Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)
Chapter 3
Ch 1 Ch 2 ao3 link
*Eddie - 1986*
Eddie wasn’t dumb enough to break into a house in Hawkin’s wealthiest neighborhood in broad daylight, so he came back later that night once it was fully dark. Steve’s house backed up to the woods, so he parked a few streets over, where his beat up van would be a little less conspicuous, and snuck through tree-lined backyards until he reached the Harrington place.
He came alone. The kids would be mad when he told them about this, if he ever told them about this, but he wouldn't risk any of them being involved if he somehow got caught.
Eddie tried the back door first, thinking it might be kept unlocked for showings. No such luck. Looking at the flimsy lock, he thought about it for a moment because honestly, sliding glass doors are super easy to break into, but he decided it would be best not to leave any evidence that someone had been here.
Windows were next, and after trying several along the back and side of the house, he finally found one that was unlocked. Jackpot. It was tiny, and looked like it led into a laundry room. He took off his leather jacket and battle vest, knowing it would be easier to squeeze through without the extra bulk. He tossed them both behind a nearby bush and hauled himself up through the small opening.
Eddie’s not sure he’d be able to accurately describe just how creepy it was walking around Steve Harrington's empty house, if anyone ever asked. It was dead silent, dark, and the little remaining furniture was covered in white sheets. It made him jumpy, he kept expecting something to pop out at him, like a bad horror movie.
It only got worse as he explored.
There was nothing to see, as far as he could tell, on the first floor. Not that Eddie knew what he was looking for, exactly. He figured he’d know it when he saw it. Shivering slightly, he headed up to the second floor, where all the bedrooms were likely to be.
An odd sense of deja vu overcame Eddie for a moment as he looked down the hallway. He shook it off, knowing it was just him scaring himself. The first two doors led to an empty bedroom and bathroom, respectively. There wasn’t so much as a toothbrush left behind in the bathroom and every surface was spotless. The third one he tried is where things got…strange.
He opened the door quickly, expecting to find another empty room and move on. Instead, he found the fully furnished bedroom of a teenage boy. Eddie’s jaw dropped. The bed was made up with a dark blue comforter, and nestled between the two thick pillows was a small well-loved brown teddy bear. It looked like one of those generic stuffed toys you might pick up at the last minute in a hospital gift shop.
A low dresser sat against the wall opposite the bed, along with a bookshelf that held more model cars than novels. There was a wooden desk and swivel chair, and hanging from the back of it was Steve’s old letterman jacket. Eddie turned slowly around the room, taking it all in. Apart from it being a little too neat for your average 18-year-old, and the frankly atrocious wallpaper, it’s exactly what Eddie imagined Steve's space to look like.
If he didn’t know better, and if the rest of the house wasn’t deserted, he’d think Steve had just stepped out for the day, that he might be back any minute. Eddie wondered why the boy’s things had been left like this, and what would happen to it all when the house sold. Out of morbid curiosity he checked the drawers and closet. Both were full of familiar looking jeans, sweaters, and polo shirts. Jesus, the whole room was a goddamn time capsule. He wasn’t sure if any of this amounted to a clue or anything, but it was definitely the kind of weird shit he was looking for.
Reluctantly, he left the room to explore the rest of the floor. There were two more doors to try. One led to the master suite, as bare as the rest of the house, the last opened up to a set of attic steps. Eddie wasn’t a big fan of attics, they tended to have bats, another thing he wasn't a big fan of, contrary to what his tattoo might imply.
It was dark on the stairs, and he cursed himself for not bringing a flashlight. It seemed like a reasonable decision at the time, he hadn’t wanted to risk someone seeing his light through a window and calling the cops, but it was almost pitch black up there.
It wasn’t as empty as the rest of the place, he could make out the shape of several boxes stacked in one corner and a small bed frame or cot along another wall. He tried to walk around a little, but quickly ran into a beam and almost knocked himself out.
Deciding it was too hazardous, and since he couldn’t see anything anyway, Eddie turned back towards the way out. He tripped over something and bent to pick it up. It felt like a book of some kind. He was curious but couldn't see shit, so he tucked it under his arm and went back down the steps. He'd get a better look at it later, in the light.
It was definitely time to go, he’d already been in the house for much longer than he planned to be, but as he passed Steve's door again, Eddie felt compelled to take one more look. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw headlights turning into the Harrington’s driveway. Shit.
Eddie ducked down. It was unlikely that whoever it was would notice him in a second story window, but better safe than sorry. He had to get out of there in case whoever it was decided to come inside. Who on earth would be viewing a house this late at night? No, it had to be something else.
As Eddie crouch-walked out of the room, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Steve's jacket. It was stupid, impulsive, and someone would almost certainly notice its absence, but he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing the thing and taking it with him.
He hid behind a half wall in the living room until he heard the car and its mystery driver pull away. Not feeling like climbing through a window again that night, Eddie left through the back, though he was unable to lock it from the outside. He’d already broken all the rules, so what was one mysteriously unlocked door.
Walking around to the side of the house, he went straight to the bush where he had stashed his jacket and vest, but they were gone. Motherfucker, he was so screwed! Eddie might not have been caught red handed, but he knew that his vest stood out, it was personal. If whoever found it was curious enough, they could easily find out who it belonged to. He didn’t waste anymore time looking, if he stayed here it’d only up his chances of getting snagged. He took off through the trees and sighed in relief when he finally reached his van.
It was after midnight when Eddie got back to the trailer. Wayne was working so at least he didn’t have to explain where he’d been. He set the two items he’d stolen down on the bed to look them over, going for the book first. It was an old Jcpenney Christmas catalog dated December 1983. Tucked in between its pages was a purple marker with some kind of pink fuzzy puff ball thing on the end of it. Too juvenile to belong to Steve’s mom, and he was sure the guy hadn’t had any siblings. Maybe a younger female cousin had left it behind? He supposed it could be Steve’s, he wasn’t one to judge, but he’d be surprised. Eddie flipped through the pages, taking note of the items that had been marked. A lot of girl’s clothes, some pretty pillows and blankets, more stuff for a bedroom, but also nail polish and a friendship bracelet kit.
It was curious. He didn’t know what to make of it, and although it probably had nothing to do with Steve's case, he still tucked it safely away in his nightstand drawer when he was done looking through it. Just in case.
He picked the jacket up next and held it up to his face, breathing in deeply through his nose. It was faint, but he could smell Steve's cologne on it. He didn’t know what it was called, only that Steve had been wearing the same fragrance since junior high. Eddie would recognize it anywhere. Under that was the faint odor of cigarettes, and sure enough, when he dug into the pockets there was an old pack with two very dried out cigs left inside.
Damn Harrington, I didn't know you smoked, Eddie thought. Little bit of bad boy in you after all, wasn’t there?
He checked the other pocket and pulled out a single polaroid photo. Eddie’s breath caught in his throat as he looked down at the face he hadn’t seen in over two years.
Steve was pulling a goofy grin, no doubt for the amusement of the little girl who joined him in the photo. She smiled wide, eyes practically shining with happiness. She had dimples, and very little hair. Eddie didn't recognize her, but something about the girl was familiar, like he'd seen those eyes before. He wondered if she was the person the puffy pen belonged to, and who she was to Steve.
He took out his wallet and stuffed the photo inside for safe keeping. The jacket, he folded carefully and tucked under a stack of junk in his closet to keep it hidden.
-
Eddie slept in late the next morning. On top of going to bed well past one in the morning, following his criminal escapades, he’d spent the whole night running from one weird dream to another. All of them starring Steve and the mystery kid from the photo. It’d been a while since he dreamed of Steve, though it used to be quite a common occurrence. It made sense, Eddie figured, he’d been so fixated on Steve lately, it was no wonder the boy was haunting his dreams again.
Rolling out of bed, he threw on the first items of clothing he could find. Normally he wouldn’t bother until after coffee, but the boys were coming over today and they didn’t exactly respect things like decent visiting hours, or knocking on doors. The last thing he needed was Dustin and all his friends busting into the trailer to find Eddie standing in the kitchen in nothing but his holey underwear.
When he did finally step out of his room, he was doubly grateful that he had taken the time to get dressed. Sitting on the living room couch was uncle Wayne, who should have been sleeping, all of the younger boys, and chief Jim Hopper, who was holding Eddie's leather jacket and battle vest in his hands. He didn’t know how he hadn’t heard this many people in the small trailer, he must have really been out of it.
All eyes fell on Eddie when he entered the room. The boys were sulking, Wayne looked worried and Hopper… well, Eddie didn’t know the man well enough to interpret his expression, but it looked a lot like Wayne’s. Which was weird. He had clearly been caught, Hopper should be pissed. Why wasn’t he being arrested right now?
Hopper rose from his seat and approached Eddie cautiously. He held the bundle of clothes out to him and Eddie took it, eyes wide.
“I think we need to talk.”
*Steve - 1984*
The early days at Hawkins lab were rough. Steve was stripped of everything, given a plain gray sweat suit, and tossed into a windowless room on arrival. He could hear Eleven screaming his name over and over again, as she was dragged off somewhere down a long hallway.
His accommodations were bare-bones. A small cot was shoved against one wall, covered in only a thin cotton blanket and a single pillow. There was a small writing table with a chair, and a toilet and sink sat in the corner. He spent the entire first day pounding on the locked door and demanding loudly to see his sister.
He continued to beat on the door long after his knuckles had split and blood began to stain its surface. He screamed himself hoarse but didn’t stop until Brenner came by for a visit, and a warning. “I’ll remind you, Steven, that you are only here at my discretion, as a courtesy. I would just as soon have you killed as have you released, if you continue to be more trouble than you’re worth.”
He stops banging after that.
Steve gave it a few days, but when there’s still no sign of El he started to panic. Not having many options, he briefly considered refusing to eat the meals he’s served three times a day, until he remembered that a hunger strike is worth nothing when your tormentors don’t care if you live or die. All he would accomplish is making himself weaker, and that wasn’t acceptable. He needed to stay strong, for her.
In the end, three weeks go by before the door opens and he is finally greeted by a set of familiar brown eyes. She was wearing clothing similar to his own and her hair had been freshly buzzed. The smile on Eleven’s face was dull, but present, as he surged forward to wrap his arms around her.
He pulled back after a few short moments and studied her face. “Are you okay? What did they do to you?”
She didn’t answer, instead she took him by the hand and led him further down the hallway. Two men dressed all in white followed closely behind.
They entered a room through a set of double doors. The guards remained outside in the hall, or would they be considered orderlies? Steve didn’t know, and supposed it didn’t really matter anyway, the bottom line was that they were being watched closely. Steve hadn’t seen much of the lab yet, apart from his own cell-like room, but after hearing eleven’s stories, he would know this place anywhere.
“The rainbow room.” He whispered, a little awestruck to be seeing it in person. It was just as she had described, the bright colors standing out in stark contrast to the white walls and floor. There were various games and activities set up at different stations throughout the room. Eleven went straight for the chess board and turned to look at Steve expectantly. He looked around for another minute, willing away the painful tightening in his chest, as he took it all in.
Finally, he joined her on the other side of the game board. “I don’t know how to play.” He said softly.
“I’ll teach you.”
She patiently showed him how each piece was allowed to move. He didn’t really get it, but that didn’t matter, she explained, it was just something to make them look busy while they talked.
Steve inclined his head towards one of the cameras in the ceiling. “Can they hear us?”
El kept her attention locked on the chess board as she answered. “No, there’s no sound. Only video. If we are too loud, the guards might hear from outside, but otherwise we can talk freely.”
He followed her lead, attempting to look casual, disinterested even, as they spoke.
“I’m sorry it took so long for me to come see you. Papa wouldn’t let me until I agreed to help them put the monster back.” She said.
“Monster?” Steve asked, blood running cold.
“The day I ran away, I was looking for something, in the dark place..”
Steve nodded along. He didn’t really know what the dark place was, but he was used to this by now, not always knowing what she meant when she described something to do with her powers, but doing his best to follow along anyway.
“I didn’t find it, but something found me. A creature, taller than you, and it had no face. Its mouth opened like a flower. I shouldn’t have touched it. It screamed, and I was so scared. I pulled away too fast and I think it used me to cross over to this side.” She maintained a neutral face but her eyes looked haunted.
It was so hard not to react, to concentrate on their game, when all Steve wanted to do was comfort her.
“Is that how you got away? Because they were busy fighting the monster?” He asked.
“Yes. It’s been here all this time, they were able to trap it, but needed me to get rid of it.”
Steve ground his teeth. He could tell she blamed herself, but as far as he was concerned they brought her back here to clean up their mess. She wouldn’t have found the monster if Brenner hadn’t been forcing her to look for some mysterious bullshit. Why hadn’t they just killed the thing?
“I did it.” She continued, “but I was so tired after. I slept for a really long time. I needed to…” She trailed off. Her vocabulary had grown so much in their time together, but she still got stuck sometimes.
“Recharge?” Steve offered.
She let out a small smile. “Yes.”
“But you’re okay now? You’re sure?”
Before she could answer him, the doors opened and an unfamiliar man walked in. He wore a white coat over his brown suit, so Steve assumed he was another Doctor. Their time together was up, it seemed.
“Hey kiddo.” The man said, greeting El warmly.
Steve bristled, moving to stand in front of her.
“Please, Steve. There's no need for that. I’m not here to hurt her.”
Steve crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the man dubiously. He didn’t believe it, but he knew there was no point in arguing.
The man shook his head and offered Steve a smile that, if he didn't know better, he would say looked fond.
“I’m Doc Owens” He said, extending a hand. Steve shook it automatically, years of having good manners drilled into him making it a reflex.
“It’s okay Steve, I will see you tomorrow.” El said, stepping up beside him.
“Will she?” He was looking at her as he asked, but the question was directed at Owens.
“Of course, that was the deal. Eleven has agreed to continue our work in exchange for having you here, and getting a minimum of one hour of family time.” Steve had to squeeze his eyes shut. He would not cry in front of this man, but god did he hate this.
“What exactly is your work?” Steve asks.
“You’ll have to speak to Doctor Brenner about that. I don’t know what I'm allowed to tell you. I’m sorry.”
The thing was, Owens sounded like he meant it. Steve didn’t understand. Maybe he was actually a nice guy, or perhaps he was just a good actor. Either way, Steve filed the information away for later.
-
He does, in fact, get to see his sister daily after that. He cherishes what little time they get together, even if he is frustrated at her new refusal to talk about what she does when he’s not around.”
Steve also gets put to work, finally. It’s nothing exciting, cleaning mostly. He isn’t given a key card, for obvious reasons, so he has to be escorted to each new area when he’s done with the last, but it's fine. He doesn’t mind cleaning, had always found it therapeutic, and honestly he’s just happy to have something to do with his time because he was starting to lose his mind here. The new job also came with an exciting perk, the opportunity to learn the layout of the building.
Eventually, Steve starts having his own weekly sessions with Doctor Brenner. He imagines this is what therapy would be like, if your doctor was a manipulative sociopath, that is.
“I’m sure by now Eleven has told you what we do here.” Brenner began.
Steve had refused to speak at first during these sessions, but was again reminded of the consequences if he chose to be uncooperative.
“She hasn’t told me anything, but I'm sure you know that. I’m guessing you threatened her into silence with me?”
“We both know that’s not entirely true. She told you about the creature, didn’t she?”
Steve scowled. “You’re right, she did tell me how she had to save your asses.”
“Now, son, It was her mess to clean up.”
Steve snorted.
“You believe she has done no wrong, but I wonder. Has she told you about the man she condemned to death by sending him into that place?”
Steve wasn’t dumb, contrary to popular belief. He knew what Brenner was trying to do, and it wouldn’t work. There's nothing this man could say that would turn him against El, but he never knew what information would be important, so he decided to play along for now.
“No, she didn’t”
“Henry was an orderly here. He’d taken a shine to Eleven, but it ended in disaster. More than one life was lost that day.”
Steve was at a loss for words. He believed in El, even if she had done what Brenner was implying, there must have been a reason for it. If it was true, she would tell him one day, when she was ready. He refused to let this man get in his head.
-
It’s been almost impossible to keep up with the days, but Steve is pretty sure it’s Fall the first time disaster strikes.
He and El were in the rainbow room when the alarm started blaring. They’d been having a good time laughing and drawing jack-o-lanterns with silly faces for each other. Steve wasn’t certain, but he thought it was near Halloween. As they drew, he told her about the holiday, and how kids would dress up in costumes and go trick or treating. He wished, as he did every day, that they were back home so he could show her these things instead of just telling her about them.
The sound of the alarm is jarring to Steve, but Eleven looks stricken, terrified.
Before he can form words to ask what’s going on, the two men who were tasked with looking after them today burst into the room.
“Time to go.” One of them said, as he gripped Steve roughly on the arm. The second man grabbed Eleven. They were forced out into the hallway, where he shrugged off the man’s grasp.
“What’s going on?” Steve demanded.
Neither of the guards answered or acknowledged that he spoke, Steve knew they wouldn’t. He was getting really tired of all this cloak and dagger bullshit.
When they reached his room, Steve was shoved inside. He expected them to move on quickly, to take El away, but instead he could hear the two men arguing in the hall.
“She needs to be put in her own room.”
“We’re in lock down, her wing is cut off from this side!”
“Take her back to the rainbow room then.”
“There's no lock on that door!”
“Fine!”
The door to his room abruptly reopened and Eleven stumbled inside. Steve could hear gunshots and men shouting. It was distant but still too close for comfort, and they were sitting ducks in here, trapped. Steve pulled El over and sat her down on the bed. She was shaking.
“Sweetie, please. Do you have any idea what’s going on out there?” He asked, carefully.
She was crying fully now, and he felt awful for pushing her.
“I didn’t mean to do it, I told them it wasn’t safe!” She wailed.
Steve's stomach sank. “What isn’t safe, El?”
Her lower lip wobbled as she spoke. “I opened a door. To the place where the monster lives.”
It’s not good news, but Steve thinks if these people were able to contain the thing once, they should be able to do it again, right? He’s about to say as much, to reassure her, when the sound of many echoing growls reaches them. More than one creature then, great.
“Is that..” He trails off, looking at her.
El shook her head. “I don’t know. It sounds…I think they are something different.”
Before Steve could panic further, the door opened again, revealing a frantic Doc Owens.
“Kiddo, I know you have no reason to help us but we need you. There’s too many of those things, and you’re the only one who can close the rift.”
Eleven looked at Steve for a long time before she nodded. “I’ll do it.”
“But, El, sending back just one monster put you down for weeks. What if..”
“I’m stronger now. It’s okay, you don’t need to worry. I’ll be fine.”
He knew he had no choice but to trust her, but he didn't have to let her go alone. “I’m going with her, I'm not letting her face, whatever those things are, alone.” Steve said, turning to face the other man. It was a statement, not a question. He was determined not to let her out of his sight tonight.
To his credit, Owens quickly agreed. “I understand. Come on, we need to go now.”
In the hallway, Steve asked to stop off at the supply closet. He knew better than to ask for a gun or something, but he didn’t want to run around empty handed either. Along with cleaning products, mops and buckets, the supply closet also housed some old sporting equipment, things that must have been leftover from the days when they had let the kids outside for exercise. Steve snatched up the baseball bat he had seen collecting dust in the corner, and the three of them headed for the elevator.
-
Steve was wholly unprepared for the things he saw that night. Like a pack of wild dogs, these smaller creatures, who shared the same flower petal mouths as their taller counterparts, guarded the gigantic pulsing red portal in the basement of the lab.
Several men wielding automatic weapons covered Steve and El as they boarded a platform that would lower them closer to the center of the opening. Steve’s head was on a swivel as he tried to keep his eyes on all of the creatures at once. He didn’t know how many there were, he tried to keep track but quickly lost count.
More than once he was forced to wind his bat back and swing, hitting the creatures in the head with a sickening crack, as they tried to get to Eleven. As if somehow they knew she was here to stop them.
Steve watched transfixed, as this amazing girl, who he was lucky enough to now call family, reached her hands out and screamed. She threw everything she had at it, as blood poured out of her nose in thick rivulets, and slowly the giant rift started to close.
Eleven swayed, and Steve was forced to drop the bat to catch her. She kept going as he held her up. He offered her his strength the only way he knew how. He held her, kissed the top of her head, and told her he wasn’t going anywhere. He told her how amazing she was, and that he believed in her.
As soon as the rift was sealed all of the dog-like creatures collapsed. Unfortunately, before that happened one of them got a little too close and sliced its claw into Steve’s back. He ignored the pain and kept a firm hold on his little sister.
When it was all over he lowered El to the ground slowly, careful not to drop her. She had passed out once her task was done. He worried for a moment that she had given too much of herself this time, but her pulse was strong.
Steve laid down next to her to catch his breath. He only meant to rest for a moment but he was fading fast. He didn’t know how bad his wounds were, but distantly thought he might be bleeding out. He reached for El, so afraid to leave her here alone, and managed to drag her to his chest before the world went black.
Chapter 4
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Back to the Future: The Animated Series, s01ep01 "Brothers" Review & Commentary
Well, I let you people vote on it, and you (overwhelmingly) urged me to do this. Not gonna lie; I'm excited. The animated series is. It's a thing that was made. It's kind of like that cousin or uncle that no one in the family really talks about or acknowledges. But, as far as a children's show goes, it is pretty fun. It's also ridiculous, and I can't wait to dive in, tear it apart, analyze it too much, and just generally have a good time talking about this weird little cartoon. These posts will be long, but I'm going to really try to make them enjoyable to read.
Before we begin! Some background info just to orient you: The series takes place in 1991. The Brown family has moved to a farm in Hill Valley and are continuing to go on adventures through the space time continuum because why not? Doc has thrown all caution to the wind, evidently. Marty is in college. I guess 1991 would put him in his senior year, so, maybe he's 20? I dunno. I'm going to have a LOT of fun discussing him, because--as you may have seen me mention briefly in the past--they really did a number on him character-wise.
The series makes use of live-action segments at the beginning and end of each episode, with Christopher Lloyd as Doc. He's often assisted by Bill Nye, The Science Guy. Most of the live action beginnings are framed as Doc telling a story about a specific memory or adventure, which then leads into the cartoon portion, which is the "bulk" of the story. Please keep this in mind. These are supposed to be actual life stories that Doc is sharing about the goings-on in his life post-trilogy. Okay, let's get to it.
We open in Doc's lab, where he's setting up a camera. I don't think it's ever addressed or explained, but he's got some sort of science show that he now runs for children? Honestly, these segments are delightful. Christopher Lloyd clearly enthusiastically jumped right back into the role of Doc, and it's great to see more of him.
There's our guy. Look at him. He's wearing his train shirt again, so he must have gotten a new one after the events of Part III. I don't blame him; that is a nice shirt. He's talking about the electromagnet that he and Jules have made, and it leads him into a story of another time the two of them built one, which was in 1864. Cue the cartoon portion!
The first cartoonified (?) character we get to see is Marty! He's supposed to be paying attention to a history lesson on the Civil War (using Doc's futuristic tech that includes a holographic teacher) but he's not listening at all. He's got his headphones on and is jamming on his guitar. Very Marty behavior. At least they kept that trait of his. Anyway, look at him. Look what they did to him. He's wearing a letterman jacket like some sort of jock, and I do not approve of it. Why did they not have him wear a denim jacket?? Denim was huge in the 90s. Who made this decision? Where are the strings on his guitar? I have so many questions and no answers.
Oh! I should probably mention that Marty is voiced by David Kaufman. Many of you will know him as the voice of Danny Phantom. Doc is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who is also the voice of Homer Simpson.
When Doc enters the scene, he shows Marty the new feature he's added to the DeLorean. (Oh, yeah, the DeLorean is back, btw. He built another one) As a precaution against anyone trying to steal the car, Doc has modified it to be able to fold down into a suitcase?
It will only open up at the sound of Doc's voice or Einstein's bark, and it weighs over 2,000 pounds. Doc also has a fancy robot crane thing to help lift it and carry it around, but it malfunctions when he tries to demonstrate, and it catapults the DeLorean-turned-suitcase that weighs a literal ton RIGHT ON TOP OF HIM.
photos taken seconds before disaster. rip Doc, cartoon over.
He then shows Marty how the time circuits are now voice activated, and we also learn that the car can travel to locations throughout the world now. It is no longer confined to just traveling through time. Marty's thinks this is all very interesting (no he doesn't) and hurries off because he's late for his classes and Dean Strickland will be angry at him if he fails his Civil War exam. Doc goes into a mini soliloquy, saying, "Ah, the Civil War; a tragic moment from America's past. The powers of oppression and slavery versus the forces of freedom. The south pitted against the north—brother against brother. Thank goodness those days are far behind us."
Naturally, this brings us immediately to a very loud fight between Jules and Verne. Now, I actually like the way Jules and Verne are included and their personalities are established in the cartoon. And if anyone here has read my fanfic "Harborage", you know that I love writing Jules and Verne and take their characterization straight from this cartoon (though I do water them down, obviously. these cartoons are so over the top). Generally, though, I do like their dynamic. Jules is essentially a mini-Doc but even more so in a way? He's extremely smart, very logical, and speaks formally at all times. Verne, on the other hand, is all about having fun. He's loud, hyper, and thinks Jules is a huge geek. Verne and Marty are super close, and they're very much a "big brother, little brother" type dynamic duo of chaos through the series. Doc breaks up his sons' fighting, but Verne is upset that he always seems to take Jules's side.
Then, we go back to Marty (later in the day, I guess?). He's doing another virtual Civil War lesson but is still wearing his headphones and playing guitar during it. His virtual teacher gets annoyed and yells an important date from the war—February 11th, 1864 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Remember how Doc said the time circuits are now voice activated? Yeah, this date gets programmed into the DeLorean.
Verne, feeling neglected and looked down on by his family, decides to take a joy ride in the DeLorean. Marty witnesses Verne take off, and we actually get a good bit of Marty characterization! He sighs and says, "Perfect", which--as many of you know—is one of Marty's favorite words.
Meanwhile, outside, Verne nearly runs over his own father with the car, and Doc has the most hilariously cartoony reaction to seeing the car barreling at him.
Then, uh oh, Verne is sent right into the middle of the Civil War. He meets Beauregard Tannen, a Confederate General. (This is a good place to mention that Thomas Wilson actually voices all Tannen relatives in the cartoon!)
Back at the house, Doc, Jules, and Marty are all sick with worry and have no clue where Verne has ventured off to. I will point out that we haven't seen or even heard about Clara yet. Where is my girl Clara? *sigh* Anyway, it's Einstein who figures it out. He—he has mechanical gloves that he wears that basically give him human hands, so he finds a photo of Verne in a history book and...yeah.
Turns out Verne has been forced to join the Confederate Army as a little drummer boy. The book states that the group in the picture is "wiped out" a day after the photo was taken. The gang all race to the Time Train, which is hidden in an underground tunnel on the Brown's property. That's a pretty neat detail, ngl. I've wondered where Doc would store that massive train if he ever moved back to Hill Valley.
Once arriving in Chattenooga, Doc puts Marty in charge of guarding the train, and he is immediately captured and tied up. And, ya know what? Even though I feel like Marty is generally out of character a lot in this show, I'll admit it's pretty spot on so far. Doc and Jules are also captured and forced into the Union Army. They learn of General Ulysses S. Clayton, who is Clara's uncle, and Jules goes to try to convince him to put a stop to the upcoming battle. It doesn't work, but they do notice some sort of electromagnetic machine a doctor is using on Ulysses (to treat rheumatism), so Doc and Jules steal it.
On the battlefield the next day, as the armies are charging at each other, Jules gets thrown right into the middle of it all. Verne then runs to him, and they huddle together as they await their doom. (I must say that, as a first episode of a series, this is quite the story to open with. Very interesting choice.) As they soldiers prepare to destroy each other, they notice the brothers cowering together and stop in their tracks—struck by how sweet the scene is. Realizing that the war has pitted many family members and friends against each other, the men begin to hug each other and put aside their differences. On their way back home, Marty's history book changes to show that the particular regiment Verne was forced into never fought any battles. All those men apparently took the little lesson they'd been taught to heart. And I gotta point out that, originally, all those men died in battle, so Verne's actions led to a whole group of people continuing to go on, live their lives, and probably have children. But, seeing as this is a kid's show, the potential repercussions of this on the timeline aren't addressed. And that's the end of the cartoon portion.
We go back to Real Doc then. Yayyy! He shares this news with us.
The delivery of these lines is great. They're said with all the weary exasperation of a parent whose warnings have been ignored over and over. Doc does not feel bad for Marty.
I think Doc does an experiment then? But guess what. As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that I got distracted making the gifs and never actually finished the episode. I don't feel like pulling it back up and watching those last 2 minutes. Oh well.
I think that, overall, this is a weird episode to start a series on. It's not very fun or wacky. Mostly just feels like a history lesson with a "fighting doesn't solve anything" moral slapped onto it. This was fun to write up, though.
Tune in next week to see if we find out where my girl Clara is.
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