Speaker 1: MHM. Bridgewater is a production of I Heart Radio three
Speaker 1: D audio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey for
Speaker 1: a full exposure listen with headphones. Listener discretion advised. Ah,
Speaker 1: and and are you are? And and where are you?
Speaker 1: And and and and yeah, and we're where are you?
Speaker 1: H ahead? No? No, no, no no no add and here, Jeremy,
Speaker 1: oh dare me over here? Man? Right here? Where where
Speaker 1: I'm stuck? Oh god, I didn't see it in the dark.
Speaker 1: Are you hurt? No? Just a little bruised. That's the nature.
Speaker 1: Come on, help me up. Okay, okay, fine, fine, it's
Speaker 1: just a little wet, stupid swamp. What the hell happened?
Speaker 1: I just I could and see in the dark, put
Speaker 1: my foot down in the wrong place and just went down.
Speaker 1: Where is this a sick hoole or an animals end
Speaker 1: of some good? Maybe my trap someone set for us?
Speaker 1: I don't know. Oh, come on, it wasn't a deer
Speaker 1: that slammed into us, Jeremy, there's somebody. What the I
Speaker 1: don't know? Come on, m oh my god, it's the gathering.
Speaker 1: So Olivia was right, Well, come on, let's go talk
Speaker 1: to them. Don't move their hands. M hmm, that so harmless.
Speaker 1: After all, where aren't they back yere? Wheren't they back yet?
Speaker 1: Are yet? Chill man? They'll be fine and is a badass.
Speaker 1: A couple of Manson family want to bees, are not
Speaker 1: going to scare her. Okay, last I checked, the Manson
Speaker 1: family murdered a bunch of people. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1: The gathering is a bunch of whack jobs. You have
Speaker 1: nothing better to do than spout nonsense and stand in
Speaker 1: circles singing Kumbaya because you're such an expert by now
Speaker 1: I am. I have spent the last hour and a
Speaker 1: half reading about them online. What how No, No, that's
Speaker 1: not possible. I searched every conceivable database trying to find
Speaker 1: reference to them and have come up with basically nothing.
Speaker 1: That's because you're looking at all that. Yeah, you know,
Speaker 1: legal places, something like that. Anyway, while you've been sitting
Speaker 1: there with your cute little papers, you think you think
Speaker 1: my papers are cute, I have been trawling every single
Speaker 1: board and form popular with cultists. Oh, I've been reading
Speaker 1: police files for your information. There's plenty of stuff in
Speaker 1: there that's useful. Oh yeah, like what like like like
Speaker 1: did you know that the gathering had an extremist offshoot
Speaker 1: in the seventies that believed in human sacrifice. They were
Speaker 1: called the Children of Tichiva. Yeah, yep, I found them too. Really,
Speaker 1: I've only been able to find one or two references
Speaker 1: in the period research I've done. After the mid eighties,
Speaker 1: there's no trace. But but you've found something in the
Speaker 1: past two hours. Are you kidding? A fringe black magic
Speaker 1: cult that believes in human sacrifice? That is internet catinet.
Speaker 1: What are they saying? It's Latin? I'm pretty sure. Do
Speaker 1: you speak Latin? No? One speaks Latin and no, so
Speaker 1: you don't know what they're saying. No, but neither do
Speaker 1: you da? What the hell? What are they trying to
Speaker 1: do it? Who cares? They have a six ft bonfire
Speaker 1: in the middle of protected wetlands. Jeremy, did you did
Speaker 1: you see that? Just see what in the fire? What
Speaker 1: are they doing? They're heating their blades, change and change,
Speaker 1: and they're coming toward us. Wait wait, wait, so are
Speaker 1: you saying that the Children of Titchuba still exist? No? Thankfully,
Speaker 1: it seems like the gathering excommunicated those members. For lack
Speaker 1: of a better word, I guess the main group wasn't
Speaker 1: so interested in human sacrifice and realized how racist and
Speaker 1: misguided the offshoot was because of the whole Salem witch
Speaker 1: trial thing. Yeah, Titchuba was the first one to be
Speaker 1: accused of witchcraft simply because she was a woman of
Speaker 1: color and easy to blame. She wasn't a witch. She
Speaker 1: was enslaved and abused and scapegoaded and jailed, and we
Speaker 1: don't even know how she died. And for a bunch
Speaker 1: of weirdos in the seventies to take her name and
Speaker 1: apply it to their creepy goth cult is racist and
Speaker 1: insulting and just playing wrong. Wow. That was Have you
Speaker 1: been sitting here keeping that in for the past hour?
Speaker 1: It drives me not it's probably a bunch of rich
Speaker 1: board kids. You don't know a single thing about the
Speaker 1: history of the place they live. Oh well, that's not fair,
Speaker 1: because I mean, they clearly knew a little bit of
Speaker 1: history if they decided to name their group after Chichiba.
Speaker 1: Why are you defending them? No, No, I'm not. I'm not.
Speaker 1: I get where you're coming from completely. My heritage has
Speaker 1: been co opted and twisted, to believe me, but that
Speaker 1: doesn't mean it's not interesting At least academically. Whoever the
Speaker 1: children of Chichiba were, they were clearly familiar with at
Speaker 1: least basic Salem history. And we're trying to accomplish something
Speaker 1: by invoking Tichiba's name. That's what I'm interested in. History
Speaker 1: is written by the victors, which is why the Salem
Speaker 1: Witches are still so maligned and misunderstood. Well, I'm so
Speaker 1: glad all that suffering can be your academic interest. It's
Speaker 1: important the way history is told. When there's something complicated
Speaker 1: and strange like the Salem witch trials, most people don't
Speaker 1: even attempt to understand the nuances of it. Instead, the
Speaker 1: myth survives. And that's what you study, the myth exactly.
Speaker 1: Why why not just study history then help people understand
Speaker 1: the complicated pieces because stories are the easiest way to
Speaker 1: do that. There's a reason the weird, incorrect legends survive.
Speaker 1: They're easier to digest, more interesting to engage in. Okay,
Speaker 1: but as far as I'm concerned, Oh thank god, Hey,
Speaker 1: where the hell have you guys been? And why are
Speaker 1: you covered in dirt? Um? We found the gathering? Yeah,
Speaker 1: and they've what challenged you to a mud wrestling contest?
Speaker 1: I don't think we would have one, considering they had
Speaker 1: very big, scalding hot knives on them. Knives. Yeah, are
Speaker 1: you guys okay? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Yeah, we're fine. We
Speaker 1: got out of there really quick. Why you didn't stay
Speaker 1: and talk to them, Well, we didn't think it was
Speaker 1: a good idea, with being armed in us having recently
Speaker 1: fallen down a lot, but we know that it is
Speaker 1: not our only chance. What do you mean the leader?
Speaker 1: I know her, Olivia. I'm gonna need you to find
Speaker 1: an address. Look, I'm just saying that if you spend
Speaker 1: all your time focusing on the legends, I think you're
Speaker 1: really missing the point of it all. Oh, there are
Speaker 1: a lot of people ratshaw. Yeah, I think we should
Speaker 1: talk about what we saw. Isn't that what we've been
Speaker 1: doing now? You know what I mean? Not the gathering,
Speaker 1: not the knives, the fire. What about the fire. I
Speaker 1: know you saw it too. I could see the look
Speaker 1: on your face. I was watching a cult have a
Speaker 1: secret ceremony. I can't even imagine what my face was doing. No, No,
Speaker 1: I saw you and you saw the symbols in the flames.
Speaker 1: They were the same ones that we saw on the rock.
Speaker 1: But that sounds like a trick of the light, and
Speaker 1: not to mention, we both bumped our heads. Yes, yeah,
Speaker 1: and what about that huh? Who was in the woods
Speaker 1: with us? All the gathering members? You know they were
Speaker 1: dressed in white, right, so if one of them had
Speaker 1: knocked us over, we would have seen it. It was
Speaker 1: like no, no more like the shadow was chasing us,
Speaker 1: I think, and it was an animal. Why did you
Speaker 1: call up for your dad? What I heard you? I
Speaker 1: heard you call out for him. Did you hear something?
Speaker 1: I don't know what you're talking about, Jeremy, you're ready
Speaker 1: to go? Yeah? One sec? Well, anyway, things, why you
Speaker 1: do debate? Sure thing, I'll see you around yeah, look,
Speaker 1: see him monday, Okay, you will? I mean yeah, I
Speaker 1: think we should go talk to Celeste together, right, Yes, yeah,
Speaker 1: I agree? Okay? Good? Hey and Anne, thank you for
Speaker 1: what you really kept your cool tonight. That's what I do.
Speaker 1: I'm not some shrinking violet Bradshaw. That's not what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: I know. Look, it's not what I do. I was terrified,
Speaker 1: and even with all the insanity and being chased through
Speaker 1: the woods and falling down into a sinkhole, you kept
Speaker 1: your head and you got us out of there, so
Speaker 1: just thank you. Well, you're welcome. So now can you
Speaker 1: agree that you need to listen to me about all
Speaker 1: of it? I think I think what we both need
Speaker 1: is a good night's sleep. Sleep isn't going to make
Speaker 1: this go away, Bradshaw, Well, it's worth a try. Have
Speaker 1: a good night, Annah? Yeah, yeah, why are yet? Yeah?
Speaker 1: It kind of looks like your place. What do you mean,
Speaker 1: secluded near the woods, a bit of a creepy hermit vibe.
Speaker 1: My house doesn't have a creepy hermit vibe. Well, you
Speaker 1: don't have any neighbors, Anne, and it's not like we
Speaker 1: live in the middle of nowhere. You really have to
Speaker 1: look to final places secluded his years. Oh well, at
Speaker 1: least I don't have wind chimes. I mean, how much
Speaker 1: more cliche can you get? She's definitely got a very
Speaker 1: neighborhood witch feeling going here. Yeah. Hey, don't you think
Speaker 1: we should bringing in the police on this because you
Speaker 1: think they would listen? I just think I don't know.
Speaker 1: We were almost attacked by burning knives last night and
Speaker 1: this woman was at the center of it. She's not dangerous.
Speaker 1: How do you know? I interviewed her and I'm pretty
Speaker 1: good at reading people from you know, my decades in
Speaker 1: the police force. But you interviewed her forty years ago.
Speaker 1: I think it's likely that things have changed since then. Yeah,
Speaker 1: people don't change. Do you think she's going to remember you?
Speaker 1: I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Yes,
Speaker 1: how may I help you? Sorry to bother you, ma'am.
Speaker 1: My name is Jeremy Bradshaw is an beer. Yes, I
Speaker 1: remember you, my How we've aged well? I don't know
Speaker 1: about you, but I'm feeling pretty spry, almost like I
Speaker 1: could run through a swamp in the middle of the night.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. Would you like to come in? Thank you
Speaker 1: for the tea. It's very that's unique my own blend.
Speaker 1: You don't want any, Miss Becker. I don't typically drink
Speaker 1: homemade bruise given to me by cultists. Yes, let's not
Speaker 1: skate around while you're here. You said you came across
Speaker 1: our little meeting last night. Yes, sorry to be so blunt.
Speaker 1: You weren't supposed to to see that. I don't know
Speaker 1: if it lived up to your expectations, Miss Becker. From
Speaker 1: what I told you about the gathering in the past,
Speaker 1: you barely told me anything about the gathering. You were
Speaker 1: a potential witness to a crime. Come now, you didn't
Speaker 1: actually believe that everyone else did, but you knew, you
Speaker 1: knew that the gathering had nothing to do with any
Speaker 1: of the dark happenings in Bridgewater at that time. You
Speaker 1: knew we weren't Satanists. We still aren't. That doesn't mean
Speaker 1: you're not messing with things that you shouldn't be. I mean,
Speaker 1: what exactly were you trying to invoke last night? We
Speaker 1: were trying to speak to the other side? What does
Speaker 1: that mean? Do you know what hawk a mock swamp means?
Speaker 1: And wappa knock the place where spirits d well. You see,
Speaker 1: I'm like you, I actually have family members who are
Speaker 1: wamping up. Don't presume to know my heritage, Miss Becker.
Speaker 1: Is that why you were there? Because you believe there
Speaker 1: are spirits? Hacka mock Swamp is just one of several
Speaker 1: places we meet. I can't divulge the other locations free
Speaker 1: times day for us, maybe Dighton Rock. I couldn't say
Speaker 1: this entire area is ripe for communication. The veil is
Speaker 1: thin here again? What does that mean? The Bridgewater Triangle,
Speaker 1: as I believe you call it, is a bright spot,
Speaker 1: a portal between worlds that attracts creatures of all sorts
Speaker 1: looking to get to the other side, the other side. Yes,
Speaker 1: what what is the other side? Well, it's the side
Speaker 1: that isn't this one, okay? Meaning meaning what exactly? The
Speaker 1: other side is many things, too many people. For some,
Speaker 1: it's a demon realm, a place of fire and malice
Speaker 1: and great and terrible power. Those are the groups that
Speaker 1: everyone has always been afraid of, Like the children of Tichuma. Yes,
Speaker 1: those awful people. I thought that they were part of
Speaker 1: the gathering. We shared some members for a time, but no,
Speaker 1: our philosophies were entirely different. The children of Titchuba, so
Speaker 1: heinously named for a woman whose personhood has been already
Speaker 1: dragged through the mud. Plenty believe that Bridgewater was a
Speaker 1: doorway to hell. They believed that they could call in
Speaker 1: the devil as the Salem, which is purportedly did and
Speaker 1: gained unthinkable power. But just as they misunderstood history, they
Speaker 1: misunderstood this area terribly. But you understand the area, yes,
Speaker 1: I do. Well. No, that's an awfully arrogant thing for
Speaker 1: me to say. I am but a mere mortal. I
Speaker 1: could never truly understand all the secrets and magics that
Speaker 1: this place holds. But I understand it better than most.
Speaker 1: I am attuned and I take it. You don't think
Speaker 1: this is a doorway to help, No, I do not,
Speaker 1: But it is a doorway for others. The other side
Speaker 1: is the Faye Realm, the place where magic is real
Speaker 1: and creatures of mischief rain. For some it's a wormhole,
Speaker 1: a place to transport you through time and space. But
Speaker 1: for the Gathering, it is none of those things, and
Speaker 1: all of those things. It is a doorway to everything else,
Speaker 1: everything except how We don't believe in hell, but you
Speaker 1: do believe in magic. We believe in energy, and we
Speaker 1: believe that there are many mysteries in this world that
Speaker 1: we simple humans will never be able to fully comprehend.
Speaker 1: So then, what were you doing last night? What were
Speaker 1: you channing? A parry? Ianuam venite ad open the door?
Speaker 1: Let us here speak? Now what does that mean? Well?
Speaker 1: I just told you what What do those words mean
Speaker 1: to you? The gathering is dedicated to communicating with the
Speaker 1: other side, to would end. I can't tell you that
Speaker 1: because it's a secret, or because you don't have any
Speaker 1: goal at all. Hm. You don't believe in anything, do you? Jeremy, No,
Speaker 1: I do. I believe in I believe in science, and
Speaker 1: I believe in what I can see with my own eyes.
Speaker 1: But you say you're a folklore professor, and yet it
Speaker 1: is clear to me that you don't have respect for
Speaker 1: the gathering and our beliefs. No, no, please, I'm look,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry if I offended you. I really don't honestly
Speaker 1: have any problem with anyone believing anything as long as
Speaker 1: they're not causing harm. We're not doing harm. The gathering
Speaker 1: is a peaceful, spiritual group. Then why were you while
Speaker 1: carrying burning hot knives last night? You were leaving your
Speaker 1: ceremony to go further and just want to do God
Speaker 1: knows what carvings, My dear, the knives were for carvings.
Speaker 1: We have to communicate somehow. You were all there, So
Speaker 1: who were you communicating with other members of similar groups
Speaker 1: who might happen upon our doorway? As our future selves
Speaker 1: are meeting. Places must constantly shift as the land shifts.
Speaker 1: It's the twenty first century. Why not use I don't know, phones,
Speaker 1: are signal or some other secure messaging. We know that
Speaker 1: some of your members are using anonymized emails to talk
Speaker 1: to each other online. So it's not like you can't
Speaker 1: use technology. Well, some of our newer members prefer that
Speaker 1: form of communication. Yes, but we are not only communicating
Speaker 1: with those in the here and now Jeremy, right, you
Speaker 1: mean you're also trying to talk to the other side
Speaker 1: with with the carvings. That is correct, the forest, the swamp,
Speaker 1: this entire region. It wants to speak to us, speak
Speaker 1: for us. So you vandalized protected lands. It is in
Speaker 1: vandals in its freedom of expression. Free speech doesn't cover
Speaker 1: the facing state parks. I think you know a little
Speaker 1: something about unconventional communication, miss Becker. What do you mean
Speaker 1: someone has been trying to communicate with you and with you, Jeremy,
Speaker 1: he's desperate to talk. Excuse me, forgive me. I'm speaking
Speaker 1: out of turn. I think it's best for you to
Speaker 1: to leave now. Oh we're not done talking. I'm afraid
Speaker 1: we are, Miss Becker. I'm sorry. It couldn't be of
Speaker 1: more help to you. You know, we could cause you
Speaker 1: quite a lot of trouble. I don't think you could.
Speaker 1: Last I checked, you were how do you put it?
Speaker 1: Persona on grata with the police. I'm not sure they
Speaker 1: listened to you. And even if they did, what exactly
Speaker 1: would you be saying? You may have trespassed on a
Speaker 1: very private meeting last night, but you didn't witness anything illegal.
Speaker 1: Correct your harming detective forests on swampland and the police
Speaker 1: are suddenly so concerned with nature. You need to face reality.
Speaker 1: You don't have any power here. I had absolutely no
Speaker 1: reason to talk to you, and yet I did. And
Speaker 1: I don't need to indulge this any longer, not from
Speaker 1: people who don't respect who I am or what I do.
Speaker 1: I think you should go fine. We were appreciating your
Speaker 1: time so list and I'm not trying to cause you
Speaker 1: any trouble, I promise, But would you be willing to
Speaker 1: talk to me more about the gathering? It would I
Speaker 1: think makes some really wonderful local coverage for my book.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. I'm not sure that's the wisest idea, Jeremy,
Speaker 1: neither of mine. Please just consider it. I will if
Speaker 1: you will consider opening your mind. There are a message
Speaker 1: just Jeremy, your father? Did you know him? I just
Speaker 1: the story. I just know the story. What do you mean? Really?
Speaker 1: You need to leave? I wish you all the best,
Speaker 1: keep an open mind. Wait, wait, the last well that
Speaker 1: was a crop a nonsense. Well if it's such a nonsense,
Speaker 1: then why did you ask if you could talk more?
Speaker 1: Are you kidding? You were right? She's a wonderful cliche.
Speaker 1: The windshimes were just the tip of the iceberg, So
Speaker 1: you don't believe a word of it. I definitely believe
Speaker 1: that she believes it. But that's why I want to
Speaker 1: talk to her more. The more research I do, the
Speaker 1: more Vippin was dead on. This personal angle is so important.
Speaker 1: I don't think my book is just about the legends
Speaker 1: of this place. It's it's about the people too, and
Speaker 1: what the legends mean to them. And Celeste, she's a
Speaker 1: great example of the ways that all these myths mixed
Speaker 1: in with the age of conspiracy, they've congealed into something
Speaker 1: brand new, new myths, new ways of interacting with them.
Speaker 1: What's so interesting? No offense, bread shob But I don't
Speaker 1: need the whole academic lecture here. I get that you're
Speaker 1: excited about your tenure and you're publishing your deal or whatever. Well,
Speaker 1: my publishing deal isn't totally finalized, and I think I'm
Speaker 1: looking at a slightly bigger picture here. She's hiding something.
Speaker 1: She's not hiding something I don't think that woman is
Speaker 1: capable of hiding anything. Now, whether she's been watching us
Speaker 1: or is genuinely in tune with something that we're not,
Speaker 1: I can be fairly certain it's not that she knows
Speaker 1: things that she shouldn't, And I'm going to find out
Speaker 1: how she knows, one way or another. Oh and what
Speaker 1: are you talking about? What does she know that the
Speaker 1: unconventional means of communication that she was talking about mentioning
Speaker 1: your father. Of course you mentioned my father. She's praying
Speaker 1: on my vulnerability. Yes, yes, but she she was right.
Speaker 1: I do know something about unconventional forms of communication. What
Speaker 1: are you talking about? I got a voicemail from your father? Okay,
Speaker 1: I'm sure you've got a lot of voicemails from my
Speaker 1: father when you were working together. No, Jeremy, not when
Speaker 1: he was alive. I got a message from him two
Speaker 1: days ago. Bridgewater was created by Aaron Mankey and written
Speaker 1: and directed by Lauren Shippen, with executive producers Aaron Manky,
Speaker 1: Misha Collins, Matt Frederick and Alex Williams, supervising producer Trevor Young,
Speaker 1: editing and sound designed by Trevor Young and Matt Stillo,
Speaker 1: and music by Chad Lawson, starring Misha Collins as Jeremy Bradshaw,
Speaker 1: Melissa Ponzio as An Becker, Karen Sony as Vipen Corona,
Speaker 1: Lori Allen as Nancy Collins, Cheryl Umania as Officer Bautista,
Speaker 1: Victoria Grace as Katie Frank's Will Wheaton as Captain Haddock,
Speaker 1: Hillary Burton Morgan as Shelley Hoskins, Jonathan Joss as Joseph Hoskins,
Speaker 1: Sabra May as Olivia Hoskins, Samuel Marty as Ethan Hoskins,
Speaker 1: Kristin Bauer as Celeste, and Nathan Fillion as Thomas Bradshaw,
Speaker 1: with additional voice acting by Brigand Snow, Andrew Nowak, Julia Maurizawa,
Speaker 1: Jarvis Johnson and Brielle Bresnan, Kristen dim Curio, James Oliva,
Speaker 1: and Leron Amil. Learn more about the show over at
Speaker 1: Grimm and Mild dot com slash Bridgewater and find more
Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio on the I Heart Radio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
Speaker 1: and as always, thanks for listening