Oh the places you’ll go
Syntax review
Rating – 
Well folks, I hope you had a good couple of weeks. Here at podcastgeek towers, it was a mostly relaxed time, despite my misadventures with a VR set, and being a few pounds heavier, I am otherwise unscathed.
Unless something major happens, there will also be no more “announcement” posts until next December. I much prefer writing actual reviews, but sometimes I have to forgo the mission of the blog. But anyway, this week I am reviewing Syntax. A show that I heard about on Reddit and the premise sounded interesting. I’ve finally got round to listening to it and I thought it would be a good way to begin 2025.
So what’s it about?
Syntax kicks off with bookish linguist Silas getting recruited by mysterious organisation Vincula. Unsure why such a company would need the expertise of a linguist, he reluctantly heads off to see what he can do to help.
He is shown some mysterious carvings of Akkadian origin, but also some unknown language. A linguist being shown such a discovery, obviously gets his curiosity piqued, and he’s soon part of a team. This team consists of quite the motley crew, with medics, cryptozoologists and scientists. Quite why this team exists, and why they need a linguist is soon revealed.
From there, the adventure stretches the realms of possibility, and patience.
Is it any good?
I have to say, no. No it isn’t. I’m not too sure what the point of the story is. It’s very similar to a lot of other shows that are (unfortunately) a lot better.
Recently I was talking to someone on Reddit about how I am prepared to overlook voice talent under certain circumstances. There are a few caveats though, and unfortunately Syntax falls at the first hurdle. It seems that when advertising for voice talent, they looked for enthusiasm over experience.
What they have ended up with are a group of characters who seem to over-emote and are therefore very one dimensional. It reminds me of RPG live plays, where the characters are given a basic backstory and some brief notes, and become caricatures. From the gruff, ex-military veteran, to the plucky, excitable cryptozoologist, there is nothing below a thin veneer of character.
This adds up to the biggest disappointment. I simply don’t care about the characters. Towards the end of my usual ten episodes cutoff point, there was a whole episode that I suspect should have been poignant. Unfortunately the only emotion it received was ennui.
It did cross my mind to carry on with this show. As I stopped listening, there was a rather intriguing plot device revealed, but it wasn’t enough to keep me interested. If you give this show a try, then maybe the later episodes will develop into a brilliant, mind bending story arc, but I don’t have the time or the inclination.
Final thoughts
Previously, I said that this show was very similar to other, better podcasts. If you want to try something similar then I would recommend the following:
For mysterious, seemingly impossible artifacts, then Out Of Place is great.
For strange, alternate histories, then you can’t go wrong with Modes Of Thought In Anterran Literature.
I would also recommend Forbidden Cassettes: Consummation, and certain episodes of SCP archives too.
If you did make it through the entire series of Syntax though, and think that I’m an idiot, then please, feel free to get in touch. Depending on the consensus, I may well revisit this in the future.
You can get Syntax here:
For more great reviews, I recommend GreatPods