This Week in Podcasts a weekly roundup of mini-reviews of all of the podcasts I’ve listened to in a week. If you see any podcasts that you feel are missing from my list, there’s a good chance I haven’t listened to the show yet! Feel free to give me recommendations–as well as any feedback or discussion!–in the comments below, in my asks on tumblr, or on twitter.
Sunday, 3/12/17
The Hilarious World of Depression
“PLACEBO: Billy Joel, Intrusive Thoughts Named Steve, and Nocturnal Carpentry”
The Placebo series on The Hilarious World of Depression is a set of small, feel-good, sugar pill episodes while the show proper is on hiatus in preparation for Season 2. This episode took some very surprising, and hilarious turns. I think the series will be the perfect way to keep listeners engaged during the break. Read my full review of the podcast here.
The Once and Future Nerd
“BOOK 2 PREMIERE: A Cruel and Sullied World, Pt. 1”
A wonderful introduction to Book 2 with attention to detail that’s become a trademark for this underrated show. Read my full review of the podcast here, including a very quick review of this week’s episode.
Monday, 3/13/17
The Penumbra Podcast
“2: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask UPDATE (Part 2)”
The Penumbra Podcast remains a show that baffles me in most ways. It has an active, beautiful fanbase, but the quality has just never impressed me very much, even in these remastered editions. The Penumbra Podcast is, consistently, a perfectly fine show. These remastered episodes are perfectly fine.
Hello from the Magic Tavern
“INTERLUDE – Scenes from Foon”
Oh, this show, this silly, silly show. I’ve never been much a fan of the Mysterious Man and Craig storyline, but when it’s done well, it’s certainly a nice departure from the standard episodes of the show. Hearing old characters is always fun, but especially when they meet up and interact. The real highlight of this episode for me was the segment with Arnor and the Soul Walker. It was especially crass, but any time the Soul Walker gets to speak casually is comedy gold.
Tuesday, 3/14/17
Code Switch
“Not-So-Simple Questions from Code Switch Listeners”
A painfully short episode from Code Switch these week with the hosts answering listeners questions. Each segment was so insightful and interesting, I gladly would have listened to a full hour’s worth of content on each–especially a brilliant takedown of the Hunger Games character Rue in response to the Magic Negro trope. The episode also had a history of the word “woke” in modern colloquium and what it means when applied to white people; a discussion of the question “Where are you from?” and its standard follow-up, “Okay, but where are you really from?”; and an analysis of American Received Pronunciation and the politics of dialect in regards to race, class, and power.
Note to Self
“Government Secrets Worth Leaking . . . or Keeping?”
Note to Self is so good at making me feel terrified and content at the same time. This week’s episode focused on how law enforcement officials can use devices called Stingrays to track cellphones, which is such an unnerving thought to me. As always, though, the episode didn’t feel overly foreboding or ominous. This was helped by rooting the episode in the story of Daniel Regmaiden, who wrote an investigative report on Stingrays while in jail.
Welcome to Night Vale
“104 – The Hierarchy of Angels”
I̸͍̝̾ͣ̂̆ͯͧͥ͌ ̤͎̩̤ͫd̯̲͕̪͈̳̱͖̏̇ͨ̓ͬ͠i͂̅ͤ͏͍͙͔̤͠d̢̨̩͖̙̲̳̟̋̐̋̒͠n̽ͥͮ͌ͤ̄̑͆̀҉͇͓͍͎̮̪͖͞’̲̘͓̮͚͎̫̻̅̇͋͌ͯ͠t͚̻̙̹͓͉̐ͤ̊̈̾̏̒͊ ̠̖̗̒ͤ͊ͤ́l̙̥͈̘͓̤̘̻͈̇̌̌ͤ̔i̭͓͖̭͓ͭ̋́k̫͇͚̜̓̔̈́͞e̪͔̤̝̭͔̐͗͑̽̚͞ ̸͖̠̣̓ͅi̵̠͉͕̙̣̼͙̦ͩ͊͘t̨̼̑ͤͪ̊̽́͠.̹͕̫͔̝͉͇͎̲̇̓̈́ͩ͒̀̇͝ ̤͍̝̥̱̟̬͛ͦ̿̑̎̚͟I̧ͬͪ͛̂̆̚͏̦͔͖̜͍̣̲̪͞ ̸̛̖͕̟̾ͥ̄͋̔͊ͥt̴̰̻ͤͭͭͪͪ̀͡ḩ̲͔̖̼̹͈̃͆ͅi͓̙̟͓͔̭̦̼ͣ͐͊ͦ̔͋ͤ͝n̛̮͚ͦͨ͂͂kͬ̓͛͒̓͋ͨͬ҉̫̭̳̬̞ ͍̹̘̯̺̮̬̙̞̇̄W̞̬̭͈̞̭ͯ̅̒͆ͅͅeͦ̒̉̀ͦ̐҉̸̡͍͙̳̟̺̙̖l̸̞̝̙̰͉̹̦͓̘ͤ̄̎ͯ̽͡ć̤͉͆͛̍̈͒ͩͦͭ͡o̶̙̟͚̭̜͆ͦͩͦͤ̎̔̇m̠̖͕͖͉͒̾̂̄e̴̸̵͓̥̹͔̱̹̙͗ ̰̟̗̗͖ͣt̤̝̦̂̒o̧͎̽͋́͐̓ͨ̐ͭ́ ̨̯̖͕̥̥̙̝͉̒̎͐̆Ņ̼̫͎͍̜̗̯̖̓̽̈̍ͥͭ̚͢͝ͅĭ͔̟̝̭̪̪͚̭̱̒̌ͨ̋ğ̶͉͙̦͎̰͉̙͐͂̎̆ͤ̉͛͡h̭̺̣͕̗͔͎̀̈ͦ̈́ͫͭͤ́t̝̹̲̪̟͕͕̠̯̃̌̀̚̚ ͒̀͊ͥ͛̄̾̓͏͉̹̤͕͙̦̦̀V̵̧̙͉̣̻̹͌̍͛̓ͩ̓͑̚͠a̠̞̪̩͐ͫ̇̄ͨ͒̈̏̕l̳̝̮̘̩ͯ͐ͤͯ͠ę̵̩̞̓̇ͮͤ̀ ̺̻͚̰͇ͩͫ̂̔ͩͧ́h̢͈̳͆ͤ̾ͨa̜̖̭̓̔̈̊͌̓̃̾͗̕s̸̝͍̲ͪ ̋҉͉͓̹ò̰̥̙̼̫̻͚ͪ̽͒͌ͫͪ͝v̸̞̦͑͒̀̇̇͋ȇ͚̟̰̙̝͖̘̲̹ͨrͪ͆ͩ̓͏͓̬̖̼̭͝s̴̛̲̺̺̰͚͎̻̲̔̽̽t̡̂͋̌ͭ̓͑͛ͨ҉̗̞̹̳̮͚ͅą̸͉͈̙̦̪̈́̏ͤ̓̇͡ͅÿ̻͉́̇͆͌ͤȇ̐͢͏̹̬̱̭̼̩̩͔̀d̛̮͙̖̗͚͉̽̐̏͒̋̚ ͉̘̥̟̼̥̎͆͞i͕̻ͦ̈́͟͟t̢̬̖͚͆͑͐ͅs̛̥̝̽̓ͬͧ͗̽͢͢ ̨͔̔̇̀ŵ͎͈͕̣͇̳̮̰̩̎̀̈́ḙ̷͇̙̲̝̩͛ͩ̆ͨl̖̗̖ͯͬ̆̀̌́̅ͪ̌c̳͈̠ͪ̒̒̔͛̆͞ȯ͍̠̭͚̗̾ͭm̡̹ͫ̇ͪ̿ͧ͂e̡̮̹͚̬͍̬̦̾̑ͦͥͩ̉͐ͮ;͙͚͙ͫ̇ͬ͑ͧͪ ͕͚̣̹̯ͦ͆́ͨͧ͐͐̊ͨị̭̩̼̪̭̞̰̔ͮ̇͊̈́̂ͣ͠t͇͚̹̗̼͖͐ͤͮ̐̍͘͠ͅͅ ̢̨͖̗͇̂̾̄̐̓͑̚͝ș͉̾̋͆̚u͓̯̭̱͋̀ͪ͌ͨ͂̐̀̚̕͜ͅr̷̼̦̤̒̄ͪ͜͡p͉ͤ̃ͯ͑ͥ͆̚ͅr̵̰͍̝͛̽̀ͧ͋́̅͠į̜͔̪̗̹̲ͣ̉̀s͕̻̼̲̠ͮͭͮͩ͐̑̽͂͞ḙ̶͓͒ͩͫͩ̑̔ͨs̢̼͔̝̩̗̐ͮ͗́ ̜ͦ̑͂̀̚͠m̼͈̳̰̝͛̒̑̐ͭͩ͐̚e͓͎̭ͫ̓̋͌̕͢ ͚̖̜̭͌̿́̋͗ͫͪ͟v̦̙͓̞̘͗ͥ̿̏̌͗̍̕͟ė̜̘̼̺͙͔̟̺͔͋r̸͎̼͇͎̙̯͎͂̇̉̕ý̪̬̦̹̪̲ͪ͋ ̑̄̾҉̟̗̬̻͖̬͉l̪̠̦͇̖͙̮̒ͤ̆̀ͨͫ̾̚͜i̛͇̬̭̥͖͑̃̉͗ͫ̐̋̄ͥ́͜t͍̣ͧ͌̎̔ͮ̕t͇̙̬̠̬̥̯̓̃ͩ̐̍ļ̩͇̲̘͙͓͗ͫͧͭͪͦͩ͜ͅȩ̼͉̭̫͉̖̠̉̋͂̌ͥͮͬ̉ ̥̝̦̑ͥͧ̑̎͗́͠a̸̛͕̤̜̤̯ͦ̆̊ͅͅǹ͍͍͓̣̞͔̍ͦͩ́ͯͫy͇̜̯̖̰̻̽̋͑ͥ̈͐̇͒̕ͅm̷̳̝̙̳̻͕̐͗ͩ́ơ̷̤͙͍̜̙̟̿ͮ̃́̎ͧ̿̄r̛̪̖͕̻̫͉͓̹ͭ̊͐͂͆͐͟ȩ̦̮͇͔ͬͯ̋̄͗̏̐ͪ͐͘,ͭͧ҉͎̙̟͉ ̸͒̽̐ͨͮ̆҉̩̣̗a̛̙̟̳̓ͣ̈́͛̏̚ň̬̯̭̓͆ͣ͌̄ͩ̚ḑ̳̘̣̲͖ͣ͗̀̚ ̗̗̪̺̍͡į̵̢̲̪̞͙̭ͣ̀̿t̼̟̯͇̬͈̤͔ͤͨ͂̀ ̢̩̱̩͚͌̒ͣͧͭͤ̃̽̚̕ś̛̤̬ͥ̀̌ͮͯ͌ͅa̧͎̳̪̠͚̱͂̄̏͛͐ͬ̕͟y̧̯̝̰̍͒s̢͔̗̖̟͍̽ͣ̉̀̽̎͜͡ ̡͈̖̞̭̲̞̐͛́̀͜͟v͚̗̪̣̗̄͆̿ͧͩ̃e̶̯͇͓̝̹͚ͬ͑̈́̈̔͜r̔̇̀͏̸̼̗̪̪̣̟̖̖y̸͉͍̥͈̾̄ͦ͋ͤͧ̌́ͬ ̷͋͂͏̙̩l̛̩̮͐̂͟i̩ͬ͗̾̒t̵̳͚͒ͬ͡ͅt͙͚̘͖̖̣̥̔̿ͭ̍̀͜l͇̭̖̓̅ͨ̾̀̽ͨͫ̀̀ę̫̗͇ͧ̆̄̐̽͘ ̥̔̏̚͟a̶̖̣̙̮̪̪̠̎̊̿ͤ͗n͍͍̼͍̥̐ͣͯͬͥ̌ͯ́͢͝͠ý̵̳̟͇̞̼̼̑̉̒͜m̴̲̻͌ͬ͗̂ͨ͌̔̕͟o̶͎̭͙͕̺̟̖̔ͫͩ̒ͯr̨̙͚͙̩̣̖̤ͪͯ̊͗͟e̶͂̈̓҉̜̫͉̮̟.̯͇̮̣̭̤̮̞ͭ̈́ ͔̦̖̫͕̯̰̊̈̅͐̂͂͌͋͞ͅȈ̷̷͖͓̫̉̂̿̔̓ͬ ̧̦͓̟͉͇̺ͨ̂ͯ̍͡w͇̳̯͒͑̐̓͌ͪͨ͝a͍̼͉͍̫͂̊͞͠s̢͆̽ͭ̉ͤͤ̽͛҉͔͡ͅṅ̪̘͇͕̘̏ͤ͗̐͐̃̊’̼̘̙̥͍̼̗̦͍̋̇̊̓̅̇ͭ̾t͖̗̠̿ͮ̑͋ͤ̀ͨ ̐̿ͬ̽̑̊ͦͮ͜҉͉̖̠͈͍̺i̍ͫ̾̿̐̓ͨ̃҉̺̘̙͈͎n̮̬̝̪̖̻̜͆ͥv̗̩̲̼̱̱̔̐ͩ̃̂͢e̷̝̺̭̰̜͔̺̞ͥ̆͆̊̈́̀̍͌͛͞s̵̳̙̟̘̟ͦͯ̔̀ͯ͊ẗ̴̟͍̹͇̥͓́̇̌ͯ̃ḙ̺̝̦̄͑ͦ͗͒ͥ̑͟d͎̫͚̯͖͇̟̍̆ͩͬͦͪ ̢̹̬͇̳ͯ̓̈ͥ͛ͩ͐ͩ͘͜ͅì͕̻̆̾̿ͩ͊ͥ͗́n̹̝ͧ͆ͥ̽́ ̶ͩ͐ͮ͊̒̌̚̚҉̟̱̺̹̖͎t̷̛͇̙̜̜̱̋ͤ́ḫ̺̠̙͖̹͊ͦͦ͊ͫ̓ͤ̕͢ȩ̢̛̪͔̰̘̻̩̙͚̽ͣ̓̃ͮ̏ͅ ̢̮͚̻͎̻̺ͬ̉̓͂͑͐ͣ͊ͩǑ̸͖̗͎̖̣̥ͨͧ͂͡l͈̤̰̰̖̳ͥ̈͊̚͢͠ͅd̵̻͇͚͕̼̺̱͔͊̆̍͋͆̃̀̓ͦͅ ̦̪̝͙͙̼͒ͦ̕W̶̵̦̦̱͉̊̒͊͒̑ͥ̓̾̚ơ̡̡̟͍̫͈͇̲͔ͪ̉m̸̭̯͕̞͈͈̌ͫ̇ͩ̿͆̏̀̀ą͕ͤͧ̈́͟n̦̻̖͙̉̾ͨͮ ̷̡͕̭͍̘ͪ̂̃ͦ̏͝Ĵ̴͈͎̪̫̱̓ͬͨ͌͆̇̓͘o̪̩̬͓̘͚̣̰̓̍ͮ͘ͅs̷̸̺̥͓͉ͯ͋̆ͧͪͪͬͨ̕i̷͍̺͚͖̦̟̘̘ͨ̓͒̽e͍ͭ̉̉̒͆̊̈̚̚͡ ̫̜̩̹̬ͣͯ̈ͦ̏ͨ̄͝ş͍̹̥̅̋ͫ̏̇̇͗͋t̯̫̰̳ͣ̋ͯͣ̅ͮ̽͞ő̡͚͕͙̔̑̉̀r̛̙̝̟̽̑̐ͥ͗͡y̾̿ͩͩ̈́̚͏͇̤͙̖͘l̸̛̞̝̯͈͕ͮ̾ͨͯ̿̃ͦͦ͡i̘̺̹̮͉̍͐̇̂̊͟͜n̮̤̭̞ͤ̂̿ͤ̊͊ͦe̎̏͏͖͖͖̤͍̼̟͙ ̸̰̜̣͉̦̇̅ͤa̒ͮ̈́҉̩͖͙͎̘͓̤͇ͅt͌ͯ̈͆͒͏̱̥̬ͅ ̪̺̺ͪͣ͋̏ͮ̋ͅa̩͔̝̻̪̻͗̿̈́lͭ̏̃̚҉̷̼̞̠̙̳͎̗̺͇̕l̴̙͚̓ͨͨ̒ͤ̉́͠,ͫ͛ͭ̑̍̾҉͉̞̪͢ ̖͚͎̗͕͇͈͍̹͂̀͌a̡͐ͩ̑̃҉̼̤̙̹̤̱̣̠n̝̫̟͚̱̮ͯͣͣ̓̈̄ͣ̊̀d̷̡̤̹̖̰͔͇̗̥̰ͪ̑ͬ͋̉ͬ ͓̹̥̯̰̱ͧ̊̏ͪͮ͝ͅI̊̈̍́̐ͮ̆̽҉̡̗̘̳̙͈ ̐̉̄̑͗ͤ͏̹̗̦̠͖͕̤̭̀͜ç̹̥̗͚̲ͭͮͬ̌͂͟a͉͎̬͔̺̻͔̩͑ͥn̖͍͉̻̰̙̙̬̋̇ ̷̮ͦ͟͞ͅoͫ̐̎̂̅͏̳̭n̶̘̤̙͛̔ͣ̑ͪ͐̒͞ļ̟̄ͤͮ̅͌͊͒ͅy̟̪̪̟ͮͅ ͍͉̩̟̾̊͐͑͜͜h̡͚̪̬͉̮͎̗̝ͦ͒͐͆̑͘ō̡̠͖̞̼̦̅̇͜p̤̣̿ͫ̌̅͒ͥͣĕ̤̋͛ ̭̓ͧ̉̿̊́͞͡ͅt̢͎̦͉͖̀̎̉ͯh̦̰̲̫ͥͦͣ͂͘ẹ͍̀̑̽ ̸͈̮̭͍ͨ̋̄̂e̍̏ͣ͐̀ͯ̚҉͍̰͞n̰͔̤̥̭͔͉̺̍͗͌ͬͭ́̑̂̀̚d̘͙̳͎̠̍ͬ̊̚ ̟̯͖̬̈́͊͑̎͆ͩ͂̈͞͡ͅõ̒́͝҉̻̞͘f̴͓͇̆ͦ̂͒́ ̨͚͕̟̪͆̂ͫ̂ͯͧͥ͑̀́i̯̦̜̠̘̜̩̳ͬ̈́̿̆̆t̝͙͙̙̩͚̆̐̎̓ͩͭ̈́́ ̫̠͍ͣ̈̄͗w̢̧͖̏̚͟i̡̯̇͂͞l͈̤̜͍̹̐ͮͯͭ̔͝l̪̘̰̉̿̋͒͌͡͡ ̪̺̼̤ͩ͂̏ͬ̀͗̽ḡ̰̘͙̲̍ȅ̈̂͞͏͏̣̲͍̣̯t̨̨̰̱̯̬̭̩̜ͩ̎̆ͨ̀͡ ̨̼̩̠̱̺ͧ́̀̂͛ͭ̀͠ţ͉͓̺̳̫͆ͩ̈̑̽h̻̬̃ͦͪ̀ͩͯ͛̆̚͠e̝͍͚̲̩ͣ͊͌ͭ̋ͤ̎ ̥͖̤̂̐̌ͮ̀̇̀̍̚͟w̸̟̯̟ͥ͗r͚͉͎̘͐̐̔͂i̶͈͍̥͕̪͐͊͂ͤ̆ͅt̨̳̝ͮͮ̔̍͌ͅe͖̱̫͈̲͙ͫ̒ȑ̳̥͔̽̈́̏͛̾͋͋ͨ͘͠ș̤̬͇̥̃̇̊͂̉ͧ ̸̹͕̄̀̔̈̌t͎̺̣̺̙͕̆͋̒̔ȍ̮̲͕̟̤̝̕͠ͅ ̸̹͈̱͍̝͙̺̰͇͆͌͢d̥̘͎ͧ̄ͥͮ̆͌́͠͡e̸̺͚̬͉ͣ͐ͨl̴̮͖͙͔̠̋̃̄̐͑̕ĩ̜̫ͦ́́v̈́̄̍̋̾͏̵̬͈͔̤̗͟ͅe̝̣̱̼͇ͥ́̇͌̽̅̂͟͠r̯ͦͭ͋̅̂̂̕͠ ͖̟͇̹̊̓̈́͠ş̷̟̟̬̣̙̤̠̃̿̇̒͂o̸̵̲̰̙͓̘͉̙̳̝͑́̎ͩ͗̀̚m͚̲̟ͯ͋e̳͓͓̙͆͜tͨ̏̓̅͌҉̢͚͚̼hͧ̀ͤ҉̣̤̹̥ī͉͔̤̤̾͛͜ǹͧ̅ͯ̾͞͏͍̘̬͈̥̝͡ͅǧ̷͉͖̲̹̭̠̍ͥ̃̐͑̉ͩ̀ͅͅ ̃ͤͥ̅̏͊҉͏̻̯̝͍̖̣į̯̟̥̪͙̏̎̌̈́͗n̎͛͑̂̊͆͏̴̰̠̺̹̳̝̖t̪͍̠͙̭͇̀̽̿ͯ̒̄͒ͦ͜͝ͅę̮̣̆͊̊ͫͤ̾̊̅r̛͎̭̙͙̺̲͇͇ͭ̆̇̇̓ͪ̉ë͉͓̭͖͓́͐͒̐ͭ͛ͦ̀s͇͇͕ͧ̐̿ͧ͆̓ͣͭ̀͘t͔̠̲̳͍̖̻͍̊͂̾̎i͍̥̝͕̹ͬ̈́͗ͨ̆ͭ̊͠ņ̰͔̯̮̱̤̀ͦ͗͆͞g̰̞̙̯̍̀ͭ͠ ̲͛̍̌̓ͬ̅ͮ͆͟͜s̡̯̠̥͕͐́̉̄̂̒ͩ̍̚o̸̪̫̟̻ͨ̍̐͑̒ͤo̭͙̠͚̭̱ͤ̑ͣ̓̇͌̋͝n͒̍̀̽ͭ͑҉̴͍͖̠̝̣̤̥̜.͗̆̊͛̄͛̐͟͡͏̥̞̙͍͈ ̤͉̻͎̭̠̩̪̉ͬ͗M̴̰̥͖͎͍̞̼̗̗̑͗͢y̤̯̘̲͕̪̠̺̳ͥ́͐ͥ͌̀͠ ̧̹̹͈̪̱͍ͦͧ̉l̦͕͍͔̼͈͎̝̯̎̓̎̚͢ǫ̱̼͉̫̂ͥ̀ͫ̇͘v̴̢̈̒͏̟͙͉̘͓͇ẻ̴̜͓̯̤͍ͭͨͯͩͯͅ ͋ͩ̈́̃̇̽͏̲͢f̠̬͙̘̩̏ͥ͆͞ͅͅô̤̄̾́̏͌͟r͈͖̬̼͖͙̒́̈ ̯̺̺̾ͧ͠ì̡̻̪̙͈̖̮̟̮ͪt̨̽͂͌͏̣,̫̜͖͈͔ͫ͂͊ͮͣ͟͝ ̛̳̟̯̭̫̊̒ͧ̈̉̍̏ͤͯ͡a̵̼͉͚̭͍̩͂ͯͤ̄̓ͣ̊͗́͞ţ̪̞̄ͦ̓ͧ͐̓̾͂ ̻̥̲̺͉͇̱͔̠͑̐ͩ͐̐̀͢i͎̞͎͛͑̒͌͜͜ť͙͕̳̰̟̣̖̯̈́͊ͫ̒̉ͪs̶̥̣͆ͭ̽͟ ̴̬͎̮̖̎ͭ͒ͪͧ̚͢͜ͅc̟̰ͨ́̉ͯͭͥ͘o̢̹̭̺̤͓̭͔̓ͬ̕r̙̙̝̙̺̲͉̭̖̍̃͆͑̀͊e̮͇ͨ̂,̽͆̆̃͢͏̳̹ ̡̭͓͚̻̿̚͜i̫̦͔͚͙͖͑̓͑ͬͦ̀͟͠s̴͖̲̫̞͇͛̇̐͒̕ ̵̛̙͓̞̣͉͚̍͌̑͂̾̆ģ̺͉̟̲͉͚̗̱̱ͦ̋̇̔͐ͬ̉͝e̜̪̽͗̐̾͝t̡̬̲̻̫̑͗̀ͨ̑͂ͯt̴͕̦̟̲͔̻̜̻̒̉ͤ̓ͫ̌̒͟͢ǐ̴̯̟̪̖͚̭͖̆̊̄͊͆ͦ͑́͢n̸͍̙ͣģ̫̖̼̲̪̱̬ͦ̎͗̒͢ ͇̖̤͂ͩ̈̅͂̇͒̚m̡̞̮͉ͫͪ̏ͫ̽̇͢͞ę̴̺̣̱̹̯̪̆̒ͨ̊͞ ̰͓͔̗̱̎ͤ͑̃̽͒̌̌t̹̥͔͙̯̰̑̈̑̃̓ͬ͒ͦ́o̧͓̼̗̥̯͂̃̌͛͒ͣ̓ ̵͚̈͋͝f̸̛̫̭̯̘̫̯̻͑͂̀ͫ̃͊̋̚͡ǒ̢̳ͧ͆̇ͯ̏̆ŗ̣̺̾ͣ̊̋́̅̕͟ͅmͬͮ̐̔̐̄҉̬͎͘̕a̶̵̧͕̼̣̟̯ͩ̅̈́͊́tͣ̾̋̒̕͏̘̼̮͈͍̕ ̧̭̩̹̝̗̿ͤͬͫ̈̄ͬͤm̴̮͈̒̒ŷ͖̟͈̮̗̯̙ͧ̉̒͂̌͢ ̝͇̹̳̫ͨͣ͌̃̓u̗̙̠̽̐ͭ̊p̷̙͎̮͓̘̲̮̒̅̂͗̑̇̊̈ͅd͐̄ͤ͒͏̫̥̭̱̼͡ͅa̴̤̲ͥ̀̀̌t̡̤̪̥̗̪̏̇ͧ͗ͤ͞ę̡̎̐҉̫̫̹͉͈̘̭̩ ̨̢̤̍̓͆ͦ́̂͂ͩ̚p̸̞̞͖̼̭͈͇͈͂̅̽̐͛͡͠o̶̶̖͖̥̥̪ͧ̋ͯ̄s̴̹̻ͧ̎͜ṯ̷̦̲̯̙͈̇̈́̌͋́s̵̗̦̖͔̲̙͌ͪͦ̔̋͆ͅ ̩̙͖̪̔ͫ̍̓̑̅ͮ͞i̶̞ͫ̈́͌͢͜n̛͙̫̼̏̃͛̂̒́ ͓̠͙̯̖̠͎̞̹ͨ͗t͛̆ͪ͑͏̠̘̳̖̪̹͙͎̮͝h̨͙͙̜͎͍̯̟̩͉́̐ͫ̈́̉͑ͦ͟i̻̤̮̙̦͓ͣͥ͘͜s̲̖̞̿͛͜ ̶̰͋̃̂p̣͍̳̎̚͝͠e͍̼̫̥̖͙̾̀͟á̵̳͙͖̊̆̈́̔̑̅͆ͩ͘k̦͖̼͇̝̳͈̏̉̍ͮͤͣ̉ ̷̥͇͕̔̚ȁ̷̦̤̮̦̮͖͖ͦ͐̾ͨ͛͞ę̴̖̖̬͓̦̣̬̔ͦ̑͛͂̄̚͠s̷̹̤̘̝͚̽͐́́͟t̝̗̝͕̺̀ͥ͑̌͘͟h̶̴̺̲̤̖͕̹̰͕̆̓͌̐̾͜e̸̡̜̟͔̳̖̬̤̗̔͌t̢̹̟̅̇̈͢i̸̳͕̫̼͎̥̣͕͚ͣͣ̏͋̒ͭ͛͆ĉ̢͓̥̉ͣͦ̎ͭ̌ͧͅ ̯̳̭͓̯̼̠̅ͨ́w̴̗̜̳ͩͤ̍͠a͇̹̦̣̫͔̓̓ͫ̃͠ͅy̹͉͇̩̝͍̖̥͑̎,͎̠̰͕͍ͯ̎ ͉̰͔̂́͜t̰͍̝̬ͫ̉́h̢͚͕̣̣̗̔̓̉͋́͡o͈̥̬̻̺̹̬̟͎ͮ͊͑̊̒ͥų̧̲̻͌́̃͢g̟̫̥͉̟̻̫̠ͮ̍̽̌͛͐h̢̥͗ͦ̀ͧ̅̐̆ͯͅͅ,̮̞̜̙̦̮ͨ̉̊̅́͘ ͩ̉͆ͮ̏͏͖̳̣̥͇͖͓̀́s̷̛̠͍̑̃̀̐o̢͉̬ͨ̎̓͛͐ͣ ̣̥̻̮̞̻̬̾͡Ȋ̶̴̥̼̩̙̩̱͐ ̵̢̻̞̩͍̖͕ͮ̒ͩ̆̓̌͞s̪͒ͫ͋͌̄̓u̶̥̻̖ͥ̽͊͢p̴̯͖̪͕͌̏ͥ̇̆ͣp̩̠̺̲̮̮̪͛̍̈́̇͊͑ͨ͞o̸̴͈̦̺̝̝̹̝̟ͦͭ̒ͪ͂s̺̥͚͔̼̑ͬͤ͛̐͒̔e̬̱̗̞̳ͥ̓͒̒͡ͅ ̂̂҉̩̻͎̳̝̫t̡̻̟̥͉̞̜̗̅̃̇͜͞ḩ̖̼̬̖̩͉͖̟̘͋́̄͡a̢͙̞͎̥͗̾̈́ͯt̛̘̼͓̭̪̪̙̊́ ̥̦̤̰̺̰̺̺͚̔̓͋̇́̏͘͠s̡̧̹͙͉̰͚͍̦̠̳̓͂ą̗̻̝̪͍̫͚̅ͭͦ̄̀̀̒̍͊̀ͅy̡̝͙̯̝͎͍̟ͬ͛͂̅̚̚͜ͅs͙͉̱͒̓͌ͪ ̛̬͍̮̹̙̤ͬ͂͋ͧ̐͢͝s̻̘͆̀ͮͪ̆ó͔̟͈͓͈̘ͯ̓͛̈̔ͮ͢m̟̬ͤ̾̆ͩͤ͜e̹̹͙̦͉̣̝͆ͨ͜͟ṭ̨̛̝̣͈̫͍͔͓̍͌͝ȟ̺͕̹̬͆͝͠i͈̳̊ͭ̒ͪ͡ṇ͙̝̭̬̗̦̯͑͢g̵ͫ͟͟ͅ ͇̩̥̰̲̺ͯͦ́ͬ͠ͅa̫͙̻̲̺͕̾͆̀͐͒̎ͪ̊b̧̜̭̳͎̄̓͛͌͢ò͎̰͇̰̘͚̫͊̌̍ͪͤ̄͞u̸̳͇ͧ̆̌̐́t̷̳̠͈̪ͪ̋̐̌ ̶̟̤̒̂͐ͬͭ̾̾͢i͔̫͙͈̽ͮ̌͠͞t̡͇̰̩̜ͤ̽̉͢͡s̩̭̺̺ͤ̎̌̚͘ ̴̪̮͓̠̭̲̲̬͂͛l̵̄͒͂̐͛͛҉̻̗a͚̋ͣ̎ͮ̒͌̇́̚͡s̻̗̝͈̟ͤ̎ͪ͛ͩ̒͛́t̎̒̋͋̋̃̽̈҉͓͍͇͙͕̙͠ị̡̟̖̰̤̺͇̩͊̎͊̌̇ṇ̺̲͙͖̜̪̪̋͂̑̕͠g̉͏̵̗̯̰̯͖̩̭͈ ̨͓̘̮̗̮̐̅̃̂̆͜ę̸̱̦̺̩̈̊̆̽͛̈́ͨͥf͈̬̪̩̙͚̽͂ͨ͊ͬͪ̚̕f̼̦͐̑e̡̨͉͈̻̳͚͈̜͆̊c̫̣̝͇̜͙̲̒ͭ̂ͨͦͅt̢̛ͨͬ̀͆̃̔͏̲͚̺͚͓ͅs̺̜͚͚̜͔̻̟ͩͥͪ̅ ̎̇ͩͣ͌͛ͨ͗҉̲͉̫̪̹̀ạ͈̽͛̎̽̎ͯ́̎s̚҉̼̠͖̝̭͓̬ ͈͇̦͔̼̼̱͔̅͆́ͣ̽̊͑̓̀͡ͅȃ̴͓͈̜̮͖̀ͫ̈́ ̛̜̮̟͍́̆ͣͧ̋͂̋͡c̫̫͙ͧͫ͟ȏ̺̏ͅl̑̊̒҉̷̹̹̼ľ̻͕͚̉̽e̶͚̻͉̯̙̲͛̈́ͯ̇ͧ̓̐ͭ͟c̶̤̟̭͍̠͉̪͋͌̃͢͞ṯ͊̾ͣ̇́̀͞i̭̖͚͙̟̠͊̌̏ͪ̈̈́v̜̝͔͚͇̳̗̳̉̈́̽̋͂ͯ͘͝e̬̤̭̞̥̻͗̑ͮ͑͊ͅ ̵̨̞̫̤͇̗̮̺͔̇́͘w̼̟̙͇̘̹̲̗ͭ́̐́ͪ̆͌ͅo̶̩̦ͪͬ̌ͥ͡ř̔̈̐͛̂͐̚҉̢̟͓͇k̷̹̟͚̱͎̟̎̽ͅ.̣̫̤̖͇̰͌̏̚
̛̮͖̳͎͍͓̜ͣ͐̆
Myths and Legends
“63-Puss in Boots: These Boots”
Myths and Legends is always fun, but I especially appreciate these one-off, short episodes on a single story, especially when the story is as ridiculous as Puss in Boots. Jason Weiser’s narration is always the highlight of each episode. My favorite from this episode was the King stating, “A talking cat is here, wearing boots and walking on two legs? I don’t even care why. Please send her in immediately.”
99% Invisible
“251- Negative Space: Logo Design with Michael Beirut”
I love 99% Invisible, and I think logo design is something that makes sense for their content, but this just should not have been conveyed in audio. While the listener can usually think about what the logo looks like as it’s being discussed, this is just such a poor and frustrating fit for the medium.
Rabbits
“Episode 102: Concernicus Jones”
This second episode is a nice follow-up to the first. The listener is given more detail, but the pacing is still nice and slow, as any early episodes of horror should be. I was relieved that there wasn’t too much exposition recap, and the small bits that trickled in were wise, not boring. I still have some major concerns about this show–mostly, I think I’m being overly pessimistic after my bad experiences with sister shows TANIS and The Black tapes–but you can read about all of that in my first impressions review of Rabbits here.
All Songs Considered
“+1 Hey Bands, Why T-Shirts Matter, a Martin Atkins Minute”
I will almost never review something like All Songs Considered here, because it’s such a straightforward and solid podcast (I actually won’t be reviewing most NPR shows, other than This American Life and Code Switch). I just wanted to take a minute to say that this +1 episode was one of the single most obnoxious, annoying, poorly-produced pieces of radio I have ever heard in my life, ever.
Kind World
“A Beginning”
Kind World is such a breath of fresh air in a world where the news is so consistently horrifying. This 8-minute morsel of kindness is the story of two Portland lawyers who help a family from Baghdad caught in the middle of Executive Order 13769, commonly referred to as the “Muslim Ban.”
Song Exploder
“Sleigh Bells – I Can Only Stare”
Episodes where the musicians criticize their own work are some of the most important pieces from Song Exploder for me. It’s nice to hear bands like Sleigh Bells, who I love, still get frustrated with their work. Getting a glimpse into how and why the band changed their sound, specifically their vocals, from the last album was exactly the kind of insight that makes the show so intriguing, even if the listener doesn’t like the featured musician/s at all.
Beautiful Stories from Anonymous Strangers
“52. Ron Paul’s Baby Part 2”
If you haven’t heard the first episode of Beautiful Stories from Anonymous Strangers (or Beautiful Anonymous in shorthand), listen to that episode before jumping into this follow-up with the infamous Ron Paul’s Baby from the first episode of the series. The episode, which was featured on This American Life, was pretty incredible, and this follow-up shows what’s been happening with Ron Paul’s Baby a year later. The episode starts awkwardly, but as soon as Gethard settles in, it becomes the same sweet, funny, intimate conversation we’ve come to expect from this show. Yes, Ron Paul’s Baby quit his job, and yes, the episode ends in exactly the way you’d hope.
Wednesday, 3/15/17
The Heart
“Bathroom Bill”
This episode of The Heart featured an episode from a different show, How to Be a Girl, which is made by a mother and her daughter, who is trans. The episode was in direct response to the “Bathroom Bill” that’s been in the news for some time now. Hearing the daughter say, “Mommy’s gonna change the world!” brought me close to tears as I listened at my desk at work. This is an important, important piece of audio. I would really, really like all of you to listen to this piece of audio. Please listen to this piece of audio.
The Bright Sessions
“34 – Frank”
Phillip Jordan’s performance as Frank immediately solidifies him as so impressive, he outshines the show’s writing. Read my full review of the episode here.
ars PARADOXICA
“22: Dawn”
The problem with a show about time is that it, by necessity, muddles time. I’ve had trouble following ars PARADOXICA closely, in no small part because the long gaps between episodes makes everything much harder to follow, and I can’t exactly re-listen to the whole show before each new episode. I feel like ars PARADOXICA would be much better heard in one go, as a binge listen. This show has the best production I’ve heard outside of Wolf 359 and Limetown. As far as this episode goes, the writing was solid, the acting was solid, the production was flawless other than some strange mic quirks–the writing I can’t really comment on yet. I can say that even though I only gathered about 75% of what was happening, the tensions and resolves worked very well, and it seemed a very fitting episode to precede a hiatus. The full-lyric version of the theme at the end was also absolutely stunning.
I’ll work on a full-show review soon. I definitely think it’s worth the time.
The Magnus Archives
“MAG 56 Children of the Night”
When I found the Magnus Archives, it felt like the answer to every complaint I’ve had about The Black Tapes, TANIS, and Lore–three podcasts which I have plenty of complaints about. The first season was terrific. Recently, though, the show’s gotten very tired, repetitive, and frankly, just not very good horror. The inclusion of an over-arching plot was fine, but its pacing in these later episodes is both rushed and slow. These little annoyances are leading to the Dialogue Authenticity Podcast Problem in the show to go from “annoying, but passable” to “glaringly obnoxious.” Like most recent episodes, I started this one, got about six minutes in, thought about turning it off, decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, finished the episode, and realized I hadn’t paid attention. I’m going to stick with this podcast, because as someone who literally focused on horror in college, I need my fix. I’ll keep holding onto hope that it’ll improve soon, because I really do believe the talent is there. I think, really, it’s some of the best talent in the horror genre. They just need to do something to bring the episodes back to life and recognize that their overarching plot is not the answer.
Thursday, 3/16/17
Snap Judgment
“Snap #806 – Personal Jesus”
For the last year or so, Snap Judgment has had a real balance problem for me, and this episode felt like the epitome of the feeling. The 55-minute episode featured two stories: first, a beautiful, mysterious, intimate 40-minute piece about a famous forest hermit; second, a ten-minute piece from host Glynn Washington about . . . something. At a certain point, I almost want Snap Judgment to go the way of The Month or recent episodes of Radiolab and focus on single stories instead of trying to force several together. When you have a story as phenomenal as the first, trying to incorporate a second that isn’t nearly as impressive or even just as long feels forced and unnecessary.
Friday, 3/17/17
Radiolab
“Shots Fired: Part 1”
This episode of Radiolab starts a series about record-keeping and data analysis on police shootings. I’m looking forward to this series in content. It’s incredibly important information, and I’m glad that a high-profile show is delivering it. I just don’t understand why Radiolab, a show with stories about science, is delivering it. It’s a strange fit for the show and, more than anything else, I’m frustrated that it isn’t being handled by an actual news source. Still, this episode had the same beauty and empathy that’s expected from Radiolab, and it’s a very, very important piece of audio. I would really like if you all listened to this piece of audio.
The Allusionist
“14 Rerun: Behave”
As a new fan of The Allusionist, I was happy to hear a rerun of an episode I didn’t catch the first time around. This episode focuses on how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used to re-associate the meaning of a word by removing their emotional meaning. The Allusionist jumps around in context so widely between each episode, but it always remains true to its thesis, and episodes rarely feel out of place. This venture into psychology as applied to words was very welcome, and managed to feel neither judgmental nor sentimental discussing triggers and emotional responses. Some of the bed music verged on distractingly saccharine, but not for longer than a few moments.
Saturday, 3/18/17
Code Switch
“The 80-Year Mystery Around ‘Fred Douglas’ Park”
This 6-minute episode of Code Switch discusses the story of “Fred Douglas” park and the struggle to either rename the park for Frederick Douglass or find out who this “Fred Douglas” was. The story was very interesting, but a strange fit for Code Switch. The show is best when it’s informative but also conversational, while this piece felt like any other All Things Considered piece. Was it grouped into Code Switch only because it discussed the park’s history and black history? I hope NPR would treat Code Switch with more respect than that.
Wil Williams Writes 
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