#reader talks

This episode starts off well. I like the way it starts with the plotline from last episode. I really miss Tim, even though we only barely met him. The episode continues to world build really well. Sammy and Ben don’t bond instantly, nor is Ben immediately and illogically suddenly willing to be a cohost (although he’s not exactly complaining about it either). It’s consistent, I’ll give it that. The ads here are amazing. They all tell their own stories and they’re usually very funny too.

After a few minutes of preamble and build up, we meet Emily. The library storyline itself is fairly interesting. I’m genuinely interested in what’s going on. It’s just so absurd. Secret Nazi librarian sees the ghosts- sorry, apparitions of a dead president and his assassin? It’s really interesting. The mysteries and the supernatural in this show are fascinating. It’s the person delivering them who isn’t as interesting.

Emily is not a very compelling character. She has very little personality of her own; she is almost completely defined by how others (Ben and Greg for the most part) treat her and react to her. She has very little agency. In this episode, Ben is already quite possessive of her. He hangs up on Greg several times when Greg asks if she’s single and willing to date him. Emily also doesn’t do much in this episode. She establishes herself as a very sexy lamp and then doesn’t really change much. For those of you who don’t know, a sexy lamp is a woman whose narrative purpose could be fulfilled by a lamp with a note taped to it.

Don’t get me wrong, I think that Emily is great. I love female characters and this show could use a few more of them. She’s just not very well written either. After she’s gone, Sammy he knows that she and Ben hit it off. I was a bit confused by this. From what I could tell, she was uncomfortable with the conversation, not really being listened to and generally disinterested. We’re told to ship it without really being any reason to, aside from the fact that she’s nice to Ben. It feels a little bit forced to me, though it could just be my opinion.

Speaking of female characters, let’s talk about Cynthia. I don’t actually mind her. She plays into some stereotypes, but they’re also stereotypes that tend to be a little bit true? Not for everyone of course, but there are mothers like that. I have personally met mothers like that. She’s a character to be approached with caution, both in universe and in writing her. I have no major objection, although I know there are people who disagree.

One thing I always love about this show is the relationship between the hosts. Ben and Sammy work together so well. They’ve got so much chemistry together. The first episode is pretty short! The mysteries are well established, with a good blend between the paranormal and the extraterrestrial. I like how well the show’s format lends itself to the story it’s trying to tell.

In this episode, several important plot points are introduced. They’re hidden very well in the short term story. For those of you who haven’t listened for a while, this episode has the first (icy, though not outright hostile) interaction between Sammy and Troy. This episode also introduces the best small town in America contest as well as the ongoing stalker storyline.

TL; DR- All in all, it’s a pretty good first episode. I didn’t find anything really problematic and actually really enjoyed it. The story telling is great; the acting is amazing and the format really ties the whole thing together.