Midst Toil And Tribulation

''Midst'' is a space western audio drama podcast created and narrated by an anonymous trio of artists known as Third Person. The first season aired from January 7, 2020, to May 1, 2020. The second season aired from July 30, 2021, to April 29, 2022. In March 2023, ''Midst'' was acquired by Metapigeon which rereleased the remastered series weekly beginning on April 11, 2023, on various podcasting platforms and the Critical Role YouTube channel. Metapigeon also ordered a final third season of the show which aired from February 14, 2024, to June 26, 2024.

A limited series spin-off, titled ''Moonward'', set after the events of ''Midst'' aired in August 2024. A sequel audio drama, titled ''Unend'', set several decades after ''Midst'' and ''Moonward'' premiered in October 2024 with a second season premiering in June 2025.

Premise

''Midst'' is a semi-improvised space-western audio drama focused on "three protagonists – a crotchety outlaw, a struggling cultist and a diabolical bastard – as their paths intersect in unexpected ways" in the town of Stationary Hill after the mysterious civilization known as the Trust becomes interested in the islet of Midst where the town is located.

History

''Midst'' was originally produced by the studio Third Person which was made of the podcast's three anonymous narrators and was inspired by a campaign setting the narrators created for a tabletop role-playing game they played together. It was originally released from January 2020 to April 2022.

In March 2023, the science fiction podcast was purchased by Metapigeon, the film and television production banner of Critical Role Productions; this is the first time that Critical Role has acquired outside intellectual property. Critical Role began to rerelease ''Midst'' in April 2023. This rerelease includes remastered audio, a new video format and a planned new third season. It also has an ad-free subscription option that includes an early release schedule and other bonus content.

When asked in an interview on how the production changed after acquisition, Third Person narrator Xen opined that the upcoming third season will be "on another level" as it will be the first season the group works on full time as opposed to the first two seasons where they were "hobbyist producers" with limited time. Narrator Matt also highlighted the transition of working on the podcast during the group's hobby time versus now working on it full time. Narrator Sara highlighted the art of the new YouTube edition:

Midst is an audio drama, but even when we were indie, we were very gung-ho about making it "more than just a podcast" – creating as many supplements as we could, the appendices, character portraits, episode icons, etc. So having the opportunity to visualize our world through the styles of so many different artists has been a dream come true.

In January 2024, Critical Role announced that while the upcoming third season would be the final season for the podcast, the partnership with Third Person would continue with future projects. In July 2024, as part of the announcement of the ''Moonward'' spin-off, Third Person revealed that the anonymous narrators are Matt Roen, Sara Wile, and Xen.

Broadcast

The nineteen episode first season ran from January 7, 2020, to May 1, 2020, and the nineteen episode second season ran from July 30, 2021, to April 29, 2022. In March 2023, all episodes were removed from various podcast platforms.

On April 11, 2023, Critical Role released the first remastered episode and then released two more episodes that week. Following the initial three episode release, the remastered episodes for the first season were posted weekly on "every subsequent Wednesday". The remastered episodes are available on various podcasting platforms and the Critical Role YouTube channel; subscribers have access to an ad-free early release version. The remastered second season premiered on August 23, 2023 with subsequent episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.

The nineteen episode third season premiered on February 14, 2024 with subsequent episodes released weekly on Wednesdays. The final episode was released on June 26, 2024.

Episodes

Series Overview

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2021–2022)

Season 3 (2024)

Reception

Rashika Rao, for ''International Podcast Month'' in 2020, stated that the style of ''Midst'' is "reminiscent of ''Gravity Falls''" and that the podcast "combines the unapologetically weird with the frighteningly real to create one of the most original fictional worlds out there right now. Do yourself a favor and speedrun season one—you won't regret it". She also highlighted the world's Valor system which is based on a "person's inherent goodness" with inheritable debt resulting in many people spending "their entire lives trying to rack up enough good deeds to end up at a balanced zero". Rao commented that the Valor system heavily impacts the narrative along with the motivations of various characters and becomes "a brilliant criticism of capitalism ''because'' of how closely it aligns to reality".

''Midst'' was included as an "interesting pick" on ''Vulture'''s "The Best Podcasts of 2022, According to People Who Make Podcasts" list – the article stated that the podcast is "a consistent entry among producers who either work in the genre or pay close attention to it". Lauren Shippen highlighted that it has a "rich and full sound design" with a spin on the "concept of an exclusively narrated podcast"; "a lot of podcasts throw around words like ''immersive'', but ''Midst'' actually delivers – you feel like you're inside the world the narrators are building for you".

Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen, for '' CBR'' in 2023, called ''Midst'' "creative and original" with a "world that listeners just can't get enough of". She highlighted that the setting mixes "elements of science fiction, fantasy, and drama" – "beyond this, it also has interesting elements related to the world's political system and economy, which adds a lot of political intrigue to the show". Chuen stated that the podcast "is an excellent display of interactive and creative storytelling that's rare to see done with such professionalism. The story has everything from murder mysteries and brainwashing cults to magic and love, all in a distinct world with interesting characters".

Accolades

Spin-offs

Comics

In April 2024, a new comic limited series published by Dark Horse was announced. The series will consist of three oversize issues each following a new story and with its own creative team. The first issue, titled ''Midst: Address Unknown'', is scheduled for release in August 2024 and will be written by Colin Lorimer with art by Alejandro Aragón, colors by Chris O'Halloran, and letters by Jim Campbell. It will follow new characters after their postal ship crashes on Midst.

Related shows

', a four-part limited series set after ''Midst'', was announced in July 2024. It features Xen as the guide narrator with Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Roen and Wile as players. Cheryl Teh of ''Business Insider'' highlighted that ''Moonward'' features "just pure roleplay and acting" as "there no dice and no rules in" the series. The series aired from August 7 to August 28, 2024 with early access for Beacon and Midst subscribers. Tara McCauley, in a review for '' The Escapist'', commented that ''Moonward'' "proves undoubtedly engaging" for those who are "in search of character focused storytelling". She noted that while the show "lacks the mechanical perquisites of actual play", ''Moonward'' "still deals heavily in the genre's broader motifs, such as creative group problem solving and character-based decision-making" and that this style of storytelling shows the "improvisational method" that was behind ''Midst''. McCauley also highlighted that ''Moonward'', at roughly two hours per episode, has much shorter episodes than ''Critical Role'' and that show's the staging is more similar to what is seen in '' Candela Obscura'', however, it "ups the theatrical ante" and "flits between shots of individual players, sides of the table, and the occasional split-screen" between scene partners.

' is an audio drama set several decades after ''Midst'' and ''Moonward'' by Third Person. The cast consists of Xen, Roen, and Wile. It premiered on October 9, 2024 with new episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays. Beacon and Midst subscribers have access to an early release schedule. The second season premiered on June 4, 2025.

References

External links

Archive of original website
(via the Wayback Machine)

{{Podcast platform links

2020 podcast debuts
American podcasts
Audio podcasts
Critical Role
LGBTQ-related podcasts
Science fiction podcasts