Passenger List

Official blurb:

“Atlantic Flight 702 has disappeared mid-flight between London and New York with 256 passengers on board. Kaitlin Le (Kelly Marie Tran), a college student whose twin brother vanished with the flight, is determined to uncover the truth. Starring Kelly Marie Tran, Colin Morgan, Rob Benedict and Patti LuPone.” [from Radiotopia].

This is a fictional podcast – the same type of entertainment you might turn to if you’re craving a good ol’ thriller movie, or a conspiracy TV series.

The cast of Passenger List is fantastic and there’s a lot of intriguing dialogue. As with many podcasts, the fact of that “dialogue” being available to us is that the series main character, Kaitlin, is investigating and interviewing people – and recording them on her phone. (What’s the aural equivalent of “birds’ eye view?” Whatever it is, Passenger Lists provides that.)

In this drama, Kaitlin can’t let go of the fact that her brother’s plane has disappeared.

She won’t accept the official line that a crash was caused by birds colliding with an engine. She puts her life on hold, ditching college as she investigates, purporting to be different people, taking risks, and being part of the Atlantic Flight 702 online community – hostage to the whims of trolls, pranksters and kooks.

In each episode, Kaitlin is chasing down a different lead and as she eliminates them, that can become annoying. She’s confused and scared, but relentless. What holds this together is her commitment and love for her brother – plus a lot of intrigue. Who can she trust? Who’s the mysterious voice on the phone? Is the FBI following her? And so on …

I prefer documentary podcasts, or ‘casts I can learn from. (Is ‘casts a valid shortcut? Seems a bit wanky – what should I be using?)

If you’re looking for pure entertainment with great production values, listening to Passenger List can help you get through a lot of traffic jams.