Within the Wires

From Podpedia
Within the Wires
File:Within the Wires.jpg
Presentation
StarringJanina Matthewson (S1)
Rima Te Wiata (S2)
Formatsurrealism, science fiction
LanguageEnglish
Production
No. of episodes20[1]
Publication
Original releaseJune 21, 2016 – present
WebsiteOfficial website

Within the Wires is a podcast presented as a series of audio guides. In the first season, the listener, a medical inmate at a place called the Institute, receives guidance from the mysterious narrator of instructional relaxation cassettes.[2][3][4][5][6] In the second season, an artist named Roimata Mangakāhia communicates with the listener through a series of museum audio guides.[7] The series was created in 2016 by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson, and it has been published by Night Vale Presents since June 21, 2016.[8][5][9] The narrator of the relaxation tapes is voiced by Janina Matthewson. During its run, the podcast typically airs on every other Wednesday. The first season ended on October 25, 2016, and the second season premiered on September 5, 2017.[10][11][7]

Production[edit | edit source]

In an interview with CBC Radio's Podcast Playlist, Jeffrey Cranor explained that the initial idea behind the podcast was to use pre-existing audio guides as a template for storytelling, with the first season taking the form of a relaxation cassette program. Cranor had read and enjoyed Janina Matthewson's book "Of Things Gone Astray", and they first met when he messaged her on Twitter in Autumn 2015 inviting her to the live show for Welcome to Night Vale when it was touring through London. Cranor later pitched the initial idea to Matthewson and they began brainstorming story ideas together.[12] Episodes are outlined by both Cranor and Matthewson, before being written by one of them and then edited by the other.[13] All ten episodes of the first season were written by Cranor and Matthewson, with music by Mary Epworth. The first season was partially funded through sponsored advertising - a practice shared with other series under the Night Vale Presents banner such as Alice Isn't Dead and The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air).

With the release of the final episode of the first season, it was announced that those who donate $50 or more to the podcast would receive an exclusive prologue episode for the second season,[10][11] which was released on August 22, 2017.[14]

List of episodes[edit | edit source]

Season 1[edit | edit source]

Episode Title Written by Date Running Time
1"Cassette #1: Stress, Shoulders[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonJune 21, 201624:11
2"Cassette #2: Anxiety, Stomach[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonJuly 5, 201622:28
3"Cassette #3: Insomnia, Feet[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonJuly 19, 201628:18
4"Cassette #4: Sadness, Lungs[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonAugust 2, 201626:06
5"Cassette #5: Focus, Nose[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonAugust 16, 201629:30
6"Cassette #6: for Oleta[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonAugust 30, 201625:04
7"Cassette 7: Doubt, Head[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonSeptember 13, 201628:03
8"Cassette 8: Awareness, Eyes[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonSeptember 27, 201626:14
9"Cassette 9: Loss, Hands[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonOctober 11, 201626:19
10"Cassette 10: Horopito[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonOctober 25, 201626:16

Season 2[edit | edit source]

Prior to the season premiere, three trailers composed of preview segments from the season itself were released, on August 15, August 22, and August 29, 2017.[15] Donors of $50 or more to production of the second season received a special prologue episode, "Cassette 0", on August 22, 2017 with the release of the second trailer.[14]

Episode Title Written by Date Running Time
11"Cassette 1: Tate Modern (1971)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonSeptember 5, 201729:40
12"Cassette 2: Ulster Museum (1973)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonSeptember 19, 201726:17
13"Cassette 3: El Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (1974)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonOctober 03, 201755:00[lower-alpha 1]
14"Cassette 4: Bardo Museum (1975)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonOctober 17, 201725:14
15"Cassette 5: Van Gogh Museum (1977)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonOctober 31, 201726:34
16"Cassette 6: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1978)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonNovember 14, 201730:40
17"Cassette 7: Sree Chitra Art Gallery (1979)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonNovember 28, 201721:05
18"Cassette 8: Ohara Museum of Art (1980)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonDecember 12, 201728:39
19"Cassette 9: Metropolitan Museum of Art (1981)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonDecember 26, 201719:58
20"Cassette 10: Karikari Contemporary Gallery (1986)[15]"Jeffrey Cranor and Janina MatthewsonJanuary 9, 201826:39
  1. Packaged together with an episode of Conversations with People Who Hate Me.

Reception[edit | edit source]

Marc Hershon of the Huffington Post positively reviewed the second episode, stating that it "has a distinctive flavor all its own" and that the show is "every bit as warped as [Welcome to Night Vale]."[3] Nathan Dorer of The Rensselaer Polytechnic positively reviewed the first season, finding that "the evolution of the podcast throughout the first season was borderline artful" and praising Matthewson's narration and the "effective" atmosphere of the podcast.[16] Steve Greene of IndieWire similarly praised the podcast as "an off-kilter delight" and observed that it was "something that can only exist in this medium."[17] Devon Taylor of The Sarahs observed that because the story is "parceled out slowly" it could "frustrate listeners accustomed to a more linear plot", while also drawing positive comparisons to Lost and the works of David Lynch.[13]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "Within the Wires". Podbay. Retrieved January 20, 2017. 
  2. "The Story So Far: Fiction Podcasts Take Their Next Steps". New York Times. November 11, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Podcast Reviews: Fake The Nation & Within The Wires". Huffington Post. Associated Press. July 15, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  4. "Fiction Podcasts Are Finally a Thing! Thank You, Sci-Fi and Horror". Wired. August 24, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "'Welcome to Night Vale' celebrates fourth anniversary". Asbury Park Press. June 14, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  6. "The week's best podcasts: from Star Trek to a Serial-style whodunnit". The Guardian. June 13, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 http://withinthewires.libsyn.com/season-2-trailer-1-still-life-with-orchid
  8. http://withinthewires.libsyn.com/within-the-wires-teaser
  9. "5 PODCASTS TO HELP YOU SOUND SMART FOLLOWING THE RNC". Wired. July 25, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Within the Wires". NIGHT VALE PRESENTS. Retrieved 2017-04-20. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 http://withinthewires.libsyn.com/season-1-cassette-10-horopito
  12. Michael, Lindsay (June 17, 2016). "Within the Wires, an interview with podcast makers Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson". Podcast Playlist. CBC Radio. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  13. 13.0 13.1 Taylor, Devon (October 10, 2016). "Within the Wires". Sarah Lawrence College. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  14. 14.0 14.1 http://withinthewires.libsyn.com/season-2-trailer-2-stapler-1968
  15. 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16 15.17 15.18 15.19 15.20 http://withinthewires.libsyn.com/
  16. Dorer, Nathan (October 26, 2016). "Within the Wires aims for cult fame". The Rensselaer Polytechnic. Retrieved April 20, 2017. 
  17. Greene, Steve (September 7, 2016). "10 Great Podcast Episodes from Summer 2016: Subliminal Cassette Tapes, Kansas Sweet Crude and More". IndieWire. Retrieved April 20, 2017.