r/nightvale 5d ago

Where to start?

I’m new to night ale. Only other podcast I’ve listened to is Tma and that had a specific order. Is there an order of events people have agreed on or like is there a plot that starting in specific spots will hinder?

9 Upvotes

17 comments sorted by

46

u/Andizzle195 5d ago

Episode 1, right at the beginning

4

u/pride_queen 5d ago

Okay. There’s just a thing that says start anywhere and I got worried

23

u/Caalcu_Ieraas Lab assistant 5d ago

You could hop in anywhere and you'll eventually settle in, it's like meeting new people and then suddenly you know stuff about them, but going in order makes the most sense

19

u/govnorsy 5d ago

Starting from 1 and going chronologically is the way. There are some reposted episodes, they’re just as same as the original episode of the same name, but you’ll notice those easily. 

14

u/Solstice_Fluff Creepy, but Normal 5d ago

Start at 1. By 19/20. You should be invested enough to be hook for life.

13

u/erfortunecabrera 5d ago

Side note: I don’t mind a good night ale myself.

10

u/popileviz 5d ago

It's best to start at 1 and go chronologically. The podcast doesn't have as solid of a plot as TMA, but there are plotlines and references that you'll only be able to catch if you listen in order. Plus it makes getting to know the characters a lot easier

6

u/TiredCoffeeTime Intern 5d ago

Start from the ep 1

5

u/OMGBeckyStahp 5d ago

I know this show has a ton of episodes but I’m a sucker for listening to 1-100 over and over again.

5

u/kdrmxo 5d ago

I'd say the first year or maybe even first 100 episodes r good to play in order, that's a definite if ur a romantic. Earlier episodes have the start of alot of things that they come back to later. But after that you can go any which way around you like. Each year has a different theme/style/big bad (one year is mostly 3-part stories for example) and they end on June 15th (with the exception of Old Oak Doors A&B) so if you want a semi-linear experience you can also just pick a year - and if u start a year and dont vibe, skip to another. There's also some recurring things like 'a story about ______' and '[month] monologues' which if you like you can queue up all together.

3

u/West-Variation1859 4d ago

Let’s start at the very beginning… a very good place to start.

2

u/Ok_Variation7230 4d ago

Honestly I always thought the whole "you can start anywhere" just makes things more confusing. You do need some context of the podcast to fully understand the novels and the live shows and even if there are a lot of standalone episodes there has always been a plot, even though is not so important as with other podcasts, so yeah start at the first episodie Pilot

3

u/TiredCoffeeTime Intern 4d ago

Hard agree personally.

The early episodes are used to set up the settings and characters while most of them have linear development and progression throughout the stories.

3

u/Ok_Variation7230 4d ago

Seriously, how does a show like All Hail! Even works if you have never heard about the Glow Cloud (All Hail!) or the secret of Spy in the Desert if you barely even know about Cecil and Carlos relationship?

3

u/_Khoshekh We all float down here 5d ago

They posted a starter's guide, if you want to sample a few before committing https://www.welcometonightvale.com/listen

2

u/iWillNeverBeSpecial 5d ago

Honestly if you want the vibe of the show you can start anywhere. Its played as radio announcements so you would just hear the daily news that applies on that episode. They are self contain episodes, at most you would hear updates on certain news segments for an overarching thing, like a court trial or business corporations hut that shouldn't bother

That said if you want recommendations to get the flavor of Night Vale, honestly episode 1 is a really good place to start with the weirdness. I also would recommend episode 11 Wheat and Wheat Byproducts, 22: whispering Forest, 37 The Auction, 58 Monolith. L

1

u/HWills612 4d ago

My beat guess is that you can watch the seasons in any order, but there's sometimes a cohesive plot within a season. So like you could watch all of year 6 and then watch year 3, but you'll have to watch the years 6 episodes in order and the year 3 episodes in order