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. You can see a list of every episode that has scored within the A range here.
Highlights
The Dream
“Episode 11: And That’s When I Woke Up”
The finale for the first season and investigation of The Dream was indicative of what makes The Dream such a fascinating, heart-wrenching, but also absolutely surreal podcast. In a bizarre interview with Joe Mariano, head of the Direct Selling Association, and the claim that “MLMs can’t be pyramid schemes because pyramid schemes are illegal” are debunked as summarily “bullshit.”
Arden
“The Monsters Who Did It”
In a brilliant change in form, Arden‘s penultimate episode of their first season ends with the reveal of what, really, Did It–the murder of starlet Julie Capsom, that is. In this true crime subversion meets Romeo and Juliet modernization, the episode is not told with the traditional setup of the two reporters bickering over their show, but instead, in a scene/act structure, detailing exactly what happened to Julie Capsom. The episode is grounded by two phenomenal performances by Lindsay Zanna and Jay Lee. The episode was so impressive, I could only respond with some low-level fury.
https://twitter.com/wilw_writes/status/1070045300344029185
This Week’s Ratings
Monday, 12/3/18
- Decoder Ring, “Sad Jennifer Aniston”: B
- The Dream, “Episode 11: And That’s When I Woke Up”: A-
- I Never Saw That, “46 Xena: Warrior Princess”: B-
- Nancy, “Coming Out, Coming Forward”: B
- Potterless, “Ep. 56 – Half-Blood Prince ch. 27-28 w/ Johnny Frohlichstein”: B
- Song Salad, “Ep. 138 – Long – Ago Man”: B
- My Brother, My Brother and Me, “MBMBaM 436: Face 2 Face: I Had Charcuterie Today!”: B
- Dreamboy, “The Blue Hand”: B
Tuesday, 12/4/18
- Love and Luck, “Episode 60 – She Doesn’t Believe Us”: B
- Arden, “The Monsters Who Did It”: A
Wednesday, 12/5/18
- No Bad Idea, “Episode 6: Yabba-Dabba-Don’t”: B
- This Is Love, “Episode 10: Blue”: B
- Spirits, “106: Your Urban Legends XVI: The Price of Free Froyo”: B
- Song Exploder, “Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way”: B
- Wonderful!, “62: Dip Crimes”: C+
- The Truth, “November 31st”: B
- ZigZag, “Julia Angwin’s Investigations Haunt Facebook”: C
Thursday, 12/6/18
- The Adventure Zone, “Amnesty – Episode 19”: B+
- Adventures in New America, “The Outfit”: B
- Solutions to Problems, “Episode 15: I Love You But I’ve Chosen Trash”: B-
- Pop Culture Happy Hour, “Hallmark Holiday Movies”: C+
Friday, 12/7/18
- The Good Place The Podcast, “Ch. 36: D’arcy Carden, Actress | Josh Siegal, Writer | Dylan Morgan, Writer | Morgan Sackett, Executive Producer/Director”: B-
- Alba Salix, Royal Physician, “Alba Salix Episode 206: Signed, Sealed, Delivered”: B+
These weekly roundups are some of my favorite to write, but they’re also some of the most exhausting posts to write. Keeping up with all these podcasts is time consuming! These posts are brought to you with deep thanks to my Patreon supporters and people who have supported me via Ko-Fi. Becoming a supporter will get you access to my planning blog, customized podcast playlists, and the ability to request reviews for podcasts you love. Find out more here!
Wil Williams Writes 