Cupid's Arrow
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http://www.cupidsarrowpodcast.com
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http://www.buzzsprout.com/1414297
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Creator: Eddy Gaspard
Slice of life Audio Drama
Synopsis:
Loosely based on the personal experiences of creator, Eddy Gaspard, Cupid's Arrow chronicles his experiences as a closeted teen in the early 2000's.
In Seasons 1 and 2, follow Bruce O'Dea, a sixteen-year-old, gay Junior who is still in the closet. Taking place in the early 2000's, Bruce struggles to accept his identity as his religious-leaning parents push to enroll him, without warning, in an out-of-state Christian Science boarding school.
In Season 3, follow Tommy Guiterrez, a D1 college tennis player, who moves back home to Texas after facing some tragic events at the end of his Freshman year. While there, he begins coaching teens in order to get back up on his feet.
Format: Audio Drama
Genres: Slice of life
Completion status: Partial
Not tagged: [Framing device] [Continuity] [Voices] [Maturity] [Creator demographics] [Character demographics] [Country of origin] [Transcript] [Content warnings]
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Episodes:
Season 3 Episode 8: One Last Dip
Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:00:00 -0700
At dinner, Seth’s dad mentions that he might be able to help Tommy secure a job as an assistant coach at UC Berkeley. Darren, having overheard, pushes Tommy to accept this offer, which leads to past tensions.
Carl leaves camp as a result of Darren’s harassment towards him. Tommy confronts Darren, in which Darren confesses to having blackmailed Renato.
Tommy punches Darren. Bob witnesses and immediately fires Tommy.
Completely absorbed with the court summoning, Tommy comes clean to his mom about being framed for a crime against Renato that he did not commit. Marci stands by her son’s side after he also tells her about being fired from Strong’s and coming out to her.
Tommy says goodbye to Magda and Seth. As he’s saying bye to Heather at her room, he notices Darren inside, shirtless and lying on her bed.
Darren confesses to having stalked Tommy as a result of being in love with him. Darren also opens up about experiencing past sexual abuse and how it negatively affects his relationships with other gay men.
Tommy forgets to record his conversation with Darren. As he is leaving for California, Anthony calls and tells him that Darren confessed to everything.
No longer weighed down by the court summoning, Tommy competes at the Kenosha Open Tournament and advances before losing in the quarter finals.
The UC Berkeley coach asks if Tommy would be interested in attending a pre-season workout with the team, which he agrees to. Shortly after, Tommy attends Heather’s birthday party where Bob calls and apologizes to Tommy before offering him his coaching job back.
Tommy and Seth discuss the future as they have one last pool dip together.
Tue, 24 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700
The Palo Alto police detectives call Tommy and let him know they received an anonymous tip of him being responsible for filming Renato having sex without his consent and blackmailing him. As a result, Tommy is being summoned to court in California.
It’s the first day of the Tex Mex tournament. Heather isn’t playing her best as she is dealing with relationship issues. Magda's game is also off. As Tommy does his best to coach his players, the detectives arrive at the Ranch.
Tommy tells the detectives he suspects Darren is the one responsible for filming Renato having sex and blackmailing him. With little hard evidence to stand by, Tommy pleads for himself to talk with Darren, which the detectives agree to.
Drama ensues between Tommy’s players after Magda and Carl lose their doubles match.
After some intense singles matches, Tommy’s players win the Tex Mex tourney; they will be heading to New York to play in the Liberty Cup.
Feeling down about being summoned to court, Tommy retreats to his bedroom, alone. Seth arrives and tells him about a potential job opportunity his dad may have for the young coach.
Tue, 17 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0700
Zoe calls Tommy and tells him that Darren and Renato knew each other before the latter’s death.
Tommy and his mom go out for dinner where she makes some ignorant comments, specifically targeting gay people, which infuriates Tommy.
There’s a dance at the Ranch that Thursday night, Tommy gets to know Magda better, and Darren later harrasses Carl on the dancefloor. The latter event leads to an intense exchange between Tommy and Bob.
Seth comforts an emotionally defeated Tommy.
Mon, 09 Oct 2023 23:00:00 -0700
During his first private lesson with Heather, Tommy finds out she and Darren are hooking up. His next lesson in, Tommy learns that Magda’s mom is promiscuous. The last private lesson of the day involves Tommy meeting Seth’s dad, Ray Owens, who is in town for a short time.
Tommy advises Darren to not date Heather as players and coaches are not allowed to date.
A rainy day at Strong’s means soccer practice for the players. There’s an altercation between Tommy and Seth after it seems the latter tripped the other during scrimmage. Seth storms off.
After soccer practice, Tommy, Magda, Heather, and Carl jump into the pool with all their clothes on. Seth joins them. Tommy discloses to his players how his father passed away. Ray arrives, picks up Seth to join him for the weekend.
Season 3 Episode 4: Coach Grind
Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:00:00 -0700
At a tournament in Austin, Tommy coaches two of his players: Carl Hershey, German boy, and Heather. Carl is grieving the death of a loved one while Heather struggles with boyfriend issues.
Coach Bob suspects Tommy is training for an Open-level tournament, which the latter denies as his upcoming ATP tournament date is the same weekend as Liberty Cup.
Darren attempts to reconcile his friendship with Tommy, with the latter continuing to distance himself as a result of their past falling out.
Tommy and his mother further discuss his plans for the upcoming Fall Semester, still unable to reach any final decisions together.
As Tommy needs money to fund lodging and travel fees for his upcoming ATP tournament, he proposes private coaching lessons to his players. Reluctant at first, they agree to book at least one lesson with him.
Season 3 Episode 3: Ice Breakers
Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0700
Coach Bob would like Tommy to attend Liberty Cup, a prestigious USTA tournament in New York, come August. Tommy says he will attend even though he is determined to play an Open, ATP-level tournament that same weekend.
Anthony questions Tommy regarding Renato’s death.
Zoe, in possession of Renato’s phone, calls Darren in order to question him about his relationship with Renato.
Tommy attempts to connect more with one of his players, Magda Fleming, before catching her and Heather Kelley smoking.
As Tommy’s players don’t know each other as well as they should, Tommy plays an ice breaker game with them. At dinner that night, Tommy leaves, defeated, after overhearing his players discussing whether or not he is a legitimate coach.
Season 3 Episode 2: Wild Cards
Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0700
Two detectives, Anthony Jenkins and Poi Jacks, investigate and determine Renato’s cause of death, a cocaine overdose.
Tommy and his Mom drive from California back to the tennis camp he grew up at, Strong's Tennis Ranch, in Granbury, Texas.
After Tommy learns of Stanford revoking his tennis scholarship as a result of the DUI, he bumps into an old friend, Darren Grider, at the Strong’s cafeteria. Their friendship is complicated as they had a falling out that lasted 2 years. Determined not to give up on his dream of going pro, Tommy begins applying for wild card positions at upcoming ATP-level tournaments.
Tommy discusses with his mom whether to return to Stanford or not for the upcoming Fall Semester. As he is to fund costs if playing in an ATP tournament, he asks Coach Bob for a job as a coach, but is denied as a result of the DUI.
In desperate need of cash, Tommy secures a job as a dishwasher at the camp's cafeteria.
Darren convinces Tommy to follow up with Bob about securing a coaching job, which Coach Bob eventually grants.
Tommy is accepted into an ATP tournament.
Season 3 Episode 1: Return to Hell Semester
Mon, 11 Sep 2023 07:00:00 -0700
It’s June, 2003 and Tommy Guiterrez. 19, meets the tennis players he will be coaching at Strong’s Tennis Ranch in Granbury, Texas. One player, Seth Owens, seemingly reluctant to Tommy’s coaching abilities, proves that coaching teens might be more challenging than expected.
Tommy reflects on the beginning of his world collapsing.
Before playing in the NCAA Division 1 annual, end-of-year tournament, Tommy discovers his boyfriend, Renato Denoli, is ghosting him. During a night of pregaming with his friend, Zoe Yip, at Stanford, Tommy opens his social media to find a video, sent to him, of Renato and a stranger having sex. Later that night, Tommy bumps into Renato at a frat party. Not only is Renato reluctant to talk about the video in his bedroom at the frat house, but Renato’s drug habit is revealed.
Completely wasted, Tommy storms out. Shortly after driving away from the frat house, he is pulled over and is charged with a DUI. Tommy’s mother, Marci Guiterrez, flies in from Texas to pick him up.
Season 1 Episode 1: O'Deameter
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 05:00:00 -0700
Bruce O'Dea, a closeted, gay, sixteen-year-old Junior, takes his first steps with coming to terms with his sexuality by visiting, and eventually entering, his local LGBT center.
Season 1 Episode 2: Water Skis
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 04:00:00 -0700
Bruce's religious background is discussed amongst peers and his inexperience dealing with two worlds colliding is brought to the surface when his bestie, Kirsten, reaches out to him. Meanwhile, his parents have plans that will forever change his life. The friendship between Bruce and his crush, Nick, grows stronger.
Season 1 Episode 3: Runaway Boy
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0700
After receiving word, from his parents, that he is to leave immediately for Christian Science boarding school in order to make progress in several areas of his life, Bruce attends his last day at public high school, wavering between thwarting or giving into their decision.
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700
After an awkward lunch with Rodger and Nick, Bruce attends his last few classes at school mending his relationship with Kirsten, standing up to a math witch, and learning about himself through a supportive teacher. The first pit stops after school include his house and a new world he is only just beginning to discover.
Season 2 Episode 1: Leaving Cali
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 01:00:00 -0700
As he is set to stay in San Mateo against his parents’ wishes, Bruce crashes a youth group meeting at Cupid’s Arrow then attends a testimonial-church meeting with his peers. He also learns that his relationship with Nick is far from perfect and even their friendship seems to be at stake when Nick takes interest with someone else.
Season 2 Episode 2: Boarding School Part 1
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700
Bruce enrolls at Christian Science boarding school, Robur, where he meets a new boy, Santi, falls back to his roots with tennis, and experiences his first gay club outing in Boys Town.
Season 2 Episode 3: Boarding School Part 2
Tue, 07 Sep 2021 23:00:00 -0700
As his excessive partying takes center stage, Bruce also begins dating Kaiko, an acquaintance he meets at the Cradle. A promising fall semester in Chicago quickly derails as Bruce's reckless behavior leads to unfortunate consequences.
Season 2 Episode 4: Senior Year 2.0
Tue, 07 Sep 2021 22:00:00 -0700
With Bruce now back in San Mateo, he works to mend a strained relationship with bestie, Kirsten, makes a courageous choice surrounding his Senior Project presentation, and discovers a newfound affection for an old friend.