We now conclude this peculiar week, with its short Bleat and busted Bleat and, I hope, a complete surprise. Rocked you back on your heels, it did. The trips came together suddenly in February, and presented a return to normalcy. There are a few more pieces remaining to assert the OLD NORMAL, which of course is unattainable in this time of fractured paradigms, but we do what we can.
At the office today:
The publisher is giving some all-company meetings to get us back in the office and reacclimatize everyone to that straaaaange, terra incognito called The Office. The Variety staff actually met, in person, in a room. It felt odd, but nice. And it won’t be the norm. Most will work from home for most of the week. The old ways are gone.
But of course I would lament that, wouldn’t I.
Say, someone should try to write the obverse, and see what happens.
Anything left to say? No; best to close out this mess with some faves and leftovers.
Number one Top Ten sign your software is made by Ukranians in Ukraine:
Do not lecture me about using this product. It came with a bundle and I only use it for a few things, not the specious "freeing up space by trashing caches and language packs" part.
Now the Big Lance, and then something I had to get out of the way or the whole yearly schedule is tossed cocked-hat wise.
SUNDAY LANCE! This time we're heading to the circus.
Whoa!
Why . . . why did Tiny go down to the rail yards?
Motion lines for emphasis! Tiny seems amused. Solution is here.
Are you ready for some confusion?
Let the crawl bring you up to speed.
THEY’RE OKAY, FOLKS!
They’re arrested, because . . . they’re now suspects? Because they survive?
This is quickly explained and everyone’s relieved. Buck explains that the Saturnians thought they were dangerous revolutionaries, and did not understand that Killer Kane was a Super-Racketeer.
The thing we learned about the Saturnians was that the Council of the Wise were anything but, and seemed rather dim. Back on Saturn . . .
. . . we see the Council of the Dim about to sign a treaty, based on their observation of Killer Kane’s rule. Seems odd they never got around to paying attention to Earth before.
Back through the sliding doors, back on the underground transit system . . . the things we saw last time, and are hence a bit less gee whiz. Except they’re not - every time I saw Star Wars when I was a youth I reveled again at the cool tech.
Well, back to Earth in the buzz-saw powered sparky ships. Back in the Hidden City, Buck suggests getting some uniforms from the stolen ship and slipping into Kane’s HQ and spying on them. A little undressing in the bunkhouse:
Buddy is sad Buck’s leaving. Buck said he’d take him if he could - which makes Buddy run out and go to the President and say “Buck wants me!” So of course the President sends him to his certain death? No. So Buddy runs back and lies to Buck, and off they go to the hangar:
Man, this must have been awesome if you were 12. You’d never seen anything like it.
They arrive at Killer Kane’s city:
Gravity belts take them to Kane’s crib:
And after a brief encounter with the guards, it’s time to storm Kane’s house:
He’s in Kane’s inner meeting room in about 30 seconds.
He makes Killer Kane call up the “TeleVi” to look at the prisoners used as slave labor:
The ploy works! The Saturnian emissary is appalled he thought a felllow named KILLER KANE was a good ally, and wants to meet with the Hidden City good guys. Gravity belts on! Quick escape!
Alas:
Thank you for your patience this week. See you Monday, when everything's going back to normal.
