The next part is here! This episode is so long that I had to split it, and today, you're finally getting part 3 of 3.
You can find the previous episodes in the side bar! (Community info page in the app)
DISCLAIMERS (the same ones as before)
The point of this fanfiction is not to be a straight-up continuation of events with the same themes, intensity, and tone. If you go into it with those expectations, you are probably not going to like it. Rather, it’s supposed to be how I wish things went if these events were real life. The resolution you want for a real-life situation isn’t often the right choice for a show, but it can be incredibly beautiful. Think of what you’re about to read to be a separate show then.
Episode 1 of this fanfiction begins after the episode “2:00” (season 2 episode 4), so it replaces the episode “Cake” and the ones that follow it. This fanfiction expects you to have seen the entirety of seasons 1 and 2, so you should watch those first.
I myself am bursting into the story here. The narrator and me are the same. While my character is like 95% real me, don’t take events about my life described here as facts. Some aspects of my life have been changed for the story. In my head, I started writing like an “alternate me” character in 2016, fulfilling a lot of the things that I wish I had in life, adding that to my story. I’m not really from Ukraine. I speak fluent Ukrainian as a foreign language, I started learning it in 2014, and I’ve talked to tons of people from there, but I’m not from Ukraine. I also don’t have as much money as I do in the story. I wish lmao.
If you want to post your own fanfiction, feel free to do so! To get your own post flair for your fanfic, and to appear in the side bar, please message me.

Part 3 (days 3 and 4)

We’d wake up on day three, and still, nothing would be any different - we’re still locked up. We’d both feel really worried not knowing if we’ll have to forfeit our whole plan because we might run out of food and water and take the risky route - calling the police and getting ourselves into a situation where we’d have to be freed by force, which would be so dangerous because the Turners have proven that there’s nothing they’re not prepared to do to us to “get Jericho back”. Leanne would ask me “What do we do if we call the police, and Mrs. Turner comes up here and tries to hurt us?” At first, I’d insist that we start thinking about that when we do run out of food the next day, but she’d insist we should come up with a plan. I’d point at the corner on the edge of the attic facing Spruce Street, the corner that’s to one’s right when coming up into the attic,
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and say “Then you’d curl up and hide over there, and I’d take the radio, you’d take the metronome, and I’d sit down in front of you, shielding you, and if she gets in here before the cops do, we’ll defend ourselves. And we’d record everything on my phone. And we should probably hide behind the sofa. Maybe then, she might not notice we’re still up here at first. She’d probably be in a state of panic.” She’d look at me with sad, but touched eyes and just hug me and say thank you. I’d reply “Of course”. After some silence, I’d tell her “If anything happens to me… Please bring me back”.

She’d be touched by that, but say that if she reanimates me, the Church of Lesser Saints will come after ME as well because they’ll believe that I’ll be obligated to join. With a worried smile, I’d say “I know... But they’re probably already gonna do that, right? Because I won’t let them get to you!” We’d both nod with the same half-happy, half-worried expression. “And if things go terribly wrong and you have to bring me back, we can try again!”

I’d ask if I’m getting it right that the “great sins” they think she’s committing are not spending time with the Church and helping another family from the one that was assigned to her. She’d say yes and add that there’s a lot more they hate her for, like her “disobedient and rebellious streak”, disobeying their instructions, putting curses on people, and now, leaving the Marinos.
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After a few seconds of silence (out of shock that this is how the Church of Lesser Saints frames it), I’d be like “If you disobey so many of their instructions, then...”, look her directly in the eyes, and go “Good! Keep on disobeying them! I’m actually kind of stunned that this is how they frame your actions, because that is so manipulative. Wanting to have a life where you don’t have to worry about your every step being watched and controlled, where you can actually freely explore what you believe – not what they tell you to believe, but what YOU believe, where you can do totally normal human things like listen to music, and where you can go wherever you want and make some basic decisions for yourself and work wherever you want, that doesn’t make you...” (doing the “quote-on-quote” with my hands while I say it) “quote-on-quote ‘disobedient’ or ‘rebellious’, it makes you a normal human being. If they forbid every little thing that people do that makes you happy, if you then look for happiness elsewhere, that’s on them. You can’t take every bit of joy away from people and then expect them to just deal with it. You wanting to run away, that’s the logical result of their bullshit. And you didn’t ‘leave’ the Marinos, you were taken. Don’t let them think you’re at fault in any way!” She might have never heard any verbal confirmation before that her feelings about leaving are valid, and this would be so reassuring to her. She’d tell me that whenever she did things like not be there for meals at the Church, skip assemblies, or curse people without permission, she would be brought before May and the rest of the community, get questioned about her behavior, and she’d have to self-flagellate to receive forgiveness.
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I’d go really still and quiet when she mentions the self-flagellation, which she’d then explain is a frequent punishment. That would freaking break my heart... I’d ask her when was the last time she hurt herself, and it was a little less than two weeks ago, before she was forced to leave the Turners. Very carefully and quietly, I’d ask her if it would be okay if she can show me her scars and add “You do NOT have to if you’re not comfortable, PLEASE don’t do it if you’re not”, and after a second, she’d nod and show me her back. My heart would break for her even more seeing her scars, I’d just express how horrible it is that they made her do that… I’d show her some of my cut wounds from when I self-harmed, which I hadn’t done in like three and a half years at that point. I’d want her to know that way that I get the urge, that I really do, but I’d tell her that hurting oneself achieves nothing. All it does is make you feel horrible mentally and physically, and every time you do it, there’s a risk of infection and even death. I’d just tell her I understand while taking her in my arms. I’d ask her to please look me in the eyes and tell me she won’t hurt herself again, and that when she feels like doing it again, to please talk to me first. She’d quietly say “I promise” while looking me in the eyes, and after some longer embraces, we’d both smile a bit, that would make me really happy to hear! I’d ask that when we’re out of here, if we can call a doctor sometime soon and get them to look at her scars to make sure none of them are infected, if she’s comfortable enough, and she’d nod and smile at me a little bit some more.

We’d eat after that. We’d run out of tomato soup that meal, and I’d tell her that when we’re getting out of there, I’d get her all the tomato soup in the world! “We’re gonna fill a whole hotel fridge with tomato soup!” “And with Ben & Jerry’s?”, she’d ask, and I’d say yes and say that we’re probably gonna need more than one fridge. I’d say we’re gonna pick the nicest and most expensive hotel to stay at, an idea that she’d love! “You still think Allentown is a good idea?”, I’d ask her, and she’d think my reasoning from the day before makes sense and say yes. We’d look for the nicest hotel in Allentown online and see that there are “only” three-star hotels in Allentown. Leanne would ask if getting such an expensive place to stay is really okay, and I’d say “Money is not an issue, don’t worry about it” while reaching across her back and like caressing her right shoulder, looking her in the eyes, and smiling. “And besides, let’s spoil you, you fucking deserve it after all this!” We wouldn’t book anything yet because we wouldn’t know when we can get out of there yet, but looking at all those insanely nice hotels would lift our spirits a bit.

After eating the first half of that day’s rations (only two half day’s rations would be left after that…), we’d think that it would probably be a good idea if we started writing the document for the police right now. Writing it can take hours upon hours, and there’s no point in delaying the rescue to write the document after I leave if we can do it right now, so we’d begin right that moment. It would begin something like “My name is Daria Horenko, born July 30, 1999 in Odesa, Ukraine, residing in 501 Pembroke Ave, Philadelphia 19050, Pennsylvania...” (I don’t live there. I have no idea who does. Please leave them alone lmao) “...I sent this statement to my Facebook friend Liam [...] (residing in Tipperary, Ireland, using Facebook as Liam [...]) as a PDF file and told him to call the Philadelphia police and read this statement to them if I don’t come back online and confirm that I’m okay by 10 PM Philadelphia time / 3 PM London, UK time on December 22, 2022. If he is reading this to you, it probably means that there was no sign of life from me by that time, and that I’m not safe, probably kidnapped and locked up by Dorothy Turner, Sean Turner, Julian (I’m not sure about his surname, but I’m referring to Dorothy Turner’s brother - redhead, not very tall, moderately overweight) in the attic of their residence at 9780 Spruce Street, Philadelphia 19139, Pennsylvania”, and then document everything I’ve seen in chronological order and everything that Leanne has told me, with a link to our video and photographic evidence, references to DNA evidence that can probably be found in the hole in the basement if they haven’t covered it up by now, and a statement at the end saying that I’ve written it together with Leanne to make sure that everything is correct. That would take a really long time, hours for sure. But when it’s done, I’d run spell- and grammar checks on it and send it to my printer at home, to be queued for printing when I get home and turn it on. We’d also know that today (December 21) or tomorrow will be the day when we leave one way or another, so I’d schedule a text message to 911 in 30 hours from that moment. The message would say “This is a scheduled message. If you’ve received it, then Leanne Grayson (born October 13, 2001)...” (We only ever learn Leanne’s birth year from the gravestone. October 13 is Nell Tiger Free’s birthday, so October 13, 2001 being Leanne’s birthday is kind of my headcanon)
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“...and me (Daria Horenko, born July 30, 1999) are probably not safe, abducted and locked up against our will by Dorothy Turner, her brother Julian, and Sean Turner in the attic of their house at 9780 Spruce Street, Philadelphia 19139, Pennsylvania or somewhere else on the property. We need help immediately. The Turners should be considered dangerous and very clearly willing to use violence and intimidation. We need help NOW. Details in our prepared statement: [the link]”. Because we’re holding out hope that we won’t have to call the police from inside the attic, the document would include information on what our plan is to get Leanne (and me) out of there as safely as possible and call the police from the taxi, but that if we run out of rations, we won’t have a choice but to call the police while we’re unarmed and while the Turners still have the upper hand.

We would debate whether we should include information about the Church of Lesser Saints right away or tell the police about them later because we know how that sounds, considering that this would hurt the credibility of our testimony,
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but we’d modify the document and include the most important information about them as well, with more believable explanations - how they forced Leanne and other members to self-harm (meaning that current members or those who recently left), where they’re currently operating from in Lancaster,
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that they faked their deaths, that they forced Leanne to leave the Turners, and the necessary lie that they took the real baby, and that Leanne hasn’t seen it since that day and doesn’t know where they’ve taken it. We’d also include names and stuff, and most importantly, reference the baptism tape and say that it shows May and George watching us from the sidewalk outside the church less than three weeks ago, and that piece of evidence would change everything in regards to investigating the Church of Lesser Saints and make the police believe us. We’d add that it’s probably among the other DVDs in the Turners’ living room, and that I’ll try to get it when leaving the building if our original plan is still going to be an option, rip the DVD at home, and add a link to the video file to the document. We’d modify the scheduled text message as well, and we’d charge both phones, mine first because the scheduled message is so important, but it’s an iPhone, so we could charge it to 100% rather quickly and then charge hers. And we’d add that we’d want the police to get Leanne’s things from the Marino estate. All her stuff being there would be further evidence that she was taken suddenly and against her will. We’d also add what number Leanne can be reached at for now with the Samsung Galaxy phone. And then, I’d send the document to Liam on all platforms where I know how to reach him, followed by a message to alert the authorities if I’m not back online confirming that we’re both okay in what’s now probably more like 29 hours, the phone number of the Philadelphia police, and caps at the beginning saying that it’s an actual emergency.

Out of nowhere, I’d ask her if she’s seen “Titanic” lmao, and with her near total isolation growing up, she wouldn’t have seen it. “I’ve only seen movies on TV”. I’d be like “I can show you lots of movies if you want! I got several subscriptions to streaming services, and also a bunch of stuff offline on an external drive at home.”
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Back on talking about “Titanic”, I’d tell her it’s wonderful and so freaking romantic, albeit over-the-top at times for sure and a bit overrated. It has that glossy feeling and some superficial characters to it that all James Cameron movies have, but it’s still really wonderful. After explaining the plot to her (since she’s grown up so isolated), I’d tell her about one scene that I’m thinking about a lot from time to time - near the end of the movie, when old Rose is done telling the researchers her story, she says that she doesn’t even have a picture of Jack, and that has hit me so hard from the first time I’ve seen the movie.
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She has no physical memories of him, she can never see his face again, and she can never show people what he looked like. That just rips my heart. I’d ask Leanne if we can take some pictures together. We’d look pretty horrible because we haven’t been able to shower in days, but we wouldn’t care and take them anyway and really, genuinely smile so hard. I’d send them to her email address (leanne_grayson@icloud.com, that email address is on her resume in the show),
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manually sync my gallery with iCloud, and I’d send them to Liam. I’d ask what phone she got back at the Marinos’ and if she’s got any pictures of herself in her iCloud gallery, but she’d tell me she’s rarely ever taken pictures of herself, only for the resume she applied at the Turners’ for, and I’d be like “Whaaaaat? But you’re so beautiful!”, and she’d smile hard, a bit embarrassed. I’d look her straight in the eyes and say it again and say that I mean it for real, she is so incredibly beautiful! It’s probably so rare that anyone’s ever said that to her in her entire life (her mother definitely didn’t, and given that the Church of Lesser Saints believes that anything that feels good is dangerous,
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it’s rather unlikely that they did), Tobe saying it in “Balloon” might even have been the only time ever…
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I’d then add “Inside AND out!”, and she’d smile some more in a bit of embarrassment and then look me in the eyes and say “You, too, Daria!”, and as you’d expect, I’d smile so hard and even with my eyes!

It would be rather late by then, so we’d eat and listen to some more music together from the Spotify playlist I created for her and talk so much about what we’re hearing.

After dinner, she’d bring the topic up on her own (this is kind of making fun of these fan theories) - she’d tell me that some in the Church of Lesser Saints think she’s the Devil or Lilith because of her rebelliousness, and how she’s inspired doubt in some people in the Church. I’d make such a weirded-out face. After realizing she’s serious, I’d say “If you are the Devil, then hail Satan! Like, seriously, if YOU are what God is threatening will happen if we don’t follow him, then that’s literally the weakest threat I’ve ever heard of. Then God is the villain here. We need more people like you in the world!” Shy as she still is, she’d still be almost embarrassed to hear this (she’s so not used to compliments), and I’d make it clear I’m serious, that I really think she’s fricking wonderful and the sweetest, and that she clearly has a huge heart full of so much love, and that she deserves so much better than what she’s ever experienced! Almost in denial, she’d see in my eyes that I really mean it and just smile and hug me, and then, we’d both smile even more! I’d rub her back a lot in that moment and promise her again that everything will be okay. “I’ll make sure of that!”

After some more music together, knowing that tomorrow will be the day we leave, no matter which plan we’ll go with, we’d make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. Looking around, I’d realize I have to give her my earphones with a cord because the internal mic of my Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is essentially useless. I’d tell her that when I call her the next day to tell her it’s safe to come downstairs now, she should answer the call, plug in the earphones, and then, it will take a few seconds until I can hear her, but then, it should be fine. We’d set a code phrase that I’ll mention to let her know if the Turners got me and it’s NOT safe to come down. She’d suggest “tomato soup”, and I’d smile and say yes, that’s gonna be our code phrase. “And if it IS safe to come down?”, she’d ask, and I’d suggest “ice cream”.

I’d realize that we should probably find her fresh clothes in the attic and a coat right now, so as I said, it’s not too obvious that she’s been locked up for a long time the second she walks out of the door, because if she’s in dirty clothes or nightwear, with it being obvious that she hasn’t showered in days, and I get her out of there and into a taxi to drive off while I got a gun, it would look as if I was kidnapping her, so we’d find her a nice dress and coat up there, and I’d turn around and close my eyes while she puts it on, and when she’s done, I’d tell her again that she looks amazing! 😊
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And she’d smile and thank me this time, sort of the way she says it to the makeup artist at the street fair in S3E5 “Tiger” in that typical way of hers that’s so adorable for real,
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and she’d look in my direction and say “You look really beautiful, too!”, really shy, before peeking me in the eyes for a moment, and we’d just look at each other for a moment. “Can I have your pictures?”, she’d ask me, and I’d say yeah, open my iPhone, and select ALL pictures of myself in my gallery and send them to her email address, and send her those that are too large via a Google Drive link (iCloud isn’t great for sharing files lol), and then, I’d take her Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, download them all (which would take a while because that phone is ancient), and set one of the pictures we’ve taken together as her wallpaper, and then set it as my wallpaper on my iPhone as well! 😊

We’d consider if there’s anything else we’ve missed. She’d mention that parts of the floor screech, especially one tile, so when I sneak out, I gotta be careful on the stairs, especially with that one tile.
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After a few seconds, she’d ask me if we wanna book a hotel now, and I’d smile and say sure! “Did you like any hotels in particular, out of the ones we looked at?” She’d say “The one with the big jacuzzi looks great” with big eyes and enthusiasm in her voice, like she does during some of her conversations with Tobe in S3E5 “Tiger”. “You’ve ever been in a jacuzzi?”, I’d ask her, and she’d go “Nooo, but I wanna try!” in the same tone,
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and so, after lying down now, we’d look up which hotel she was talking about and book a two-room suite in that hotel in Allentown for three weeks. I’d add “So we can easily look out for each other, and so you’ll also have some privacy.”, and she’d smile and nod, that consideration would probably mean a lot to her.

We’d then get ready for bed. For the next day, I’d get some better clothes as well and put them on while she’s turned around with her eyes closed. I’d take the last ration of food out of my backpack, put the clothes I just took off at the bottom of it, above Leanne’s Bible (the porcelain baby and card are already in one of the other pockets), and put my phone and the chargers in another pocket. I’d look around and ask her if there’s anything else I should take with me to safeguard, and at first, she’d also look around because she wouldn’t know how to answer right away, but she’d then point at Mrs. Barrington with her face,
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and I’d be like “Well, I think she’s a little too big for my backpack, but I can talk to the police when we’re out of here, maybe we can try to get her!”, and Leanne would nod with a big smile again.

We’d lie down on the mattress and share the covers again. Just like the night before, I’d lie down on the side of the mattress that’s closer to the stairs, in case Dorothy changes her mind and tries to assault Leanne again… On the mattress, she’d suddenly hug me really tight, break into tears, and thank me over and over again, and I’d just hold her tight, say “Of course”, and assure her that everything’s gonna be okay, that we’ll get out of there tomorrow. I’d wipe some of her tears off her face 🥺 On the mattress, we’d just look each other in the eyes and both just smile more and more, and after a minute or two, she’d kiss me on the lips for a tiiiiny moment and then, we’d just smile at each other even harder! She’d say “I’m not supposed to do that” while still smiling just as hard and looking me directly in the eyes! “Says who?”, I’d reply. She goes “My aunts and uncles”, and I’d say “I don’t think they’re a reliable source!”, and we’d kiss each other some more and longer, and both feel each other’s smile on our lips, and peek at each other a few times in between 😊🥰❤️ We’d both put our arms around each other before telling each other good night and before I promise her one more time it’s all going to be okay!
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At some point during the night, she’d wake me up, and when she does, I’d realize I had a nightmare, like, not from my night terrors, and she’d tell me I had a nightmare, that I was sniffling in my sleep, and that I told her two days earlier to wake me up if this happens. Still feeling terrible (the feeling of immediate dread always takes a while to subside for me), I’d thank her. I’d ask what I was saying, and she’d say that I wasn’t speaking English. I’d consider if I should tell her for a moment, but then, I’d take a deep breath, look up for a second, and with a heavy voice, slowly say “What if we try plan A tomorrow, and I fail? I’m scared… I don’t wanna mess this up… I don’t wanna fail you…” And she’d slowly look at me and just say two words: “You haven’t!” I’d look at her and almost laugh a bit out of joy. I’d smile and just cuddle up to her a bit, and she’d do it back. I’d say I’ll try to listen to music for a while to calm down because doing something else makes it much easier for me to zone out of the feeling of dread again. “Why only you?”, she’d ask. “I don’t wanna keep you awake”, I’d say, “You need the sleep”, and she’d say “It’s okay” and just smile a bit, and so, we’d listen to some music together for about half an hour.

I’d tell her that my sleep is so horrible (she’d say she can tell) because I don’t have my meds, and I’m really fricking looking forward to taking them again. Without them, the quality of my sleep is terrible, and it takes so long for me to fall asleep at all if I don’t take them. She’d ask if I’ve taken them for a long time, and I’d say that I haven’t taken these particular meds for long because whatever I take, my body builds up some resistance to them pretty quickly, so after a while, I always have to get new ones, but I’ve taken sleeping meds for years now. “It sounds like they’re really helping you, right?”, she’d ask, and I’d nod and say “Yeah, they really do. I’m also taking antidepressants, and they were an absolute gamechanger for me. It’s okay if I don’t take them for a few days because they don’t work in the moment, but they like rewire your brain over time, and they’re the best thing that’s ever happened to my mental health. Before I started taking them, it was so hard for me to avoid bad thoughts or resist them, like, it was hell, but ever since then, it got sooo much easier, and not letting things get to me or not letting bad things really take over me is just so much easier now.” After a while, I’d say “I was at a psychiatric clinic voluntarily for six months, but I also had nowhere else to go, and the doctors and employees really abused their power. They only intervened when there was physical violence, they didn’t intervene in any other conflicts, so because of them, the patients constantly bullied each other. My doctor switched to another department while I was there, so I got a new one, and the new one wasn’t perfect, but at least, she cared. I got really lucky to get a place at a living group for mentally ill people, which was when I could finally leave. But honestly, all my experiences with mental health professionals since then have been better. I went to a different clinic for four or five days voluntarily in 2019, and even they were far better. “That sounds scary…”, she’d say. I’d reply “It was. But things got much better after that. I had lots of setbacks, like, you know, but if you get help, it’s always better.”

After the current song’s over, we’d lie down to try and sleep again. We’d smile at each other again in bed, and I’d give her a short-ish kiss before saying good night, and we’d both smile even harder after that 😁 And we would fall asleep for good after a while (it would still take me longer than her).

In the morning, Leanne would wake me up again. She’d show me that the door is unlocked and open by a little bit now (they’re “letting” her out for a few hours…),
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and we’d both just embrace and chuckle in huge joy, as we can go with plan A now, the less risky one! We’d remember to quiet down after a few seconds and whisper from then on out. I’d go to the toilet roll, take eight pieces, rip them into two bands of four pieces each, and roll each of them up into a little bunch. I’d give them to her and tell her to put them into the wall pieces of the door when she gets out (so it looks like the door is closed while it can’t actually lock) and give me an audible signal when the third floor is clear, so I’ll get out with my backpack, take out the toilet paper, and hide in her room.
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“Is there anything you want me to get from there?”, I’d ask. “No. Everything is here or at the Marinos’.” I’d go “Okay” and move on - since I’m almost definitely unable to come down to the second floor right away (I’m using American English in all of these episodes. “First floor” in American English = “ground floor” in British English; “Second floor” in American English = “first floor” in British English; “Third floor” in American English = “second floor” in British English, etc.), she’d give me a signal when coming back upstairs. We’d agree that when she comes back upstairs, if it’s safe to go to the second floor, she’d shout something, maybe in conversation, maybe some sort of cry, doesn’t matter, and if not, she’d kick something. She’d be locked upstairs again after that, so I’ll have to tell when to get further downstairs myself, which I’d do as soon as I’ve heard absolutely no sounds from inside the house for at least a few minutes. On the first floor, I’d get the DVD from March 11, 2001, and if the baptism tape isn’t clearly labeled among the tapes, I’d unplug the DVD player from the TV, turn on the player, open the DVD slot, and if the tape isn’t in there, I’d take all unlabeled tapes. I’d then listen in on the basement door for a few seconds, and if I hear no sounds from down there, I’d quietly open the basement door and go downstairs, and if no one’s there, I’d get out through the side entrance down there, out through the back gate, walk back to Spruce Street, drive my bike home, take a shower, watch the tape from March 11, 2011 like she told me I could, hide it somewhere at home, print out the document for the police, take it with me in an envelope, print out a second version of it to give to the taxi driver, so I can say “If I’m not back in an hour, please call the police for me and read this to them”. I’d then call a taxi (a taxi with a large trunk whose driver is allowed to drive to Allentown and back), load my gun, and leave for the Turners’ and get Leanne.

We’d see that Liam has replied by now. Of course, he’d be super worried, but he’s got our backs for the plan, and that would be really reassuring. We’d look each other in the eyes, and then, I’d hug her sooo tight for several seconds, and we’d have one loooong kiss (hoping it’s not the last time we see each other…) before she goes downstairs while looking back at me on the way before putting the toilet paper in the door. I’d then put on my backpack. Once Leanne loudly shouts “Mister Turner?”, that would be my signal, and I’d hide in her room for about 45 minutes before she’s “let” back upstairs and shouts “You can lock me in now, Mrs. Turner”,
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which is when I’d sneak into the storage/guest room and wait. It would take like five hours until I hear nothing for a while, which is when I’d sneak onto the first floor, look around to make extra sure no one’s there, and go to the living room. I’d get the tape from March 11, 2011, and the baptism tape would be among the labeled DVDs, and I’d put it into the box of the March 11, 2011 tape (I’d put the original DVD loose in there and use the spot inside the box for the baptism tape because it’s probably more important. I then wouldn’t hear anything from the basement, so I’d slowly and quietly go down there. No one would be there, so I’d leave as planned and go home and take a shower. I’d watch the March 11, 2011 DVD. I’d be surprised to see the interaction between Leanne and Dorothy for sure, but sort of knowing her, I wouldn’t think anything bad of it. I’d actually get it because of my past celebrity crushes (which I know isn’t what she was feeling for Dorothy) and the desire to meet them, especially with Blanche. I’d get why Leanne wouldn’t want the police to see it, it would look bad for her. I’d wrap up the DVD in a thick piece of paper and tape it to the back of my closet, between the closet and the wall. I’d burn the piece of paper in the DVD case in my bathtub with a bucket of water next to me just in case. I’d test if the DVD of the baptism tape still works (it does), rip it, upload the video file to Google Drive, add it to the document for the police, cancel my printing queue, print the document (two versions of it. The one for the taxi driver would just have a short introduction at the beginning, like, that I’m the person who ordered the taxi), order the taxi, pack my things for the next couple of weeks and anything that Leanne might need, so I’d include any clothes that I think could fit her, and go to the taxi. I’d tell the driver to get me one block away from 9780 Spruce Street (which isn’t actually a real address, by the way) and wait there for me. Before leaving for the Turner house, I’d give him the envelope with his version of the letter for the police and tell him what I said I would tell him. I’d then get my backpack with the gun in it from my luggage in the trunk, and walk to the Turners’ house.

I have already "written" so much more in my head, but I've now reached the end of what I've actually written down, so it will take longer until the next episode is out now! Hope you've enjooooyed this one!

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In a 9-5-4-3-1 vote, Staci & Sugar are eliminated, while Max wins immunity in a 3-3-2-1-1 vote, as Sugar is eliminated.
After the challenge, Topher and Scott are in first class, waiting for Sugar. Sugar finally shows up and says that she would’ve been here sooner had someone not barfed all over her, which Topher apologizes for. Scott then tells everyone to get down to business. Scott asks who they should try to eliminate, and Topher suggests Staci, as she’s a bigger threat than Cameron & that she’s also level-headed, something that most of everyone else is struggling with. Scott agrees with this, as he believes that it should be easy to convince Max to vote for her. Scott tells Topher to do this and adjourns the meeting.
Max is walking around the plane, and Topher finds him in the dining cabin. Topher asks him to sit down, and Max does so. Topher then asks Max who he’s voting for, and Max says Sugar. Topher then asks if Max will forget what Staci had done to him in Niagara Falls, and for a moment, it looks as if Max is truly convinced. We then get a flashback of the things Staci has done to help Max, and in the confessional, Max rhetorically says that he can’t believe that he was that close to believing Topher’s lies. Back with Topher though, Max puts on a facade of agreement, telling Topher that he’s in. Over the P.A, Chris tells the contestants to go vote.
At the elimination ceremony, Sugar & Staci are the last ones not safe. Sugar, Scott, & Topher look smug, and everyone else looks worried. When Chris announces a tie though, this shocks everyone. Scott angrily says to Topher that he thought Topher had it under control, and Max just realized that he forgot to ask Staci & Anne Maria to vote for Scott, making them all facepalm angrily.
While this is going on, Chris is on the phone with the producers, who are hounding him. Sugar then confidently says that she can take down Staci in a tiebreaker, which gets Staci to notice that Chris is still on his phone. The contestants are now yelling at Chris to do his job, and when Chris gets off the phone, he explains that due to budget constraints, he has to eliminate both Sugar & Staci from the game.
This pleases exactly no one, and Chris is barraged with angry shouts from all corners of the room. Sugar then asks how eliminating her helps the budget, and Chris cites added weight to the plane, more food needed, and simply admitting that he finds Sugar & Staci both annoying. Sugar firmly refuses to leave before Chris gets Chef to shove her out of the plane, prompting Staci to quickly jump out as well.
In first class, Scott is pissed off at Topher. He mocks Topher, quoting how he said that everything was under control, and that only Staci would be eliminated. Scott says that the only reason that the alliance will still be a thing now is simply for self-preservation. In economy class, Cameron tells Dawn, Staci, & Max that to bring down Scott and Topher, they need to be on the same page, which Cameron apologizes for not making clearer before Staci was eliminated. Cameron & Dawn put their hands in the middle, with Max & Anne Maria doing so as well. In the confessional, Max states that Scott better watch out, as his days are numbered. In the cockpit, Chris asks some questions before signing off.
After the credits, we see Sugar & Staci land on the Great Wall of China. Sugar laments about how unfair her elimination was, getting Staci to tell her to shut up, as Sugar has complained about it for the umpteenth time. Sadie then shows up and tells the bickering duo that they need to hurry up, as their flight departs in 5 hours. Staci says that she can’t wait to be back in Canada, and Sugar hopes that the hotel they’ll be staying at is nice. Sadie tells Staci that they won’t be back in Canada quite yet and tells Sugar that having a nice hotel should be the least of her worries. Sugar asks what this means, and Sadie replies with “you’ll see”, before they all walk off, and the screen cuts to black.
African Lying Safari
The episode begins in economy class, where Dawn & Cameron are cuddling each other, Anne Maria filing her nails, and Max looking pensive. A slightly worried Max lays out this hypothetical to Anne Maria – After Topher is eliminated, Scott gets immunity. In that case, who do you vote for? This is stumping Max, as he is cool with everyone here besides Scott. Anne Maria agrees, saying some tough choices would have to be made here. In first class, Topher tells Scott that with everyone else reuniting, it’s every man for himself, as their two votes won’t change anything. Scott agrees, and he tells Topher not to be surprised by any tricks he pulls.
Once the plane lands, Chris welcomes them to Tanzania, home to the Serengeti Plains. Anne Maria arrives slightly late, as she topped off her pouf as they landed. Chris introduces the first challenge, which he named "Sock-et To Me." This challenge entails going over to a pile of plums, and grabbing as many as possible while dodging the soccer balls that will be kicked at you by contestants. Scott mocks the soccer balls, so Chris beans Scott with one, reveling in his yelp of pain.
Topher goes up first, and he gracefully dodges all of the soccer balls, getting a giant pile of plums. Cameron is calculating where to kick the ball, and when he figures it out, the soccer ball hits Topher in the shins, making him fall & drop the plums. Cameron is up next and isn’t even able to get any plums before he’s knocked down by a speeding soccer ball from Topher. Max is now going and while he stays upright this time, he is only able to get half a dozen plums, as he dropped most of them.
Scott is next, and while he hits Cameron with Dawn’s ball, he gets beaned in the head by Anne Maria & Max at the same time, making him drop his plums. Dawn goes, and nearly makes it, but trips over a ball kicked by Scott Anne Maria starts running, deflecting all the balls with her hair. She grabs some plums, doing the same thing as she runs back to where she started. Max is speechless at this, asking how Anne Maria made her hair do that, with her saying it’s a mix of having good hair, and good product. Anne Maria hands Max a mostly empty can, and in the confessional, Max is flabbergasted when Anne Maria’s hairspray offers a 72-hour hold.
The plums are then used to smash through gourds, and whoever does so first wins an advantage. While Cameron accidentally hits Chef, Anne Maria barely puts a dent in her gourd, frustrating her. After a Chris induced miss, Scott perfectly strikes his gourd, getting six tranq balls & a slingshot for his troubles. Max strikes his gourd soon after, getting four & a slingshot. Topher hits his next getting three, Anne Maria strikes her gourd with her cricket bat, getting two, and since Dawn & Cameron couldn’t crack their gourd, they each get one ball, but no slingshot. Chris tells the couple that they’ll have to throw the tranq ball with enough force to pop it, and Cameron says that’s nearly impossible.
Chris then announces that the tranq balls will be used to knock out the Max clone, who according to Chris, is “bigger and better”, as he’s been genetically mutated. The Max clone is even wilder now, with his tracksuit being half-torn, glowing green eyes, and no shoes. As Chris explains that whoever knocks out the Max clone gets invincibility, said clone is seen attacking an intern. Chris tells them to go, with Dawn & Cameron teaming up, and Anne Maria & Max doing the same thing. Topher offers to team up with Scott, but the Farm Boy rebuffs him. This ends up being a mistake however, as Topher has stolen Scott’s tranq balls.
With Scott, he is walking about when he hears a rustling in a bush near him. He tells the clone to come out, but is instead met with a lion. Scott then goes into his back pocket, finding nothing. Scott tries to calm the beast down, but eventually runs away. Meanwhile, Max has finished setting traps all around the area. Anne Maria is skeptical about this, and Max asks “who in their right mind could resist a Mallowmar?”
Dawn & Cameron are looking for the Max clone, and when the lion is behind Dawn, she asks if Cameron has recently brushed his teeth. Cameron asks why, and Dawn looks behind them, seeing the same lion that terrorized Scott. The two lovers run away, but Cameron gets caught in one of Max’s traps, making Max wince. Anne Maria gives Max an “I told you so” look, and Max offers to help get Cameron out. He asks if anyone has a knife, and at that moment, a baboon grabs Cameron, greatly angering Dawn. Dawn & Max promise to find something to free Cameron before running off.
The girls and boys run into each other and, mistaking the others for their intended target, hit each other, knocking each other out with tranquilizing balls. Chris chooses this time to make the contestants sing, despite being still stunned. While being in their stunned state, the contestants sing “Wake Up”, which is about exactly what it sounds like. Chris then warns the contestants that they have about an hour to catch the Max clone before the plane leaves, ditching them. Chris offers to watch the action back at the jet, which Chef obliges to.
Dawn runs off to save Cameron, saying that she can handle it, as her boyfriend will not become baboon food. Anne Maria & Max run to the right, while Topher & Scott both inadvertently go left. As Max & Anne Maria go right, they turn around, as they see footprints going left.
With Dawn, she has made it up to the baboon den at the top of the tree, and Cameron tells Dawn to not make any sudden movements, as the baboon really likes him. Dawn tries to explain the situation to the baboon, but it gets defensive, holding Cameron tighter. This is too far for the Moonchild, who rips Cameron out of the baboon’s hands, then kicks it in the nuts. As Dawn & Cameron make it down the tree, the baboon is shrieking.
Topher & Scott both see the Max clone from a distance, as they’re on a hill. Topher steps up to fire, but Scott shoots Topher before shoving him down the hill. Topher angrily shouts at Scott for this, and he then notices the Max clone, which is right next to him. Topher tries to plead with him, but the clone mercilessly & viciously beats up Topher, which Max & Scott are cringing at from the top of the hill.
Scott tries to take advantage of this, but Max snipes him from behind before doing the same to the Max clone, winning Max the challenge & invincibility. Chris goes to announce this, but only Max & Anne Maria are listening, as Topher & Scott are in a sleeping heap with the clone, and Dawn & Cameron haven’t made it back yet.
Vote for anyone besides Max, vote for someone to get immunity for the next episode, and feel free to come up with any plot points for the next episode. (Rapa-Phooey!)

(Translation of the comic: I want Ben Solo to return)
It's no secret that Ben must be addressed anyway in Rey's film. This was reinforced after that Holocron video, where Rey mentions that Ben was right to leave the past behind, but not about killing him. That alone gave me hope that she won't just forget about him, and that at some point in the film, he will have to be quoted. But of course, we want him to be more than just mentioned, we want him to return. But what way would you think is appropriate to bring him back? Many say "World between worlds", and I think this is a very interesting way, but let's go deeper. Would you rather Rey went after him? Or somehow he managed to get back to her? Sometimes I imagine Rey's surprise at seeing Ben alive, after having seen him disappear right in front of her. She would be emotional, tears running down her cheeks, sparkle in her eyes, and of course... she would say: "Ben?..." and from then on, who knows? A tight hug? A desperate kiss? "I missed you so much!" One of them, or both of them could say. But there are also other ways, I've heard some theories that Ben didn't actually die, and that, in fact, he somehow disappeared from Exegol and ended up on another planet, with or without memories. And of course, there is another way, which I don't particularly like, and I believe I'm not the only one. Bringing Ben Solo as a Force ghost. I can't even imagine this one, precisely because I don't like that alternative. But, because there are worse chances, such as him not even being mentioned, I would end up accepting a ghost Ben Solo, even though I would prefer him to come back alive... They shouldn't have killed him in the first place, and now is their chance fix it, or... my biggest fear, make it worse. Anyway, these are just some delusions that I have every night before going to sleep since watching The Rise of Skywalker. It's the burden I carry for being dissatisfied with that ending. And I like to imagine Ben Solo returning, in many possible ways, I just want him back... Even if it's "Apparently, Ben Solo has returned"
As always, sorry for any mistakes, I use Google translate. Thank you for your time, and may the force be with you. ✨

Welcome back to another Chaotic review. This time we're looking at the two part story, Castle Bodhran or Bust. Episode 9 and 10 mark a big change for the series. While most episodes have the players going to Perim and scanning new cards for their decks to be used in a later episode, this two-parter shakes up the cast in a way that leads to development towards a character arc, as well as plots for later episodes. Because this is a two-parter, I'll discuss them as one episode in the recap, and comment as it progresses.
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Episode: After finding a missing scanner in Perim, Kaz and Tom are enlisted by the player on Earth to find their other self in Perim. This episode introduces the beta drome for challenge matches, the uniqueness of the drome, as well as the Perim debut of an iconic creature.
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Recap:
PART 1
The episode begins like the others in Perim. However, this time all four of the main cast are here on a job. Kaz needs new scales for H'earring, and has gotten the others on-board to help. This is probably the first time he's done it since Tom arrived in Chaotic, since now he has a group of friends to help him.
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Kaz climbs up the tree to Dractyl nest to grab the scales, leaving the bags and gloves for the others to catch and store the scales.
While going through the scales he finds a lost scanner belonging to a player named ReggieOne. Before he can learn more, Dractyl returns and captures him. The others, using their stats against him, trick Dractyl into thinking Chaor is coming. They save Kaz and he explains what he found.
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Back on Earth, Kaz sends an email to ReggieOne, saying he found their scanner in Perim. Instead of a reply, a limo shows up with Reginald Terrington on-board. He’s come from London to ask for their help.
He gives his backstory, saying one day he went to Chaotic and never returned, locking him out of his deck. He then got into an accident that put him in a wheelchair, but he’s fairly chill about it, and more just wants to know what happened to his Chaotic half. If they help him, he’ll let them have any cards from his collection, including his ultra rares.
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Tom and Kaz accept. Reggie tells them the last time he was going to Chaotic, he was going to Castle Bodhran in the Overworld. It’s a rare location, one neither of them own, but Reggie tells him he won his scan from a player named Brusier33, who had another one.
I like this set up. It shows the characters interacting with other players on Earth, as well as creating a detective story for them to solve.
They find Bruiser in Chaotic and Kaz challenges him to a match for Castle Bodhran, but Bruiser says Kaz doesn’t have anything he wants, but instead challenges Tom for Maxxor.
Tom agrees to the match, and it’s here that we’re introduced to the BetaDrome. This Drome acts like a holodeck for the show, allowing players to test out locations, creatures, and battle gear outside of a battle, as well as make up unique rules for matches.
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The match is 1v1, with the location picked being Castle Bodhran by Bruiser. Tom has chosen Maxxor for the battle like always, while Bruiser has picked Frafdo, another Overworlder.
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The battle begins with Tom getting hit by plasmarrows from the castle, much like that episode of Samurai Jack. Using cover, Tom enters the castle and tries to blast every corner to hit Bruiser, but he was never in the castle, and actually fired his arrows through the windows.
Tom questions how he knew how to do it since Maxxor has more wisdom than Frafdo. Bruiser has player experience on his side, having battled and won in the location plenty of times, and Frafdo lives at the castle, so creature memories and instincts also work for him. Tom catches them off guard, using the conversation to distract them before getting a chance to counter.
This is a really great fight. Since it’s a 1v1, more time is dedicated to it to show off the creature’s abilities, their traits, the location, and how the players try to outsmart each other. The fight goes inside the castle, outside, even in the sky.
Tom makes Maxxor giant with Fortissimo, and blasts Frafdo out of the sky. Bruiser survives by using an attack to break his fall. Tom leaps from the castle with a mountain sized rock wave attack. Bruiser counters with a song of reversal, switching their places, making Tom get hit by his own attack, coding Maxxor, and losing the match.
Tom holds up his end of the deal, and gives his Maxxor scan to Bruiser. Kaz feels bad because he was the one to challenge Bruiser, but Tom tries not to let it get him down, saying they need to focus on helping Reggie. Bruiser is surprised Tom cares more about helping someone than losing his best card.
Bruiser sends over a Castle Bodhran scan to Tom. He reveals he went to Perim to get another scan of it before the match, just in case he lost. Locations are always in the same place, so getting scans of them is easy once you have one.
The episode and first part ends with Tom going to Perim to get duplicate scans of Castle Bodhran for Kaz and the others, as they’ll need help to find Reggie.
This first part was amazing. The set up was good, giving us a likeable character in Reggie, as well as a call back to H’earring and the scales. We’re given a mystery to keep us invested, as well as an entertaining match with an interesting one-off character. Tom losing Maxxor this early in the series was a smart move from a writing perspective, as well as a legitimate shock for first time viewers. He’s lost matches before, but this one meant losing his favourite card. Let’s hope the second part is just as good.
PART 2
After a recap of the first part, and the opening, episode 10 opens with Tom, Kaz and Reggie on Earth waiting for their other selves to come back. Reggie comments how he feels bad that Tom lost his Maxxor card during the first part. This means that after getting the Castle Bodhran scans, they must have come back to Earth, told Reggie, and then gone back to Chaotic.
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The waiting makes him think that they were captured too, but they’re optimistic, saying that they will be fine. Cut to them in Chaotic at Castle Bodhran inside of one of the cells without their scanners.
This was a smart approach to the episode. They skipped going back and forth to get the scans, going to Perim, and getting captured, and instead had it all be implied, and just cut to them being captured by the Overworlders to save time in the episode for the plot.
Frafdo returns to their cell with Maxxor, making his Perim debut. Tom is immediately starstruck upon seeing his favourite creature in person. It’s short lived since Maxxor starts to act hostile towards them. They tell him they’re looking for Reggie, and if they’ve seen him.
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Turns out, Reggie had a deal with Frafdo in exchange for scanning him, he’d give the creature a map to the Cothica, the ancient mcguffin established during the backstory of the Overworld/Underworld rivalry.
Reggie somehow found the map, and gave them half of it, saying he hid the other half in the Mipedian Oasis. They sent Reggie to go collect it, but he never returned. They believe he just left, but Kaz points out that he could have been captured by the Mipedians, which would be anyone’s first guess seeing how the Oasis is well guarded from outsiders.
When they point this out to them, Frafdo knocks Kaz aside, saying to show Maxxor respect, and Tom snaps, pointing out that they haven’t shown them any respect either.
There’s a moment during Tom’s rant where Maxxor becomes enraged, and attacks him, but he was actually aiming for the wall since Zhade was spying on them from the otherside, and Maxxor had spotted him out.
They make a run for it, Frafdo tries to give chase but seemingly loses them, only finding a clue leading them to Prince Mudeenu.
Kaz and Tom complain that Maxxor could have hit Tom, but he just gets more enraged and even threatens Tom. When Frafdo returns with the clue, the four of them set off, not knowing that Zhade never left, and was still listening.
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Tom is not having a great time. First he loses his best and favourite card, then he’s locked up by his favourite tribe, and then learns that his favourite creature is a dick.
Episode cuts back and forth between scenes of characters.
Peyton and Sarah are at Dractyl’s next looking for Reggie’s scanner. They were unable to take it with them when they first found it, so they left it at the nest to give it back to him later. They both end up getting caught in a trap set by Dractyle after their last visit.
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Using their knowledge of Dractyl, they once again trick him into letting them go. He then tells them how he found the scanner, saying he saw Reggie getting captured by the Mipedians. Sarah and Peyton convince him into helping them take the scanner back to Reggie.
So far, in this episode we’ve seen the Overworlders in a different light. From the lore, stories, and marketing, we’ve been told that the Overworld are the good guys, the noble warriors and heroes who fight for good.
But here we see that some of them are cowards like Dractyl, and those like Frafdo are jerks. Although, most bird characters in fiction are jerks, so that checks out. Maxxor is shown to be mistrustful, easily angered, and hostile. We’ll see more of his character as the episode continues, but it’s actually good to see the ‘good guys’ showing more emotion than just good.
The episode cuts to Prince Mudeenu at the Oasis. This is Mudeenu’s debut in the series, as well as completing the main four leaders of the tribes. Maxxor, Chaor, Odu-Bathax, and Mudeenu act as the representatives for their tribes for most events the four tribes are present. It’s more interesting for Odu and Mudeenu since the Danian’s have a queen, and with a title like prince, the Mipedians have a king, yet these two are given the same billing as Maxxor and Chaor, the leaders of their tribes.
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Zhade returns, informing their leader that they have fallen for their trap, and will be at the Oasis soon, and that they can claim the other half of the map, revealing to have Reggie in a cell, and the half he hid.
Maxxor and Tom have arrived at the Oasis, and spot Reggie through the window. Maxxor says if he has the map, they’ll save him, but Tom asks if they’ll still save him if he doesn’t.
Here we see some good interaction and characterisation between the two characters. Maxxor has a monologue about how to the players, Perim is just a game, yet to Maxxor and the others, this is their life, and how they go through danger every day just for survival. He agrees to do what he can to help Reggie, but he must think about the good of his tribe first.
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We’re seeing Maxxor more mellow now. Before he was still enraged over the idea of being betrayed by Reggie, but after seeing what happened, and hanging with Tom, he’d have more of a chance to understand the players, and calm down, and level with them.
Kaz and Frafdo regroup with them, saying they weren’t followed. Frafdo pulls out some Spectral Viewers from their bag. This is battle gear that allows for the user to see creatures that turn invisible. It’s not just great for Mipedians, but any creature with the ability. It’ll come in handy in the next episode.
Maxxor doesn’t call Tom and Kaz by name as he gives them orders. Tom and Frafdo are to be a distraction, while Kaz is with Maxxor to enter the castle and get the map. Frafdo knocks Kaz out with the bag, and Tom tells Maxxor that Chaotic is more than just a game to him before starting the plan.
There’s another scene inside the castle with Prince Mudeenu monologuing about the Cothica. Reggie asks him how he’s sure it exists if no one has seen it. Based on what we see next season, he may be right, but Mudeenu just turns off his invisibility to make a point.
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Tom and Frafdo distract the guards, while Maxxor runs for the gate. They’re hit by mugic that doesn’t do anything at first, but Kaz realises that it was to disable their Viewers. His still works because he was out of range. While warning Maxxor, Mudeenu reappears and attacks Kaz with a flash kick.
Ulmar must have written this episode with how much Kaz gets knocked down, and thrown about by the creatures. Zhade threatens Kaz by flame orb, somehow, he can’t do fire attacks, and Maxxor surrenders, leading to all four of them being captured.
They’re taken inside the castle grounds in chains, as Mudeenu brings Reggie to them. They demand the other half of the map, but Maxxor plays dumb. Mudeenu tries to threaten Kaz, again, and Maxxor is about to relent, before back-up arrives.
Dractyl flies his nest over the Oasis with Peyton and Sarah blasting the castle with Liquidizers. The Mipedians retreat into the castle as they land. Tom asks for their scanners to get out, but they left them at a safe point just in case they try to run away during the mission.
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Maxxor has a change of heart, saying that Tom and the others have proven themselves, and that he trusts them. In return, he uses song of resurgence on Kaz, healing him of 20 energy.
Dractyl tells them the Mipedian army is approaching, and that he doesn’t have the strength to carry all of them out of the Oasis at once. They give Reggie back his scanner, but he decides he wants to stay, as do the others. Maxxor admires their bravery and declares they’ll fight till the end. But Tom has an idea.
We see them use Fortissimo on Dractyl to make him giant. His new strength means he can carry all 7 of them out of the Oasis. They land at the safe point and reclaim their scanners. Maxxor destroys his half of the map, and Dractyl flies him and Frafdo home. Tom doesn’t get the chance to scan them, but Maxxor says he will at another time. Probably for the best, Maxxor did just use two mugics, so that’ll mean he’d be without any.
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The episode and part two ends back on Earth with Tom, Kaz and Reggie. He thanks them for all their help, and holds up his side of the deal, letting them pick any 10 cards from his collection, but Kaz declines. Reggie does give Tom his Maxxor card to make up for the one lost. Tom and Kaz end out the episode by welcoming Reggie back to Chaotic.
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Characters:
Tom losing Maxxor in the first part, and then meeting them in the second but not scanning them was a genius move on the writing team. Losing Maxxor is like when a game starts you out as being close to OP, showing you how strong you can be, before taking it all away to send you to square one. You then play through the game, getting better, learning new skills until you get to the point you lost, and surpass. We've seen what Tom can do as Maxxor as a newb, but now that he's lost it, he can get better as a player before getting him back as a more experienced player. By having him meet Maxxor, he's given a more perspective of the world of Perim, and his favourite tribe. Not having him scan Maxxor when he could is good because it doesn't negate the lose in the previous episode, and it has the auidence coming back to see the next episode to see if he'll get Maxxor back again, and how. Tom is now at the start of his arc.
Kaz is shown more as the deuteragonist in this episode. He was the one that found the scanner, and wanted to help Reggie. Again, he shows more Overworld traits by wanting to help Reggie, declining the reward in the end, warning Maxxor about the attack, and he was even healed by Overworld mugic. He should have at least taken that promo Takinom Reggie had for the trouble since he had his weight thrown around a lot in the second half.
Sarah and Peyton contribute to the story, but the problem is they're barely in both episodes. They appear at the start of the first part to help with the scales, and Kaz's rescue. They disappear after that to focus on Tom and Kaz, and don't show up until the next part to get the scanner from Dractyl, and then appear in the end to save them from Mudeenu. The first 10 episodes didn't utilise them enough, most likely because they were still introducing characters and concepts to the show. We'll see more of them in the later episodes.
Reggie was a fun side character. He's different from other one-off characters with him being friendly to the core cast, as opposed to being the same arrogant, or jockish type we've seen since episode 1. He comes off as likeable, and good natured, trusting Kaz and Tom to help him, and giving payment for it as a thank you. Also, given how skilled Bruiser was shown in their match, and Reggie having beaten him once to get the Castle Bodhran scan, brings into question just how skilled a player Reggie must be. We never see him battle, but he does make one other appearance later. We never do find out where he got the map, but the plotline is dropped, so it doesn't matter.
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Bruiser is an interesting one-off character. At first he has the impression of being a hot-headed jock type like Tank. But during the battle we see that he's actually a skilled player with tones of experience and knowledge of his cards and creatures. He chose Castle Bodhran because he knew Tom has no knowledge of the location, and used Frafdo because they do. When he won, it wasn't because he cheated or foul play, but was because he outplayed, and outsmarted Tom in the match. He was also smart enough to get a back-up scan of Castle Bodhran just in case he lost, and even gave it to Tom after finding out why he wanted it.
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Creatures: In these two episodes we saw five named creatures, two of them used in a battle drome to then appear in Perim. Three Overworlders, and two Mipedians, as well as an army of unnamed Mipedian troops.
This episode was Tom's best use as Maxxor that we've seen in the series so far, showing how far he's come since episode 1. But the main draw here is having Maxxor introduced as a character. The writers did a good job in humanising him, showing him to have a range of emotions from angry, and mistrust, as well as compassion and acceptance. It's more than what most shows give us with the typical hero types, making one-liners before attacking Mudeenu, or making a joke about having to walk home before leaving. We'll see more of Maxxor in Perim as the show moves along, giving him his own arc for the season.
Frafdo makes both their drome match, and Perim debut in this two-parter. From here, we'll mostly see them used in drome battles before being given more characterisation during season 2.
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Dractyl was mentioned in an earlier episode, but this is the first time actually seeing them. They make rare appearances in Perim, and are mostly delegated to the dromes as one of Tom's go-to creatures for season 1.
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Prince Mudeenu's appearance here makes for the four leader to be in the show. He's a creature that's mostly seen in Perim, instead of the dromes like Maxxor and Chaor. Most likely because he wasn't made Peyton's ace creature, since Peyton doesn't have one. Mudeenu is more cunning of a leader compared to the others, they're more involved with how the tribe is run, but not big on joining fights like the main two.
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Zhade makes their Perim debut in this episode, having appeared before in a drome match with Kaz versus Klay. We got to see their position in the tribe as one of Mudeenu's spies, used to gain intel, as well as lure enemies into traps.
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Final Thoughts:
These two episodes made for a great two-parter. It gave all four characters something to do, giving them a shining moment each. We got a great drome battle with a back and forth and twist at the end. We also got to meet two interesting one-off characters with Reggie and Brusier, as well as the leaders to the Overworld and Mipedian tribes. Final it started the main arc of the season with Tom learning to battle without Maxxor, and develop as a player.
Next time, we have a Kaz focused episode as H'earring gets him an audience with the ruler of the Underworld in Lord of Treachery.
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Quote of the episode 9: "You have to search for creatures, and gear, and mugics. But locations are right where you left them. Genius, right?" - Bruiser
Quote of the episode 10: "For you the troubles of Perim are a game. But not for us. My tribe faces mortal dangers every day. If you humans want to play here, you must accept the same risks we do. I'll do what I can for your friend. But the good of my tribe is what I care about." - Maxxor