The Audio File: Spaceships: Season 2

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.

The Audio File: Hannahpocalpse: Season 2

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.

The Audio File: Sorry About the Murder

What comes to mind when you think of Canada? Is it a moose munching on maple leaves? Is it a hearty plate of poutine at a cafe in Montreal? Is it a rowdy night at the local hockey arena? Perhaps is it the dark killing instinct that lurks within the hearts of all humans, no matter how polite? In case it wasn’t obvious already, we’re going with that last one for this audio drama. We’re taking a look at Sorry About the Murder. 

The sleepy little town of Beavermount, Ontario is one of those picturesque little slices of heaven. The sort of place where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average. It is the last place you’d expect a murder to occur, but that’s precisely what has happened. Scott, Scotty, McDonald was the owner of the local hockey rink. He has been found murdered. Specifically, run-over by the Zamboni. Frenchie, the sole Quebecois in town, is the Zamboni driver. He’s just become the prime suspect in the investigation. Frenchie has to clear his Quebecois name, and get the ice ready in time for the night’s hockey game. It’s a story of small towns, hockey, Stubbies, smelts, and a very Canadian murder mystery.

Sorry About the Murder is created by Drew Frohmann. He is also the creator of Human B-Gon. Naturally, this means that Sorry About the Murder is a member of the Fable & Folly podcast network. As such, it is time for another podcast roll call. Other members of the Fable & Folly family include show such as Hannahpocalypse, Harlem Queen, We Fix Space Junk, Alba Salix, The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles, Spaceships, Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature, and Who is Cam Candor?

Sorry About the Murder is a loving spoof of True Crime podcasts. I also detect hints of Lake Wobegon from A Prairie Home Companion. Though, perhaps this could be incidental. Minnesota has always had a bit of a Canadian character to it. And this audio drama proudly wears its Canadian influences on its sleeve. It lovingly pokes fun at numerous Canadian stereotypes. Fear not, you don’t have to be Canadian to enjoy this audio drama. Sorry About the Murder does a good job of letting the listener in on all of the jokes in a way that feels organic. In fact, you might learn a thing or two about Canada. Or rather, how Canada makes fun of itself.

We learn that Scotty was holding his Stubby upright when he died. You know, just as any good Canadian would. Also, Stubby is slang for beer, because several Canadian beers come in stout bottles. Beavermount is also home to an annual smelt festival. Fried smelts are a popular dish in Atlantic Canada. Well, for the most part. I remember watching MasterChef Canada, and one of the contestants was excited to cook with smelts. Unfortunately, he made what amounted to smelt chicken nuggets. Alvin Leung really did not hold back with how disappointed he was.

In other references, McDonald and MacDonald are both considered stereotypically Canadian last names. Sir John Alexander MacDonald was Canada’s first prime minister. I do on occasion get mistaken for Canadian due to having some many friends in the Canadian audio drama scene. Though, my last name certainly doesn’t help dissuade that notion. Also, I won’t give it away, but the importance of politeness plays a major role in the plot. Specially, the importance of always saying sorry. And not just in the title of the audio drama.

However, I do have to ding Sorry About the Murder for some rather glaring omissions. Where were the ketchup chips? Why did nobody eat Kraft Dinner? And come to think of it, there wasn’t a single reference to Tim Horton’s. I mean, it seriously strains credibility that Beavermount would have at least one Tim Horton’s. This paragraph was a joke, in case it wasn’t obvious.

So, let's now talk aboot the colorful cast of characters. Frenchie is our main character, and is notable for being the only character not voiced by the narrator. Frenchie is voiced by Jeff Tremblay, who really is from Quebec. The narrator is voiced by Tom Goudie. I suppose they had the narrator voice everyone to really give it that Prairie Home Companion feel. I don’t know enough about True Crime to tell if that’s a trope.

Frenchie is quite possibly the most intelligent person in all of Beavermount. And by that, I mean that he actually has common sense. He often muses about the wise words of his grandfather from rural Quebec. It helps that Chieficer Dougie, the closest thing Beavermount has to law enforcement, is easily distracted by sweets. Dougie is cut from the same cloth as lawmen such as Barney Fife and Chief Wiggum. But hey, he’s still a pretty swell guy. In fact, he’s such a polite Canadian, he even takes Frenchie out for bear claws on the way to the station. And he’s more than willing to go on as many detours as Frenchie requests. At times it almost feels like a buddy cop show.

There’s plenty of quirky townsfolk. For example, there’s a group of sextuplets who are produce farms running a protection racket. Nobody sells produce in Beavermount without their approval. Oh, and they all have male names, despite all being women. Then there’s the members of the local Ojibwe tribe. They recently scored a major land settlement with the government. Thanks to reparations, each member of the tribe is a millionaire with plenty of dough to spend. And then there’s the annual smelt festival were…well, let’s just say that shooting fish in a barrel has some slightly different connotations in Beavermount

Honestly, with all of the quirky townsfolk, Sorry About the Murder feels kind of like a slice of life audio drama at times. It does have a cozy feeling, and the murder mystery doesn’t detract from that. It almost feels like a parody of one of those mystery movies from The Hallmark Channel. Well, maybe not quite like that. There’s not enough handsome salt-of-the-earth widower Christmas tree farmers.

It appears we will be getting a season two, and Frenchie will have another murder on his hands. I always wonder, in show like Grantchester and Murder, She Wrote, how the small towns maintain a stable population despite all the murders. To be fair, it does tend to be the come from aways who tend to get murdered in those shows. I suppose Sorry About the Murder will wrestle with this issue as well.

So, there you have it. Sorry About the Murder is farcical, cozy, and true crime inspired. But above all else, it is very Canadian. It is another great audio drama from the creator of Human B-Gon. You don’t have to be Canadian to enjoy it, but that certainly doesn’t hurt either.

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

The Audio File: Hannahpocalypse: Season 1

As many of you know, I try to work on my own projects when time allows for it. I find myself with a bit less time for that now that I’m gainfully employed at the Shreveport Aquarium. However, I always make time for those who ask me to review their audio dramas. Frankly, I feel a bit guilty when I’m not writing new reviews. I’m aware it isn’t my job to keep the reviews coming, but still. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it. We’re taking a look at Hannahpocalypse. 

Hannahpocalypse is set in the year 2182. It has been 150 years since the zombie apocalypse destroyed civilization as we knew it. Humanity tried to counter the zombies by building an army of robots. Unfortunately, the robots went rogue, caused a robot apocalypse, and just made things worse. But hey, at least they killed all the zombies. Well, most of them anyway. A few zombies have managed to survive. Hannah is one of these zombies. She basically has dissociative identity disorder. Her human personality is basically a prisoner in her own body. Her animalistic zombie personality is the one in the driver’s seat. Hannah has led a dull and lonely existence. The highlights of her day include chasing red balloons and eating live crows. However, Hannah’s finally found some new companions: us, the listeners! Somehow, Hannah is hosting a podcast about her unlife, and we’re along for the ride.

Hannah’s world is turned upside down when she meets Cali. Cali is a scout from Golden Gate, a city-state in what was once San Francisco. Cali recognizes the spark of sentience buried deep within Hannah. Could this be the key to better relations between zombies and humans? This unlikely duo is about to make their way across the wastelands of what was once the United States. It is a story of love, death, and robots. But, you know, not the Netflix kind.

I was approached to review Hannahpocalypse by series creator Damian Szydlo. He is also the creator of the audio drama Cybernautica. Damian had some very nice things to say about my audio drama reviews. He felt very tacky about asking me to review Hannahpocalypse, but I see no issue. People have all sorts of ways of asking me to review their audio dramas. It is also always great to hear that people enjoy the work that I do with these reviews.

Hannahpocalypse is a member of the Fable & Folly network. If you’ve been following my reviews, then you know what that means. Audio drama roll call! The other fine members of the Fable & Folly family include, but are not limited to, Human B-Gon, Alba Salix, We Fix Space Junk, Harlem Queen, The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles, Spaceships, and Who is Cam Candor?

Hmm, wait a minute. So, the backstory of Hannahpocalypse involves a robot apocalypse. It is mostly set in the United States, but we do see that Canada, along with the rest of the world, was impacted as well. We also have a supposedly non-sentient that turns out to be smarter than she appears to outsiders. Does this mean that Hannahpocalypse is secretly a prequel to Human B-Gon? Well, actually, no. The answer is no. However, Damian Szydlo and Drew Frohmann are both friends, and have respect for each other's work. Both of them are also Canadian. This was all just some random observations I made that weren’t meant to be taken seriously.

Anyway, let’s get into my actual for real observations and thoughts on Hannahpocalypse. The series is billed as being hopepunk. Hopepunk, from what I understand, is fiction that strives to depict a better tomorrow, and a more hopeful future. It isn’t averse to conflict, or even bad things like climate change. However, rather than a future ravaged by climate change, hopepunk chooses to show humans works together to fight against things like climate change. The general philosophy of hopepunk is that sometimes things go bad, but we can work together to fix them.

Now, all of that being said, terms like zombie apocalypse and robot apocalypse are not typically included in the same sentence as the word hopepunk. And yet, despite these seemingly disparate elements, Hannahpocalypse does indeed live up to its descriptor of hopepunk. To explain why, let’s first meet our leading ladies.

Hannah has been a prisoner in her own zombified body for the last 150 years. Despite this, she’s in surprisingly good spirits. Well, at first glance anyway. As the series goes on it becomes increasingly clear that Hannah has gone a tad nutty over the years. To be fair, it would be weird if she wasn’t at least a little insane after all she’s gone through. Though, this does raise an obvious question, how exactly is it that Hannah is hosting a podcast if she can’t control her own body. For that matter, what’s she broadcasting on? The audio drama itself tells us not to think too hard about it. We have several characters, besides Hannah and Cali, who break the fourth wall. This includes those who logically shouldn’t know about Hannah’s podcast or Cali’s status reports. Of course, if we go back to Hannah being slightly crazy, then maybe all those instances are figments of Hannah’s imagination. Of course, in the immortal words of Albus Dumbledore, maybe it is all in her head, but why should that make it any less real?

Hannah is also a lesbian. She had bad luck finding a stable relationship, and turning into a flesh-eating zombie certainly didn’t help. Plus she did eat that pride parade when she first turned. But hey, she’s LGBTQ, and wasn’t in control of her body. So, uh, pretty sure it technically wasn’t homophobic to eat all those people. Anyway, it may have taken 150 years, during which time she kind of went bonkers, but at least Hannah found Cali eventually. And perhaps she’ll even find one of her old friends. Hannah’s friend Mel also got bit, but she turned into a mutant. That means she partially zombified, but retained her human mind. Unlike Hannah, mutants like Mel retain control of their bodies.

One of the things that makes Hannah such an endearing character is the phenomenal performance by her voice…actor? Amanda Hufford uses they/them pronouns, so I’m not sure if voice actor is the correct term. Whatever the case might be, Amanda just did such an amazing job making Hannah sound like a total sweetheart. Their performance reminds me of Amy Adams during the early days of her career in movies such as Catch Me If You Can, Enchanted, and Junebug. Amanda also adds several other layers to Hannah. We get to see Hannah’s endearingly dorky side, such as when Hannah worries about swearing in the podcast, even though nobody can hear her. However, we also get those hints of desperation within Hannah’s voice. You can hear this even when Hannah is clearly trying to put a metaphorical smile on. She’s obviously been screaming her head off mentally for quite some time. She still has a mouth, yet she cannot scream, no matter how hard she tries.

We, of course, have to talk about the other half of our two leading ladies. Cali has grown up in Golden Gate. The city-state prides itself on restoring the best of Old America. In reality, however, Golden Gate has a very warped view of what pre-apocalypse America was like. It is clearly based around rose-tinted nostalgia for a past that never truly existed in the first place. Golden Gate is clearly the right-wing view of America. Hmm, so we’ve got a post-apocalyptic setting, killer robots, mutants, and a moral about the dangers of being blinded by nostalgia. I’m definitely getting some Fallout vibes from Hannahpocalypse.

I bring all of this up because Cali does not fit the mold of Golden Gate. Cali is a lesbian, and Golden Gate is not a particularly LGBTQ friendly place, to put it lightly. So, being a scout was one of the few times she got to truly get herself. Cali is jaded, cynical, and rough around the edges. Despite this, she can be just as much of a dork as Hannah is. Cali gets very excited when she finds a stash of Tank Girl comics from the 1980s. It is a little odd that Cali would be a fan of pop culture from nearly 200 years in the past. On the other hand, it has been firmly established that Cali is definitely a nonconformist.

Abigail Turner gives a multifaceted performance for Cali. It perfectly compliments Amanda Hufford’s performance as Hannah. Cali starts off gruff, tough-as-nails, and gives the impression that she’ll do anything to survive. Then the cracks begin to form, and we start to see a softer side to Cali. The first, besides the comics, is when she sees the faint glimmer of humanity still within Hannah. Cali was taught to fear and hate zombies, and it would have been easy to snuff Hannah out. However, Cali chose to take a gamble on Hannah, and choose kindness over cruelty. Yet this wasn’t a choice born purely out of altruism. Further cracks form, and we get to see just how lonely Cali has become over the years. A good chunk of that bravado and prickliness is just a mask she wears to hide the sadness she carries. Perhaps on some level, Cali chose to spare Hannah because she wanted to believe she’d found someone she could truly be herself with. Granted, her faith was certainly not misplaced. The scene where Cali finally breaks down and admits how lonely she feels is particularly well performed.

One of the main themes of Hannahpocalypse is about how we deal with trauma. Hannah experienced one of the worst things that can happen to someone. However, she only regains control of her life when she stops try to fight against the zombie half of herself. One way of dealing with trauma is to accept what has happened to you and learn to live with it. Like it or not, what happened has happened, and will always be part of you to some degree. However, that acceptance doesn’t mean you have to be a victim for the rest of your life. Hannah is able to regain her agency, both physically and metaphorically, once she truly accepts that she is a zombie. She isn’t just a victim, she’s a survivor, and there is power in being a survivor.

The other major theme, as we’ve already touched upon, is the importance of choosing compassion over cruelty. There’s also a message about the dangers of confusing pessimism with realism or pragmatism. It is never outright stated, but it is implied that Golden Gate suppresses homosexuals in the name of repopulating humanity. There’s a kind of logic to this, but it also requires sacrificing individual liberties and happiness in the name of the “Greater Good.” But that begs an obvious question: who gets to define what the Greater Good is? The leaders of Golden Gate talk big game about the lofty ideals of Old America. However, it is pretty clear that their true vested interest is keeping themselves in positions of power.

To build a world on compassion requires taking risk and gambles. Cali gambled on Hannah still having humanity within her. She also gambled that this might lead to better relations between humans and zombies. I won’t give away the ending. However, I will say that sometimes risks are worth it. There can still be hope for a better tomorrow even when you live in a post-apocalypse world full of zombies and robots. Hannahpocalypse, despite its oddball premise, managed to live up to its hopepunk descriptor.

Now, that being said, I do have a few minor points of critique. As we have noted, Hannahpocalypse deals with several philosophical themes. For most of the series, these are woven into the story organically, and it never feels like I’m being beaten over the head. Episode fifteen, however, was an unfortunate exception to this. It had the characters spend several minutes lecturing the listener about what a terrible place Old America was. They go on and on about the rampant inequality and prejudice that filled America in those days. However, we already cover all of those point, so it came across as incredibly redundant. It also came across as heavy-handed and needlessly preachy. I felt like I was listening to a sermon rather than an audio drama. Thankfully, episode sixteen was a welcome return to form. It was also an incredible finale overall, but getting more specific would be spoilers.

This next one isn’t a complaint, but more an observation. Hannahpocalypse is set in the United States, and deals with American culture, but series creator Damian Szydlo is Canadian. Now, that isn’t to say that Canadians aren’t allowed to comment on America. However, I found it a little odd that Damian decided not to set the story in his home country. Maybe the theme he wanted to deal with worked better in an American context. I admit I’m not too familiar with Canadian post-apocalypse fiction. Here in the United States, we tend to assume that Canada gets eaten whenever the apocalypse happens. 

Damian had said that, in his view, America won the Culture War a long time ago. To give on example, in many countries, people will watch both local television shows and movies, but also American movies and television series. Canada, for instance, requires its television stations to air a certain amount of Canadian content in an effort to combat the torrential flood of American media. As such, if America falls, the rest of the world falls with it. So, he had the zombie outbreak begin in America. He also claims he didn’t think of Golden Gate as being particularly right-wing. I guess that’s where our cultural differences come into play. In America, it tends to be the political right that invokes nostalgia for the past, and the need to return to this so-called golden age. The political left, by contrast, tends to emphasize the negative qualities of the past, such as the rampant inequality and bigotry, and how we need to let go of the past. 

Hmm, here’s another random thought I had. Hannahpocalypse sounds like the phrase “an apocalypse.” And the word apocalypse contains the suffix -caly, which is like the name Cali. Could it be that Hannah and Cali’s names were puns all along? Accord to Damian, this was just coincidence. However, he did find my observation amusing. 

Season one has wrapped up most of the loose-ends fairly neatly. However, Hannah and Cali’s story isn’t over yet. Season two is already being planned. There are certainly several directions for the story to go. For example, we discovered that not all zombies are mindless killing machines. Does the same hold true for robots? It does appear we will get answers to that particular question in season two. I know that I can’t wait to find out which path the story takes.

Well, there you have it. Hannahpocalypse managed to genuinely surprise me. It billed itself as a post-apocalypse zombie hopepunk audio drama. Despite these seemingly disparate elements, it managed to find hope for a better tomorrow within the wastelands of what was once North America. And it did so quite well at that. Give it a listen, and perhaps it will surprise you as well.

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

The Audio File: Human B-Gon

My policy for reviewing serialized audio dramas is that I require at least one complete season before I commit to a review. Well, today we’re taking a look at a show that asked me to review them a while back. They have now finally met that requirement. I won't waste any more time, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at Human B-Gon.

Human B-Gon is a science fiction comedy set in a post-apocalyptic future. Well, post-apocalyptic future if you’re a human. Robots declared war on humanity, and the robots won. The robots have reshaped the world in their image. Though, that image really isn’t all that different from when humans were running the show. Humans lurk in the shadows and crevices of this brave new mechanical world. Naturally, the robots consider them quite the nuisance. Fortunately, for the more Hominid Rights minded robots, there’s one team who are always on-call: Human B-Gon! They are a trio of robots who specialize in the ethical relocation of humans. Well, on paper anyway. In reality, our trio of heroes are complete morons who barely know what they’re doing. Still, they’re going to try their level best. After all, they’re the finest ethical human relocation service in the greater Droidston, Nanotoba area. Then again, they’re also the only one. But hey, that’s something, right?

I’d interacted with Human B-Gon on various social media platforms; Reddit, Facebook, Twitter. They’ve been supportive of my work with these reviews, and with my own endeavors to create audio drama. Naturally, they ask if I’d review the show. They now fit my minimum requirements, so here we are now. Human B-Gon is created by Drew Frohmann. 

Human B-Gon is a member of the Fable & Folly network. Time for an audio drama roll call! The other members of Fable & Folly include, but aren’t limited to, Spaceships, Alba Salix, We Fix Space Junk, Harlem Queen, The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles, and Who is Cam Candor.

Human B-Gon is presented in the form of a fictional television series. It reminds me a bit of the sort of shows you tend to see these days on Discovery Channel and History Channel. The sort of shows they air now that they’ve both, mostly, given up on educational documentaries. In fairness, much as I rag on Discovery and History of that, there have been a few diamonds in the rough. Pawn Stars actually does a pretty good job teaching people about history, and I do love those crazy dudes. And I also admit that I used to watch Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe fairly frequently.

I was particularly reminded of Billy the Exterminator. It was a show on Discovery Channel about, well, an exterminator named Billy. Fun fact, Billy is from Bossier. It is the city directly across the Red River from Shreveport, where I live. Shreveport and Bossier are collectively counted as a single metro area, but Shreveport is the bigger of the two. I’m not sure if Billy the Exterminator was a direct influence on Human B-Gon, or if it was just coincidence.

Anyway, getting back on topic, Human B-Gon really captures the feeling of those sort of shows. Albeit, with a fair bit of farcical exaggeration. We’ve got a cast of three wacky characters taking us on a tour of their day-to-day lives in a somewhat unusual, by robot standards, line of work. It is mentioned that the robots speak their own language, which is rendered as English for our convenience. Human languages, by contrast, are depicted as a series of high-pitched hooting and chittering.

There are also several ads for various in-universe services and products. They’re included alongside out-of-universe ads, and at times, I can’t tell which is which. That’s some very good ad integration. The in-universe ads offer things such as a service that will remove your personality circuits. That way, you don’t have to feel any of those negative and dissatisfied feelings, and can get back to work as a newly mindless drone. Your productivity is sure to skyrocket! Or how about a tasty burger made from radioactive materials? Robots can’t get enough of those radiative burgers, and there’s so many options to choose from.

The world of Human B-Gon really isn’t too different from our own, just with robots running the show. There’s plenty of robot puns to be found. For example, our heroes live in Scanada. Specifically in the province of Nanotoba. Okay, Scanada is Canada, and Nanotoba is Manitoba. What would Droidston be? Canadians, help me out with this one. Well, anyway, we also meet famous robot celebrities, such as 8-Blanchett, 3-Anu Reeves, and 9-an Reynolds. We also meet a robot named Buggy Eddie, who is probably a nod to Crazy Eddie, which is apparently an electronics chain. I assumed it was a reference to Honest Ed’s, a famous discount store from Toronto. I freely admit that I only know about that one because of Scott Pilgrim. In contrast to all of this, based on the brief descriptions we get, the robots aren’t even remotely anthropomorphic. I suppose this makes sense, given that most robots view humans as little more than vermin.

So, let’s talk about the main characters. Kit is the owner of Human B-Gon. He inherited the company from his father, and his greatest desire is to make his father proud. Kit has a generally sunny and chipper disposition, though he can be easily flustered. He’s also very enthusiastic about helping peacefully relocate humans. He’s enthusiastic, but he’s an idiot who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. In fairness, his partners aren’t much better. There’s plenty of information available about human behavior, dietary habits, and other important human things. However, Kit can’t be bothered to look any of that up. After all, who should we trust more? Well qualified and certified experts, or a schlub like Kit? Kit is played by Paul JP.

Hundo is Kit’s second-in-command, and primary love interest. In contrast to Kit, she’s very brash, bold, and assertive. Though, this is partially a conscious act on Hundo’s part. She’s trying to present herself as a serious rapper. However, rapping isn’t the first time Hundo was involved in music. When she was younger, she used to be known as Robecca Black, and recorded a song called “Pi Day.” This made her an overnight laughing stock on the Robot Internet. “Pi Day” is treated as so bad that it is painful for humans to listen to, but I thought it was kind of catchy. Of course, I don’t know what it sounds like in the original robot language. Hundo likes to think of herself as more on the ball than Kit, but she’s often just as scatterbrained as he is. Hundo is played by Kat Letwin 

Rounding out the main trio is Influx. He’s a level twelve intelligence, and thinks of himself as far smarter than Kit, Hundo, and basically all other robots. Influx is incredibly arrogant and condescending. He’s also a paranoid conspiracy theorist who believes that the world is ruled by a secret cabal known as the Algorithminati. In fact, for all of his delusions of genius, Influx isn’t much better than Kit and Hundo. It probably doesn’t help that he likes to indulge in magnets, which are basically the robot equivalent of marijuana and LSD. The effect seems to depend on how strong the magnets are. Influx also serves as the primary transport for Human B-Gon. As in, he’s like a Transformer, and can turn himself into pretty much any vehicle. Influx is played by Ian Slessor. He’s familiar, but I can’t think where I’ve heard him before. 

Then there’s Poo-Poo. He is Kit’s long suffering pet human. Hardly an episode goes by without Poo-Poo getting set on fire, slammed against a wall, stabbed like a pincushion, or otherwise brutalized. It also doesn’t help that Kit insists on feeding Poo-Poo “foods” such as wire insulation, silicone gel, and metal ball bearings. Like all humans, Poo-Poo’s speech is rendered as monkey-like hooting and chittering. Though, we can still tell that he very clearly isn’t happy with the way that Kit tries to take care of him. Influx likes to troll Kit by threatening to drop Poo-Poo off on Garbage Island, where all of the other humans are dropped-off.

Garbage Island is located in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is indeed a real collection of plastic located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is twice the size of Texas, or three times the size of France. Though, there is a bit of artistic license here. In reality, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is primarily made of microplastics. True, some patches are more visible to the naked eye, but certainly not stable enough to build settlements on. Though, since Human B-Gon clearly isn’t going for realism, I’ll let that one slide.

The way Poo-Poo is treat is clearly played for laughs. That being said, at times it felt a tad uncomfortable. I was reminded a bit too much of the short story “The People of Sand and Slag” by Paolo Bacigalupi. It is set on a far future Earth that is completely polluted and environmentally damaged beyond repair. Humans genetically modified themselves into cyborgs that are barely organic anymore. In doing so, removing themselves from the web of life. So, it follows three of these cyborgs who work as guards for a mining company. They find a dog that has survived against all odds, and decide to take care of it. A big theme is about how the cyborgs just can’t comprehend how delicate, fragile, and ill-suited for the polluted world that the dog is. And the cyborgs are two guys and a girl, and the guy and girl are in a relationship…hmm, I wonder if “The People of Sand and Slag” was an influence on Human B-Gon?

Well, anyway, it is an excellent short story, but very brutal at times. Doubly so if you have a beloved pet dog, like I do. So, when I listen to all the shit Poo-Poo gets put through, I think of the poor dog from “The People of Sand and Slag.” But I concede this is really more of a me thing.

Human B-Gon is fairly episodic, but there are plot threads that run throughout the episode. For example, Kit’s continuing struggles to keep the business floating. I’ll briefly mention some of my favorite episodes. I liked the episode where Human B-Gon has to unexpectedly clear out a former human mall on Sunday. Influx uses Sundays as his fun day, and by fun day, I mean he gets high on magnets. So, he shows up to work high as a kite. At one point, he hallucinates that he can hear humans talking. And they tell him…that he is the smartest robot in the world, and they will be his loyal servant to help him take over the world.

Another fun episode was where the Human B-Gon crew have to clear out humans from a quantum reactor facility. This leads to some fun quantum shenanigans. We hear two versions of the characters talking. At first, they say totally opposite things, then they say the same thing, but phrased differently. The number of humans also fluctuates, due to quantum uncertainty. The episode where Influx builds an assistant robot named ADM, and he proves to be way better at everything than the rest of Human B-Gon, was pretty fun too.

I won’t give away the season finale. However, I will say that it sets up some very exciting possibilities for season two. And I certainly can’t wait to see what comes next for Human B-Gon.

So, there you have it. Human B-Gon is a science fiction comedy about three idiot robots trying, and often failing, to peacefully relocate verminous humans. It takes the form of a fictional television series, and has a lot of fun with the format. Season one is a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see what season two brings to us.

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

The Audio File: Spaceships: Season 1

My policy for serialized shows is that they must have at least one complete season before I commit to a review. Today’s review is a show that has just completed its first season. I am very excited to finally be able to review this one. So, let’s not wait any longer. We’re taking a look at Spaceships. 

Spaceships takes place in a future where humanity has spread to the stars, and is part of a thriving galactic community of sentient races. Humans and aliens have both created countless AI-equipped spaceships to help them out. One day, for seemingly no reason, all sentient organic beings suddenly drop dead. The spaceships, and other mechanical sophonts, must now build a civilization of their own. The series follows UHS freighter William Mackie, science research vessel Maya Hironaga, and Ocanar warship Otto. Together, they will explore the galaxy, encounter strange new spacecraft, and try to discover what led to the death of all intelligent organic beings.

I have been a fan of Spaceships for quite a while now. I discovered them over on the r/audiodrama subreddit back when they only had one episode out. It was around the same time I discovered Residents of Proserpina Park. Incidentally, this was also back when Residents of Proserpina Park only had one episode out. The premise looked interesting, so I decided to give it a listen. I liked what I heard, and I eagerly awaited more episodes. This came in due time, and here we are now.

Despite the rather macabre premise, I can best describe Spaceships as a dramedy. There’s plenty of moments of levity and humor to balance out the action and humor. Series creator Filip Momirovski also includes a fair bit of social commentary and satire about human nature. For example, it is mentioned that humans frequently stereotyped the Ocanar as being violent and warlike. However, humanity itself was prone to getting into quite a few wars with other races. So, it was kind of a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Well, that and the war with the Ocanar was also started over stupid reasons. The Ocanar live underground, and don’t mix well with flash photography. The human delegation, unfortunately, forgot this at an attempted peace talk.

We also see that self-driving cars have finally become a thing. Though, they’re all rather prone to road rage. That episode also included some jabs about how humanity has been taking its sweet time with trying to combat climate change. Wait, so the self-driving cars are now the dominant intelligent lifeforms on Earth. Does this mean that Spaceships is secretly a prequel to Pixar’s Cars movies? Hmm, nah, probably just an amusing coincidence. Especially since none of the sentient vehicles are anthropomorphic.

Filip Momirovski has said that, should Spaceships ever be adapted as an animated series, a lot of the humor would come from the fact that the spaceships all look like normal non-sentient spaceships. He envisions there being points where the camera would do a close up on the spaceships, but they’d just look like, well, non-anthropomorphic spaceships. An animated adaptation is probably not in the cards any time in the near future. However, Spaceships is being adapted as a comic book. It is being released on the Spaceships Patreon page at a time. Also, for those wondering, the spaceships on the series title card are, from left to right and moving in a circle, Otto, Will, and Maya.

So, let’s discuss the characters. Will is a freighter with the personality of a frat boy. He’s impulsive, scatterbrained, immature, and can be a bit of a horndog at times. In fairness, a lot of this can be blamed on Will’s crew. They were all really into trashy reality television, and Will tends to use what he learned from those shows as a guide to life. Still, despite his flaws, Will always tries to do right by his friends. There’s almost nothing he can’t accomplish when he really put his mind to it. Of course, given how easily distracted Will can be, this is easier said than done. Will tends to be the one who provides the comic relief throughout the series. Will is voiced by Bobby Gaglini.

Otto is an Ocanar warship. He’s stern, serious, and is comically bound to the Ocanar code of valor. Otto is very quick to suggest just shooting whatever problems the spaceships come across. Much like Will, this can be blamed on his upbringing. The Ocanar are, basically, Klingons. So, it is only natural that Otto would be so aggressive and warlike. Well, that and, you know, he’s a warship. And to be fair, he’s not always wrong when he advocates for shooting things. Though he wouldn’t be quick to admit it, deep down, Otto does value Will and Maya as friends. Otto is voiced by Bobby Gaglini, and I must say, never would have guessed that Otto and Will shared a voice actor. In fact, Bobby voiced several male characters on Spaceships. 

Rounding out the main trio is Maya. She is a science research vessel. The extinction of humanity hit her the hardest. She’s always been fascinated by humans, and was quite close to her crew. She’s the most level-headed of the main trio, and often has to talk Will and Otto out of their especially harebrained schemes. Maya initially doesn’t care much for Will and his advances, but she warms up to him with time. Maya is also the most determined to find out why organic beings have all dropped dead at once. If nothing else, she can’t let her crews’ deaths have been for nothing. She’s also determined to help spaceships establish a new civilization; hopefully, one that is free from the flaws of the organics. Maya is voiced by Arson Alfaro.

I must take a moment to compliment the music and soundscaping. It is all very professional, and quite high-quality, especially for an indie show. It is easily on par with anything you might find at a major podcast production studio. Major credit to Vlad O, who handles the sound-design.

There’s also an extremely colorful cast of supporting characters. One of my favorites is a a science ship who talks like Carl Sagan. Fittingly enough, his name is UHS Sagan. I also liked the spaceship who collaborates with Will to create a new form of cryptocurrency. I’d comment on how stupid that is, but Will seems like the kind of spaceship who would go for that sort of thing. The annual Mars Rover Race was another really fun episode. I could keep going on, but suffice it to say, you’ll meet several memorable spacecraft throughout season one of Spaceships.

The spaceships all run the spectrum from kind and sympathetic to petty, scheming, and even evil. But overall, the spaceships come across as flawed, often deeply so, but well meaning. In other words, though they are machines, they’re human in all the ways that count. I suppose it is of some comfort to think that, though the curtain has fallen on the human race, a certain spark of the human spirit lives on in the machines we built.

I must also give some serious praise for how the season one finale was handled. But if I’m going to do that, we’re going to have to get into spoilers. So, 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.

So, as I previously noted, Maya really liked humans. However, there was one human she was particularly fond of. He was a brilliant scientist, and they grew very close with one another. In fact, you could say they fell in love with each other. But, he wasn’t the only human who caught her eye. 

There was a second human scientist who Maya greatly admired, but not in a romantic way. This scientist, while brilliant, was also a major misanthrope, and grew increasingly cynical over the years. He also went a tad nutty as well. Eventually, he developed a formula intended to destroy all artificial intelligences. Unfortunately, he did that math wrong, and it killed all organic intelligences.

A mathematics formula that can cause human minds to shut down? Might be more plausible than you might think. Some scientists have theorized that it is possible to make a human mind crash like a computer program. Perhaps their might be some pattern that the human brain is incapable of processing, and this could trigger a systems failure of the mind. Neil Stephenson famously utilized this idea in his novel Snow Crash. Thankfully, this remains a hypothetical scenario, and might not even be possible at all. On the other hand, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the human mind. So, you never know.

This revelation occurs in the penultimate episode of season one. It is also in this episode that Maya dies while retrieving this information. That is to say, damaged beyond the point of repair. I kept wondering if this was going to stick. It has been shown that spaceships can have their AIs downloaded into other bodies. But no, Maya stayed dead by the end of the season. I must applaud Filip Momirovski for being willing to stick to his guns. Having Maya stay dead was a choice that could easily have upset people, but I’m glad Filip didn’t take the easy way out. But let’s see what season two holds for us.

Also, here’s a thought, what if organics aren’t gone for good? The International Space Station has something called The Immorality Drive. It is a memory storage device that contains the digitized genetic codes of several famous humans, such as Stephen Hawking, Stephen Colbert, and Lance Armstrong. Obviously, it was created before Lance Armstrong got busted for doping. Anyway, the Immortality Drive is there in hope that, should humanity go extinct, and alien race might be able to resurrect humanity. I’m willing to bet that the future of Spaceships has several such Immortality Drives. Perhaps the spaceships will discover some Immortality Drives, and will debate if it is worth resurrecting humanity and the other races of the galaxy.

But whatever the future of Spaceship holds, I do know one thing for certain. I can’t wait to see what season two will have in store for us.

So, there you have it. Spaceships is a dramedy about sentient spaceships exploring the galaxy in the aftermath of humanity’s sudden demise. It has extremely high production values, great voice acting, and quality writing. You certainly won’t want to miss out on this audio drama.

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

The Audio File: Who is Cam Candor?

In many ways, we are living in a golden age of audio dramas. Dozens, if not hundreds, of new shows premiere every week. And it is a great time for independent producers. You can make a high-quality show from the comfort of your own home. Well, you can with a lot of hard work, and a little help from your friends. There’s no barrier for entry. Don’t like what you hear? Pick up a mic, and be the change you want to see. We’ve also seen major production companies taking an interest in audio dramas. Some of have teamed up with big names from the indie scene to help make shows.

Yes, these are some good times. And yet, many of us worry about how long it can last. What if the indie bubble pops? What if big name companies edge the little guys out of the market? The show we’re taking a look at today taps into many of these fears and anxieties. We’re taking a look at Who is Cam Candor? 

Who is Cam Candor? takes place in a nightmarish near future. Indie audio dramas have completely died out. The audio drama landscape is completely dominated by corporations and major companies. It is impossible to make a successful show without being attached to a major production company. The audio dramas that get churned out by these companies range from bland and forgettable to laughably bad. But in the days before the great indie collapse, there was a person who stood defiant. They are known as Cam Candor, but nobody knows if that’s their real name. They produced some of the most famous, and most mysterious, audio dramas. Cam Candor has became something of a folk hero to those who remember the glory days of indie audio dramas. But who is the real Cam Candor? B.K. Will, Cultural Obscurist and Archeologist, has created an investigative podcast in order to find out. But the question remains: Who is Cam Candor?

Who is Cam Candor? is created by Ann Sloan, creator of The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. As regular readers of this blog will recall, I absolutely adore The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. So, it was only natural that I would seek out Who is Cam Candor? Both shows are members of the Fable & Folly network, which includes many other fine shows such as Alba Salix, We Fix Space Junk, and Harlem Queen.

The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles does touch on serious subject matter, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Who is Cam Candor? takes a similar approach with issues concerning the indie audio drama community. As of late, a lot of big companies are starting to branch out into the world of audio drama. You got major audio drama production companies like QCODE and Realm, but you’ve also got places like Audible and Wondry increasingly dipping their toes into audio dramas. Even Marvel and DC have been trying their hand at audio dramas. Some members of the indie community welcome these shows with open arms, but other are more apprehensive.

I can see both sides of this. On the one hand, big-budget companies can help bring more people into audio drama, and get them interested in the medium. Pull the average person off the street, ask them what an audio drama is, and they’ll probably be scratching their heads. Many normies, for lack of a better term, have never heard of audio dramas. There’s a persistent myth that audio fiction died after television took off. Whenever I describe audio dramas to people, I say that they’re like the modern day version those radio shows from the 1940s and 1950s. The point is, the big-budget shows can help remind the unaware that audio fiction is very much still a thing. And once they’re hooked, there’s a chance that these new listens will seek out more shows, which will lead them to the indie scene.

On the other hand, there’s no guarantee that these new listeners will eventually seek out indie shows on their own. Moreover, the big-budget shows might set new listeners’ expectations sky-high. Most indie shows can’t afford to cast big-name actors. Creating a truly cinematic soundscape, while certainly not impossible for indie shows, is much harder when you’re working with less funds and a smaller team. It is also immensely frustrating when papers like the New York Times or the Washington Post publish yet another article saying “Creator X is Reviving Audio Fiction!” or “Company Y is Reinventing Fiction Podcasts!” Would it kill these journalists to do a five minute Google search?!

Big-budget shows have a much higher marketing budget. They also have built-in connections to the entertainment industry that indie shows lack. There is a fear that indie shows won’t be able to compete with big-budget shows, and will eventually get edged out. Big budget shows also typically don’t do much to promote smaller shows.

So, where do I stand? Personally, I take the middle ground. I think that it is a fair concern that normies won’t expand beyond big-budget shows. However, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possibility of them finding indie shows. I have seen several people who got into audio dramas from Realm, QCODE, or Welcome to Night Vale find their way to places like the r/audiodrama subreddit, and other places that indie creators and fans congregate. There’s a lot of insanely talented people working in the indie community. If they only had bigger budgets, and more resources, who knows what wonders they could create? Well, several big-budget audio drama companies have begun to recruit people from the indie community specifically to utilize their skills and expertise. So, I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of audio drama.

Having said all of that, I do very much understand the concern that big-budget companies might try to monopolize the audio drama market. Who is Cam Candor? taps into these fears, but does so in a humorous and satirical way. And hey, apparently the Great Purge that lead to the downfall of indie audio dramas happened in 2025. I am writing this in mid-2022, and indie audio dramas are very much alive a well. Also, part of that backstory mentions Facebook attempting to branch into podcasting. In the real world, Facebook did indeed try to branch into podcasting…but said attempt quickly died a swift death, and Facebook Podcasts discontinued not long after it was launched. So, I’d say we don’t have to worry about the dystopia of Who is Cam Candor? happening any time soon.

But Who is Cam Candor? is more than just a satire. It is also a celebration of the indie audio drama community. Cam Candor was, apparently, one of the most prolific creators of audio dramas. However, they only made one episode for each of their shows. I guess Cam Candor was unaware of what anthology shows are. Anyway, many of these shows are quirky and unconventional. For example, Mr. Fezziwhig Talks Crumpets follows a man from the Victorian Era who hosts a radio show about cooking. B.K. Will notes that this is rather odd, given that radio hadn’t been invented during the Victorian Era. Evidently, B.K. Will has never heard of steampunk or alternate history. Then there’s Filthy Nuns of the Holy Roman Empire. It follows a gender ambiguous friar named Adbo in Medieval Italy. Adbo is taking confessions from a group of religious prostitutes, who have sworn vows of silence, and is recording these confessions in a manuscript. Amusingly enough, Medieval monasteries and nunneries did have reputation for being incredibly rowdy places.

Then there’s Dante 10th. It follows a sociopath finical advisor named Dante Hen. He’s so bad he winds up in the tenth circle of Hell; as opposed to the nine mentioned in The Divine Comedy. Huh, guess Cam Candor was really trying to put the comedy in The Divine Comedy. Of course, the real star of that particular Cam Candor offering is Satan, and his very campy personality. There are more Cam Candor shows, but I’ll leave them for you to discover.

There’s also a meta joke when B.K. Will discover that one of the signatures of a genuine Cam Candor show is that it includes the sound of a snare drum between breaks in the action. Joke is, this is one of Ann Sloan’s signature sound inclusions in all of her shows.

I see the shows of Cam Candor as symbolic of the indie audio drama community. You get a lot of very quirky and off-the-wall shows. Many of them take the form of comedies, but there’s also serious shows. The fact that most Cam Candor show end after only one episode could be a reference to how several indie shows end after one or two seasons. Hey, sometimes life gets in the way, and unforeseen consequences happen. Let us take a moment to mourn the fact that Lights Out and The Hermes & Hekate Road Show only lasted for one season each.

The quirky and unconventional nature of the indie community is one of the things I love best about it. Sure, not every show can be to everyone’s taste, but there’s always so many great shows to discover. I’ve always found that, for all their flash and cinematic soundscapes, the big-budget show tend to be a bit lacking when it comes to plot. It always feels like something is missing in those big-budget shows. I guess it’s like the differences between eating at a local mom and pop restaurant vs eating at a chain restaurant. You can certainly find tasty food at a chain restaurant, but maybe it won’t hit he spot like your favorite local family-run restaurant does.

However, fictional podcasts, as in ones that only exist in-universe, aren’t the only shows to be found on Who is Cam Candor? Shannon K. Perry, the creator of the audio drama Oz-9, appears as a fictional version of herself. Apparently, Oz-9 got adapted into a theme park attraction and a series of movies. Sounds pretty good, but it is mentioned that the corporations started executing a lot of editorial control over the audio dramas they snatched up. Said control was always to the detriment of what made the shows great. I was vaguely familiar with Oz-9 prior to listening to Who is Cam Candor? However, this cameo peaked my interest, and made me want to check out Oz-9 for myself. I hope that other audio drama creators get to make appearances in future seasons of Who is Cam Candor? 

We also meet a formed audio drama critic who is now a wine/mattress critic. Well, guess I know what I’d be doing in this scenario. 

Now, let’s talk about the voice acting. Ann Sloan takes on not just writing duties, but also voices B.K. Will. She has previously done voice acting, of a sort, in The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. Though, that was mostly bickering with Siri during the commercial segments. Still, she does a fantastic job here. Really captures that investigative podcaster feel. Samantha Gordon, who plays Carlötta from The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles, appears briefly as a receptionist in one episode. And it goes without saying that the voice acting in all of Cam Candor’s in-universe shows is really great. So, points all around for the voice acting.

The about section on the Who is Cam Candor? website is written in the style of the in-universe podcast. I thought that it was a fun touch.

Okay, all well and good, but what do I think about Cam Candor’s identity. Well, to be perfectly honest, I’ve got nothing. This is an Ann Sloan show, so anything goes. Given the limitless possibilities, I have no idea where this show is heading. However, I can’t wait to find out.

Well, there you have it. Who is Cam Candor? is a a satirical look at the fears and anxieties of the indie audio drama community. At the same time, it is also a celebration of the boundless creativity of the indie community. I don’t know where this show is heading, but I’m eager to find out.

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

The Audio File: The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles

It is a new year, and that means there are new reviews of audio dramas to be had. There’s nothing really more for me to add, so I’ll get straight to the point. We’re taking a look at The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. 

Kitty Kinicki was just a girl from Picatinny, New Jersey. She had big dreams, and she knew that she should expect more out of life than working at the town armory and eating chicken parm on Sunday nights. So, she decided to throw caution to the wind. She moved to Hollywood with big dreams of becoming an actress. To that end, she would need to reinvent herself. So, she picked a new name, a name as glamorous and exciting as her dreams: Carlötta Beautox! Carlötta has high hopes…but her acting abilities leave something to be desired. Still, come hell or high water, she will do whatever it takes to become a famous celebrity. Gird your loins, Hollywood, because here comes Carlötta Beautox!

The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles is created by Ann Sloan and is a member of the Fable & Folly network of podcasts. Amusingly, it turns out that the Fable & Folly network exists in Carlötta’s world as well. There’s a scene during season three where Carlötta goes to a podcast convention. She learns about what audio dramas are, and of one team that is creating a comedy set in Hollywood. To this Carlotta responds, “So, not in space, or a fantasy realm?” This is s sly reference to fellow Fable & Folly shows We Fix Space Junk and Alba Salix, Royal Physician.

I first became aware of The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles while listening to…hmm, which Fable & Folly show was it? I want to say either We Fix Space Junk or Alba Salix. Probably wasn’t Harlem Queen. In any event, I had a gap in my listening schedule, and decided to give The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles a try. It only took a few episodes before I was hooked, and before long I’d listened to the entire show. How can I best describe The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles? Well, start with The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but with the rules of reality turned down even lower. Actually, send the rules of reality out to lunch, and make damn sure they don’t return. Add a pinch of paint fumes for flavor, and you have this audio drama.

The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles is almost completely lighthearted and silly. There’s nary a serious moment to be found, and the show is all the better for it. The show has a great theme song, and the lyrics change every season to reflect major developments in Carlötta‘s life. Let’s take a look at the cast of characters who inhabit this world, shall we?

As I have said, Carlötta has high hopes, but zero talent. To give one example among many, in the first episode she gets cast as a corpse on Castle. She had to keep perfectly still and play dead, but manages to fails rather spectacularly. But hey, she did make number eleven on Variety’s “Top 10 Extra’s Nobody Want to Work With” list. So, win some lose some, I guess. In terms of intelligence, Carlötta is somewhere between a sack of bricks and a bag of half-eaten cannolis. Still, despite how funny it is to listen to her fail, she’s endearing enough that we all want to see her succeed, even if only a little. Carlötta supplements her acting gigs, such as they are, by working various odd jobs. Among other things, she’s been a dog-walker, a personal assistant, and even babysat some alpacas. She thought they’d be alpacas sweaters, not literal alpacas, despite a galactic-sized amount of evidence to the contrary. Carlötta is voiced by Samantha Gordon, who is clearly having an absolute blast with the role.

Of course, Carlötta wouldn’t get anywhere without her trusty manager/landlord Dave. He helps find acting roles, and assorted odd jobs, for Carlötta. He’s actually pretty good at it too. For example, he manages to score Carlötta a job selling merchandise at Cannes. Yes, the world famous film festival, and what’s really surpassing is that they usual don’t sell…oh dear, that’s not correct at all. I’m sorry everyone, that was my mistake. Let’s take it from the top, shall we?

What I meant to say is that Dave gets Carlötta a job selling merchandise at Cans, the largest porno convention in America. In his defense, Carlötta can’t really afford to be picky with her jobs. And hey, at least it was selling porno merchandise, not actually being in a porno. And Dave does usually get better gigs for Carlötta. He gets her a job in a film where she plays an Irish person. Naturally, Carlötta felt the need to take a DNA test just to be sure she wasn’t committing cultural appropriation of Irish culture. Thankfully, Carlötta is part Irish, and part, well, just about everything. She even has DNA from nations that don’t have set ethnicity, like Canada. Did I mention that the rules of reality are out to lunch on this show? As you can see, while The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles does occasionally touch on serious and/or controversial issues, it does so with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Dave is voiced by Trevör Lissauer. Dave sounds kind of like Gubbin from The Axe and Crown, and I initially thought it might be the same voice actor, but I was wrong.

Dave also took a DNA test, and discovered that he is 100 percent Neanderthal. Interestingly, most humans, other than those of predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry, have a small amount of Neanderthal DNA. I myself am 2.1 percent Neanderthal. Of course, having near 100 percent would be pretty much unheard of, but again, this isn’t a show where reality is on the guest list. Dave does later discover that he is distantly related to a minor British noble named Dame Pickles. He goes to the United Kingdom to visit her, and winds up with a mouth full of spotted dick when Carlötta calls him unexpectedly.

It’s a type of British steamed pudding, get your minds out of the gutter. Yeah, The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles gets a lot of mileage out of words and phrases that have multiple meanings. One episode see Carlötta get a visit from her Aunt Flo. No, not her period, her Aunt Florence. She is referred to as Literal Aunt Flo by everyone for the rest of the episode. In another episode, after eating wild berries, Carlötta goes on a vision quest and receives wisdom from the Fairy God Cougar. As in, a magical talking mountain lion, not the other kind of cougar. Although, the way the Fairy God Cougar talks certainly brings the other kind of cougar to mind.

Rounding out the main trio is Siri. Yes, the virtual assistant from Apple. She’s rather snarky and sarcastic, constantly makes fun of Carlötta. Of course, during the ads, Siri gives Ann Sloan no end of grief. You know, I do wonder if Ann Sloan might be drawing from her own life, at least a little, for Carlötta‘s misadventures. Some of the jokes about living in a small town in New Jersey do feel like they’re poking fun in an affectionate sort of way. Ann and Carlötta also both moved to Hollywood with dreams of big success.

In any event, there are a lot of references to current celebrities, as is to be expected. Normally, this would potentially limit the shelf life of a series. However, I think that The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles has some staying power. Mel Brooks once said that a parody should still be funny even if you don’t know what it is making fun of. I would argue that The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles falls into this category. It is still perfectly funny even if you don’t know who all of the celebrities are.

But which celebrities make appearances? I’ll give a few examples. The first episode, being on the set of Castle, features a cameo by Nathan Fillion. Well, the voice actor sounded nothing like him, but knowing this show, I’m tempted to say that was deliberate. Another episode sees Carlötta discover that a beloved talk show host is, in fact, a terrible person. Said host is only identified under the fake name of Helen. Hmm, talk show host, name rhythms with Helen, scandalous secrets…I’m stumped. Could be anyone really. What’s that now? Ellen DeGeneres? Why ever do you say that?

Carlötta frequently says that Khloe Kardashian is her spirit animal, and even gets to meet her at the end of season one. The voice actress playing her sounds fairly spot-on. Ooh, Carlötta better be carful. Native America social media activists aren’t going to take kindly to her using the term spirit animal. Native Americans have some serious reservations about that sort of thing. There are several other celebrity cameos, but I’ll leave those for you to discover. Even the ones I couldn’t place still managed to be funny, so I usually got the gist of the jokes.

Well, I think that covers everything not related to serious spoilers. Yes, even a show like this has serious plot-line related spoilers. If you want to know why I said “paint fumes” when describing this show, well, you’ll see when you get to the end of season one.

Suffice it to say, I am very glad that I gave this show a chance. The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles is a wacky, zany, tongue-in-check look at Hollywood and celebrity culture. It is lighthearted, silly, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is a lot of fun. I strongly recommend that you give it a listen today.

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

The Audio File: Alba Salix, Royal Physician

As I've said, on multiple occasions, sometimes it takes a bit before I get to some of the more popular, or more recommended, audio dramas out there. However, I usually wind-up falling in love with them once I finally give them a listen. Without further preamble, let's get into today's review. We're taking a look at Alba Salix, Royal Physician.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lives a witch named Alba Salix. She's the head of the House of Healing, and oversees all the medical clinics in the Kingdom of Farloria. Alba is joined by her assistant, a fairy named Holly. She's the chief herbalist at the House of Healing. Recently, the House of Healing has also taken on a former monk named Magnus. He's providing public service in lieu of a debt he owes. There's plenty of laughs and fun times to be had as the House of Healing team handles a new case each episode.

I'd seen Alba Salix recommended a few times in the "you may also like" section of my Apple podcast app. However, what finally convinced me to give it a try was a promo I listened to. It played at the end of an episode of We Fix Space Junk I was listening to. Alba Salix, Royal Physician and We Fix Space Junk are both part of the Fable and Folly network of podcasts. It is the same network that Harlem Queen is part of. The promo sounded promising, but what really won me over was the theme music. It is a combination of Medieval-style flutes and modern electric guitars. Snippets of the theme music are used for scene transitions. It perfectly encapsulates the style that Alba Salix goes for; a stereotypical fairytale setting, but with modern humor and sensibilities. Also, the theme music sounds completely awesome. If only we had an extended version of it.

So, I figured, even if I didn't like the show, at least I'd get to listen to the awesome theme music. I gave it a try, genuinely enjoyed the episodes, and now here we are. You guys know my thing about how I prefer non-British accents in fantasy audio dramas. Well, Alba Salix is the first to give me Canadian accents in a fantasy setting. The production team is based in Toronto. I should add they don't sound stereotypically Canadian, except for Holly at times, but they don't sound British, and that is a net positive. Not that I'm completely opposed to British people on fantasy settings, but I find British accents to be over represented in fantasy. I feel that, at times, fantasy fiction is a bit like 19th Century India: it suffers an excess of British accents.

As you might have gathered, Alba Salix is a sitcom in a stereotypical fairytale world. And you might also recall my love of the Shrek movies, which took a similar approach to their setting. So, that was another point in favor of Alba Salix. There are plenty of nods and references to classic fairytales and fairytale adaptations. For example, while on an ingredient run gone wrong, Holly comes across a cottage full of three bowls of porridge. One is too hot, one is too cold, and one is just right. Naturally, said cottage is owned by a family of three bears. In another episode, cute little animals offer tips to help Magnus with his chores. However, he blows them off repeatedly, and they get miffed. So, when he finally gives in and asks for help, they give him deliberately bad advice to teach him a lesson.

Now, let's talk about the characters. We'll start with the title character herself. Alba is one of the only people in Farloria with more than a few atoms of common sense and rationality. As such, she plays the straight woman to the antics of Holly, Magnus, Queen Parabel, and pretty much everyone else in Farloria. She's cynical, grouchy, and snarky. But considering what she has to put up with on a daily basis, it isn't hard to see why. Still, despite it all, it is clear that, deep down, she does genuinely care about Holly and Magnus. You don't often see older female characters playing major roles in fantasy fiction, and Alba is a nice change of pace. Despite Alba being the title character, there were times it felt that Magnus and Holly were the true focus of the show. Though, I suppose that's a side effect of Alba serving as the voice of reason. Magnus and Holly can screw-up more easily than she can. Alba is voiced by Barbara Clifford.

Also, Alba's name is a bit of a pun. Salix alba is the scientific name for white willow. Its bark contains salicylic acid, which can be used to make aspirin.

Holly is a fairy who serves as the herbal specialist at the House of Healing. She's almost perpetually cheery, sunny, and happy-go-lucky. It's always really cute when she gets excited and says "Yay!" Holly likes to sing while she works, and is always eager to help out, but has a tendency to be a bit of scatterbrain. For example, she loves to cook, but believes that the most important part of cooking his having fun, rather than following recipes and directions. This line of thinking once resulted in a batch of cookies that caused everyone who ate them to sprout tails. Holly also has terrible handwriting, which causes issues with labeling ingredients. But hey, at least bad handwriting is expected in the medical profession. About the only thing that can truly rattle Holly is the fear that she might be a bad fairy. Thankfully, Alba always assures her that she's a good fairy.

Holly is voiced by Olivia Jon. Personally, I hope we'll learn how Holly came to work for Alba at some point. Holly definitely doesn't seem like someone Alba would seek out of her own volition.

Magnus used to be a monk at the Dragon Mountain Monastery. Unfortunately, due to a martial arts performance gone horribly wrong, he incurred quite a bit of debt. So, he's working for Alba as a form of community service. Magnus has a tendency to slack-off, and otherwise shirk his chores and assignments. He also isn't above scamming the patients in order to make quick money. He wants to learn magic, but has a rather cavalier towards safety and rules. Naturally, he tends to butt heads with Alba. Still, though she wouldn't be quick to admit it, deep down Alba does care about Magnus. It is hinted that Alba sees a lot of herself in Magnus. Magnus has a sort of brother-sister relationship with Holly. They argue and squabble, as siblings are want to do, but when the chips are down they're there for each other. Magnus is voiced by Julian Sark.

Parabel is Queen of Farloria and is also Alba's younger sister. Many years ago, King Gunther was turned into a goat by a curse. Three sisters came to the kingdom in hopes of breaking the curse. Alba was the oldest sister, and tried to use a spell, but it didn't work. Parabel was able to break the curse with true loves kiss. As such, King Gunther promptly married her once he became human again. True, Alba missed her shot at being queen, but she doesn't strike me as type who would enjoy that sort of lifestyle. And hey, she got to be head of the House of Healing. Like most siblings, they tend to bicker, and don't always see eye-to-eye. Parabel's royal decrees often given Alba no end of headaches. For example, at one point Parabel orders that the all gardens within sight of the palace be uprooted and filled with nice looking flowers. This included the herb garden at the House of Healing. Alba and the gang need those herbs to make potions and healing salves. Parabel is voiced by Marisa King.

Not much to say about King Gunther. He seems like a reasonably nice guy; if a bit too indulgent of Parabel at times. He is voiced by Geroge Bertwell, who also voiced the badgers from the time Holly and Magnus had to go to Badger Town. That was especially funny. The badgers all sounded like Mr. Meeseeks from Rick and Morty, and it made me laugh.

In season two, Alba and company have to put up with Antalia Pearcey. She's in charge of overseeing all magical things and practitioners in the kingdom. As such, she imposes some very strict regulations on the House of Healing. Alba and the gang constantly chafe under these regulations, but to be fair, Mrs. Pearcey did have a point about the House of Healing being disorganized, and that the jars needing better labels, and that making Magnus sleep in the old tool shed was a bit much. Actually, she raised a lot of good points, but seeing Alba and company trying to comply with the regulations made for good episodes. Antalia is voiced by Elaine O'Neal.

There is a series of mini-episodes that take place between seasons one and two. They're meant to help hold everyone over while season three is in production. They're really fun little vignettes that provide some amusing (mis)adventures for the characters. I particularly liked the one where Magnus and Holly had to collect dragon tears by going to a dragon opera. They had to deal with stuffy well-to-do dragons who considered them riff-raff. Another fun one is where Holly finds a pigeon, which she believes to be a person turned into a pigeon, and is determined to do whatever to take to help it. That one was written, and featured a guest appearance, by Beth Crane of We Fix Space Junk. From this, we must conclude that Alba Salix actually takes place in the world of We Fix Space Junk. Well, actually not really, but they are both members of Fable and Folly. And I'm just saying, we have seen a couple pseudo-medieval planets in We Fix Space Junk. 

There is another series set in the same world as Alba Salix, Royal Physician. It is called The Axe and Crown, and can be found in the same podcast feed Alba Salix is found in. The Axe and Crown follows a troll named Gubbin who owns a tavern, really more of a dive bar, named The Axe and Crown in the run-down part of town. Business is, if not exactly booming, then reasonably well. But the times they are a changing. The Axe and Crown has a new landlord named Stan. He's the son of the deceased former landlord, and is very excited to be part of The Axe and Crown, much to Gubbin's dismay. Before long, Gubbin's niece Betula comes to town to work for the black-market guild. Together, the three of them work together to keep their heads above water, and keep The Axe and Crown from going out of business.

Each season of The Axe and Crown is set between season of Alba Salix. They usually have twice as many episodes as Alba Salix, but the episodes are only half as long, so it evens out. Much of the comedy comes from the contrast between Gubbin and Stan's personalities, and general outlook on life. Gubbin is an almost stereotypical surly bar owner. He's cynical, sarcastic, and places an emphasis on practicality, and sticking with the way things have been. One of the biggest contrasts between Gubbin and most dive bar owners is that he is gay. His ex-boyfriend Johann used to be the head chef at The Axe and Crown, but then he cheated on Gubbin and run off to work at another pub. Gubbin was so heartbroken he boarded up the kitchen door for many years afterwards.

Stan, by contrast, is a wide-eyed idealist with a generally sunny disposition. He's kind of like one of those sheltered rich progressives who want to change the world, but don't have much in the way of real-world experience. He frequently gets knocked on his ass, literally and metaphorically, but always manages to dust himself off and get back up.

Betula is a bit like Gubbin, but with better social skills, and maybe not quite as cynical. Stan thinks she's the most beautiful woman he's ever met. Gubbin thinks Stan is nuts, well, more so than usual, but it is soon hinted that Betula returns Stan's feelings. Betula wants to try her hand at cooking. She's pretty good at making traditional troll foods. Unfortunately, troll food isn't exactly edible by human standards. But hey, at least she's learning and getting better.

As much as they can get on each other's nerves, at the end of the day, all three members of The Axe and Crown genuinely do care about each other. One of the biggest challenges facing The Axe and Crown is that a Bucket Pub has moved in across the street. They're a pub chain whose names are always something plus bucket; Badger and Bucket, Unicorn and Bucket, Walrus and Bucket, etc. They have many things that Stan is envious of, such as outdoor patios, brunch service, and designer craft beers. Many episodes of The Axe and Crown involve our main trio trying to outwit the Bucket Pub, or else take them down a peg.

The theme music for The Axe and Crown isn't quite as catchy as the theme music for Alba Salix, but it did grow on me with time. It involves a lot of snare drums and horn. It's unpolished and rough around the edge, just like the titular pub.

So, there you have it. Alba Salix, Royal Physician and The Axe and Crown, are fun and funny fairytale sitcoms. Don't wait around like I did, go give them both a listen today. They are well worth your time.

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