When the flahsback’s over, Will is leaning on the balustrade, turning back to Arcane. “And then the District Attorney was onto you; and you
couldn’t handle the pressure....” Will gives a wild, exaggerated shrug; “What’s the Arcane solution!?” he advances menacingly on Arcane; “You
simply plot and have the unsuspecting man murdered!” Arcane is really squirming now as a flashback from “Dark Side of the Mirror” is shown,
where he is sitting at his desk with Deputy Javert, openly saying that he’s going to kill the D.A.
“Stop it right there!!” a heartbroken, effeminate voice shouts out, and the flashback freezes on an image of Arcane seated at his desk. “Just look at
his hair!!” Standing by the Judge’s box, the hairdresser is pointing furiously at the image and shrieking; “Isn’t it absolutely mortifying!?!?” He moans.
Tressa grimaces in horror and shakes her head slowly. As the hairdresser collapses emotionally into a fit of sobbing, Arcane looks totally
bewildered, and starts fiddling madly with his hair. Tressa can only watch helplessly as the poor hairdresser leans on her box... a broken man, and
has to be carried out in tears by the bailiff, giving a last, impassioned and anguished wail as he’s taken from the court.
"Please, Tressa! Just give me the
award for most overacting in a single
episode and it's free perms for life!".
Will shakes his head in disgust at the whole scene. “I hope you’re proud of yourself, Arcane!....” Arcane is looking more than edgy and
uncomfortable; “....but then again; you have so much to be proud of, don’t you?....Like the time your plot to eliminate Tressa Kipp failed; you had
her savagely attacked!” Arcane is looking sick with guilty fear at this point as they turn to see yet another flashback begin, showing the events from
“Blood Wind” when Tressa is chased by the maniac Gardener with the shears.
“OBJECTION!!” Arcane screams angrily. Tressa gives an outraged gasp, and Arcane immediately softens his voice to a more pleading tone as he
attempts to justify what’s just been seen; “But I only extended the usual male attention... and friendship towards Mrs. Kipp!” He gives one of his
best oily, trademark smiles, showing more teeth than an average Great White. Tressa looks mortified. “Friendship!?” Will gasps with a mocking
sneer; “Male attention!?....I suppose that includes your gracious act of kidnapping Tressa’s son.....my half brother....” Arcane squirms a bit more;
“....JIM!” Arcane swallows hard and looks ill as the next flashback to bury him deeper into the hole that’s being metaphorically dug, shows a scene
from “The Shipment”, where Arcane is packing Jim off to a work camp in Brazil; ending with the boy looking pitifully out from the bars in his crate.
Tressa is sobbing dramatically in sorrow and rage as Arcane, all nervous teeth and smiles, attempts an explanation; “Tressa....I....” “SHUT UP,
ARCANE!!!” She yells at him, before breaking down into worse tears, collapsing with her head in her hands. She gives another short sob and
looks up at him, clenching her fists in unbridled emotion; “And for god’s sake!!.....” her voice changes into a vicious snarl; “*PLEASE* DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THAT HAIR!!” She stares at him angrily as he makes a vain attempt to flatten his hair, which seems to resist with a life
and sentience all it’s own. The jury begin their applause again; and Tressa’s now looking pretty much recovered.
“And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for!....” Will raises his hand; “....A surprise witness who will seal our case against Dr. Anton
Arcane...” he turns briefly to regard Arcane; “....once and for all.” He pauses for dramatic emphasis. “The prosecution calls....” There is a big build
up, and Arcane is perspiring heavily and looking very scared; “...a special man....” Will points to the end of the courtroom; “....Dr. Alec Holland!”
Arcane looks mortified! The entire court becomes hushed, save for a collective awed gasp from everyone, and little cries of “Wow!” and “Oh!”.
Tressa is staring silently in intense respect, her mouth forming a little ‘O’, as the human form of Alec Holland stands in the centre of a door frame at
the edge of the court, putting his hands on his hips and looking in.
Jeez! The main guest star and surprise witness,
and they can't even afford a proper door for him!
“Dr. Holland. You, more than anyone else, knows how *merciless* Arcane can be;” Will addresses the now seated Alec Holland in a calm and
sympathetic manner; “Tell us, please, what happened....in...in your words.” Watched by Tressa, who’s beside him in her Judge’s box, Alec begins
his testimony. “He was never satisfied with his own accomplishments. He was totally obsessed with mine; in particular, my research on a
Bio-Restorative formula that would increase plant growth....” Arcane fiddles with the sleeve of his uniform as he listens in dread to the condemning
story unfolding; chewing his lip and generally developing more nervous twitches than the scientist witness from earlier. Beside him, scrutinising him
with evil, beady eyes, is the growling worm mutation. Holland continues; “When he found out I was making fantastic progress, he became
consumed by it....He HAD to have it!” Will regards him silently as Holland continues his testimony, making direct eye contact with Arcane; “But of
course, he was never man enough to confront me himself. He sent thugs to do his dirty work for him....” Arcane continues to pick at his sleeve and
fidget. The mutant continues to keep him in check. Alec continues; “Then, when they failed to steal my formula....he decided to eliminate his
competition. As Arcane looks on as another flashback begins, he develops a strangely puzzled look. This is lost as the court views the events from
the flashback within “The Living Image” showing the fight and destruction of Alec’s lab, ending in Alec falling into the swamp, on fire.
“OBJECTION!!” Arcane yells again, slamming his fists on the desk. “On what grounds!?” Tressa angrily does the same. “On the grounds that this
melodrama is irrelevant!!” He announces, as a terrified moment of revelation dawns on him; “AT LAST!....I remember how I came to be here! He
gasps in shock; “This isn’t a dream at all!!” Panic is setting in and his voice is growing fast and desperate, as he looks all around him. Will is staring
from his desk, eyes widening with mild interest. “...This is my life being judged!!....but I did nothing to warrant this! I...I...I was merely supervising
an experiment!!” He stammers and pleads in fear and desperation. “An experiment, IN KILLING INNOCENT WILDLIFE!” Holland shouts
furiously from the witness box, holding up a dead fish and hurling it at Arcane.
I take it back... It looks like the
main guest star really is the fish!
As a reflex action, the Doctor catches the fish, before looking down at it, realising what he’s holding, and dropping it, recoiling in shock and disgust.
The court gives a collective gasp, and Tressa surveys Arcane. “An experiment benefiting Mankind!” Arcane argues with a hint of anger behind the
terror. “Do you people honestly expect me to mourn the loss of a lower life form....” his tone is a little more aggressive now, and Will looks on as
though Arcane is the lower life form. Alec just watches in stony silence as Arcane continues his defence; “....when the needs of society demand my
attention!?” His tirade finished, he adopts a more ‘reasonable’ tone of voice; still desperate, but more humble and appealing to whatever better
nature of the jury that there is; “Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury....” he gives a nervous little smile and begins wringing his hands as he puts on his
best friendly and sugary...if more than a little patronising tone of voice; “I acknowledge that some of us have had certain difficulties in the past.....”
the man has a unique ability to make mutilation and mass murder sound like a playground misunderstanding; “....but that’s all behind us now.” He
gives a grand, sweeping gesture of his hand; “On the horizon are a whole new set of problems which I (gestures to himself) am uniquely qualified to
solve.” He looks downwards; “The experiment that sacrificed that....unfortunate fish....” Will looks decidedly unimpressed as Arcane continues his
spiel; “....may well solve global food shortages.....THINK OF IT!.....No more famine!” He gives a little saccharine smile; “No more....hungry little
children.” With wide and innocent eyes, and a bigger, toothier, trademark smile, he utters in a gentle voice that makes him sound like a kindlier
version of Mother Theresa; “I wasn’t hurting anyone :::::another huge, oily smile::::::: .....I was merely using my spectacular gift of intelligence....and
superior intellect.....for all of you!” He pauses, before looking around and treating the entire court to one long final, winning smile with enough
saccharine as to make a Care Bear vomit!
“Is that so?” Will says smugly; “Then what about the conversation you were just having with your assistant, Graham?” From the Judge’s box,
Tressa grins broadly in approving condemnation, giving one single emphasised nod of the head. Arcane looks deflated as any advantage he may
have had seems to disappear abruptly. He’s squirming again as the court is treated to a flashback from earlier in the episode where he’s describing
his profit motive in manufacturing the algae; and prospective fortune from it.
In trying to wriggle out of his predicament,
Arcane tries the old, trusty "Bathroom Break" ploy
“That’s taken out of context!!” Arcane argues desperately, slowly standing up. The bailiff lets him, but continues to watch him intently. “It doesn’t
begin to explain my thought processes!” he continues. “I’M NOT SURE ANYTHING CAN!” Tressa retorts sarcastically, bringing the gavel down
harshly. The court begins to laugh and jeer, and Arcane gives a pathetic, worried little smile. “Continue, Dr. Holland....” Tressa turns to the witness
and asks, in a gentle and sympathetic voice; “....what else did this...(grimaces)....*monster* do to you?” “He could do no more than this final act,
your honour.” Holland tells Tressa, before turning back to make direct eye contact with Arcane again, who has gone back to fiddling with his
sleeves and the rest of his collection of nervous twitches, as Alec metaphorically digs his grave deeper; “Not only did Arcane try to murder me; but
he went after my wife......and he succeeded!” Holland closes his eyes, and his voice is full of grief; “I miss her so much....” Arcane stares at him
helplessly.....then Holland finally opens his eyes and looks directly at him; his expression hardening with anger; “Damn you for what you did to her,
Arcane......DAMN YOU TO HELL!” He leans forward for the final condemning words. Arcane looks around to see the entire court following
Holland’s lead. Cries of “Damn You! Damn you!” are chanted by Tressa and the entire courtroom, over and over, like a mantra, filling his ears with
nothing but his own condemnation.
Absolutely terrified at this point, Arcane looks around wildly and sees the bailiff. The fear and guilt are too much for him and he knows he must do
something! He reaches out and grabs the man’s gun. First he shoots the worm mutant next to him, since that’s the primary danger; then he shoots
Tressa in the chest. With a shocked expression, she falls back in her chair, clutching the bloody wound on her robes.
You've won the award for most overacting,
Will. Unfortunately, *that's* your prize!
Will is next to be shot, in the throat; and he also falls backwards, clutching himself. Arcane then turns to the witness box to shoot Holland, but instead finds himself staring at a smugly grinning Swampy instead. Arcane is frozen in open mouthed shock and terror at the sight of his nemesis, as the image in front of him shifts between Alec as a human and as Swampy. Arcane finally overcomes his paralysis and drops the gun in fear, bolting for the exit to the court as fast as his legs will carry him; escaping past the bailiff. Watched by a smiling, satisfied Swampy, Arcane makes his getaway.....but the court is quick to begin pursuing him.
Using desperate measures to State
his case for better wardrobe and
hairdressing for the rest of the season
As he runs outside, clutching the heavy ball and chain, he passes through a few yards of the surreal, misty swampland; then suddenly finds himself in the backstreets of Houma! He stops by a brick wall in disoriented surprise, which gives the others chance to catch up to him. The bailiff is first in the crowd and makes a grab for Arcane upon seeing him. Fortunately for him, Arcane turns and notices in time; and he gives a little scream of surprise before making another bolt for it, narrowly avoiding capture. Like a fox stumbling from a pack of hounds, he desperately drags himself through the streets and alleys; first carrying the ball, then being forced to drop it, dragging it behind him as it’s weight is sapping his energy. The mob follow behind him; not rushing, and always just behind. He runs past an abandoned police car and desperately tries to enter a building, but the door is locked. The mob are closing in, and he has to abandon his efforts. There is nowhere for him to hide. He runs across a bridge, but they are still just behind him. He’s now running out of options and almost cornered as he enters a large open square. He’s exhausted and scared....and very dismayed when he sees that he’s in some sort of construction area and it’s a dead end. “Oh....I *hate* this horrid city!!!” He grimaces in futile disgust as he stops and surveys the sorry scene ahead. Turning, he sees the mob enter the square; and is forced to resume the pursuit.
Arcane vowed never again to complain
that Houma got dull on a Friday night!
Exhausted and trying to collect himself, he backs against an abandoned and wrecked taxi; and watches as the mob approach him. “Let’s just kill ‘im
here!?” The eye-patched juror snarls from the front of the crowd. Beside him is the mutant from the witness box, who holds him back; “Uh
uh!...Killing’s too good for him.....Let’s make him suffer!!” As the mob close in, Arcane forces himself on.
Just then, Arcane sees what could be his only hope: Some live power cables on the ground. He drags himself over to them, dropping the ball and
chain, and picking them up; holding the crowd at bay by brandishing the live ends of the cables at them. “Get back!!!....Get back you
*CRETINS*!!” He screams with a new found confidence. The crowd pauses a short distance from him, and Arcane presses his advantage; “Take
one step closer, and I’ll... TOAST THE LOT O’ YA!!” He laughs with relish; as though it’s payback time for everything he’s just been put through.
But the mob begins to laugh raucously, despite Arcane holding his ground. Just then, a figure pushes her way to the front of the crowd. Arcane just
stares as the mob parts......It’s Tressa....and she’s smiling broadly!
“Nice try, Doctor!” She smiles smugly; “Wasn’t that a nice try everyone?” she asks the crowd in a sweetly sarcastic voice, leaning back in superior
satisfaction. She’s still holding the gavel in her hand, and there’s blood on her robe, as before....but she’s completely unhurt. In response to Tressa’s
comment, the mob begins to applaud loudly. Arcane begins to look sick with fear, staring hard at her in horror as comprehension finally dawns: That
they can’t be hurt or killed....and that there’s no escape!
"OK, OK, guys! We've only got 2 mins left,
so let's make it good. You grab one end, I'll
grab the other, and let's make a wish!"
Throwing her arms up into the air, Tressa immediately silences the crowd. “Has the jury found a verdict?” she exclaims merrily. “We have.” The eye
patched man intones solemnly. “Guilty!” the mutant’s word echoes out grimly, like a knife through Arcane, who squirms in fear; “....what else?” he
adds with relish, as though there was ever a chance of their being any other verdict! He nods in cruel satisfaction at his judgement, and the whole
mob cheer their approval.
“Well, there you have it, Arcane!” Tressa gloats in a falsely cheerful voice, clasping the gavel before pointing to him for emphasis; “I guess you
should have done something about your hair when you had the chance.” She patronises him like a child, then she and the mob begin laughing
again....before stopping abruptly in unison; the expressions on their faces swiftly changing from light hearted mirth to psychotic, murderous rage in
the blink of an eye. As one, they begin to advance with grim determination on Arcane, like vengeful zombies.
Make it look good, guys. We could get
hired by George A. Romero after this!
Still holding the power cables, almost as though they’re forgotten, Arcane backs off in terror. Without realising, he backs into a pool of water on the ground.
Attempting to keep the mob at bay with
threats of enforced colonic irrigation
As the ensuing jolt of electricity and shower of sparks go through him, he jerks and goes rigid; and screams loud and long, before collapsing to the
ground.
Back in the lab, Arcane is still lying on the ground, his shirt opened, and he is being revived by electro cardiac stimulation. At the exact moment of
the shock from the power cables, a simultaneous one from the E.C.S jolts him back to life and consciousness. Arcane gives a joyous, but
bewildered gasp and quietly mouths a word which sounds like ‘alive’. “DOCTOR! YOU’RE BACK....YOU’RE ALIVE!!!” Upon seeing Arcane
breathing, Graham gives a shout of unbridled joy. “I’m alive!!” Arcane gasps as well, with both exhaustion and extreme relief and joy, smiling
broadly. “Damn!” mutters the technician behind them, as he sits back down again with a disgruntled expression. “Graham! I’m alive!!” Arcane
reiterates enthusiastically; and the assistant smiles in joy at Arcane’s words. “You’ve no idea what I’ve been through, Graham!” Arcane says
pitifully, as the assistant holds his arm and supports him; helping him to his feet. “You had an accident during the algae experiment....remember?”
Graham reminds him, as he continues to help him up to a bench, which Arcane sits down on. “How could I forget?” Arcane replies in nervous relief
as images of the mocking jury fill his mind. Still looking dazed and confused....disoriented with emotion, Graham holds his arm gently to steady him.
"Last time we try *that* with
the voltage on full, Graham!"
“You certainly gave us a scare!” He says in a voice breaking with relief, as he takes Arcane’s hand tenderly and comforts the Doctor. “By the
way....” he adds reticently, as though dreading having to break the news and spoil the moment; “....the submersible lab was destroyed. I don’t know
how long it’ll take to get another one running in the swamp....” he tries to break the news as gently as he can, clearly worried by the reaction he’ll
get; usually a vitriolic outburst; But all he receives from his bewildered looking mentor is a broad and pleasant smile!
“Swamp....swamp, swamp, swamp.....Is that all you ever think about!?” Arcane sighs happily, patting Graham’s face in a fond, friendly and
dismissive gesture; “....give it a rest, man!” he gives another happy sigh. Graham and the technician exchange puzzled glances with each other.
“Certainly, er, Dr. Arcane...whatever you say.” Graham gives a relieved smile, not questioning this benevolence and sudden change of character
from the Doctor. “Good.” Arcane says casually, before looking down at Graham oddly; “Give me your comb!” he requests suddenly, gesturing for
Graham to hand the thing to him and smiling inanely. He rests his hand on his stomach, still trying to collect himself. “My comb, Sir??” Graham
reiterates, confused. Nonetheless, he takes one out of his lab coat pocket and hands it to Arcane, who immediately begins attending to his hair with
a exhausted and relieved gasping. After a few moments of this, he becomes aware of two sets of eyes staring at him like he’s two cents short of a
dollar. “It’s a long story.” Is the only explanation he intends giving at the moment. In his head, he hears the mocking laughter of the jury again....loud
and menacing. With a nervous smile and a new-found vigour, he continues combing, like his life depended on it!
Wondering why other people don't have this
hassle just because they have a bad hair day!
Back in the swamp, as Alec submerges under the water, he utters the words:
“Death brings an end to most things.....but in the swamp, endings are sometimes only the beginning.”