In Its First Season, “Tides” Makes a Splash In Audio Drama

2018 has been an especially exciting year for audio drama. While this year marks the end of several cornerstone works of fiction in podcasting like The Bright Sessions, Wolf 359, ars PARADOXICA, and Our Fair City, it’s also brought a wave of new, phenomenal works. Of those, Tides is one of the audio dramas that specifically stands out. Tides was featured in our Best of 2018 (So Far) list, but its first season finale brought the audio drama to new, lovely heights. While this review will not contain many spoilers for the first season, it will contain some minor spoilers.

Tides follows Dr. Winifred “Fred” Urus, a biologist on an expedition to Fons, a planet with intense tides and strange life forms. Fred, played by Julia Schifini, navigates the planet, speaking through audio logs about her findings. Initially, Tides is structured as a single-narrator story, and the narration shifts between Fred’s discussions of the biological phenomena she observes, her trials of surviving the harsh landscape, and her increasing frustration with being isolated.

In audio drama, single-narrator stories about isolation are somewhat common, but Tides slowly changes this narrative in a brilliant, elegant way. With Tides, the decision to start with themes of isolation and end the first season with themes of found family and connecting in unexpectedly profound ways is woven into the narrative as a whole. Tides is a story about community that masquerades as one about isolation, using Fred’s separation and misanthropy as ways to lure the listener into feeling comfortable in a traditional narrative before flipping the script. This tactic isn’t a trick; instead, it’s a way to encourage listeners to grow alongside Fred as she’s slowly revealed to be an unreliable narrator. As it becomes clear that Fred will be spending more time on Fons that initially anticipated, her frustration manifests largely through lashing out at others, and it becomes clear that some facets of her isolation are largely self-made.

Fred’s characterization is harmonized by the delightfully realistic and three-dimensional supporting characters. Played by Jordan Higgs, Stevens is Fred’s assitant, a kind and perhaps overly accommodating crew member who is the target of most of Fred’s frustrations. Fred’s fellow scientists Melissa and Montague, played by Emily Wang and James Oliva, respectively, contrast Fred’s dry humor and often cutting tone–for Melissa, through her direct but caring analyses; for Montague, through his eccentric and effervescent enthusiasm. Zach Libresco’s performance as Captain Ricketts is a little weary but mostly paternal, aiming for cohesion and morale without falling into traditional stereotypes of sci-fi captains. The dynamics between the characters feel comfortable and lived in, the kind of dynamics you’d expect from a team that’s worked together for some time.

While much of this natural chemistry and cadence comes from the performances,a great deal also comes from the editing on the dialogue. Instead of having a standard back-and-forth rhythm, the characters give minimal responses in the form of a “hmm,” an “oh,” a small huff or sigh when being spoken to. They’re allowed to speak over each other, levels of speech often intersecting and layered on top of each other to give an organic feel to the conversation instead of focusing on clarity. It’s a bold move in a medium that still aims for an almost shot reverse shot style in dialogue, and it pays off immensely. The sound design makes for an immersive experience, whether it be the crashing waves or someone accidentally running past a room and needing to run back. The design is never intrusive or over-produced, instead choosing for a fittingly naturalistic style.

Tides is an audio drama that initially requires patience. Its first few episodes are not heavily plotted, feeling more like a nature documentary than a space opera–which they should. Tides is a story that concerns explorers venturing into space, but it isn’t necessarily about that; instead, it’s about biology, it’s about community, it’s about becoming self-aware, and it’s about embracing vulnerability. You can rest assured that if you approach Tides expecting all of this, that patience will be rewarded.