Part 3

Chapters 30-45

Reading music: BGM

“Hoo, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover here. Sam, do you mind starting the recap this time?”

“...”

“Sam?”

“I don’t get it.”

“What?”

“This is a porn story.”

“...”

“Why is it like this? This is...this isn’t supposed to be like this. This isn’t normal. It’s supposed to have two dimensional characters that exist to serve their purpose in the story, but have almost no personality. They show up, they get plowed, you stop thinking about it.”

“Sam...”

“No, I don’t get it. This guy should be writing NYT bestsellers. I’ve read bestsellers that aren’t this good. Who the hell is this guy? It’s like finding bathroom graffiti drawn by da Vinci. Or Bosch, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

“That scene with Gina trying to apologize was heartbreaking. When she said ‘Do you hate me?’ I felt chills. That dialogue was one of the most painful things I’ve read in a long time.”

“...”

“Vic, where the hell did you find this?”

“I just stumbled onto it.”

“We’re like two of a couple hundred people to see this.”

“Yeah.”

“50 shades of gray has millions of copies sold and 3 movies. I live in a world where everyone knows that piece of hot garbage and this is completely unknown.”

“Sam. Get a grip. We’ve got a job to do. Think of the boobs, Sam!”

“...ugh. Fine.”

“So we run into Gina’s mom. She’s abusive.”

“Furthering my growing suspicion that Gina isn’t evil, just broken.

“There’s also this really problematic discussion about how Gina deserves to have an abusive parent, or it’s her fault.”

“Yeah that was really disgusting. I don’t care if your kid is the antichrist, no kid deserves that.”

“If the author actually thinks that, they’re a dick.”

“I don’t personally think this absolves Gina, especially of the next thing we learn.”

“Yeah. Okay, fair. She made Susan cut a long gash through Marcie’s breasts with a box cutter.”

“This is the darkest story. Like holy hell, how do you come up with something that messed up?”

“Is it weird that I feel so bad for both of these characters? They’ve been through so many terrible things. I just want things to turn out well for them.”

“Well, Gina gets out of the breathing order at least.”

“I’m happy for the character, but also wondering why the story even brought that up if it’s just coming to nothing.”

“Chekhov’s gun: when you put a gun on the wall in act one, make sure someone immediately takes that gun and safely disposes of it at the very beginning of act 2.”

“And then Marcie lays down the rules for her new game. Vic, got anything to say on this?”

“Tons. First off, Marcie mentions that any order containing the phrase ‘From now on’ is null and void. I went through the whole story with a fine toothed comb.”

“How many orders had that phrase?”

“One. The eating order. I’m surprised no one brought it up. But as of this point, Gina doesn’t have to overeat.”

“Does Gina know that?”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“Anything else to say on these orders?”

“Honestly, I think these are unfair. I honestly can’t think of anything Gina can do to win, except...”

“Except?”

“It’d be messed up.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“She could remove the self harm order and slash herself across the breasts.”

“Oh man.”

“Yeah. But I think it’d affect Marcie on a deep level. It might just put her in a place where she believes Gina has paid for her crimes.”

“Vic.”

“I’m feeling it too, yeah. That sense of dread and tension.”

“...”

“So a little further we have Gina make a new friend in Rina, then see Marcie’s scar.”

“Yeah, and it screws with her.”

“She tries to apologize and can’t say it. It’s not true that she’s sorry, but she wishes she was. She feels awful. Even as Marcie is maneuvering her to take a huge fall and lose everything, all she can think about is if Marcie hates her for what she did.”

“This is the part that gets me. Gina can’t apologize, but she is starting to feel genuine remorse.”

“She...she’s still a monster, Sam.”

“How can you say that?”

“Look at what she did! I feel bad about her past but-“

“Dude, you of all people-“

“Do NOT compare me with Gina. I have spent my life protecting people and fighting evil. She cut a girl open to make an example out of her. I will NOT be put in the same category.”

“...”

“...”

“I’m sorry.”

“I cut you off. What were you going to say?”

“Maybe Gina was a monster, but by this point in the story, I think she’s growing out of it.”

“I think Marcie is making her.”

“Well that’s the theme of the story, right? Can you redeem someone by humiliating them?”

“Hey Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna make out?”