My Immediate Reactions to Episode 47: :30

Just finished listening to Episode 47: :30 and I think I've found my new favorite episode. The storytelling is some of the best we've done, the story really moves. I really want to listen to it again right now because I know i missed so much (and I already knew the story!!).

Our format has changed significantly over the last two years. I have a few friends and family who have faithfully listened to the show since day one, but i wouldn't expect it of anyone. The show started out as a clumsy amlagamation of sketches with music in between each, in Episode 16 those music cues got replaced with clumsy links that would be recorded week-of, that took us from sketch to sketch and also to the 1,2,3 runners. The links got better as we rerecorded larger chunks of sketches towards the end of season one. When we went on a retreat to write Episodes 30-40 we had this new format in mind, it was like writing for a new show, we came up with a format best Evidenced in Episodes 31, 32, and 34, very streamlined with wild tangents such as World Destroying Volcanoes being stopped by Bootsy Collins or A Giant Dr. Phil destroying Tokyo. Episode 32 is so streamlined that it almost plays out like a linear story.

Which is what was in my mind when I heard our newest innovation - Episode 47: :30.

This is the first time we've we've told a linear story, the parody of 24 was a great excuse to tell a single linear story. It would not surprise me if more shows end up linear stories in Season 3. We have two more coming up this season, they are Part 1 and Part 2 of the Ed Bus story. I don't think it will be much of a stretch to do more linear storylines, we seem to be heading in that direction.

I think the reason this comes naturally is that the mechanics of all scenes are the same mechanics as sketches anyway, scenes in a movie or play just can't lay flat, they all have their own game the way sketches do, opportunities are presented to the hero and obstacles are put in their place, it all plays out the same way.

We try to have seven jokes a minute, this is very evident in :30, it's packed with jokes, just because they're jokes doesn't mean they're all gut-busters, but I think filling time with smaller jokes, asides, and references that keep the energy up while we build to something larger is an art itself. Also, while Todd Voorhies travels from sketch to sketch you can fill time with jokes which makes the audience less aware that we're linking from one thing to another.

I laughed out loud more at :30 than I think I have at any other show, and I just know this one will get better with successive listenings. That was fun.