Carrier - Podcast Rankings and reviews

TL; DR: great sound design, great voice acting, great characters, great vibes 👍.

This one’s my absolute favorite out of all the Qcode audio dramas. All of the voice acting is top notch which pairs really well with the really crisp and immersive sound design. The intro sequence with the blues music and the sound of the truck passing by scratches an itch I didn’t even know I had. The story is super intriguing and all the characters are really interesting and well written. I’m so excited for season 2.

When I tried to explain this to my husband, I told him it managed to be sci-fi that dealt with racism, climate change and class. I listened to it on a road trip, driving a moving truck and it was a lot of fun to hear a bit of trucker life while on the road with a whole lot of them. The sound style was more “show, not tell,” which I find pretty interesting. This meant not a whole lot of extra dialogue explaining what sounds were supposed to be (which I often find irritating), but I did catch myself wondering what was going on sometimes. Did not take away from the story at all, instead added depth and made it more immersive. Loved the characters!!! I enjoyed hearing another working mom find ways to connect with their family while far away. Such sweet moments there. Yes, I would absolutely love a second season but this felt to me more like a short story that ended perfectly - some closure but lots of ambiguity that leaves you thinking.

The first couple episodes are great and really pull you in, making you feel like you’re in that cab with Rae. However, once the mystery is gone it gets pretty boring. The last episode especially as it relies far too heavily on sound effects (in true Qcode form), with few clues as to what’s actually happening.

Really enjoyed listening to it while crocheting. The story is engaging, the actors and sound effects are great, a good experience all around.

Good production value but the writing was subpar and even after a big reveal in the story, I struggle to stay interested enough to finish listening. The story lags and at times it’s hard to keep track of what is going on through all the “immersive” noise. Cynthia doesn’t really connect with this character and I thought her voice acting was rather flat.

I listened to a previous show by QCode that made a lot more sense and was more enjoyable with a plot well-put together: “The Edge of Sleep.” But this… idk… the plot falls apart, and the sound effects can’t compensate (even they feel unbalanced and too soft). Not just me: I recall just reading a review by someone stating they were a truck driver who couldn’t figure out what was going on half the time. That made them want to ditch. Someone suggested a narrator, I just think more context is needed. I need to keep turning the volume up and down with the louder-than-usual ads and yelling of a character.