This podcast is way too good not to have a thread. I don't have much to say in this first post because I'm too busy flailing over "Don't Poke The Bear", but if you listen to it, get over here and talk about it, and if you don't, hurry up and listen! It's amazing! It has badass lady characters and compelling bad guys and an incredibly complex set of personal interactions none of which are based on forced romances and aaaaaaaah
Spoiler: Don't Poke The Bear tho God, the new crew is terrifying. Even I was starting to buy into Maxwell's and Jacoby's stunt, and that line about UPS just stung. I wonder how much Lovelace believed- she's definitely more paranoid than me... I've suspected since "Lame-o Superhero Origin Story" that Eiffel was going to start having mixed feelings about his guinea-pig career, and I'm like 90% sure that's happening now. I'm sure part of how hesitant he was to opt out when Kepler told him he could was feeling vaguely sorry for Hilbert and another part of it was just how weird it felt to be given an actual choice about something (god, how fucked up is his life, seriously) but I think he really is starting to wonder if the results might be a little bit worth it. I'd usually feel betrayed if a story did that, had the victim decide later on to give consent, but I trust this show not to act as if it made the foregoing any more okay- it's really good about keeping things in perspective. Hilbert's no less a monster now that he's at bay, it's just that he's not the biggest monster going. Now where's Minkowski in all this? They're offering Hera freedom from pain and (the illusion of) respect, they're offering Lovelace answers, they're offering Eiffel bodily autonomy. Hilbert and Minkowski are the only two they don't seem to feel the need to keep sweet, which I get for him- he's Failed Them and also has done so much shit that being nice to him would hurt their standing with the others- but not so much her.
Spoiler: A Matter of Perspective aaaaaaah they made sure to remember his birthdaaaaaaaay god I love it when they're friends. Also Lovelace was perfect as always. Starting to be interested in some badwrong Jacobi/Eiffel. Hmmm. Oh, and I wonder how long until someone starts trying to come up with fan rules for Funzo...
WELL SHIT. Spoiler: Need to Know THAT SURE WAS A THING THAT HAPPENED. Okay, reconciling this with keeping Eiffel sympathetic- there are plenty of ways that take only this episode into account. But. We also need to consider that he let Hilbert hold it over his head before, which kind of tends against the idea of there being any simple explanation. A wrongful conviction he'd have just freaking explained to Minkowski (as well as being, narratively, a bit of a cheat). If it were a scenario where he was trying to get the kid out of a bad situation but the law didn't see it that way, it would be something he probably should have just explained to Minkowski, but he might not have done so for fear of being disbelieved? I dunno. I don't think I'd feel cheated if it were that, but I also kind of doubt it is. What's left? Custodial interference, maybe? idk.
I'm like 99.99% sure it's going to be something either justified or accidental because, dark though it can get, this still isn't that kind of show. ...also, why the hell is Kepler putting in this much effort to co-opt Eiffel? Especially with this in mind- what can he possibly have to offer?
Bets on the leak being a 'leak' that Kepler ...happened to know about? also... Spoiler has Renée ever mentioned having kids? If not...bets on whether she does?
@Bel Capricorn that was my impression also - something about her reaction pinged me as a little deeper than the others'. just speculating.
Spoiler I feel like Cutter would have mentioned them at least once while he was making pointed comments about Mr. Koudelka, if she had kids. Not like him to pass up a chance to be SUPER FUCKING CREEPY. And the "leak" thing is a sucker's bet. Can't help but notice that nothing even slightly damaging to him showed up in there... Didn't only she and Jacobi, who explicitly doesn't care, see that last one, though?
.....wait wait wait wait. I know why Kepler's favoring Eiffel so heavily. Spoiler It's not about him at all, it's a way to isolate Minkowski. As the previous commander, she'd be the most likely linchpin for any attempt at uniting against the new crew. With Hilbert and Lovelace there's plenty of existing friction. Hera's ability to treat Minkowski as In Charge seems to be... compromised, to an uncertain extent. Eiffel's the only one left to divide from her. So Kepler practically lovebombs him while degrading her with make-work, while Eiffel's ability to sympathize about it is severely curtailed by the fact that she used to make him do the star charts (though it was his actual job, and also they didn't have the ability to do it by computer as they now have.) And now she knows his Dark Secret... and her desire to give him the benefit of the doubt is likely to keep her from telling others, which means "I don't care" Jacobi is the only one she could try to process this with. (Or possibly Hilbert, but that's not a much more attractive idea from her perspective.)
Relistening to older eps, and holy crap this show is good. Way back in "Am I Alone Now?", when Hilbert talks about that desert island/genie joke- in hindsight, no way was it not Kepler who told him that one. And the slow growth of everyone's relationships, and the subtle, natural laying-in of plot points for later use... I miss the Blessed Eternal, though :(
http://nanyangosaurus.tumblr.com/post/141970684930/presenting-the-wolf-359-kind-of-trailer-a-while I laughed until I cried. Also "that one ship with the dude and the scary dude" is probably the best description of Hiffel ever.
I've had this podcast downloaded on my phone for a couple months, but I'm bored and sick and I'm finally going to listen to it! :D
Oh fuck I love grumpy AIs and I love scientists sequestering themselves in their lab, I'm very excited. I'll stick more liveblogging under a cut in this post so I don't overwhelm the thread. Spoiler: liveblogging This music is really nice! And I love Minkowski, I love .. uh, what was the phrasing? shriveled-hearted dictators. :P CHEERFUL-CREEPY AI :D :D
Spoiler FAILING TO REMAIN CALM MAY RESULT IN YOUR GRUESOME GRISLY DEATH we're not gonna hear all 1001 tips, are we - oh, there's the transmission again. i can't believe this guy who's only job is to look for transmissions dismissed the first transmission ever as a hallucination Spoiler I LOVE RUSSIAN ACCENTS AND I LOVE SCIENTISTS WHO DO DUMB SHIT Spoiler I don't know if I believe that this is a transmission from Earth?? I guess it COULD be a coincidence, but hmm Spoiler EIFFEL AND HILBERT HAVE THE SAME VOICE ACTOR?? that's so strange "some classical music that sounds very angry at me" lol it does sound like I was right and this is suspicious, though. Spoiler TOOTHPASTE FIGHTS Spoiler ... i love fictional people who hate each other. kick his ass, minkowski Spoiler CREEPY-CHEERFUL AIS LYING FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT = EVEN BETTER THAN REGULAR CREEPY-CHEERFUL AIS Spoiler "I know we've had our ups and downs, but I could kiss you" ouo please do oh dear, a creepy plant Spoiler ouo it's cool that Eiffel is the exact kind of character I enjoy the suffering of, lol. what an asshole, I love him. speaking of which, space drowning! "you're still you, so - ehh???" Spoiler oooh doctor hilbert, be creepy and tie people to beds some more and also, my shirt opened? Spoiler i genuinely cannot tell if hilbert is actually making him sick or if he's just creepy and Eiffel is delusional, lol Spoiler DOUBLE MAD SCIENTIST FAKEOUT so why is Eiffel even here? also, how did he get a noisemaker lol Spoiler I can't believe he did an impression of minkowski (or is it minkovski?) and then got into an argument with it. good job making me <3<-ship y'all even more, guys Spoiler hints of arc plot with the whispering voices! I'm into it.
Re: Minkowski's name: It's spelled like I just spelled it, which is probably why Eiffel so consistently gets it wrong. Pronounced with the v/f sound.
Spoiler: continued liveblogging Look, the Minkowski+Hera arguing in the background thing is clever, but I would actually like to hear what they're saying and I can't focus on them in the background, dammit! Meanwhile: oh dear, plant problems.
