1 00:00:15,356 --> 00:00:28,516 Speaker 1: Pushkin exterior ocean the ship Magic Hour, Ariel grabs onto 2 00:00:28,556 --> 00:00:31,956 Speaker 1: a portal window. She hoists herself out of the seas 3 00:00:32,196 --> 00:00:34,876 Speaker 1: scales the side of the ship toward the deck. The 4 00:00:34,956 --> 00:00:38,316 Speaker 1: final bars of cannon ind float down from above as 5 00:00:38,356 --> 00:00:39,236 Speaker 1: Ariel ascends. 6 00:00:41,236 --> 00:00:46,596 Speaker 2: Do you, Prince Eric, take Ursula to have and to 7 00:00:46,756 --> 00:00:50,556 Speaker 2: hold in sickness and in health for as long as 8 00:00:50,596 --> 00:00:51,716 Speaker 2: you both shall live. 9 00:00:53,156 --> 00:00:56,476 Speaker 1: Ariel throws one leg over the starboard railing. The guests, 10 00:00:56,596 --> 00:00:59,796 Speaker 1: enraptured by the perfection of the bride and groom, don't even. 11 00:00:59,556 --> 00:01:00,476 Speaker 3: Notice her arrival. 12 00:01:01,396 --> 00:01:05,076 Speaker 1: Eric looks deep into Ursula's eyes, hypnotized. 13 00:01:05,076 --> 00:01:05,316 Speaker 4: I do. 14 00:01:08,916 --> 00:01:12,236 Speaker 5: My name is Malcolm Gladwell. You're listening to Revisionist History, 15 00:01:12,476 --> 00:01:17,636 Speaker 5: my podcast about things overlooked and misunderstood. This episode is 16 00:01:17,676 --> 00:01:21,636 Speaker 5: the third and final part of our investigation into the 17 00:01:21,636 --> 00:01:27,516 Speaker 5: Walt Disney Companies nineteen eighty nine princess blockbuster The Little Mermaid. 18 00:01:30,796 --> 00:01:33,636 Speaker 5: In parts one and two, we told you what was wrong. 19 00:01:33,396 --> 00:01:34,916 Speaker 6: With the movie. 20 00:01:35,196 --> 00:01:39,276 Speaker 5: In this part three, Revisionist History brings you our production 21 00:01:39,516 --> 00:01:44,916 Speaker 5: of The Little Mermaid, a version finally fit for your children. 22 00:01:52,116 --> 00:01:56,076 Speaker 5: Allow me to reintroduce you to the creative force behind 23 00:01:56,516 --> 00:02:00,396 Speaker 5: our version of the Little Mermaid the actor and screenwriter 24 00:02:00,996 --> 00:02:04,836 Speaker 5: britt Marling. We met her in the previous episode where 25 00:02:04,876 --> 00:02:08,196 Speaker 5: I asked her to reimagine a better ending for The 26 00:02:08,236 --> 00:02:13,316 Speaker 5: Little Mermaid, to identify precisely where Disney went wrong and 27 00:02:13,436 --> 00:02:13,876 Speaker 5: fix it. 28 00:02:14,636 --> 00:02:16,876 Speaker 7: Look, there's something very true at the center of The 29 00:02:16,876 --> 00:02:20,556 Speaker 7: Little Mermaid, and that's what makes it sticky, both the Hans' 30 00:02:20,636 --> 00:02:24,596 Speaker 7: version and the animated version that came from Disney. And 31 00:02:24,636 --> 00:02:29,116 Speaker 7: the sticky thing at the center is that women do 32 00:02:29,356 --> 00:02:33,516 Speaker 7: often lose their voices at around that age, and so 33 00:02:34,036 --> 00:02:36,436 Speaker 7: any myth that doesn't have something true at the center, 34 00:02:36,876 --> 00:02:39,276 Speaker 7: you just fades away. It doesn't really last the test 35 00:02:39,316 --> 00:02:41,396 Speaker 7: of time. But a myth that gets something right will 36 00:02:41,396 --> 00:02:42,076 Speaker 7: stick around. 37 00:02:43,156 --> 00:02:46,396 Speaker 5: In both the original Hans Christian Anderson version of The 38 00:02:46,396 --> 00:02:50,116 Speaker 5: Little Mermaid and in the Disney version, the Little Mermaid 39 00:02:50,196 --> 00:02:52,916 Speaker 5: must surrender her voice to the Sea Witch in order 40 00:02:52,956 --> 00:02:54,716 Speaker 5: to participate in the real world. 41 00:02:55,556 --> 00:02:58,556 Speaker 7: To get to a true, happy ending, you have to 42 00:02:58,596 --> 00:03:02,156 Speaker 7: acknowledge that the tear in the story is maybe correct right, 43 00:03:02,236 --> 00:03:05,956 Speaker 7: that it functions as a cautionary tale. Young women sometimes 44 00:03:06,036 --> 00:03:10,116 Speaker 7: do lose their voices, and that or that point of 45 00:03:10,116 --> 00:03:14,556 Speaker 7: no return promises an obligatory scene and the obligatory scene is, well, 46 00:03:15,076 --> 00:03:17,076 Speaker 7: how does she get her voice back? Does she get 47 00:03:17,076 --> 00:03:19,556 Speaker 7: her voice back? What does she say when she has 48 00:03:19,596 --> 00:03:24,716 Speaker 7: her voice back? And on those counts, the Disney version 49 00:03:24,876 --> 00:03:29,836 Speaker 7: really fails to inspire a genuine happy ending about how 50 00:03:29,876 --> 00:03:31,836 Speaker 7: a young woman might get her voice back and then 51 00:03:31,836 --> 00:03:32,236 Speaker 7: what she. 52 00:03:32,276 --> 00:03:33,036 Speaker 8: Might do with it. 53 00:03:34,156 --> 00:03:37,236 Speaker 5: Someone just randomly gives her voice back, Like did she 54 00:03:37,316 --> 00:03:38,956 Speaker 5: go to the loss and found that it happened to 55 00:03:38,956 --> 00:03:41,676 Speaker 5: be there? I mean, it's it's about as unsatisfying as that. 56 00:03:42,276 --> 00:03:44,756 Speaker 8: I mean I went back and rewatched it, Malcolm because 57 00:03:44,796 --> 00:03:46,436 Speaker 8: I was like, I can't be as bad as I 58 00:03:46,516 --> 00:03:51,156 Speaker 8: think it is, but it's worse. She's standing on the 59 00:03:51,236 --> 00:03:55,116 Speaker 8: dock watching the wedding ship go out into the sunset, 60 00:03:55,556 --> 00:03:57,916 Speaker 8: knowing that Eric is about to marry this princess and 61 00:03:58,396 --> 00:04:01,636 Speaker 8: when the sunsets, she'll be turned into this algae creature 62 00:04:01,716 --> 00:04:04,356 Speaker 8: that's a lost soul in like Ursula's Garden of lost 63 00:04:04,356 --> 00:04:07,276 Speaker 8: Souls under the sea. So she's crestfallen and she's standing 64 00:04:07,276 --> 00:04:12,636 Speaker 8: there and then skull the seagull comes flapping and he's like, 65 00:04:12,676 --> 00:04:15,156 Speaker 8: oh my gosh, I look through the portal window. 66 00:04:14,876 --> 00:04:18,956 Speaker 7: And it's Ursula who's marrying Prince Eric and Jeriel flings 67 00:04:18,956 --> 00:04:21,996 Speaker 7: herself off the dock, lands in the water and she 68 00:04:22,036 --> 00:04:23,036 Speaker 7: can't swim. 69 00:04:23,316 --> 00:04:24,636 Speaker 6: So then like, not. 70 00:04:24,516 --> 00:04:26,756 Speaker 7: Only does Flounder have to drag her to the boat 71 00:04:26,796 --> 00:04:28,716 Speaker 7: on the back of a barrel, but then when she 72 00:04:28,716 --> 00:04:32,156 Speaker 7: gets up onto the deck, she's standing there and it's Scuttle, 73 00:04:32,716 --> 00:04:34,276 Speaker 7: the seagull that goes. 74 00:04:34,076 --> 00:04:36,836 Speaker 6: And gets the shell off Ursula's neck, throws it on 75 00:04:36,876 --> 00:04:39,996 Speaker 6: the floor and it just happens to land where she's standing, 76 00:04:40,196 --> 00:04:43,956 Speaker 6: and she just happens to reabsorb her her voice through 77 00:04:44,196 --> 00:04:46,156 Speaker 6: literally no agency of her own. 78 00:04:52,196 --> 00:04:55,396 Speaker 5: Brit believed that the Little Mermaid could only be saved 79 00:04:55,476 --> 00:04:58,876 Speaker 5: with a completely new kind of aerial But who could 80 00:04:58,876 --> 00:05:02,396 Speaker 5: play her? I called up Avy Kaufman, one of the 81 00:05:02,476 --> 00:05:06,316 Speaker 5: top casting directors in Hollywood. I sent her Brit script 82 00:05:06,556 --> 00:05:09,396 Speaker 5: and I asked her to find as someone to body 83 00:05:09,476 --> 00:05:13,276 Speaker 5: the spirit of a teenager, a mermaid teenager, but one 84 00:05:13,396 --> 00:05:16,036 Speaker 5: with a certain amount of moxie edge. 85 00:05:16,596 --> 00:05:22,476 Speaker 4: So, you know, in thinking about child actors and Jody 86 00:05:22,596 --> 00:05:28,396 Speaker 4: and people we love, I think Jody could have done that. 87 00:05:28,996 --> 00:05:33,716 Speaker 5: Jody being Jody Foster. Jody Foster, who famously played an 88 00:05:33,796 --> 00:05:37,996 Speaker 5: FBI agent in Silence of the Lambs, and long before that, 89 00:05:38,356 --> 00:05:43,636 Speaker 5: a child prostitute in Martin Scossese's taxi driver. Why do 90 00:05:43,676 --> 00:05:45,116 Speaker 5: you want me to go back to my parents? 91 00:05:46,556 --> 00:05:47,316 Speaker 4: I mean they hate me. 92 00:05:48,116 --> 00:05:49,756 Speaker 9: Why do you think I split in the first place? 93 00:05:50,516 --> 00:05:51,436 Speaker 5: There ain't nothing there. 94 00:05:51,716 --> 00:05:53,036 Speaker 2: Yeah, but you can't live like this. 95 00:05:53,516 --> 00:05:55,636 Speaker 1: It's a hell the girls. 96 00:05:55,716 --> 00:05:56,396 Speaker 2: You'll live at home. 97 00:05:58,156 --> 00:05:59,596 Speaker 6: Did you ever hear of Women's Live? 98 00:06:00,956 --> 00:06:01,196 Speaker 1: Yes? 99 00:06:01,916 --> 00:06:05,236 Speaker 5: That Jody Foster. That's where we're going with this. We're 100 00:06:05,276 --> 00:06:09,516 Speaker 5: thinking that the young Jody Foster ought to play a 101 00:06:09,596 --> 00:06:10,956 Speaker 5: Disney princess. 102 00:06:11,196 --> 00:06:15,876 Speaker 4: Yeah, Jody could have done that believably, believably, and Jody's 103 00:06:15,996 --> 00:06:21,876 Speaker 4: kind of like that. She's got that toughness inside that's 104 00:06:21,916 --> 00:06:23,956 Speaker 4: surrounded by the big heart. 105 00:06:24,796 --> 00:06:28,436 Speaker 5: And the intelligence you're talking about. We would believe that 106 00:06:28,556 --> 00:06:30,396 Speaker 5: she could make that leap. 107 00:06:30,516 --> 00:06:31,276 Speaker 4: Jody could do it. 108 00:06:31,316 --> 00:06:31,756 Speaker 8: There you go. 109 00:06:32,116 --> 00:06:34,556 Speaker 5: The young Jody Foster could not have been well Disney's aerial, 110 00:06:34,876 --> 00:06:38,156 Speaker 5: not in a million years. No, back her eyelashes and 111 00:06:38,276 --> 00:06:40,036 Speaker 5: let someone else save her. Are you kidding me? 112 00:06:40,156 --> 00:06:43,396 Speaker 4: Like, she wouldn't have taken the role because she wouldn't 113 00:06:43,396 --> 00:06:44,836 Speaker 4: have had a clue what to do with that. 114 00:06:46,676 --> 00:06:48,836 Speaker 5: She would have said, are you sure you're not looking 115 00:06:48,876 --> 00:06:50,036 Speaker 5: for another Jay Foster? 116 00:06:51,116 --> 00:06:51,156 Speaker 1: No? 117 00:06:51,676 --> 00:06:53,356 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 118 00:06:53,596 --> 00:06:56,516 Speaker 5: Did we ask Jody Foster to play our aerial to 119 00:06:56,676 --> 00:07:00,716 Speaker 5: join the Pushkin players? Did she say yes? Let me 120 00:07:00,756 --> 00:07:05,116 Speaker 5: answer that with another question, have we hit Revision's history ever? 121 00:07:05,396 --> 00:07:10,836 Speaker 5: Let you down? While in England, I grew up hearing 122 00:07:10,836 --> 00:07:15,956 Speaker 5: the BBC program Listen with Mother, every episode of which opened. 123 00:07:15,596 --> 00:07:17,516 Speaker 2: With are you sitting comfortably? 124 00:07:19,676 --> 00:07:20,316 Speaker 7: Then I'll begin. 125 00:07:22,716 --> 00:07:25,236 Speaker 5: You've all been patient, all of you. You have listened 126 00:07:25,396 --> 00:07:28,116 Speaker 5: as we have taken swing after swing at the bloated 127 00:07:28,196 --> 00:07:32,116 Speaker 5: pinata that is the original Little Mermaid. It's time to 128 00:07:32,236 --> 00:07:36,796 Speaker 5: raise the curtain. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin. 129 00:07:38,076 --> 00:07:41,236 Speaker 5: We're in the story's final act. Ariel had hoped to 130 00:07:41,276 --> 00:07:44,356 Speaker 5: win the heart of the handsome Prince Eric. Marrying him 131 00:07:44,436 --> 00:07:46,596 Speaker 5: was the only way she could stay a human. But 132 00:07:46,636 --> 00:07:49,436 Speaker 5: the prince is chosen to marry another woman who is 133 00:07:49,476 --> 00:07:53,636 Speaker 5: actually the sea witch Ursula in disguise. The soon to 134 00:07:53,636 --> 00:07:57,236 Speaker 5: be newlyweds are on a boat. There are guests, music, 135 00:07:57,356 --> 00:08:01,276 Speaker 5: dancing all manner of merriment, and into this spectacle comes 136 00:08:01,436 --> 00:08:06,756 Speaker 5: our badass, Ariel. So with that, may I present The 137 00:08:06,836 --> 00:08:12,316 Speaker 5: Little Mermaid two point zero, Written and narrated by Britt Marling. 138 00:08:17,516 --> 00:08:19,596 Speaker 3: Ariel grabs onto a portal window. 139 00:08:20,436 --> 00:08:23,716 Speaker 1: She hoists herself out of the sea, scales the side 140 00:08:23,716 --> 00:08:26,276 Speaker 1: of the ship toward the deck. The final bars of 141 00:08:26,356 --> 00:08:30,676 Speaker 1: cannon ind float down from above as Ariel ascends. 142 00:08:31,596 --> 00:08:36,996 Speaker 2: Do you, Prince Eric, take ursela to have and to 143 00:08:37,156 --> 00:08:40,956 Speaker 2: hold in sickness and in health for as long as 144 00:08:40,996 --> 00:08:42,116 Speaker 2: you both shall live. 145 00:08:43,716 --> 00:08:47,276 Speaker 1: Ariel throws one leg over the starboard, railing The guests, 146 00:08:47,436 --> 00:08:50,156 Speaker 1: enraptured by the perfection of the bride and groom, don't 147 00:08:50,156 --> 00:08:55,676 Speaker 1: even notice her arrival. Eric looks deep into Ursula's eyes, hypnotized. 148 00:08:56,036 --> 00:09:02,436 Speaker 2: I do and do you Ursula? Take Prince Eric. 149 00:09:03,476 --> 00:09:06,476 Speaker 1: Ariel, soaking wet, wreathed, and seaweed red in the face, 150 00:09:06,636 --> 00:09:09,756 Speaker 1: charges forward, leaps onto the stage head's right for the 151 00:09:09,796 --> 00:09:12,996 Speaker 1: couple to be like a charging bull. The guests gasp 152 00:09:13,036 --> 00:09:16,516 Speaker 1: at this invasion, A scorned woman come to sabotage the 153 00:09:16,516 --> 00:09:22,276 Speaker 1: wedding to throw Eric's fiance overboard. Ariel barrels forward, arms outstretched, 154 00:09:22,476 --> 00:09:24,836 Speaker 1: and just when it seems like Aeryl might strike Ursula, 155 00:09:25,316 --> 00:09:29,196 Speaker 1: who she collides with her in an embrace full of feeling. 156 00:09:30,236 --> 00:09:33,356 Speaker 3: The guest's jaws drop God in heaven. 157 00:09:35,076 --> 00:09:39,276 Speaker 1: Ursula, shocked, disgusted, lets the mask of perfect bride slip, 158 00:09:39,556 --> 00:09:41,676 Speaker 1: her true voice laced with bitterness. 159 00:09:42,356 --> 00:09:45,036 Speaker 6: Get get off me, you fool. 160 00:09:45,476 --> 00:09:49,076 Speaker 1: Ursula tries to extricate herself from Ariel's arms, but Ariel 161 00:09:49,236 --> 00:09:52,716 Speaker 1: holds on with a strength of heart, impossible to unravel. 162 00:09:53,036 --> 00:09:58,276 Speaker 2: Ursula strong, Oh, Ariel, what are you doing? 163 00:09:58,996 --> 00:10:02,236 Speaker 1: Everyone looks on in a shock at this truly bizarre scene. 164 00:10:02,676 --> 00:10:06,116 Speaker 1: One woman cugging another woman who wriggles, squirms. 165 00:10:05,996 --> 00:10:09,676 Speaker 3: Fights to escape this embrace, but cannot break it. Seems 166 00:10:09,716 --> 00:10:13,436 Speaker 3: to not really want to. The force of. 167 00:10:13,396 --> 00:10:16,796 Speaker 1: Ariela's kindness gains the power of actual magic, and the 168 00:10:16,836 --> 00:10:20,276 Speaker 1: shell around Ursula's neck that holds Ariel's voice begins to glow. 169 00:10:20,876 --> 00:10:22,436 Speaker 3: Hum tog away from. 170 00:10:22,396 --> 00:10:24,836 Speaker 1: Ursula as if possessed, and move toward Ariel. 171 00:10:28,756 --> 00:10:31,476 Speaker 9: Stop stop, stop, I say, but. 172 00:10:31,516 --> 00:10:35,076 Speaker 3: Ariel doesn't stop. By the heat of Ariel's love. 173 00:10:34,996 --> 00:10:38,836 Speaker 1: Ursula begins to transform back into her original form. Her 174 00:10:38,876 --> 00:10:43,036 Speaker 1: slender limbs morphed into thick, barnacled covered tentacles, her wedding 175 00:10:43,116 --> 00:10:45,796 Speaker 1: dress verse that that seems to reveal her sea slick 176 00:10:45,916 --> 00:10:46,876 Speaker 1: octopus body. 177 00:10:47,636 --> 00:10:53,396 Speaker 3: A woman in the audience screams, shrilly, good, God, disgust. 178 00:10:53,796 --> 00:10:57,316 Speaker 1: What is she? Children cower under their seats grown men 179 00:10:57,516 --> 00:11:00,916 Speaker 1: back away in horror. Eric stumbles and nearly falls over. 180 00:11:01,596 --> 00:11:05,836 Speaker 3: Oh oh, I almost married an octopus. 181 00:11:06,596 --> 00:11:10,316 Speaker 1: But Ariel doesn't stop hugging this creature that everyone else 182 00:11:10,396 --> 00:11:14,596 Speaker 1: is so revolted by the force of Ariel's feeling, compels 183 00:11:14,636 --> 00:11:17,476 Speaker 1: her own voice out of the shell around Ursula's neck. 184 00:11:18,196 --> 00:11:21,316 Speaker 1: The light of that voice slips its prism and hovers 185 00:11:21,356 --> 00:11:26,756 Speaker 1: in mid air a moment the audience gasps, the priest faints, 186 00:11:29,076 --> 00:11:35,356 Speaker 1: The light floats into Ariel's open mouth, and then she sings, 187 00:11:35,356 --> 00:11:37,996 Speaker 1: in a voice as radiant as a song that breaks 188 00:11:37,996 --> 00:11:45,156 Speaker 1: a summer storm. Eric, realizing it was in fact Ariel 189 00:11:45,236 --> 00:11:47,596 Speaker 1: who rescued him, rushes forward to her. 190 00:11:48,476 --> 00:11:50,556 Speaker 2: Ariel, it was you. 191 00:11:51,796 --> 00:11:53,156 Speaker 8: It was you all along. 192 00:11:54,556 --> 00:11:56,236 Speaker 9: Duh. 193 00:11:56,476 --> 00:11:59,156 Speaker 3: Too little, too late, Eric, And honestly, Eric was not 194 00:11:59,236 --> 00:12:00,916 Speaker 3: really the point and never has been. 195 00:12:02,756 --> 00:12:05,836 Speaker 1: Aril's arms still rap Ursula, who, in spite of herself, 196 00:12:06,316 --> 00:12:09,556 Speaker 1: leans into the embrace. Aril turns back to her Ursula 197 00:12:09,556 --> 00:12:11,276 Speaker 1: and says softly into her ear. 198 00:12:11,996 --> 00:12:15,516 Speaker 9: You hurt me, but I understand why you hurt me. 199 00:12:16,756 --> 00:12:19,836 Speaker 9: What do you know, you idiotic? 200 00:12:20,196 --> 00:12:21,516 Speaker 2: Do I teenager? 201 00:12:22,836 --> 00:12:24,756 Speaker 9: I know that you are kicked out of the kingdom 202 00:12:24,756 --> 00:12:27,356 Speaker 9: by my family. I know you were left in the 203 00:12:27,436 --> 00:12:30,716 Speaker 9: dark part of the ocean to die alone. And I 204 00:12:30,756 --> 00:12:33,876 Speaker 9: know you have suffered greatly. I know you made me 205 00:12:34,116 --> 00:12:38,556 Speaker 9: and many others suffer greatly. All I have is the 206 00:12:38,676 --> 00:12:39,676 Speaker 9: art of cruelty. 207 00:12:40,716 --> 00:12:41,876 Speaker 5: All I have is. 208 00:12:41,796 --> 00:12:47,476 Speaker 9: Your hate, everyone's hate. I don't hate you, Ursula. 209 00:12:48,356 --> 00:12:52,476 Speaker 1: Ursula scoffs at this, but her eyes go wide with feeling. 210 00:12:53,156 --> 00:12:57,076 Speaker 1: No one has said a kind word to Ursula in years. 211 00:12:57,076 --> 00:13:01,356 Speaker 9: And in time. Understanding you better and why you've done 212 00:13:01,356 --> 00:13:05,916 Speaker 9: the things you've done, I could maybe even love you. 213 00:13:06,276 --> 00:13:09,596 Speaker 1: Ah, Ursula cries out, as if bitten by the words. 214 00:13:10,556 --> 00:13:14,076 Speaker 1: For a moment in Ariel's embrace, we see Ursula as 215 00:13:14,076 --> 00:13:17,076 Speaker 1: the magic of Ariel's empathy allows Ariel to see her. 216 00:13:18,116 --> 00:13:22,276 Speaker 1: Ursula at Ariel's age sixteen, the age before Ursula's heart 217 00:13:22,356 --> 00:13:27,196 Speaker 1: was broken. She's open, full of vigor and young magic, 218 00:13:27,316 --> 00:13:30,796 Speaker 1: curious and alive like Ariel is. Had they met at 219 00:13:30,796 --> 00:13:33,116 Speaker 1: this age, they they might have been best friends. 220 00:13:33,156 --> 00:13:36,476 Speaker 3: They might even have been lovers. The two young women 221 00:13:36,516 --> 00:13:37,956 Speaker 3: regard each other a moment. 222 00:13:39,116 --> 00:13:43,236 Speaker 9: You've taught me the power of my voice. I could 223 00:13:43,676 --> 00:13:46,036 Speaker 9: actually even thank you for that. 224 00:13:47,876 --> 00:13:50,716 Speaker 1: Ursula weeps now like the teenager she is in Ariel's 225 00:13:50,716 --> 00:14:01,476 Speaker 1: eyes unbidden, unstoppable tears. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Ariel 226 00:14:01,516 --> 00:14:04,156 Speaker 1: looks to Ursula, now still holding Ursula's hands. 227 00:14:04,676 --> 00:14:08,716 Speaker 9: It's okay. Someone hurt you, just like you hurt me, 228 00:14:09,196 --> 00:14:10,556 Speaker 9: and I think I know who it was. 229 00:14:16,356 --> 00:14:20,516 Speaker 1: The sky has darkened and the sea froths now in anger. 230 00:14:21,356 --> 00:14:23,076 Speaker 9: Waves rock the craft. 231 00:14:23,756 --> 00:14:27,076 Speaker 7: The guests pulled onto their hats in a sudden fierce wind. 232 00:14:27,836 --> 00:14:31,356 Speaker 1: Eric grabs a sword off a nearby guard in fear. 233 00:14:31,996 --> 00:14:35,396 Speaker 1: Ariel let's go of Ursula's hands in surprise, and Ursula 234 00:14:35,436 --> 00:14:40,076 Speaker 1: becomes her true age again. Just as King Triton emerges 235 00:14:40,116 --> 00:14:44,356 Speaker 1: from the ocean, huge bearing his trident and riding an 236 00:14:44,476 --> 00:14:48,436 Speaker 1: enormous wave toward the ship, an army of spear wielding 237 00:14:48,476 --> 00:14:54,996 Speaker 1: merman behind him. His voice booms like thunder, Stay away 238 00:14:55,036 --> 00:14:58,236 Speaker 1: from my daughter. Lightning cracks the skuy from the force 239 00:14:58,276 --> 00:15:01,036 Speaker 1: of his rage. Triton wounds over the ship now like 240 00:15:01,076 --> 00:15:01,756 Speaker 1: a giant. 241 00:15:02,676 --> 00:15:05,956 Speaker 5: I was too kind when I banished you from the kingdom. 242 00:15:06,196 --> 00:15:08,556 Speaker 8: I shook have destroyed. 243 00:15:09,236 --> 00:15:10,836 Speaker 9: And lifts his tried and high. 244 00:15:11,396 --> 00:15:15,756 Speaker 1: It sparks with electricity drawn from the sky. He aims 245 00:15:15,836 --> 00:15:19,836 Speaker 1: that laser beam of death toward Ursula, who suffused with love, 246 00:15:19,956 --> 00:15:21,396 Speaker 1: has no ready counterattack. 247 00:15:21,716 --> 00:15:24,396 Speaker 7: No, Ariel shouts powerfully. 248 00:15:24,956 --> 00:15:27,676 Speaker 1: She throws herself in harm's way to protect Ursula. 249 00:15:27,836 --> 00:15:30,556 Speaker 9: You kept me and my sister's prisoner in the castle. 250 00:15:31,516 --> 00:15:37,356 Speaker 9: You exiled Ursula from family, friends safety because she dared 251 00:15:37,396 --> 00:15:40,036 Speaker 9: to practice in magic, and you want it to be 252 00:15:40,036 --> 00:15:45,196 Speaker 9: the only one with such power. That I have magic too, father, 253 00:15:46,076 --> 00:15:47,316 Speaker 9: we all have magic. 254 00:15:48,676 --> 00:15:52,396 Speaker 1: And then Ariol begins to use the power of her voice, 255 00:15:52,476 --> 00:15:57,196 Speaker 1: which is real magic, to sing. It's so hypnotic and 256 00:15:57,356 --> 00:16:00,876 Speaker 1: so true that the sea begins to calm under her spell, 257 00:16:01,516 --> 00:16:03,756 Speaker 1: and the anger surging in the bodies of the Merman 258 00:16:03,836 --> 00:16:08,516 Speaker 1: soldiers begins to dissipate. Ursula looks to Ariel in wonder 259 00:16:09,196 --> 00:16:12,156 Speaker 1: and joins her song a lower note in perfect harmony. 260 00:16:12,676 --> 00:16:15,396 Speaker 1: As Ursula sings, the lost souls of her garden shake 261 00:16:15,476 --> 00:16:18,556 Speaker 1: free from the terrible purgatory of her old spells. They 262 00:16:18,596 --> 00:16:21,076 Speaker 1: swim to the surface as Murr people once again, and 263 00:16:21,156 --> 00:16:23,556 Speaker 1: sing with the passion of the newly freed. 264 00:16:25,756 --> 00:16:26,196 Speaker 5: Citizen. 265 00:16:26,276 --> 00:16:29,036 Speaker 1: Mr People, drawn to the sound of real freedom, break 266 00:16:29,076 --> 00:16:33,316 Speaker 1: the surface of the sea and sing too, sebastian and floundering. 267 00:16:33,716 --> 00:16:39,836 Speaker 1: Even Scuttle sings a little off key, but committed altogether, 268 00:16:40,036 --> 00:16:43,036 Speaker 1: they make the most beautiful music humaneers have ever heard. 269 00:16:43,676 --> 00:16:45,236 Speaker 3: Eric weeps from the sound. 270 00:16:47,796 --> 00:16:50,956 Speaker 1: Beautiful. So do many of his wedding guests, who have 271 00:16:50,996 --> 00:16:53,596 Speaker 1: not allowed their hearts to become too hardened to life. 272 00:16:54,396 --> 00:16:58,676 Speaker 3: Some of them, the brave ones, begin to sing too. 273 00:17:00,076 --> 00:17:02,956 Speaker 1: The music travels so far and so wide that even 274 00:17:02,996 --> 00:17:06,836 Speaker 1: townspeople on land begin unconsciously humming this melody they've never 275 00:17:06,876 --> 00:17:08,396 Speaker 1: heard before, but. 276 00:17:08,356 --> 00:17:10,236 Speaker 3: Feel they have no always. 277 00:17:11,876 --> 00:17:14,956 Speaker 1: The cloud's part, the setting sun is round, and pink 278 00:17:15,276 --> 00:17:19,636 Speaker 1: birds land happily on the shoulder of Triton, And this big, proud, 279 00:17:19,876 --> 00:17:22,756 Speaker 1: vain old king cannot help but be moved by his 280 00:17:22,836 --> 00:17:25,316 Speaker 1: young daughter and her magic to unite. 281 00:17:25,076 --> 00:17:26,956 Speaker 3: Across genders, across. 282 00:17:26,596 --> 00:17:33,276 Speaker 1: Generations, across species. Triton looks at Ariel with tears of 283 00:17:33,356 --> 00:17:36,676 Speaker 1: humiliation mixed with tears of all Aril stands on the 284 00:17:36,756 --> 00:17:37,996 Speaker 1: edge of the balcony level within. 285 00:17:39,796 --> 00:17:43,796 Speaker 9: Dad, you don't need to be the most powerful to 286 00:17:43,876 --> 00:17:45,116 Speaker 9: be the most loved. 287 00:17:46,716 --> 00:17:49,356 Speaker 1: Triton's eyes widened at the wisdom of her youth. 288 00:17:50,236 --> 00:17:51,916 Speaker 3: The tear, too, falls from his eyes. 289 00:17:53,596 --> 00:17:58,316 Speaker 9: I'm sorry, Area, I've not been a very good listener. 290 00:17:59,836 --> 00:18:01,916 Speaker 8: Cat'n we begin again. 291 00:18:04,676 --> 00:18:08,036 Speaker 1: Ariel nods and embraces her dad over the railing and 292 00:18:08,116 --> 00:18:12,716 Speaker 1: now the sun. Finally, sex Ursula's old spell wears off. 293 00:18:13,516 --> 00:18:17,276 Speaker 1: Ariel transforms into a mermaid once more. The guests have 294 00:18:17,396 --> 00:18:20,276 Speaker 1: no reaction at this point, they've really seen it all. 295 00:18:21,116 --> 00:18:24,116 Speaker 1: Ariel laughs as her legs morphed into a powerful bit. 296 00:18:24,836 --> 00:18:26,476 Speaker 3: Eric drops down to her side. 297 00:18:26,996 --> 00:18:28,676 Speaker 1: Hey, I mean thank you. 298 00:18:29,116 --> 00:18:31,276 Speaker 5: Your look saved my life. 299 00:18:31,596 --> 00:18:32,996 Speaker 3: Ariel smiles at him. 300 00:18:33,396 --> 00:18:34,156 Speaker 9: Don't mention it. 301 00:18:35,276 --> 00:18:37,596 Speaker 1: All she really wanted was a thank you. It may 302 00:18:37,636 --> 00:18:38,956 Speaker 1: be all any of us ever really want. 303 00:18:39,796 --> 00:18:40,596 Speaker 3: Ariel turns to. 304 00:18:40,596 --> 00:18:43,276 Speaker 9: Ursula, Hey, shall we go home? 305 00:18:44,316 --> 00:18:49,996 Speaker 1: Ursula nods, Yes, let's go. They take each other's hands 306 00:18:51,476 --> 00:18:53,036 Speaker 1: and jump. 307 00:19:08,036 --> 00:19:11,756 Speaker 5: Let's take a moment to discuss our revised and greatly 308 00:19:11,756 --> 00:19:15,276 Speaker 5: improved ending to The Little Mermaid. First of all, to 309 00:19:15,356 --> 00:19:18,836 Speaker 5: any executives of the Walt Disney Company who happened to 310 00:19:18,876 --> 00:19:22,436 Speaker 5: be listening, please feel free to use our ending in 311 00:19:22,516 --> 00:19:25,036 Speaker 5: the remake of The Little Mermaid that I understand you're 312 00:19:25,076 --> 00:19:30,116 Speaker 5: working on. Go right ahead. Ariel and Ursula deserve a 313 00:19:30,276 --> 00:19:33,036 Speaker 5: better fate than you have given them for the past 314 00:19:33,076 --> 00:19:37,756 Speaker 5: thirty years. Speaking of Ursula, did you recognize that voice? 315 00:19:38,436 --> 00:19:40,676 Speaker 5: Did you figure out who we got to play this 316 00:19:40,916 --> 00:19:42,236 Speaker 5: most critical of roles. 317 00:19:43,076 --> 00:19:45,836 Speaker 9: Get get off me, you fool. 318 00:19:47,156 --> 00:19:50,236 Speaker 5: We couldn't use just anyone in the role, because Ursula 319 00:19:50,436 --> 00:19:53,316 Speaker 5: is not a two dimensional villain anymore. We're not murdering 320 00:19:53,356 --> 00:19:57,076 Speaker 5: her off, we're redeeming her. BRIT's point was, why is 321 00:19:57,116 --> 00:19:58,916 Speaker 5: she even the villain in the first place. 322 00:19:59,476 --> 00:20:03,836 Speaker 7: It's just that who do young women lose their voices to? 323 00:20:05,676 --> 00:20:10,356 Speaker 7: Not really wise old women living on the edge of right, Like, 324 00:20:10,836 --> 00:20:14,236 Speaker 7: that's not the culprit of who takes women's voices from them. 325 00:20:14,676 --> 00:20:18,556 Speaker 7: And so I think that's the problem you're contending with 326 00:20:18,836 --> 00:20:22,916 Speaker 7: at the end, which is like the idea of a 327 00:20:22,956 --> 00:20:25,876 Speaker 7: witch is a kind of smoke screen that prevents us 328 00:20:25,876 --> 00:20:30,596 Speaker 7: from thinking about where the forces of antagonism against women 329 00:20:30,836 --> 00:20:31,996 Speaker 7: actually lie. 330 00:20:32,436 --> 00:20:34,916 Speaker 5: So Ursula has to be played by someone who can 331 00:20:34,996 --> 00:20:36,876 Speaker 5: do more than a garden variety witch. 332 00:20:37,796 --> 00:20:43,196 Speaker 9: So how old is Ursula? Right, you'll get off me. 333 00:20:44,196 --> 00:20:45,516 Speaker 3: No, I think you get off me. 334 00:20:46,076 --> 00:20:48,796 Speaker 6: What I think you could play her older for sure, 335 00:20:48,876 --> 00:20:51,276 Speaker 6: because that's sort of the trope, the older witch on 336 00:20:51,316 --> 00:20:52,876 Speaker 6: the edge of town kind of thing. 337 00:20:53,516 --> 00:20:59,196 Speaker 5: Okay, all right, that's Brit directing Glenn close. We got 338 00:20:59,236 --> 00:21:02,236 Speaker 5: Glenn close, of course we did. It was only right 339 00:21:02,316 --> 00:21:06,796 Speaker 5: to have Disney's nineteen ninety six Cruella Deville returning as 340 00:21:06,796 --> 00:21:12,996 Speaker 5: revisionist Histories twenty twenty one. Ursula, Now, what about Prince Eric? 341 00:21:13,556 --> 00:21:16,596 Speaker 5: Britt and I had a long planning session on the 342 00:21:16,796 --> 00:21:17,556 Speaker 5: Eric problem. 343 00:21:18,236 --> 00:21:18,716 Speaker 7: He is a. 344 00:21:18,676 --> 00:21:22,396 Speaker 5: Completely cardboard figure who only is allowed to have any 345 00:21:22,476 --> 00:21:26,716 Speaker 5: kind of meaningful role when he kills somebody. 346 00:21:27,036 --> 00:21:30,996 Speaker 7: Oh, oh, Malcolm, I love that. Yes, I love that. 347 00:21:31,716 --> 00:21:34,036 Speaker 7: We're doing a lot of talking right now about the 348 00:21:34,076 --> 00:21:37,276 Speaker 7: ways in which we need to liberate women through stories, 349 00:21:37,676 --> 00:21:39,756 Speaker 7: but we should also do a lot of talking about 350 00:21:39,756 --> 00:21:41,636 Speaker 7: the ways in which we need to liberate men. 351 00:21:42,596 --> 00:21:46,396 Speaker 5: We didn't need a murderous vigilante anymore. We needed a 352 00:21:46,436 --> 00:21:47,236 Speaker 5: liberated man. 353 00:21:48,116 --> 00:21:50,676 Speaker 2: Hi, I almost married an octopus. 354 00:21:51,916 --> 00:21:55,476 Speaker 5: Did you recognize that voice? The embodiment of male liberation? 355 00:21:55,996 --> 00:22:01,396 Speaker 5: The actor, comedian podcaster extraordinaire Dak Shepherd. Here he is 356 00:22:01,756 --> 00:22:05,836 Speaker 5: during our taping, taking direction from our producer mim and Gistu. 357 00:22:06,356 --> 00:22:08,836 Speaker 3: Oh, I kind of wanted you to do it, kind 358 00:22:08,836 --> 00:22:10,236 Speaker 3: of like a clueless himbo. 359 00:22:10,596 --> 00:22:11,196 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? 360 00:22:12,316 --> 00:22:13,436 Speaker 2: Tell me what a himbo is? 361 00:22:13,476 --> 00:22:18,796 Speaker 8: And himbo was the male version of exactly exactly. 362 00:22:19,076 --> 00:22:20,916 Speaker 9: Male version of a what bimba? 363 00:22:21,716 --> 00:22:22,356 Speaker 1: Oh, Bimbo. 364 00:22:22,596 --> 00:22:29,076 Speaker 2: Okay, Ariel, what what are you doing? 365 00:22:30,956 --> 00:22:31,516 Speaker 6: Oh? 366 00:22:32,116 --> 00:22:34,476 Speaker 2: Ariel, what are you doing? 367 00:22:36,116 --> 00:22:36,316 Speaker 1: Oh? 368 00:22:36,356 --> 00:22:36,916 Speaker 9: That was great? 369 00:22:36,956 --> 00:22:37,436 Speaker 7: Thank you. 370 00:22:38,996 --> 00:22:42,516 Speaker 5: As for King Triton, the King is played by Ethan Herschenfeld, 371 00:22:42,796 --> 00:22:46,596 Speaker 5: stand up comic actor and former opera singer, which was 372 00:22:46,636 --> 00:22:50,036 Speaker 5: a delight for our in house musical genius Louis Kara. 373 00:22:50,796 --> 00:22:53,076 Speaker 9: It's a little more urban feeling, you know what I mean. 374 00:22:53,556 --> 00:22:55,156 Speaker 2: Urban I can kind of do because I grew up 375 00:22:55,156 --> 00:22:57,356 Speaker 2: in the Bronx, but it was Riverdale, so you're hearing 376 00:22:57,396 --> 00:22:59,156 Speaker 2: the Riverdale the Bronx. 377 00:23:00,836 --> 00:23:05,196 Speaker 5: It sounds awesome, So Dak Shepherd, Jody Foster, Glenn Close, 378 00:23:05,316 --> 00:23:09,516 Speaker 5: Ethan Herschenfeld, I mean all star asked. 379 00:23:11,596 --> 00:23:15,636 Speaker 1: Triton lifts his tried and tie. It sparks with electricity 380 00:23:15,716 --> 00:23:19,556 Speaker 1: drawn from the sky. He aims that laser beam of 381 00:23:19,596 --> 00:23:24,036 Speaker 1: death towards Ursula, who suffused with love, has no ready counterattack. 382 00:23:25,676 --> 00:23:27,636 Speaker 7: Ariel shouts powerfully. 383 00:23:28,956 --> 00:23:29,236 Speaker 1: To me. 384 00:23:29,356 --> 00:23:32,836 Speaker 5: The most beautiful moment in your new ending is when 385 00:23:32,916 --> 00:23:36,556 Speaker 5: Ariel throws her body in the line of her father's 386 00:23:36,676 --> 00:23:43,156 Speaker 5: trident to save Ursula. Right, she will sacrifice herself on 387 00:23:43,236 --> 00:23:46,596 Speaker 5: the behalf of someone who has hitherto in the plot 388 00:23:46,676 --> 00:23:50,716 Speaker 5: being seen as irredeemable, that somebody would sacrifice, someone in 389 00:23:50,796 --> 00:23:51,956 Speaker 5: good standing. 390 00:23:51,916 --> 00:23:54,476 Speaker 7: Would sacrifice themselves. 391 00:23:54,196 --> 00:23:57,756 Speaker 5: For someone who is conceived of is irredeemable. The princess, 392 00:23:58,676 --> 00:24:03,556 Speaker 5: the heir to the throne, the beautiful whatever, would sacrifice 393 00:24:03,756 --> 00:24:11,396 Speaker 5: everything for the sake of a witch, of an outcast. 394 00:24:09,996 --> 00:24:14,676 Speaker 7: Which feels so right because the witch has been miscast 395 00:24:14,716 --> 00:24:19,116 Speaker 7: from the beginning, right. I mean, I think cruelty was 396 00:24:19,156 --> 00:24:23,396 Speaker 7: done to Ursula, and it made her cruel and I 397 00:24:23,516 --> 00:24:28,116 Speaker 7: believe that Ursula could actually be redeemed, and that all 398 00:24:28,156 --> 00:24:31,076 Speaker 7: it really takes is one person in an act of 399 00:24:31,156 --> 00:24:34,676 Speaker 7: tremendous bravery and kindness. I mean, that's the thing that 400 00:24:34,716 --> 00:24:37,276 Speaker 7: I keep thinking about these days, is how can you 401 00:24:37,636 --> 00:24:42,796 Speaker 7: dramatize the strength of kindness? Like we just don't really 402 00:24:42,836 --> 00:24:46,876 Speaker 7: believe in kindness as a culture anymore. We think it's soft, 403 00:24:47,036 --> 00:24:49,876 Speaker 7: we think it's weak, we think it's not serious. But 404 00:24:49,996 --> 00:24:51,996 Speaker 7: that just doesn't feel right to me. I mean, it 405 00:24:51,996 --> 00:24:54,756 Speaker 7: feels like there has to be a way to dramatize 406 00:24:54,756 --> 00:24:58,996 Speaker 7: it as actually this incredibly sharp, pointed, powerful thing. 407 00:25:01,316 --> 00:25:05,836 Speaker 5: Disney's Little Mermaid instructs little girls to think about themselves. 408 00:25:06,636 --> 00:25:10,556 Speaker 5: Brit Marlin wants little girls to think about someone other 409 00:25:10,756 --> 00:25:14,556 Speaker 5: than themselves, the outcast living at the bottom of the sea, 410 00:25:15,156 --> 00:25:32,756 Speaker 5: who also deserves a chance at happiness. One last thing, 411 00:25:33,396 --> 00:25:37,036 Speaker 5: the most amazing gift of all. Britt Marlin wrote a 412 00:25:37,076 --> 00:25:39,676 Speaker 5: final scene. She said we didn't have to use it. 413 00:25:40,236 --> 00:25:45,356 Speaker 5: I disagree. Here it is Ariel's coda. 414 00:25:45,276 --> 00:25:50,556 Speaker 1: X Dear Shipwreck, Kingdom under the Sea. Ariel swims through 415 00:25:50,556 --> 00:25:54,276 Speaker 1: a shipwreck, joined by flounder and other Martines. They dart 416 00:25:54,356 --> 00:25:56,796 Speaker 1: in and out of the wreckage, digging into old trunks, 417 00:25:56,876 --> 00:25:58,116 Speaker 1: rooting out human treasure. 418 00:25:59,596 --> 00:26:02,436 Speaker 9: So that's the story of the only wedding I ever crashed. 419 00:26:03,116 --> 00:26:07,196 Speaker 9: I still go on land, but not for eric exterior. 420 00:26:07,276 --> 00:26:12,356 Speaker 1: Countryside day, Ariel gallops across an open field on the back. 421 00:26:12,196 --> 00:26:14,396 Speaker 3: Of a horse. They leap a fence together. 422 00:26:16,636 --> 00:26:22,476 Speaker 9: By day, I explore distant lands, far off kingdoms, ancient forests. 423 00:26:23,356 --> 00:26:25,916 Speaker 9: I learn so much from the people I meet and 424 00:26:26,076 --> 00:26:30,716 Speaker 9: the gazelle's, the trees, the sunflowers, the rainstorms. 425 00:26:32,756 --> 00:26:35,516 Speaker 1: Ariel scales a five hundred year old tree with two 426 00:26:35,516 --> 00:26:36,436 Speaker 1: other teenagers. 427 00:26:36,756 --> 00:26:38,476 Speaker 3: They laugh as they race to the top. 428 00:26:39,516 --> 00:26:43,356 Speaker 9: By night, by my own magic, I return to the sea. 429 00:26:44,116 --> 00:26:46,396 Speaker 1: Ariel walks into the ocean under the light of a 430 00:26:46,476 --> 00:26:49,636 Speaker 1: full yellow moon, Her legs morph into a fin. As 431 00:26:49,636 --> 00:26:55,516 Speaker 1: she reaches the first big wave, she dives under fish. 432 00:26:55,676 --> 00:26:58,716 Speaker 1: Her people, crabs occupy all manner of sea life, gather 433 00:26:58,796 --> 00:27:04,996 Speaker 1: around a warm, bubbling sea vent. Ariel sings to them 434 00:27:04,996 --> 00:27:08,516 Speaker 1: of her travels, while Sebastian conducts a small orchestra in accompaniment. 435 00:27:09,556 --> 00:27:12,996 Speaker 9: I sing stories of the places I've been, the kindness 436 00:27:12,996 --> 00:27:17,516 Speaker 9: I've encountered, the danger I've defied, the times I've had 437 00:27:17,556 --> 00:27:22,756 Speaker 9: to apologize, the times I've been apologized too. And there 438 00:27:22,876 --> 00:27:25,516 Speaker 9: was finally a wedding that went off without a hitch. 439 00:27:27,676 --> 00:27:29,236 Speaker 9: It just wasn't my wedding. 440 00:27:31,316 --> 00:27:35,276 Speaker 1: Into your great hall, palace, kingdom under the sea, all 441 00:27:35,276 --> 00:27:37,876 Speaker 1: the miror people decked out in their finest pearls and 442 00:27:37,916 --> 00:27:39,476 Speaker 1: corals for a lavish wedding. 443 00:27:40,516 --> 00:27:42,796 Speaker 3: But it's Triton standing before the pulpit. 444 00:27:43,636 --> 00:27:48,996 Speaker 1: He lifts the veil of his bride to be it's Ursula. 445 00:27:49,516 --> 00:27:52,836 Speaker 1: There's still a sharp look in Ursula's eye, but the sharp. 446 00:27:52,636 --> 00:27:53,876 Speaker 3: Of wisdom, not of cunning. 447 00:27:54,636 --> 00:27:57,396 Speaker 1: She smiles, shocked to be met late in life by 448 00:27:57,396 --> 00:28:02,396 Speaker 1: such happiness. Ariel, a bridesmaid amongst her sisters, beams. 449 00:28:02,796 --> 00:28:06,956 Speaker 9: It turns out that most of Ursula's bitter potions had 450 00:28:06,956 --> 00:28:08,436 Speaker 9: come from an early heartbreak. 451 00:28:09,276 --> 00:28:15,396 Speaker 2: Father, do you Ursula take King Triton to have and 452 00:28:15,556 --> 00:28:16,076 Speaker 2: to hold? 453 00:28:16,436 --> 00:28:17,236 Speaker 7: I do, I do? 454 00:28:17,356 --> 00:28:17,596 Speaker 9: I do? 455 00:28:17,716 --> 00:28:17,916 Speaker 5: I do. 456 00:28:18,996 --> 00:28:22,556 Speaker 3: King Triton and Queen Ursula kiss. 457 00:28:23,916 --> 00:28:24,436 Speaker 1: And Eric. 458 00:28:25,356 --> 00:28:27,316 Speaker 9: Eric's married too, and happily. 459 00:28:28,996 --> 00:28:31,676 Speaker 1: Eric walks down the palace steps, arms slung around his 460 00:28:31,796 --> 00:28:35,876 Speaker 1: husband Tom, the town veterinarian. Twelve enormous fluffy sheep dogs 461 00:28:35,916 --> 00:28:39,316 Speaker 1: e race around at their feet. I know they're not 462 00:28:39,556 --> 00:28:40,876 Speaker 1: like us. They don't get it. 463 00:28:42,076 --> 00:28:45,396 Speaker 9: Eric says it's too weird to eat fish after a 464 00:28:45,396 --> 00:28:48,076 Speaker 9: fish woman saved his life and he almost married a 465 00:28:48,116 --> 00:28:51,956 Speaker 9: giant octopus. So the kingdom has gone vegetarian. 466 00:28:52,436 --> 00:28:54,436 Speaker 2: I don't care if they bake it, steam it, or 467 00:28:54,476 --> 00:28:54,916 Speaker 2: fry it. 468 00:28:54,956 --> 00:28:56,236 Speaker 8: I'd rather die. 469 00:28:57,196 --> 00:28:59,676 Speaker 9: Eric and Tom are encouraging other kingdoms to do the 470 00:28:59,676 --> 00:29:01,916 Speaker 9: same in the face of the climate emergency. 471 00:29:02,156 --> 00:29:04,356 Speaker 2: It will make you die and the planet. 472 00:29:05,116 --> 00:29:07,476 Speaker 9: I think he's gonna make a fine king. One day. 473 00:29:09,476 --> 00:29:12,036 Speaker 1: Aerol sits at a round table with Eric, Tom, and 474 00:29:12,076 --> 00:29:12,636 Speaker 1: a bunch. 475 00:29:12,396 --> 00:29:13,436 Speaker 3: Of other townspeople. 476 00:29:14,076 --> 00:29:17,196 Speaker 1: It is not a posh, silent meal at a ridiculously 477 00:29:17,316 --> 00:29:19,116 Speaker 1: long table for almost no one. 478 00:29:19,716 --> 00:29:20,756 Speaker 3: It's a feast for many. 479 00:29:21,156 --> 00:29:24,036 Speaker 1: They pass bowls of food and break off chunks of bread. 480 00:29:24,396 --> 00:29:26,556 Speaker 1: They eat with their hands and sometimes talk with their 481 00:29:26,556 --> 00:29:29,956 Speaker 1: mouths full. The hall is filled with rowdy laughter and 482 00:29:30,076 --> 00:29:33,516 Speaker 1: sometimes tears, as people tell each other what's on their 483 00:29:33,556 --> 00:29:36,756 Speaker 1: minds and in their hearts, and what they hope for 484 00:29:36,796 --> 00:29:37,276 Speaker 1: the future. 485 00:29:38,836 --> 00:29:44,836 Speaker 9: And so we lived, not always happily, but certainly more 486 00:29:45,036 --> 00:29:47,956 Speaker 9: honestly than we ever had before. 487 00:29:49,716 --> 00:29:50,876 Speaker 3: The end. 488 00:30:13,276 --> 00:30:16,036 Speaker 5: The Vision's history is produced by Mei La Belle, Lee 489 00:30:16,156 --> 00:30:21,836 Speaker 5: Mengistu and Jacob Smith, with Eloise Linton and Annayim. Our 490 00:30:21,956 --> 00:30:26,156 Speaker 5: editor is Julia Bardon, mastering by Flon Williams and engineering 491 00:30:26,156 --> 00:30:30,596 Speaker 5: by Martin Gonzalez. Fact checking by Amy Gaines. Special thanks 492 00:30:30,596 --> 00:30:32,636 Speaker 5: to all those who lent their voice to The Little 493 00:30:32,636 --> 00:30:37,516 Speaker 5: Mermaid two point zero. Our actors Zolbatmanglitch, Glenn Close, Jody Foster, 494 00:30:37,676 --> 00:30:43,836 Speaker 5: Ethan Hershenfeld, Britt Marlin, Kate Parkinson, Morgan Dak Shephard and 495 00:30:43,916 --> 00:30:49,836 Speaker 5: Malcolm Gladwow and our singers Devin Guthrie, Luis Gerra, Littalia Gera, 496 00:30:50,276 --> 00:30:56,956 Speaker 5: Ethan Herschhenfeld, Khalil Sabah, Samayah Sabah and Ginger Smith. And 497 00:30:56,956 --> 00:31:01,556 Speaker 5: an especially warm thanks to two people. First, our composer 498 00:31:01,636 --> 00:31:05,916 Speaker 5: extraordinaire Luis Gerra, who are by himself matched and actually 499 00:31:06,196 --> 00:31:11,596 Speaker 5: exceeded the armies of sound people in multimillion dollar orchestral 500 00:31:11,676 --> 00:31:17,196 Speaker 5: halls at Walt Disney Headquarters. And second, my old friend 501 00:31:17,236 --> 00:31:21,276 Speaker 5: Britt Marlin, who stormed the walls of the Disney Fortress 502 00:31:21,316 --> 00:31:26,956 Speaker 5: and liberated Ariel and Ursula from thirty years of wrongful imprisonment. 503 00:31:28,316 --> 00:31:31,116 Speaker 5: Special thanks also to the Pushkin crew had a fame. 504 00:31:31,356 --> 00:31:36,516 Speaker 5: Carli Miglioroi, Maya Knig, Danielle Lakhan, Maggie Taylor, Eric Sander, 505 00:31:36,636 --> 00:31:41,836 Speaker 5: Nicol Morano, Jason Gambrel, and of course Al Hafe our. 506 00:31:41,836 --> 00:31:43,516 Speaker 2: Very young King Triton. 507 00:31:43,636 --> 00:31:59,676 Speaker 5: Jacob Westberg. I'm Martin Bako. Don't forget my latest book, 508 00:31:59,876 --> 00:32:03,516 Speaker 5: The Bomber Mafia, which is an expansion of several episodes 509 00:32:03,756 --> 00:32:06,556 Speaker 5: from the last season of Revisionist History. You can find 510 00:32:06,556 --> 00:32:10,196 Speaker 5: it wherever books are sold, but by the audiobook at 511 00:32:10,236 --> 00:32:13,916 Speaker 5: Bombermafia dot com and you'll get a bonus listener's guide 512 00:32:14,036 --> 00:32:16,916 Speaker 5: and you can listen in the podcast app you're using now.