Passenger List: A new narrative fiction podcast from Radiotopia - full show discussion

October 14, 2019 6:38 PM

Atlantic Flight 702 has disappeared mid-flight between London and New York with 256 passengers on board. Kaitlin Le (Kelly Marie Tran), a college student whose twin brother vanished with the flight, is determined to uncover the truth.
posted by latkes (10 comments total)

Plane-Crash Podcast Passenger List Podcast Is Ready for Takeoff, from Vulture...
posted by latkes at 6:40 PM on October 14, 2019

I'm really enjoying this so far. The first few episodes had me on the edge of my seat waiting for what's next. The performances are mostly very good, especially Kelly Marie Tran who I feels carries the show effectively. I love a genre piece that is really about the emotions and character - and that's what this is so far.

I have really been wanting more narrative fiction podcasts. This one scratches that itch. I like it so much it finally pushed me, after years of free rides listening to 99PI, Ear Hustle, Song Exploder, Showcase & What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law, to making a donation to Radiotopia.
posted by latkes at 6:48 PM on October 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

I'm really enjoying this podcast. It's engaging and well-written.
posted by heathrowga at 5:48 PM on October 15, 2019

I've been loving this podcast. It's so well produced and reminds me of what I loved about Limetown and the Bright Sessions.
posted by arcticwoman at 9:10 PM on October 16, 2019

I love this podcast, just finished the first season. I wish there was more of a community around this to discuss all the clues and possible easter eggs! It reminds me of the first few seasons of LOST when everyone would go on the message boards after every episode to rehash every detail... but I haven't found anything like that online.

In the news clips at the beginning of the "White Matchmaker" episode, it mentioned that she and her 12-year-old son were thought to have died in a bombing raid. They mention the son twice. I'm wondering if the son will come into play or if it's a total red herring...?

So they have covered the angles of rogue/ suicidal pilot, biological warfare, a bomb, bird strike, hackers, people flying on stolen passports, etc. Even stuff I remember from the MH370 incident, where people were scouring satellite photos and claiming to have found evidence on the plane via shadows on the ground. One thing they haven't covered is anything really supernatural, which is interesting. Kaitlin totally pooh poohs the psychic witch (even though she predicts that the passengers aren't dead) and immediately deletes all the voice memos that mention a dream.

So I'm torn.. is her deleting those messages supposed to be winking "it's not THAT kind of show" or is it a clue that the kind of supernatural stuff is actually important? Because the psychic does come back into play in the last episode ("I'm sorry Chrissy but we can't sit together").

Can't wait for season 2!
posted by jschu at 9:11 AM on October 29, 2019 [2 favorites]

Also... I am not sure if it is a goof or a clue but the timeline is wonky. The first season spans some length of time, as evidenced by all of Kaitlin's travels and the progression of phone calls from her university. But they refer to the plane crash as being "six months ago" in multiple episodes.
posted by jschu at 9:31 AM on October 29, 2019

Wait... that was the end of the season??!! Nooo!!!! I can't handle the cliffhanger!
posted by latkes at 3:15 PM on October 29, 2019

I assumed all the episodes took place within a few weeks of each other? In terms of the various theories, it seems none of have been ruled out except a bird strike, and some that were introduced and dismissed have been ruled back in, so right now we have like 5 possible explanations.
posted by latkes at 3:17 PM on October 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

For those of you who clean out your podcast subscriptions: Passenger List is back! We're currently three eps into Season 2. New episodes seem to drop on Mondays, so it might be four episodes by the time you read this.
posted by invokeuse at 12:17 AM on May 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

I wish I could bump this to the top of fanfare somehow!

What did y;all think? I spent a lot of the second season fearing that the show would just keep going in wild different directions, but they tied up most ends in a way that satisfied me. Maybe the wrap up was a bit fast (I think it could have maybe stretched to two episodes of explanation?), but overall, I was into it.

The acting was really great. The pacing was good. Clever and entertaining.

I think I'll actually start a new thread for season two...
posted by latkes at 6:08 PM on June 24, 2021