The Audio File: A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation

I’m back with another requested review. This one has talking foxes, rediscovering roots, and even a bit of chicken korma. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation. 

Rusty is a fox that has lived in London his entire life. He and his friends get by scavenging food from rubbish bins. Chicken korma is their favorite. But lately, Rusty has grown disillusioned with urban life. His mom died from asthma caused by the smog and pollution, and his dad got run over by a taxi. Rusty’s dad was from the countryside before he met Rusty’s mom and moved to the city. Rusty wants to get back to nature and reconnect with his rural roots. Well, he hasn’t really experience true wilderness before. Still, he’s going to find the forest his dad grew up in, and reconnect with his estranged family. How hard can it be? And he’s going to record it all as part of a podcast he’s making.

This was another audio drama I received a request to review. Series creator Lisa Emily Petersen emailed me requesting a review. It took a while, between my day job at the Shreveport Aquarium, working on The Books of Thoth, and working on the new season of Residents of Proserpina Park. But I finally managed to get around to listening to A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation.

The audio drama this most reminds me of is Lights Out. They’re both dramdies that follow casts of semi-anthropomorphic animals. That is, the characters physically look like regular animals, but mentally, they’re basically human. And get into human-like shenanigans, with a animal coat of paint. Lights Out is a true gem of an audio drama, and I was delighted to find an audio drama that reminded me of it.

Amusingly, there is a kernel of truth to A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation. Scientists have observed some foxes adapting to life in urban areas. In fact, some scientists believe we’re witnessing the birth of a new subspecies of red foxes. These urban foxes are smaller on average. Easier to blend in and hide that way. And they primarily subsist by scavenging scraps of human food. Though, no word on whether they consider chicken korma superior to other curries. Also, as far as we know, none of these foxes have figured out how to create podcasts.

In some ways, this audio drama feels like an analogy for the experiences of diaspora kids. Children of immigrants grow up hearing stories about their parents’ homelands. It isn’t uncommon for them to wonder if the grass might be greener in the lands of their ancestors. Of course, it's also far from uncommon for them to discover that their parents’ countries have plenty of issues of their own. That, and these diaspora children discover they aren’t always welcomed with open arms, or automatically considered a member of the tribe.

I also see some parallels to…well, people experience a quarter life crisis, I suppose, but even that doesn’t feel quite right. The type who will convert to a new religion, like Buddhism or Paganism, and advocate getting back to nature and living in harmony with Mother Earth. Okay, Rusty isn’t quite that hippie dippie. The point being, they’re the type to take up farming, or living off the land, only to discover that it's actually much harder than they expected. 

A particularly tragic example of this was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He decided to try living off the land in the Alaskan bush. He was constantly starving, he couldn’t get back to civilization because he miscalculated the flooding of the river, refused to use a map and then probably starved to death. Though, some people think he accidentally ate a poisonous plant. 

On a brighter note, one of the major themes of A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation is that people are often more than they seem. Characters are frequently introduced in a way that paints them as one note, and often in a very unflattering light. However, later on it will turn out that they have hidden depths. People, and foxes, are complex and multifaceted.

Now, let’s talk about the characters. Rusty, of course, is our protagonist, and host of the in-universe podcast. We never find out how exactly he’s able to operate all of that podcast equipment without opposable thumbs or flexible digits. But details, details. He’s still the number one fox podcast creator. He’s also the only podcast creator who is also a fox, but hey, less competition. Rusty has high hopes for his journey into the wilderness. Suffice it to say, reality hits him like an eighteen wheeler and top speed.

Most of Rusty’s friends think he’s completely crazy out his head. However, he does have one supporter: his best friend Finnick. Get it, like a fennec fox. Anyway, Finnick initially seems like he's the typical best friend character. That is, always supporting Rusty, and having everything about him revolve around Rusty. However, Finnick has more of a spine to him. Rust and Finnick fall head over heels for Amber the Sexy Fox. And yes, that is how she’s listed in the show credits. She’s the most beautiful vixen either of them has either seen. 

Naturally, they have a slap-off. Apparently, that’s a thing foxes actually do to establish dominance. Finnick wins, and he had earlier advocated to Amber should be the one to pick which of them she wants. Nice foxes, it would seem, do not finish last. Of course, we later learn that Amber is into polyamory, so the point is a bit moot. But it was funny to listen to Rusty having to be kept up all night by Finnick and Amber…making baby foxes.

Yeah, despite the premise involving talking animals, A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation is not a kids show. Nor is it appropriate for kids. Besides the sex scene, there’s a bit of swearing, references to affairs, and references to alcohol. All well and good, but I do have to ding them in one regard. During the “not for kids” warning we are advised to keep our cubs out of the den. While this is technically acceptable, the more common name for a juvenile fox is kit. Though, points for having Rusty refer to himself as a tod, one of the terms for a male fox.

And another point for having Lucy the Canada Goose sing the sea shanty “Heave Away.” In my day job at Shreveport Aquarium, I will occasionally play the role of Captain Bones the Pirate. Sometimes, to get the kids excited, I’ll get them to do a pirate dance while I sing sea shanties. “Heave Away” is one of my go-to’s. Though, at times Lucy kind of sounded…well, back when Hugh Laurie was best known for A Bit of Fry and Laurie, his attempts to imitate an American accent were a bit off. Like, it was clearly American, but didn’t sound like any of the American regional accents. In fact, at times he sounded a bit constipated. Lucy kind of sounded like that to me, minus the constipation.

I also loved Fitzgerald the Cat. He was a lovable rouge who helped Rusty get out of several jams. I enjoyed the scene where he introduces Rusty to the wonders of wine, and tells him that humans engage in cannibalism every Sunday. They should probably not have been drinking that, given that wine is highly toxic to cats and foxes. Then again, in large enough quantities, it is to humans too. And based on a throw away line, foxes like to eat chocolate, another toxic substance, to get high. In fact, Rusty and his ex-girlfriend were going to move in behind the M&M store. So, uh, yeah, Rusty dodged a bullet on that one.

So, once Rusty makes it to the countryside he has to deal with fox hunters. I know that it is possible to obtain guns in Britain, but significantly harder than in America. For example, in British crime shows, a suspect using a gun is incredibly shocking. In American crime shows…it’s a pretty typical Thursday.

Now, obviously, Rusty reconnects with his family. However, that’s going to be part of the spoilers section. So, if you don’t want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, sure you want to continue?

Okay, with that out the way, let's get into it.

Rusty’s country cousins are an eclectic bunch. We’ve got his Aunt Hillary. She drinks a bit too much, and she’s having an affair with a badger. But she seems reasonably…decent, I suppose. Then there are his cousins Cricket and Minnow. They consider literal dog shit to be the height of cuisine. He does have another cousin named Flint who shares his love of podcasting. Flint practically worships the ground Rusty walks on. And then we have Elder Estelle. She’s the oldest fox in the area. Why, she just turn four not to long ago. Wait, if four is considered old, how old is Rusty supposed to be?

And rounding out the group is Uncle Graham. Graham is very surly and a bit of a curmudgeon. You see, long ago he loved a beautiful vixen. And he even won the slap off for her paw. Unfortunately, she was a foodie, and the other fox wooed her with some delicious chicken korma. The two of them ran off to London together, and Graham never forgave his brother for stealing his girl.

Surprise! Rusty’s mom was the vixen that came between Uncle Graham and Rusty’s dad. And that’s why Graham taught everyone in his clan to shun delicious chicken korma, and embrace literal dog shit. Granted, the fact that his wife is having an affair with a badger probably doesn’t help.

So, yeah, we started off with fish out of water humor, and we end with family drama, but still comedy. And it all still works.

I enjoyed the scene where Rusty tells off his family for looking down on him for his city ways. I’ve had similar issues with my own family not understanding my interests. And yes, that includes both creating and reviewing audio dramas, and my work with the aquarium.

But it was nice he was able to patch things up with everyone in the end. It was especially amusing that Amber’s slightly hippie-ish methods worked. Just talking things out and using I statements. For example, instead of saying “You’re a dickhead” say instead “I feel that you’re a dickhead.” Actually, that’s not how that’s supposed to work, and Amber says as much, but it was funny that they actually went with that joke.

I also love how the audio drama ends. After everyone has made up we are treated to the sounds of the forest, which transitions to the sounds of the city. The message being that home isn’t a physical place. It’s wherever the people who love you and care about you are. And, you know, having access to chicken korma doesn’t hurt.

So, there you have it. A Fox’s Guide to Deurbanisation is a fun, lighthearted audio drama about a city fox trying to reconnect with his rural roots. It’s got humor, heart, and a cast of fluffy red foxes. Listen to it today, preferably with some chicken korma on hand.

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

The Audio File: Witch, Please!

I’ve caught up with the seasons of previously reviewed shows. So, now I’m trying to attend to my considerable backlog. That brings us to the subject of this review. We’re taking a look at the audio drama Witch, Please! 

Marnie is a witch who lives in a cave at the edge of the village. She’s not really evil, just kind of a mess. She’s still single even though she’s in her thirties, and that certainly won’t do. At least, that’s what everyone in her life keeps telling her. We’ll follow Marnie as she goes on blind dates, deals with nosy friends and relatives, and tries to decide if she even wants a romantic partner.

I was approached to review this audio drama by series creator Yasmine Alice. She personally emailed me. Now, I’m a bit wary about giving my email address to strangers on the internet. But there are a few places you can find it. Such as the critics list on GreatPods, or on the Residents of Proserpina Park cast page. I’m guessing the former is how Yasmine found me. But I’m willing to give it out to those who ask. You can always reach out to me on BlueSky, Reddit, or Instagram. Or leave a comment on one of my review posts.

Yasmine has founded her own media company called Baset Productions. An obvious nod to the cat goddess from Egyptian Mythology. As someone who named his own audio drama after Thoth, the god of wisdom in Egyptian Mythology, I approve. Yasmine hopes that Witch, Please! will be the first of many audio drama productions. Though, her biggest dream is to voice act in a cartoon. Yasmine has eleven years of experience providing narration for commercials and audiobooks.

Yasmine pitched the show to me by explaining that Witch, Please! was inspired by her own experiences. She had to deal with well meaning, but severely misguided, friends and family. They all assumed she was depressed and miserable due to being an unmarried woman in her thirties. She comes from a Middle Eastern family, so she excepted their objections. Though, not so much the objections of her supposedly modern and progressive friends. However, let the record state that Yasmine is now in a stable and happy relationship.

Witch, Please! kind of reminded me, in terms of tone, of Shrek! by William Steig. Yes, Shrek was in fact a picture book before it became a movie. In the book, Shrek is every bit as evil as people claim. However, ogres have a bad is good, and good is bad, sort of morality. So, Shrek is actually acting morally by his species standards. And he’s incredibly entertaining. That’s the impression I get with Marnie. She swears in the name of Satan, makes weird potions, collects toenail clippings and bat wings. However, those are all things that come naturally to witches, and Marnie doesn’t seem like a bad person. She just wants to be left alone to do her own thing.

On the other hand, she does go on a date with a warlock, who is appalled that she isn’t actively trying to summon the devil. Apparently, this is the goal of all witches and warlocks, at least according to him.

Marnie’s best friend is a fellow witch named Rosamund. She is voiced by Lucy Wordsworth. Rosamund is constantly chipper and upbeat, and seems determined to get on Marnie’s last nerve. Though, that last part is probably because she constantly tries to set Marnie up on blind dates with…less than stellar men.

I should mention that Witch, Please! is only four episodes long, and clocks in at about thirty-two minutes. So, the characters are more archetypes, rather than fully fleshed out characters. Presumably, had it been longer, we might get more insight into why Marnie and Rosamund are friends. And if Marnie even has other friends, give that Rosamund is the only one ever mentioned.

In many ways, Witch, Please! is a subversion of the typical rom com formula. You’ve got the jaded heroine who has given up on love, the bubbly best friend, the nosy relatives, the bad dates. However, in this audio drama our jaded heroine throws up her hands and says “Screw this!” to the whole affair. She never finds her Prince Charming, and that’s okay. I particularly liked when she’s getting ready for her date with the warlock. She actually combs her hair for once, puts on a nice dress and lipstick, and…laughs to herself about all the great casual sex that is surely on the way.

Though, I will say there is an alternate solution to Marnie’s problems. It is mentioned that they sell slaves at the village market. So, why doesn’t Marnie buy a slave, and get him to pretend to be her boyfriend? Hmm, on the other hand, perhaps actively engaging in slavery would be too horrible even for a witch like Marnie.

Shifting gears, Marnie is described as unkempt and perhaps a little frumpy. However, if the series title card is anything to go off of, she isn’t that bad looking. In fact, some might say she’s kind of cute. And it isn’t her being self-conscious. The other characters frequently have to remind her to comb her hair.

There is a narrator who describes the set-up of each scene for us. He is voiced by Morrison James. The narrator gives Witch, Please! a lighthearted sitcom feel to it. That said, there were a couple times I felt the narrator was a bit superfluous. Like, there were certain scenes where I could easily figure out what was going on just based on the dialogue and sound effects.

Witch, Please is pretty clearly a first attempt at making audio drama. However, for a first attempt, it is well executed. The music and sound effects are on point. The voice acting is excellent for the most part. My only complaint was that the series felt a little too short for its own good. Maybe if it were just a little longer, we could flesh out the characters more, and they’d feel less like just archetypes. Also, knowing that Yasmine wants to get into cartoons, part of me wonders if this series might be something of a pitch reel to potential investors.

Now, I would like to take a moment to talk about the ending. As such, there will be spoilers. So, this is your chance to get off the ride.

Last chance, you sure you want to keep going?

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

So, during Marnie’s date with the warlock, he demonstrates a necromancy spell. Marnie halfheartedly copies it, but screws up the incantation. This caused a tombstone to explode, and a chunk lodges in the warlock’s head, killing him instantly. I kind of figured that Marnie wasn’t going to find Mr. Right by the end of the series. That was just the direction the show was heading. But I certainly wasn’t expecting her to murder one of her suitors. Well, it was an accident, so that makes it manslaughter, but still. So, we end with Marnie wiping the warlock’s splattered brains off her dress, and fretting about where to hide the body.

Like I said, I wasn’t expecting it, but I loved it. Until then, the series had been a decent, if a bit predictable, rom com subversion. After I listened to the ending, I thought “Now that’s how you end a series like this!” The ending is a big part of why I wish that Witch, Please! had a few more episodes to its name. It felt like the series was really hitting its stride and finding its footing.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any more episodes of Witch, Please! However, I feel that Yasmine Alice had proven herself capable of creating audio dramas. And I eagerly await to see what she’s going to cook up for us next.

So, there you have it. Witch, Please! is a semi-autobiographical fantasy non-rom-com. It flows a witch who just wants to do her own thing, and it ends with quite a bang. If you’re looking for a bite-sized audio drama, you can’t go wrong here.

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

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: The TEMP: Season 2

Welcome back to my review of The TEMP. We’re taking a look a season two this time. If you haven’t already checked out my review of season one, you can find it over here. With that out of the way, let’s get into season two.

Just a quick recap, The TEMP follows a man named Bernie Pfelger. He's a temporary worker, a temp if you will. He has worked many strange jobs, with many strange employers. We are joining him on all the wacky misadventures in his quest to find permanent employment. I realize that isn't much of a summary, but I promise that this is a good show. I was approached by series creator Michael Wilhelm to review this audio drama. He noticed my frequent posting of reviews in the Audio Drama Lovers Facebook group. I said yes, after I took care of a couple other reviews, and now here we are.

Episode Nine is titled "Mother's Nature." Bernie is having deal with a real mean girl at his latest office job. Her name is Maxine and she's got it out for temps, and Bernie is her latest target. Will Bernie innocence and charm win her over, or are more drastic measure required?

We have some new things this season. For example, the formerly instrumental theme song now has lyrics. It's a fun little ditty, as you might expect. Also, Bernie and Penny's daughter Menorah finally makes an on-screen appearance, for lack of a better way of putting it. She's dropped out of college...because she's making a six-figure salary reviewing stuff on YouTube. Bernie was worried that it involved nudity, but his fears are misplaced. Now, if it had been Twitch or OnlyFans, well, then he might have had a more legitimate concern.

Clearly, Menorah isn't reviewing audio fiction. You don't make...well, actually, I don't make any money doing this. It is a labor of love. Of course, that's partially on me. I don't run ads on this blog, because you guys have enough ads in your life, and I probably wouldn’t make much anyway. I don't have a Patreon, because I don't know what to give as rewards, and there are tons of audio dramas that deserve your money more than I do. I also take my reviews pro bono. I will never charge to review someone's show. Audio drama is expense enough as it is, and charging for reviews would be exploitative. Like I said, labor of love. But enough about me, back to the show.

So, Menorah is doing pretty well for herself. Though, I do understand Bernie's concern about her dropping out of college. I mean, imagine if her YouTube career fizzles out. She'd be wandering around aimlessly from temporary job to temporary job. Oh, everything would be fine for a bit, but then she'd inevitably get fired and have to find a new job. But what would Bernie possibly know about that?

Good thing The TEMP is a comedy. Bernie is a middle-aged white man being tormented by a young white woman. That sort of set-up, especially in the post-MeToo world, would not have ended well in a more serious show. Bernie would be at a serious disadvantage. Well, that and Bernie would have gotten into trouble for the scene where he wears a baseball cap backwards and goes "yo, yo, yo." In real life, somebody probably would have complained that he was being racist.

Still, I guess one of the upsides of Bernie constantly getting fired is that, no matter how terrible his job, it's only temporary. It's like Avenue Q says, everything in Bernie's life is only for now. Well, except for death and paying taxes, but hopefully he won't die anytime soon.

Episode Ten is called “Gumshoe.” Bernie gets a job working at the Marge in Charge Detective Agency. Despite the name, it’s actually Marge’s husband who is the head detective. Well, he’s kind of an idiot, and she does most of the work. But still, he’s still head detective on paper. Bernie mostly just holds down the fort while the detectives are away, but hey, he’s living his detective dream. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, there was a bit of unintentional bit of synergy in my life with this episode. I listened to it not long after beating all of the detective endings on Kyle is Famous. It is a Choose Your Own Adventure type game where you are a talk show host preparing for his latest episode. Well, that’s the basic plot. There are over 117 possible endings, and things can quickly go off the rails, and into complete insanity. You can become a ghost, time travel, or even show up to the interview totally naked. You can also have Kyle change jobs, one of which is being a detective. You’ll probably need a guide sooner or later, but it is worth it to experience Kyle is Famous in all its insane glory.

Anyway, back to The TEMP. Bernie mentions that it has been his lifelong dream to drive around in a van and solve mysteries. Does he also plan on adopting a Great Dane as part of this plan? Bernie, I really can’t sugarcoat this, so I’m going to give it to your straight: you’re simply too old to be a meddling kid. Also, I’m pretty sure meddling kids don’t get paid, and you can’t afford to be working pro bono. But hey, even if Bernie is too old to live out his Scooby-Doo fantasies, he’s still the right age to give us plenty of laughs and entertainment. I also realize that I’ve heard the theme music on certain commercials before, but nothing wrong with that. Audio drama is expensive, and royalty-free stock music is a good way to save on cost, while also utilizing a quality product.

This was, all things considered, another reasonably good episode.

Episode Eleven is “Meme, Myself, and I.” Bernie becomes a meme after accidentally eating some insanely spicy potato chips, and washing them down with copious amounts of milk. Bernie is suddenly inundated with job offers and opportunities. It’s almost too good to be true, but how long will it last?

This is another episode that shakes things up. Bernie gets fired halfway through the episode, but that’s when the real fun starts. We also see a different side of Menorah. When she first appeared, she seemed fairly sweet and kindhearted. Come this episode, I’m tempted to believe that Menorah is slightly evil. She’s the one who tricked Bernie into eating the spicy chips, and knew he’d make a fool of himself with the milk. I also appreciated the brief nod to Penny getting stuck in the mascot costume in episode two. Also, milk is indeed useful in combating spicy food. Water spreads the oils within chilis around your mouth, but milk bonds with the oils, and draws them away.

So, about the meme itself. The TEMP prides itself on being a family-friendly comedy audio drama. A bring this up because, in real life, I can see the memes getting very perverted very quickly. Given what milk looks like, it wouldn’t take long for places like 4chan, and the seedier parts of Reddit and Twitter, to take the meme in some very family-unfriendly directions.

I figured that Bernie’s meme would die fairly quickly. That’s just how it tends to go with the lifecycle of memes. Still, didn’t see him becoming a creepypasta. Well, it’s called Spooky Noodles, but it’s pretty clearly meant to be a parody of creepypastas. For those who don’t know, creepypastas are horror stories that are posted on the Internet. Bernie is reimagined as the Milky Man, which sounds vaguely similar to Slender Man. Maybe the company didn’t want to risk a repeat of the Slender Man Stabbings. Back in 2014, two girls attempted to murder their friend because they believed Slender Man want them to become his avatars. Before anyone clutches their pearls, I would point out the girls were determined to be suffering from mental illness, and were later committed to a psychiatric institute. Also, the creepypasta community held a fundraiser to raise money for the victim of the stabbings.

So, we’ve got another episode that decides to mix thing up, and I’m definitely here for it.

Episode Twelve is “Royal Flush.” Bernie decides that he’s stuck in a rut, and decides to shake things up. By that, I mean he tries out a different temp agency. He lands a pretty sweet position as a bathroom attendant at a very prestigious country club. The tips alone bring in quite a bit of money. It’s like a dream come true. But things rarely stay stable for long with Bernie.

There are indeed fancy places that have bathroom attendants. Said attendants offer visitors a variety of soaps, towels, cologne, and amenities. I suppose it seems kind of nice, but public restrooms always make me feel rather nervous, especially when there’s a lot of people in them.

Bernie is told that he cannot use the restroom himself. Employees have their own bathroom in the basement. It seemed like that was setting things up. I assumed Bernie would eat something that would disagree with him, and he would have no choice but to use the fancy toilets. That, or he’d try to hold it, but would wind up soiling himself. However, it seems that this was a red herring.

He does, however, find himself in the middle of a class war. Several of the other employees decide to revolt against the country club, and barricade the fancy bathroom. I guess you could say they were planning a shit-in. The leader speaks with a noticeable lisp, and he reminded me of Barry Kripke from The Big Bang Theory. He’s the one who says stuff like “Hewwo, Swelldon Cwoopa. It is me, Barwwie Kwipke.”

Well, Bernie learned a valuable lesson from all of this. If an offer seems too good to be true, chances are, it’s probably a load of shit.

Episode Thirteen is “Chemical Reaction.” He has been assigned to work at a toy factory. Bernie feels like he’s just gotten hired by Willy Wonka, and in a way he’s correct. That is, he’s not working in an office, but on the ground floor of the factory. So, he’s basically an Oompa Loompa. The toys are made using several highly toxic chemicals, and the factory is a very unsafe place in general. But hey, what’s the worst that could happen?

The episode description described the toy factory as progressive. I assumed this might mean that the episode would be poking fun at political correctness. This would be odd, as The TEMP is usually fairly apolitical. But this was not the case. The factory is a decidedly unsafe place to work, with numerous OSHA violations. I’d probably be just as nervous as Bernie was, if not more so. But hey, Bernie’s probably already been exposed to all sorts of horrible chemicals. Depending on how old Bernie is, his body is probably full of lead. It was used all the time in gasoline and paint back in the day. It’s just like how everyone in my generation are probably full of microplastics.

Usually, The TEMP is pretty episodic. However, this episode adds a bit of continuity. Bernie and his temp agent are still dealing with the consequences of the previous episode. In fact, Bernie thinks his agent set him up as revenge for going to a different temp agency. Oh, and in other Wonka references, Bernie calls his agent a Vermicious Knid. I guess we’ll have to see if this plot thread continues in future episodes.

So, Bernie has saved the day and stop a toxic factory. Well, there’s a decent chance the factory owners will regroup and move production somewhere else. Presumably, somewhere with fewer safety regulations, such as China or India. But hey, Bernie should count his wins no matter their size

Episode Fourteen is “Class Trip.” Bernie enrolls in a class that promises to help land him a permanent job. Bernie feels like he’s a kid in school again. The class covers things like rhymes, hopscotch, proper siting, and being efficient. Is this really going to help him be better? Does Bernie even need to be fixed?

This episode was deceptive. Well, to me it felt like it was. I have had many nightmares about having to repeat college and/or high school. I mean, overall I did enjoy my time in college, but I am glad to have finally put my formal education behind me. I’m still not entirely convinced that the teacher of the class wasn’t a cult leader. She takes away everyone’s cellphones, thereby limiting their contact with the outside world, constantly tries to shame and gaslight everyone, tries to get everyone to tie their self-worth to her approval, and she claims her method is the path to salvation. Sounds like a cult leader to me. When the teacher offers everyone juice boxes my first thought was “No, Bernie! Don’t drink the Kool-Aid!”

Speaking of our main man, we learn that he likes to watch the movie The Towering Inferno whenever he’s feeling down. Apparently, the sight of a skyscraper full of people burning to death calms him down. Well, now we know why Bernie has never been able to hold down a job. His agent did give him bad jobs, but with good reason. If Bernie stay in one place for too long, he might get bored, and give into his pyromaniac tendencies. Wait, a minute, Bernie is pretty heavily based upon Michael Wilhelm. Uh, will you please excuse me, I need to call the Fort Wayne, Indiana Police Department. That was a joke, just in case it wasn’t obvious.

This episode is probably the closest that The TEMP will come to a horror episode. I like the part where Bernie lists all of his accomplishments over the course of the series. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Episode Fifteen and Episode Sixteen are a two-part episode. The first half is “Lost & Alone” and the second half is “Lost In Space.” Bernie Pfelger is missing! Well, not really. He’s actually been brought in for questioning by some government agents. But hey, Penny and Menorah don’t know that. They’re determined to find Bernie no matter what it takes. Meanwhile, Bernie recounts his latest misadventure. He got hired as the personal assistant to a very eccentric genius at a rocket company. Bernie’s new boss had some truly out of this world ideas. Like wanting to launch himself into orbit to defend the Earth from aliens.

This was a lot of firsts for The TEMP. We had our first two-part episode. We also got to see Penny and Menorah take the lead for a good chunk of the first half. That was a fun change of pace. It was interesting to witness Bernie’s escapades from the perspective of someone other than Bernie himself. I initially wondered if Bernie’s new boss was going to be a parody of Elon Musk. However, this was not the case. He was more of a generic mad scientist type.

I also liked how there were some real space facts slipped in with the comedy. For example, seven miles-per-second is indeed the escape velocity for launching into Earth orbit. Also, Earth orbit is indeed filled with all sorts of junk and debris. This is a major problem, and is known as Kessler Syndrome. Basically, the more debris in orbit, the more likely collisions are; and the more likely those collisions set off the chain reaction of collisions. I also liked the bit with the radio transmissions coming from all around the world.

This two-part episode certainly didn’t crash on the launch pad. It was truly out of this world, and a fitting note to end season two on. 

We had a great first season of The Temp. Our second season not only continues this quality, but manages to shake things up and try new things. I’m very much looking forward to season three. Especially because I acted as a consultant for one of the episodes. But, uh, more on that when season three gets here. 

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.