The Man in the Tan Jacket

A stranger comes to town with a briefcase and an unmemorable face. Plus, controversy with the Daily Journal, another segment of Children's Fun Fact Science Corner, and new security footage from the bowling alley.

Plot Developments[]

The Man in the Tan Jacket: First appearance of the Man in the Tan Jacket.
The Underground City: Teddy Williams captures video footage of citizens from the underground city, and believes they are preparing a full-scale invasion of Night Vale.
Old Media Blues: The Night Vale Daily Journal announces a huge budget shortfall in no way related to editor Leann Hart's lavish birthday party.

Recurring Segments[]

A Word From Our Sponsors[]

And now for a word from our sponsors. Today’s program has been sponsored by the physical act of gulping. For thousands of years, gulping has been there for human beings when they needed an expressive gesture of the throat. Whether you want to indicate nervousness about an upcoming test or appointment, fear of the faceless old woman who lives secretly in your home, or just want to ingest milk faster than with regular swallowing, gulping is the way to go. Forget sweating. Never mind shivering. Sneezing? Ugh! When you think physical actions, think gulping. Gulp now and receive a complimentary prize package, which will be conveniently buried in an unmarked spot somewhere in the scrub lands. Find it, and it’s yours!

Children's Fun Fact Science Corner[]

Hey kids and parents! Time once again for our Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner. Today we are exploring common birds and their meanings.
An eagle indicates that an important phone call is impending.
A sparrow says that you should beware the sea, and sell any stocks invested in food based companies.
A pigeon means that your mother has died, or that all is well. It’s a bit uncertain.
A humming bird tells us that the physical constants of the universe are slowly degrading, and may someday shift, invalidating the laws of physics and instantly wiping out the universe as we know it while simultaneously creating an entirely new universe, in a single transcendent moment of genocide and genesis.
As for hawks, well: No one knows what hawks mean, or if they are real. Have you ever even seen a hawk? Of course not. No one has.
This has been our Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner.

Traffic[]

Let’s go now to traffic. There is a car. It’s not in Night Vale, or even in the desert that cradles our little town. It’s out somewhere beyond that. There are many cars there, but I’m speaking only about one. Blue, squarish, with tires and windows and an engine that works most of the time. A woman is driving it and she is also glancing whenever she can at the child in the passenger seat. He is a child but he is 15. You understand. She is glancing at him, but she is not saying anything, and he is not saying anything either. She wants to cry or she wants to push him out of the car or she wants to go back in time and insist on using a condom, only she would never do that, she wouldn’t change any of this really, not for all the money, piles of money, some of it defunct money from defunct and absent governments, she wouldn’t give any of this back. So she drives her car, blue, squarish, with tires and windows and an engine that works most of the time. And she glances at the 15 year old child, and neither of them speaks. This has been traffic.

Proverb

“	Biologically speaking, we are all people, made up of smaller people.	”
	— Proverb

Notes[]

A version of this episode was performed live on October 5th, 2013 at LA Podfest.

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home is first mentioned during this episode's ad segment, sponsored by the physical act of gulping.