2023

‘The Inner Fight’ is the penultimate episode of Lower Decks season 4. It’s appropriately titled. Trapped in a cave on an alien world by actual literal knife rain, Beckett Mariner (the amazing Tawny Newsome) opens up to her opponent cum confidant, Klingon Ma’ah (Jon Curry). As she does, she articulates the problem at the core of Starfleet, one

Three of the best podcasts I’ve listened to all year all use the ‘one voice and each finds new ways to tell stories using it. Let’s talk about them. Contents Travelling Light, listening to Observable Radio outside Ethics TownInterstitials: Individual Travelling Light episode art by co-creator MattPlayout: The British by Benjamin Zephanaiah Read More

Doctor Who is back! David Tennant and Catherine Tate returned to the timey wimey blue box, along with showrunner Russell T. Davies. Davies’ joyously furious script has enraged the exact people who love to be enraged. And in this trudge of a year, where the worst voices have often carried the furthest, it’d be easy to revel in

The brutal gravity of murder locks victim, suspect and detective into a dance as old as mortality. Dean Ormston and the late Si Spencer‘s graphic novel sidles onto the screen with the same plausible charm as Sir Julian Harker (Stephen Graham) cuckoos his way into his family’s life. Four different detectives, in four different time periods, work the same

November is a weird month. Too many weeks left to go wheels up for the holidays, but time to make decisions about how to structure the new year starting all too soon. Combined with today being the 6th anniversary of The Full Lid, it’s got us feeling reflective. We always aim for positivity and honesty

I used to cross the Fairy Bridge once a week. It’s a little bridge across Santon Burn on the Isle of Man, and whenever you cross it you say hello to the fairies. This is so baked into Manx culture that buses on the island make an automatic announcement to passengers when they cross it. Hundreds of

There are stories we tell ourselves to cope with what we are, and stories we become. Squire is both. Contents SquireInterstitials: Carbot Animations vs Baldurs Gate 3Playout: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip‘s final scene Read More

If I had to use a single word to summarize this debut short story collection from Friend of the Lid Suzan Palumbo, it would be “unflinching”. Palumbo’s trademark wit and compassion are present of course, but its her story’s unwillingness to look away, to confront the ugly mess of reality in front of them, that sticks with

In a dingy apartment on the corner of Liminal Horror and Found Footage, Jay Marks records something he shouldn’t. Contents Mister Howl: A Found Footage Ghost StoryInterstitials: Video essays by LadyknightthebravePlayout: Imperial March by Galactic Empire  Read More

The last muse is dead. Calliope (Ashley Johnson) crashes an audition for Grace (Laura Bailey)’s band then crashes through her front door that night, bleeding to death. In her final seconds, Calliope passes her Eidolon — that part of her which makes her an Idol — to Grace. The last muse is dead. The last muse