem itself with how things ended. Bet doesn’t come to a big revelation about life, the universe, and everything. She doesn’t even come to terms with being deaf. She still has mountains to clime and challenges to overcome. In fact, she might never truly be at peace with loosing her hearing. But right here, right now, she feels just okay. And is okay to just be okay. Put another way, it is perfectly good to be good, and not perfect. In other words, perfect is the enemy of good.

This is a lesson that I myself have had to learn. In fact, it’s one I still need to do a better job learning. Depression and anxiety are often comorbid with autism, and that’s certainly the case with me. Misery loves company, as the saying goes. I’ve dealt with feelings of inadequacy my entire life. Sometime I wonder if I’m actually making a difference with these reviews, or if anyone actually cares what I have to say. I try my best give myself praise and reassurance for any improvements, no matter how small, I’ve made in my own life. The journey of 1000 miles begins with but a single step. Each step you take is worth celebrating.

Maybe Bet doesn’t have it all figured out, but she feels okay, at least for the moment. And that is certainly something worth celebrating. This is a very important message, and I’m glad that Seen and Not Heard resolved Bet’s character arc this way.

Caroline Mincks has hinted that we might be getting a season two of Seen and Not Heard. No details about the plot, only that it will be gayer. Hmm, if I had to speculate, I would guess that Bet will come out as non-binary. Bet will also develop an interest in audio drama podcast, and will perhaps make one. And perhaps said podcast is reviewed by an audio drama critic from Shreveport, Louisiana? 

In other exciting developments, Seen and Not Heard, along with all of the other shows Caroline Mincks had made, was picked up by Realm Media. Realm has been scooping up a lot of audio dramas recently. They also recently acquired all the shows from Observer Pictures, Fool & Scholar, and Curious Matter. In other Caroline Mincks productions, I recommend Silly Old Bear. It is an utterly adorable adaption of the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A. Milne. 

But whatever the future holds, I do know that I greatly enjoyed Seen and Not Heard. I took a gamble on this one, and it paid-off. It made the bold choice to depict the experience of deafness in an purely audio medium. It succeeded with flying colors. Give it a listen if you haven’t already.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.