Review of Time:Bombs - It’s a Masterpiece That Comes From

It’s a Masterpiece That Comes From Overwhelming Time Pressure and Fear of Public Shame

☆

“Parkinson’s Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Usually this law means that people tend to procrastinate or drag out a project when they know they have a lot of time to complete it. But these guys give themselves a week to storyboard, write, produce, and release a complete podcast. From beginning to end. They did not waste a second. And their end-result is one they should be proud of. Shachat, Urbina, and Valenti created a fulfilling story with an intriguing narrative. With no time to waste, they introduce characters immediately from the get-go through main character narration, which was done in such a fashion that it kept me interested in the story and still entertained. The narration not only told us about Simon Teller’s thought processes during the story, but also proved a useful way to set up characters without much need for expositional dialogue, a real time saver. They created incredibly likeable and unique characters, each with their own part of a power dynamic, that were all liked instantly. Their characters and plot grab you instantly and you’re immediately excited to see what comes next. There is no slow pacing, or episodes-long build up. Everything is popped out of the oven and instantly told to us. The self-inflicted time pressure absolutely helped the creators ensure the story kept going with minimum lulls. Each episode had it’s own relative pacing, with the first being majorly expositive and very entertaining, as well as quietly introducing us to Teller and Mark Midland’s juxtaposed thought processes and business manners, which would help lay the groundwork for the rest of the show. The first episode shows you Simon Teller’s motive, breaking the record at his job, which is very unique when you consider his line of work. His motivation is major plot point and driving force for the story, but is ultimately pushed aside to focus on character interactions and is left unfulfilled. The second episode, being much more intense and stressful in its second half, shows just how important the record is to Teller. We get a unique display of Teller’s thought processes during the “collapsing circuit” moment, and while audiences may think that scene was the climax and height of the tension in the episode, the listener is hit with the first stagnating disruption of Teller and Midland’s relationship, which ultimately changes the direction of story and takes it on a new path. While Teller’s drive to break the record initially causes this fight between them with his actions, his drive also ends there. Teller’s character and the plot were initially centred around the record, and his feud with Midland expands Teller’s focus as a character, but also ultimately changes the story’s plot focus. During Teller and Midland’s —now very loud and open— confrontation with each other, and we see the power dynamic come into full effect, where Teller uses his status as Midland’s boss to end Midland’s questioning for Teller’s thinking. In the finale, Simon Teller’s motivation take a back seat in every way to the feud with him and Midland. We focus more on their relationship, and Teller’s lack of consideration towards Midland’s concerns escalate them into another fight that ultimately renders the drive Teller’s initial character motivation completely null. We lose that sense of excitement for Teller to complete his goal; which was something I was very interested in, but also see another and very intriguing side of Teller, one that is much more humble and less goal-oriented. The change of focus in the plot does fix Teller and Midland’s relationship, and maybe I’m looking at this through rose-colored glasses, but ultimately, the resolution of enjoying a drink with friends on New Year’s Eve didn’t seem like a good enough pay off for the amount of focus their relationship had on the story. Combined with the fact that Teller’s goal and the initial plot of the story (breaking the record) are also left unfulfilled, the ending left me wanting more for Teller. As character development overtook the plot midway through the story, both Teller’s relationship with his teammates and his motivation did not get the enough time to help me sympathize with his character choice to throw away his record for his relationship with Midland, especially since Teller and Midland’s relationship does not grow or change to reflect any impact that Midland and Teller’s decisions or actions may have on one another. In the end, nothing essentially changed or grew for Teller or his relationships; Teller didn’t break the record, Midland and Teller’s relationship goes back to the way it was, maybe a bit closer, but still ultimately the same. Teller’s relationship with Midland at first seems very jovial and sometimes downright sweet, and Teller clearly “like[s] him a lot”, but Midland’s personality halts that relationship from growing into anything more. It seems like Midland needed to grow some more before the story to have his relationship with Teller advance into anything else. In the end, however, Time Bombs is an excellent example of the kind of work that can be done with people who thoroughly enjoy the work they do, combined with a small timeframe and a fear of public shame. Considering this is their first work since Wolf 359, a story that I loved to death for its vast array of deep characters and fulfilling relationships, I’d say that this story was a direct contrast to the kind of time & pacing they usually do and have, and a miscalculation of the amount of plot they can tell is pardonable and to be expected. Time Bombs is an amazing story that absolutely needed to be told quickly with a fast-paced plot to match, and they do just that. The loose ends the story leaves us with allows for the creators to come back to this story if they ever wished to, and I honestly hope they do, or at least reference them in their future works (Unit 214, Radio Bob). These guys and their crazy whammajamma.”

Askrjifle via Apple Podcasts · Canada · 10/24/18

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