The Passage

iHeart Podcasts

THE PASSAGE takes you on a ride into the land of the dead, traveling with the Ferryman as he collects America’s most illustrious spirits and delivers them to the hereafter. The price of their passage? Their story.

Built on a foundation of historical relevance and structured by a kind of dream logic, THE PASSAGE is an immersive audio experience that invites listeners to explore the collective American psyche from the perspective of its most legendary figures. Here we are guided by the Ferryman of souls– with a voice that sounds like it’s been siphoned from a lake of bourbon and fire, and resonating with the depth and gravitas of Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, The Walking Dead). The Passage is penned by a brilliant and diverse pool of writers and performed by an unforgettable cast, each episode of this anthology promises a new tale of American odyssey, from madness and monsters to conviction and courage. Each passenger tells their own extraordinary and often terrifying tale to influence the Ferryman’s final destination— be it a comfortable place of eternal light, a haunted purgatory of regret, or one of the nine rings of hell.

These are the tales that shaped the soul of the nation.

Created by filmmaker Dan Bush (Tomorrow’s Monsters, The Mantawauk Caves) and writer, Nicholas Tecosky, and a co-production of iHeartPodcasts, and Psychopia Pictures, The Passage is a riveting, immersive anthology featuring performances by Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans / Geronimo: An American Legend), Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks / Silicon Valey), Tristan Mack Wilds (The Wire / Red Tails), and Scott Haze (Child of God, Jurassic World Dominion).

Headphones are recommended.

Categories: Society & Culture

Listen to the last episode:

In this hauntingly evocative episode, the ferryman, brought to life with the profound resonance of Dan Fogler's voice, guides a soul whose legacy is as complex as it is misunderstood. Mary Mallon, known to history as Typhoid Mary, voiced by Therese McLaughlin, steps aboard, her story a chilling reminder of the fine line between victim and villain, between innocence and culpability.

As the vessel navigates the murky waters of moral ambiguity, Mary recounts her life, marked by an invisible specter that cast a long shadow over her existence. This "shadow man," a personification of death and disease, becomes a constant companion, a dark figure lurking in the peripheries of her vision, a harbinger of the outbreaks that follow in her wake.

In this episode, we delve into the depths of Mary's psyche, exploring the experience of being branded a pariah, the first known asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. Quarantined for nearly three decades, Mary's existence became a living testament to the fear and misunderstanding surrounding infectious diseases– a dread that is alive and well today.

But beneath the surface of this tragic tale lies a deeper question: Was her "shadow man" merely a monster, the embodiment of the death she unwittingly spread, or was he her ally, a warning of the unseen dangers she posed? As Mary reflects on her life, she reveals the anguish and defiance of a woman caught in the gears of the Industrial Revolution, witnessing first-hand the suffering of workers and the impoverished. Did she weaponize herself against the wealthy families she served, turning her condition into an instrument of vengeance or retribution for the injustices she observed?

Written by Nicholas Tecosky

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