Well, this is the third time in a row that I’ve done a review of a new season of an audio drama. I don’t really have anything to add. So, let’s get right into it. We’re taking a look at season two of Spaceships.
When we last left UHS freighter William Mackie, he’d just gone through a wormhole in search of new adventures. And find them he did. A massive orbital ring named Deity is planning on conquering the galaxy. To this end, she is recreating organic life by combining the DNA of all sentient lifeforms into a composite organism. The result, admittedly, leaves something to be desired. But hey, Will likes the little abominations. Will, along with his old pal Otto, is going to have to protect the new organoids. Not just from Deity, but from other spaceships who aren’t keen on the return of organic life. There’s adventure, thrills, and even a little reality television on this season of Spaceships.
Spaceships started things off with an excellent first season. How does season two compare? Why, as a worthy follow up.
So, we’ve got a few new characters this season. Will has a repair drone that can go outside of him and fix things. The drone doesn’t talk, but the general impression that I got was something like R2-D2. That is to say, communicates in beeps and boops, that would probably translate into something along the lines of “Can somebody please explain why I’m working for this guy, again?”
But, the most significant addition would be Will’s little mutant adoptive baby. As previously mentioned, the new organoids are what happens when you throw the DNA of all sentient lifeforms in a blender and set to extra chunky. I’d compare them to ogres, but frankly, that would be an insult to ogres. They’re dimwitted, slovenly, and incredibly violent. On the other hand, they’re also fairly resilient. They can survive getting thrown out of an airlock, among other things. Sure, they’re prone to getting into fights with each other, but then, wasn’t humanity? And for that matter, from what little we hear, the other sentient races didn’t get along so well either. I guess what I’m saying is, perhaps a certain spark of humanity does live on in those little mutant genetic abominations.
I had speculated back in season one that perhaps something like the Immortality Drive could be used to revive humanity. I seems I was somewhat right, but in a far different way than I could have imagined. Oh, and the new organoids have fifteen fingers…on each hand. Well, you know how A.I. tends to be when it comes to getting the correct number of fingers.
The way that Will dotes on his organoid reminds me of Human B-Gon, and how Kit would, in his mind, dote on Poo-Poo. Actually, I know I’ve joked about Spaceships being a secret sequel to Cars, but what if it’s actually a prequel to Human B-Gon? Yeah, probably not, at least as things currently stand in Spaceships canon. That, and they’re made by different creators. Still, I thought it was an amusing joke theory.
We also get a lot of fun episodes that aren’t directly related to the main plot. One of my favorites is about a spaceship who runs a podcast about the history of spaceship civilization. It was a loving spoof of The History of Rome with Mike Duncan, and of history podcasts in general.
Though, the part where the spaceship discontinues the podcast because history has become a subscription service was…well, I don’t know if I felt like laughing or crying. I still remember, from a few years back, the fear that losing Net Neutrality would lead to a tiered internet. No doubt with various subscription and premium fees rolling out. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened, and here’s hoping it never does.
On a lighter note, Mike Duncan has since dipped his toes into science fiction. The latest season of Revolutions chronicles the fictional Martian Revolution.
Another fun episode has Otto visit a planet where their entire culture is based on reality television. Otto actually does surprisingly well and actually comes to enjoy it. You might think Will would be in heaven, but that was in a different episode. Specifically, the one where he gets to visit a shipping center, and find a warehouse full of televisions are far as his sensors can detect.
I suppose we also ought to talk about Deity and Archangel. Deity is a ringworld, which you might know from the Larry Niven novel of the same name. For those who don’t, imagine a giant artificial ring, even bigger than a planet. And on this ring there are mountains, seas, forests, and all the other types of land you’d expect on a planet. As her name suggests, Deity hopes to position herself as the goddess of the new organoids, but also of the spaceship civilization. Archangel, fitting to his name, is her ever loyal lackey.
Besides them, Will also has to keep the organoids a secret from the Spaceship Alliance. They aren’t too keen on the idea of organic life returning to the universe. I mean, I can see their point. Their concern is that organics would expect spaceships to be their servants and/or slaves. All the same, as an organic being myself, I’m on Will and Otto’s side.
Now, as fun as this season was, I do have a few minor critiques. Primarily, how Will dealt with Maya’s death from last season. He hasn’t exactly forgotten her. There are a few occasions where Will evokes Maya’s belief in spaceships building a peaceful civilization, and co-existing with organics. However, he seems to have gotten over her death fairly quickly. True, there’s a lot going on this season, and maybe that distracted him. And it is true that Will took his crew’s deaths in considerable stride. Still, you’d think he’d take a few quiet moments to reflect and mourn.
What does the future hold for Spaceships? Well, I’ve got no speculation, but I certainly hope we get a third season at some point.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank Filip Momirovski for running the trailer for The Books of Thoth on certain episodes of Spaceships.
So, there you have it. Season two of Spaceships brings more high flying science fiction dramedy. Will and Otto return for another out of this world adventure. If you enjoyed season one, you’ll want to listen as soon as possible.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
I’ve been working hard on new scripts for The Books of Thoth. However, I’m also trying to fulfill my outstanding review obligations. So, without anymore preamble, onto the main event. We’re taking a look at season two of Hannahpocalpse.
It has been fifty years since we last left Hannah and Cali. They’re doing fairly well. They’ve turned the ruins of Golden Gate into a thriving community for the zombie horde Hannah now leads. Meanwhile, over in Junk Town, Hannah’s friend Mel has picked up some new companions as well. Specifically, a scrappy mechanic named Ashley, and a British robot named Billy. Ah, but all is not as calm as it seems. Rictor has become a zombie, and he commands a horde of his own. Rictor fully intends to march his horde on Golden Gate. So, will Hannah and company be able to weather the coming storm?
As you might have gathered, this season is primarily split between two plot lines. One following Hannah and Cali in Golden Gate; and one following Mel, Ashley, and Billy in Junk Town. We also occasionally get episodes following other characters, such as Rictor.
Let’s start with Hannah and Cali. Cali has been adjusting to life as a ghoul pretty well, and she’s even gained the ability to interact with the listener more. They’ve been having an annual movie night, but haven’t watched The Truman Show, probably because that one might hit a little too close to home. Hannah has come a long way since those first episodes. We actually get a flashback to the first season, along with Hannah’s commentary. It underscores how she’s grown far more confident and levelheaded. Granted, not being a prisoner in her own body definitely helps with that.
Now, a brief aside. I remember watching episode two of The Amazing Digital Circus. Absolutely fantastic series; you really should watch it, if you haven’t already. Anyway, the scene where Jax tells the fudge monster to eat Ragatha, and she yells at him. I remember thinking to myself “That scream. So neurotic and distinct. I know that one, but can it be?” I looked it up, and yes, Amanda Hufford, who plays Hannah in Hannahpocalpse, does indeed voice Ragatha in The Amazing Digital Circus. Amanda, if not exact having read my review of season 1, is at least aware of it thanks to Damian Szydlo. So, I have indirectly interacted with one of the cast of The Amazing Digital Circus, which is kind of neat.
Getting back on topic, let’s pivot to Junk Town. Mel briefly appeared in season one. She is Hannah’s friend who got turned into a ghoul. So, the seeds for this plot line had clearly been planted well in advance. Speaking of which, there’s a little prequel miniseries call Flamingo Down, which explains how Ashley and Billy got to Junk Town. Mel and Ashley develop feelings for each other over the corse of the season, but Mel is a bit wary of the age gap, not to mention species gap, between them.
Age gaps are a tricky thing to navigate. The biggest hurdle, and the reason so many people object, is due to potential power imbalances. The older partner will usually have more life experience and/or financial security, and that this will put the younger partner at the disadvantage when it comes to negotiations. However, it isn’t always that black and white. There can be various reasons the older partner missed out on major life milestones. For example, if you happen to be on the autism spectrum. Or perhaps you aren’t financially secure due to being between jobs, or having major medical expenses. Mel is chronologically older than Ashley, but much like Hannah, spent a good chunk of that time navigating the wasteland in various states of loneliness.
And, of course, we can’t forget about Billy. Back in my review of season one, I speculated that not all robots were mindless killing machines. Just like Hannah proved that not all zombies are bad. Well, lo and behold, my speculation proved to be correct. I’m definitely detecting some influences from C-3PO when it comes to Billy’s personality and characterization. And I’ve got no complaints. Some kids dressed up as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. I was the sort of kid who dressed up as C-3PO for Halloween. Admittedly, Bill lost his body, and has been turned into a hood ornament for Ashley’s truck. Still, his in fairly good spirits about the whole thing.
Okay, I’ve been putting it off, but how does this season compare to season one? Well, I felt the Golden Gate plot line was half of a really good season. And I felt the Junk Town plot was half of a really good season. However, I also felt that the sum was not greater than the parts. Now, it is true that Hannahpocalpse has been juggling multiple plot lines from the start. However, since Hannah and Cali’s plot paralleled each other in season 1, it didn’t feel quite so disjointed.
Now, in the interest of being fair, this might have had to do with how I listened to this season. I could more or less binge all the episodes of season one. Whereas with season two I listened to each episode when it come out. There are certain TV shows that make for better viewing when you can binge them on streaming or DVD. You can appreciate all the little details and foreshadowing. Or it just makes for better pacing. And I think that’s what it ultimately came down to. Listening to each episode as it came out gave season two of Hannahpocalpse some serious pacing issues.
And this isn’t a universal issue with serialized audio dramas. I’ve listened to several serialized shows as they dropped new episodes. 1865, Timestorm, Brave New Frontiersman, and Residents of Proserpina Park, just to name a few. In fact, when I could binge Residents of Proserpina Park, I actually had to pace myself. But with Hannahpocalpse, I wasn’t feeling a sense of “Oooh, I wonder what happens next?” but more along the lines of “Ahhh! Get to the point already! This is moving like molasses in an igloo.”
Also, while there were seeds for future seasons, the ending of season one felt like a pretty conclusive note. I wasn’t opposed to there being more seasons of Hannahpocalpse, but at the same time, it wasn’t exactly high on my list of shows I was hoping would come back. Which isn’t to say I didn’t like it. Just that I felt the story was at its natural end, and I was ready to head to my next port of call.
All of that having been said, the last few episodes were extremely well done in terms of pacing, writing, and acting. However, getting into the specific would be spoilers.
So, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.
Last chance, you sure you wan’t to continue?
Okay, then here we go.
So, Rictor and his horde arrive at Golden Gate. He and Hannah face off, and we learn about his backstory. Specially, that he had an abusive father. It is clear that this doesn’t excuse all the terrible stuff he’s done, but it is understandable how Rictor was sent down that path in life. Ultimately, Hannah decides not to kill Rictor, but to use her powers to rehabilitate him, and give him a chance to redeem himself. It would have been satisfying to see him killed off once and for all. However, it would also go against the themes of the series. Being hopepunk means daring to believe that a better tomorrow is possible, even in the face of an uncertain future. It also means believing in the inherent goodness of people, and that everyone is worthy of redemption.
One of the big questions within the realm of law is whether justice should be retributive or rehabilitative. That is, should we focus on punishing criminals, or should we rehabilitate them, and make them into functioning members of society. Think of justice like a set of scales. When a crime is committed, the scales become unbalanced. You have two choices to bring the scales back into alignment. You can lower down the one who committed the crime, or you can raise up the victim of the crime.
Season two of Hannahpocalpse wasn’t quite as good as season one, but despite some pacing problems, it wasn’t without its charms. It still has that same hopepunk zombie apocalypse fun. From the looks of it, we are going to be getting a third season of Hannahpocalpse at some point. If that is the case, I’ll wait til the whole thing is out so that I can binge it. And if you’re going to give season two of Hannahpocalpse a listen, I advise binging if possible.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
