History Podcast / KingFallsAM

* BerserkButton: Even merely saying [[spoiler: Jack's name]] in Sammy's presence will cause easy-going Sammy to snarl a warning to stop talking and at one point he nearly [[spoiler: destroyed the sound board after Greg Frickard both outed him and mocked his relationship with Jack]].

* BerserkButton: Even merely saying [[spoiler: Jack's name]] in Sammy's presence will cause easy-going Sammy to snarl a warning to stop talking and at one point he nearly [[spoiler: destroyed the sound board after Greg Frickard both outed him and mocked his relationship with Jack]].

* BeserkButton: Even merely saying [[spoiler: Jack's name]] in Sammy's presence will cause easy-going Sammy to snarl a warning to stop talking. When Greg Frickard did so in episode 68, Sammy snapped and almost destroyed the sound board. Lately, however, he has been more open about [[spoiler: talking about Jack]].

* CampGay: Archie Simmons, to Ron Begley's StraightGay. Archie is extremely flamboyant, speaks with a feminine lisp, and babies the pom-shi's that he breeds. Although its never been explicitly stated that Archie is gay, several hints have been dropped, including using the same exact phrase Ron uses to refer to Sammy and Ben's backsides.

** Howard Ford Beauregard III has all sorts of (incorrect) beliefs about the supernatural events of King Falls, and insists that they're true, even in the face of evidence to the contrary of actual supernatural events. He is also quite rude, and even belittles Emily Potter for attempting to convince him of the truth. Also, [[spoiler: he caused the Electrolocaust using some unknown device.]] And [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane he might be]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent a vampire]].

* TheConspiracy: in Episode 55, Emily suspects that there is a group of powerful male business owners and politicians that are pulling the strings around town.

** Joining him is Sheriff Judd Gunderson, whose very presence intimidates Sammy and Ben to the point where they're powerless to do anything. [[spoiler: It is ''blatant'' that he had Troy Kreighauser-- ''his own deputy''-- run off the road just so he couldn't deliver decisive ballots for Mayor Grisham's election. And he has him run off at Torrance Gulch- AKA the place where he himself killed Ben's sugar glider Serendipity, just to rub salt in the wound. As episode 73 shows, he's also a ChronicPetKiller.]]

* EvilIsPetty: Howard Ford Beauregard III buys up almost every Christmas tree in the tri-state area so he can (allegedly) make a Holiday garden.t

** Ben ALWAYS refers to raccoons as "trash bears".

** Chet Sebastian, the smooth-talking and [[AnythingThatMoves lecherous]] host of Chet Sebastian's Jazz Corner (which plays on the same station), has subbed once for Sammy, and once for Ben. Both times, he's consistently hung up on phone calls from anyone who doesn't sound young and attractive. Yet, in Episode 27, he uses his lechery to weaponize IBangedYourMom to imply all sorts of horrible things about Pete Myer's mother so that he'll give up details about [[spoiler: Ben's location]].

** CrowdSong: "A King Falls Christmas", where Ben leads the town in a rap number when he's lighting up the Christmas tree.

** GriefSong: "Can't You Hear Me?" Ben, again, sings this as he laments [[spoiler: the loss of Emily. She's even heard in the closing moments of the song, whispering Ben's name.]]
** GrandFinale: "Next Year", a rock number which also doubles as MusicalExposition, with [[spoiler: Ben revealing that the Notebook is done and he's ready to get Emily back, that Tim [[BlatantLies is flicker-free]], and Dale breaking into Beauregard's house to [[ComicallyMissingThePoint smoke the trees in there]](which are actual Christmas trees).]]

* PreAssKickingOneLiner: As Sammy approaches the mayor in Episode Eighteen: "Ben, post my bail."

** He gives another one when [[spoiler: Tim Jensen says he'll never get Emily back.]]

* RedOniBlueOni: Ben and Sammy, respectively.
* RefugeInAudacity: The entire character of Gwendolyn, the Racist Witch, is based on this. Every other word out of her mouth is demeaning to some minority group, and the fact that Sammy and Ben are more uncomfortable with Gwendolyn than the audience is makes the scenarios less horrifying and more hilarious.

* StalkerWithACrush: Sammy seems to have one, who occasionally calls the show and makes creepy remarks. [[spoiler: After the broadcast is hijacked by a transmission from Beauregard, he calls in to inform then, but [[CassandraTruth they don't believe him.]]]]

* ToughLove: Sammy gives [[spoiler:Emily]] this, finally getting her to sit down and talk about [[spoiler:the fact that Greg is {{Gaslighting}} her.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: '''Cynthia''' of all people has a thing for Ben, if her children are to be believed.

** A pair of slightly lighter whams come in Episodes 26 and 29. After running unopposed for the last two elections, a pair of King Falls citizens are running against Mayor Grisham independently: [[spoiler: Ron Bagley]] announces his candidacy in Episode 26, and [[spoiler: Herschel F. Baumgartener]] announces his in Episode 29.
** Episode 30: [[spoiler: It was Mary Jensen, not Tim, who made the Rainbow Lights reappear and take Emily. She was trying to get the lights back to take Tim away again, as he just hasn't been right since he came back...]]

** The 2016 Election Special. The new mayor of King Falls is... [[spoiler: undecided. The votes have been deemed ''null and void'', and it's strongly implied-- no, it's pretty much outright thrown in our face that Mayor Grisham is attempting to rig the ballot in his favor. A runoff election will take place on November 15th.]]

** Episode 41: [[spoiler: Mary Jensen is getting caught by the Lights, and then Troy confronted them, shot at them and RAN them off.]]

** Episode 73: [[spoiler: Just when it seems like Sammy is almost convinced to stay in King Falls, Sheriff Gunderson shows up at the station. After revealing that he discovered Peas, he shows Ben pictures of [[ChronicPetKiller what he did to the illegal pet,]] and then drags Ben out kicking and screaming.]]

* AgentMulder: When it comes to Storm Sanders, who may or may not be a skinwalker, Sammy freaks out when he comes into the station to do weather reports. [[spoiler: And for good reason, as it turns out.]]
** Sammy grows into this, to the point where Ben is shocked that he suggests that magic is behind the sudden extreme weather in early 2017.
* AgentScully: Sammy, at first, is reluctant to believe anything supernatural going on in King Falls. He grows out of it around the time [[spoiler: Tim Jensen contacts the station in Episode 7]].
** As of the first episode of the King Falls Chronicles, Sammy has been replaced by Lillie Wright as the resident Scully. She is dismissive and downright confrontational to the supernatural antics of the town.

Rather acerbic journalist Sammy "Shotgun Sammy" Stevens has moved to the sleepy mountain town of King Falls to participate in the King Falls AM local late-night talk radio show with local producer Ben Arnold...

Only for him to be stopped by a local police officer because the apparition of a Civil War general has been screwing with his sense of direction. And hearing King Falls resident Tim Jensen's abduction live on-air. Then things get ''weird'' as he and his co-host begin reporting on lake monsters, skinwalkers, werewolves, murder, zombies, transmissions from the abductee, mysterious presences calling in to the station, pet seances, a library [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext haunted by the apparitions of Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth,]] and the... [[CityOfWeirdos let's call them eccentric...]] residents of King Falls, along with its [[KitschyLocalCommercial absurd local businesses.]]

[[DeadpanSnarker And Ben and Sammy handle each one with]] [[WorldOfSnark heavy helpings of snark.]] Early episodes could be described as [[FollowTheLeader an attempt to emulate]] PodCast/WelcomeToNightVale, but [[GrowingTheBeard it grows the beard as the storyline goes on.]]

*** [[{{Theater/Hamilton}} Like You're Running Out Of Time]]

* EvilIsPetty: Howard Ford Beauregard III buys up almost every Christmas tree in the tri-state area so he can (allegedly) make a Holiday garden.

*** {{Theater/Hamilton Like You're Running Out Of Time}}

[[DeadpanSnarker And Ben and Sammy handle each one with]] [[WorldOfSnark heavy helpings of snark.]] Early episodes could be described as [[FollowTheLeader an attempt to emulate]] PodCast/WelcomeToNightVale, but [[GrowingTheBeard it grows the beard as the storyline goes on.]] (The first ''Night Vale'' novel deals with residents' attempts to visit a similar town called King City.)

* AbsurdPhobia: Ben has a fear of garbage bears, also known as raccoons

---> "[[spoiler: Emily]]: Hi, Greg."

---> "[[spoiler: Emily]]: Bye, Greg."

** CrowdSong: "This Holiday's 'bout to get lit", where Ben leads the town in a rap number when he's lighting up the Christmas tree.

* Gaslighting: [[spoiler: Greg Frickard has been deliberately lying to Emily about the events surrounding her rescue and causing her to doubt her own memories in order to date her and keep her away from Ben.]]

** Joining him is Sheriff Judd Gunderson, whose very presence intimidates Sammy and Ben to the point where they're powerless to do anything. [[spoiler: It is ''blatant'' that he had Troy Kreighauser-- ''his own deputy''-- run off the road just so he couldn't deliver decisive ballots for Mayor Grisham's election. And he has him run off at Torrence Gulch- AKA the place where he himself killed Ben's sugar glider Serendipity, just to rub salt in the wound.]]

* TheMafia: Ernie Salsedo, former owner of a muffler shop in town, implied to be the Don of a local Mafia, complete with a stereotypical accent and veiled threats made over the radio. He's implied to be behind the death of [[spoiler: Rich [=MacGuff=], whose body comes back as a zombie...]]

** One of the (non-existent) oddities listed in ''King of King Falls'' is the [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Smokey and the Banshee]], which is an apparition driving a trans-am. [[spoiler: This turns into a BrickJoke later on when the apparition of Rich MacGuff steals a trans-am and drives it into the muffler shop of a man who allegedly killed him.]]

** The [[spoiler: rainbow lights]] reappearing over King Falls cause a fair bit of concern, but what ''really'' tilts the heads of the town are the influx of ''[[Series/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Bronies]]'' coming to see them.

[[DeadpanSnarker And Ben and Sammy handle each one with]] [[WorldOfSnark heavy helpings of snark.]] Early episodes could be described as [[FollowTheLeader an attempt to emulate]] PodCast/WelcomeToNightVale, but [[GrowingTheBeard it grows the beard as the storyline goes on.]]

* KitschyLocalCommercial: Usually OnceAnEpisode, with businesses ranging from everything from Rose's Diner to the local cemetery King Falls Forever to Creepy Carl's Candy Van.

** Sammy operated out of an unnamed "big city" during his shock-jock years, but exactly which big city is never confirmed.

*** [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead Night of the Living Dread]]

** After Jesus Christ apparently has his second coming in a fast food restaurant, the term "Jack-In-The-Box Jesus" is thrown around in place of the usual epithet.

* TheConspiracy: in Episode 55, Emily suspects that there is a group of powerful male business owners and politicians that are pulling the strings around town.

* TheConpspiracy: in Episode 55, Emily suspects that there is a group of powerful male business owners and politicians that are pulling the strings around town.
** Episode 57 also confirms that there is something connecting The Science Institute with [[spoiler: the fake Tim and the UFO]]