Lockdown Part 1 - WARNING Contains spoilers

[Litmaster]

Aaaaaand I'm back! Boy, it's been a long time since I have written a Lit-Treatise, but I'm fresh off my 5th listen to the first part of 'Lockdown' and wanted to set some thoughts down and nudge this forum back to life, a bit. I don't have as much time to be on here as I used to, but it's great to put my fan hat back on and enjoy a great 'Audio Theater for the Mind' from Wayland Productions!

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...there we go. So, I was at first hesitant about posting my reaction to the episode here, given that I'm listening to it nearly a week before everyone else (ep drops tomorrow for non-backers), but then I figured 'Ah, fuck 'em!' I paid the money, they didn't, so they can SUCK IT if they don't like me getting a head start on the new episodes'. #backerprivilege

Okay, so a few reactions / thoughts. First, regarding craft:

• It's better than We're Alive. BETTER! Kc and Grayson are at the top of their game, and have really outdone themselves with the writing, acting, music, effects, and overall production value. Amazing.
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• Writing is stellar, which is hard to do in audio. Like how Kc starts us with the 'known' characters and gradually moves us to the unknown. Also takes care to limit the number of characters introduced initially, and in the scene at the holding cell he has Simon repeat each of the new guy's names several times, using a narrative framing device to make things clear. VERY helpful in following who is who.
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• Really enjoyed the acting performances; voices and personality match up exceedingly well. Kim Estes did an especially great job.
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• Not sure who the composer is, but I like how he takes the original We're Alive music (written by Kc's sister, I think...?) and re scores it . Sounds awesome.

So, some thoughts / impressions about the story itself:

• So this is our gang stomping out the last, possibly, of the Mallers, which is a few months after the end of We're Alive (not counting the huge time jump. So that means Simon has been captive of the Mallers for some time. That's a lot of ass rape. Eesh.
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• Simon's real name is Simion, or 'simian' which a higher primate, like apes and humans. Monkeys are used, controversially, in medical research. Wondering what parallels his name and a research test subject might have...
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• It's mentioned at 38:45 that Fredo does work for 'The Families', of which there are three remaining, we know. I'd bet dollars to donuts that he knows Scratch.
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• Chuck mentions at 39:30 that he met a guy 'Dan' who told him about The Families, even showing him the ring with the insignia on it. How much you want to bet that 'Dan' is actually Angel Tunudo?
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• At 40:05 it's mentioned that The Families have a policy of 'a life for a life' and will stop at nothing to avenge the death of one of theirs, which explains why Scratch was so hell-bent on avenging John's death.
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• Cohen was the guy who inked up scratch, but I forgot who he turned out to be in the main story. I know Austin McKibbon eventually becomes Arrowhead... what about Cohen?
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• The mention by Chuck that "ink tells a story". Yep. Wondering now if some tats by an inmate will have some influence over the Zeds, as Ink's does.
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• At 47:21 it's mentioned that the guy from the drunk tank is bleeding. So he'll be the first to die, or to turn?
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• The mention of Block 7 being under construction has to be significant. Willing to bet that some future scenes take place there. Or maybe that's their means of egress?
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• We know that Ink is attacked in the van in the loading area, just as he's ready to be transported, and 'turns' in the van. So the jail is the first place he likely takes over. Given that it's a jail, the Zeds aren't likely to make their way in the place unless they are let in, especially given the place clearly goes into 'lockdown' before it's overrun. That means Ink is the only one who is going to keep these prisoners alive, becoming the new defacto 'warden' of the Twin Towers.
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• Once shit starts to go bad, the guards are the only ones capable of freeing any locked prisoners, so I'm guessing the guards and inmates are gonna have to team up here. "The enemy of my enemy", as Burt says.
  

That's about it for now. Can't wait to hear the next episode. Part of me wants to just binge the whole damned thing, but a part of me wants to savor it. In the immortal words of Puck, "Now I gotta wait."