Tea in the Sahara
Kev: Critic & Podcaster
The vibe in the nineties for this vintage critic was that of a hedonistic and less complicated time – Radiohead was the hottest band on the planet, smoking & drinking were en-vogue, and most folk still had backbones (ouch, yet so true!)
So when Roni Mayes reached out to me about Staks 2nd season of BOOM straddling 1999/2000 I knew I’d be bang up for a retro stroll down memory lane.
For those who have not listened to BOOM’S first series here is a quick recap — this sci-fi audio drama is based at the turn of the century, when worries about the millennium bug were a big deal. BOOM follows introverted finance manager Jim (Akie Kotabe), as he navigates a blended storyline best described as if Stranger Things & Fight Club were to have a baby – BOOM would be that baby.
Working for Enron Jim lives an unassuming nerdy existence – until destiny sends him an email from the future which turns Jim’s world on its head, and into a life of corporate embezzlement.
Season two picks up in Las Vegas barely hours into the new millennium as our cast’s furniture gets drunkenly rearranged. The dynamics have changed for Jim post-first season with greater expectations from his employers – which now include being tailed by the FBI…
Jim is not totally alone in his misadventures – his love interest is supplied by fellow Enron employee/jazz singer Cora Campbell expertly voiced by (Meg Cavanaugh), who IMO shines brightly. Other stand-out characters putting in a shift include the main antagonist corporate mouthpiece Staten (Omari Douglas), who pops up like the Smoking Man from X-Files to baffle our hero Jim making sure he stays on task.
BOOM’S audio production continues to be truly awesome – as podcast writers we band about the term ‘immersive sound’ to describe how pure the audio is within the said podcast. With BOOM it is the little nineties nuances and era placemats which help elevate the show above other decade-based podcasts. Screeching internet dial-up modems, classic Nokia ringtones, and typing 5318008 into a calculator pulled this audio drama together for me.
Episode pacing and character introductions are both buttery smooth so you can really put your mind in neutral when listening along to this podcast – with such a small cast, and each character playing their parts superbly. If the current fashion trend continues to be nineties-dominated I can easily see BOOM appealing to both Gen-Z fans and vintage listeners alike.
Is BOOM’S nostalgia kick strong enough to keep you listening?
If you are coming to this review after listening to season one I found Series two’s progression kicked into gear much quicker – this was the only niggle I had with BOOM. Way too much time early doors was focused on setting the nineties tone and less allocated to hooking the listener in. The only other thing I really missed was the character Ellis Coney (Sharon D Clarke), who swore like a sailor, and perhaps was written out of the series too soon…
To close before scores – the writing & production creatively creates tension within what is a minimal nostalgic storyline. I enjoyed the extremely shrewd use of corporate corruption as the vehicle for secrets and skulduggery – I am curious if Emron is modeled on another ruthless Blue-chip company…Heck, they even made finance accounting and auditing sound less dull than we all know it actually is.
BOOM’S score is 4/5 – and BOOM can be found wherever you download your podcasts.
Boom is a Stak production in association with Holy Smokes – directed by Adam Jarrell, and written by Joel Emery — with a BIG shout-out to Roni Mayes, Carver PR for publicity.
Your choice of podcast critic to follow is optional, so I am pleased that you took a punt on reading this indie review. If you’ve enjoyed my tone of writing get in touch for your own bespoke podcast review – tinthesahara@gmail.com
Cast
AKIE KOTABE AS JIM
(The Batman, The Falcon, and the Winter Soldier, Mad Men, Jason Bourne )
OMARI DOUGLAS AS STATEN
(It’s a Sin, A Little Life, Cabaret)
MEG CAVANAUGH AS CORA CAMPBELL
(Holby City, Death in Paradise, We Will Rock You)
MIKE CAPOZZOLA AS DOUG MARTINEZ
(The Batman, Billions, Men in Black: International)
Tea in the sahara 