Wil Williams Writes

This Week in Podcasts is 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! You can see my current list of podcast subscriptions here. Feel free to give me recommendations–as well as any feedback or discussion!–in the comments below or on twitter. 

This week, I reviewed Hannah and Matt Know It All, an advice column podcast that re-answers questions from some of the other big advice columns out there. I also reviewed an exciting, action-packed new fantasy/sci-fi audio drama Untypical, and I finally explained why you should be listening to The Bright Sessions. After a little while of rumination, I also shared my hopes for PodCon 2018. In related podcast convention news, I also registered for Podcast Movement 2018! Will I see you there?

Don’t forget to sign up for the Podcast Problems newsletter for weekly recommendations, news, musings, and more!

Highlights

ars PARADOXICA
“29: Odyssey”

As ars PARADOXICA moves towards an end, it is becoming–in creator Mischa Stanton’s own words from the update mini-episode this week–“all killer, no filler.” This episode had a beautiful ebb and sway in its writing that seems so iconic of the podcast, backed by beautiful character moments. ars PARADOXICA is a show I often feel I take for granted; it’s been so phenomenal for so long that it’s easy to forget just how phenomenal it really is. “29: Odyssey” was gorgeous enough to make me remember to appreciate this podcast for everything it is.

Wonderful!
“Ep. 22: A Mouthful of Secrets”

I’ve talked my praises of Wonderful! before, but “Ep. 22: A Mouthful of Secrets” is exactly what makes this show great. While hearing Rachel and Griffin McElroy discuss the things they love is, well, wonderful, hearing their love for each other seep through makes it so much better. This week, their love takes center stage, and the result is so genuine and so sweet it left me tearing up more than once.

Marsfall
“Chapter 7 – Chip”

Marsfall has promising beginnings, but “Chapter 7 – Chip” solidifies it as a force. This episode was a masterclass in how to write and produce large-scale action scenes in audio. Action scenes are so hard to translate without a visual component, but Marsfall makes it seem effortless. I made the massive mistake of listening to the episode during my lunch break at work, but you can at least see my live-tweeted reactions here.

This Week’s Ratings

Sunday, 2/11/18

• The Sporkful, “Presents: Ask Mimi”: C+
• Hello from the Magic Tavern, “Season 2, Ep 47 – Mittens Returns”: B-
• Conversations with People Who Hate Me, “Bigot Scum”: B
• The Cryptid Keeper, “Episode 46-Noppera-Bo”: B

Monday, 2/12/18

• Hannah and Matt Know It All, “Hannah and Matt Reunite at Last”: B-
• Potterless, “Ep. 35 – Order of the Phoenix Ch. 34-35 w/ Julia Schifini”: B
• My Brother, My Brother and Me, “MBMBaM 393: Bungrob Squareman”: B-
• Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, “99. Sober Mathematician”: C+

Tuesday, 2/13/18

• Join the Party, “20. Pool Party IX”: B
• Love and Luck, “Episode 24 – Victor”: B-
• 99% Invisible, “295- Making a Mark: Visual Identity with Tom Geismar”: C+
• Code Switch, “Feelings, Finances and Fetishes: Love is a Racial Battlefield”: B
• Note to Self, “Have Dating Apps Killed Romance?”: C
• Pop Culture Happy Hour, “The Winter Olympics”: B-

Wednesday, 2/14/18

• Making Obama, “Obama 2: Chicago Politics Ain’t Beanbag”: B
• Song Exploder, “Moses Sumney – Quarrel”: C
• Wonderful!, “Ep. 22: A Mouthful of Secrets”: B+
• Tides, “At the Rocks of Radness”: B
• Spirits, “Episode 64: Jane Eyre (with Vanessa Zoltan)”: B
• Hannah and Matt Know It All, “Opinion Overflow #29: ‘Why Are There Bar Codes on Ships in Norway?’”: B
• Join the Party, “Afterparty: Pool Party IX”: B
• ars PRADOXICA, “29: Odyssey”: B+

Thursday, 2/15/17

• Darknet Diaries, “Carna Botnet”: B (Full review coming soon)
• The Amelia Project, “Steve Laurence Stroud”: B
• Untypical, “Episode 1 – Dancers”: B
• The Splendid Table, “626: The President’s Kitchen Cabinet”: B-
• Pop Culture Happy Hour, “Black Panther and What’s Making Us Happy”: B

Friday, 2/16/17

• Marsfall, “Chapter 7 – Chip”: B+

Saturday, 2/17/17

• Radio Drama Revival, “Episode 493 – Join the Party Interview with Eric and Amanda”: B
• 2298, “ENTRY EIGHT / A THOUSAND FEET”: B