So after some years of hearing a bunch of my friends make a bunch of confusing references, I decided to actually listen to Wolf 359. As of earlier today, I have finished the first season, which consists of thirteen episodes. I have a few scattered thoughts, which I will relay below (under a cut, as this got pretty long). This is not a spoiler-free review, so - caveat lector!

Overall, I thought it was pretty good, though by no means a masterpiece. The TVTropes page describes the earlier episodes as "Night Vale in space," and that's an assessment I quite agree with. This is not always to the show's detriment (Night Vale is quite good!), but it contributes to some parts of the show I'm less keen on. From what I have heard, though, these issues become less pronounced with time, and were already more minor by the end of the season.

Doug Eiffel, the main character of the show, is unfortunately my least favorite of the group. He's not one I have any active dislike for by any means, but (at least so far) he's very thinly sketched, a specific type of stock character that is a big part of the show's all-pervading mid-2010's vibe, and I do not mean that as a compliment. He's a kind of relic of the apex of geek culture, a specimen from a bygone age. From what I have heard, he ends up becoming the show's Miles O'Brien, in the sense that It Is The Law Of The Land That Eiffel Must Suffer.

My favorite episode, by leaps and bounds, was Episode 11 ("Am I Alone Now?"). It significantly raised my impression of the show, and Hera's monologue single-handedly made her my favorite character. Hilbert also had quite a good monologue, but Hera's was the only part of the show that I found genuinely emotionally resonant (again, so far). Runner-up favorite is Episode 6, "Super Energy Saver Mode," which was a fun little spooky thing.

I am less certain of my least favorite episode (none were truly bad), but I think I am going to give the "honor" to Episode 10, "Extreme Danger Bug," primarily for missed potential. It has a fascinating hook, and is set to be a good horror episode, but unfortunately Eiffel as a character fits quite poorly with the genre, and the episode suffers as a result. A runner-up for least favorite is Episode 8, "Box 953," which is just an episode of Night Vale (specifically, Episode 37, "The Auction").

The two-part finale was quite entertaining, even if the twist that Hilbert was Evil All Along could be seen coming a mile off. Eiffel's use of the oxygen mask was well set up, and Hilbert taking Hera's personality offline genuinely surprised me. I really hope she's back in Season 2, but we shall see.

I liked that Hilbert and Minkowski are named after famous mathematicians. I didn't like how Hera's name kept being pronounced /hɪərə/. Also, missed opportunity to name a character after Emmy Noether.

Looking forward to Season 2!