Tabula Rasa audio drama

Only got through 8 full episodes so far (NOT the commentary, which ideally should be resequenced so it doesn’t play automatically before each episode). It’s simply not holding my attention. Overall it’s better than most ensemble cast drama/fiction podcasts, but the police stuff’s not accurate, and the voices don’t meld well. I’m left not caring about any of the characters. Also, is the TV show ‘Blindspot’ based on this podcast story?! They have remarkably similar premises, and this seems to proceed that show... (haven’t watched it, so could be wrong)

There’s a blind character who has to endure all her scene mates making silly comments every time they use sighted phrases like “see you later.” That gets old real quick. And she has superpowers (though that’s kind of explained away in S2). So even though there is some cool disability rep, it’s spoiled by silly stuff. This mystery audio Drama is a lot like the TV show Blindspot — not sure which one came first. There are some interesting characters, but then their identity and motivations get so muddled. It’s hard to track multiple names for each character as they move into flashbacks and whatnot, not always with any framework to let audience know when scenes occur. And all the characters sound substantially the same when they’re making dying noises ... but then seem to reappear. Maybe? Who knows ... my brain just checks out. There’s an international terrorist ring, but their goals are unclear and most of their known actions are kind of petty and unsuccessful, yet they remain a major threat to our totally unimportant protagonists. That really needed more development. Meanwhile the police side of the plot is more about silly crushes and unbelievable personal issues that pop up for plot conveniences. The plot is just all so muddled. As are the sound design choices. Some voices seem to disappear entirely into some kind of digital compression? And then it’s really hard to tell characters apart during death gurgles. Which is a shame because some of the acting is really solid! Except for some of the “bad guys” who are just cartoonish and hollow. And the soundscape is pretty complete, so it’s sad some of it is unbalanced enough to be impossible to parse. And then it just ... ends. Really, it’s a shame because with some tweaks this could have been solid.

Couldn’t get past the conversation while another conversation was playing in the background. Bad technique; completely lost me as a listener in the first 6 minutes of episode one.

Tabula Rasa is the story of "Jayne", a woman with amnesia, a psychic ability, to top all that off, is blind. She finds herself on the doorstep of a forensic psychologist, and quickly becomes a part of the Organized Crime unit of Chicago PD. Along with a rich assortment of characters, Organized Crime tries to solve the mystery of Jayne's past, and other cases they catch, including the movements of a shadowy organization who seem to be responsible for almost every major crime in the city. I love all of the characters in the show, but I can't go on and on about them. You'll have to listen and see. The voice acting and sound effects are quite good. There are some excellent moments where you can really feel the raw emotion of the scene. There are also some subtleties I really appreciate. My current favorite character is the ever flamboyant Rapheal, though I do think that's subject to change as characters like Keith grow and we learn more about Clarke (who is a great straight man for Rapheal). I didn't plan on listening to the commentary, but I got so into the show that I decided to check to see if they let anything slip about season two. You know you've got a great show when the creators are excited listening to it as the fans. Tabula Rasa officially has met and exceeded my expectations for Pendant Audio. (The last one to meet my expectations was Red Sand Investigations.) Good voice acting, compelling characters, and interesting writing. And thank goodness for Rapheal keeping the mood light (even with his own excellently crafted character flaws). Genesis Avalon needs a Rapheal. I eagarly await season two in November!