> Mabel

I have a lot of trouble explaining Mabel to people, just because it's stylized enough that you need to like it from the get-go to like it at all, in my opinion. If you like the purplest of purple prose, narrative shenanigans, and strange alivehouses, it's for you!

I love this show very much, but I love its first season the most. It's so atmospheric, and De La Rosa and Marten both lend such a voice to their characters. It's practically hypnotic, especially alongside the excellent backing music choices.

I discovered Mabel when I was pretty young, shortly after I did Night Vale, and I guess I didn't really get it at first...? I was drawn to the style the show was told in, but the story is up in the air enough that I wasn't really able to follow along. I revisited it several times, usually never making it past the first three seasons, and each time, I liked it more and more because I was able to properly enjoy the meandering, flowery tone, and now I'm here, and I love it very dearly :-)

Official synopsis

Mabel is a podcast about ghosts, family secrets, strange houses, and missed connections.

My synopsis

Mabel follows home nurse Anna Limón as she tries to get in touch with Mabel Martin, the disappeared granddaughter of her ward, Sally Martin, after she discovers a strange collection of letters in the house's attic. The beginning of the story is in the form of voicemail messages sent from Anna to the unresponsive Mabel. It's creepy, it's atmospheric, and it's chock-full of purple prose.

Favourite episodes

Episode 2 Really Red
Anna recounts a dream (or is it a nightmare?), goes on a midnight expedition, and continues trying to get in touch with Mabel Martin. Featuring: anger, expectation, a word on the tip of your tongue, and a devious reflection.

Episode 3 The Man in the Street
There's a man in the street. He's been there all morning. What does he want? Featuring: a stranger, a name revealed, palindromes, recursion, and one important word.

Episode 4 Datura
A research trip to Sally's library leads Anna on a very strange treasure hunt. Featuring: Shakespeare, music from ghosts, a sly serving-girl, and too many riddles to count.

Episode 7 King in the Labyrinth
˙ʞɹɐp ǝɥʇ uᴉ ǝɔᴉoʌ ɐ puɐ '[pƎɹOSNƎƆ] 'ʇɥƃᴉluooɯ 'sǝxoɟ '[pƎɹOSNƎƆ] '[pƎɹOSNƎƆ] :ƃuᴉɹnʇɐǝℲ ˙sllɐʍ ǝɥʇ ǝpᴉsuᴉ ɯoɹɟ ƃuᴉɯoɔ punos ǝƃuɐɹʇs ɐ s,ǝɹǝɥ┴

Episode 8 Freeze
In the final episode of season 1, Anna finds herself caught in the eye of the storm. Featuring: a cold end.

Episode 8.5 Letter from Juniper
A teaser for season two, in honour of the new year. Featuring: love as kindness, love as cruelty, a girl who will never have her way.

Episode 11 Pilgrimage
Anna and Mabel go on a journey together. Featuring: the dead, flowers on a grave, illicit companionship, and a difficult perspective.

Episode 13 Thomas
A visitor returns. Featuring: a clear understanding, a knock on the door, a man caught in a threshing machine.