If you've followed this blog at all then you'll know that I am not a regular consumer of conventional, popular, white-bread entertainment fare that follows a predictably straightforward path towards a tidy ending. I love a sense of mystery so I'm not a stickler for tying up every loose end of a storyline unless, of course, the grand finale's opacity or lack of closure is presented in such a way that it fucks up everything that came before it. 

That's kind of where I'm at with Limetown, a two-season podcast that originally ran in 2015 and 2018, and spawned a one-season television series of the same name. Of course, I'm always late to the game (we're waiting to see both Barbie and Oppenheimer until later this week, and I have yet to make it to the theater for MI7: Dead Reckoning, Part One). In any case, Limetown was initially well-received by critics and listeners alike, so I decided to give it a listen during my daily ministrations at the gym. With 11 episodes (of 35-45 minutes each) and several shorter fillers that move the plot forward, Limetown has a sort of X-Files-ish vibe that hooks you in right away with its intriguing presentation of an American Public Radio (surrogate for NPR) reporter who attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of all 300+ residents of a scientific community (the titular Limetown) in rural Tennessee 10 years earlier. 

Limetown--constructed to house scientists, administrators, research subjects and their families--stands empty and decaying, surrounded by barriers and encroaching woodlands, a testament to the abrupt departure of its inhabitants. In fact, the entire Limetown incident, once a national scandal, has all but disappeared from the national consciousness. That starts to change, however, when reporter Lia Haddock launches an investigation. After her first installment airs, Lia is contacted by a purported "survivor" of Limetown and immediately the intrigue kicks into high gear. Shadow corporations, mad scientists, ruthless assassins, kidnapping, cover-ups, murders and assorted skullduggeries are all key ingredients in the ensuing episodes of Limetown which, admittedly, is never boring. 

In fact, the first season is especially good. But by the end of the first episode of Season 2, it was clear that the series was taking a different approach to the story. I stuck with it to the end--as I said, it's never boring, and the acting and production values are quite good--but I kept thinking that the writers were going somewhere with this. Maybe Limetown would end as an anti-corporate screed or a warning against the perils of scientific overreach. Or, simply as a clever psychological thriller that spent two seasons manipulating us listeners. And, indeed, maybe it is one of those things, or even all three at once. I'm not sure. As much as I appreciate ambiguity, Limetown is a let-down. The podcast finale kept me tuned in because I wanted to see what the writers had slipped by me so I could go oooohhhhhh and be astonished by their creativity and brilliance. I didn't need a clear explanation but I did need to be dazzled. Instead of ambiguity, in the end I got confusion. 

Limetown is the first fictional podcast I've listened to but I won't be discouraged from seeking out others in the future; it is well-done, after all. For the time being, I'll be catching up on the regular non-fiction podcasts I've become accustomed to enjoying on the treadmill. Stuff like Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps (so smart and so good!), You Must Remember This (a look at the less savory side of Hollywood history), Bad Gays (just what it sounds like), Shakespeare Unlimited (again--just what it sounds like), and If Books Could Kill (2 guys discussing non-fiction bestsellers that tout pseudoscience and alternate histories). 

If you've never listened to a podcast before, you might want to check them out. Despite recommendations from various friends over a period of years, I'd eschewed podcasts like they were hulking stalks of broccoli lurking al dente behind the pile of french fries on my plate. But then COVID happened and we became recluses. Rather than looking inward and seeking illumination, or going all kum ba yah, I took the plunge and discovered podcasts. And here I am. Of course, I carried the podcast habit over to the gym because what else am I going to do on the treadmill besides tread? Listen to the jerk screaming into his cell phone on the treadmill next to mine? Read the misspelled captions on CNN--or worse, Fox News--on the 45-inch flatscreens suspended from the ceiling? No thanks. As my old friend Dana used to say, "I'd rather be sequined to a tree." If you're new to the world of podcasts, the 5 I mentioned in the above paragraph are worth a listen. They may wind up not being your cup of tea but there are a plethora of choices open to you, many of them free if you have an iPhone or are a Prime member (the above 5 are all free on iPhone Podcasts). 

If you still think podcasts are a waste of time, I'll leave you with this little bit of current info (2023) that I dug up online. You're welcome.