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.
This week, Dylan Marron’s new podcast Conversation With People Who Hate Me debuted, and I gave my first impressions review of The Gray Area.
Highlights
Millennial
“#46 Sharp Turns”
Millennial has had a wide breadth of highs and lows in its most recent season, taking some confusing and frustrating turns. This week’s episode, though, was a refreshing return to the show’s thesis: how do you handle certain problems that are specifically relevant as a young person today? In “#46 Sharp Turns,” host Megan Tan asks her friend about how he handled his life being completely interrupted by several intense events. The episode is both intimate and relatable, both precious and genuine. Even without Tan as the focus point, it feels like it accomplished the goals Millennial has always portrayed while still not feeling manufactured.
Pitfalls
The Far Meridian
“1.6 Knock”
Because this show is a small, indie creation, and because I have faith in it to improve, I don’t see the purpose in speaking too much on why this episode frustrated me so much. In short, I’ll say that so far, the writing and acting in this show come close to reaching their potential but consistently fall flat, and this episode was the most indicative of that problem so far.
This Week’s Ratings
Sunday, 7/30/17
- The Hilarious World of Depression, “PLACEBO: Hitting the Nail on the Head”: B
- The Sporkful, “Your Mom’s Food Pt. 1: What Dumplings Can’t Fix”: B
- Conversations with People Who Hate Me, “Episode 1: You’re a Piece of Sh*t”: B-
- The Once and Future Nerd, “Audio Bonus Content #16 – Tal M. Klein on Tropes and the Future”: B-
- Station to Station, “Supplementary Recording No. 2 – Janelle Cochrane (Teaser #2)”: C+
Monday, 7/31/17
- Welcome to Night Vale, “111 – Summer 2017, Night Vale, USA”: B
- Potterless, “Ep. 21 – Goblet of Fire Ch. 27-30 w/ Melissa Anelli”: B
- My Brother, My Brother and Me, “One Guy, One Guy, and a Chicken Place”: C+
- The Far Meridian, “1.6 Knock”: D+
- Hello from the Magic Tavern, “Season 2, Ep 20 – King Krom”: B-
Tuesday, 8/1/17
- Beautiful Stories From Anonymous Strangers, “72. Aussie Best Friend”: B+
- The Moth, “Robert Sherer & Ann Jankie”: C
- Join the Party, “Wedding Party VI”: B
- The Gray Area, “5. Compassion Fatigue”: C+
- The Adventure Zone, “Ep. 68. Story and Song – Finale, Part Two”: A, but you can read my review of the “Stolen Century” arc for more on what makes this show exemplary. Otherwise, it’s going to go on all of these lists.
- 99% Invisible, “269- Ways of Hearing”: C+
- Code Switch, “The U.S. Census and Our Sense of Us”: B+
- Note to Self, “Save the Planet!” Parts 1-5: C
- Millennial, “#46 Sharp Turns”: A-
Wednesday, 8/2/17
- Spirits, “Episode 40: Laumes”: B-
- Join the Party, “Afterparty: Wedding Party VI”: B
- The Sporkful, “Your Mom’s Food Pt. 2: Midwest Meets Masala”: B+
Thursday, 8/3/17
- Snap Judgment, “Snap #506 – The Mercenary”: B+
- Radiolab, “Truth Warriors”: C-
- Song Exploder, “Grizzly Bear – Four Cypresses”: B-
- Polygon’s Quality Control, “Tacoma”: C+
Friday, 8/4/17
- Strangers, “Jack be Nimble, Part 1”: B+
Saturday, 8/5/17
- Dear Sugar Radio, “The Price of Our Dreams – With George Saunders”: B
- The Allusionist, “60. Zillions”: B+
Wil Williams Writes 