Night Vale, actually, two words. Welcome to Night Vale is the title of a startlingly existential, occasionally touching, and, for lack of a better word, absurd science fiction podcast that's been around for just over a year now. It's only really been gaining popularity in the last few months (I confess, I'm a latecomer myself) but everywhere I go it seems like someone else has decided, with admitted trepidation, to give Night Vale a try.
To summarize: WTNV is a podcast in the form of a radio show hosted by Cecil Baldwin, in a tiny fictional desert town called Night Vale. To put it mildly, weird shit happens, but it's totally the norm. Night Vale starts off in its introductory episode by introducing recurring themes, such as the Dog Park (no dogs allowed, but no humans either. In fact, it's best to pretend it doesn't exist), the Hooded Figures (not really malicious but not really benevolent either? Just pretend they don't exist), the Angels (which definitely don't exist), and of course, Carlos the Scientist, who is sort of the listener's in on the world of Night Vale. Though he's not mentioned in every episode (or even heard at all until episode 16- though other voices rarely feature besides Cecil), Carlos is a scientist who's come to Night Vale to investigate the strange happenings that every Night Vale citizen just takes as commonplace.
Now, with that description, I can imagine you're probably thinking- well, I don't know what you're thinking, because when WTNV was first explained to me, I had no idea how to react. It was really only the word of so many people that I would love it that got me to go ahead and download the free (yes, free) podcasts. With 26 episodes (at the time- as of now there are 30 total) at 20-30 minutes each, the thought of catching up seemed monumental. But luckily I was on a road trip at the time and just listened incessantly. And the more I listened, the more I loved it. Now you're gonna have to do exactly what I did: listen to me tell you how fucking great it is, and then just listen for yourself.
So why is WTNV so fucking great? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS.
- Like I mentioned above, WTNV has a lot of recurring themes, characters, places, and events. It can be hard to keep up with a TV show sometimes, let alone a podcast that only comes out twice a month. Constantly reappearing characters, news stories that followed, if not week to week, will always be picked up at least a few episodes later. There is a narrative thread, despite the fact that on a first listen, literally everything sounds ridiculous and you can't imagine becoming invested in any of this. I know, I was there too. And while the temporal, character-driven narrative certainly isn't the focus of the show, it's still there, and I've spent entire episodes clutching my chest (both from fear and Grinch-type heart growing). Cecil and Carlos, for example, follow one of the greatest narratives I've seen in a while, but that's another bullet point.
Art by heardyouthefirsttime.tumblr.com - OKAY I CAN'T RESIST LET'S TALK ABOUT CECIL AND CARLOS. Cecil is the narrator, and from the very first episode, when Carlos appears, he's totally in love. He talks about his perfect hair, teeth, how gorgeous he is, how smart he is- and instead of being played off as a joke, as bromantic-but-wow-no-homo-seriously, it's treated with respect. Cecil is an honest-to-Glow-Cloud queer character, who just happens to be queer. You don't need me to tell you how rarely that happens. And, now hold on to your seats folks, because this one is really gonna shock you: Carlos is queer too. One of the most touching (in anything ever, not just WTNV) narrative threads is the development and establishment of their relationship. It's treated so perfectly that I literally do not have a single problem with it, and as a cinema studies major and non-professional media critic, that does not happen often.
- Considering the constant whitewashing of characters in literally everything, it's a fucking pleasant surprise to find out that almost 100% of art and fan casts, etc, portray Carlos as a POC! Carlos is a traditionally Latin American name, so it's really good to see that floating around. And Cecil is often drawn as a POC, as are some of the other supporting characters. It just feels so good to have a fandom that take white as default, and that's one of the most beautiful things about WTNV.
art by japhers.tumblr.com - WTNV is really PC, for lack of a better term. There's a character who calls himself the Apache Tracker, and every time he's mentioned, without fail, Cecil calls out how racist and appropriative he is. What the fuck? When do you ever come across that in media? WTNV does not stand for your shit.
- It's so not mainstream that it can get away with pretty much anything. You never know to expect with WTNV, which is part of the fun. An episode can be hilarious, it can be beyond comprehension, it can be heartbreaking. And somehow it refrains from verging on shocking just to be shocking. Everything has a point, everything is so carefully thought out- it's not sloppy or lazy at all.
The thing about WTNV is that it's kind of inexplicable. Once you've heard it, everything I've just said will make perfect sense, I swear, but until then, you just have to take a chance and leap. The first episode will only take twenty minutes out of your day. So stop reading this post and go listen.
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