This was my first time listening to a fiction podcast, so I wasn't sure what to expect . . .
About the podcast format itself: The production value was much higher than I thought it would be - the sounds, the musical arrangement, the acting involved. It is of course, a very different experience from the normal visual format - you don't get to see expressions or microexpressions, body language, visual clues, etc, however the audio-only format tends to be riveting and utterly absorbing in a very different way. The verbal cues are heightened, it feels as if more thought was put into the dialogue of the script itself, as the dialogue tended to be wordier, more descriptive, able to move the action farther much faster. The storyline was singularly devoted to heightening the mystery, and suspense - (spoiler) - as some of the action occurred in a darkened swamp/forest, the audio-only format really intensified the horror elements in the story.
(Spoilers): The story itself was fascinating . . . Set in a very small town located near something called the "Bridgewater Triangle," a supernatural hotspot with a reputation similar to that of the Bermuda Triangle. It seems like the perfect locale for a Professor of the Occult (Bradshaw) to live, work, and to investigate local unusual phenomena for his book. Interestingly, though the Professor has dedicated his life to studying the occult, he is not a believer in the occult and is in fact committed to debunking every occult theory that arises. This leads to some interesting discussions/arguments with his investigative partner, Anne Becker, a former police officer who strongly believes in the supernatural happenings in Bridgewater, mainly due to her decades-long experiences investigating the disappearances in the Triangle.
I was very surprised to find that the acting was amazing throughout . . . This was my first podcast, but I suspect that this is probably not always the case. I came in as a huge Wil Wheaton and Kristen Bauer van Straten fan. Both Wheaton and Bauer were (of course) fantastic, with Wheaton playing an arrogant police captain (similar in tone to his wonderfully snarky and oft-exasperated Dr. Parrish in Eureka). Bauer was eery and creepy as the witch/cultist/probable local fruitcake, which makes me wonder why she isn't cast more in these types of series/roles. We're used to seeing her in a wide variety of different roles, however her ability to convey a sense of skin-crawling creepiness here is something that should definitely not be missed.
Other surprisingly good performances came from both Melissa Ponzio (Karen from The Walking Dead), and Misha Collins, who played former police officer Becker and Professor Bradshaw (respectively). Ponzio's character started off as the town "kook" that people were warned away from - someone who would seemingly be forever relegated to the role of minor sidekick or some other "throwaway" character. Instead, throughout the episodes, Ponzio establishes herself as more and more of a dominant and authoritative figure. This is a really surprising turn, as it's not often that you see the occult-fixated person become the emotional anchor of everyone around them, as well as the overall "voice of reason." Collins was perfect as Professor Bradshaw - the subtleties he is able to convey is captivating - from his constant exasperation at the fact that his students of the Occult would actually believe in the Occult, to his hilariously awkward conversations with his mother about his lack of love life.
It was difficult to not binge this series, and I highly recommend it to any fan of a particularly good paranormal tale tinged with mystery and horror.
About the podcast format itself: The production value was much higher than I thought it would be - the sounds, the musical arrangement, the acting involved. It is of course, a very different experience from the normal visual format - you don't get to see expressions or microexpressions, body language, visual clues, etc, however the audio-only format tends to be riveting and utterly absorbing in a very different way. The verbal cues are heightened, it feels as if more thought was put into the dialogue of the script itself, as the dialogue tended to be wordier, more descriptive, able to move the action farther much faster. The storyline was singularly devoted to heightening the mystery, and suspense - (spoiler) - as some of the action occurred in a darkened swamp/forest, the audio-only format really intensified the horror elements in the story.
(Spoilers): The story itself was fascinating . . . Set in a very small town located near something called the "Bridgewater Triangle," a supernatural hotspot with a reputation similar to that of the Bermuda Triangle. It seems like the perfect locale for a Professor of the Occult (Bradshaw) to live, work, and to investigate local unusual phenomena for his book. Interestingly, though the Professor has dedicated his life to studying the occult, he is not a believer in the occult and is in fact committed to debunking every occult theory that arises. This leads to some interesting discussions/arguments with his investigative partner, Anne Becker, a former police officer who strongly believes in the supernatural happenings in Bridgewater, mainly due to her decades-long experiences investigating the disappearances in the Triangle.
I was very surprised to find that the acting was amazing throughout . . . This was my first podcast, but I suspect that this is probably not always the case. I came in as a huge Wil Wheaton and Kristen Bauer van Straten fan. Both Wheaton and Bauer were (of course) fantastic, with Wheaton playing an arrogant police captain (similar in tone to his wonderfully snarky and oft-exasperated Dr. Parrish in Eureka). Bauer was eery and creepy as the witch/cultist/probable local fruitcake, which makes me wonder why she isn't cast more in these types of series/roles. We're used to seeing her in a wide variety of different roles, however her ability to convey a sense of skin-crawling creepiness here is something that should definitely not be missed.
Other surprisingly good performances came from both Melissa Ponzio (Karen from The Walking Dead), and Misha Collins, who played former police officer Becker and Professor Bradshaw (respectively). Ponzio's character started off as the town "kook" that people were warned away from - someone who would seemingly be forever relegated to the role of minor sidekick or some other "throwaway" character. Instead, throughout the episodes, Ponzio establishes herself as more and more of a dominant and authoritative figure. This is a really surprising turn, as it's not often that you see the occult-fixated person become the emotional anchor of everyone around them, as well as the overall "voice of reason." Collins was perfect as Professor Bradshaw - the subtleties he is able to convey is captivating - from his constant exasperation at the fact that his students of the Occult would actually believe in the Occult, to his hilariously awkward conversations with his mother about his lack of love life.
It was difficult to not binge this series, and I highly recommend it to any fan of a particularly good paranormal tale tinged with mystery and horror.