When Phantom Canyon was originally announced, I WAS STOKED! Really stoked. I've only been that excited over one other Pendant show ever (which remains unreleased). And the hype that was being generated only made me more excited to hear it.

Upon listening to Phantom Canyon, however, I was initially disappointed. The Hype Train had done me in, and my expectations were ridiculously out of proportion. The show had stellar characters, fantastic backstories, incredible acting, the best atmospheric vibes of any Pendant production prior to its release, and fun little idiosyncrasies. But the nagging things were what stuck out in my mind.

Unexplained plot points.

Occasionally odd dialogue choices.

That darn chair SFX that grates on the nerves. (If you can decipher which one, you get a cookie)

Once you boil it down though, I was holding the show to too high a standard: the hype standard.

After a few days of reflection, all those nagging things became blurred by how well the ending was executed. The ambiguous ending, upon which we learn that the penultimate villain is something “other,” framed the Phantom Canyon portrait for what it really was: it was aiming to be something different. Something new.

I said this in my Amazon review, but the show masterfully breaks established tropes you've come to expect.

The kid sidekick? Edwin actually gets some major character development in the show, unlike most sidekicks.

The blind girl? Clara gets the most character development in the entire production. Not to mention, since this is an audio production, the audience gets to experience her plight first hand, which is pure genius on the part of the writers and production crew.

The man of the Word? Let’s just say I’d never want to encounter Mr. David’s bad side.

And Sam? Sam is a lot of things, and I still don’t think I've fully digested his character. I initially tried to compare him to established characters, but he seems to transcend many of them. It’s excellent character writing all the way around.

I’m harping a lot on the characters here, but they’re the backbone that makes everything work. Backbones keep things strong and sturdy.

All those things that initially bugged me? Those are just skin scrapes. Good thing skin scrapes never hurt nobody.

I gave Phantom Canyon a 4.5 out of 5 when it debut, and I stand by that review. It’s one of Pendant’s finest productions, and I can’t wait to see more material from the Thorne/Bridges writing team.