#pod 115

In summary, the two leads get separated and...something happens in between that brief moment which burdens Ruth with a sudden illness and reluctance to explain exactly what’s wrong with her.

The real underlying suspense comes from this and, given the nature of the show, it’s fair to assume there is something more out of the ordinary than just a common cold in play here.

My guess? Possession, but that’s just a shot in the dark with only a few episodes to deduce what might actually be going on.

Right off the bat it’s all around a nice blend of history with a light horror hook that hasn’t quite reached its peak yet but I definitely see things getting more and more unnerving as things continue. I do like Virginia’s love for subtlety and vagueness and how the info-dumping provided by podcast guests are more or less background noise to what is a much more menacing threat.

And yet the real draw for me was less the urban legend and history angle and actually the relationship between the two leads that provides some excellent contrast between everyday conflict and something much bigger and scarier on the horizon.

Elizabeth and Ruth’s dynamic is as authentic as it is awkward so seeing the few times they’re actually getting along makes their bickering all the more somber to listen to. Ruth’s more stubborn and down to earth while Elizabeth is starry-eyed and ambitious, causing the two to clash fairly often.

I do appreciate the rookie aspect of it all, how incredibly amateurish the two leads are brings some grounded perspective and vulnerability to the storytelling, even if all their worst times of going off script involves them putting their hooks into one another. 

A lot of it is fairly subtle as well-cutting each other off, making quiet but snide comments-it really nails that uncomfortable energy of watching two strangers argue without being too theatrical. This is definitely helped by the acting which really gets that natural vibe across, a trait I just love to see in shows with this format. Deliberately coming off as a beginner takes a certain level of skill that’s one part acting and one part pretending like you’re not acting.

I can’t help but compare it to a short but fairly impressive science fiction audio drama, POD 115 that I checked out in the summer of this year.

It has most of Untold Virginia’s key points now that I think about it: a slightly unhealthy dynamic between the hosts, having at least one guest per episode, real life blending with genuine supernatural threats, and the “podcast within a podcast” framing device done by first-timers. Just a pinch of The Tunnels southern horror setting and realistic atmosphere and that’s pretty much Untold Virginia in a nutshell.

But with all that in mind, has the show entirely sold me on its concept yet? Yes, I think so, but it might be too early to tell.

An incredibly likely hurdle to face with such an early impression but Untold Virginia is certainly the kind of show that likes to lay out its foundation before really going for the kill and so far it’s ultimately worked in the show’s favor. 

It's the mood and sound editing of episode three’s “Genealogy and Mayflower Roots” that shows what the podcast is really capable of and I honestly hope to see more of it as the season pushes forward. 

Though its scares aren’t front in center, there’s this very unsettling detail of Ruth’s labored breaths backing the guest’s monologue. With what little we know about her condition, I was seconds away from assuming Ruth was gonna rip the poor man’s throat out or collapse from exhaustion but the painful coughing fit she’s subjected to genuinely made me uncomfortable.  

Format wise, the show’s short episodes really do help drive the premise home. The in-universe time restriction being nine minutes further emphasizes world building and the acting was just good enough to convince me for about five minutes that it was unscripted dialogue. POD 115’s real saving grace is its audio editing which is something sound designer Jim Kremens really has an eye for. 

It’s audio bugs border on the trippy side of things, growing unsettling the more you hear it and generate honest concern and intrigue for just what is causing such havoc.

It boils down to a mystery of possibly extraterrestrial proportions that I won’t spoil but has the kind of narrative pacing that benefits this kind of blending of reality and fantastical yet terrifying discovery. Episode 106 is really where things pick up and from there the suspense just keeps ramping up to a vague but certainly chilling conclusion.

Vague is certainly a word I’d use to describe the show as it rarely ever spoon feeds information to the listener, providing just enough context to keep you invested without outright revealing the core mystery. It may or may not be the cup of tea for people who like more depth to their stories seeing as how there’s only so much to work with from beginning to end. 

You’re left with more questions than answers by the time the conclusion rolls around but, at least for me, it was the kind of minimalist setup that strengthened the core plot and relies on a type of eldritch horror that is possibly better left up to our imaginations.

There’s only so many times a podcast has made me feel so utterly helpless, like I’m an outside observer to a traumatizing event. Maybe my stomach fell so much during my listening because the character Demeter Johnson has quite an uncanny resemblance to your’s truly-being a 22 year old with the same last name, standing at a mere 5’2 who, at least as of this writing, still lives with their mother in Nevada, but I digress. 

(There’s an in-context joke here that you might be able to understand upon listening to Episode 107, though.)

There’s also something kinda meta and mildly humorous about how the show will usually bring on a student meant to be majoring in the show’s trope of the day and are forced to awkwardly stand by while the hosts bicker. But that takes a backseat to the fact this in-universe podcast about science fiction becomes a science fiction story in itself. 

Nothing really beats that special brand of self awareness and I was kinda getting familiar vibes from one of my favorite podcasts, Wolf 359 with its creative take on merging the very nature of sound with the core storytelling and a further plot point that would spoil both shows furthers this comparison.

But don’t get me wrong, POD 115 is undeniably its own thing, even utilizing a trope I’m especially fond of, Nothing is Scarier, which works as a plus or the overarching presentation. The lack of reliable narration and reliance on real time interactions really does keep things vague, allowing the listener to piece together what's going on while getting a great grasp on the core conflict. It’s left so ominous without lacking any of the really juicy details that keep it engagingly dark.

POD 115 is fascinating in its own deceitfulness, using the most common of set ups that we’ve all grown so familiar with to the point it’s main premise to its title card are all part of an elaborate rogue. It’s the commitment to the act that really piqued my interest at the end of the day and though a short ride, it manages to say so much with so little.

this review was a commission and anyone interested in a review ranging from 500-2000 words can consult me in private, preferably on my twitter @cakeradios.