Rabbits
Self Description:
“When Carly Parker’s friend Yumiko goes missing under very mysterious circumstances, Carly’s search for her friend leads her headfirst into an ancient mysterious game known only as Rabbits. Soon Carly begins to suspect that Rabbits is much more than just a game, and that the key to understanding Rabbits might be the key to the survival of our species, and the universe, as we know it.”
Review:
Rabbits is a great new podcast that I actually really can’t talk too much about. Or, if I do, it’s got to be in a roundabout way, because anything else I say is going to be a spoiler. As such, expect any and all future individual episode reviews of Rabbits to be full of spoilers and marked thusly.
According to its website, “Rabbits is a brand new documentary / docudrama podcast series” that is presented by the Public Radio Alliance.
First, let me get this out of the way, though it probably doesn’t actually need to be said: Rabbits is a fictional story set in a fictional universe. The only reason I feel compelled to say anything about this at all is a credit to the very high production value of the show, and to the fact that the show’s presenter, Carly Parker, never breaks character, even for the non-storyline elements, like the advertising. Docudrama may be the official category of the show as deemed by the show itself, but it leaves out important facets of what the podcast actually is. This is further credit to the show’s creators, as they do this entirely on purpose in order to reinforce the sense of reality and internal consistency. What the podcast actually is is an immersive, adventurous murder mystery psychological thriller with vibes of the occult whereby the listener slowly uncovers clues alongside Carly regarding the true nature of Rabbits (simple alternate reality game? Secret society? Something more?) and how it relates to the disappearance of her friend Yumiko, who quite honestly quickly begins to feel pretty secondary in light of the larger enigma at hand. If you’re any sort of a fan of conspiratorial mysteries, secret societies, and conspiracy theories, the show will almost certainly draw you in.
That’s not to say it’s perfect by any means. One valid criticism of the show from myself and friends I’ve spoken to focuses on the quality of the dialogue and acting. The dialogue feels very forced and turn-based, which could very well be a product of the acting as much as the writing, or even a combination of the two. But if you can overlook that and not let it jerk you out of the wonderfully crafted plot then, like me, you’ll be eagerly anticipating each episode’s premiere.
Notable Episodes:
Start from the beginning.
If you like this podcast, you’ll probably like:
Tanis (from the same network)
Welcome to Nightvale (maybe)
