Nostalgia Time Radio Noir
Produced by David Farquhar and his company Voices in the Wind, this mystery/hard-boiled detective series with a noir flavor fits perfectly in an audio setting. If only the world building was as good.
This story is a mix of science fiction tropes and borderline cliche dialog which makes this hour and forty-minute production feel like two and a half hours. The cliched lines aren’t as bad and fit the tone of the mean streets where the story takes place, but the fact the story felt almost double in length is a problem not many audio dramas suffer from.
As always, voice acting veteran David Ault knocks it out of the park with his unique blend of snark and saves the show from becoming worse. His character’s laid back attitude is in direct conflict with the dark and gritty nature of most hard-boiled detective fiction. Yes, he’s a wreck and has a similar backstory as many film noir protagonists, but his outlook on life is what sets him and the story apart.
World Building vs. Series Building
Unclear whether The Geminus Conspiracy is the first episode of a larger story arc or a series of self-contained adventures, parts of the ending can feel like last-minute additions to the story world. By that point, the main mystery is solved, so it’s not an issue of a plot hole or cliffhanger. Still, it left a sense of wanting both more and something else at the same time.
The mysterious Geminus Corporation comes off as a greyed out and shady organization who deal with less than legal practices. However, It lacks any originality as far as the evil business trope goes. It’s hard to tell whether they’re paying homage to film noir or trying to modernize the genre. As a result, the theme and tone come off as watered down.
4/5 Stars
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