It’s one of those places that they make postcards about, Hyperion – a hell of a skyline, twinkling lights and neon waves below, shimmering satellites hanging high above. But here’s the thing about a skyline: it only shows you the outsides of things. On the inside… inside, things can get messy.
”
—Juno Steel
Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 1) is the first (or ninteenth) episode of the first season of The Penumbra Podcast. It was released February 28, 2017 and was created to replace the originally released version of the episode in the canon.
Juno Steel has had a lot of clients in his time, high-profile and low. But when he’s called in to investigate the murder of Croesus Kanagawa, head of the Kanagawa crime-family-slash-entertainment-network, it’s not the client that interests him. It’s what Croesus was wearing when he died – and an ancient curse that hangs over that very strange mask.
Trigger Warnings[]
Death
Some gore/“body horror”
Sudden loud noises
Depictions of being chased/pursued
Episode Summary[]
Juno Steel is contacted by Agent Sasha Wire regarding a case. Mobster and media tycoon Croesus Kanagawa has been murdered, his head having been pushed into the Death Mask of Grimpotheuthis and the words "YOU'RE NEXT, JUNO STEEL" written on the wall in blood behind him. Due to his previous history with the family, the Kanagawas are insistent on Juno being the one to investigate the murder, and Dark Matters agent named Rex Glass has been assigned to aid him. When Rex Glass enters Juno's office, Juno observes that his smile makes him seem "like he was happy to see me and like he'd be just as happy to kill me, if push came to shove." He admits to himself that it isn't an unpleasant look.
Upon arriving at the Kanagawa's mansion, Rex insists on opening the door for Juno, much to Juno's annoyance. Juno is approached by Cassandra Kanagawa as he and Rex go to investigate the crime scene. Croesus had been pushed into the mask, which then split his head apart into three portions and killed him. While Rex examines the mask, Juno questions Cassandra on her motives and whereabouts the night before. Cassandra shows Juno video evidence of her going into town, apparently securing an alibi for herself.
Afterwards, Juno and Rex set out to find Cecil Kanagawa but are interrupted when they are chased by a mutated Camera Man, one of Cecil's genetic experiments. Rex pulls Juno into a nearby hidden compartment, offering the two a moment of respite. While waiting for the Camera Man to leave, Rex briefly flirts with Juno, asking him about the origin of his name. Juno answers by saying that he once looked up the name and found that Juno, the Roman goddess, "had a mean streak" and a nasty habit of killing her children. When asked if he has a mean streak as well, Juno admits that he doesn't, but his mother did.
Juno and Rex listen for sounds of the Camera Man, and when they hear nothing, the two assume that it has left. However, they are immediately ambushed once they exit their hiding place and are chased into Cecil Kanagawa's filming studio. The two are then trapped, bound together on a torture device and forced to participate in his stream, "From the Jaws of Death."
Ryan Vibert, Composer and performer of original music
Quotes[]
JUNO:
What’s with the long face, Sasha? Regretting not staying away longer? Or maybe you’re just upset that you had to break your streak?
WIRE:
Isn’t it possible that I could just be concerned for your safety, Juno?
JUNO:
Nope.
REX:
Ah, Detective Steel. How lovely to meet you at… last… (Pause.) Detective, are you trying to crawl out that window?
JUNO:
I’d say I was succeeding.
REX:
And you, Juno? Where do you imagine yourself dying?
JUNO:
In a cold ditch somewhere, just like everybody else.
REX:
Oh, dream a little!
JUNO:
Fine. A warm ditch, then.
REX:
You’re worried that this is a trap, then.
JUNO:
Thought that was pretty clear.
REX:
Well, allow me to alleviate those fears, Detective: it is definitely a trap.
JUNO:
Hey, wouldya look at that! My fears just up and disappeared! That’s incredible, Rex, really amazing Secret-Agent-stuff.
REX:
You have a very interesting name. Juno. Juno. Like the goddess, I assume? Mothers, guardians, protectors…
JUNO:
Not sure that’s what Mom had in mind. Looked the name up once. Turns out Juno was a real piece of work. Had a mean streak a mile wide and a nasty habit of killing her kids.
REX:
And do you have a mean streak, Detective?
JUNO:
Nope. Mom did, though. Never killed me, but that wasn’t for lack of trying.
CECIL:
Esteemed visitors… elders and gentlechildren… human beings from across the span of age and space!
JUNO:
Oh god damn it.
JUNO:
Hyperion City...Some people say it's the most beautiful place in the galaxy. The rest of us live here.
JUNO:
I'm a private eye. In a town as ugly as this one, cleaning things up is supposed to be my business, but most of the time...most of the time, it just feels like I'm spreading the mess around.
JUNO:
I am not being followed around by some jerk in a suit all day, Sasha.
SASHA:
Perhaps you can talk him out of the suit.
JUNO:
He looked like he was happy to see me and like he'd be just as happy to kill me if push came to shove. It...wasn't unpleasant, all things considered.
REX:
There's a right way to talk to everyone, Detective. You just have to find it. Here's hoping we find our soon, eh?
REX:
And even if you are torn to shreds by the talons of an undead nightmare, it won't have been for nothing. This little escapade has gotten me to Mars, and it's gotten me to you, Detective Steel. And I have to say, I'm enjoying both already.
Trivia[]
Fans often shorthand this version of the story as "2 Mask 2 Murderous" or "2m2m," patterned after the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious.
During this episode, after Rex mentions that he's used to rabbits that eat carrots and wrinkle their little noses, Juno warns him to stay out of the sewers if he wants to keep all his limbs. This is a reference to the rabbits on Mars, which dwell in the Oldtown sewers and have semi-sentience. Juno, Sasha, and Mick later encounter a rabbit during the events of Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 2).
In a Twitter Q&A, writer Kevin Vibert has alluded that the Kanagawas are loosely based around the Kardashians. The official Tumblr has also alluded to this fact.[2]
Additionally, with the exception of Min Kanagawa, all of the Kanagawas have first names that start with the letter C. The Kardashians all have first names that start with K.
References[]
↑This is the remake of the first episode of the series. It was released as the ninteenth episode, but has since been moved to the beginning of the feed