Unwell Season Five
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)
What makes a great horror mom? From Silent Hill’s Rose Da Silva to Pamela Voorhees, Empty Hell’s Jo Szewczyk and shark enthusiast JM Brannyk dive into cinema’s most memorable maternal figures. This special episode explores how motherhood shapes some of horror’s most compelling narratives – including a surprisingly deep analysis of maternal instincts in Jaws 3.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
- Silent Hill – The ultimate mother’s sacrifice
- Aliens – Ripley vs The Queen: A tale of two mothers
- Child’s Play – Single motherhood meets supernatural threat
- Jaws 3 – Maternal instincts under the sea
- Plus some controversial real-life examples that might surprise you
Want more Empty Hell content? Find us on Instagram and Blue Sky, or follow Jo’s author updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/czykmate
Coming Soon: Bruce Campbell special with Brannyk, and a deep dive into Barry with Amelie
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.
Episode two of the podcast Dolores Roach wasn’t as bloody as I was hoping for. There wasn’t any blood at all. But it was still a fun ride. Let’s discuss.
The story
Our episode begins with Dolores sleeping in. Luis brings her something to eat and tries to get her to go outside. When he fails, he sends Nellie down instead.
Nellie manages to get Dolores out to do some shopping. She talks to Dolores about her mother, who is in prison. She even manages to get Dolores to apply for a job. It’s a job at Starbucks, but it’s a start.
And for a few hours at least it seems like Dolores’s life might be getting back on track.
Then, the water goes out in the whole building. As it turns out, the building recently got a new landlord. And that landlord wants Luis out.
In part, the landlord wants to clear out the building so he can sell it for a profit. And this is a scummy thing to do, no question. On the other hand, Luis hasn’t paid any rent since his dad passed. So, that’s not great.
Dolores feels her haven fading away. But if she’s panicking, it’s nothing to the breakdown Luis has. But she manages to calm him down with a massage.
This massage gives Luis an idea. Instead of Dolores trying and failing to find a barista job (Starbucks hired someone younger) she can give massages in her apartment. And, being the sort to jump in without thinking, he puts a handwritten sign on the front window of Empanadas Loco advertising massages by Magic Hands Dolores.
What worked
I love a good story, that’s always got to come first. And Dolores Roach has a great story. But more than that, there’s a relatable message behind it. A damning one.
When Dolores gets out of jail, she wants to be an upstanding citizen. She wants, in her words, to be above board. But she’s going to have a hell of a time doing that. Former felons have an incredibly difficult time obtaining gainful employment. They’re also going to have trouble renting a home. In most cases, they don’t qualify for any sort of government assistance.
It kind of makes it hard to survive. And that’s something we aren’t talking about enough.
If Dolores had been able to get a job at Starbucks, maybe she wouldn’t have had to start giving massages without a license. Or, you know, snapping necks.
I also loved the character development in this episode. No one in this show thinks they’re a secondary character. They are all living their own lives.
Let me give you an example of this. Nellie goes out of her way in this episode to make Dolores feel better. She goes shopping with her and takes her out for coffee. Nellie isn’t just doing this because Dolores needs help. She’s doing this because her mother is in jail. I appreciate it when people act like their own lives matter, rather than being just a prop for the main character to bounce off of.
What didn’t work
Much like in the show, the story takes its time to get started. And I get that. I appreciate that we need to set the scene for Dolores. We need to see exactly how much she is backed into a corner.
But it would be nice to have a little bit of blood in these first two episodes. Episode one at least had a hint that things are going to go very bad and very bloody. We could have used just a little something in this episode.
Just a taste.
But that’s a small detail. This episode of Dolores Roach was entertaining, and touching and increased the tension of the season. I’m interested to see what happens next.
(3.5 / 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.