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helmholtzresonance · 7 years

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Oh but what is this? you might ask. Is it an analysis? A liveblog? Shared thoughts? A ~ 9.400 words essay? (Really, I have no sense of measure.) Because you have a bad memory, a way to remember important bits? Rambles? All? None? Well. Idk either. Enjoy! (Expect long-ass quotes, tho. And believe me when I say long-ass quotes.)

Btw, don’t read unless you listened to all the 8 episodes + 6 minisodes available. Just. Nope. Shoo.

I love The Bridge Podcast so much. Here’s a link to my favorite quotes.

Episode 1:

We are first greeted by the voice of the Welcome Brigade, which Etta hates. She is so happy that it shuts up. The Watchtower has the newest and most functional devices, I see.

“The distinction between lived-in and deserted - where whispers on the wind can carry welcomes or warnings - seems to be a pretty common theme out here. When night sets in, you can’t tell if that ship on the horizon harbors a single living soul - or if the silver glint bouncing off of its sails is more than just moonlight.“

Like how cool is this?? And the delivery of the lines is flawless ;3

Frank is their audience? Is he someone from their watchtower? From another one? He’s from land, ok.

The Transcontinental Hotel was a success story for exactly 10 years. Then… something happened and nobody knows what for sure. Objects that may or may not belonged to the guests resurfaced, but the staff of the hotel left no trace. The daughter of the concierge may have escaped. Though the possibilities are grim.

The word “Return” has been carved on a wall in the ruins of the hotel. Or is it there as a warning? That what went down in there will happen again? A threat of the sea… just a way to tell everyone to return to shore, to leave the transcontinental bridge forever? Or a threat for the sea?

People say they hear the concierge’s daughter cries in the middle of the night in the remains of the hotel, but people say those kind of things all the time. Nothing to worry. Right?

“So, that’s all I’ve got for you. Twelve broken windows, one word, and one nine-year-old girl.” We have initials for her: H.P. And Etta implies that she might have a connection to the word “return” appearing around other strange events around the bridge.

When I first listened to the episode, a while back, at 3AM (insomnia. why.) I wrote “We have Doug Eiffel on a bridge in the middle of the Atlantic. And Minkowski is there too”. (And I meant it with all the love, I listen to Wolf 359 and I’d die for Minkowski. My only fault is that I was a bit mislead by the voice acting – that “oh so guilty” voice that Etta and Doug display.) But they detach from them until the end of the episode, they become Etta and Roger.

We also have a dose of humor. You gotta love these 2:

ROGER: Do I need to get you to read your job description again? ETTA (hastily) No, no. Once a week is really enough.

ROGER: You see that piece of paper on your desk? ETTA: Uhhh there are lots of pieces of paper on my— ROGER: The one to the left of the microphone. (exasperated) You folded it into a swan on your first day. ETTA: My job description?

And then it hits us again with:

“Well, it looks like there’s nothing happening on the Transcontinental Bridge because there’s no one on the road tonight. Or ever. It’s funny really. This thing has only been open for fifty years, and it’s already falling apart. People put all kinds of time and resources into building this thing and then they just toss it aside when they get bored. I mean, come on, this bridge spans the entire Atlantic Ocean! How cool is that?”

“How cool is that??” Indeed, Etta.

Then she invents the story about the car and the tentacle monster. And Roger might want to commit murder.

Then Roger sees something out the window, in the water, (plus a nice interference on the side) and demands to know what Etta did now. It’s not her. What member of the staff is not around? Bertie. Now they worry it’s him. But he calls is and demands to know about the chocolate. He had to go to Submare Level 3 to make sure that Bob is ok. (Bob’s a cutie.) Now Etta, Kate and Roger will go there to deal with the problem and /or offer moral support.

Did her mother drug her that night? Oh no. no. no. no. no. Etta. God. Etta that’s it I’m adopting you. My child.

I hate myself for not expecting the concierge to be a woman; I’m under the influence of another podcast concierge.

Episode 2:

“If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then perhaps you can dig up a recording of our last episode. There has to be one floating around out there, somewhere. But, if not, then my words, and the meaning behind them, become one more thing eroded away by time. “

This is a fairytale. It’s nostalgic and far away and yet so close. You are isolated, your voice goes to the void (that includes Frank) and… you say the words just to say them, they lose meaning, purpose, form, hope. You tell a story to get it out of you mainly, if it reaches somebody… it’s the second part.

“And you know that’s not why they built this thing. Nobody’s going to invest millions of dollars in a trans-continental game changer just so you can lend France a cup of sugar. But it’s romantic, isn’t it? Connection. It’s a nice idea, I guess: that you could drop everything one day and go, meet people you may have never known otherwise. But, as always, there’s a catch. If you want to meet those people, you have to cross one of the loneliest places in this world. You have to dance into the reach of the loneliest living things.”

“And no, Frank. I’m not talking about you.” Ouch. But what did he do??

CONNECTION. We are between people, but we are alone. It’s not like that, though. Not always. We have to get through the deepest and loneliest valleys of our soul to get to them. We need others in our lives, people that truly care about us. We need to know that we belong, or, if we traverse a metaphorical transcontinental bridge, we will belong.

“Sometimes I think I know what it means to live out here. But if you’re out on the Bridge tonight, imagine the spot you’re in without you in it. Imagine that there’s nothing where you’re standing but ocean. And imagine that’s the way you want it. Can you do that? Reach deep down, into that part of yourself you only seem to feel when you’re alone. The part that wonders if that solitude will last forever. The part that hungers for that. Look where you’re standing right now, and imagine there’s nothing: just you and that feeling. And then imagine someone changes that without asking you. If you’re imagining right, I think you know that there’s no language we could possibly share with the things that live out here. They’re smart, though. They don’t need a language to share. They’ve learned ours.”

That is a great way to pinpoint that progress invades, always and always invades: ideologies, space, lives.

Then we hear Lemaire’s story and we learn about the Mockingbirds. Are they real? Are they just figments of imagination? Who knows? Some ignore them, thinking it’s a lure of the ocean. A way to reclaim a space? To RETURN to what was before the bridge? Or, as Etta claims, they seek CONNECTION. You are alone, in the middle of nowhere, with nobody that wants to/can find you.

Now they have to prepare for the storm and they have to “climb up there and make sure [their] giant flashlight doesn’t break?”. And if they fall, they die. Nice encouragement, Roger Oh Great One.

“There’s a big difference between liking a good ghost story and being fearless.”

And they hear Mockingbirds. It starts as “a creepy laugh track following us around”, then Etta hears her mother, Kate her cousin, Bertie… we don’t know (though my bet is on his fiancée). They mess with what you want to hear. People you love and you cannot find anymore. People you feel dor for.

The mysterious voices are afraid that our friends won’t recognize their forms. And this is a fundamental state, isn’t it? People change and they don’t seem to recognize their old selves. Roger puts it well in the next episode.

ETTA’S MOTHER: Will you know who I am…. when we meet again?

KATE’S COUSIN: You won’t be able to save them all. It’s almost here. […] The moment where you’ll have to choose. Who will you allow to live? Who will you fail to save?

Etta wants to talk about the voices. Bertie and Roger leave; Kate speaks a little and leaves too. Poor Etta. I love you. I love you all, clearly nobody stays on this godforsaken bridge for kicks. You all want something, don’t you? CONNECTION.

Episode 3:

Roger is staring at the water. In the middle of a storm. Wonder why it feels familiar? (Flashback to me staying on a balcony in the middle of a thunder storm when I was 8 until my mom yelled at me & pulled me back inside. I also live next to a lake so there was water everywhere.) No idea.

“PEOPLE OPENLY SUPPORTING ELABORATE INITIATIVES, DOOMED OR NOT” .It’s “like if Hannibal Lecter suddenly wanted to save the rainforest”. Figures.

Oooh so Frank told her that she’s not objective and that’s a reason why she hates him? Maybe. But still.. Hmm.

“Every living being has a right to exist. But I imagine you agree with that already, don’t you? It’s not a radical idea. Most people don’t need convincing. There are some, I think, that will never be convinced - but I made up my mind a long time ago not to waste my breath trying. I’m not here for them. I’m here for you […] who’s nodding to what I’m saying, but who isn’t quite sure what you can do about it. Let me ask you something. Is existence enough? […] Even on your most commonplace days, your experiences have depth, texture, don’t they? You don’t just exist on this planet. You live. The inhabitants of this ocean used to have more than existence. They used to have the waves and the silence, the clear water, the open sky. They had their structures, their language, their society. They lived. Before the Bridge. And before us. As human beings, we have the luxury of couching our actions however we like. Expansion. Manifest destiny.“Connection.” Try to imagine, if you can. Close your eyes. I’ll wait. Picture your home and all your favorite things inside it. All the things those walls hear, all those little exchanges with the people who love you. A place filled with your fingerprints and your sounds. Your life. Now imagine that one day, you come home from work and find someone has moved upstairs. And they tell you it’s fine: they wanted that room, and you’ve never used it anyway. But little by little, they start inching into the rest of the house. Tearing down your pictures, staining your walls, breaking those favorite things of yours. Before long, your entire world is polluted by them. Their fingerprints. Their sounds. Their garbage. I can think of a few choice words for what’s been done to this beautiful place. ‘Connection’ isn’t one of them. I’m not here today to paralyze you with guilt, you in the back of the room. This isn’t a lecture. This is a call for aid. A plea to address a desperate situation before there’s nothing left to address. I am standing here today begging you to protect life, no matter what form it takes. Because as human beings, we have the luxury of defending our property. Our existences. Our lives. Well. As they say. Turnabout is fair play.”

In which you can see that I have no sense of measure and I’m in love with this paragraph. This one might be my favorite part of the podcast. Can I marry a piece of writing? I’ll try. But it explains well that humans invaded the surface of the ocean and, along with it, the whole thing.

Bertie wants them to go to Submare 3. Etta wants to bring along Kate so. Y’know. Safety reasons.

Kate searches something. For someone else. She thinks she found it, but she didn’t. Something about protecting those in danger from threats that must be *Dalek voice* Exterminated! Exterminated!

If that doesn’t sound like genocide I don’t know what does. (Now we know that there are factions that want Bob & his kind dead.)

Bob is afraid of storms :( (Bob’s a cutie.) Bertie wants to protect his flowers. Etta wants to be literally anywhere else. They question what Kate was doing in the archives. Bertie never heard of the phrase curiosity killed the cat.

I’m sorry that you’re trying to have an existential crisis in a middle of a storm, Roger. I love you, you grumpy mysterious fella. Who is he talking to? I mean yes, he’s talking to himself, but who is he imagining? We don’t know who was that person. Lover? Family? Friend? The person who played with him that night? All? None? A random mockingbird? A certain mockingbird?

“…where did you go, exactly, when you left? I looked for you, you know. For a long time […] every time I got close you slipped away. […] I couldn’t stop you. […] I’ll tell you where it leaves me — in the middle of the freaking ocean. I’m not even supposed to be here! I found a solid lead, someone who knew where you were… and then I… I lost it. I lost everything. […] Would you even recognize me? Things change over time, but I might’ve changed too much. There are days – most days, actually – where I don’t recognize myself. So how would you? I’m responsible for this watchtower. For everything – everyone – in it. But I can’t hide the truth from the others for much longer. Things have been happening at other watchtowers. Certain assets have gone missing. People have died . And when we get hit – because it’ll happen, I can just feel it – I won’t be able to keep everyone alive. They could die. And… and the ones who live… will they be able to forgive me? For… for choosing them over their friends? You couldn’t. So why should they?”

First of all: God, the angst. Second of all: I am truly afraid Roger is immortal. The bridge opens. The hotels and casinos open. Roger goes to one of them, wins the game, receives immortality as a reward and curse. Years pass. He knows that he can’t leave the bridge because. Well. That minisode explains it well.

“There are lots of rumors about what the winner really gets — or rather, what price they had to pay for it.

Most people are sure of three things:

1) If you play the game and lose, your memories will be erased. Everything you’ve ever experienced - everything that makes you who you are. Gone. Just… gone.

2) If you win, you live forever. But you can’t leave the Bridge.

3) If you win and leave the Bridge, you’ll remain immortal - but all of your memories will be erased.

Everyone who plays knows these rules. And yet, they make the choice to try anyway.”

Of course he could leave the bridge. But would you risk it?

My theory goes like this: Roger is older than he looks/sounds. I can’t brush off the feeling that he’s older than the bridge itself. So maybe this person is dead now. I know he says that he’s been at Watchtower 10 for 5 years, but we don’t know for how long he’s been around the bridge.

Of course that my theory might be completely off, but. Eh.

OOOoh a crash! That’s not nothing!! Etta go!!

Roger jumps to conclusions too fast. This time it’s real.

ETTA: Roger. I’m going to say this as slowly as I can. Look. Out. The. Window. There. Is. An. Accident. People. Need. Our. Help. Did you spend so much time looking out at the water that you forgot about the massive intercontinental highway behind you?

Aaaand we meet Nora and Percy, who supposedly crashed their car after they saw a ghost and now need shelter.

“Angst-ridden misfits” I love you Alex Brown and Rebecca Mahoney.

Kate disappears into the void archives probably. Bertie and Roger check on Bob. Etta tries to give Nora and Percy a tour. They are… umm… shady: “We were brought here for a reason. I guess you could say we have a… connection to this place.” Did I mention they’re shady? “They’ll be expecting us to make contact soon.” “Then we shouldn’t disappoint.”

Episode 4:

I love that they tackle certain concepts that I would have explained otherwise: stories, water. It’s making my job easier here:

“What is a story, exactly? A lesson? An escape? A warning? Perhaps it’s a light that shines through an endless expanse of darkness. A beacon of hope in times of need. Or, it could be exactly what it sounds like: something that’s told purely for entertainment. Meant to run you through a gamut of emotions, to connect with someone else’s experiences. Stories are empathy. A tool to share sadness, fear, joy, envy. A tool of connection. But then again, sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they’re the most dangerous kind of lie.”

“Stories can be any number of things. […] A tool of connection. And they can be a weapon. A wildfire, a quake that shifts the landscape of the earth. Hope, you see, is a dangerous thing to promise.”

“The sea has power. We’ve always felt that, haven’t we? There’s a reason you see so many stories with water as a conduit. Between worlds, and between lives. Even across death.”

They also tell the story of Payne Manor.

Bertie is a cutie. Give Roger flowers!

They are playing a game every year. And it consists in making Roger laugh. Omg.

Etta is the folklore lover and the disbeliever in Nora and Percy and this is exactly the way through this.

They’re searching for Bob?? (Bob’s a cutie) And somebody else. (Now we know that’s Etta.)

“THE DOOR OPENS AS ETTA HURRIES IN, SITS NEXT TO THE PIANO.Yes, there’s a piano here. I don’t know why.” I love the script.

“The last Bridge Travel Agent, she— “ Died? Roger you grumpy mysterious cryptic… ugh.

Let’s see how Yvette goes. Music. A full meal. No music. A knock on the door. A woman. A fight. Yvette goes poof.

“Is there something you wanted, Frank? Or did you just call in to revisit my childhood trauma?”

At least he tells her about the “2 new co-hosts”. He was useful for once, I presume.

Minisode 1:

Aqua Land managed to operate without incident for five whole years. I know, I know. I’m just as shocked as you are.

So it closed because of a creature with eyes “filled with blood. Thick liquid pools in thecorners of its eyes before it trickles down the creature’s face. It sobs, holding a hand out toward you. And that’s when you realize something else. That song you heard - the music you adored – it was the creature’s sobs. And it’s about to begin crying again.”

“But what do you when you’re told something so outlandish that it doesn’t seem possible? Or, even better: what do you do when you witness something you know no one else will believe? I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to either of those questions. But it does make me wonder about what’s out there. And what it might cost to discover it.” Etta, you’re asking the right questions. I love you.

Episode 5:

“Tell me… have you ever [had] to fear… for the safety of your home? Have you ever… had [cause to] believe it would be taken from you? [Because] I have. And believe me… [when I say] it’s the purest terror I’ve ever known. You… [don’t have to] agree with me. You can think [to yourself] that these creatures are not like you and me. That they don’t [feel] pain, or sorrow, that they don’t have [loved ones] to protect. You can [walk away] convinced you’re in the right. I [won’t] stop you. Just remember this. Whether through inaction, or indifference, that blood is on your hands. Don’t ever think that no one will notice.”

God that was terrifyingly awesome. So the mysterious voice wants to protect the sea creatures.

Etta was “Testing out the age-old technique of trying to break something instead of fix it”. Which always works with the stuff around my house, including my TV and my smartphone. Anyway.

KATE: (hastily) There has to be a way to turn this off. ROGER: What the hell is that? It sounded like Etta not doing her job. Am I wrong? KATE: (muttering) It wouldn’t be the first time. ROGER: What was that? KATE: It wouldn’t be the first time you were wrong— sir! ROGER: Just…just get that thing fixed.

Roger announced that they have visitors just “in case”. Kate knows there’s something shady about them. Good.

Bertie’s on to something: “There are still fifteen watchtowers in use. How’d you run across so much static?” “Then how do you hear those stories? Any signals we have access to are exclusive to —“

Frank leaked her transmissions. I’d hit him too.

We hear from Yvette again.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Listen. Here’s the truth of it. Everyone who once owned this house is now gone. The spirits of the unquiet dead were never here. Lights off. No one’s home. But they don’t tell the story of Payne Manor just to pass the time. It’s comfort. It’s stability. It’s wrapping uncertainty in a neat little package for consumption. It means that when you see a flutter at the curtains, or a figure in a doorway, you don’t wonder who it is, do you? You think you already know.

YVETTE:… it is a nice little story, isn’t it.

Roger questions Etta, but she really said nothing about Bob (Bob’s a cutie.)

Oh nno nononono non no onon not her story nno. … Yes. Poor Etta.

Never trust someone named Nora. Trust me on that: “Awww isn’t that just heartbreaking. A little girl, lost, alone, abandoned. And by someone who was supposed to love her.” Nora’s in her broadcasting room .

They have Bertie and Kate. :(

So Frank doesn’t believe Etta’s stories and fact-checks them! But that’s why she hates him? Hmm. Plus Percy’s not exactly smooth.

So they want to free their “big scary monster”, their “majestic creatures locked up all the time”. I hate them.

Minisode 2:

“All we need is your dedication, creativity, loyalty, and time! (menacing aside again) We value success above anything else. Failure is not an option. […] The town of Ocean View, as well as our kind sponsors, will not be held liable for any accidents, injuries, dismemberments, or deaths that occur. […] As always, safety is our top priority, but discretion is a close second. We ask that you refrain from sharing the contents of this message with anyone else.”

An utopia that ends up being a dystopia. Did not see that coming never heard of something like this. What were they thinking when they built the bridge?

The locals have to convince people to move in and must never speak of the happenings around them. Cool.

Episode 6:

Uuuuu unexpected spoilers.

BOLLARD is their contact at Headquarters.

They’re not against killing. Good to know. I mean not good, just… good to know what to expect.

BOLLARD: You’ve taken two people hostage ! And now you’re about to play Home Alone with the rest of their crew.

They request backup. Etta & comp are screwed.

“Life’s not fair, is it? Make it back with both of your assigned assets, and you can consider yourselves forgiven.” Phew. Now they stand a chance.

The best description of the next segment is “THE WIND BLOWS, AS IF TO FURTHER EMPHASIZE THE POINT. FRANK IS ALONE. COMPLETELY ALONE. ON A HAUNTED-ASS BRIDGE.” “Frank, he hasn’t died… yet.”

ROGER: You know exactly what it means. You sent out sensitive information and now they’re here looking for something that, for all intents and purposes, shouldn’t exist! No one outside of this Watchtower should know about the monster! ETTA (You’re kidding, right? No? You’re not kidding?) Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe , this isn’t my fault? What if they’ve been running this same scheme for a while? Have things gone wrong at other watchtowers? Or are we the exception? ROGER (aw, shit — change the subject!) Look, I think we should just—

Roger you cryptic grumpy little man!!

ETTA: (about as close to imitating Bob’s growl as she could be) NO! No, you don’t get to say anything anymore. You knew something was going wrong everywhere else and you didn’t tell us? We could’ve stopped this before it started!

Drag him Etta.

Oooooooh Bertie yeah! “Nah. I’m pretty sure the only joke here is you.”

BERTIE: How can someone be so confident and so… KATE: Oblivious? The confident ones usually are. His friend, though — Nora, if that’s her real name — she’s the one we need to watch out for.

Frank, who put you to hunt? “The target has made contact with me. There were a lot of claws. More than I expected. I might be bleeding.”

Macbeth? I saw a post around. You’re doomed. And boots and dummies appear randomly? You really are doomed, aren’t ya?

Kate has her priorities straight:

BERTIE: (uncertain) That doesn’t involve us killing him — right? KATE: Nah. Too much paperwork. ETTA: Not to mention the whole murder thing is bad. KATE: I mean yeah, there’s that.

They split up and keep Etta and Bob separated.

Frank. I’m not telling you to run. But I’m telling you to run.

“Persnickety Pete . He might look like one of those normal, boring ventriloquist dummies, but you’ll find that he’s quite different. In a good way! From taxes to taxidermy, Persnickety Pete always has an opinion on the things that matter most to you. Be careful how you react to his answers, though! He isn’t called Persnickety Pete for nothing! (darkly) Remember: Be kind to Pete, and he’ll be kind to you! Be rude to him and… there’s nothing we can do.”

Creepy pianos again. Is this by any chance near Payne Manor?

ETTA: And work on your delivery. My listeners expect a certain quality— God Etta he’s sending a distress call!!

Bertie calls in for help, Frank fumbles for the radio and then… nothing.

When you’re ready to die, you think of loved ones, right?

“The people who built [the Transcontinental Botanical Gardens] didn’t want living organisms with needs, they just wanted something that would look pretty and make them money. And they succeeded in one respect, at least. The Gardens were beautiful. But looking beautiful doesn’t keep you safe in this world. The Gardens fell into slow, agonizing disrepair. The last straw was when the structure’s severe weather protections failed, killing three visitors during a sudden storm. That was more than enough for the Travel Agency. They locked down the building. They closed the access road. And all of the plants died.”

BERTIE sounds more than a little perturbed at the idea. But at least for a second, he’s thinking about the death of the Botanical Gardens, rather than considering his own potential and imminent death.”

Bertie’s a cutie.

“There was one person willing to slip under the fence and walk the battered access road to what remained of the Gardens. He had been a frequent visitor, once. He had even traveled there with his fiancée to celebrate their engagement. It was the last trip they would ever take. She was ripped into the sea on the Gardens’ last day of operation. But despite the bad memories that remained in the ruin, this man never forgot all the love he once had for the place. He rarely visited his fiancée’s empty grave on the mainland. But he traveled once a year to the Gardens, with a small bouquet of primrose. The man and his lost love used to write letters to one another using only flowers. She would know that primrose meant “eternal love.”

God no I’m not crying.

“Which is why when the man saw a single lotus flower pushing out of the soil, none of the logical explanations for its presence crossed his mind. All he could think was that lotuses are often a symbol of ‘rebirth.’ […] Anyway… the man started what he considered to be a ‘correspondence’ with his lost fiancée. Because every time he came back to the Gardens, he found more and more life, almost hidden in the ruins, pushing up from the ground. And to him, it always meant something. Wormwood for absence and sorrow. Heliotrope for devotion. A snowdrop for hope. This was his favorite. He felt more hope than he had in years. And this was around the time his friends and family became concerned about him. He was spending more and more time on The Bridge, and he was holding even tighter to the memory of his fiancée, just when it looked like he’d begun to let her go. Even when he told them the whole story, it only made them more concerned. I mean, no offense, but these were people who wouldn’t have been able to tell a willow from a cypress. They didn’t understand how flowers could translate into declarations of love after death. This went on for months. Eventually, the hope the flowers once gave him wasn’t enough. And one night, as he looked for her message in the Gardens, he called out to her. “I can’t take this anymore,” he said. “I want to see you. How can I see you?” And when he looked around, he saw a little flower, barely visible, under a fallen tree trunk. An ox-eye daisy. A flower neither of them had used in their messages before, but he knew it all the same. ‘Patience.’ He lifted the trunk. And he found dozens of them. Rows upon rows of ox-eye daisies. Patience. Patience. Patience. His life back on the mainland was crumbling. His loved ones were pressuring him to give up on the Gardens. So he decided what he thought ‘patience’ meant – what he wanted it to mean. So he sat down beside the flowers. And he waited. He wasn’t very far from his truck, or from civilization. It was just a twenty minute walk back to the main road. But when you wait for that long in the cold, without a drop of drinkable water, eventually waiting is no longer a choice. It’s simply all you can do. And the last thing you’ll do. When Etta told me this story, she said that was the plan all along – that the fiancée lured the man to his death so that they could be together. But ‘patience’ could have meant anything, right? It could have meant that she wanted him to go back home and live out the rest of his life, and that one day they’d see each other again. Even with the people we know best, sometimes we don’t understand them as well as we think we do. Sometimes we talk at cross-purposes, and open doors we don’t mean to. Not everything has to be malicious, right? Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding that got someone else hurt.”

… why do I have the feeling that this is not just a story of Etta? Why do I have the feeling that this is what happened here, with you, Bertie? And I’m totally not crying.

Minisode 3:

I kinda discussed it already in ep 3. But like the dude in minisode 1, Roger is “somewhere he isn’t supposed to be”.

Minisode 4:

Bertie like rom-coms! “They promise laughs, happily-ever-afters, and wuv… twue wuv.” And my deskmate had a rant about Rachel getting off the plane too.

They tried to film Over Troubled Water at some point, a movie “about a couple that meets on an epic life-changing tour over the Transatlantic Bridge. Trouble was, when the trip ended, they lived on opposite ends of it.”

They had a laugh track. And actors in places they shouldn’t be. Like. Ya know. The fricking sea.

One day, (day 10, Watchtower 10 hmmm) “they found a metallic-painted Styrofoam statue of [the lead actress] beneath the lights and cameras. You see, if he—if all of them had been paying attention, he might have noticed the metallic sheen of the ‘paint’ perfectly matched the shade of the bridge’s beams. It wasn’t Styrofoam. A tribute, then from the Bridge itself?” Who loved her so much it couldn’t let her go…

Bertie put her statue. With his. Roses. I cAN’T.

Episode 7:

“Warning: someone gets stabbed. A lot.” This doesn’t start well.

PERCY: Such a sharp rebuke from someone who disdains her own responsibilities so much that she completely abandoned them. How’re those traffic reports going? Oh, wait. ETTA: That’s completely different. PERCY: Is it? I guess abandonment runs in the family. ETTA: (you son of a—)If you’d rather not be chloroformed again, I’d suggest you shut the hell up. PERCY: Defensive. Nice. ETTA: Only when liars like you pretend to be my therapist.

Don’t get fooled and drag him, Etta.

PERCY: Well, contrary to popular belief, I’m actually quite good at my job. I know where you mother is. And I also know that she isn’t coming to find you. She doesn’t want to.

Don’t listen. Chloroform him.

ETTA: She wouldn’t just leave me out here. PERCY: But she did. Don’t you think it’s a little… odd that she hasn’t found you already? It’s been fifteen years, after all. Surely she had time to look for something that was so precious to her. ETTA: All right, Freud. Thanks for the psychoanalysis.

I’m on team “let’s not read instructions and use as much chloroform as possible”.

PERCY: While everyone in that hotel disappeared! They were trying do good work —to release a magnificent being back into the sea— when they were taken. […] My colleagues were at the Transcontinental Hotel that night to serve a higher purpose. They were connected to something that was bigger than any one individual. ETTA: (slowly, as if finding the missing pieces of a puzzle) Colleagues? All the rich people…? PERCY: They weren’t all wealthy. But every rumor has a ring of truth to it. Some of the people who disappeared were part of our upper echelon.

So they weren’t guests. They were cult followers!

PERCY: Nora’s going to get me out of here soon enough. Pray that you’re not here when shows up. ETTA: I’ve never been the praying sort. PERCY: Well, perhaps you should start. You might not need it, but your friends certainly will. ETTA: They can defend themselves. PERCY: All of them? Even your harmless, rom com-loving gardener? ETTA: I— PERCY: (#winning) Or what about that fellow who keeps uploading your broadcasts? Do you think he’ll be fine? What was his name again? Fred? Yeah, something like that. He’s all alone, too. Poor little guy. […] Alone. On the bridge. He left a message for you. Said he wasn’t going to come back. Looks like someone else abandoned you. I’m sensing a trend. […] (#alltheevil) How lonely it must be, watching every day as everyone drifts away from you. ETTA: Stop it. PERCY: And with each person who leaves, you wonder what you did. What could be so wrong with you that you drive everyone away? Maybe it’s because— ETTA SLAPS HIM. AN AWKWARD SILENCE SITS AROUND THEM AS A DIABOLICAL SMILE SETTLES ON PERCY’S FACE.

Is it wrong that I already prepared a tennis racket to hit him with?

PERCY: Oh, we got the drop on you, didn’t we? And altered your external communications system without anyone noticing. We’re not alone. Our people can call in to this watchtower whenever they want. (an irritated aside) And they do. ETTA: You’re lying. PERCY: Maybe. Maybe not. Why don’t you try calling your friends again? See if anyone’s listening.

Spoiler: they aren’t.

Roger wants to avoid going to Submare 3 so they don’t disclose Bob’s (Bob’s a cutie.) location.

They talk about the things they should know about.

KATE: Stories about people. Things that’ve happened along the road. Watchtowers suddenly going radio-silent one month and staffed with brand new people the next. I’m sure you’ve been briefed. They say there are people who believe we don’t belong here. People who want this place… undone. People who think we’ve interfered with things we were never meant to know.

Roger demands why she didn’t tell him. What? “That there’s some vague and terrible something out there doing vague and terrible things?”

Roger wants to open Submare 3 so Kate just. Hits him in the gut. And leaves him there.

“If you are unfortunate enough to catch your reflection watching you, we ask that you do not acknowledge it. Whatever lies behind that glass isn’t you. It never was.”

God how are there messages supposed to help??

Bollard calls in and threatens Bertie. I’ll commit murder if they do something… bad..er… to him.

Bertie’s parents are dead. He was engaged. I knew the story wasn’t just a story!! He breaks the console and stops all communications. “Great.”

Kate wants to find intelligence on the evil duo and she doesn’t know how they’ll kill Bob. Who’s scared. My heart.

Bertie appears and they stick together.

PERCY: What’s the matter? Afraid I’m right? That no matter how hard you try, everyone around you will just leave without any explanation?

Can’t we just chloroform him?

Nora has Roger no

ROGER: Etta, listen to me. I’m your supervisor. Your job is not to protect me. ETTA:Roger, unless you’ve got some secret body armor , this isn’t a discussion!

Umm I think I have news on this one, Etta.

Nora stabbed Roger. Ouch. Ouch. Au. Au nu nu nun uununun.

“BOOM. KATE is here to save the day, BERTIE in tow. She trains her gun on PERCY and NORA. While there is no badass entrance music playing for her, there is badass entrance music in spirit.” Uuuuuu you go Kate!

NORA: Maybe she doesn’t want to come with you, hm? Shall I tell her how you went running down to the archives when your little friends needed you? KATE: I thought I told you to stop talking. PERCY: (mocking) She has her priorities, Etta. I’m afraid they don’t include any of you. KATE: (slightly losing her cool) That isn’t true.

Well, Kate’s a bit shady too, bUT SHE DOESN’T GO AROUND STABBING PEOPLE.

Nora has a point for once: “This place never should have been built.”

PERCY: You see, Etta? These people don’t deserve your loyalty. Think of that poor creature you have trapped in Submare 3. You care about him, don’t you? You gave him a name. He trusts you. Surely you don’t think he belongs here. ETTA: N… No, but— KATE: Etta, look at me. He’s safer here. You know that. NORA: (with a laugh) As human beings, we have the luxury of couching our actions however we like. Expansion. Manifest destiny. … Connection.

POSEIDON= People openly supporting elaborate initiatives, doomed or not. Wow.

“Roger’s a living being, too, and you had no problem stabbing him.” Love you Bertie.

PERCY AND NORA LEAP INTO THE OCEAN BELOW. So dramatic. May you never resurface again. I know I’m mean, but they kinda deserve it.

BERTIE : Hey, Etta? Would you mind… telling me a story before I go to sleep. ETTA: … you’re really in the mood for something creepy right now? BERTIE: No. But I don’t know if I want to be alone yet, either. ETTA: (the embodiment of awwwwww) I— of course I will. I’d love to. BERTIE: Thanks.

CONNECTION. And awwwwwwwwwww I love them.

Etta’s ”not convinced Kate’s as collected as she seems”. Yesss.

ROGER: You don’t have to lie to them, you know. KATE: You’re one to talk. ROGER: I made a mistake. I should’ve told you about what was happening. […] KATE: If you knew what was coming, why didn’t you bother to share it with the class? I was under strict orders not to say anything — and I’ll be damned if I get kicked off of this bridge for gossiping — but you… Headquarters expected you to distribute that information. And you couldn’t. You didn’t. Why? […] Let me know when you have an answer.

Well. She has a point.

Episode 8:

“You’ll be able to see just how beautiful the Atlantic Ocean can be when you’re driving along at two o’clock in the morning and it’s just you, the water, a few persistent slices of moonlight, and the terrible, soul-crushing realization that something else is with you. (darkly) Something that shouldn’t be there. (cheery) So please pardon our mess as we complete the Transcontinental Bridge!”

Again. Why?? How is this helping in any way??

Kraken to Siren. Hmmm. May I guess that Siren’s real name starts with a “S”? If Kate is her real name. I never thought of that. F**k.

Nora and Percy weren’t their target. Bob’s Specimen no. 10.

Oh ow. So Kate’s a double agent. Siren’s not headquarters. Double f**k. But she cares about the crew so that’s good. Right?

“I used to tell my little cousin bedtime stories, and she hated them, every time. She’d always remind me that not every story has to be about sacrifice, or duty over reason. Once in a while, they should have happy endings.”

My heart.

“Because even before the bridge, the people of this town believed that there was something in the water that meant them harm. Something that they considered it their duty to contain. […] So another name came up to fill the belly of the beast: a young girl’s. She was seventeen, but she was among the most faithful – she had dedicated her short life to protecting the shore, and before that day, she would have said she believed in the cause with every bone. But when she learned her fight would soon end… she suddenly wasn’t so sure.”

Figures.

“She went to her best friend – a skeptic who had never quite embraced the idea that they were at war. They had been friends all their life, though lately, there always an undercurrent of tension when they spoke. Neither of them believed that the other ever listened to them. She agreed to help immediately, and together, the believer and the skeptic hatched a plan. […] And she felt a rush of fear and sorrow for every person who had walked this path before, all those moments she celebrated because she thought it was for the best. But she felt none of that fear and sorrow for herself, because she knew there was one person left in this world who was on her side. And that person was waiting, hidden, at the end of this road, waiting to pull her down a hidden path to the beach. And they would leave this town, and their duty. And everything would be different. And the skeptic was waiting for her by the cliffs, as promised. But something was wrong. She wasn’t hiding. The believer was allowed one short, painless moment of confusion before she was pushed into the water below. The skeptic did listen to her sometimes, after all.”

Wow. That was cold. Painless, but cold.

“There are people, they say, who believe we don’t belong here. People who want this place undone. People who think the day we built this bridge we invited abominations into our lives. And people say it all started in that little seaside town. I’m not sure if the skeptic is still among them. I’m sure if she is, she fits right in.”

But was Kate the skeptic and her cousin the believer? How did she die?? Was that word for word what happened? Or is it some sort of allegory? Or it has nothing to do with them? But I still think it’s somehow related to what happened to her and her cousin…

So Etta is “talking” (or …actually talking?) to Bob. “But how can he think this is my fault?” Ooooh she’s mad and hiding from them. Well. Can’t blame her.

“And now Roger’s been stabbed, Kate got chloroformed, Bertie actually wanted to fight someone, we haven’t been able to find Percy and Nora’s bodies, so who knows what the hell that means, and I— […] Well. My secret is out, isn’t it? They all know who I was. Am, I guess. Who I am. They know why I’m here. ‘Scared little girl.’ Lost, alone, abandoned. I think that’s what Percy and Nora said about me. (bitter) And they were right. About all of it. It’s been fifteen years, and I haven’t heard anything. My mom probably doesn’t want to find me. Why would she? It’s not like I’ve done anything with my life. I just sit here, making sure the Bridge’s precious monster doesn’t get loose. Sorry. You know I didn’t mean it like that. Bob… Is that what you really want? To get out of this place? You don’t know, huh? It wasn’t supposed to be a head-scratcher. [..] I don’t know, either. I thought I’d be here until I found her, but now…

Maybe she should just stay lost.”

Yes, Etta, have a self deprecating ramble, relate to Bob (Bob’s a cutie), become more and more relatable and break my damn heart. Sure. Why not.

ROGER: I’m prioritizing. She’s got more important things to do right now than report potholes to the void. Roger is clearly not ok.

Roger admits that he’s here because he lost a bet, but using the plot of Titanic is not going to fool Bertie.

ROGER: There is very little that a concrete wall won’t fix. (plus the blooper at the end is A++)

Bertie calls Etta to tell her “I think Roger and Kate just made up!”

BERTIE: Obviously something’s wrong. You’re pouting. ETTA: You can’t even see me. I’m not pouting. BERTIE: Well, your voice is pouting.

O M G this is it. My favorite joke from anything ever. Omg.

“Great. I really messed that one up, didn’t I? Henrietta Perrault, Professional Friendship Ruiner. Don’t worry, folks. I’ll be here all week—“ Nooo I know how that feels so noooo

Kate has a miniature surrender flag that he uses on Roger I can’t.

KATE: You don’t have to explain anything you don’t want to. ETTA: (the beginning of the emotion-flood) But that’s just it! I owe you all something ! I… I didn’t want to admit it, but Roger’s right. I brought them here. I did this . I told them where to find us, I let them in, and they… they… SHE STOPS. WHATEVER EMOTIONS SHE’S BEEN HIDING BEHIND THAT WALL BREAK IT DOWN, OVERWHELMING HER. KATE: They’re gone now, Etta. ETTA: (fragile; slightly fearful) They could come back. […] I need them to come back. I have to talk to them. KATE: Why in the hell— ETTA: They… said things. When I was guarding him, Percy… he told me he knew where my mother was. KATE: Etta— ETTA: And that she doesn’t want to find me. KATE: You shouldn’t believe anything he said. ETTA: But what if he’s right? Maybe she wanted to get rid of me. KATE: I don’t think so. ETTA: Why? KATE: Just trust me on this one. ETTA LAUGHS. The sound is low and bitter. That’s your answer for a lot of things, lately. BOB GROWLS. ETTA: What were you doing in the archives? KATE: (taken aback) What? ETTA: I keep replaying it in my mind. How we gave them a place to stay. How they separated us. The threats; the blood. When you came to help us. Everything that happened after. And I can remember everything they did — almost like they could be standing right here. Nora said you’d been in the archives. That you ran off. Had your own priorities. KATE: I told you not to listen to what they said. ETTA: She was right, wasn’t she? Everything was falling apart, and you went to the archives. KATE: I was following a lead. It didn’t pan out. It’s… it’s complicated. ETTA: Try me. KATE: (waving that mini surrender flag) Hmm. All right. So, POSEIDON is all about trying to free the whales, right? BOB GROWLS. KATE: (whoops; don’t insult the monster) Sorry, Bob. I didn’t mean it like that. Well, the group I’m researching is a little… different. They don’t want to save the whales. ETTA: So… they… KATE: If they find Bob, they’ll kill him. ETTA: (incredulous) They can’t just… kill Bob! It’s impossible— BOB GROWLS. KATE: Right. Just like keeping Bob locked up in our watchtower was supposed to be impossible. If we found a way to contain him, they’ve definitely found a way to kill him. ETTA: How do we stop them? KATE: I’m still working on that one. ETTA: Well, I’m going to help you. We all are. […] Everyone needs help sometimes. Even badass travel agents like you. KATE: I’m not that badass. ETTA: Awww, come on! You should’ve seen the way you stormed in there, dramatic music crescendoing in the background as you saved the day. KATE: There wasn’t any dramatic music. ETTA: I know, I know. But it was there in spirit! BOB GROWLS, bringing them back to reality. KATE: We should probably head back up. Roger wanted to talk to all of us. […] TRANSITION OUT, SUCKAS

Polaris, huh? People openly….?

ROGER: Okay, so we’ve got two different… what the hell are they? Cults? We’re gonna call ‘em cults. KATE: …okay. Cults. Right. I think we’re missing the point a little. Both of them want Bob. ETTA: And neither of them are going to get him.

Yessss.

ETTA: Look, we’ve had a trying last few days, so if you’re part of some creepy secret society, we don’t want anything you’re selling. ROGER: Seriously? ETTA: (harsh whisper) Like you’re contributing anything to this conversation— FRANK: (slightly pained. Like the physical kind) Oh… come on. Is this any way to treat a friend of the show? ETTA: (wondering how terrible she must’ve been in a past life to deserve this) Frank?

That didn’t went well…

END OF EPISODE, BEGINNING OF HIATUS, IF YOU NEED ALEX BROWN SHE’LL BE ASLEEP FOR TEN YEARS.

I love you.

Minisode 5:

Etta likes to fold stuff, right? Towels, the paper swan she made from her job description.

And the questions someone usually has when they look up at the sky - is there something else out there? Someone else? Never really bothered her. She figured that if there were other… beings out there, they couldn’t be terrible. They came from a beautiful thing, after all. And beautiful things, by some unnamed law of the universe, had no right being terrible.

Aw sweetie, but beautiful things are terrible.

It was the happiest she’d ever been - and, maybe, the happiest she’d ever be.

Noooo don’t say that…

Because she had it wrong, all along. Beautiful things could also be terrible.

Oh no I don’t like where this is going I mean I like that we find out more stuff but at the same time no n o no

She’d tell them about the things that hid under their beds - and the things that lingered around them. Creatures passed down from generation to generation; monsters that weren’t real. Well, not in the beginning, anyway. But these things had a way of latching on to insecurities. To hatred. Mistrust. Fear. And before anyone knew better, these monsters were just as real as they were. They crafted them throughout the years, putting as much care into their creations as the little girl did when she tried to make a paper swan.

God. Is this going where I think it’s going? Yes. No. no no non onon

Everything made sense when she was asleep.

Ok. I just took a 5 minutes break. Here we go again.

Her aunt didn’t notice. She was always away, desperate to prove that she was right. Not that her aunt would’ve been much help. The little girl didn’t know it at the time, but her aunt… her aunt was just as lost as she was. They’d both fallen into their own bottomless pits, plunging toward ground that would never appear. No matter how hard she tried, the little girl couldn’t stop falling.

*queue me making a strained noise bc wow*

She’d close her eyes, fighting back tears as she wondered why she was so broken. Pleading for something to fix her. Wishing for something, anything , to change. But nothing happened. And those monsters she told her classmates about - the ones that thrived off of fear and hatred - they found her. They told her something, and then they left. They went back into the world, to prey on others, and the little girl couldn’t do anything to stop them. She sat in her room, staring out the window. Clouds covered the moon as their words bounced around in her mind. You are worthless. And terrible. You aren’t loved, and never will be. For a long time, she believed they were right. Sometimes, she still thinks they’re right.

Oh my God. Poor Etta. I…

“But then the secrets she’s hidden come rushing through the air. Diving toward her, as if she’d just tossed food out to ravenous birds. And again, she realizes that she was wrong. Because the terrible things had been with her this whole time. And they’ll no longer stay silent. The weight of that thought crushes her, draining out the small bit of hope she’d clung onto for all those years. She was only one person. And the things she wanted to fight - Mistrust. Hatred. Fear. They’re too much for her to handle alone. […] She doesn’t have to be alone. It took her a long time to understand what that meant. There will always be terrible things. But there are people who would stand with her. Who would fight by her side. And she, in turn, would fight for them. With every bit of her being, she’d never stop fighting. Because everyone should feel safe. And loved for who they are. That world existed only in her imagination. But she was going to change that.”

I have depression. I never… I… I needed to hear this. Thank you for this podcast, and especially for creating Etta. This minisode speaks volumes to me. I need a hot chocolate now.

Minisode 6:

Frank wants the Kraken. Well, it’s always about people named Steve in podcasts, amirite?

“ But, of course, she told it wrong. Details were omitted, key figures were left out, and her overall tone was just too — chipper. I tried to tell her she was getting everything wrong, but she just wouldn’t listen.” But why would Etta hate him that much?? She doesn’t even hate Roger for telling her to do her job. Why does she hate you?

[3 minutes later]

Wait. What do they hunt exactly in the hunt club??? Oh no. They hunt sea creatures how did I not see this before mark the day January 4th 2017 I had a late epiphany. Now well no shit she hates you. Now it all makes sense!!

Sooo now we know there’s a creature, a single creature, made from an infinity of single parts. Is he… talking about the mockingbirds?

Dun dun dun. Ok. See you again when the season’s over.

#the bridge podcast #my post #long ramble #i wanted to post it at the same time with the review #but i fell asleep #haha oops

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