MOTHER, She Wrote: An EarthBound Podcast

Leisure
Video Games
Fiction
Science Fiction
Arts

Set out on a sense-shattering, tear-jerking journey where psychic children brave alien invasion, magical lands, corrupt politicians, and homesickness. The beloved cult video game series, EarthBound, is brought to life in this genre-bending blend of audio drama and documentary that explores these eccentric stories like never before. Created by the award-winning team behind The Call of Cthulhu Mystery Program, and hosted by adorable and insightful pizza-loving girlfriends, Cat Blackard and Jessica Mudd, "MOTHER," She Wrote is a literal love letter to Shigesato Itoi's iconic Nintendo games.

Embark on an Uncanny Journey in "MOTHER," She Wrote: An EarthBound Podcast

Set out on a sense-shattering, tear-jerking journey where psychic children brave alien invasion, magical lands, corrupt politicians, and homesickness. The beloved cult video game series, EarthBound (aka MOTHER), is brought to life in this genre-bending blend of audio drama and documentary that explores these eccentric adventures like never before.

Travel beyond the controller and into the story - as it’s lived by the characters. Then, unpack all the surreal adventures, thought-provoking moments, social commentary, pop culture inspirations, and more with insightful, pizza-loving co-hosts, Cat Blackard and Jessica Mudd, in this literal love letter to Shigesato Itoi's iconic Nintendo games.

"MOTHER," She Wrote is created by the award-winning team behind The Call of Cthulhu Mystery Program, and feature voices from hit sci-fi audio dramas like Girl in Space and Midnight Burger. Discover more at https://mothershewrote.earth/ or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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Episode Zero - START HERE

Welcome to “MOTHER,” She Wrote - a travelog through three of the strangest, most thought-provoking, most heart-rending video games ever made.

Hosts and storytellers Cat Blackard and Jessica Mudd combine audio drama and discussion to take you on a journey through the MOTHER series, as it’s called in Japan, or EarthBound, as it’s called in English-speaking countries. Whether you're unfamiliar with this trilogy of games or are a longtime fan - travel beyond the controller and into the story - as it’s lived by the characters. Then, unpack the surreal adventures, thought-provoking themes, media inspirations, and more with your insightful, pizza-loving hosts in this literal love letter to Shigesato Itoi's iconic Nintendo games.

In this introduction, get to know Cat and Jess and learn how this irreverent sci-fi comedy, filled to the brim with as much poignant messaging as there is cartoon imagery, broke all the rules about the kinds of stories you could tell in a video game and became a cult sensation.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 1: Bump in the Night

Embark on a journey through EarthBound Beginnings! There's something strange happening in the town of Podunk, and unresolved mysteries, almost a century old, are coming to light. Can a twelve-year-old with emerging psychic abilities hold his own against paranormal disturbances, mind-control, and the walking dead?

“MOTHER,” She Wrote mixes audio drama and talk podcast to chronicle the strangest, most thought-provoking, most heart-rending video games ever made: the MOTHER series, as it's called in Japan, and EarthBound as it's called everywhere else. This first season chronicles MOTHER (1989), known as EarthBound Beginnings in English-speaking countries.

Adventure with Ninten and then unpack the game's events with hosts Cat Blackard and Jessica Mudd as they dust off their basement bread, share their most SMASHable enemies, and favorite "MOTHER," She Quotes from Nintendo and Shigesato Itoi's beloved cult classic game.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 2: Good & Bad Vibrations

Poltergeists, zombies, and now ALIENS?! How much genre-fusion can one kid take?

At the apex of classic sci-fi like The Day the Earth Stood Still and heartrending musical narratives like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars... There is... EarthBound Beginnings.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 3: Magicant Mystery Tour

Flying men, swimming cats, a mysterious mimicker, and a magical castle in the clouds?! We're not in Podunk anymore.

Enter the dreamy world of Magicant. Ponder its surreal inhabitants and unusual sights with Cat and Jess as they draw connective threads between Ninten's past, this peculiar place, and beloved children's media from across the 20th century.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 4: The Nowhere Man

Our journey through the psychedelic dreamlands of Magicant continues! On the surface, this fantastic world is (mostly) sunshine and rainbows, but there's a deep, and literal, well of sorrow underneath. Meet the sad queen in her majestic palace, the friends who'll lay their lives on the line for you, and a man who doesn't exist - as Cat and Jess unpack the Jungian mysteries of this surprisingly dark chapter of Ninten's adventures.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 5: Don't Avoid the Lloyd

Ninten's back on solid ground and in a new town. Life in the bustling burg of Merrysville is tough, but he finds a new friend in a strange place - with explosive results. In Merrysville, Shigesato Itoi's social commentary and observations of American culture are in full effect; as you explore an abandoned factory, an elementary school, and wander in and out of the lives of the town's citizens. Cat and Jess crack open the MOTHER Encyclopedia and speak to a surprising source - Talking Heads' frontman David Byrne - as they piece together all the puzzling evidence of this artful game's influences.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth.

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 6: Takin' the Paradise Line

Ninten and Lloyd want to ride the rails, but there's something standing in their way that's too big for two kids to tackle... nothing that a military-grade rocket can't fix! With the trains running again, their world opens up exponentially! They dip into lands too dangerous to travel... yet... and hop the Paradise Line to Reindeer, a town ravaged by a pandemic and wealth disparity. Perhaps there are problems even our well-equipped protagonists can't solve. Never fear, dear listener - "relax for a while and watch the world go by. Just as long as we're together we'll be fine - Takin' the Paradise Line!”

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth.

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EarthBound Beginnings - Chapter 7: The Power to Believe

Meet Ana, the psychokinetic preacher's daughter whose mom was abducted by aliens. She has unusual powers, but there's more under the surface of this precocious girl than even she knows. Joining Ninten and Lloyd, they travel to the ghost town of Spookane to investigate a city-wide disappearance and rumors of a haunted piano with a tragic history. Sarah Rhea Werner, of the sci-fi audio drama Girl in Space, joins the cast as Ana and our audio drama segment EXPLODES in this double-length mid-season special. "MOTHER," She Wrote and Ninten's adventures will never be the same again.

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth.

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Dimensional Slip 1: Sarah Rhea Werner - Girl in Space and Other Wrinkles in Time

Welcome to Dimensional Slip, intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.

In this episode, Cat and Jess cross over with Sarah Rhea Werner, creator of the sci-fi audio drama, Girl in Space, and the voice actor bringing our Ana to life. We unpack the parallels between Sarah and Ana's lives and upbringing; offering deep, personal insight into a character at the heart of EarthBound Beginnings' story, and the struggle of being "brave". We also discuss all-ages science fiction and a book close to Sarah and Cat's hearts that share's many parallels with MOTHER: Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.

If you’re missing our regularly scheduled audio drama, we've got something to tide your over! Stay tuned to the end of our interview to hear the first episode of Girl in Space!

For links and transcriptions, head to https://mothershewrote.earth.

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