We’ve reached episode three of the Dolores Roach podcast. And yes, there is finally some blood on Dolores’s hands.

The story

When we begin our tale, Dolores is disappointed. No one has come for a massage. She’s disappointed, but not surprised. Seeing as how her only advertisement is a handwritten sign on the front window of Empanadas Loco, I’m not surprised either.

Then, she gives Nellie a massage. And she’s just blown away.

Soon lots of people are coming for massages. And even better, they’re telling their friends. Dolores thinks she’s making good money. She tries to give some to Luis for the rent. You know, the rent he hasn’t paid in months, giving the landlord a reason to kick him out. But he refuses. He doesn’t want to give Mr. Pearlman, the new landlord, the satisfaction of paying him.

While I understand the instinct, my guy, this isn’t a good move. Eventually, Mr. Pearlman shows up in person.

Mr. Pearlman, by the way, is played by the delightfully funny Richard Kind.

Dolores walks in on Mr. Pearlman and Luis yelling at each other. While both men have some good points to make, I stopped having any sympathy for Mr. Pearlman when he started calling Luis Louis.

Dolores finally calms Mr. Pearlman down by offering to pay him the rent for the month. She takes him downstairs and offers him around $550.

At this point, Pearlman loses his temper. This isn’t a fraction of the rent for a residential and business location in NYC.

Dolores manages to get Pearlman to sit down for a massage. Eventually, things escalate, and he’s lying down with nothing but his undershorts on.

Then, he falls asleep.

And Dolores sees the man who’s threatening her new home, her new life, asleep on her table, after telling her that he was kicking them out of the building because ‘It’s survival of the fittest’ out there.

This was not the fittest decision for him.

What worked

One thing that’s quite different in this version than on the show is the relationship between Nellie and Dolores. While they had a good relationship in the show, Nellie is an active force for good in Dolores’s life. She took her shopping, she encouraged her to apply for work. She recommends Dolores to her friends. As much as Luis helps her, giving her a place to stay and food, it’s Nellie who inspires her to be independent.

I am also just blown away by the voice acting, especially in this episode. There is a scene, leading up to the death of Mr. Pearlman, where Rubin-Vega’s cadence changes dramatically. You can feel the excitement, the fear, the anxiety of what she’s doing. It’s enough to make my heart race, and I wasn’t even killing anybody.

Finally, I was delighted to see that there are some big-name actors in this series. Margaret Cho plays Joy, the cheerful laundromat owner who we haven’t met yet. And Richard Kind played the ill-fated Mr. Pearlman. It’s fantastic to see these actors in a podcast because often fiction podcasts are seen as sort of indie things. Some of them are, like mine. But it should be seen as a valuable art form. Listening to a podcast is a different experience than watching a show or even listening to an audiobook. I consider the addition of well-known actors as a sign that the audio drama format is getting the respect it deserves.

What didn’t work

I’m honestly struggling with this part again. Listening to Dolores Roach, I’m having a hard time finding anything to critique about it. It’s just a good story well told.

The Dolores Roach podcast is turning out to be darker than the show. With a main character who’s intent not just on surviving, but thriving, the story takes on a richer and more sinister tone. Dolores is choosing to kill to protect this new life she’s found. And this leads us to ask a dark question. Do we blame her? Can we honestly say that we wouldn’t be tempted to do the same?

(4 / 5)

By the way, if you like my writing, you might want to check out my latest sci-fi horror story, Nova. It’ll be released episodically on my site, Paper Beats World, starting February 5th.

Released in October of 2018, the podcast Dolores Roach is a magically gory romp. After devouring the first season of the show it inspired on Amazon (and learning to make empanadas) I couldn’t wait to dig into the two-season podcast.

That said, as we go through this podcast together I’ll endeavor to discuss it on its own terms, rather than comparing and contrasting it with the show. This is, after all, the source material.

And it is delicious.

The Story

We begin our tale with Dolores, talking to someone we haven’t yet identified. She’s telling her story, explaining how she’s ended up in the sewer.

Sixteen years earlier, Dolores was dating a drug dealer named Dominic. There was a drug bust, and Dolores went to jail for selling weed.

But she’s out now, her debt to society paid. You know, the debt she owed for helping to sell something legal in literally almost half the country.

But she’s out now, and she is not having a good first day out. Her neighborhood is nothing like she remembers it. It’s been gentrified. There’s someone else living in her old apartment. And nobody knows where Dominic is.

But Dolores finally finds one familiar place. Empanadas Loco, still run by her old friend Luis.

Her good old friend Luis. And for one shining moment, it seems like Dolores might have found a haven to start putting her life back in order.

Of course, we know, it won’t last.

What worked

We can’t start talking about the merits of Dolores Roach without talking about the main character herself. Played by Daphne Rubin-Vega, she is such a relatable character. She just got out of prison for something she never should have been in prison for, only to find her home completely different from when she left it. A place where she once felt safe, where she once belonged, is gone.

We can feel her relief upon finding Empanadas Loco and Luis. Not just relief but joy.

This episode asks us to consider what we would miss most if we were suddenly taken unjustly from our homes and families. Not just the big things, like our families. But simple things, like getting takeout from your favorite local place. Getting a shower in peace with the door closed and locked. Having a comfortable bed to sleep in. Enjoying your intoxicating item of choice. What would you miss the most?

Another thing I loved about this episode was that it started right out inspiring questions. Even if you did watch the show first.

I am so intrigued by this first episode. I have so many questions that I need answers to. Why is Dolores in a sewer? And who is she telling her story to?

Finally, I want to talk about Kita Updike, who plays Nellie in both the show and podcast. And she does a fantastic job in both. I’m excited to see how she does in the rest of the season.

What didn’t work

It’s really hard to say that anything didn’t work in this first episode. If anything, I’d say that maybe some of Luis’s lines were a bit rushed. But that’s a minor issue.

Overall, this was a warm, realistic start to the story. I find it impossible not to open my heart to Dolores all over again. I can’t wait to dive into the next episode.

As a final thought, I want to remind you that every time a story is retold, it takes on new voices and new inspiration. So even if you watched Dolores Roach along with me last year, it’s not wise to assume we already know how the story ends. Likewise, even when we finish the podcast we don’t know for sure how the show will resolve in season two. When seeing a story retold in a different medium, it’s always best to experience both as if the other one didn’t exist. If you leave yourself the room to be surprised, chances are good that you will be.

But I guess we’ll have to see as the season goes on.

By the way, if you like my writing, you might want to check out my latest sci-fi horror story, Nova. It’ll be released episodically on my site, Paper Beats World, starting February 5th.

Unwell is a midwestern gothic podcast. It says so right in its description. And this year saw its final season. If you’ve listened to the whole series like me, then you know this barely scratches the surface. But here we are, at the end. Let’s see how it goes.

The story

After Rudy’s death last season, no one’s okay. The crew at the boarding house is mourning in their own, strange ways. Chester is mourning as well. But more than that, he’s in a panic. He doesn’t understand why Rudy died.

See, the town was supposed to protect him. The town is supposed to protect everyone. But Mt. Absalom seems to be losing its mind. Strange things are happening. Starting with the boarding house, where rooms have started just floating around at random. And duplicates of living people have started wandering around.

Then there’s the ghosts of the town. Wes is realizing that he’s not exactly what he thought he was. He’s not the ghost of a young man. As he comes face to face with Silas, it becomes clear that they might have more in common than they thought.

Speaking of Silas, he isn’t doing too well. He’s becoming less and less reasonable. More and more unhinged. Whereas before we could only sense the anger and cruelty that lingered just below his surface, we can see it now.

So can the rest of the town.

What worked

Unwell had a satisfying ending. It had an ending that made sense. And it was even a happy ending. But it wasn’t an entirely happy ending.

Not everything is okay at the end. Not everyone comes home. Not everyone gets better.

But if everything got better, and everyone came home, the ending wouldn’t have worked. It would have felt fake, and unsatisfying. So even though it’s sad, it’s satisfying.

One thing that made it satisfying was that Lilly got closure about her relationship with Dot. I don’t think it’s ever made sense that Dot would have left her beloved daughter for no good reason. I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s made clear that Dot didn’t have any choice.

I loved the way that, through the season, Lilly came into her own. When we first met Lilly, she was bitter about caring for her mother and eager to be free of the chore. Now she is the new caretaker, taking over the family business in more ways than one.

Finally, this season of Unwell worked for the same reason all the other seasons worked. Yes, Mt. Absalom is a magical town. But its people are also a little magical. Because it’s a small town full of people who take care of each other. Even when they’re different. Even when they do unconventional things. Mt. Absalom is a town of people who care about each other.

What didn’t work

All that being said, there was one part of the story that didn’t get a satisfying ending. And that is the storyline regarding the star cluster that killed Norah.

I won’t ruin the ending. But I will say that we don’t get any answers regarding this.

And yes, to a point I understand why. Some things don’t have answers. Some things aren’t supposed to be known. But that doesn’t sit well with me. The point of fiction is that we can know. We can understand, because it’s not real life. It just feels like the ball got dropped here.

Unwell season five left some things unanswered, and that’s irritating. But it answered the most important question. What does a magic town do when their magic is gone? When the town that has always taken care of everyone is finally convinced to rest?

They take care of each other.

Goodnight, Mt Absalom.

(5 / 5)