A Listener Reviews: Delivery
Episodes: 13 anticipated in the total run. First 11 available now
Length: Vary from around 10 minutes to 25 minutes
I’ve listened to… all currently released episodes
Transcripts Available: Transcripts for the first few episodes are available here, with additional transcripts under development.
The Premise: A courier, bizarre in his own right, begins to organize strange experiences he has had throughout his career, as well as things experienced by others in his line of work. While it may seem at first to be a collection of strange stories, coincidences begin to add up and point to something very wrong going on.
My Review: Delivery is an experience. By the end of episode one, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. There were a number of themes emerging, a whole cast of characters, a tangled web of interconnections, and a healthy dose of uneasy feelings. It felt a bit overwhelming, and I was not sure where the story was headed. By episode three, I had figured out what to listen for, and a deeper, more complicated story began to stir underneath.
Jimmy’s stories of his time as a courier are disconcerting, full of unusual imagery. The writing does a remarkable job of highlighting that “just off enough” feeling, up until the moment things begin to veer dramatically off the rails and into the world of the bizarre. What starts as that itch in the back of your brain, a primal signal that something is wrong, is satisfyingly confirmed. The dialogue and introductions are also great. Jimmy’s unique style of conversation and communication maintains that “off” feeling. It uses loose associations and incongruent imagery to leave the listener feeling unprepared for what may come next. There is also a strange balance between melodrama and blunt descriptions as well. All in all, it creates a very unbalanced feel, which could be amiss in other shows or settings. Here it feels perfect. As a listener, there are layers upon layers of uncertainty, heightening the anxiety of what might be coming in that next sound bite.
Once I had an idea of what I was listening for, the plot begins to settle in. It can be a challenge as the storytelling is not linear but told through overlapping conversations between the central characters. Yet that ultimately allows for a sense of discovery as pieces begin to coalesce and comments from earlier find their context. While many of the stories directly confront horrifying things, the underlying plot is subtle. It marches toward the conclusions, as what start as glimpses turn into clear images of disaster.
Delivery caught me by surprise. I felt at first I was out of my depth, but the storytelling skill led me into the story and the world of the show. It creates first an impressionistic sense of unease, then supplies the facts to back it up. It is a show that deserves your attention when listening, otherwise, some things will sneak past you. But the atmosphere, story, and characters they have created will stick with me even after the final episode is released. As the finale looms, I’m worried but excited to see where it goes.
You can find them here: Delivery and support them on Patreon.
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