1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Warning warning. 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 2: Today's episode contains spoilers for Batman, The Cape Crusader and 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 2: The Crow and oh Spooky Denizens of x ray Vision. 4 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 2: My name is Rosie Knight, and welcome back to x 5 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 2: ray Vision, the podcast where we dive deep into your 6 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 2: favorite shows, movies, comics and pop culture. Coming to you 7 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 2: as always from iHeart Podcast, where we'll be bringing you 8 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 2: two new episodes a week every Tuesday and Thursday, and 9 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 2: sometimes you even get extra episodes. Aren't you lucky? But 10 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: let's not waste any time. Jason is currently on top 11 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 2: of the Gotham Police Department lighting up the back signal, 12 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 2: and that means it's time to jump into the second 13 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 2: half of Batman Cape Crusader. First, we're covering episode five, 14 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 2: then hopping into the Batmobile to chat with Mark bernardin 15 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 2: writer for episode six, Night Ride, and what an episode 16 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 2: that was. And then we dive into the Batcave to 17 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 2: discuss episodes seven to ten. Finally we watched The Crow 18 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 2: and we have thoughts. They are not the same thoughts, 19 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 2: they are divisive thoughts. But first, in the airlock, we're 20 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 2: recapping episodes five to ten of The Cape Crusader with 21 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: the help of Mark bernardin. 22 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 3: And now we're stepping out of the airlock to talk 23 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 3: about episodes five through ten of Batman Caped Crusader, The excellent, 24 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 3: the truly excellent Batman shockingly good. Episode five. Let's start 25 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 3: here with the of the debut of Harley Quinn in 26 00:01:52,600 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 3: the Caped Crusader universe. I loved this episode. Mea loved 27 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 3: the thing changed. I love the tweaks they made to 28 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 3: her origin story and just awesome. What did you make 29 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 3: of it? 30 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 4: Yeah? 31 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: I love it. 32 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 2: The stress of her regard. Written by Haley Gross, directed 33 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 2: by Matt Peters, This is maybe my favorite episode. Now, 34 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 2: I don't know, I do think that you know, we're 35 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 2: gonna have Mark bernardin here talking about night Ride, which 36 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 2: I do think is up there with fantastic episodes. But 37 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: you know what, I love this representation of Harley. I 38 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,399 Speaker 2: love how cute see she is when she's doctor quins out. 39 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 2: I love that she is in this kind of romantic 40 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 2: entanglement trying to date Rename and Montoya, which is really funny, 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 2: the idea of like the question and Harlequin dating. I 42 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: also like the version of Harlequin here, who has you 43 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: know gone rogue had her breaking point moment without the Joker. 44 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, there's an agency there, there's Yeah, it's she wasn't 45 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 3: corrupted in this mm hm. You know, honestly a really 46 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 3: terrible and toxic way. She is the person in the 47 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 3: driver's seat behind her own personal mania and turned to 48 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 3: the dark side. And I found it very, very compelling. 49 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 3: And I found the connection between the alter ego and 50 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 3: the ego Doctor Quinzel and Harley Quinn to be that 51 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 3: much more engrossing. 52 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 2: Because and also she gets to have an alter ego, 53 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 2: Whereas when harle and Quinzel becomes Harley Quinn in you know, 54 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: whether it's Batman animated series or whether it's you know, 55 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 2: the comic books, that becomes all of her. Whereas here 56 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 2: we do get that duality and that cheery, funny, curvey, hilarious, 57 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 2: cheeky Harley is there in Harleen, but she's far more 58 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 2: dark and kind of deranged as Harley Quinn. And what 59 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 2: I really like, I think any great Batman villain is 60 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 2: like a mirror for Batman. 61 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: I've written a. 62 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 2: Lot about how in Batman Returns, Like one of my 63 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 2: favorite things is like, you know, the Penguin is essentially 64 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 2: like what if Batman's family didn't love him. Like he's rich, 65 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 2: he's a son of Gotham, but he doesn't have any 66 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: love for his parents. His parents abandoned him. He grew 67 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 2: up without the trappings of what Batman has. And I 68 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: really like here that Harley Quinn's journey is essentially like 69 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 2: she does the same thing as Batman. She's trying to 70 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 2: fix Gotham. 71 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 5: But she's doing it in this it's a lot worse way, 72 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 5: like in this completely deranged, like cruel way, and it's 73 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 5: almost like Gotham broke her the way Gotham broke Batman 74 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 5: and made him who he is. 75 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 2: We get to see that here with Harlene and this 76 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 2: kind of awful kind of torture that she's putting these 77 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 2: villains through. And as again, just as you know, this 78 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 2: is the kind of stuff we love. 79 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: I also love that they. 80 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 2: Use this episode as a way to showcase all these 81 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,040 Speaker 2: really outrageous old Batman villains that you would see in 82 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 2: like sixty six Batman, like you know, King Tut and 83 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 2: stuff like that that you wouldn't usually get to see. 84 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 2: So yeah, I just I think this is like such 85 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 2: a great example of what this show does well. 86 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 3: Next up, Night Ride written by Mark Bernardon, directed by 87 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 3: Christopher Berkeley, and let's just go to our interview with 88 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 3: the writer of this episode, Mark Bernardon. 89 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 2: Mark Bernardin is a screenwriter whose work has appeared in Vox, Macina, 90 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 2: Castle Rock, and Masters of the Universe, among them. 91 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: Any More. 92 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 2: He's here today to talk about Batman, the Cape Crusader, 93 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 2: and if we're very nice, he might even tease a 94 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 2: little bit about Eyes of Wakanda, the new Disney animated series. 95 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: Is coming soon. But we'll see. We'll start with Batman. 96 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: We'll start with Batman. 97 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 6: Hell, I'm good, I will tell you everything about Eyes 98 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 6: of Wakanda. 99 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 4: I will tell you he. 100 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 6: Like, what's what's Disney gonna do? 101 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 3: Like, what's Marvel good? That they're really cash, They're very chill. 102 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's fine. It's not coming out for another year 103 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 6: or so. 104 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: Just tell everybody, get people excited. 105 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:11,359 Speaker 6: What's the worst that could happen? 106 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,720 Speaker 3: Mark, what's your origin story with Batman? 107 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 6: My origin story with Batman begins, as I imagine many 108 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,919 Speaker 6: old men's stories begin with the sixty six Batman with 109 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 6: Adam West, the first time I've ever seen the character. 110 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 6: You know, and and depending on your perspective, that is 111 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 6: either the best way to meet Batman or the worst 112 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 6: way to be Batman. I choose to believe it's the 113 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 6: best way because it's a kids show for kids, and 114 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 6: I was a kid, and it was bright and colorful 115 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 6: and it moved and you know, And I've read those 116 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 6: sort of reappreciations of Adam West as of late, like 117 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 6: I think when he just when he passed, even before then, 118 00:06:57,279 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 6: the level of commitment that he had to that bit 119 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 6: is astonishing. Like he never breaks. He is always just 120 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 6: right down the middle. He is always the fixed point 121 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 6: in space and time around which the mania of Batman 122 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 6: can revolve. And like that is not easy to do, 123 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 6: to be a straight man with, you know, and do 124 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 6: the batusi straight man is so hard to pull off, 125 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 6: but he sticks the landing every time. And so like 126 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 6: it was that when I was a kid, and then 127 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 6: later it slowly came back around to the Dark Knight 128 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 6: returns to Frank Miller's book, you know, and Frank it 129 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 6: was Frank Miller really like that in Batman Year one, yeah, 130 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 6: or my two sort of the twin poles of Batman 131 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 6: for me, And then just became a fan and then 132 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 6: just started buying the books every month, and then you know, 133 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 6: like never went that far back but kept going forward. 134 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 6: And then Batman the animated series happened, which I think 135 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 6: blew everybody's minds wide open, like, wait, this is what 136 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 6: I just saw this Burton movie and I thought that 137 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 6: was cool, But what is this now? And I think 138 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 6: that that was a huge paradigm shift in lots of 139 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 6: people's appreciation for this character in a real way. 140 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: Yeah. 141 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 2: So then you know, jumping forward to Cape Crusader, was 142 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 2: it Ed Brubaker who brought you onto the project? 143 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 6: Yeah, Like I'd known Ed for a while through comic 144 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 6: book circles and comic book writing circles, and he'd been 145 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 6: on the podcast that I do with Kevin Smith Fatman 146 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,319 Speaker 6: Beyond once or twice, and every now and again we 147 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 6: would text each other and just commiserate about TV writing 148 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 6: and sort of and Swan he just and he just 149 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 6: like popped up on the text. He was like, hey, man, 150 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 6: do you want to write an episode of Batman? Does 151 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 6: it say less? Say less? 152 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: Like that's it. 153 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 6: I'm in all right, The answer is yes, regardless of 154 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 6: what the rest of the information is, I will happily 155 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 6: write an episode of Batman. He was like, well, you know, 156 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 6: we had a writer's room, and the writer's rooms kind 157 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 6: of disbanded, but we have these episodes and like Wreckers 158 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 6: writing one, and like I'm writing one of course, and 159 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 6: Bruce's and we'd love for you to come aboard and 160 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 6: take one on. And I said yes, because again, you know, 161 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 6: if somebody asked you if you're a god ray, you 162 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 6: say yes. My default answer to somebody offering me a thing. 163 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 6: And it was a phenomenal experience in that I've never 164 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,439 Speaker 6: written Batman before. You know, I've been working in comics 165 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,079 Speaker 6: for almost fifteen years twenty years at that point, and 166 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 6: never gotten a chance to swing at Batman. But to 167 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,719 Speaker 6: get to write Bruce Tim's Batman, you know, to get 168 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 6: to write Brue Baker's Batman, to get to dig under 169 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 6: the hood of that character and that world and find 170 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 6: the lines between. And it was always weird, even in Batman. 171 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 6: The animals here is right, he's got a car and 172 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 6: a cell phone, but there's dirigibles and you know, like 173 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,680 Speaker 6: where are we? When are we? This weird future noir thing, 174 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 6: and like this was even more so. It's like this 175 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 6: is definitely in like thirties and forties, you know, but 176 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 6: again he's got a batmobile and again like he doesn't 177 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 6: have a computer. He has to go to the library 178 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 6: to do research, but he's still like all of the 179 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 6: weirdness of that world took just a little bit of 180 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 6: time to calibrate too. But I mean, nobody knows Batman 181 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 6: like Bruce Tim knows Batman, and so to get notes 182 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 6: from Bruce Tim on Batman was the height of surreality. Yeah, 183 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 6: it really was. It was just it was, it was, 184 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 6: you know, kid nerd stuff. 185 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 3: Let's talk about your episode, the Wonderful night Ride, episode 186 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 3: six in the first season. Wonderful, wonderfully spooky episode with 187 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 3: a great antagonist who I love that his bit is 188 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 3: just he hates poor people and that endures. How'd you 189 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 3: end up with this episode? 190 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 6: You know, I think it was I'm not going to 191 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 6: say it was like random luck of the draw, but 192 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:55,719 Speaker 6: it was. I think they were specifically looking for somebody 193 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 6: of color to handle this episode because I think getting 194 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,079 Speaker 6: the Lucius Fox stuff right, getting the pop and midnight 195 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 6: stuff right, getting the kind of class warfare stuff right. 196 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 6: They very much, you know, did not want it to 197 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 6: be an episode about race, but it they were very 198 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 6: much like, no, it's an episode about class, which in 199 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,199 Speaker 6: a big city also functions like an episode about race, 200 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 6: because that just tends to be the way that breaks down. 201 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 6: And so it was you know, figuring out, all right, 202 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 6: how supernatural is he? Like is he a llegit ghost? 203 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 6: Is he a guy pretending to be a ghost, Like 204 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 6: how are we hiding the ball on the truth of it? 205 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 6: You know, and just being in Batman's pov like he's 206 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 6: investigating this thing. The audience should believe what Batman believes, 207 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 6: you know. And then when Batman rounds that corner into 208 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 6: like wait a minute, like I punched him and he 209 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 6: wasn't there and my hand is cold, and this is 210 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 6: not just a guy in a costume. This is not 211 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 6: special effects. This is real, you know, like just figuring 212 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 6: out how to round that story out in the season 213 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 6: in that has no other. 214 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 3: Supervis Yeah, yeah, very notable, Like how. 215 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 6: To make that all play? And I think it was 216 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,960 Speaker 6: it was rooting it in Gotham story, in Gotham history. 217 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 6: It was rooting it in sort of you know, Lucius's 218 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 6: perspective on it, you know, and also having conversations about 219 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 6: what do you do with all of your money? Bruce? 220 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 6: Do you want to be involved in this charity thing. 221 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 6: Do you want to like, what is what is the 222 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 6: responsibility of the hyper rich in a city like this? 223 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 6: And to whom are you responsible? And that getting to 224 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 6: be the kind of spine of that story. You know, 225 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 6: I'm not going to say it wrote quickly, because they 226 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 6: never write quickly, but at least I kind of I 227 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 6: knew kind of what it was. Yeah, and it got 228 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 6: to mostly be a standalone, you know, other than some 229 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 6: of the like Harvey Dent, you know, running for office 230 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:52,959 Speaker 6: stuff and the ruper Thorn stuff like the little connective 231 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 6: tissue to the rest of the season. But otherwise it's 232 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 6: just it's an episode of The X Files where you know, 233 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 6: Bruce Wayne is trying to figure out what goes bump 234 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:00,679 Speaker 6: in the night. 235 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:05,559 Speaker 2: And you, I mean, you mentioned that you've written comics, 236 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 2: you've worked in animation before, but on a project like 237 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 2: this where you are working with masters like Bruce Tim 238 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 2: and what was it like to write the episode and 239 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 2: then start to see the art come back, get to 240 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 2: see the finished animation from this unbelievable team, Like what 241 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 2: was that experience? 242 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:28,160 Speaker 6: Like, I mean, the when they started showing me somebody 243 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 6: even the character design work, like writing is always in 244 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,199 Speaker 6: a bit of a vacuum, yeah, where you're just like, 245 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 6: I'm putting these words on a page and hopefully they 246 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 6: will become a thing that functions as drama. And so 247 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 6: it's always abstract until it isn't, you know. And it's 248 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 6: very much like the process with comics, where it's like 249 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:48,360 Speaker 6: I wrote this thing, and I think, and then somebody 250 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 6: starts drawing it, and like the minute you begin to 251 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 6: get you know, those finished pages in even pencils, even 252 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 6: inks like it suddenly it's real in a way that 253 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 6: it wasn't, you know, getting character design stuff, you know, 254 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 6: to look at animatics, getting to like all of it 255 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 6: just begins to claw its way into reality and leaves 256 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 6: and bounds because animation takes forever to do so it 257 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 6: can be months between like getting in any information to like, 258 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 6: oh there it is. Oh that's that's cool. Oh they 259 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 6: kept that, Like that's always fun. But the craziest part 260 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 6: of it was that And I don't know if this 261 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 6: is telling tales out of school or not, but when 262 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 6: Bruce Tim gives notes, he's he has your script, he's 263 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,240 Speaker 6: printed it out, he's writing his notes in a red 264 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 6: magic marker. And then he's drawing things in the margins. 265 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 6: It's like this scene should look like this, and he'll 266 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 6: draw like the train sequence, you know, or at least 267 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 6: you're like, here's what the inside of the train should 268 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 6: look like, Here's what the sort of courtroom scene should 269 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 6: look like, here's what this thing should be and just 270 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 6: to have like Bruce tim drawings in the margins was 271 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 6: the like that was the giddiest part. Was like he 272 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 6: actually read it and it was it moved him to 273 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 6: draw thing. Yeah, that's that's Banana's I still am trying 274 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 6: to get in to give me the actual physical hard 275 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 6: copy of those notes. I bet he refuses to come on, 276 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 6: come on, you know what I want. I'm not gonna 277 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 6: sell an eBay, like, I just want to have it just. 278 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: In my house. We only have the highest quality guests 279 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: on this show. 280 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 2: So help us support having those guests that we definitely 281 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 2: don't pay for. 282 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: Actually, by listening to these messages, we're back. 283 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 3: The thing I love about this episode is, and you 284 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 3: mentioned it being like a standalone is Bruce gets challenged 285 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 3: in a way that kind of doesn't really happen in 286 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 3: the rest of the series. Both on to your point, 287 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 3: what he's doing with his money, and then the fact 288 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 3: that his very can perception of what reality is is 289 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 3: directly challenged in this episode. How did you balance like 290 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 3: all that stuff, because you know, of course Bruce and 291 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 3: Batman are such grounded characters, and now all of a 292 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 3: sudden he's coming up against something that completely upends his 293 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 3: idea of what the world is. 294 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 6: Like the way they described Bruce and Batman to me 295 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 6: was a bit like mister Spock, you know, like his 296 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 6: his level of oddness, his level of like relying on logic, 297 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 6: Like he wasn't quite on the spectrum, but he was 298 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 6: definitely a little to the left of typical, you know, 299 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 6: definitely neurodiversion in some way. And so the idea that, 300 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 6: like mister Spock, when confronted with the impossible, still begins 301 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 6: to absorb it and push through it and just get 302 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 6: the job done. And so like, this was never a 303 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 6: thing that was going to alter Bruce's or Batman's worldview. 304 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:08,120 Speaker 6: This was just a this is a weird blip, This 305 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 6: is not the job. Like, I don't have to investigate 306 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 6: how are there suddenly ghosts in the world. I just 307 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 6: need to know what how to solve this particular issue. 308 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:19,479 Speaker 6: So it was never like we're going to shake him 309 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 6: to his core with the existence of you know, paranormal. 310 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 6: It was more he will take this information on board 311 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 6: processes and use it to solve the problem in hand, 312 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 6: which made it an easier dramatic problem to solve because 313 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 6: if I suddenly have to have a Batman who's like, 314 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:40,439 Speaker 6: oh my god, everybody's dead. There's ghosts everywhere, like can 315 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,159 Speaker 6: I find my parents or my parents? 316 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 1: Oh my god? 317 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 6: Like that is a huge can of worms that nobody 318 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,200 Speaker 6: wants to open. So yeah, keep him on rails, keep 319 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 6: him on task. 320 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you did a great job with that. 321 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 1: I think a lot about this episode. 322 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 2: When the Gentleman goes goes through the wall and then 323 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 2: Batman's like grasping at the bits left behind. 324 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 6: What is this? 325 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 2: You know? 326 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: I think I think you really did that. 327 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 2: So when you're approaching something like this right where the 328 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 2: the KP Crusoder is a totally new kind of vision 329 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 2: for Gotham, but you're taking on a character like the 330 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 2: Gentleman Ghost who's from like the four E's from a 331 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 2: flash comic Flash Aea, Joe Cuba, Robert Canada, Like these 332 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 2: are big things. Did you go back and look at 333 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:27,360 Speaker 2: those things, or are you just like this is a 334 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 2: new space, Like what can I do with this character? 335 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 6: It was very much like a new version of an 336 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 6: old character, and most of what had been part of 337 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 6: that initial creation didn't apply anymore. Yeah, you know, so 338 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:44,920 Speaker 6: it was it was very much like, here's a new guy. 339 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 6: Here's what he wants, you know, here's the obstacle to 340 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 6: get in what he wants, you know, Like the for 341 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 6: the longest time, it was what does he need money for? 342 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's a ghost. 343 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 6: He's a ghost. He can't actually carry it with him, Like, 344 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 6: so what does he need this money for? And and 345 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,479 Speaker 6: so figuring out like what his big issues were, what 346 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 6: was his conflict, what was what was the thing driving him? 347 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 6: And it was just like Gotham has turned into a sesspool, 348 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,640 Speaker 6: Like why all of these people who shouldn't be here, 349 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 6: you know, we're giving them too much that we were 350 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 6: handing out too many things, like I just need to 351 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 6: find a way to balance the scales in favor of 352 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 6: the aristocracy, and like that became the overriding character want 353 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 6: and the only stuff that maintained with his backstory was 354 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 6: the stuff that fed into that, you know, So like 355 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 6: all right, so he's gonna be, you know, part of 356 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,400 Speaker 6: the Gotham like five founding families or whatever. But like 357 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:43,159 Speaker 6: the one that nobody liked, the one who was like 358 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 6: they all got together like the Founder's club, and he 359 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 6: was the one who sat in the corner. Yeah, it's 360 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,640 Speaker 6: like settle down, bro, Like, not about that life anymore. 361 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:52,680 Speaker 6: It's the new world. Yeah. 362 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,719 Speaker 2: Also, like, if you're getting all this money, guess how 363 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 2: you could make people's lives bad. Just give them the money, 364 00:19:57,359 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 2: all the poor people often that would actually help, which 365 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 2: I think I think is a great that's a really great 366 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 2: kind of mirror to the Batman question that we all 367 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 2: always have, Yeah. 368 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 6: That we all always have, which is, hey man, you 369 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 6: know what Gotham really needs infrastructure, you know, like great schools, 370 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 6: you know, maybe after school programs, you know what. It 371 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,440 Speaker 6: doesn't really need punching crime in the face. 372 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: That's for you, that's what you need. 373 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,360 Speaker 6: Yeah, Like you do that because you just like it. 374 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:27,120 Speaker 6: It's not actually helping Gotham very much, you know, which 375 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,680 Speaker 6: is what Alfred says in the movies, which is like 376 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 6: it's an arms race, Like you know, you show up 377 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 6: and suddenly there's a guy in a mask and then 378 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 6: it invites conflict. It's a vision speech right from Infinity War. 379 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 6: It's like power in fights. Conflict invites challenge, creates chaos. 380 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,159 Speaker 6: It's like, Man, if you just stay Bruce, Wayne and 381 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 6: invested in Gotham, this probably would be a better place. 382 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,119 Speaker 3: Tell us about breaking this story. How much of the 383 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 3: arc of the season was in place when you came 384 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:55,880 Speaker 3: to the project. 385 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 6: I think they knew. They knew very much what the 386 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 6: you know, they knew where we're starting, they knew where 387 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 6: it was ending. You know, they knew all of the episodes. 388 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 6: They wanted to tell that story. And so when I 389 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 6: signed on, like they sent me about a page a 390 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 6: page and a half of like here's kind of what 391 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 6: this episode is. It didn't have all of the beats 392 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 6: worked out, or didn't have all of the logic stuff, 393 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 6: Like again we had to figure out what does he 394 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,400 Speaker 6: want with money? Was not a problem that had been 395 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 6: solved in the writer's room. But and then they told 396 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 6: me like, yeah, you're gonna have Pop a Midnight Like 397 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 6: you know, it's going on his clue path to solving it. 398 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:32,360 Speaker 6: We can incorporate this character. I was like, we're doing 399 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:37,399 Speaker 6: popa Midnight? Bat man like, Okay, all right, I see you. 400 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 6: Let's let's go, you know, And so then it became 401 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 6: an extraction process. It became like here's the page in half, 402 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 6: Let's blow that up into six pages. Let's blow that 403 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 6: up then into fifteen pages, let's blow that up into 404 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 6: thirty pages. And with each subsequent pass, you're just adding 405 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:55,920 Speaker 6: more detail, You're adding more character, you're adding more conflict, 406 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 6: you know, like they knew they wanted a horse on 407 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 6: a subway car, you know, cool, like how do we 408 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,119 Speaker 6: get there to how do we do it? Like, you know, 409 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:07,879 Speaker 6: we knew we wanted some kind of heist in the beginning, 410 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 6: but we weren't entirely sure who was stealing. We knew 411 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 6: the gentleman Ghost is going to be stealing a thing, 412 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,399 Speaker 6: we didn't know if he was robbing other criminals, if 413 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,360 Speaker 6: he was robbing whatever, Like let's make it a charities thing. 414 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,439 Speaker 6: Like all of that just sort of came out in 415 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 6: the writing. But you know, the the idea of the 416 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 6: gentleman ghost as a classist was there for the job that, 417 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 6: you know, and so just and figuring out ways to 418 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 6: amplify that story and figure out ways to make Lucius 419 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,679 Speaker 6: be both a victim and have agency, you know, for 420 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 6: him not to sort of be be diminished in the 421 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 6: presence of the gentleman ghost. You know, it's like the 422 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 6: men the ghost shows up like up go as dukes 423 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 6: in a proper like nineteen forties your dukes, the Marquis 424 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 6: of Queensberry rules, Let's. 425 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: Go for you when it comes. 426 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 2: Something that I think was really really cool about this 427 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 2: show and definitely something me and Joelle have talked about 428 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:09,160 Speaker 2: a lot, is like this does move away from kind 429 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 2: of the way that bodies were drawn in Batman. That 430 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 2: animated series had this very specific look that we still 431 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 2: see on the incredible action figures that they do. 432 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,160 Speaker 1: It's kind of this inverted triangle look. 433 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 2: No matter who you are, you're an inverted triangle, and 434 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 2: it's so powerful and striking. But in Kate Crusader we 435 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 2: get some real body diversity. There are all different kinds 436 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 2: of bodies, there are all different kinds of characters. You're 437 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,320 Speaker 2: someone who's fought to make stories more inclusive and stuff. 438 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,359 Speaker 2: What was it like to come to a project that 439 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 2: was already naturally doing that and thinking about things like 440 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 2: class and thinking about things like body diversity, and thinking 441 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 2: about things like what Goffam would really. 442 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,919 Speaker 6: Look like I mean, it's it was liberating, you know, 443 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 6: because a lot of the time, you know, that fight 444 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 6: is a fight that not many people are trying to have, 445 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 6: you know, and some of that is just literally like 446 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 6: and I never blame anybody for it, because it's a 447 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 6: thing that I have personally had to divest myself of, 448 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 6: divorce myself from, which is if you grow up, regardless 449 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 6: of who you are, where you're from, the color of 450 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 6: your parents, whatever it is, if you're growing up in America, 451 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 6: you're growing up in a society that tells stories through 452 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 6: a white lens. And for a very long time, the 453 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 6: stories that I wrote were through a white lens because 454 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 6: I grew up in the eighties, you know, I love 455 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 6: action movies and like, who are my heroes going to be? 456 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 6: If not Schwarzenigrancet alone and Bruce Willison and John Claude 457 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,080 Speaker 6: van Dam and like there was not a ton of 458 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 6: like you get a call Weathers and like yeah, but otherwise, 459 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 6: you know, or you get a Sorgeny Weaver, but otherwise 460 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 6: the playing field is not particularly welcoming to anybody who 461 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 6: was not that. And so teaching myself how to not 462 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 6: default to that has been a process that I'm only 463 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 6: now coming to, I think the end of so to 464 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 6: come to and then every other show that I've worked 465 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 6: on has been for the most part, you know, kind 466 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 6: of through a white lens, which I don't blame people 467 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 6: for because that's what America is. You know. Cassaroc was 468 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,200 Speaker 6: an interesting one in that, like, oh, we're telling a 469 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,880 Speaker 6: story about this black person who lives in a completely 470 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 6: white town, So like is he how black is he? 471 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 6: Like when did he connect with his own story, with 472 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 6: his own history, with his own culture. That was part 473 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,719 Speaker 6: of that conversation. But to come to Cape Crusader and like, oh, yeah, no, 474 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 6: it is. We we are reimagining what the forties could 475 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 6: be in America. You know, we are. We are wildly diverse. 476 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 6: We are we are incredibly you know, welcoming to everybody. 477 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 6: And animation is better for it because, like, honestly, you 478 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 6: want diversity of shape. You want the eye to be 479 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,200 Speaker 6: drawn in various different ways. Like if everybody is rare 480 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 6: thin and whip it strong, like it's kind of boring 481 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,119 Speaker 6: on screen after a while. If everybody is just that 482 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 6: inverted triangle walking on a pair of pins, it's like 483 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:05,679 Speaker 6: like we should have some larger people, we should have 484 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 6: some shorter people, some sort of tall people, like it's 485 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 6: it's it's it's the old Warner Brothers cartoons like we 486 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 6: got tiny dog, we got big dog, Like that's that's 487 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 6: the The elasticity of that is part of where you 488 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:20,199 Speaker 6: get the drama. And so to not have to to 489 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 6: not have to like put up my dukes and try 490 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 6: to have conversations with people about, you know, shaking off 491 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,360 Speaker 6: some of the rust of how we're creating a story 492 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 6: was wonderful, like, hey, you guys already thinking about that 493 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 6: great like let me, let me, let me help you 494 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 6: think a bit more about, you know, ways that we 495 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 6: can highlight how a place like Gotham is broken and 496 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,480 Speaker 6: how it's broken, and how incoming equality is one of 497 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,160 Speaker 6: the ways that that's broken, and how the gentleman goes 498 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 6: is or of the avatar for keeping things the way 499 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 6: they were, if not, if not making Gotham great again, 500 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 6: like let's do it. Let's lean into it as far 501 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 6: as we're willing to lean and and they were harberscent 502 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 6: on board. 503 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 3: Let's talk about Papa Midnight was so wonderful to seem 504 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 3: in this episode what a, what a what a great surprise. 505 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,399 Speaker 3: Tell us about Papa Midnight and what it was like 506 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 3: integrating him into the context of Gotham. 507 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 6: I mean, Papa Midnight is an awesome character and always 508 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 6: has been, even in in you know, the back of 509 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 6: my head, I always hear like Jeffrey Holder's voice, you know, 510 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 6: like the Crab from like Sepassion from the Little Mermaid, 511 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:32,680 Speaker 6: like that that very deep. Hey, what do you need 512 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:37,879 Speaker 6: from me? Like that's always what's in my head, you know. 513 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 6: And I love John and Huntsu's performance in The Constantine, 514 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,359 Speaker 6: Like Batman was always going to need a clue path 515 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,840 Speaker 6: to follow, it was always going to need information like 516 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 6: that's that's how detectives work. Like I don't know everything. 517 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 6: I've got to find things, and so how can I 518 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 6: find out information? How can I do battle with a 519 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,280 Speaker 6: thing that I've never done battle with before? You know, 520 00:27:58,520 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 6: I mean it was a bit of a jump for 521 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:02,440 Speaker 6: like Alfred to be like, I know a guy, and like, 522 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 6: what is Alfred know wizards who live in this part 523 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:11,360 Speaker 6: of the city we're moving on? And how Alfred knows 524 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 6: Papa Midnight. 525 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,120 Speaker 1: Yes, bud O pal you know, he's. 526 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 6: A drinking buddy, like there's a there's a pub in 527 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 6: the in the Bowery that they hang out at. But 528 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 6: so it was always going to be a pit stop, 529 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 6: like you needed to have that information from somebody, and 530 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 6: they're like, we can do Papa Midnight. I was like, 531 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 6: that's perfect, Like and for Papa Midnight to have his 532 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,760 Speaker 6: own agenda, for him to have his own wants, like 533 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 6: I will help you if you help me, here's what 534 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 6: I need, you know. I think there there at some 535 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 6: point was a sequence or version of a scene where 536 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 6: where you know, and spoilers if you haven't seen this episode, 537 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 6: but come on, we're all here, we're all we're all planning. Yeah, 538 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 6: where where Batman gives the spirit of the Gentleman Ghost 539 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 6: to Papa Midnight. There had been a scene where Papa 540 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 6: Midnight then goes to the back of his store and 541 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 6: like you see a wall vials where he's just been 542 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 6: collecting spirits and this is the like the latest of them, 543 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 6: you know, whether it's some kind of like you know, 544 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 6: supernatural jail, whether it's you know, I'm just holding onto 545 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 6: this for for for my own advantages, unclear, But I 546 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 6: was like that's cool, and they were like, I'm sure 547 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 6: we're not building another animated set. We're here on We're 548 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 6: here in the in the graveyard. This is perfectly fine. 549 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 6: We just gotta we have to, we have to pay 550 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 6: this off. So here's your spirit. What are gonna do 551 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 6: with it? I don't ever know. I'll see you led 552 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 6: to Batman and all he goes into the into the distance. 553 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 6: But he was super fun. It was super fun getting 554 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:43,240 Speaker 6: to play with the supernatural, especially from Midnight's perspective. Who 555 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 6: for him, it's pass him. It's just like this is 556 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 6: just another day, yep, you know, which I think helps 557 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 6: the Batman not be so gobsmacked by there being the supernatural. 558 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 6: If everybody treats it like it's normal, then it's normal. 559 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, he doesn't have to worry. 560 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 3: There's a little button line which I thought that was 561 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 3: perfect for doing exactly this the thing that you're talking about, 562 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 3: where you know, Batman's like he hands over the spirit. 563 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 3: He's like, I guess I do. I want to know 564 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,400 Speaker 3: what you're going to do with that, and Pabamanna, it's 565 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 3: just like no, like, okay. 566 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 1: It's done, don't worry about it. 567 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 6: Yeah, which, which you know, ties back into the into 568 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 6: the Lucius Fox conversation with Bruce, and it was like, 569 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 6: there's this discretionary fund. Do I want to know what 570 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 6: you do with this money? You probably don't. I remember 571 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 6: like there was some early draft who was like, it's 572 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 6: probably sex type stuff, right, You got a discretionary fund 573 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 6: for for freaky free? 574 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that man's pretty freaking and then he's. 575 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 6: Pretty freaky and like that very quickly fell out of 576 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 6: the episode. 577 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 2: Making TV, making comics, making anything, it is a labor 578 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 2: of love, and then you put it out there in 579 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,360 Speaker 2: the world and it exists and it doesn't belong to 580 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 2: you anymore. What's it been like get to see how 581 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,040 Speaker 2: much people love this show and getting to see you know, 582 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:05,239 Speaker 2: it's the number one show on Amazon and people are 583 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 2: responding really well to the Gentleman Ghosts. They think this 584 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,960 Speaker 2: is a super cool idea. They're loving the vibe of 585 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 2: the show. What's it like to get to make something 586 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 2: that hits with the right audience. 587 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 6: It is always a surprise, because for as good as 588 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 6: you might think it is, there's a lot of great 589 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:24,840 Speaker 6: stuff that nobody watches. Yep, you know, there's a lot 590 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:27,040 Speaker 6: of good stuff that just falls through the cracks, Like 591 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 6: there's too much stuff in the world. You know, you 592 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 6: can't watch everything even if you try to watch everything 593 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,680 Speaker 6: somebody recommended to you, like, it's impossible to do. Yeah, 594 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 6: And so the the the surprise, the joy, the gratitude 595 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 6: of an audience who like finds the work, appreciates the work, 596 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 6: and then tells other people about it, like, hey, you 597 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,560 Speaker 6: want to watch this? This is pretty good? Like that is? 598 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,040 Speaker 6: That is? That's the dream, you know, to be able 599 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 6: to channel a piece of joy from your childhood and 600 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 6: fashion it into a somewhat new form and then deliver 601 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 6: it into an audience who seems to have been waiting 602 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 6: for it in a way you can't know four years 603 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:11,200 Speaker 6: ago when the process begins. You know, animation just takes 604 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 6: forever to do, and it's always an article of faith 605 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 6: that by the time we're done with this process, there 606 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 6: will be an audience who wants it. And it doesn't 607 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 6: always happen that way, so when it does, it is 608 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 6: always just a treat to be like, oh they liked it. 609 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 6: Oh I'm so happy now. 610 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 3: Well, Mark, thank you so much for taking the time 611 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 3: to join us. We really appreciate it. Where can people 612 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 3: find your stuff? Plug whatever projects you would love to plug. 613 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,720 Speaker 6: The easiest way to find me is Instagram at Mark 614 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 6: Bernardin on Blue Sky and threads the same. I'm no 615 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 6: longer on the hell site because life is too short. Correct, 616 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:54,720 Speaker 6: I will I will plug. I will plug two things. 617 00:32:54,760 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 6: I will plug Eyes of Wakanda, which is coming hopefully 618 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 6: next year if not. I'm never entirely sure what the 619 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,320 Speaker 6: animation schedule is in Marvel, but like the show, I 620 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 6: think is pretty much done, so that just depends on 621 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 6: when they want to reveal it, release it. What have you? 622 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 6: D twenty three that that little blip was promising that 623 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,960 Speaker 6: they have faith enough in it to pull to pull 624 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 6: Ryan Coogler out of his Oakland layer and come down 625 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 6: to Anaheim to talk about it. So yeah, I can't 626 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 6: wait till people see that it was. It was so 627 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 6: much fun to work on and some of those stories 628 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,840 Speaker 6: are are powerful in ways that I don't think we 629 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 6: expected them in the in the room to be powerful, 630 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:42,719 Speaker 6: going places and telling stories that I don't think an 631 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 6: audience will expect. And then I'm I'm launching a Kickstarter 632 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 6: next week called Deepest Darkest. It's an anthology film that 633 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:55,800 Speaker 6: I'm making with a bunch of other TV writers of 634 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 6: color that I know. We're each writing and directing a chapter. 635 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,479 Speaker 6: This is a story about secrets, about the secrets that 636 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 6: we that are too extreme, that are too visual, that 637 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 6: are too heady for us to ever tell anybody, except 638 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 6: that there is one character that sort of wheezed throughout 639 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 6: the anthology who's a bit like Dory and that she 640 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 6: has no short term memory. She forgets things on like 641 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:20,239 Speaker 6: ten minute cycles, which makes her a perfect confessionist to 642 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:23,360 Speaker 6: listen to your secret, absolve you of your sins, and 643 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,520 Speaker 6: then forget everything you told her. And so it's a 644 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,319 Speaker 6: bit of like a Black Mirrory kind of anthology where 645 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,680 Speaker 6: we just we go dark on what's the deepest, darkest 646 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:34,800 Speaker 6: secret you have and then put her on the stage. 647 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:38,160 Speaker 6: And so yeah, that's that launches next Tuesday, the twenty 648 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 6: seventh kickstarter. It's all over everything that I've told you 649 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:44,279 Speaker 6: about where I could be and yeah, that's the thing 650 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:45,840 Speaker 6: that's exciting me the most. Cool. 651 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:47,800 Speaker 3: Well, thank you so much, Mark it theightful. 652 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,520 Speaker 6: This was a blast, gang, Thank you for the invite. 653 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,680 Speaker 3: And we're back for our recap of the back half 654 00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:03,040 Speaker 3: of Cape Crusader Season one on Amazon Prime Video, and 655 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:07,280 Speaker 3: we're on to episode seven Moving Target, written by Adama 656 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:13,120 Speaker 3: Ebo and Adan Ebo, directed by Christina Sada and oh Man. 657 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:18,600 Speaker 3: This is the episode that really drives home just how 658 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:23,840 Speaker 3: corrupt ends beyond redemption Gotham is. 659 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:28,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you know they're calling Matt Reeves Batman Universe. 660 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 2: I think they're calling it something hilarious, like the epic 661 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:34,080 Speaker 2: Batman Crime Universe. I feel like you probably don't need 662 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 2: to have epic there, but I like the implication that 663 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:39,880 Speaker 2: the Penguin, the Batman, It's all going to be this 664 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 2: exploration of crime and corruption in Gotham, and this episode 665 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:49,319 Speaker 2: definitely feels like it's totally seated in that space, like 666 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 2: this is Assassin's This is people trying to kill Jim Gordon, 667 00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:57,880 Speaker 2: the one good person in Gotham, the one moral compass. 668 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:03,720 Speaker 2: Also outrageous weird characters here, like on a matter Payer, 669 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,719 Speaker 2: who was created by Kevin smithan is. 670 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 3: This his animated debut? 671 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:14,080 Speaker 2: I think this may well be his animated debut and 672 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:18,040 Speaker 2: uh and yeah, I just think that, to me is 673 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 2: what this show does so well. It can take something 674 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 2: that's completely outrageous and is in itself a joke. Because 675 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,600 Speaker 2: honomatter Payer is what we call you know, the biff 676 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 2: bang pow sound effects, and make it into something that 677 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:41,440 Speaker 2: feels completely grounded, completely serious, and I think as well, 678 00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:44,279 Speaker 2: like you know, for Kevin Smith, he he did a 679 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:47,759 Speaker 2: tweet and he was like, I can't believe that this 680 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 2: Green Arrow villain created by me, Phil Hester Andy Parks 681 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 2: is in the new Batman Cape Crusader, Like this is 682 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:55,960 Speaker 2: it's crazy to see my bad guy and Bruce Tim's 683 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:57,759 Speaker 2: return to Gotham, and yeah, it. 684 00:36:57,800 --> 00:36:59,200 Speaker 1: Is so good. 685 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,640 Speaker 2: Also, so another I love how they've kind of made 686 00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:06,920 Speaker 2: Barbara her importance in this series, whether it's on the 687 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:09,399 Speaker 2: Batman side, whether it's on the Gordon side, whether it's 688 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 2: in the crime. They know how important Barbara Gordon is 689 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 2: to Gotham, and this episode really leans into this way 690 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,719 Speaker 2: to get to Gym. She's also like fearless. I love 691 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:22,600 Speaker 2: the Ebo Twins. I think they're smashing it. So I 692 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:26,360 Speaker 2: was very happy to see them writing an episode like this, 693 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:28,320 Speaker 2: which was just such a joy. 694 00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 3: There's also the I found it so such a like 695 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:37,600 Speaker 3: trenchant commentary on like how fucked up Gotham is that? 696 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:42,719 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, that the entire scheme, which was just like 697 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:46,320 Speaker 3: a you know, they hit on Gordon spoiler you've watched 698 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 3: it by now, I hope the Yeah, the Gordon threat 699 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,160 Speaker 3: was the distraction. The real person they were trying to 700 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:57,799 Speaker 3: get was Barbara. And the whole thing was said in 701 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 3: motion because a guy wanted like a nicer prison cell. 702 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:06,400 Speaker 3: Like that's how cheap life is in Gotham. 703 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:07,839 Speaker 1: That's how cheap it is. 704 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 2: Like that's and that's kind of like this interesting commentary 705 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,400 Speaker 2: as well on like is it just better to stay 706 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:19,080 Speaker 2: in prisons in Gotham, like rather than rehabilitate yourself and 707 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 2: get out? Is life too expensive outside of prison where 708 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:24,600 Speaker 2: you'd rather just order a hit on someone so that 709 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 2: you could get a little bit of a better accommodation 710 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:30,799 Speaker 2: inside as Yeah, they're doing some really cool stuff here. 711 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,400 Speaker 2: Years ago I wrote this piece when they announced that 712 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,160 Speaker 2: there would be like a GCPD series. I believe it 713 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:43,040 Speaker 2: probably would have been about twenty let's see GCPD series, 714 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 2: but they were going to do like a Gotham CPD 715 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 2: series based on the very beloved kind of comic book. 716 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:55,080 Speaker 2: And after the Batman, you know, I said, well, there's 717 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:56,799 Speaker 2: only one way you can do the show. Oh, this 718 00:38:56,960 --> 00:38:59,240 Speaker 2: was in twenty twenty as well, so and I said, 719 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:03,560 Speaker 2: you got to a show where you're basically dismantling the 720 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,759 Speaker 2: Gotham CEPD because it's so corrupt. You can essentially use 721 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 2: it as a space to explore the ideas of like abolition, 722 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:11,960 Speaker 2: or how would a city look without a police force? 723 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:14,800 Speaker 2: What use is a police force in Gotham when ninety 724 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 2: percent of the police are corrupt. And I actually do 725 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:21,080 Speaker 2: feel like this show, again, kind of behind that guise 726 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 2: of like it's an animated show and people think, oh, 727 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:26,960 Speaker 2: it's for kids or whatever, is actually interrogating those very 728 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,440 Speaker 2: same things. And this is just why I love the 729 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 2: Matt Reeves Batman universe. I think he's doing so much 730 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:37,360 Speaker 2: of what we've all wanted our Batman stories to explore. 731 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:42,160 Speaker 3: Up next episode eight Nocturn, written by Haley Gross, directed 732 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:49,480 Speaker 3: by Matt Peters, and oh. 733 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:50,200 Speaker 2: It's about to start, baby, poor complex of episodes that 734 00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:52,279 Speaker 2: are just gonna absolutely decimate you. 735 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:53,839 Speaker 1: He is going through it. 736 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:57,759 Speaker 3: A couple notable things about this episode. Of course, we 737 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:01,520 Speaker 3: get the long awaited in the context of this season 738 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:07,000 Speaker 3: turn of Harvey Dent towards his alter ego of two Face, 739 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:11,520 Speaker 3: and we maybe meet Robin potentially. 740 00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:12,240 Speaker 4: Man. 741 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,640 Speaker 3: I feel really bad for Harvey. Harvey has been mostly 742 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:18,400 Speaker 3: a scumbag throughout this season. 743 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,320 Speaker 2: Very interesting choice, by the way, as well, the idea 744 00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 2: that he was already corrupted rather than incorruptible until two face. 745 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:29,719 Speaker 3: Naked ambition all the way as he is trying to 746 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:36,440 Speaker 3: gain the mayor's office. And in this episode, you know, 747 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 3: to speaking about the corruption of Gotham City, we understood, 748 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:43,640 Speaker 3: we come to realize just how deep Harvey Dent is 749 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,600 Speaker 3: with that corruption and the lengths he will try to 750 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:54,719 Speaker 3: go to to get himself elected. And yet there is 751 00:40:54,880 --> 00:41:00,080 Speaker 3: still that bit of spine in Harvey that at the 752 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:03,239 Speaker 3: final moment he says, no, I can't. 753 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:04,480 Speaker 1: I'm not going to drop the charges. 754 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:05,440 Speaker 3: I'm not gonna do it. 755 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:07,160 Speaker 6: I have to. 756 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,480 Speaker 3: This is not about it. It becomes like not about 757 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:13,479 Speaker 3: the mayor's office and not about his ambition, becomes about 758 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,880 Speaker 3: right and wrong. He does the right thing, and that 759 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:21,720 Speaker 3: is the thing that leads him to get acid thrown 760 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:25,520 Speaker 3: in his face and his turn to the dark side begins. 761 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 3: I found this to via just a tragic episode in 762 00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:29,480 Speaker 3: a lot of ways. 763 00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:31,560 Speaker 2: I think so too, And I think what they did 764 00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:35,160 Speaker 2: here that was very very clever is you know, we 765 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 2: got on a mat payer in the last episode, and 766 00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:40,520 Speaker 2: we do have like Anton Knight and we have Natalia Knight. 767 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,480 Speaker 2: So that is a little bit of like Batman weirdness 768 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:47,560 Speaker 2: here because they're sucking energy from people. But generally, I 769 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:54,280 Speaker 2: feel like when this moment happened where you get dense 770 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:58,000 Speaker 2: face being you know, disfigured by the acid, it felt 771 00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:00,640 Speaker 2: much more horrific and much more like we were watching 772 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:04,239 Speaker 2: something where somebody, you know, acid attacks happened, and this 773 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:08,080 Speaker 2: felt much closer to that than the kind of usual 774 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:12,840 Speaker 2: pulpy strangeness of like, oh now he's two faced. Well, actually, 775 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:16,920 Speaker 2: this Dent has been balancing that line, as Joelle like. 776 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:18,040 Speaker 1: Perfectly put in these notes. 777 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 2: She said, he's been balancing that line between like greasing 778 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:23,319 Speaker 2: the wheel and actually wanting to make Gotham better this 779 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:23,960 Speaker 2: whole time. 780 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,120 Speaker 1: So two face he already was. 781 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:30,640 Speaker 2: This is just like a really tragic kind of tipping point, 782 00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:33,640 Speaker 2: and I just, yeah, I felt like they went serious 783 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:36,200 Speaker 2: when they needed to go serious, and it starts off 784 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:40,920 Speaker 2: this great kind of three part finisher for this season. 785 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:42,640 Speaker 3: We'll be right back after a. 786 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:58,400 Speaker 4: Quick break and we're back. 787 00:42:58,640 --> 00:42:58,839 Speaker 7: Yeah. 788 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:02,319 Speaker 3: I just love the the balance of Dent and the 789 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:06,840 Speaker 3: way you come to understand that Harvey has crossed a 790 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:07,640 Speaker 3: lot of lines. 791 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:09,239 Speaker 6: He is. 792 00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:15,000 Speaker 3: A self promoter, a nakedly ambitious guy, and at the 793 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:19,640 Speaker 3: same time, part of what drives him is he has 794 00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:24,160 Speaker 3: rationalized all of this line stepping by saying, Okay, well, 795 00:43:24,239 --> 00:43:26,440 Speaker 3: let me just get into the mayor's office and then 796 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:29,759 Speaker 3: I will have the power to really change this city. Yeah, 797 00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:34,600 Speaker 3: And everything that I do, all the ways that I 798 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:39,640 Speaker 3: cross into the gray zone, that I you know, blur 799 00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:44,160 Speaker 3: the lines between right and wrong, all of that will 800 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,880 Speaker 3: be worth it when I get there, because then I 801 00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:49,000 Speaker 3: can really fix this city. 802 00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:50,719 Speaker 1: Then I can do good. 803 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:54,880 Speaker 3: And then I can do good. And you know, he's he, 804 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,319 Speaker 3: I think, mostly crosses the line in a way that 805 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:02,480 Speaker 3: loses sight of that promise. But then he rededicates himself 806 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:07,120 Speaker 3: to that thing right at the moment when he's asked 807 00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:11,400 Speaker 3: to truly corrupt himself beyond redemption and drop the charges. 808 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:16,520 Speaker 3: And the fact again that that leads to the attack 809 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:20,160 Speaker 3: on him, and that's the thing that pushes him over 810 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:25,160 Speaker 3: the edge is really sad and just really affective storytelling. 811 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:27,560 Speaker 2: And also as well, I think it takes away like 812 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:30,440 Speaker 2: some of the inherent ableism of like, oh, when his 813 00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:33,840 Speaker 2: fate when he becomes disabled, he becomes evil. No, actually, 814 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:37,840 Speaker 2: him doing something good and sticking to his morals ended 815 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:40,719 Speaker 2: up being the reason that somebody attacked him. And now 816 00:44:40,719 --> 00:44:44,000 Speaker 2: he has to deal with that duality. And also, obviously 817 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:46,839 Speaker 2: what lesson does that teach him that doing the right 818 00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:48,759 Speaker 2: thing is going to be personally bad for him, And 819 00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:51,719 Speaker 2: it kind of leads to these last two episodes which 820 00:44:51,719 --> 00:44:53,120 Speaker 2: are just really tragic. 821 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:56,759 Speaker 3: Yeah, let's go to the episode nine, The Killer Inside Me, 822 00:44:56,880 --> 00:44:59,920 Speaker 3: written by Jase Ritchie, directed by Christopher Berkeley, and he 823 00:45:00,239 --> 00:45:05,920 Speaker 3: we see Harvey Dent really just lose his grip. He 824 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:09,680 Speaker 3: had been trying to play this double game up until now, 825 00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:13,200 Speaker 3: you know, doing bad things for the right reasons, with 826 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,040 Speaker 3: the hope that one day he could be the person 827 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:20,239 Speaker 3: who could fix the city. And he is coming to 828 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 3: terms with the fact that in his mind it was 829 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:28,240 Speaker 3: never gonna work. It was naive of him to think 830 00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:31,760 Speaker 3: that the city could ever be redeemed, and the only 831 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:36,920 Speaker 3: way now to deal with this city is by becoming 832 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:41,520 Speaker 3: the thing that the city respects, which is chaos and violence. 833 00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:48,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's really sad to see this journey, and again 834 00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:53,080 Speaker 2: we're really getting here this kind of duality of is 835 00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 2: this another reflection of Batman, like how does Gotham impact 836 00:45:57,680 --> 00:46:01,040 Speaker 2: every person who lived inside it and out? Then and 837 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:04,080 Speaker 2: Bruce our friends here, so we get that even more. 838 00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:09,640 Speaker 2: And yeah, I just think this is really sad because 839 00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:13,719 Speaker 2: he is again seeking that justice against those who wronged him. 840 00:46:14,440 --> 00:46:16,600 Speaker 2: And you could say Batman is doing the same thing, 841 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:19,440 Speaker 2: so how different are they? But obviously Dent takes it 842 00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 2: in a much more bleak direction, and yeah, it's it's 843 00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:28,560 Speaker 2: really sad. And then you know, you get the ending 844 00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:31,880 Speaker 2: where he goes to Arkham. He like willingly goes to 845 00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:33,600 Speaker 2: Arkham Asylum because. 846 00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:35,360 Speaker 1: He is again that good side comes out. 847 00:46:35,239 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 2: And he's like, I need to be I need to 848 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,840 Speaker 2: protect Gotham from myself. 849 00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:42,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, and I also need to be protected from myself. 850 00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:47,800 Speaker 3: And that brings us to the finale Savage Night. I 851 00:46:47,840 --> 00:46:50,440 Speaker 3: should say, by the way, that Killer Inside Me that 852 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:53,680 Speaker 3: is a reference to reference. 853 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:55,080 Speaker 1: To there's so many great Nuir nods. 854 00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:58,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, wonderful reference to the nineteen fifty two Big Jim 855 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:03,640 Speaker 3: Thompson novel The Killer Inside Me, which if you like 856 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:07,920 Speaker 3: like hard boiled pulp crime and you want fast reads, 857 00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:11,360 Speaker 3: like two day, three day weekend reads, Big Jim Thompson 858 00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:14,320 Speaker 3: pick up almost anything. And The Killer Inside Me is 859 00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:18,480 Speaker 3: really cool because it's probably his most experimental novel where 860 00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 3: it just delves into the mind and the psychosis of 861 00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:27,680 Speaker 3: a hardened killer in a really like in a way 862 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:31,000 Speaker 3: that is much more experimental than anything else that Big 863 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:32,040 Speaker 3: Jim Thompson has written. 864 00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:35,680 Speaker 2: And also Jim Thompson Savage Night is another one of 865 00:47:35,719 --> 00:47:39,279 Speaker 2: his novels, so they were really leaning into it here 866 00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:42,479 Speaker 2: and I love it. This is not afraid to show 867 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:46,200 Speaker 2: its love for its noir influence. 868 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:51,080 Speaker 3: Savage Night written by Ed Bruce Baker, directed by Christina Soda. 869 00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:54,360 Speaker 2: And yeah, Ed, here, baby, you know it's going to 870 00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:56,480 Speaker 2: be good. He's a noir legend. 871 00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:57,200 Speaker 6: Here. 872 00:47:57,239 --> 00:48:04,359 Speaker 3: It is the conference between Batman, between Dent, between the 873 00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:10,000 Speaker 3: Dirty Cops, and all of the threads that we've seen 874 00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:14,080 Speaker 3: woven through season one coming to a head here in 875 00:48:14,640 --> 00:48:20,600 Speaker 3: just like an incredible finale that, to your point, is 876 00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:24,000 Speaker 3: an interrogation of Batman and his methods in a lot 877 00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:30,000 Speaker 3: of ways, through the Dirty Cops through Two Face. It 878 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:33,680 Speaker 3: makes you think about what Batman is doing and really 879 00:48:33,760 --> 00:48:36,880 Speaker 3: ask yourself and ask Batman, what makes you the hero? 880 00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:39,320 Speaker 1: Mm hmm, what's different about that? 881 00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:41,080 Speaker 3: What's different about what you do. 882 00:48:41,120 --> 00:48:42,360 Speaker 1: What's different about what you do? 883 00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:45,200 Speaker 2: And also something that I love here is we get 884 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:48,839 Speaker 2: that moment after you know, Dent sacrifices himself once again, 885 00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:56,560 Speaker 2: his goodness overcoming his kind of vengeance, right, but Batman 886 00:48:56,840 --> 00:48:59,759 Speaker 2: almost loses it after that, and we get this great 887 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:02,239 Speaker 2: moment where he threatens to shoot Flass And I'm sure 888 00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:04,080 Speaker 2: for a lot of viewers they were like, oh, that's 889 00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:06,520 Speaker 2: so weird. One Batman doesn't kill, two why does he 890 00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:12,360 Speaker 2: have a gun? But the original Golden Age, early Batman comics, 891 00:49:12,520 --> 00:49:15,399 Speaker 2: he does shoot people and they do die, and he 892 00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:16,879 Speaker 2: you know, hangs people out. 893 00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:18,800 Speaker 3: Of free cold baby Fred. 894 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:24,200 Speaker 2: He was much more of that noirh hero that we 895 00:49:24,200 --> 00:49:26,239 Speaker 2: were used to. So I loved that this was a 896 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,719 Speaker 2: throwback to that and also that ultimate conversation about you know, 897 00:49:29,719 --> 00:49:32,360 Speaker 2: people say Batman doesn't kill, trust me go to ign. 898 00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:34,480 Speaker 2: I wrote like a three thousand word piece on it. 899 00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:38,320 Speaker 2: He does kill sometimes. So it's a very murky space. 900 00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:43,000 Speaker 2: But I love that in this moment Alfred, you know, 901 00:49:43,200 --> 00:49:45,680 Speaker 2: it's like what Alfred says. He says like Dent did 902 00:49:45,719 --> 00:49:49,239 Speaker 2: lose his humanity, but you've still got yours, I will say. 903 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:50,120 Speaker 6: I also, I. 904 00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:51,399 Speaker 2: Don't know if I agree with that, because I think 905 00:49:51,440 --> 00:49:57,360 Speaker 2: dentse humanity is what made him sacrifice himself to save Barbara. 906 00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:01,799 Speaker 2: But Batman is still able to nact is humanity. But yeah, 907 00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:03,880 Speaker 2: like you said, this is a great interrogation of that, 908 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:06,640 Speaker 2: like the whole series. Really we talked to Mark about it. 909 00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:09,640 Speaker 2: What does Batman do and is it useful? 910 00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:10,160 Speaker 6: Yeah? 911 00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:11,920 Speaker 1: And like is he I. 912 00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:16,479 Speaker 2: Was recently writing about the new Sailor Moon movie, which 913 00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:20,040 Speaker 2: is a two part ova on Netflix called Sailor Moon Cosmos. 914 00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:20,880 Speaker 1: It's delightful. 915 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:26,120 Speaker 2: It actually adapts the final arc of the Incredible manga. 916 00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:28,279 Speaker 2: But I wrote an article for IGN that was, like, 917 00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:33,879 Speaker 2: the whole two part event is about the question of 918 00:50:34,360 --> 00:50:38,200 Speaker 2: what happens when you become a superhero? Do the villains 919 00:50:38,239 --> 00:50:40,800 Speaker 2: come to you or do you go to the villains? 920 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:44,080 Speaker 2: And by being a superhero, do you create the villains? 921 00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:48,160 Speaker 2: And so it has this really great evocative storyline about 922 00:50:48,200 --> 00:50:50,160 Speaker 2: that that I feel like it answers in a much 923 00:50:50,160 --> 00:50:52,080 Speaker 2: better way than a lot of comics do because it's 924 00:50:52,080 --> 00:50:55,160 Speaker 2: an ending, it's a true ending, so you can really 925 00:50:55,239 --> 00:50:57,960 Speaker 2: answer that question. And obviously with Sailor Moon, it's about love, 926 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,759 Speaker 2: it's about compassion, it's about forgiveness. But I love that 927 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:04,640 Speaker 2: we're still having these conversations because we all know that's 928 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:08,359 Speaker 2: the biggest question. If Batman didn't exist, with the Joker exists, right, 929 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:10,640 Speaker 2: you know that's what we're always asking I speaking of 930 00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:12,320 Speaker 2: the Joker, here he is. 931 00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:18,799 Speaker 3: We get Little Teas season two, Loving Man season two. 932 00:51:18,920 --> 00:51:23,760 Speaker 2: Baby, So somebody has been killing a series of victims 933 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:26,080 Speaker 2: with a toxin that makes them laugh uncontrollably. 934 00:51:26,200 --> 00:51:28,279 Speaker 1: I wonder could be who kid me? 935 00:51:29,320 --> 00:51:37,920 Speaker 3: I'm so excited for that. This series has retconned almost 936 00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:43,160 Speaker 3: all the characters and certainly all of the Rogues Gallery 937 00:51:44,200 --> 00:51:49,200 Speaker 3: in really fascinating ways. Yeah, and I wonder what they'll 938 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:53,360 Speaker 3: do with the Joker. I am so exciting, really excited 939 00:51:53,400 --> 00:51:53,880 Speaker 3: to see. 940 00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:54,919 Speaker 1: What they do with the Joker. 941 00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:59,160 Speaker 2: I honestly think this is like quite a modern masterpiece 942 00:51:59,239 --> 00:52:03,480 Speaker 2: of storyteller. I feel like we're very lucky to live 943 00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:05,840 Speaker 2: in an era where we can get X Men ninety seven, 944 00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:08,960 Speaker 2: which is fully embraced in the nostalgia and making us 945 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:12,040 Speaker 2: feel like we're back as kids again reading X Men, 946 00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:14,440 Speaker 2: picking it up off the wall, watching X Men ninety two, 947 00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:16,840 Speaker 2: and then get something like this that says, well, you 948 00:52:16,880 --> 00:52:19,640 Speaker 2: are the kids who watched Batman, the animated series, But 949 00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:22,040 Speaker 2: what if you've grown up with it, What if you're 950 00:52:22,080 --> 00:52:24,480 Speaker 2: an adult now, which we all are, what would you 951 00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:26,879 Speaker 2: like to watch? And it's something completely different. I mean, 952 00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:29,960 Speaker 2: to get both of these in one year is incredibly lucky. 953 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:35,200 Speaker 3: Well, we'll be looking forward to that. Of next we're 954 00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:39,120 Speaker 3: reacting to The Crow, the remake. 955 00:52:39,080 --> 00:52:45,080 Speaker 7: Of the nineteen ninety one four Wow, nineteen ninety four 956 00:52:45,719 --> 00:52:52,000 Speaker 7: action film starring a little Brother Scars Guard Billy Yeah, Billy, 957 00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:54,000 Speaker 7: Billy Scars. 958 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:59,839 Speaker 3: It is uploxed, all right, Rosie the Crow twenty twenty 959 00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:01,719 Speaker 3: five version. 960 00:53:02,239 --> 00:53:03,080 Speaker 1: It's out. 961 00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:08,319 Speaker 3: It's out now, directed by Rupert Sanders, starring Bill Scarsguard 962 00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:14,319 Speaker 3: Fka Twiggs, and Danny Houston. Your thoughts about The Crow? 963 00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:17,759 Speaker 1: Okay, surprising nobody here. 964 00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:22,040 Speaker 2: I'm sure I actually thought this was a very enjoyable movie. 965 00:53:21,560 --> 00:53:26,040 Speaker 1: I liked the reinterpretation obviously. 966 00:53:26,080 --> 00:53:28,560 Speaker 2: Look there's a nineteen ninety four version of The Crow 967 00:53:28,920 --> 00:53:32,120 Speaker 2: starring Brandon Lee, which was a movie he was making 968 00:53:32,239 --> 00:53:36,480 Speaker 2: when he died because of an issue with a weapon 969 00:53:36,560 --> 00:53:37,839 Speaker 2: onset that killed him. 970 00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:39,800 Speaker 1: And that movie is iconic. 971 00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:43,879 Speaker 2: It's beautiful, it's legendary, and I will say I think 972 00:53:43,920 --> 00:53:46,560 Speaker 2: they should have not tried to do another version of 973 00:53:46,680 --> 00:53:49,360 Speaker 2: James Obarr's The Crow, which is the comic book that 974 00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:52,480 Speaker 2: it's based on, So all of that in context, I 975 00:53:52,560 --> 00:53:54,959 Speaker 2: never thought this was a particularly good idea. I will 976 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:57,320 Speaker 2: say I do not think the marketing for this movie 977 00:53:57,760 --> 00:53:59,920 Speaker 2: was good. I think it made it look like it 978 00:53:59,960 --> 00:54:03,839 Speaker 2: was going to be a Suicide Squad esque edgy kind 979 00:54:03,840 --> 00:54:07,080 Speaker 2: of nonsense fest, and actually I found it to be 980 00:54:07,320 --> 00:54:11,080 Speaker 2: quite a romantic, sweet story that was also weird and 981 00:54:11,120 --> 00:54:12,680 Speaker 2: then really really violent at the end. 982 00:54:12,880 --> 00:54:16,359 Speaker 1: I feel like my letterbox review was basically. 983 00:54:16,280 --> 00:54:18,680 Speaker 2: That I think it will come to be seen as 984 00:54:18,719 --> 00:54:21,360 Speaker 2: like this Generation's like Queen of the Damned, so a 985 00:54:21,400 --> 00:54:24,919 Speaker 2: movie where I think in the future people are gonna 986 00:54:24,920 --> 00:54:26,960 Speaker 2: say I love this movie or Twilight. 987 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:27,160 Speaker 1: You know. 988 00:54:27,239 --> 00:54:29,960 Speaker 2: This also was giving big Twilight vibes to me. It's 989 00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:34,799 Speaker 2: like the movie is not a brilliantly crafted movie, though 990 00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:36,879 Speaker 2: it does look rather than nice, and it is a 991 00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:40,600 Speaker 2: total reinterpretation. And my favorite thing about it is that 992 00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:43,600 Speaker 2: they make Shelley a main character instead of essentially just 993 00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:46,000 Speaker 2: fridging her, which would which does make sense in the 994 00:54:46,000 --> 00:54:48,280 Speaker 2: context of the comics, because the comic is an exploration 995 00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:51,520 Speaker 2: of grief by James Obarr, So that's why it happened 996 00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:54,279 Speaker 2: that way. But for me, I actually feel like this 997 00:54:54,320 --> 00:54:57,399 Speaker 2: does not deserve that crazy Rotten Tomatoes review. I think 998 00:54:57,400 --> 00:54:59,640 Speaker 2: people it's easy to shit on a movie like this. 999 00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:02,440 Speaker 2: And if you remember when Constantine came out, it was 1000 00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:06,080 Speaker 2: critically dragged. When you know Twilight came out critically dragged, 1001 00:55:06,120 --> 00:55:08,799 Speaker 2: When Queen of the Dam came out critically dragged, all 1002 00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:11,760 Speaker 2: of those movies. You could have many arguments about whether 1003 00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:15,440 Speaker 2: or not their cinematic masterpieces. But I do believe this 1004 00:55:15,520 --> 00:55:19,520 Speaker 2: movie will find its audience, likely in teenagers now who 1005 00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:22,200 Speaker 2: will find it, think it's cool, and then in twenty 1006 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:26,040 Speaker 2: years will enjoy kind of the campy nature of it. 1007 00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:27,640 Speaker 1: So that's my feeling. Jason, how about you. 1008 00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:31,880 Speaker 3: I thought this was a bad movie, but with some 1009 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,680 Speaker 3: interesting things about it, and certainly not a bad movie 1010 00:55:35,360 --> 00:55:39,040 Speaker 3: where I'm sitting there and I'm hating my life. You 1011 00:55:39,080 --> 00:55:42,240 Speaker 3: know this is not gonna let there be carnage type 1012 00:55:42,280 --> 00:55:46,600 Speaker 3: of situation, But also neither it is. Is it a 1013 00:55:46,640 --> 00:55:47,840 Speaker 3: Madam Web where. 1014 00:55:47,680 --> 00:55:50,919 Speaker 1: The camp that's true, it didn't go that far. 1015 00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:53,879 Speaker 3: Yeah, where the camp is so dialed up that it's 1016 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:54,680 Speaker 3: kind of fun. 1017 00:55:54,840 --> 00:55:55,880 Speaker 1: With how bad it is. 1018 00:55:57,239 --> 00:56:00,719 Speaker 3: There's certainly campy elements to this start. Of the things 1019 00:56:00,760 --> 00:56:03,000 Speaker 3: I liked, I liked to your point. I liked that 1020 00:56:03,080 --> 00:56:08,399 Speaker 3: they significantly changed the original James O. Bar story that is, 1021 00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:13,080 Speaker 3: you know, a classic in the genre of fridging, and they, 1022 00:56:13,239 --> 00:56:17,440 Speaker 3: to your point, made Shelley more of an active participant 1023 00:56:17,440 --> 00:56:22,000 Speaker 3: in the story. I think Bill Scarsguard is wonderful, and 1024 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:26,480 Speaker 3: I think FK. Twigs is really good, and I think 1025 00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:31,080 Speaker 3: it looks great. And I also loved the weirder like 1026 00:56:31,200 --> 00:56:34,520 Speaker 3: supernatural turns. That's was actually the most compelling stuff to 1027 00:56:34,600 --> 00:56:35,680 Speaker 3: me was like the weird shit. 1028 00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:39,040 Speaker 2: I think they should have gone weird weird could have 1029 00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:40,160 Speaker 2: found an audience quicker. 1030 00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:44,920 Speaker 3: So this is it's like part weird, part john Wick. 1031 00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:51,120 Speaker 3: And my opinion is that they should have picked a 1032 00:56:51,200 --> 00:56:53,359 Speaker 3: ling either get a lot weirder or get a lot 1033 00:56:53,400 --> 00:56:56,520 Speaker 3: more john Wick. Now the stuff that was, I think 1034 00:56:56,640 --> 00:56:59,880 Speaker 3: they made it hard for themselves because you know, the 1035 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:05,759 Speaker 3: original Crow, the Crow when he comes back just can fight, 1036 00:57:06,120 --> 00:57:09,120 Speaker 3: and it's you don't need to explain why he was 1037 00:57:09,200 --> 00:57:11,400 Speaker 3: just a guy. But when he comes back supernaturally all 1038 00:57:11,400 --> 00:57:14,120 Speaker 3: of a sudden, like he's got martial arts moves. Yeah, 1039 00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:16,760 Speaker 3: and you didn't wonder about it. In this movie, there's 1040 00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:20,520 Speaker 3: like this you know, he comes back, Eric comes back, 1041 00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:24,760 Speaker 3: and it is still just a guy and his really 1042 00:57:24,800 --> 00:57:28,680 Speaker 3: can just like absorb bullets, but he's not really able 1043 00:57:28,720 --> 00:57:32,280 Speaker 3: to fight really for the whole movie, and so you've got. 1044 00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:34,760 Speaker 3: What you've got is an action film in which the 1045 00:57:34,840 --> 00:57:37,240 Speaker 3: action is kind of just like not that compelling because 1046 00:57:37,240 --> 00:57:39,120 Speaker 3: it's a guy just getting shot over and over, yeah, 1047 00:57:39,160 --> 00:57:41,960 Speaker 3: and he doesn't know, he doesn't have like moves that. 1048 00:57:41,960 --> 00:57:42,760 Speaker 1: He uses, you know. 1049 00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:45,480 Speaker 2: And then at the end he just becomes incredibly proficient 1050 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:47,720 Speaker 2: with the samurai saword and you get this kind of 1051 00:57:48,160 --> 00:57:54,120 Speaker 2: explosive anime level goal, which is another weird element of 1052 00:57:54,160 --> 00:57:54,600 Speaker 2: the film. 1053 00:57:55,200 --> 00:57:57,880 Speaker 3: And so I thought that they made it hard for 1054 00:57:57,920 --> 00:58:01,240 Speaker 3: themselves in that regard, Like I think it probably I 1055 00:58:01,840 --> 00:58:04,760 Speaker 3: think it's a better movie if you know, fuck the 1056 00:58:04,840 --> 00:58:10,080 Speaker 3: fact that Eric, you know, was like a part time 1057 00:58:10,520 --> 00:58:16,200 Speaker 3: like delinquent who didn't really work out and probably couldn't fight, 1058 00:58:16,400 --> 00:58:18,160 Speaker 3: like just make it so he could fight, just make 1059 00:58:18,200 --> 00:58:21,480 Speaker 3: it can fight, And I think that would have made 1060 00:58:21,520 --> 00:58:27,800 Speaker 3: it easier for them, But not a particularly great film. 1061 00:58:27,840 --> 00:58:32,520 Speaker 3: I also wonder about releasing it, Like I was asking myself, 1062 00:58:32,560 --> 00:58:35,440 Speaker 3: like why now? Why why now? 1063 00:58:35,800 --> 00:58:38,880 Speaker 2: I also was like in a world where and I 1064 00:58:38,920 --> 00:58:42,240 Speaker 2: love the theatrical experience, and good I did have a 1065 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:45,120 Speaker 2: good theatrical experience watching this, but in a world where 1066 00:58:45,120 --> 00:58:50,040 Speaker 2: a movie like Prey, which was just so astonishing, ended 1067 00:58:50,120 --> 00:58:53,600 Speaker 2: up going straight to streaming and becoming a big hit. 1068 00:58:54,080 --> 00:58:56,560 Speaker 2: I feel like this, if this had gone to Netflix, 1069 00:58:57,000 --> 00:58:58,840 Speaker 2: it would have been the number one movie this weekend 1070 00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:01,400 Speaker 2: on Netflix. And sure it probably would have been because 1071 00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:03,680 Speaker 2: people are like, this is so bad, it's good, or 1072 00:59:03,920 --> 00:59:06,320 Speaker 2: you've got like watch the Crow and then you can 1073 00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:09,080 Speaker 2: watch the Old Crow on Netflix too, But like, this 1074 00:59:09,200 --> 00:59:11,680 Speaker 2: feels like it could have gone to streaming and had 1075 00:59:11,680 --> 00:59:19,400 Speaker 2: a more successful, less kind of like Rotten Tomatoes defined relationship, 1076 00:59:19,440 --> 00:59:22,120 Speaker 2: and it didn't make very much money at the movies. 1077 00:59:21,800 --> 00:59:22,880 Speaker 1: At all, So this is a dub. 1078 00:59:23,000 --> 00:59:25,919 Speaker 2: This is very wild to me that Lionsgate just went 1079 00:59:25,920 --> 00:59:29,240 Speaker 2: ahead with releasing this after Borderlands flopped. 1080 00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:31,400 Speaker 1: For them, So this is like a two in a 1081 00:59:31,520 --> 00:59:32,240 Speaker 1: row flop. 1082 00:59:32,320 --> 00:59:34,640 Speaker 2: Now, I don't feel like this deserved to flop, but 1083 00:59:34,760 --> 00:59:36,880 Speaker 2: it also doesn't feel like a movie that's coming out 1084 00:59:36,880 --> 00:59:37,640 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four. 1085 00:59:37,680 --> 00:59:39,520 Speaker 1: It feels like a movie that's coming out in twenty ten. 1086 00:59:39,680 --> 00:59:42,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, the latest box office figures on a budget of 1087 00:59:42,160 --> 00:59:46,120 Speaker 3: fifty million is like less than eight million. 1088 00:59:46,440 --> 00:59:50,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, and Lionsgate only had to make ten million dollars 1089 00:59:50,040 --> 00:59:51,920 Speaker 2: on this movie because that's how much they acquired it 1090 00:59:51,960 --> 00:59:52,600 Speaker 2: for distribution. 1091 00:59:53,120 --> 00:59:56,760 Speaker 1: But they may get there. They haven't even made that, yeah, 1092 00:59:56,960 --> 00:59:59,280 Speaker 1: but they may get there. But they may get there. 1093 00:59:59,320 --> 00:59:59,520 Speaker 2: You know. 1094 01:00:00,400 --> 01:00:03,040 Speaker 3: Not a great not a great movie, but certainly one 1095 01:00:03,200 --> 01:00:05,960 Speaker 3: when it comes on streaming or is ratable, that I 1096 01:00:05,960 --> 01:00:07,400 Speaker 3: think is worth checking out. 1097 01:00:07,480 --> 01:00:09,080 Speaker 1: I think people will. I think I think it will 1098 01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:09,920 Speaker 1: find its audience. 1099 01:00:10,160 --> 01:00:13,880 Speaker 2: But I also think that this is a good lesson 1100 01:00:14,000 --> 01:00:16,360 Speaker 2: in like when you have something that is lightning in 1101 01:00:16,400 --> 01:00:18,880 Speaker 2: a bottle like the Crow, especially if somebody like an 1102 01:00:19,080 --> 01:00:22,040 Speaker 2: icon like Brandon Lee, yeah, passed away while making it, 1103 01:00:22,080 --> 01:00:23,720 Speaker 2: you know, the son of Bruce Lee. I think you 1104 01:00:23,800 --> 01:00:26,240 Speaker 2: just leave it be, man Like, just leave it be. 1105 01:00:27,000 --> 01:00:28,800 Speaker 2: Even though I enjoyed this movie, that's just my. 1106 01:00:28,920 --> 01:00:34,520 Speaker 1: Advice in the future. And that's it for our episode today. 1107 01:00:34,520 --> 01:00:37,520 Speaker 2: Guys, Jason had to run because he just bought himself 1108 01:00:37,520 --> 01:00:39,560 Speaker 2: a nice bat wing and he's taking a fight. 1109 01:00:40,240 --> 01:00:42,760 Speaker 1: I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks again to Mark 1110 01:00:42,800 --> 01:00:44,080 Speaker 1: Bernardin for joining us. 1111 01:00:44,280 --> 01:00:46,880 Speaker 2: Stay tuned Tomorrow we are back with the Rings of 1112 01:00:46,960 --> 01:00:50,600 Speaker 2: Power episode. Join us for our recap of the season 1113 01:00:50,680 --> 01:00:54,640 Speaker 2: two premiere and an interview with All Round Legend and 1114 01:00:54,800 --> 01:00:59,600 Speaker 2: Rings of Power Executive producing director Charlotte Branstrom. That's all 1115 01:00:59,600 --> 01:01:07,320 Speaker 2: for now, bye. 1116 01:01:08,240 --> 01:01:11,560 Speaker 3: X ray Vision is hosted by Jason Ncepcion and Rosie 1117 01:01:11,640 --> 01:01:15,880 Speaker 3: Knight and is a production of iHeart Podcasts. Our executive 1118 01:01:15,880 --> 01:01:20,120 Speaker 3: producers are Joelle Smith and Aaron Kaufman. Our supervising producer 1119 01:01:20,480 --> 01:01:25,240 Speaker 3: is a Boo Zafar. Our producers are Carmen Laurent and 1120 01:01:25,360 --> 01:01:28,800 Speaker 3: Mia Taylor. Our theme song is by Brian Basquez. 1121 01:01:29,280 --> 01:01:33,560 Speaker 2: Special thanks to Soul Rubin and Chris Lord, Kenny Goodman 1122 01:01:33,920 --> 01:01:36,000 Speaker 2: and Heidi A discolled moderata