The first season of the audio drama “The Bright Sessions” (written by Lauren Shippen) may be two people talking in a room, but it’s some of the most compelling storytelling and acting I’ve heard in a while. The premise is straight forward–a psychologist for the supernatural.

The story isn’t simply Dr. Bright talking with her patients for 10-20 minutes per episode. Each of her patients has an otherworldly power. Mind reading is the most “normal” in terms of speculative fiction. The most complex character is Caleb. His ability isn’t too specular (reading people’s emotions, rather than thought), but Lauren Shippen’s 16 year old character balances the line of homosexual and heterosexual behavior that one can interpret his sexuality either way and isn’t heavy-handed as a result.

Diversity aside, it’s hard to fault something this basic. It accomplishes what it sets out to do. There’s no complex narrative or witty banter between Dr. Bright and her patients, which eliminates any need for speculation or theory-crafting, almost.

As the story unfolds through Dr. Bright’s audio logs before and after the sessions, her interest in these unique people seems a bit more ominous. By the end of episode nine, you realize there’s more to this service than simply helping people with extraordinary powers.

Another fascinating aspect of this story is the transmedia nature of the podcast episode descriptions. There’s a sense of a larger world through them. Sure it might seem shallow, but what transmedia campaign is known for being anything other than a gimmick. For example, what do the levels of empath mean? How powerful is a level seven compared to a level four?

So much is left unanswered at the season finale, but based on the structure of each episode, there’s no feeling of loose ends. At least not when you consider it’s a season finale with more being released on a regular basis.

5/5 Stars