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.
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