Personal blog of writer/director Gabriel Urbina.
I made Wolf 359, Time:Bombs, Zero Hours, Unseen,
The Fabulists, and Dracula: TheDance Macabre.
Worked on Wooden Overcoats, Case 63, The Bright Sessions.
Have a New Thing coming soon.
(Mostly here to make noise about it.)
www.gabrielurbina.com
The standard, excellent advice for writing audiodrama is to watch out for scope creep - it's easy to accidentally make something unbelievably complex to record and produce if you're not careful, like putting too many unnecessary one-off characters into an episode, or making plot-necessary complex musical sequences, or making long action portions with monsters and collapsing buildings and the like. These are all avoidable, and they all contribute to a project becoming exponentially more difficult to make.
Hey why doesn't the Harbingers have a page on TV Tropes???
I... I don't know?
Because no one has made one yet is the realest answer, I suppose?
But like... there's no creator reason for there not to be one. If the spirit moves you in that direction, please consider yourself pre-blessed to make one!
so when in the fall is the harbingers coming back, huh?
*takes out wallet, breaks the twenty*
*slides fifteen back across the table, but keeps five*
I’m not yet at liberty to say when the show is coming back, besides sometimes in the fall if all goes as planned. (Which means September at the earliest, November at the latest 🤞)
But I can say that the first set of scripts for Season 2 are done now, that casting for all our new principal parts is done, and that we have already done a good bit of recording for it.
A final transmission before I take an indefinite break.
Please visit breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey's radio. Breaker Whiskey is an Atypical Artists production created by Lauren Shippen. If you'd like to support the show, please visit atypicalartists.co/support.
The radio will stay open, even though there's no timeline on when Whiskey might transmit again. But if you'd like to send Whiskey a message, click here.
Transcript under the cut. For more episodes, click here.
Breaker, breaker. This is Whiskey calling out for Passerine. Got another message here so I'll, uh, read it out.
"Breaker breaker it's Passerine here. I sent a message out to you a little while ago, and honestly, I don't remember half of what I said. I was in a bit of a weird place then, so it might have been nonsense. If you come across it, I hope it isn't too incomprehensible. Hope I had somewhat of a point.
Just wanted to message again. Kinda miss hearing your voice on the radio, but hey, you do what you want. It's your life, and I bet you're making the most of it, now you know what it's worth.
I was just thinking about home. About what it means to be home. If you recall, I set off on a big adventure, a lot like yours, I think. Just getting out to see what it was like out there. To see things, I'd never seen. I have this motto about making sure I do the things I want in this life. No regrets, right? And I'm home now. After a year of being away, I made it home.
Not back to my original timeline, I don't think. Things are still wonky, and it's definitely not the way it's supposed to be, but I'm not fading away anymore. I'm stable. And I feel like I've found a place to belong. Just like you did. You found Harry, and that's your home. And I know it's not the same, but nothing ever is.
Look at me rambling again. I'm trying my best to get better at being succinct, but hey, work in progress. My point is that home is important. And that maybe you'll never get to go back to your timeline, but maybe that's not a bad thing. Maybe you can find a new one, like I did. One where you and Harry can be together.
Still on the search for Charleston Chews by the way. Don't think we have those in my neck of the woods. Still gonna keep looking. It sticks in my head every time I enter a shop with a chocolate section.
Hoping you're safe at home.
Passerine out."
I did get your previous message. I don't know if you heard my response. It sounds like maybe the radio waves are not our friends all the time. I know I haven't been on here as much as I was in that year of wandering that I did, but I still think about all of you out there hearing my voice and either finding comfort in that or wondering who the hell is talking on the radio.
But I'm happy to hear that you're home, if I can remember correctly, which, you know, I'm not sure I can, you last talked about change and swinging between hopefulness and hopelessness, so sounds like maybe you are at home with hope now?
And you're right. Harry is my home. We've- we settled into a good place, Harry and I. It's not always perfect, but I don't know. It's like all of the hard edges of ourselves that used to chafe on each other have been sanded down by proximity and, well, an effort, I guess, because it can't just be proximity, right? Because we were together in a house alone for years and still, you know, bumped into those sharp points. So the effort is important and it makes the time go by fast too. Really, you know, working on not just coexisting with somebody, but building a relationship with them, building a home with them.
Not to say that we're building a permanent home. We're still moving from time to time, but mostly because Harry's actually really wanted to see things. see things that she's never seen before. Like you wanted to. And so we've wandered. And some of the things have been things that I saw and fell in love with on my grand road trip. And some have been new to me too. And that's been really nice. Both sharing the things that excite me with her and discovering new things together.
But yeah, it's amazing how the time slips away, you know? I look up and already it's been two years that we've been doing this, that we've been what we are to each other. It doesn't feel real. I look in the mirror and I don't feel like I'm that much older. I'm not even sure I feel wiser. And isn't that supposed to be the hallmark of age?
And I guess I've been distracted in exploring all the nooks and crannies of this country, and also all of the dimensions of Harry. I guess I haven't been leaning on the radio as much as I have in the past. I still like having a connection to the outside world, such as it is, especially since it doesn't seem like…well, what you have said about change and about home. I have started to wonder if we have found ourselves in a new timeline after all, in some kind of new home. Because we haven't heard from Junior in a really long time. I mean, we haven't heard from Birdie either, but they said something had changed, and I wonder…I do wonder if we're safe now. If we're safe and we can just be home.
And if that's the case, then maybe we can create a new home base. Really actually build a home together. I've never been one for scripture. Surprise, I know, but there's this one phrase that stuck with me through the years, and that's "everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and none will make them afraid". I think that's the promise of home, isn't it? Being in your own space with your own people. Unafraid.
And against all odds, I think we may have found that. What a miracle that is. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I do enjoy this tether to the wider universe. But the habit I have of making sure that I'm consistently sitting down and listening to the radio on some kind of cadence and responding to the people who are able to get through. I think part of that has been driven out of fear. Listening at the radio for a warning. For some kind of information that would send my life off its axis again. And I don't want to be afraid anymore.
That's not to say that I still won't sit by the radio and listen for you, Passerine, or for anyone else who's sent me a message through the years. But. But maybe I don't know when you'll next hear from me. Maybe…maybe I'm gonna go sit under my own vine and fig tree for a little while. Oh, what a miracle that is.
So Passerine, I am glad you're home, too. And to anybody else who might be hearing this, wherever you are, whoever you are. If you're not home yet, I hope you find it soon.
I’m revisiting episodes 5-8 of The Harbingers today b/c we’re gonna record something tomorrow where we chat about it. And I just got to a part where I noticed something I’d never noticed before. And I let out an evil chuckle like a super villain just thinking about it… love it when a plan comes together…
absolutely LOVE the show, have very quickly become obsessed with it and cannot wait for the next season!
also i am just gonna say what i'm pretty sure we're all thinking re: the adam/amy/kris Situation: all three of them have two hands each ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you for the kind comments! I'm so glad, and doubly glad that we're doing the next season and getting it ready sooner rather than later.
And heh, you are not the first to make this observation. But sadly, Amy and Kris dating/being married is very much not the main thing keeping Adam and Amy apart from one another.
As always, the main obstacle there is... well, Adam and Amy being Adam and Amy.
gabriel, you and the team have talked about there being hints and connections to future things throughout the 1st season of the harbs, now that the season is over can you share at least one of those with us? please we've been good be a pal
Ya know what? Everyone has been good. I will be a pal.
Here's one of my favorite little connection/foreshadowing things in the first season, something that really isn't supposed to make sense/catch in your ears as something to pay attention to until you know more stuff that shows up down the line. And it'll give you a sense of where to look for these kinds of things... and also for how small and granular most of them will be. (Which is to say, what a horrible troll I am.)
This has spoilers for the very end of the first season on it, so I'm putting it under the cut. Seriously, don't read the rest of this until you've heard all the way to the end of Episode 16 of The Harbingers, yeah?
Okay, so remember in Episode 12, when Adam is trying to get President Shepherd to pay more attention to the tablets and to not destroy them? And she gives him a big dressing down, reminding him of all the other problems/shit she's dealing with at the moment? Here's the relevant bit from the script:
Which is... well, it's just a bunch of the stuff that we'd expect a president to be dealing with, right? Just a bunch of annoying, high-stakes-but-still-kind-of-mundane things that came with dealing with the White House, right? Yeah, we can focus on the way she's destroying Adam, not worry about any of the particulars she's spouting off, right?
Except... hold on. What was that passing mention about a real estate dispute in the... in the Atlantic Ocean? What? What is that about?
Well, fast forward all the way to end of the season, to our Episode 16 history tidbit, and...
... maybe that earlier line takes on a different meaning now. Knowing where we seem to be going in the future.
so uh ep 16 of the harbingers is devastating. but on my third listen to amy’s scene in the crooked flag where she tells the bartender to go away, it occurred to me what a fun coincidence it is that a character whose ability is basically bright sessions damian + chloe combined is talking to someone named damián.
thought i’d share my little fun discovery of the day with you, and thank you and gabriel for bringing your own damians to this world 🫡
omg I hadn't really thought of that!! but you're so right!! I love that :)
Damián was named Damián because I am a little shit and basically naming a priest "Damien" is exactly the kind of stupid joke that I am not above. But I had also not thought about this connection and now I cannot stop smiling, I am so pleased that it worked out so well. 😂
We officially hit 50% overnight on our campaign (thank you to our donors that helped us get across the halfway mark!) so that means time to deliver the first of our campaign promises, as it were: our season 3 playlist!
Enjoy these 20 songs that were on our minds (and in our headphones) while writing season 3. Take from that what you will...
WHAT THE FUCK, I WAS ALREADY HAVING A TIME AND THEN YELPED WHEN I HEARD THE NEXT EPISODE COMES OUT IN THE FALL AND IT IS NOT FOREVER AWAY, AND THEN YOU DROPPED THAT POST-CREDIT SCENE IN THE HISTORY TIDBIT SECTION?! EXCUSE YOU?! I WISH I COULD YELL AT YOU IN PERSON (affectionately)!!!
Was it difficult to get Emma Sherr-Ziarko and Zach Valenti back for cameos or do y’all just do these things for each other all the time?
If anything, it was too easy.
The truth is that my entire career is built on people like Zach and Emma returning my phone calls when they really should be way too busy with other awesome work to do it. Like, really, they’re too talented, they should be too busy to be making podcasts with me! But the world hasn’t made them famous enough to forget about the insignificant people just yet, so I keep profiting from it!
No, no, all joking/glibness aside, one of the enormous blessings of my life is that a. we’re all still very close friends, and b. we love working on things with one another. So it really was as easy as asking and then making sure they got some fun stuff to play in their scenes!
Gabriel Urbina I would have loved to shake you very hard but not too hard if I had attended the live event it seems like fair enough payback for tonight
What was your favorite question from the live event you want to share with the class?
A friend of the show at the New York show asked Eleanor - our designated romance fan and shipper on deck on the production team - if she was as sexually frustrated as they were after the first season.
The Harbingers. Episode 16: “Wrapped Around Your Finger”
Our season finale. In which the story reaches a conclusion.
... for now, at least.
Out now wherever podcasts are sold.
There’s a lot to be said, but for now? Here’s me grateful.
Grateful to our amazing cast, to everyone that works on the show, to everyone that signed up to come on this journey sight unseen. To Andrés and Lauren for being the best lead performers and team captains in the world, and for giving us the gift of bringing Adam and Amy to messy, stubborn, wild-eyed life. To our incredible composer Nick Podany for giving us the sonic soul of our story, and to the brilliant Evangeline Young for letting us use her stunning song in this last episode.
To everyone who’s heard the show. To everyone who’s come on the ride. To everyone who's gently bullied their friends into listening to it. To everyone who's yelled about it. To everyone who's shared it, who's tuned into the livestreams, or come to the live events, or shared art or fanfic of the show. Finding an audience for a new fiction podcast always feels like a near-vertical climb, and it means the world that this story has started to find its people.
Above everything else? Thank you to @euripidesredux and @eleanorhyde for this adventure, and for the chance to make a truly wild show with them. Something big and magical and fantastical and personal and political and messy, with big ambitious and a lot of heart. Make art with your talented friends, guys - it's the absolute best thing in the world.
More to be said, of course, especially about the future of the show. But that’s what the future is for, once more folks have had a chance to listen to today's episode.
For now? Sit back and relax, and enjoy our season finale. We hope you like it.
And, for the sixteenth time out of sixteen for our first year, here’s our episode title inspiration song:
