THE HEARD INSTINCT播客新聲

Gimlet Media’s new conspiracy mystery podcast, Homecoming, takes storytelling to new places. By TIM PRITCHARD Gimlet Media娓娓動聽Homecoming Tim Pritchard

IF VIDEO KILLED

的全新懸疑推理播客節目《撰文：

the radio star, the smartphone brought it back from the dead. And it’s all thanks to podcasts.

A recent survey found that more than one in five Americans listened to a podcast in the past month, perhaps finding comfort in the nasal musings of Ira Glass ( This American Life), the latest inspiring TED Talks or the must-have songs and books celebrities would take to a desert island ( Desert Island Discs) as they go about their daily commutes, chores and gym routines.

Then there is Gimlet Media, best known for shows like Crimetown (a look at crime and corruption in America) and Start Up (a chronicle of co-founder Alex Blumberg’s odyssey in getting Gimlet off the ground). And its first fictional show, Homecoming, may just be your next podcast obsession.

It’s a slow-burn conspiracy thriller played out over six 20-25 minute episodes, brought to life by a lively voice cast of Hollywood stars. Catherine Keener plays Heidi, a caseworker in an experimental government programme helping soldiers integrate back into society. There she meets Walter (Oscar Isaac, pictured right), recently back from active duty and eager to put his demons behind him.

As characters’ motivations are revealed through recorded conversations, snippets of interactions and phone calls (the ones from Heidi’s demanding boss, Colin – played to irascible perfection by David Schwimmer – are equally entertaining and unnerving), listeners have to piece together a puzzle that spans two timelines: one where Heidi is still working at the facility, and five years later when she is laying low, working as a waitress.

Homecoming is bold, experimental storytelling that uses clever sound design and writing to deliver one of the most compelling new podcasts of 2017. 》將講故事的技巧帶到新境界。 如果電視將播音明星殺死，那麼令他們起死回生的就是智能手機，這要多得播客節目的出現。

最近一項調查顯示，過去一個月內，每五個美國人就有一個以上曾經聽過播客節目。這些聽眾每天上、下班途中、處理日常雜務與在健身室做運動時，也許沉浸於 Ira Glass以帶著鼻音的聲線在《This American Life》中談天說地，或者是最新的TED Talks演講系列，又或是收聽《Desert Island Discs》內的名人嘉賓講述若置身荒島時，有什麼歌曲和書籍是不可或缺的。

而 Gimlet Media亦提供一系列令人耳目一新的播客節目，例如《Crimetown》是一個以美國的罪案和腐敗為題材的節目；以及《Start Up》，由Gimlet Media的共同創辦人Alex Blumberg現身說法，講述如何成立這家公司。還有他們推出的首個虛構故事節目《Homecoming》，可能是另一個令你沉迷其中的播客節目。

這是一個疑雲密佈的懸疑劇集，共有六集，每集20 至 25分鐘，劇情逐步推展，引人入勝。故事由一群荷李活明星聲演： Catherine Keener 飾演 Heidi，她在一個政府的試驗項目擔任個案工作，協助退伍軍人重新融入社會。她因為工作而認識剛從行動任務中退下來的 Walter（Oscar Isaac聲演，下圖），他非常渴望將心魔拋諸腦後。

劇情透過對話紀錄、零星的交流片段及電話對話，將角色的內心動機逐漸揭露，聽眾需要將發生於兩個不同時空的故事自行拼貼起來，才能將謎團解開： Heidi 仍然在那家機構工作時發生的事，以及五年後她隱姓埋名，靠當侍應維生的景況。劇中 Heidi 有個苛刻的上司 Colin，由David Schwimmer聲演，將一個脾氣暴躁的老闆演得活靈活現，充滿娛樂性之餘亦令人生起一絲不安的感覺。

本劇巧妙地運用音效設計，加上精采的劇本，以大膽而具實驗性的方式來說故事，製作出 2017 年其中一個最引人入勝的播客節目。