| “ | Almost nothing has to happen, Juno. Things just... do. Then the world’s different, and more things happen later. | ” |
Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 3) is the twenty-third episode of the second season of The Penumbra Podcast. It was released June 26, 2018.
Overview[]
He tunes the radio, sorts through static for answers. Only questions, clean and clear: can one child really ruin the lives of his entire family?
A ghost-sound, like a voice; then, gone.
Why did he have to stay with her? Who was that at the door, all those years ago? Did his life, her life, Juno's life... did they all have to end this way?
No port in the static storm. But then, distant, a sound. He's found it, he thinks; tunes closer, and closer, feels the rush of answers, the relief of a mystery solved. It comes closer, a banging sound, like footsteps, echoing... and then he's found it.
And he wishes he hadn't.
Here comes Turbo. The Man of the Future.
Trigger Warnings[]
- Child abuse and abusers
- Sudden loud noises
- Ableist language
- Surgery and body horror
- Violence and threats of violence
- Death, mortality, and illness
- Claustrophobic and dark spaces
- Deception and gaslighting
Episode Summary[]
While undergoing treatment at Hanataba’s medical station Juno is looking through his memories, acompanied by the personified memory his brother Ben, to find out what event lead to their mother's hate for Juno and eventually the murder of Ben. During this process memories are surfacing that make Juno question the idea of his mother as a monster. Though he is not forgiving her actions it makes him see her as a human being and helps him reconcile with her being a part of him.
Cast and Crew[]
Starring
- Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel
- Marc Pierre as Benzaiten Steel
- Kiki Samko as Sarah Steel and Andromeda, the Chain-Mail Warrior
- Matthew Zahnzinger as Jack Takano, Ramses O'Flaherty, and Turbo, the Man of the Future
- Bob Musset as Lorenzo Vega
Crew[]
- Kevin Vibert, Co-creator, Lead writer, Recording engineer
- Harley Takagi Kaner, Co-creator, Director, Sound designer
- Noah Simes, Production manager
- Alice Chuang, Designer and financial manager
- Kat Buckingham, Operations manager
- Ryan Vibert, Composer and performer of original music
Quotes[]
SARAH:: And when the King heard the harpies’ song he became sad again, and when he realized he was sad he got angry. So he parted the wall of butterflies and he asked, “Harpies! How could you be so ungrateful? I heard your sad songs, I found out you like colors and butterflies, and so I gave them to you -– every butterfly in the entire world! -– and still, you sing so sadly? Why aren’t you grateful?” The King couldn’t see what the harpies saw, or hear what they heard, and even when they spoke he did not care to listen. But if he had, he might have learned that even without a single butterfly, the harpies had everything they wanted: a sky, an ocean, a home where they could be sad if they wanted, and voices to let the air know it...
BEN:: So... what? You’re just gonna die? JUNO:: Who cares? BEN:: You do, moron. JUNO:: (GRUNTS) BEN:: Get up. Get up. JUNO:: Hey, quit -- BEN:: You want to live. You care. Not caring’s been your get-out-of-problems-free card for years, and you don’t know how to do anything else. Now you do care and you’ve got no idea what to do with it. That’s not brave, that’s not even being depressed, Juno, it’s just being a dick. JUNO:: Well...I mean, if I’m a dick, it’s cuz... BEN:: You’re a Private Dick! Got there first, punchline’s mine! JUNO:: Damn it! BEN AND JUNO:: (LAUGHING)
JUNO:: She wanted to be “all better...” and she thought whatever she was working on would get her there. That’s all that mattered to her. We were just hurdles on the way there. BEN:: But why did she think her work would... I don’t know, fix her? JUNO:: Who knows? She was nuts. BEN:: Right, good point. Why try to figure out the complexities of a human being when you can just throw her out in one word?
JUNO:: The hell do you know about problems, huh? Benzaiten Steel, Mr. Dancer, Mr. Everyone’s-Favorite, Mr.Galaxy’s-Best-Smile. The hell do you know about-- BEN:: We’re both Sarah Steel’s kids, Juno. We both inherited that weight around her neck. Just because I dealt with it differently than you doesn’t mean you get to pretend it wasn’t there. I’m just saying. “Crazy’s” as bad as “all better” and you know it. It’s an ending. We don’t get those, alive or dead. JUNO:: Okay, alright. She’s not crazy, I’m not crazy. You, though—
JUNO:: No. I’m not getting rid of you. I’ve tried that already and it doesn’t work. You are always going to be a part of me. I am always going to do bad things and feel you in them. But you weren’t a monster, Mom. You were just a person. A person who let her own hurt pour out and hurt other people, yeah. But... SARAH:: ...But what? JUNO:: No, not “but.” And. You hurt people and you cared about them. And you scared people and you made things nobody else could make. And you were brave, Ma, brave enough to push yourself as hard as you could, and you weren’t smart enough or patient enough or something enough to see that you never should’ve pushed yourself that far in the first place. And I don’t have to be scared every time I feel you in me anymore. SARAH:: Little monster’s all grown up, isn’t he? JUNO:: Not yet. Working on it.
Trivia []
- Unlike the previous episodes, which had been released every two weeks, this episode was released three weeks after the previous episode.[1] This was partly because the episode was a complex one, from a production standpoint, and also because the cast and crew were busy preparing for their first live show.
- This episode reveals that Sarah had Juno and Ben via IVF or similar means since she remarks "I paid a lot of creds to make you and your brother happen on my own".