Midnight Burger - Patreon Drop! Shift Notes Chapter 38: Welcome to the Triad

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

Please enjoy this free episode of Shift Notes from our Patreon! Joe, Finlay, and Jessica talk about Chapter 38: Welcome to the Triad. For more Shift Notes and everything else we have to offer, head over to our Patreon and enjoy all of it for five dollars a month: https://www.patreon.com/midnightburger For more information on our show, visit our website: https://www.weopenatsix.com How about some merch? https://www.midnightburgermerch.com Sign up for our newsletter: https://weopenatsix.beehiiv.com/ All scripts available at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IXV0JIBFw_IgDJhVeaeqL4UPQngvXHoQ?usp=sharing Check out Factor: https://factormeals.com/burger50off Find and support our sponsors at: fableandfolly.com/partners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you like a good ghost story? Maybe you wonder what it would be like to communicate with the other side. We'll put your Ouija boards away and just listen to Rattled and Shook. I'm your host Meredith, and we've got a new season of Rattled and Shook available now, including themed episodes, guests, games, and immersive, creepy stories sent in by real people about haunted hotels, satanic panic, and ghosts galore. A new season of Rattled and Shook is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Hi folks, it's Joe.

How are you? I hope your summer's going well. We are hard at work right now over at Midnight Burger headquarters doing many things. Actually, we're putting together season five, working on the live show we're going to have in Chicago. And one of the things that we are hard at work on is also what we do in the hiatus. And one of those things is Shift Notes. Shiff Notes is a show that we do every hiatus. We go each episode and we do a deep dive of our own show, kind of the equivalent of director's commentary, but with a lot more stopping and starting and a lot more, a lot more tangents.

And we have cast members come on and join us sometimes. And famously, historically, we have always taken one of those episodes of Shiff Notes and put it on our public feed. And this is that episode. This is myself and Finley and Jessica. Morris, who plays Kazi and older Bertbert and multiple other characters on the show. And she comes in and we talk about Chapter 38. Welcome to the Triad. We had a great time. So we are putting this episode here on the public feed for you to enjoy. If you'd like to hear more of these, we're about to wrap up season four of shift notes on our Patreon. You can go there. You can listen to all four

seasons of shift notes, which is just us talking about the show. And sometimes, not talking about the show at all because we get distracted by things and I decide that it's time to talk about, you know, alligator snapping turtles or something like that. Anyway, it's a fun time. We hope you enjoy it. And if you'd like to hear more, you can see a link to our Patreon in the show notes. Other than that, we'll have some announcements coming up later this summer about when we're coming back and what you can expect from season five. Until then, though, we hope you enjoy this episode of Shift Notes for Chapter 38. Welcome to the Tri-E. So I remember I was talking to Ben.

And Ben and I were talking about a play of mine that he was set to direct. And he was like, I really want this girl that I'm dating to be in it. And I was like, great. That sounds great. Now, internally, there is no more frightening phrase to hear from your director than there's this girl I'm dating. and I'd like for her to be in the show. We started rehearsals, and I was like, oh, my God, you didn't say she was the greatest actor on the face of the planet.

So luckily, that all worked out, and that was you, of course. We were doing a play called In the Canopy of the Forest in the Middle of Los Angeles, California. And here we are now, which is crazy. Yes. Bonkers, bonkers, bonkers. So many levels of crazy. So many. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Shift Notes.

I am here with Finley Stevenson. My co-producer, Finley Stevenson. How are you? I'm good. Honey, we're here with Jessica Morris. Yes, we are. Hi, you guys. Who is here with us on the show.

It is true. It was a stunning performance in that, look, I'm not going to talk about it too much because we're talking about a thing that no one knows, no one experienced who is listening to the show currently. But anyway, it was a phenomenal performance. And it was one of those great size of relief that the person Ben was talking about actually turned out to be a fucking phenomenal actor. Well, and it's a fucking great play, too.

People should know about it, as they should know about Wolf Inside the Fence, which is maybe one of my favorite plays of all time. Are you sure? There's a lot of good plays out there, Jessica. I mean, you know what to think about it. I'm sticking to it. All right. And you're good at stuff.

So we are here. Jessica is here. I can't believe it's taking us this long to get you in here to be on shift notes because as you have been with us since episode five. Five. Right? Yeah. Unfortunately, what I remember most from episode five is Ben's hair.

Do you remember this? What I remember about episode five is Ben sounding vaguely like he was drunk or might go off script at any moment. I assume that he was. I mean, that was just an assumption that I was making. But, yeah, it was you and Ben were recording on the same mic, I think, right? You're recording in the same mic, because you didn't. many scenes together going on recording the same mic and for some reason ben kept like putting his hands through his hair and his hair just kept going up and out throughout the evening which really uh

contributed to officer valvlene for some reason we were also performing on the same mic because neither of us had ever entered into this podcast world before and if i'm not mistaken i don't think it even occurred to us that we had to have separate headphones or we had no idea what we were doing i mean yeah right us too. You know what I mean? It was weird because it was like come do this thing with us. What is it? We don't really know. We'll figure it out out. We just we just kind of do it and it seems to work out fine. And we felt so fancy when you guys, do you guys remember you sent us our first podcasting microphones in the mail? That's right. Yes. Yeah. And that's when we knew we had made it. That's right. When you get your first, you know, it was a special one too. It wasn't a blue snow, but it was a black snowball. Right, right. It was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the, it was the extra special one. You paid $20 extra for those for some reason. Right. Anyway, I'm so glad you're here. Me too. We are going to be talking about chapter 38. Welcome to the triad. I remember finishing this episode and like listening to the first playback and I was like, damn. Because there was this weird feeling with this episode specifically. I was like, did we just make a movie? There was like a there was like this weird

like we made a film. You know what I mean? I don't know why that was exactly. Maybe because it was so disconnected from the rest of the story or something like that. There's also something about like Bert Bert Bert's narration

taking us through the entire thing where you've got kind of like a framing device. Yeah, there's a completely, that's true. There's a completely different framing device with this episode than with the other episodes. That's a very good point. But I had a wonderful time making it with all of you.

I did too. It was also a trifecta of Burt-Bertz, which was... Yeah. That's right. We had another Burt-Bert-Bert-Bert. Our first Burt-Bert-Bert-Trifecta was in the Young Life episode where we had U. Original Burt-Burt, and then we had second-generation Burt-Bert with Lauren. And then we had Shelley, whose username is Burt-Bert-Bert, and who initially inserted her name.

And we did that again with this episode. Always a good sign. It's like, you know, one of those, like when you're a sailor. and you do things that are like good tidings. Right. You know. When you have three bert-barts in your recording, you always know it's going to go well.

You know what I mean? Anyway, it was a, yeah, it was a joyful experience for sure. So you are currently in a room in a college somewhere. Is there we may be interrupted by a janitor maybe at some point? I hope not. I've signed out the room like a good, you know, a college professor. And I'm hopeful nobody will interrupt us, but we'll see. But if at any point you want me to film anything, there's a full green screen

and several, you know, like lighting devices. That's exciting. Yeah. So if you want to make it multimedia, we could do that at any point. You know, yeah, why might make it more complicated? That's really what we want right now. Right, exactly. You know? Right. Sure. Should we just jump in? What do you say? Sure. Let's do it. Previously on Midnight Burger. I don't know if you know this, Casper, but we're kind of a big deal out there in the system. We are revered.

We are feared. The name The Sister strikes fear into the hearts of fascist shitheads everywhere. The Sisters. Please don't be scared of my sisters. They're pretty intense. My name is Kazi. That was my sister Tita.

She's about to get our other sister Lubuzza. We have 116 refugees with us. Your other two sisters are fugitives because of the science they study. You're a fugitive because, what? You just like guns and crime? I do like guns and crime, Casper. But that's not why I'm a fugitive. You can really do that.

You can predict the future? Well, I found you, didn't I? I designed most parts of my body. Anything cool, like claws? I have a claw. You don't want to see it. You're very astute for a young person. I'm older than I look.

Amazing. Hello there. terrifying monolithic alien technology? This is because of your father? Yes. Who was he? Croc. Croc.

A long time ago, the galaxies were ruled by warlords, warlords and conquerors. They had fleets of ships, and they would hop from star system to star system claiming territory. Our father was one of them. How did you go from that to being fugitives? A new age got ushered in. an age of warp gates and commerce and politics and all of it run by shitheads. I love it when Kazi tries to say earthwords. I do too.

It doesn't, you know, doesn't want to, but feels like she kind of has to in this moment, you know, and it's like she's handling something gross that she doesn't like. She understands it's the right word. She's got a smelly fish by the tail, just kind of putting it over there. Yeah, it's one of the few moments Kasi's voice actually goes up in registers. Absolutely. It's like handling actual shit. So no one's explained to me yet how a man has three daughters on three different planets.

That doesn't make any sense. He had multiple children on multiple planets. Sounds like a busy guy. He was a very busy guy. But none of that matters anymore because you are off to a new world. That's right. Cryptesia. We make the world.

Casper, not those before us. Let's start the shift. It's a serious let's start the shift episode. Plus the Frisia music. Yeah, it was very, something very different was happening and everybody was confused again. But it was very exciting. Your favorite.

My favorite. No matter how majestic something is, it can always become commonplace. The things we encounter every day and now hardly notice are the things our ancestors would have considered miraculous. We all carry algorithmic helpers in our pockets. We travel on starships, and from time to time, those starships go through warp gates.

The warp gates, or TED tubes, as they are sometimes unfortunately called, have become the hallmark of the age in which we currently find ourselves, an age of interconnected worlds, an age where three galaxies are suddenly at your doorstep. We all remember our first time going through one. The unsettling feeling in your stomach when you start to pass through a fold in the fabric of space, that bizarre elation when you emerge on the other side of the galaxy, under a star field you suddenly don't recognize.

Miraculous, our ancestors would say. I'm the type of person who does this, like, presently, you know what I mean? Like there was like a sort of marvel, like thinking about like the things we have now and how our ancestors would think that it's like, like, I've done that throughout my life at things that are currently here. You know what I mean? Like I remember like I would be and this was like like, like I was worried that this was an old man thing, but I've done this all my life. You know what I mean? But it's so like I would like be on the freeway.

and I would be like, everybody's going so fast right now. I know, right. You know what I mean? Like, I would be like, is this okay for us to be going this fast? I did that yesterday on the 405 because I hardly ever take the 405 because it's the worst highway in the world. In the world, sure. And I had to be on the 405 and I was like, what are we doing? Yeah. It's all, we're all going incredibly fast, surrounded by metal, hopefully.

You know, and this is something that should not be astounding to me. But like, for me, I've always been like, God, this is just too, we're going too fast right now. You know what I mean? Or getting on an airplane on a massive, you know, piece of metal that somehow is going to, my kids still, I think, are amazed by any of the aerodynamics. You're at the, you're at the airport and like a plane takes off and you think to yourself, there's just these, just tons of metal in the. in the sky flying around. You know what I mean? And I write science fiction.

Right. I shouldn't be shocked by these things. But there it is. And then when you log on to like all of the planes that are flying in America at the moment, you know, one of those maps, I'm just like, that's so much metal in the sky. It shouldn't be up there. You know what I mean? Bad idea. You know?

Or even like, because you know, you have that little candle. That's like an old-timey Nordic-looking candle. Yes. In your office next to a television that you use for a monitor. And so every time I see them together, I'm like, prairie times. If they saw our TV. All right. Yeah.

Let me explain. Okay, so I have a lamp, essentially. I have a lamp that is designed. You've seen them online, I'm sure, listeners. Okay? It's a lamp that, like, looks like a candle. It looks like a thin. pipe and then there's a little light at the top and you touch it and the light comes on and it's got a

little I'm Ebenezer Scrooge kind of holder on it and you can walk around the house looking for the ghost of Christmas present and all that stuff. Lighting your way. Right. So I have one of those. Do you wear a stocking cap? I mean, you know, my birthday's coming up, I'm sure. Oh, good, perfect.

Night shirt. Now we're talking. A long like night shirt, nightgown thing. Long night shirt. Long cap, Nordic candle. Anyway, right next to that is a television. How big is this television that I use? I think it's almost 60 inches.

It's a, okay. I may have turned a 60 inch television into my monitor that I used to make Midnight Burger. He definitely did that. I am looking at it right now. Hilariously, you guys are just a tiny corner of that screen right now. Oh, thank goodness. But like above you is like my waveform. that I'm recording on and then over here is the episode.

And then there's my text messages about 50 feet away from me over there. It's ridiculous, but it's phenomenal. And the best choice I've ever made creatively for the show. Anyway, the juxtaposition of my Nordic candle and my gigantic space television is fun for all ages. It is fun. Right? Anyway, I've always been this way about technology is what my point was that I'm always just like, None of this should be happening right now.

This all looks like a bad idea. And yet I'm constantly writing stories about the future. Anyway. The TED Empire, who has exclusive rights to the system, has brushed these issues off in its usual manner, and has continued building its massive energy harnessing structure around this very rare celestial object. It was only after constant hounding from the Seagian Council of Truth and Understanding

that the TED Empire finally agreed to allow a few of us onto a press barge to view the star and the massive structure currently being constructed around it. This brings me back to my original point, the forgotten majesty of the things we've gotten used to. As we orbited bilious, I was reminded of this majesty, the pure insanity of building something so massive that it could completely encircle and obscure a massive star. Honey, I really need you to stop me from using the word massive three times in one paragraph. All right. I usually do.

We were in the middle of recording it, and Lauren's there doing a great job. And I'm like, holy shit, I use the word massive like 15 times in one paragraph. It's really embarrassing. But it's like, I didn't want to stop because you don't want to stop because it's like you never know. You know, you got to keep going. Got to keep the flow moving. And she was doing it. She was doing it.

She was doing it. She committed to every single one of those 15. thousand words, massives that were in there. That is my fault. I'm sorry. No, it's my fault because I can count things. You know what I mean? But you are there. Please prevent me for making that mistake in the future.

So many massives. So many of them. It's okay. So many massive. It's good to have embarrassing moments like that. It keeps you humble. You know what I mean? That's right.

You're welcome. One of my favorite things to think about when I listen to these is what an expert you've become on sourcing sound effects. I'm serious. I can't imagine, you know, you thought that this was something you were going to be doing as you were writing plays. It was, yeah. Yeah, I just got out of playwriting school. Right. And it's like I'm so excited to like dig through sound effects banks for hours.

You know what I mean? Quick, you know, sound on the topic of sound design. quick sound design tip. If you're going to blow up something that is the size of a star, you're not going to be able to capture that in audio. Okay, there's no sound that you could possibly use that's going to really give you that, oh, my God, the star is exploding, feeling.

So do it from inside the perspective of the ship where the thing is exploding, have the reactions of the people inside the ship, have the ship shaking, things like that. then you let the audience imagine what it's like and you're there sort of in the ship and you'll probably be better served. You know what I mean? That's so smart. It's always cut away from something cool.

Don't show the alien. Never show the alien. Never show the alien. It's great that the shark doesn't work. Exactly. The movie's only good because the shark doesn't work. How you create a tight psychological. thriller. Absolutely. Yeah.

Bruce can't function. That's right. Was the sharks name? Was the sharks name Bruce? Yes, the shark's name was Bruce. His name was Bruce. Yes, a little callback in, what was it, finding Nemo to the Australian sharks. Bruce. Okay, Bruce.

Yeah. That's great. Yes. So, yeah, shout out to Bruce. Sad to know that. If this massive explosion of a megastructure had obliterated me, My last words would have just been, oh, fuck, and not something cooler. I certainly should have been obliterated by the debris field from an explosion so massive, but luckily... An explosion so what? You know what I mean? This is like a drinking game.

We should start the drinking game for everybody at home. Yeah, if you want to get ripped wasted in the first ten minutes of an episode. I cannot believe I missed this, because this is like one of my biggest pet. peace. Apparently not. I'm so sorry, honey. I'll see myself out. No, no, it's look, it's not your fault. It is, again, it is not your fault. It is my fault for using the word massive so many times. So massively. It's such a massive fuck up. The worst part is that here we are at the beginning of this episode, I know I'm going to use this word again. I know it's going to happen again. And I just have to sit here and take it. It's going to be rough. It's going to be a rough night.

Well, there's only so many words for it because, like, gargantuan is just funny. Yeah, you can't say. Gargantuan doesn't really do it. Bohemoth. It just sounds weird. Yeah. I mean, big doesn't do it. Giant.

Yeah. Elephantine. No. No. Lepentine. I think that implies a little more than just large. It is, it is rough. This brings me back to one of my main frustrations, which there is a word that I think I hate

the most that doesn't have a real substitute. Oh, what? What is it? We've talked about this before, and that word is rural. Okay? I hate the word rural. Uh-huh. Everyone does.

And there's no word that really can take the place of it. You could say pastoral, but that's not the same thing in rural because pastoral feels like there's a French made with a wheelbarer. Yeah, it's more idyllic for sure. Yeah. Rural is a different experience. And there's no word that really take... We're going to send it out to the listeners.

Listeners, give me, please, a synonym for rural that feels like what I'm talking about. You know what I mean? It's a vibe thing. It's not necessarily like a direct translation thing. I feel like there might be region. Like, we used to say country in Florida. Country, backwards. But I do feel like that's not...

It doesn't apply to all applications of rural. Backwoods feels like I have like overalls on. and a shotgun. Okay. All right. Rural is just like that feeling of like not necessarily scenic farm after farm. You know what I mean? Sure.

Rural. That kind of thing. It's a very specific thing that only rural works for. And I just hate that word so much. It's impossible to say it doesn't sound good. Anyway, help me out, hive mind. Word experts. Send in your suggestions, please.

words that I can use instead of rural. There's something I didn't think we'd be talking about on the space show. I'm here to report on what happened next. We see that the TED Empire still has not learned its lesson. The lesson that they're rampant and rancorous expansion will not be without consequence. The TED Empire wishes to extend the tendrils of its kingdom to yet another unwitting star system. subjecting it to the tragedy of unmitigated and unsustainable growth. But they do not have the right to make the world you live in.

We are the sisters. We make the world. Nobody does righteous indignation like Jessica. It really is amazing. And it's really hard to do and not feel silly. You know what I mean? Because it's, you know what I mean? I love it.

Also, all those great words, I get to say rancorous and tendrils and unmitigated all in the same speech. That's true. It's a, and yeah, so many great words, maybe I should, you know, I gave you all those words. And yet, look, just behind you, couldn't think of another word for big. Listen, baby Bert Bert was still learning her craft. Exactly. It's a character choice. Yeah.

She's getting her little journalist legs. No, I'm not going to pawn it off as something. sort of character choice. It was just me not working hard enough. And that's all it is. All right. But anyway, yes, it's great to have someone like you in this role because I know what, it's great when you know

what you can throw at someone. You know what I mean? And so throwing, you know, rancorous tendrils and all that. It's so, I was just like, because writing that, I was just like, she's going to fuck this shit up. Oh, you're, thank you. She's going to just like, turn. That's some, uh, voice training and lots of Shakespeare, I think. Yeah. Nice.

See, people don't know. People think it's just about wearing funny pants, Shakespeare. No, but it's great trading for the rest of your acting experience. Isn't that right? Thank you. Yes, for that Shakespearean PA. Yes, exactly. No, it really is true.

You know, it really is true. Like, even if you hate Shakespeare, studying Shakespeare as an actor, it really, like, levels up your bullshit. Yeah. And voice stuff. It's funny, I was listening to this and thinking about my old vocal coaches, link later technique, if anybody has ever studied. Shout out to Linklater.

Thank you, Kristen, Link later. Thank you, Kristen. And while, you know... Your voice work is great. While oftentimes I wonder why I took three years of grad school and paid all that money and what it got me. Sometimes when I'm doing tongue twisters or saying rancorous tendrils, I feel like it may be paid off. That's right. Yeah.

All right. Anyway, yes. Study your Shakespeare, everyone. This is Bertbert. Broadcasting on the under signal. Welcome to the triad. It's so good, dude. What is it? I'm sorry, what?

It's just good. It's good. It's great. We're pausing for a good? Yes, we're complimenting you. Yes. Massively. Let me say something about the complimenting.

Okay, let me say, okay, wow, first of all. Second of all, let me say something about the complimenting because I was getting rassed about this on the discord today about my inability to take a compliment. Because Tom, was it because Tom gave you so many compliments last? time. No, somebody just said, let's compliment Joe much because it makes him uncomfortable. The kids have grown up now. And now they've reached the age where they're making fun of the father.

That's exactly right. That's exactly what's happened. And I just want to say, and I've said this before, and this is not resonating. It's just that on the show specifically, you know, it's weird to like, first of all, it's weird to be hosting a show about, like, first of all, okay, first of all. It's weird to be hosting your own deep dive podcast. That's weird. Sure, sure. And so then also to just, you know, for it to be about compliments for me, we should make it about other things like me complimenting you guys, for instance.

Yeah, but you compliment us all the time. All right. I know. It's just, you know. We don't get the chance to do it until, I mean, part. partially because we get on these recording sessions and we're making movies every single time. So if we spend too much time complimenting each other, then we're suddenly into six hours of recording time. So when you invite us onto shift notes, we have the rare opportunity to let you know how much we love getting to work on this.

And it's your show. So you're just going to have to deal with it, I think. Deal with it. All right. I always lose this fight. I don't know why I keep trying to have this fight. Professor Morris has spoken. All right.

Professor. Also, shout out to Frisia, because that just makes the whole vibe. Yeah, I was going to talk about this later in the episode. But yes, so, okay, so like another character, basically, in this episode is the music of Frisia. Frisia is a couple of friends of mine from high school, okay? Nick Huntington and Mike McRourty. They are Frisia. Frisia, we were in a garage band together.

And, you know, those situations where it's like, there's two guys who are like real good musicians. And then everybody else is just kind of like fucking around. So that was them. They were the two talented ones. And they, you know, after we all went off to college, they started doing Frisia and writing this sort of electronic music. Fun fact, wrote a Britney Spears song. I love that. Wrote a song on the Blackout album.

Right. So they wrote the song Heaven on Earth on Britney's Blackout album, right? And I'm sure you remember. remember, the blackout album was like the dark time in the Britney Spears story, right, with the shaved head. I mean, chasing photographers with an umbrella, stuff like that. Yeah. So when they were working with her, I was like, I'm going to get so much hot goss about

Britney Spears from my two friends from high school. I'm going to get it immediately, right? And then I talked to them, and I have to say, super boring, super boring story. They went into the studio. Brittany came in. Super nice. Very professional. You know, great music ideas.

It was like, she was like a joy to work with. It was like this incredibly like nice, also really disappointing story. Because you wanted to be messy. You wanted to like she came into the studio with a leopard. You know, you wanted to be like that or something. But yeah, these are my friends, Frisha. we use their musical through Young Life. We use it in this.

And it's great. Also, Brittany, check in with us, please. Let us know how you're doing. Isn't she? I thought she was good now. Isn't she good now? I don't think she's good now. What's happening now?

I don't have any hot goss. I thought she was freed from her Las Vegas prison, wasn't she? She was. And then she got together with the dude. and then it got weird again. That's a shame. Also, she left candles burning in her gym and, like, almost burned her place down. Why are you burning candles in your gym?

Well, you wanted to smell nice, I guess. Wanted to smell nice. It's a gym. I don't know, man. All right. Anyway, just saying. Brittany, come on the show. Come, come listen to an episode of Midnight Burger with us, Briddie.

You'll love it. Don't burn candles in your gym, please. Don't burn candles in your gym. What are you doing? That's not where they belong. No. No. All right.

Like I know. Don't burn Norwegian taper in your gym. That's right. That's right. We just talked about Britney Spears for a minute. We did. I'm sorry. I didn't have a lot to contribute, but it was.

I didn't either, but we wound up there. All right. It's going to be fine. It's going to be fine. Don't worry about it. Okay, so of course, whenever there is a robot with one line, it is me. Sure. I am always the robot with one line.

And I really, I just want to, I'm going to compliment myself and say that my pronunciation of Tumtum was really excellently robotic. It was on point. I feel like at that moment, yeah. Yeah. You did it. You received a response to your request for information on the sisters from the truth and understanding. Oh, yeah, Alice. Yeah, you're in this episode, by the way.

Oh, yeah. I love Alice. I do, too. I can't wait. Your request for information was denied. Shocking. Due to recent events, they are withholding all requests for information. Please don't tell me they've convened a subcouncil.

They convened a subcouncil. Fuck my planet, dude. So we talk about, so I talk about CGIS a lot. We spend a lot of time. We spent a whole episode there. You know, it's mentioned a lot. Bert Bert, Bert's from Cigius. And, you know, when we talk about Cigius, she always talks about Cigius in this really kind of aggravated with her home planet kind of way, you know.

The thing about Cigius is that it's really as close to a utopia as you can get in the show, right? It's a very well-run planet. They've got geothermal power. They've got it all. It's all, everything on CGIS is working, right? And what I was always interested in exploring. during the Cs was the idea that utopias take a lot of work, first of all, and also they're like super frustrating and boring.

Like when utopias finally achieved, we're all going to be fucking bored having to deal with the nine councils that you have to go through. But you know what? In the end, if that's what you've got to do, that's what you got to do. I just listened to this entire Malcolm Gladwell podcast about his defense of the TV show Paw Patrol. And it's him talking to all of these other really brilliant people who are also parents of young children and why they hate Paw Patrol and there's no actual narrative structure. And instead of leaving you with a question, they always just solve the problem. And his big argument was that the reason Paw Patrol is actually so great is that it reminds him of Canada.

Because it is just very straightforward. or like there's a problem. And then all the different municipal groups, the police and the, you know, like operations folks and the bulldozers, they all come together and they fix the problem and then it's done. And that reminds me a little bit of what you're talking about right now. That's amazing.

That's great. We've got to watch some Paw Patrol now. You know, that sounds exciting. It will prepare us to move to Canada. Cross-reference historical databases with the names. the sisters. Okay, but can you be a little more specific than the sisters? No, I can't, because I'm getting the stiff arm from Seagius. Okay, well, let's look at a few results off the top then. The Seven Sisters, an alternate earth term for the Pleiades. The Honeybee Sisters, an alt-country

duo from Greedon Four. The Sisters, a 1938 Earth film starring Air, Errol Flynn and Betty Davis. You've seen this movie? The sisters? No. I guess because I guess there was a time when Errol Flynn didn't like have a sword. Yeah. Right?

And I was not aware of the non-sword Arrow Flynn times. Sure, sure, sure. Right? But this is a movie where it's like, Earl Flynn and Betty Davis, they like get married and like her family doesn't like it. And they abscond to like San Francisco, right? And he is like not doing well. And he's like, but she believes in him and says, no, you should finish your book.

And so he tries to finish his book and it's not working out. And, you know, his job isn't going well. And then she gets pregnant and then she has a miscarriage. And he gets real depressed and starts fucking up at his job. And so she says, maybe I should get a job. And he says, no, no, that's wrong because it's in the past. And so she goes and gets a job anyway. He gets real depressed, gets a job on like a ship and like sales away from San Francisco.

Surprise, it's 1906, and San Francisco is destroyed by an earthquake, like, as right after he goes away. Oh, no. Betty Davis has to survive the fucking earthquake, right? And then, you know, cut to, like, two years later, Betty Davis is, like, successful now. We're as an executive at a department store, and, like, she hears that, like, things aren't going well for one of her other sisters. And so she goes back home to try and, like, make sure everything's okay. He comes back, wondering where she is. He comes after, like, two years, comes back.

wondering where she is. Is he a pirate now? Not. No, he's not a pirate now. He's just a guy. Wow. I don't understand why we would watch a movie in which Errol Flynn is just a dude. You know?

It's a good question. Goes back to where her home is, where she is. And he says, hey, let's give it a shot again. And she says, all right, credits. I mean, not credits because it was a long time ago. The credits happened in the beginning. But end. And that's the movie.

And I'm like, what? I've never even heard of that movie. Anyways, just random, yes. Turns out, Errol Flynn. It's a lot of odd plot points. It's all in one. It's like you threw the plot points up in the air and let them land. And then let them land.

It's like if they start, like they get married and just a bunch of bad shit happens. And then at the end of the movie, they're like, let's try it again. Okay. And all right. It's weird. The end. Yeah. I'm sorry.

You're from Nix? I am. So you weren't eavesdropping at all, were you? I suppose you could say I was. though I'm also involuntarily eavesdropping on every conversation that's happening on this passenger deck right now. I guess having hearing as sensitive as yours isn't so great in public places. That would suck so hard. If you had to like, like you're stuck on a plane and you have to listen to every single person on the plane.

Yeah, I mean, it'd be really great in like smaller scenarios where I just want to eavesdrop. Yeah, but you're going to have to listen to everybody's kids, right? You're going to have to listen to everybody's kids. that one guy who won't shut up about whatever his boring job is. Right? Yeah. The one person who keeps trying to make jokes with the, you know, the lady across the aisle from him.

Right. Who does want to talk to him? You'd have to listen to every single one of those things. No, thank you. Sorry. I'd love to file a report. Sadly, my home world is dragging its feet. Oh?

Why is that? I guess they're hung up on whether to call it an act of terrorism or an act of rebellion. That's interesting. She's so mad at CGIS. She's constantly mad at her really nice planet. At her utopia. God, utopia! I just like I can't imagine someone being this mad at Canada.

You know? They can do it. You know, I mean, if you're from Canada, I bet it's real easy to be like, God, Canada. You know? What about it? It sounds like something from the age of conquerors. Does it? I don't know much about the age of conquerors.

I know you don't. You're from Seagius. During the age of conquerors, Cigius was busy forming the original coalition. You didn't have an age of conquerors where you come from. See, they didn't even have an age of conquerors there. That's how boring it is. It's like they didn't even have like war time.

You know? It was just like they got to Oregon. Organizing. Let's get organized, everybody. Robert's rules straight out of the gate. Robert's rules. Just like the first thing they sent like interplanet, first interplanetary message is like a memo. You know what I mean? It's the first thing they sent.

The memo and the schedule is the first thing we're sending to another planet. Item one. Item one. Yeah. Alice Crock the Propagator? Croc the Propagator is one of the many warlords from the age of conquerors. He successfully conquered the planets of living. Emlyn, Lahari, Nix, and several others on the far side of Andromeda.

Croc apparently saw himself as a liberator working with civilizations rather than conquering them. He would often say to newly conquered people, we make the world, not those who come before us. I like to imagine that Alice in her tiny little tangle apartment has like posters of Croc the Propagator all over her wall. Like a pillow? Like I heart crock. I heart crock. All right.

Sure. Whatever you think, honey. Why not? Yeah. Her name escapes me. Alice, experts on Croc the Propagator living on Cadon. There are several published works by a professor Keanu. Is it Keanu?

That's it. I think my main question about Alice is that Alice, like, instantly knows some information if you ask the information. And it's like, would that be a bummer for you because you love looking things up so much? You know what I mean? Like if it just instantly came to you, would you miss the tap-pity, tap, tap, tap. You know what I mean? Like as Alice, would it be disappointing? No, like for you yourself.

Like if you had the powers of Alice, would you be like, now I know everything, but also kind of a bummer? But I don't get to look things up on the internet anymore because I am the internet, basically. Well, I don't know because there's that one point where she's going to be. got to read the manual for the spaceship, right? Right, right. That's true. So I think at some point she's got to gather the information once. It's just in there. Right.

It just goes real fast. I don't think I'd mind that because I still get to do it. It'd just be like... It just happens faster, way faster, yeah. I think that'd be dope. How do I sign up? I said there was a rebellion on your planet and you said it depends on your perspective. Oh.

Well, my planet is tidily locked, so there's a side that's always in darkness. That's where I'm from. For generations, we were horribly subjugated by those who live on the sunlit side of the planet. And then one day, the sky was full of starships. Croc came to our planet and fought with those of us on the dark side to free ourselves and make the planet a place where we could all live together. So, was that a rebellion? If so, were we called terrorists until we won? Or were both sides just conquered by a charismatic man with a fleet of ships?

Depends on your perspective. What's your perspective? I honestly don't know. It was a long time ago. It's not like I was there. But we did make the world. All of us. The oppressors, the rebels, the conquerors, together.

I have a lot. shocking news. CGIS would like to know why you're headed to Cadone. Of course. I have to go deal with this now. Is there a workstation available? Deck five. Okay. Fun. It was nice to meet you, Lubuzza. You too. I look forward to your report. Can I? Because I'm lying to you. I want to compliment Lauren. I, I, I, I, I, she handles all of those huge sections of text beautifully, obviously, like all the reporting. She really does. But also, what I really love is I love her the little interjections. She sounds, I mean, it's just got the truth of actually responding to something to it so much.

I love it so much. Just to hear her quick responses, her, you know, her frustration. It's lovely. I love it so much. It makes me smile every time I listen to it. It really is great. Yeah. It's like she's one of those people that just like, it's true.

just it's like it's just a beautifully done job you know it just it feels effortless even though you know so smooth yeah yeah super silky smooth i also like this time listening to it i just really enjoy i don't know how to describe it like i believe that young bert bert grows up to be bert right do you know what i mean which is not to say that i don't believe that young leaf grows up to be leaf, but there's so much that that leaf goes through. Right. And Bert Bert goes through stuff, but it's like she's not a pirate. You know what I mean?

Right. But I just, I love that like the way the sass grows up. I don't know. It's just, it's cool to think about it after the fact, I guess. No, yeah, it is great. It's because you like, you meet Bert, Bert, and then, like, you see this younger version. So it's like you see, you get a, you get a broader picture of like who the person is. You know what?

I'm sure everyone would like to take a. private flight when you're hopping from one planet to another. You don't have to deal with being shuffled in a massive group with a bunch of strangers. You don't have to deal with not one but two, Festians falling asleep on your shoulder. True story. Despite that, I have to say, I have had many an interesting conversation on the passenger deck of a starliner. One time, I found myself sat down next to none other than Nea Nixirino, the legendary historian of the Alexian worse. If you don't know who that is, read a book, dummies. Neas said that she was taking her very last trip through a warp gate. She didn't have another book in her, she said, and it was time for her to

go back home to Alexa Prime, and finally me the mollusk farmer her father always wanted her to be. On that flight, I tried to get as much knowledge from her as I could. It was like a free masterclass. It sat down right next to me. And I remember asking her, after all those years, you know, you know, years of war and all that history and with so many perspectives. How did she keep it all straight? How did she separate fact from fiction? I remember her looking up at me when I asked that. Her face seemed tired, jaded, like she had surrendered.

And this legendary historian said to me, it's all fiction, all of it. There's the moment, and then when the moment passes, the observers of the moment turn to tell their story. And that's when the fiction begins. If you weren't there, all you have is the fiction. So what have I been doing this whole time? It was chilling. So it made me a little hesitant to know that I was about to jump into maybe the most obscured era of triad history.

Okay, so I was... got asked to participate in this like playwriting workshop at center theater group here in L.A., right? And it was this weird thing that Pierre Carlo Talente, the literary manager at the time, he did it in the summertime. And basically we would come in and we would meet sort of once a month and we would, you know, read whatever we're working on. And part of that was this thing he liked to do where he said,

okay, find two experts on anything. and I'll call them and I'll try and get them to come in and they can talk to all of the writers, right? Which was weird. But I was like, okay, cool. I want to talk to someone who knows about the history of Los Angeles and I want to talk to an Egyptologist. I may have been doing that just to see if he could get those two people here. Anyway, and he did. He found, you know, they're an Egyptologist at UCLA.

And then he got this guy named Norman Klein to come in. Norman Klein is a philosopher and a sort of cultural analyst. And he wrote this one book called The History of Forgetting Los Angeles and the Erasure of Memory. Wow. And it's about this idea of how Los Angeles very deliberately shapes itself. sometimes away from its actual history into the sort of facade of Los Angeles. I mentioned before planting all the palm trees everywhere when palm trees are not native here, things like that.

Yeah. But, you know, buildings getting torn down that aren't a part of the story of Los Angeles and building something else there that is a part of the story of Los Angeles. And which makes it kind of hard to sort of truly track the history of Los Angeles. And I was talking, so he did this really. great talk is a really interesting guy and you know you know afterwards i was talking to him and i was like this must be very difficult because you know if you want to study the history of the city it's like you have the history over here and then you have the fiction over here and he starts to wave his hand in front of my

face and he says it's all fiction all of it wow and he sort of you know tried to explain to me that getting to the actual thing is always very difficult because it's always a story that's told. No matter how much research you do, you still have to turn around and tell a story because you weren't there. And because of that, and by that nature, everything becomes a story. Everything becomes a fiction. And it fucked me right up. It's like people reporting on crime scenes, right? It's that moment where like everybody sees something.

different depending on the context in which you're experiencing the thing. Yeah. Exactly. Like what is that Lillian Hellman short play? What is it where like the guys come in and analyze the crime scene and they see one thing? Yeah, but trifles. Is that what it's called? I can't remember what it's called. I think so. Yeah. Right. But that makes sense that you, you know, you're, yes, of course, you're going to learn the facts, but at some point you're going to try to contextualize the facts into some kind of narrative. And then all of a sudden it's, you're off and running into. Yeah. Because it's a narrative. Yeah, something that's not the facts. Yeah. Yeah. And, Every single thing is a memory.

Right. And the more you go through a memory, the more your mind changes the memory. Exactly. Wow. That's trippy. Everything's fucked up. Nothing's real. Please enjoy an octo crab puff.

No, thank you. I hate these parties. I keep talking to people. I hate the clothes I'm wearing. Well, don't worry. It's not showing. It's not? No, it's totally showing.

Fine. Whatever. Did you find some publications by that professor? Yes. Professor Keanu Kroh is the author of several books on the Age of Conquerors, Worlds Before War, Days of the Conqueror, and The Visitor, unraveling the Mysteries of Croc the Propagator.

Did you read them? Hang on. Yes. See? Instant. Right. Great. Because you read them.

Hook me up. Also, I love that Kasi's just been writing all of these books. I know, right? She's been writing, like, deep undercover. You know what I mean? Exactly. Like written books. That's a lot of effort.

Yeah, for sure. Commits. Yeah. You know? The propagator. Right. Why is everyone checking their tangle? I really should have given someone that

D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-you-you- You know, ringtone in the party. Yeah. Like someone get to, like, a real old-school one. That and the amount of times. I said massive are the two biggest regrets of this episode. You wanted to have like an old Nokia flip phone in there? Yeah, yeah, right?

The psychic. Didi-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-dee. I also love how everyone's checking their tangle, but Alice is just like sitting on it. Yeah. Guess I should give you that alert. I don't know. I'll get to it when I get to it. Don't interrupt me.

I'm talking about crap. Where are the restrooms? To the left. Connect me to his comms note. Are you sure? Do it, Alice. Okay. Connected.

You fucking asshole! Any idea what you have just done? Those people are screwed, Leif. You have no idea what a farming planet goes through every year just to make their gate fees, and you just swing in and steal their livelihood? Fuck you! Assuming the Teds will give them a line of credit. They are going to be in debt for generations now.

And that is the best case scenario. Worst case, they fucking starve, Laf, because of you. And if the Ted's turn off their warp gate, there is no way they can get off the planet and no way anyone can get them aid. I am disgusted that I know you. I have tried so hard to be forgiving and understanding. and what a fucking idiot I am.

Strongly consider how much better off the triad would be without you. Are you sure you want to send this message? Sent. Let's get out of here. She does such a good job with that. That's such a beautiful speech. It's so heartbreaking. It really is.

And I loved listening to this joke because I think you guys probably brought me in for Kazi, but there's so much I can tie back to the Burt-Burt stuff that I were. Because I can hear in her voice in this the most significant X reveal. I can hear her throwing glasses at his head in this sequence. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Do not check your voicemail life. Damn. It's rough in there. Yeah. You know. But yeah, it was such a great.

And it's just like, and it was just one of those moments where it's just like, let's see what happens. and Lauren just like went right into it, like didn't need any notes at all. Like she knew exactly what the moment needed to be at that moment. Killed it in the face. Yeah, so good. Progress is forward, right? That's what we're told. Progress is the future.

Let's all of us move hand in hand toward the future because that's where all the progress is. Oh, my God. Is that the truth? or is that an assumption? The greatest. You will read the news. You saw what just happened on Axel. What happened?

It makes me so nervous. It makes me so nervous. Because I sent you the script, right? And I was like, okay, so there's Kazi, but then there's also this other press for Presser Keanu, it's basically Kazi in disguise. You're right. But it's like, don't worry about it too much. I'm going to, you know, be able to like change your voice a little bit.

and and then you wrote me back with a file attached. You're just like, what do you think of this? I was like, okay, let me click on this. Click. And I was like, oh, really? We're doing this, are we? I think I might have said this may be a real big swing and a mist. You did, you did, because he then sent it to me and was like,

listen to what I just got. And I pushed play and I was like, what the, what? Immediately yes. Oh, no. It was great. It was great because it was like, you're not a doing a voice person. Oh, I'm not. I am not at all a doing a voice person.

Everybody who has listened to me will find that Jane and Mary and Birdbird and Kassi all have very strong similarities to one another. But it was a voice is what it was. And it was great. And I don't know what you actually wrote when you sent it, but it's. sounded like when he was sharing it with me, like you wanted to be talked out of it. Like it was a hilarious joke that you were just trying. This is funny. I think I've just listened to so many brilliant people on this show do.

And I'm sorry that I don't, you know, but like all of the Barts and all of them. I mean, like, and listening to Lauren do her, what, her Belgian accent or whatever. Well, I don't. Thank you. Yes. You know, like, I don't know at some point, you know, I, I, I, I, I was like, well, she really needs to sound not like her. It was great.

It was really great. Perfect. Yeah. Perfectly done. Just don't tell me anybody who wrote in to explain what was wrong with the British accent. Nobody did. Nobody did. Nobody did, you know, which is hilarious because we got complaints about British accents when we had actual British people on the show.

But they did not complain about you, you know what I mean? No, it was great. And it was genuinely like, because I figured like the hardcore fans were going to know it was you. And that was fine, right? But then you sent me the voice and I was like, oh, they're not going to know shit. Yeah. And this is going to be a fun surprise for the whole family. And it's going to be great.

And already at night breakfast, they were so confused by this episode. Like they were super excited that Lauren was there. But it was also like, what the fuck is happening? I don't understand. And then there was a history lesson. In the Iron Quadrant has its entire livelihood stolen by a surprisingly tech-savvy

and well-organized pirate. There are calls for greater security. There are calls for a crackdown on pirates across the system. There are calls for this, that, and the other thing. The usual things that people call for. Like 100% you're this like miss marple agatha christie yeah right tiny round glasses and a bun yeah it's like

like i don't know maggie smith in a room with a view or something but but with a little bit of there's a weird like katherine hepburn shakiness in there as well i think but yeah there's like a cornice green situation right right right right but i think it's also that the snarky this there's nothing like British snark. And there was just something in the speech that allowed for it. Pirates stealing their stuff. That's a good, that's a fun phrase. Yeah. That's fun for sure. Can I imagine having Kazi as your university professor. Oh my God. You know what I mean? Everybody leaves crying. Terrifying. You know, just terrifying. You know what I mean? Who's the pirate here? What's the crime before the crime?

Progress is forward. Barbarism is in the past. That's what we're told. But what have I told you that long ago, before this glorious future we're living in, there was a cluster of planets on the outskirts of Andromeda, where there was no debt, there was no famine, there was no currency,

there were no pirates of any variety. It sounds like the future to me. Why is it in the past? It's so rough, you know, because it's like, you know, Kazi is like deep undercover as this historian, but genuinely wrote all of these books about her dad. Yeah. You know, who she didn't know.

And like, you can, you get the sense that she like styled herself after her father in her, you know, sort of rebellious activities, right? Absolutely. I mean, talk about a series of things that she thinks are facts, that she's created a fiction around. Yeah. Yeah, she created a fiction. And then, like, and then meets him.

And it's, he's the fucking worst. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like this, how, you know, it says she's been there for several years writing these books. I just feel like this is a moment where she's just stewing in this whole idea, you know, world that she's creating in her mind. It's so interesting, the idea that she would be creating lectures about it and books about it.

Right. And just sitting in the, you know, you know, aspiration of all of it until, right. Yeah. Until she goes out to accomplish and then runs face first into him. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And it's just like the, it's just, it's one of those, you know, never meet your heroes. Yeah. Even when they're your dad, I guess, you know. Because it, you know, and it's like, and what she says to him, you know, in the last episode, right? Because it's like the only choice at that point because you've turned out to be such a son of a bitch. Right. you know, the only choice is I'm going to have to kill you. But righteously.

You know, yeah, very righteously. And there's, I guess there's, I mean, maybe this is a universal moment where it's like you realize that like you, that it's on you. You know, it's like you can't leave it up to somebody else. Like you can't, you know, you can't believe in this person or that person or the other person. In the end, it's going to be, you know, assigned to you. for, you know, the story to unfold. So, you know, you can't follow in someone else's footsteps, you know, that's sort of like you have to, I don't know,

kind of kill your idols in a way, you know, and sort of in order to go past them, in order to sort of take it past where you found it all, you know. Right, right. Excuse me, Professor Crow? Yes. My name is Bertbert. I'm from the Cegean Council of Truth and Understanding.

Yes. I know your work. Hello. I was wondering. if I could ask you a few questions. Of course. This is a surprise. My office is right through here.

It's like a relay, because first, the true life, Bert, Bert, Bert, Burt, meets the young Burt, Bert, Burt. And now the young Burt Burt Burt Burt. Yeah, there's a lot of fun. I mean, how many, like, you know, talk about weird alternate universes, how many times can you talk to yourself? And also playing your mother at one point. I mean, that was a fun one too, playing Bert Bert Bert's mom.

It's like when you read Highlights magazine, just like, can you find the Bert Bert Bert Burt's in this picture? How many Bert Bert Brits are in this picture? Circle of them all. Yeah. You know. Yeah. What do you think the connection is between these sisters and Croc the Propagator?

You know how these rebel groups can be. They'll co-op anything that makes them sound connected to a larger ideology. They think it gives them some sort of street cred. There it is again. What's that? I said there it is again. Street grid. Street grid.

That's a term I've picked up from the young people. That was, you know, by design. It's like she's going to have a few things that she's picked up from students. Right. Sure. Right. Damn. What is that?

I thought we'd have more time. What are you talking about? A skiff full of TEDBots just landed in the lawn outside of the building. What? Alice? It's true. They're on their way up the stairs. They're evacuated.

the building. What's going on? I apologize for this next part. It's very disturbing. Fuck? Holy shit. Gross. Okay, what is that sound effect? What's that?

What is that sound effect? I think it's salafane. Oh, really? Really? It sounds so wet. Yeah, I does. It's amazing what happens when you get it real close to the mic.

When you get it real close to the mic, it can become a whole other animal. You know what I mean? These are some of my favorite moments in recording are when you're like, all right, now you need to make a sound like you're peeling off the face. Or you say to Aubrey, like, now you need to make it. Like, can you make a sound like you're picking up a couch? Yeah. I love it.

Yeah. Everybody jumps in, which is I really do appreciate that. You know what I mean? Professor Crow, Professor Crow, open this door immediately. I'm a security officer with the dead empire. open the door or we break it down. One moment. Hello.

Professor. We make the world. It's so hot. So first of all, shout out to Dr. Punkusher Esquire for getting murdered. Great job. Second of all, I was just like, there were some moments where I was like, how could I possibly cast Jessica as a woman who has a claw on her arm? it feels so unsurious

and she's a very serious actress you know what I mean but you know it was it was important because you sold it I felt the I felt the cloth so hard

you gave me two notes I think when we first started and you sent me some fan art before it even before I even read the script and that helped but what you said to me was

you said two things you said she's stoic and she's the leader. And that, and that was, that was all I needed. And it's the stoicism that has been the most fun because you get to, you know, just say things directly and with conviction and that's it. It's done. Yes, there's a claw. Done. Yeah. That's so true. That is so true. And you know what? Also, like at the very end, when she's like when you, the three of you

were waiting at the door and you tell them that you love them very much, it's such a massive moment. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like it's this, that moment is as big as the door that you're waiting to open right now. You know what I mean? And that only would have worked if you had been that way the entire time throughout the entire season. You know what I mean?

It was like, it all kind of led up to that, you know? Anyway. Clause. People haven't Clause. It happens, you know. Rather than terraform the moon, the new residents of Emlyn terraformed their own bodies, making great and super creepy strides in the fields of genetic and organic manipulation. So she can transform into other people.

Not anyone. That particular maneuver is called skin slipping. She can completely switch her genetic profile between her original skin and the one of Professor Keanu. Gross. It really is super gross. You know what I mean? You got to do what you got to do, honey. All right?

Yeah. It's a harsh galaxy out there. Just saying, bleh. Like I said before, Croc initially came to the aid of the oppressed populations. Right, right, right, okay. Then have a bunch of kids. Yeah, what was this guy's deal with having kids everywhere? I don't know.

Maybe he was a hottie. See? Alice is into it. In her virtual teenage bedroom that she has in the tangle. On the ceiling. On the ceiling. Croc the Propagator poster. This is going to be a whole new line of merch.

It's going to be the Croc, the Propagator merch. I love it. That's right. It's going to be amazing. I heart crock. Yeah. I heart crock. Oh, sure.

Yeah. Hashtag hot crock. Hashtag. propagate me Oh Speaking of blech Bletch Restraining prisoner

Trianguaneuilin Cousie did say she wasn't going to let anything happen to you So they're springing me Looks like it Okay so this is gonna look like I was working with that I'm guessing that's preferential to Whatever an icing facility is

What the fuck do I do? I think this is the point where we run Shit! That was really hard to sound design that moment, guys. I bet. Really? Yeah, it took a real long time. I don't know why.

I think it's because it's like you need to make sure there's a lot of layers. You've got to have like there's a ship overhead. You're still at the school. You've got to establish how many robots there are. The distant sniper. What is it? And then the sound of the sniper smashing open the head of the Tedbot and the Ted but breaking down was actually a few things put together.

And it was just, and it's one of those, like, the moment, like, when the first one gets killed and there's that moment of silence when nobody knows what's happening. And then the next shot comes is, it was delicate, but also complicated. Anyway. And this is why Joe uses a TV as a monitor. This is why I use a gigantic television as my monitor, everybody. go get yourself one at your local Best Buy. Huh.

Okay. Fine. Get us off this planet. There's a trender's down under it in five blocks. We can send a message from there. Okay. But I'm walking. Like, look, yes, I am being hunted by the Ted Empire right now, but I'm not going to run.

Okay. I know how she feels. Please. There's something that's just, you know, a bridge too far, even in that moment. I also love all of this for. Burp-Ber, like, leading up to the, is the interlude called interview with the empire? Is that the one that Ben and I did? Yeah, that Ben and I did together.

Like, I just feel like this is so much excellent backstory for how much her resentment has been growing over the years. Yeah, it really loads up a lot of stuff into those later, you know, stuff, you know? Yeah, yeah. That's great. This is it? What? I'm sorry. What?

It's fine, Dan. I forgot about Whisper Dan. Okay. I love Whisper Dan. Genius, Joseph. I don't quite remember. So this was me doing the whispers of Whisper Dan, right? And I don't remember what I said exactly.

Something about, like, Whisper Dan turns out big fan of Bert Bert's work. Just wanted to let her know before she got off the thing. Something about that, you know what I mean? Oh. But, yeah. Whisper Dan. And then, okay, so Whisper Dan is the artist who made that, you know, that art of the sisters, you know, did a few of the episode artworks. And, you know, like I was saying, in a previous shift notes, Whisper Dan became Batman to my commissioner Gordon.

I have no idea who Whisper Dan is. Whisper Dan refuses to take money. Whisper Dan is basically an art vigilante. And so I couldn't pay Whisper Dan. And so Whisper Dan got, you know, Whisper Dan got, you know, their name at the end of the show. Whisper Dan got their name in the show. And this is the character.

And then Whisper Dan made fan art of themselves. You know, put it up on the Instagram, which is great stuff. Love it. Well, well, it is the most wanted woman in the triad. Was all of this really necessary? Sorry, you want to talk to me. You have to go through Whisper Dan. This was a super crazy night breakfast.

This was a super crazy night breakfast, yeah. Everyone had a, it was, everyone had a great time. All kinds of surprises. Did everybody get so excited when Kat showed up? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like I wish I had a word, a word for the feeling that you have in Midnight Burger when a character you don't know is in the episode appears in the episode. Shows up.

Yeah. Or, and maybe a separate word for when two characters who you never thought would meet each other, get to meet each other. Like there's a particular kind of like elation that comes from those moments when you're listening to this show. Yeah. It's just so massive. Okay. Thanks, honey.

Wow. Come on. Come on. I just want to say, have not used it yet. Since we got through the massive zone. That's true. Have not used it yet. We've still got a few minutes to go.

Cross your fingers. everybody for your dad. All right. I am so fucked, Burge. I've been getting the chatter on the under signal and as a professional I have come to the conclusion

that yes, you are very, very fucked lady. There's got to be a way out of this. Of course there's a way out of this. What is it? I can't think of anything. Burts, can we talk for a second about the benefits of being a citizen of CGIS,

not to mention a high-profile citizen of CGIS? They think I'm a terrorist. You know that your home world is going to pull some sort of diplomatic, hocus, and get you safe passage back home. It's that awkward moment when your incredibly rich friend comes over

and tells you about what a jam they're in and you're like, listen. Yes. This is bad for you, but I mean, you know, that's an awkward conversation. to have, you know. She takes her spanking, though.

Yeah, for sure. Then they'll convene about two million subcommittees to figure out what to do with you. And that will take an interminable amount of time. And then you will finally be okay. They'll never let me leave my planet again. Oh, yeah. I mean, that's probably true. Your planet that is a utopia and a tropical paradise.

Yes, I know that that will be very difficult for you. Are you going to be okay? You know? I would. Real quick, like to acknowledge the fact that I'm complaining about my life while you are living in a giant tin can and are hopping from doomed planet to doomed planet. I appreciate the acknowledgement. There you go. Yeah, okay, good.

Right? There you go. That's nice. Acknowledgement is good. The warp gate they were building around bilious wasn't going to be any warp gate. It was going to be a new kind of warp gate, one that could take people to where? Cryptesia. Right.

They weren't staging a terrorist attack. They were defending their territory. They found a way to Cryptesia. I was like, Lauren, can you give me a little more S on Cryptesia? Oh, yeah. She was like, that's my C.Gian accent. I just wanted to say about this moment, you know, conversely, like we, you know, we were talking about like having that rich friend who comes over and it's like, you know,

maybe your life isn't as bad. as you think it is, you know? At the same time, you know, Bert Bert Bert's perspective helps to like see past the sort of negativity of it, you know, because she's kind of fueled by the utopia she grew up in. You know what I mean?

So it can be a little more visionary maybe because she's seen better things, you know? Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. I was so furious. I left him this, ridiculous screaming message on his comm's note.

I'm sure he'll never listen to it. And yet there I was in a formal dress screaming into my tangle in a bathroom stall. I don't think I've ever been that angry. Honestly, what did you think was going to happen when he joined up with Love Tracks? I embarrassingly thought that he would be Robin Hood or something. I was trying to put a positive spin on it

but he's not Robin Hood turns out turns out he's just a fucking pirate he knew he wasn't going to be Robinhood either birds that's why he gave you Alice

this is a really like shout out to Tom because like over the seasons I have loaded up so much terrible shit onto late. Yeah. Like he's really done like really bad shit, you know? And in the past has been like a shitty person, you know what I mean?

But it's like Tom just kind of keeps going. You know what I mean? And it's like his performance is like so lovable. Yeah. That it's like you can't. It's like it's this huge conflict, you know? It's just like there's so many things to hate about him. but it's like you it's like the thing you know because they met him after all that stuff right so the audience meets Laif after all that stuff it happened and then you sort of slowly through these seasons learn all the things that he's done and yet you continue to have that affection for the character you know um which is you know it is it's a very lovable performance that Tom does of Laif you know what I mean and without

that, I think you would, I think the audience might start to turn on it. Yeah. You know what I mean? Totally. It's just it's also it's fulfilling that it's fulfilling that um line right too that there's nothing more infuriating than a good person who refuses to be good like the sense that he's in there. He's always in there somewhere. Right. You know and that's the way Tom plays him I think. He's he's always in there somewhere. Um, uh, but yeah, I agree with you completely. He just wins you over so hard, right from the beginning. For sure. Yeah, that it's hard, I think, to stray from believing in the way, you know,

I think Bertbert has always really wanted to believe in him, I think. And I imagine it must be frustrating, too, because it's like meeting, like, in the sort of present day, quote unquote, life, like meeting someone from back then, it's like, no, you don't understand. I'm so great now. Right. Right. You know what I'm the God of hanging out now.

You know? I saved a whole ship. full of earthlings. Right. You know. I think it also works because of what Evan did as young link. Yeah. Because they're so like different.

Yeah. But clearly the same person. Right. And so it's kind of like helps to paint that picture that, you know, we contain multitudes or whatever. For sure. Yeah. And all of these things about Laf can be true.

I mean, that was the whole like, you know, through line really of Young Life in general is that like you're this person and you're this person and you're this person. and you're this person, you're all of these people, you know, and that no, in the end, nobody is one thing, you know. And that hopefully you grow up. I mean, I know that that sounds, I know that sounds diminutive of the whole like, like, you know, pirate thing, but, but, you know, destroying a farming planet. But I, but I do think in the way that storytelling helps us see, like, our small picture,

you know, from a, from a bigger, more extreme picture. Like, it just seems a little. bit like the trajectory of growing up a little bit to me too like for sure yeah good job tom good job tom does hey there what the hell are you doing here well you know it's this time in the cycle that we need to purge a little inventory there's some things in the back lot they got some piss poor resale value so we try and get them out of there somehow oh i forgot about this too that's what i'm saying The word for the person showing up. There's Des.

Hey there. So I never got to talk about this on shift notes because it was on Yon-Lang for this. So this is Neil playing Des. Right. And so I write the character of Des. And I say, hey, deal, will you do this character? It's just like big huge dude, big huge space dude. Neil's like, yeah, sure.

And so he shows up and decides to do Des. like a Chicago, you know, like, I don't even know what the, it's like a Chicago Union guy. You know what I mean? Yep. And it's so like, and I did not tell him to do that. He just, in his Neil way, just decided like, I'm going to come in with something real weird. And it's going to work. And it totally did.

I was like, okay, yes, right. This is the character and it's going to be great. And I'm so excited about it, you know. So it was great to bring Des back. This Labusa chick is probably the brain, and this professor, Kazi, is probably the one organizing everything. That makes sense. And that leaves the muscle. Okay.

One of these planets that this Croc the Propagator guy conquered was Lahari, right? Yes. We're looking for someone from Lahari then. La Harrians are always at war with each other. It's all they know how to do. That makes sense. Alice. Bring up the most wanted list from the Ted's.

You'll see Kazi on there. You'll see Labusa on there. Look for a Laharian. Yes. Tita from the planet Lahari, aka Tita the Terrible, aka the skull eater, aka the Ted Shredder, aka the Milk Man? That's what we're looking for. Okay, that's standard issue, okay?

That's what you want to do. You want to do normal nickname, normal nickname, normal nickname, completely random thing. Sure. That's the recipe for comedy. Impersonating a baker? Exactly. Exactly. But first, I light this candle and try and make burp-burt pee in her pants.

Hoor! No, no, no, no, no, no. The challenge with using Frisha's music is that they're really, I mean, at their core, they're like an experimental, like, art project. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's like, it's, like, some of it goes into just, like, pure chaos. But, like, there's usually, like, about 45 seconds of the pure chaos that has, like, a total banger in there, you know what I mean? So you're going to like get through there. You just get on the banger part because you know like 45 seconds later,

you're going to be like at the art museum. You know what I mean? With Frisha. Right. So this is one of those moments in this song. Because the rest of the song is to like it's very like they go way out there. You know what I mean? Sure.

This is me and my kids in the car. Like you can see all of our heads bouncing forward. Yeah. Yeah. Just the heads bobbing. I'm doing that like white lady like biting my lip and my brow is furrowed and my head's just bouncing up and gone. Yeah.

Yeah. Rolling up to middle school. Exactly. Can I help you? Okay. So this is Dr. Puncatcher again. Oh, so good. Who is about to be killed again in the same episode.

I would say that this is the most time someone's gotten killed in an episode of Mindy Burger, but we did have Tommy playing the science priests. Oh, yeah. Right. Who, although technically, well, no, that was different people being killed many times, and then 100 of him was killed by the end of that episode. So that's a record that's going to be there for a while. It's going to be hard to beat that one, getting killed 100 times in one episode. Can we get a tail by the window, please?

You know better than to be here, vapien. I walked in the door, same as everybody else. There's no such thing as an open door for a vapian in this quadrant. They should have stopped you at the port. I'm so sorry. Oh, my gosh. Was I supposed to use the spaceport? I couldn't tell what this whole planet looked like a fucking scrap yard.

My name is Sven the unlikely, as in unlikely to be killed. I'm imagining him like three and a half feet tall. You know what I mean? Or just really floppy. Yeah. Right. It's like the close-up is on his feet as he arrives. Right. And his race has gigantic feet, but it's super short. You know what I mean?

And very floppy. Very fluffy. But also like really tall hats. He's got a very, very ceremonially tall hat. Right? Sven, the unlikely. Three, four. Oh, my God, Aubrey. Longest throat clearing in the history of Midnight Burger, I think, right there. Okay. Nice record to have. It's amazing. I remember you said, can you clear your throat and shouldn't? Yeah. And then... It gave me, yes, the epic throat clear.

Epic. It's not my fault that you're all so easy to intimidate. Boys! How many gun sounds do I have, I said to myself. I think I'm going to have to use all of them. All of the gun getting out sounds. Let me use all of them here in this moment. I love that, but then also this is like totally every time Tita goes to the bar.

Right. But I also like... I love that now we've got Tita and Verge. Right. And I mean, the only thing, you know, that would top it would be if we had Tita and Verge and the X, it would be like an unstoppable triad. Oh my God. That would be like Midnight Burger Charlie's Angel. Exactly.

We need it. Chuck's Angels. Okay. This is not an exit at all. No, it's not. Hello, Bertoluna. Come in. We've been expecting you. Uh, hi.

How did you know I was going to be here? We'll get to that. Come in. There's a massive gunfight happening in the bar. It happens every few days. I wouldn't worry. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Excuse me? Have a seat. I have been a fugitive for weeks now.

Yes, I apologize for that. Okay, great. Well, I guess that's fixed then. So much looking over the top of her glasses energy from Kaiser. You know. It doesn't even look up still doing some paperwork. You know, just sit right there. Sit right there. You'd like to know how I justify killing people?

That's the most important thing right now? I've been critical of the TED Empire since I was a kid. I never advocated for killing any of them. I see. If a man has a gun pointed at you, is about to pull the trigger, would you feel justified in killing him? I suppose. And let's take a step back from that.

A man has his finger on a button, and if he pushes that button, he will make you a slave for the rest of your life. And your children after that, and their children. It won't kill you. Just take everything from you. What then? I... The TED Empire is that button. So I feel fine.

It's like they're talking about the, you know, the sort of morality around killing people. But the vibe is just like, I'm talking to a young teenager. Okay, we're going to get through this real quick and that'll be over with so we can move on to, you know, important things. Right. You can just tell it's a ridiculous conversation in her mind. Why would you even question this whatsoever? It's just a completely unapologetic worldview, I think. Yeah, completely.

Yeah. But also, let me teach you. Right. Yes, yes, but I can instruct you. Yeah, absolutely. Come in. It's okay. Sit here. What's your name? Malu. Where are you from, Malu? Lemonia.

How many have you brought with you? Two sisters and our baby brother. Limonia is a long trip. How did you pay the gate fees? Okay, so this is Mad Mad Mad Mad Max. Kind of a cute moment. recorded this before I recorded any of y'all, you know, and Mad Mad Madmatics is from Brazil. Speaks. Portuguese is her native language. And in my mind, it was Maloo. Right. But I, but I didn't tell her that. Because of the sort of Portuguese intonation, she just naturally said Malu. And that's, that's what the name of

Yeah. I love it. Because that's the rule here at Bindy Burger is that, you know, if you're the first person to to say the alien word, that is how it's pronounced. Okay? 70% of the planet is fresh water on limonier. They ship massive amounts of... Fuck! Oh, no. Massive amount.

We're so far into it. I was so close to the end. I was suddenly like, oh my God, I said one of the words wrong. No. I was terrified. I was like, what happened? I was like, I said limonier wrong. No, it was me using the word massive again.

enough time has passed. Not for me, honey. You know what I mean? Okay. Well. I would have felt better about it if I had never used the word again in the rest of the episode. You know what I mean? Or your life.

Never again. Or my life. But here we are. Oh, well. Oh, no. So they are sending their children to a better place even though they will never see them again. That's how important it was to them. them. Do you understand that? I'm trying to. You're the oldest? Yes. I am too. There's a duty to being the

oldest sibling, whether you like it or not. You have to be strong for them. Can you be strong for your brother and sisters? We're very scared. I know you are, but I'm afraid you don't have that luxury, Maloo. Where are you going? to a better place. Children are born in the water on your planet, aren't they? Yes. You're amphibious. You breathe through your skin.

You have a transparent lid in each eye that lets you see underwater. When you were a child, did you compete with other children to see who could stay underwater the longest? Yes. What was your record? Three days. That's very impressive, Malu. Your people belong in the water, not a treatment facility. This journey is going to be difficult.

It will involve sacrifice, but I can promise you. At the end of it, there will be endless oceans and lakes and rivers for you and your siblings. Doesn't that sound nice? Yes. Tell me what you want, Malu. We're now running from work. We want to work hard. we're strong people

I want hard work to mean something I want the work we do to be for us I want to feel proud our parents were never proud just alive

and what will you do to feel that pride anything good We'll get you some food, but don't get comfortable. We'll be leaving soon. Thank you. I know it's hard, but your parents made the right choice, Malu.

God damn it. I love it so much. What? I love all of it so much. I think, so I love this for Kazi in like several different ways. I love one of the few moments before she says, I love you to her sisters, that we get to see a little. just a little touch of something. Right.

Is this admiration she has for the biological differences in people's bodies. I love it so much. Right. Because we see it later in the episode too. Right. This kind of admiration she has for these special qualities that each of these different, you know, species have. I love it. And I love that she is so desperately trying to bolster this older sibling.

Yeah. And it almost feels like it's completely a moment of altruism for this young girl. But then you also remember that it's a little bit of a show for Burtbert sitting there watching the entire constructed thing too. Right. I mean, really. You know, like it's a really, it's such a lovely layered scene where you get to learn a lot about how she functions and how she works, I think, and what she's doing, you know. Right. There's a lot going on.

Yeah, and then how much we fall in love with Malu just in this one brief scene, you know, the emotional, like, you know, toll of her story, even only having met her very briefly, I think, is lovely too. Right. And it's important, you know, it's like, because it's like the sort of the hardness of the character is still there, but you do see there's almost this kind of bedside manner like a doctor would have. You know what I mean? Yep.

Where it's like you're still trying to stay a step back, but you do take a step forward, you know, at the same time. And you do get a sense of like how she gets people to, you know, follow the cause. Right. Because it's like, yes, I am this way, but I'm also this way. You know, you get that. You understand why people gravitate towards that. You know what I mean?

Yeah. I just. Okay. First of all, shout out to Maddox, because just Maloo is heartbreaking and that whole thing is lovely. And I love listening to you, Jessica, talk about this. But it's like, you're like, it's this thing and it's also this thing. And then Joe is like, yeah, it's these two things. And I'm sitting here this whole time.

And I'm like, it's so many. It is. It's not two things. It's like 47 things. And you're so fucking good at this. it blows my mind because it's like a relatively simple-ish scene. You're just talking to her and you're talking to Bert, Bird, Bird, and like, at Bert, Bert, and for Bert, Bert.

But it's like this crazy combination of anger and gentleness and admiration and admiration and disappointment and righteous. It's just so, like, that's awards. All of the awards go to you. It's like so nuanced and so deep. I don't know. You're so good. Thank you.

But it's the thing that I keep, I was going to say this before in Virges, you know, monologue, pessimistic monologue about the way the world works is what always strikes me to with these Joe is that we record them. And then, you know, there's a gap between when we record them and when they come out. And sometimes for me, even a longer gap, depending on how long it takes me to get to listening to the episode. And what I'm always struck by is how much I can tell in the moment it is affecting the performers because we are relating it to whatever is happening in the world at the current moment and it feels incredibly timely and incredibly important. And then

all of a sudden I listened to it later and it fills whatever that moment in time is too, which to me is the measure, you know, I was just talking today in my theater 101 class about the way that the old American musicals are finally coming back again in these new like iterations because they can carry things on their shoulders and the way we watch like Shakespeare carry things on their shoulder, you know, different ideas on its shoulders. And like, this is why the writing is so good is because it is, it feels so specific to the characters and so important in the moment and like very much of a very particular world. But it's, it just supports so much of whatever the moment is that we're in right now too.

is the reason why I think it's so effective. So, yeah, I'm, I'm, it's a, it's a real gift to get to do it and then to listen to it over and over again, you know, so thanks. Well, I appreciate that. And, you know, I, you know, I think it's, I think part of it is, you know, why I like things like science fiction. Yep. Because it can stay right with you in the present, you know, because you apply the present to it, right? Whereas something that, you know, is a period piece, say, might not, you might not be able to apply the present to it. You know, it might be locked in that place, you know.

Or maybe not something that's a period piece, maybe something that was just made 20 years ago, you know, and you can't apply the present day to it. But with science fiction, it's like it can always travel with you. Right. Or something that's trying to be, something that's trying to be literal about the story, it's telling you, you know, I mean, there's beautiful pieces like that about, you know, that function. that way. But it's why I like really good. I don't like all horror movies, but I like really good horror movies because in my brain what they're doing

is investigating something very real in the world. And it's so hard to actually translate what certain horrible, terrifying things are in real life. And the closest we actually come to experiencing that is by putting this other layer on top of it.

Right. That is fantastical in some way. You know, that's why so many horror movies really are about, you know, are the closest to capturing what it feels like if you're a mother who's lost a kid. You know what I mean? Like almost more so than movies that are about a mother losing a kid, you know. And I feel like, yeah, I feel like sci-fi has that power too. Like, it actually in some ways through the circuitous route of being non-realistic, I'm doing air quotes, like brings you actually into a much more real emotional state that actually feels like the thing in real life.

I hope that made sense. Yeah. I think it made sense. And I think it's definitely totally true. And I agree with it 100%. And I also think it's not all sci-fi. It's like you do a thing, Joe, that is not just sci-fi. Like sometimes when I'm trying to, people ask me, it comes up that I have this audio drama, right?

And they're like, what's it about? And I'm like, um, well. It's a diner. Because even now, like in season four trying to explain it as like, well, it's this time traveling, dimension spanning diner that shows up somewhere in the universe that we're going to take. I'm like, but that's not what it is anymore. You know what I mean? it's different. And in some ways, it's like the sci-fi-ness of it is just their office, or it's just where they live. So it's like, yes, it's sci-fi, yes, it's comedy,

but it's also just like pure storytelling. And I think that's why it works like this. So there. Okay. All right. Anyway, everyone's doing a great job, is what I mean you say. especially Jessica. Nice gun. That's a widow's revenge, right? It is. Thank you for noticing. I see you've got the ampedexterous grip option.

Well, I like to go a lot of different ways. I've heard that about your kind. I love it that it sounds like product placement. Yes. The Widows Revenge Company paid us some space dollars to advertise their gun in our show. Okay. I'm going to throw this couch. at them. When I do, you open fire.

Sounds like a hoot. Here we go. All right. That cut right there, that cut is so good. Audio smash cut. Pioneering the audio smash cut here at season, here it's season four. Nice. And that's a fine day's work is what that is. Hey, Sven, look at you. You're still alive. I guess you were unlikely to die after all.

Though nothing certain in this world. Fucking racist. That'll teach him. I mean, actually it won't because he's dead, but I mean, you get it. They shot the bartender. Bastards! I've been going through a dry spell lately, so I'm going to go ahead and categorize all this as a sexual experience. I'll allow it.

Virge. Tita. Tita, are you done? Yes. Can you wrap it up? Please. Tita. Some of my favorite lines are to Tita, like checking in on what's happening. You could just feel. So much of because it's just like waiting around for like Tita to do whatever like chaotic books is going to do. And she knows it's necessary. So she's going to allow it. But it is. incredibly annoying.

Yeah. It's like everybody's dead. The bar is falling to pieces. You know what I mean? Are you done? I just picture like, you know how the Victorian ladies used to wear the little clock

on a pin on their shirt? Just the tiny little tiny. And Kazi's just... Constantly checking it. Checking the time. Well, see, I've got this fantasy. I really want this empire to fall, and I really want to be there when it does, because I am going to stand on its neck when it takes its last breath.

And I'm sure you have the speech already written for when you're standing there. Oh, no speech. Just I lived. Bert, Bert. Did you know that Verge has four arms? What? A separate set of smaller arms further down their torso. They keep them hidden, binding them with a tight cloth to avoid being detected as a vapian. Their planet was very mountainous, so evolution granted them an extra set of appendages to help them cling to a rock face. And now, that gift is always hidden.

You beautiful creature, look what they've done to you. It's a wonderful poetic flourish, verge, to want to stand atop your enemy and say you lived. But let me just ask, did you? Did you live? Hopping from dying planet to dying planet, always watching your back, unable to have friends, unable to love. this to you is living. And here we have Jane.

Right, yeah. Your life doesn't belong to you. It belongs to your boss. I, like, this is one of those, like, with every season, pretty much, there are, like, moments that I have, like, just hanging up on my wall until I finally get to them. And this was one of those, like, this passage was, like, one of those moments. I was, like, I'm sitting here, like, haven't even. started chapter 33 yet you know and I'm like I have this moment under the you just kind of kind of

put it up on the wall and you just every once in a while you look up it's just like I'm getting there with every episode it's just like I'm almost there and then you finally get to it it's like oh fucking finally and now it's there you know I was very excited about nice that whole sequence oh yeah it's a beautiful speech I just I love to I get the impression that Kazi just has this list in her head of all of the physical features that all of these different beings have that they have to hide or unable to use because of the chaos of the universe or the TEDs specifically. Like it's part of what fuels her righteous indignation, I think, of all of it, that there's something in her that like that is so important that there's this gift that someone has that

they are unable to use because the world has forced them not to use it. And she's, I feel like she's systematically traveling the cosmos doing many things, but one of them is clocking every place she stops. Who's there that has this physical feature that they can't use? Because that person she's going to try to get in something. Yeah, for sure. I love it.

I love it. And it's like, because thinking about like, she like, like for someone to be able to like just exist. naturally, biologically, is a foreign thing to her, you know? Right.

Because we don't, we don't really know what Kazi naturally looks like, you know, because she had to construct herself, you know? And so seeing someone

who just gets, they can exist naturally on their planet, like, like, like, like, they're these aquatic

swimming around aqua farming, fishing creatures, and they all have to work in a fucking factory. Right. You know? Because this TED

hegemony, has, you know, erased all of that. Mm-hmm. And it's like, it's like the number one crime to her. Yeah. Yeah, so I love the idea that this entire time we think that it's to give Berber the story, which clearly is a byproduct of it. Right.

But this idea that they're specifically seeking verge out, potentially for multiple reasons, but for Kazi, I feel like it's as much because of this particular thing. And we learned that, you know, at the end of the episode, we learned it. There's only, you know, just over 200 vapians left in existence. You know what I mean? Yeah. And then she gets to Cryptasia and it's a bunch of, it's humans and they're all forced to be something else. Right.

You know what I mean? It's just like her nightmare. Yeah. Yeah. I love that you described her, like, number one, stoic because, like, your personality is very stoic. but Kazi also is like basically a stoic. Right, right, right. Right.

Like this whole ethical kind of like it's different tenets for whatever Kauzi's version of this is, but it's so kind of strict and deterministic and very her particular set of ethics and right. And I just think it's, I don't know, man. She's very deep. For sure. I love it. And, you know, super fun to play and super fun to listen to the way that people talk about her. Because I wrote to Tom after I listened to his shift notes, and he referred to her as terrifying. Which I love. But it's funny because I, like, of course she is. But I don't actually think of her that way from, you know, from the inside out.

In my mind, she's just very practically following the things that she believes are right, which, which, which. of course, sometimes leads to some really terrifying behavior. Right. But, yeah. Great stuff. Everybody's doing a great job. Everybody's doing a great job. I'm going to be banished to the arts and culture department for a while, but honestly, I could use the break.

Have you found the next unstable unicorn yet? I think I'll float around for a while. My ship and I are still on a honeymoon period. Um, can you do me a favor? Take this. What is this? It's my old tangle. It hated me.

These things can be tracked, Burtz. Yes, I know, but I'm sure there's some sort of thing you can do to make it safe for you to use, right? Just stay off the public feeds, just for messages. Hmm. I want to be able to get in touch with you, okay? I worry about you. I want you to be safe. I would like to nag you sometimes.

It's what I do. Come on. Do it for me. I don't want you to be alone. Fine. His name is Eldon. Eldon. He was a Murphy Brown's house painter.

It's a long story. Look, just... He was Murphy Brown's house painter. I didn't watch Murphy Brown at all. And nanny, sort of. Yeah, kind of a nanny. Annie. It was great. It was great. You know, Eldon, okay, so Murphy Brown had this house painter who never finished painting her house through like 10 seasons or whatever, right? But apparently Eldon is based on a real guy. Apparently there's a guy called Gabe Keese who is the painter to the stars. Like he's a guy who's painted the houses of like several stars and they based it like on him. You know what I mean? That's hilarious.

Today that it was almost Heather Locklear that played Murphy Brown. No. Yeah. Thumbs down. It would not have worked. No. Not at all. No.

That's like you saying Candice Bergen was going to be on Melrose's place. Like they don't. That would be funny, though. I'd like to see maybe just one episode. Right. Sure. Hello there. Hey, who's that guy?

Hey, hey. I'm having a wonderful time playing Ellen, I have to say. Fun guy. You know what I mean? Fun guy to be around. I have an encrypted comms node. Yes, I see it. You have two messages.

newest first. Hello, Verge. So, yes, of course, I knew that you wouldn't come with us. It's just so funny to me to think of Labusa, like leaving a voice. It's a voicemail heavy system, you know, the tri-up. A lot of voicemails out there. You know what I mean? I like it that way, you know.

But it was important that we asked. It was important for you to ask yourself, I think. I wanted to leave you a quick message because I charted your path a bit, nothing too complex. And I don't quite know how to do. describe it. So there's this mountain. And, uh, huh. Where do I start?

The sisters are gone now. I don't know where to. Wherever they are, I hope they found themselves a kinder place, a gentler place. Narrator, they didn't. Sorry, just grew up a nice moment. happen. Sorry. It sucks there. Or at least a place that's better than this. Got to be out there somewhere, right? This is Bertbert. Broadcasting on the under signal. Welcome to the triad. Right, so this is where the movie ends. And then the credits start rolling. And then midway through the

credits. Right. Right. This is a post-credit scene. Exactly. Right. We've got a post-credit scene. Yeah, yeah. Right. Laboza. Laboza, you need to eat something. Let her be. She'll eat when she's ready. I'm going to try again.

For fuck's sake, dude. Quiet. Three, four, five, five, nine, nine, two, six. Hey, hey, hey, shut up for a second. What? They're bringing somebody in.

What do you mean? We've got a cellmate. That's new. Shh. Hey, who's there? What they bring you in for? Hello? Does anyone in there have a cigarette?

Hey. Word for whatever the joy of the character that's not supposed to be there being there. Oh, man. All right. We did it. Really a fun episode. And really fun to think about, really fun to talk about. I wrote it and I discovered new things when I listened to it.

All right, we did it. And now it is time for questions. Now some of you have sent in some questions specifically for Jessica. Some of you are following up on some things. Let's get to those. First thing we want to do, though, is we want to say thank you to listener ALR, who sent us something in the physical mail. Oh, actual physical male.

ALR. ALR says to the crew, thank you for making such an incredible podcast. I got you a small but powerful tool from a recent trip to CERN. I'm so excited. Thank you. And they are pencils. They're pencils. Set of CERN pencils.

They're kind of cool, actually, because they're magnetized to each other. They stick together. They stick together. Magnetized pencils, say CERN on the side there. Very exciting stuff. ALR, I guess, was just in the neighborhood. there in in CERN Town and decided to hit the gift shop. So thank you very much for that, ALR.

I love them. To send us a little gift. Okay. First up here, we have, oh, this is a follow-up. Okay, so when Shelley was here, we were talking about coffee, and we got on the topic of the poop coffee. And someone has a follow-up on the poop coffee. This is DeFenestration of Tense. Hi, Finley. Hi, Joe. This is Bledish.

Currently known as defenestration of Teds in the Discord and in the credits. I was catching up on shift nuts yesterday, and you guys mentioned poop coffee. Yes. Oh, dear. So it's called civet coffee, and it is when, or copy lua. And it's when the civet, which is a philiform in Indonesia, eats coffee cherries and then poops at the beans. And the beans are affected by the digestive process. but not ruined. So people collect the poop, wash the beans, roast them, brew them, and

ta-da, copi luwak. Unfortunately, it's become a very unethical product because, as you can imagine, people don't really want to wander through the jungle collecting civet poop all day. So they have come to trap and cage the civets, force feed them exclusively coffee cherries, and collect that poop and use that civet until their untimely demise. So it's not a great practice. And also, it's not regulated. So you can't guarantee that you're getting an ethical, I'm doing Eric, what's here, ethical,

sourced, copi luac. But also, you can't guarantee that you're actually getting copi luac. You might just be getting scammed. So personally, I feel like, for the most part, it's best of work. You're definitely getting scammed. Anyway, I love you both. I love the whole cast. I love everything you guys have created. Yeah, I love you all as much as.

A person who has never actually met you can love you. Thank you for everything you do. More than my mom. Bye. Oh. Thank you very much for that unfortunate update to fendestration of Ted's. Yeah. So, uh, turns out it's a bad idea on many levels to drink the, uh, the poop coffee

from the, uh, from the civets. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just, I'm just looking up civets now. Oh, honey, don't do that. Come on now. No, don't do that. Cute, but also really terrifying.

It's kind of like a possum and a raccoon. Yeah. In one plus something else, I can't really tell. I don't know. Like a possum and a raccoon and a hyena. Wow. All in one. Yeah.

Okay. Out there eating coffee cherries. All right. Well, I hope that they, you know, can stay wild. Yes. No, Kobe Luak. Please no more. Yes, thank you.

And thank you for that update, Fenestration of Ted's. Up next, we have a question for Jessica from growing into my farm boots. In Shift Notes 34, Joe talked about how Kazi's I'm Coming Back for Everything, conversation with Kroc was a turning point for how the audience feels about Kazi. The whole scene is powerful because of the excellent writing, but also Jessica's delivery is so amazing. I was on the edge of my seat at that scene during an already wild night breakfast. I still get chills listening to it. I just wanted to know how Jessica feels about it.

For example, what were her feelings going into recording that scene? Did it feel extra weighty? Like she absolutely had to get it exactly right. Parentheses, she totally nailed it. Did it feel as powerful for her as it does for the audience? Also, what is her favorite moment she performed across all of her MB characters? I was so excited about that moment. I was so excited about that moment.

And yes, I was nervous about it because you could. can tell just from the script that it's, you know, the moment, right? It's like the, it's like the end of the trailer moment. It's like, right? So, um, so, um, so yes, I was very nervous about it. And I'm thank you for saying I nailed it. I'm really appreciate it. I'm so glad. Um, it's been talked about positively already. That makes me feel great. Um, uh, I love that moment too because my entire acting career since I started, all I have ever wanted to be was an action hero. Like I really wanted to be Sigourney Weaver and aliens or, you know, I don't know, from the matrix, you know, something. I wanted to like shoot something and kick something and

and it's not something that I have ever had the opportunity to do. So it's, it's, you know, super fun to know that I can have this whole other life as an actor, even though I'm probably too old to be doing action sequences on camera. I could do them here with my voice, which makes me really happy. And then my favorite moment across all of the characters, I mean, I do think my most significant X is a pretty fun moment, knowing that you're hurling flatware at somebody's face. Right.

I really do love, I love the absolute kind of utter exasperation of that moment, her indignation at that moment. Yeah, I love that so much. But there are so many moments I love. I mean, you know, Mary will always have a special place in my heart because she was my first midnight burger. Right. And getting to say all of those ridiculous ads with total earnestness was.

Arby's, we have the meats. Oh, so, it was so good. It was so good. You know, so. It was so great. That was so great, too, because it's like you played it dramatic. Yes. You know what I mean?

Like, you did not try and be funny with it. You know what I mean? And it reminds me of, like, apparently when they were doing Seinfeld, like, when they, when they would like have guest stars, they would never hire comedy people. They would always hire dramatic actors because dramatic actors would commit so hard to the joke that it made it like 10 times funnier. You know what I mean? Right, right.

Yes. Yeah. It was like just you're saying it like so earnestly and seriously. Yes, I did. That was very fun. It made it so. That was a hard episode to get through without all of us losing our shit on the regular. For real.

All right. Thank you very much. much for that growing into my farm boots. Also, just hearing Bert Bert Be Mad and hearing Ted and Frank be mad, it's really fun to imagine what it's like when you fight at home. Yeah, I know. So people know that I assume this has already been discussed, but that Ben Burtick and I are married and lived together. That's true. Yes. Okay. Okay. Yeah. And actually, I have loved that too. I have to say because Ben and I don't often get to work together. We work together on the show that Ben directed when I met Joe, Joe's play.

We did a play called God of Carnage together. But since we've had kids, we have a really hard time working together because, you know, somebody has to take care of the children. So the few times we've gotten to work together here has been super fun. All I want in this lifetime is to see your God of Carnage. It was so fun. I got to jump on his back and beat him up and scream at him. It was really fun.

Yeah. That's awesome. I played Veronica once and I don't ever want to think about it again knowing that you have done it. Oh, come on. Come on. All right. Mad Mad Mad Madmatics has several questions here. Of course.

First question, what is Whisper Dan whispering? It's right there in the audio. I don't know what you talked about. I talked about it for a second, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, okay, I talked about it for a second. Yeah, you know, it was something about like really loving her work.

And there was something. else, but a third thing, because I didn't write it down or anything. I just kind of, when we were recording it, started whispering as quietly as I could into the microphone. I love that it's compliments to Bert Bert, and Bert Bert Bert get so mad. Yes, what? Let's see, did Leif ever get Bert Bert Bert's message screaming at him? If so, what was his reaction to it?

No, spoiler. How did the points for effort? How did the sisters, how did the sisters recruit the, refugees. Like, did they just jump planet to planet looking for aliens in need, or did they send some kind of signal letting people know what they were doing and how did they select the people going with them? I imagined it always as like they had several contacts and they had people who sympathized with them, but they knew they could only take about 100 people. So there was like prime candidates out there that were just in the right particular type of situation that they

wanted to bring with them. Also, you know, there are going to be people who are like are going to be more useful in a situation where they're colonizing a new planet, stuff like that. So I imagine it was pretty mercenary on some level, but also just people who, it was people who had to be at a very particular point in their life. You know what I mean? People who need, who just needed one last place to go, you know. Was Verge's encounter with Bertbert and the sisters the changing point for Verge to actually be open to a new home and people to trust and actually do that going to whose pocket. Yes and no. So there are some things that like you hear them and it changes you right there. And then there are some things that you hear and it just sits

with you for a really, really long time. And it and you just keep thinking about it kind of like in the back of your mind, and then there's finally this moment when it comes to the front of your mind. So I think Verge sat with the voicemail from Leif and that whole experience with Kazi for a really long time before deciding to actually do something about it. You know, it took, you know, I think it took Verge getting to a certain point in Verge's life, you know. And for Jessica, what is one thing that you think you and Kazi have in common? And what do you think you have in common with the other characters you play?

The claw. Yes. A claw. Well, Kazi and I are both teach at the college level. So very professorial, potentially. But I actually think one of the reasons that I like Kazi is that I don't feel like I am very similar to Kazi. I feel like Kazi could, you know, give zero fucks. about what anybody thinks about her plan.

And I'm the kind of person that, like, sometimes tries to bust my own table at restaurants. Like, I'm very conscious of the space I take up in the world. So it's super fun to play her. I am an older sibling, so that's helpful as well. And the other characters, you know, we already talked about Mary a little bit. but I just love Mary so much.

I love the earnestest. I think Mary probably is a little bit more like me in real life. Very, very well-intentioned, maybe slightly bumbling. And I think Jane, again, is one that I am not very much alike. And I'm so, it was so happy to play such a, like, loud bull in a china shop. She was really fun And I know I wasn't originally supposed to play her So I'm glad that one kind of fell into my lap

Yeah, it was definitely a really a happy accent for sure Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And Bert, Bert, Bert, I would say Bert Bert, Bert is who I probably have, like, feel the most commonality with. But I would imagine that a lot of people feel commonality with Bert, I think I love Bert, Bert, Bert, in this story because we have so many,

so many kind of wonderful characters that have so many different kinds of extremities, emotional, you know, violent, mechanical, I don't know, extremities. So many super smart people. And while I think Bert Bird is quite smart, you know, I think she's very much a regular person doing good in the world and asking all the questions that the audience probably wants to ask as well. For sure. Yeah. So she probably is who I feel the most personal connection with, I think.

Right. Yeah. All right. Thank you very much for those questions. Mad Madmanics. Up next we have Taryn. Hi, Mom and Dad. This is Taryn.

I just love the concept that all of the other businesses in the franchise, as it were, are public spaces or our places where people go to. be outside of their home and often places that have a regular of some sort. I especially love this as somebody who was at one point a bartender in a CD little dive bar. Think the sheep's eye felt very accurate to my experiences as a bartender. That being said, are some of these places based off of places that you know and have seen in your everyday life or will some in the future potentially be based off of places that you knew in your everyday life? Thank you. Have a great day. Thank you, Taryn. Yeah, I have an affinity for diners. There was a diner that I used to go to,

like there was a diner that me and my mom and my brother went to all the time when I was young. there's a diner that I went to a lot when I was a college student in Texas. And yeah, there's something that the sort of simplicity, open real late, you know, not the greatest food in the world. It's not pretentious. It's just it's a very serviceable place to be. There's big booths you can sit in. It's a place that like it feels out of place these days because it's a place where you're meant to hang out. out in for a while.

And most, you know, restaurants you go into are about turning, getting you the fuck out, right? They're about like you ordering some food at a very small table and then leaving as soon as humanly possible so that they can get another person in there, you know? But diners are one of those few restaurants where it feels like, it feels like you're supposed to stay there for a while, you know. And then like with the paradise, like I always, I have a huge affinity for the single screen sort of mid-century modern movie theater because

movies suck now. It's terrible. Not the movies themselves. Some of the movies themselves suck, sure. It's not about the movies. But the experience of going to the movies is like a really terrible experience for me.

Yeah. You know, the fact that it's the fact that there's commercials playing in the theater before the movie starts. And then the movie starts and it's 20 more minutes, sometimes 40 more minutes.

of not just previews, but also commercials again. And then the movie starts. And it's just like, I don't know. I kind of hate it these days. So I kind of, you know, I like the idea of very simple, sort of a really great movie on one screen, some popcorn. And, you know, you hang out and hit it for a while. You know what I mean? But in terms of like a really specific place, no.

It's really just about sort of an amalgamation of places like that that inspired things like the diner. and like the paradise. So thank you very much for that question. Taryn. Banana Greenie has written in, I was re-listing to the shift notes in which you resolve the issue of where the diner crew washed their clothes

and then I thought, what clothes? If most of the characters, if most of the characters walked into the diner without having packed for their potential several hundred years sleepover, where have they been getting their clothes? Did Lave have time to gather his belongings from the ice hauler? Did Ava have some clothes because she went straight from Newark Airport to the diner and still had her suitcase on her?

Is Gloria collecting terrible T-shirts from all the alternative Earth timelines? Is Casper wearing the same outfit every single day? Parentheses, probably. I have to know about the potentially questionable fashion choices. Yeah, I think that that's a lot of. It's a lot of, I mean, what do you think about Ava's? I love that. I mean, I think she knew what she was looking for, right?

She may not have fully known what she was going to find. Right. But I do think she had a bag. Yeah. And, you know, I do think she's picked things up on the way, but only stuff that, like, is really, like, ironically. Like, she probably has, like, a Nixon for president t-shirt. Sure. You know what I mean?

Sure. Something like that, you know. Picked up a flound. Lannel from the miners. Yeah, stuff like that. People probably leave stuff behind. Yeah. The mining hat with the lamp on the front.

She probably took one of those wearing it and just like, what? Yep. Stuff like that. But yeah, I think Leif had some clothes on him. Casper is definitely wearing the same thing. Oh, poor guy. For sure. He's been wearing the same thing for over 100 years, for decades.

And you know what? It's fine. Okay? No problem. And yeah, Gloria, I think Gloria is like collecting T-shirts for sure. Because she's got, you know, we know that in her room she's got little collections of things from different places. And I think she definitely takes like some wardrobe choices from time to time. You know what I mean?

Sure. But yes, spot on about Casper. Same thing. You know? All right, two polar cat has written in. I'm curious what it was like handing off the role of Bert Bert Bert in a way. Did you and Lauren work together slash talk about the portrayal of Bertbert at different ages? Or was that primarily a Joe's writing and directing thing?

Second, and this is the repetitive question I'm sure will be asked by some others just in case, given all the characters you voiced on the show, which was your favorite to play? Okay, we nailed that one. Third, do you do any other voice acting or IRL acting outside of Midnight Burger? So the handoff question, I'm suddenly feeling like a really terrible actor when I say that no. There was no. Maybe I can pin that one on Lauren since I was first. I don't know.

Yes, you can't. What I am going to say is that Joe is actually quite kind in that he called me before he started recording. young with to let me know that there would be another actress playing Burtbert and to make sure that I understood that that was not because I was being fired but that we actually needed two younger voices for it so I really appreciated that and I think if I'm going to say to Polar Cat if you feel like it feels like there was a handoff all of the credit to that probably goes to Lauren because she was the one who you know had to take the character over in a new kind of way.

And I certainly adore listening to her to do that. So it's been a joy to discover Burbert through her performance even more. And do I do any voice acting or in real life acting? I don't do other voice acting. This is my voice acting. It's been amazing. Since we've moved to Idaho, I've done some real local commercials. Ben and I are in an Idaho lottery commercial from a few years ago.

Nah. But mainly I'm a theater actor. That's how I meant Joe. And I am lucky enough since we're in Boise, Idaho, which I know will shock most of you. Jewel of the Pacific Northwest. But Ben runs a theater company here. He runs Boisey Contemporary Theater, and I am lucky enough to be able to jump on stage once every two years or so and still, you know, keep my toes in it. He's still trying to get parts for that girl he's dating.

Exactly. Exactly. No, don't say that because he's actually really paranoid about giving me parts. So he tells me as soon as I do a part that it'll be at least two years until I get to do another part because he doesn't want it to seem like nepotism. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's real serious about that. Just have a talk with him about that. Have Adam people. Conversation. But it's been, it's one of the reasons why this has been such a joy for both of us. And I'll speak for Ben because he will never listen to this because he doesn't have any time. Because he runs a non-profit theater and that is a fucking slog, you guys. And also a motel.

Yeah. Yeah. So I'll speak for him when I say that this has been a real gift for him because he doesn't really get to act anymore. and he is a great, great actor. So I'm really grateful that he gets to pop in here and kind of keep his connection to that. I'm super grateful to you for that, Joe. Thank you.

Oh, I love it. Thank you very much, too polar. Oh, he has questions for me. Joe questions. When you write episodes like Welcome to the Triad and Stella Splendons that don't fit linearly into the story and step away from the main cast, how do you decide where to fit them into the season

For Stella Splendon, it's pretty self-explanatory, why it fit where it did. But for Chapter 38, I could imagine that going in a couple of different places in the season. Yeah. So, okay, there's a, there's, when you get into a season, sometimes there's a simmer time. Okay? So there's a point where you need things to simmer for a while with another part of the story. So you put that on the back burner and you move something else to the front burner and you spend some time there. And so what that does is so in this season, we are now headed towards the sisters, right?

So because of that, it would be great to go back for a second and get to know the sisters a little bit better. And also spend some time with some sort of ancillary characters in the show. So you do that and that does two things. So that deepens your connection to the characters that you're about to see more of. But also, this is an interesting thing. It creates the illusion of the passage of time. So you're sitting there going through this other episode. And you have the opportunity to imagine some time passing with that other thing that you have on the back burner.

So that's why you do it and that's when you do it. Thank you for that question to Polarcat. And of course, I love and appreciate you all. I'm sure I never talk about this, but welcome to the triad is perhaps my favorite episode of the whole show so far. Oh, this is Tupolar cat, by the way. Thank you, Tupolar cat. All right. Mimetic hygienist has a question.

Has a few thoughts. I have ever-growing suspicions about how entangled fungi are to the grand overarching plot. But I'll refrain from those questions that risk spoilage for now. I've been wanting to ask about a line from Dez when he was speaking to a science priest clone at the Temple of Moog about the alleged crate of Bovian gruel. Wow. The line is, you know, I hear it's more nutritious to eat the crate this stuff comes in than the thing itself. It is really up to your own head cannon. Is the standard shipping crate material of the triad made from fungi?

Okay. Wow. No, it's not. The joke there is that actually comes from something that I heard about fruit loops. Okay. I heard that fruit loops that it's actually more nutritious for you to eat the box that the fruit loops come in than it is to eat the actual fruit loops. I don't know if that's true or not, but it feels true for sure because at least you'd get some roughings. I guess from the paper pulp.

You know what I'm saying? Wow. So that is in reference to that. They are not made from, I mean, they suppose they could be, but it's not, it is not a plot point to be sure. All right. Thank you very much for that me medic hygienist. All right.

Little Stevie Pie has a question for Jessica. Hey, guys. Welcome, Jessica. Little Stevie Pie here. Hi. Jessica, love all the voices that you do for us here in the Burgerverse. But which one is your favorite voice to do? Okay, we did that one.

And also, how do you, what gives you a clue which way to go with your voice the first time you read for a character? I'll hang up and listen to your response. All right, thanks. He's taking his answer off the air. Okay, great. Thank you, Steve, bye. Great. So, yeah, when you're just starting out, where do you go?

I go to, like a true theater actor, I go to my writer. I believe in their writing 100% in, you know, in theater, the writing is God and Joe is my God here, and I do what he tells me to do. And he's such a good writer that for the most part, I can figure out, I think, most of what he needs me to do just from the way that he's written the character. So three quarters of my work is done saying the lines that Joe has written for me. And then every now and then when I get it wrong, thankfully, since Joe is the hardest working person in podcasting and is on every single time I'm on, he is able to just nudge me a little bit in the right direction, which I always really appreciate. I think, for example, in that moment when Kazi actually tells her sisters that she loves

them. He told me to take a little bit more time with that, really make it as utterly awkward as possible, which gave me permission to do that, which I really appreciated. Okay, but where did Keanu come from? From the right? I really do think it came from the writing. I think I really do. I think, I mean, I guess it's my interpretation of the writing, right? But like, I could hear her voice in my head. I love it. Yeah, it's, it's, it's, I, I, I, I, I love my writers. It's nice to work at a level of writing where I don't have to do so much work.

All right. Well, thank you very much for that question. Yes, thank you. Our final question, I guess the final, well, it's kind of for all of us, actually. The final question is from Luna. Hello, Mr. Joe Fisher. I have a writing question for you. Did you expect Midnight Burger to grow so big, or did it surprise you?

Are you sort of neutral about it or do you ever just go internal screaming because there's so much to do? Okay, thank you. Bye. It's funny that they'd ask this week. It is funny that you'd ask this particular week. It is, yes. I mean, there is a constant underestimation of how popular the show is as evidenced by us putting together BurgerCon and having, you know, the tickets sell out and, you know, a half hour basically.

And it is, it's, it's, it's, like, I mean, it's discussed at length on the discord. There are long discussions about the show,

people quoting from the show, people getting tattoos of the show on their body. There's all of those things. All of those things were very unexpected. I think the, the, the most unexpected thing for me, though, and the,

that really does take me back is that I hear from a lot of people. I get a lot of emails from people talking about how important the show is to them and how the show helped them through a very difficult time. And those can be, you know, overwhelming at times. You know, you don't really know. You know, all you really hope is that, you know, you'll write a story and that people will enjoy it. You know, and that's kind of what you hope for. You never really expect for it to become as important to people as I hear it has become to them.

And so that's been the most astounding thing for sure. And that to me, it's not like the instantly selling 75 tickets in 30 minutes that makes it feel gigantic to me. What makes it feel gigantic to me is getting, you know, very, very, very heartfelt emails from people talking about how the show has helped them through difficult times. That's what makes it feel sort of enormous. And that is the most overwhelming part, really. But, yeah, in general, it's been bananas, this whole experience. And, you know, sometimes it, you know, sometimes it freaks me out to a degree that I don't

know what to do with, but then also there's always work to do. And so you get up and you just keep working and kind of don't try and think about all of that stuff. You know, you just kind of keep the thing right in front of you, you know, ever forward that way. And, and it, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't paralyze you too much, you know what I mean? You know, Jessica, you were just saying that some of your students have recognized you. Yes, I've been, we had someone, I never heard back from them, so they might have hated the show, but we had somebody realized that a show that I was acting and that Ben directed,

that it was us from the Midnight Burger World. And then, yeah, I've had two or three students very sheepishly come up to me after class and ask me if I'm the Jessica Morris on Midnight Burger. So it's made its way to Idaho. And I will say that while Ben and I aren't screaming inside because there's so much to do because we just get to drop in and drop out. But what we are doing is occasionally screaming in our house with excitement because we have been waiting, Ben especially.

Ben has been convinced from the moment he read Joe's first script that he ever read, that Joe was, I say this without hyperbole, like one of the best writers he's ever read. And he has been waiting for this moment for you, Joe, forever. And because he's too busy and he doesn't always follow everything, it's one of my favorite things is to come running into the room and say whatever the new thing is. Like, The Guardian says it's one of the top podcasts. And Ben, and we will like giddily yell and scream at each other because it's, because he has been waiting for the world to recognize this about you for so long.

It makes him so happy. I can't even, I can't even describe it to you. So we are, we are screaming out loud in our house. Yeah. Yeah. I love it.

That's very, he's such an old softy. He sure is. He sure is. He cries at commercials, but, you know, still take it as a compliment. God damn that Christler commercial.

And then, honey, you have been, okay, you go to various invisible book events, either online or no, and Midnight Burger gets brought up as well. It's real weird. Yeah. Yeah. It's weird. So, like, I went to a retreat and there was a woman that I met there, hi, Catherine, whose husband teaches podcasting in, like, at the college level. Right. And so she was talking about how the students were talking about it so much.

And that was crazy. Because I just walked in and I had a shirt on, like one of Ramsey's Clockwork Burger shirts. Ramsey Hong Original shirt. I mean, maybe it's a little embarrassing that I wear our own merch, but it's fine. Whatever. It's Ramsey's. So I wore it. And she was like, wait a minute.

And then a whole conversation happened. But the coolest one was that I was at. a retreat and this producer, this audio book producer was there and we were sitting next to each other at dinner and he was talking about, you know, people ask these guys all the time, like, what kind of books do you like to listen to? And he was talking about how much he enjoyed listening to audio fiction. And I was like, what do you like? And he's like, well, it's kind of freaking me out right now that I'm sitting next to Dr. Avamatic. And he had the most to say about, like the name list at the end.

Yeah. He was kind of as amazed by it as we are. Yeah. It is, it is not, it now clocks in a half hour. But that was cool. It, it surprises me every time. Right. And yeah, and yeah, everybody has a story.

I'd like, I think, I think for Tom, it's probably, there's a, if you're not a comic book person, there's a comic book artist named Mitch Jared's, who is a, you know, multiple award-winning, a comic book artist. And one day Mitch tweeted about Midnight Burger saying that he loved the show so much. And Tom was just like worlds collided for him.

You know what to me? Because he's a huge comic book guy. And so he's excited. So I think he's going to go to C2E2 and just like say hi to his friend Mitch Jared's now. Because, you know, Mitch loves the show. It's so funny. But yeah, things like this are happening on time.

It's very, it's very. Very, very, very strange is what it is. But, you know, luckily we're so busy that we can't really think about it too much. Anyway, thank you very much for that question, Luna. Luna. And that is it for the questions. We did it. Jessica, this has been so lovely having you on shift notes.

I can't believe it's taking us this long. Thank you for having me. I'm so happy always to get to talk to you all and to talk about. the show because I love it so much. And hello, I've never gotten to talk directly to the audience. Hi, everybody. It's so nice to officially meet you. Thanks for having me. It's great. It's funny, you know, because we get into recording sessions and it's so like, we got to hurry up. Yeah. It's like we have zero time usually because there's so much to get through all the time. So it's just been nice to just kind of hang out. It has. It is. And I've said to Joe before,

it's like, man, I just want to hang out with Jessica. Well, you know, I, so this was kind of Kind of that. Boycey's not that far away from Chicago, you guys. I'm really going to think about it. I might crash it. I think you should. We'll just stop by on our way home. Perfect.

Great. There we go. We'll just swing by on our way home. All right, folks. Thank you so much for joining us. Once again, for shift notes. Thank you so much for sending in all of your questions. If you have more questions for next time, you can send them to Weopen at 6 at gmail.com,

or you can go to weopen at6.com. You can leave us a voicemail by clicking on the little tiny microphone at the bottom right part of your screen. And we will see you this time next week for Chapter 39. The Entiretural. All right, everyone. Thank you. We love you. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye. Shift Notes is brought to you by the following clown car. Wilson, Billy, Bert, Bert, Bethany, Second Bethany. Bubble butt. Bethany has banana. My hot wife Bethany calls this show Space Burger all the time. Sir Tofer the Gay of the Gay Bethanies. The Julius Bohannon Foundation, the coalition of patrons named Bethany,

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Even older the main immortal Cheal Neal Sin City Scuba Steve Polywog Jinks the Judgmental but well-meaning cat Michaela White Elena Pickle

Professor Thadius Snookams The 8th Mr. Grin Glenn Petrovsky True Trans Traveler This moment of silence, so Joe can catch his breath, is brought to you by Rick Tyler. Elizabeth Hammond, Funch Brunglin, Steam Vision, conductor of the interdimensional time-spanning hype train. Dave Harold, Wisecube, dirty diaper fuss butt, and the piggy runt.

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Trans-dimensional Delivery Man, Matlock, Lord of the 13th Sea. Mr. Trigvy, Printing with Cats, Calisi Del Mar, Dixie Dina, Amanda Nascarilla, Jose Zatino, Sunny Stag, a representative of the Pill Owls, Silas Vex, Sarah Jack Sparrow Space Pony. Ducky Ventures, Wonders, Where Professor Crowe went. Revive, Debbie E, Emma, Mr. and Mrs. Owo, Ronnie Porter, Eagle Rock Lobster, Mary, Like the Virgin, Rosetta,

Wondering Wenjo, Painted Oni, Cudell, Farell, Betty Hayes and the B Team, Emily with two E's Drowsy Rousey, Spaceman Nathan, Ramsey's Niblich the Third, Kruplunk, whoops, where's my thribble? Mad Goat, Jackie Wavlet, Issa the Straga, D. Greitzler, a gremlin with the munchies, Michelle Scorakio, Genuine Jacob, Andy's Brain is Weird, Space Rooster Randy doing crimes, leopard donut, poofy-thang, mellownuggets, keychain crap, Matt-Mat-Match, Stee-Low, Arcadia, Bumling Lilybee, Sipio Duda, Buffy's daughter. A quick pause so that Joe can sip from his tiny teacup.

Bufar D's Nuts, Panda, Curtis Lillig, Kennedy Allison Farner, Tristan Stolls, Shadow Rapture, yet another Nicole, Hank the Wonder Lama, Russell, Zephyrus Wind, Just a Regular Fox, Jeremy Ibson, What the Hell, Cineplex, and all the black people in North Carolina, just Rachel, Atlas Bear, Tora Smash, the podcast for Nerdy Jews, Axel, Patty the Ginger, Ava Cigarette Ash, Tim Lynch, Boisenberry, A.K.A. The Boysenberg, A. Zuse. Anaphylaxis, Jack's Nightmare, Kenan's girlfriend, Brooke, The Kelle. This week I'm just Catalina, Shrugs. Jenny on the blockchain, Angry Leafs Laser Saw, Magnus Arrowchill, Amy Perry, Christopher Kai,

Kuskosk Carol, Skexies, Randy's Amigo, Gremlock, Katie Mermaid and the Delinquent Duo, Norman, Nicole, I said White Mountain Chimkinnuggist, please, sir. Max Danger, Security Chief Shatsy, The Anx Peach, Team Michelle and Billy, Nea Nix Reno, Robert Frankenberry, Eldon's father, Mr. Smarty Pants, Honeybee, Nortle Bash, Jordan, Arwin X. Ryan Rosinski. Average height, medium rage. Audio Monkey, Joe.

Team Hafe of Eisen. Monica and Mason Kay. Tony wants to be Laif. Rowan, Lady of the Black and Herald of the Stars. Ryan Burnett. The Joyful Nialist. The Timid Ghost 23. Dr. Dr. Dr. B.

Zopres and the Bumble Army. Growing into my farm boots. Geneva Boss. Brothers of the Co-Sign. Uncivil Nomes. The Rat Queen Evelyn. Great lunch conversation. Your humdigger, Moonbringer.

The other Scott. Letty Lou. He was a shifty one that Nick Howard. Kinger was here. Bobby Ray Windland, Jr. B. Bop says, Armless hunchback's face rings a bell. Warped echoes. Lord Robert O'Tardis. He's bigger on the inside. Jeremiah Franco, Gothic Rainbow, So We Made It, Fossil Diver 84,

Micah Collins, Cody McClure, M.C. Hadley. Eternal Companion. Jingalos. Has Matilda, Ditsy Bay. Just your average Reese. Kyle Church. I am a lathe on the wind. Static ego. Some farting fart wizard. Lolly. Evan M. Dobson. Dave B. Sean C. How did I get here? Oh, God. Is that the soup? Going to be lit. I am Shaggy, Captain Emerald L, Wayne Hall, Danny Mars, Omega Nye, Frankina Field.

The Harry. Christina Senate is teleporting. BRB. I gather under the flag of the hag. Definitely not an android. Seriously, I'm not. The Wondering Welshman, whatever tabby, Carolyn Harper, Nikolite Tolkachev, Capo the Sartorius, Z3DT, Shy Sparrows, BLTN, the Kiwi Duckling, Glenn Morris, Crushable Hale 53, Damarin

the Space Goblin, Locksmith Andy, Isopale, Humble. B. Bumblebird made it to 38 and wants everyone to come have cake. Pocket Ghost Max. From the pocket dimension in your pocket. Rose Alt. Mag's the Conqueror. Wes and Heather have made it. My cat's name is beef. Eric, Katie Kate, get your colonoscopy, Victor Casados. Emily Schmemley, work for Melvis. Bo-ho go bye-bye for Jojo, Po go. That's a no-go, bro. Cody Monster. I am lure of the planet Omicron Percy I-8. Neal before your supreme ruler. Tybo. Miss Nixie. Baby Beaton Lee. Karen Gallagher, Perino, Amber King, Sid the sloth on a bike, Priya Gandhi, Wandering Mermaid understands the assignment,

Lil Stevie Pie, Return to Sender, Carl, the Teller of Dad Jokes, at least six gyms, SkyLabs, Multimensional, multifacic intergalactic quantum cyberverse, Verde Sol, Galen Miller, Tess, Geriatric Youngen, Mystic Hippie, unforkeable, Daniel Nitz, Mavis Bacon's, Kelly W, Holly Huton, Pyrhauer's calling, Joe Swasian, Too Many Jans, I'm gonna ignite you, Billy Rose. Camilla Rose El Tierra. Then Stina says. Thud Tweed. Nicole D.G.

Countess of Carbon. Slappy the Squirrels. Ted Slapping Rampage. Luminous Elk. Rodeon caution. Love is for the Nierds. Taz Hernandez. It's just Tyson now.

Casper needs a hug. Joe is the writer's room. Awkward Heretic. Devin 7777. Troy Aker. Mandy Kane. Estelle. Kim Sel.

Silly Goose. Honk. The Sleepy Mystic. Sarah Joy. Taters. Precious. Teddy of the Wasteland. Daniel Gregory and his mom.

It's just Steve. Sweets Martinez, Shar Noble 610, Mere Tender Creatures, Amanda Short, Chut, Brimble, Mike Whiskey and Your Friend Frosty, Benbar, Sven the Unlikely, Cognito Hazard Expunged, Ted Wassonossin, Virestria, Spumples, Nicole, I love you, but I will name kid to Brothar, Furnwood Gal, Twinkle Tots, shocking developments nearby, Phantom's Moms, Callison, Horn Swagland Daniel Arthur, Mike Lucluse, it's a, it's a fucking dog rapture, Abigail Lehu, King Humble, better-ass Dave, wind chimes for safety, Cameron Winterbourne Welsh, Fireball XL5, McKenzie Duna, Alexica Habaniera, Code Stranger, One Batty-Bet, Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Matt N., Julia-N, Julia,

M-Lip. M. Lin, Feed Maffish, J-R on S-FP, Lahari, Ted's Loves Catherine, Jay Spark, Evie Girl, Lucid Harbor, Little Mira Leopard Paws, Diet Night, Mars Royalty, Take 20 Damage, Mazes Bandstand, Kim Bob, Battlepopee, Snorts, Maggort's Maggort, Fresh squeezed, Patrick Holt, Atlas B. Hold it now. Hit it! Oh no, you actually hit it. You've incurred the wrath of the Society of Bethanies. Bradley Ashby, Peter, Megan Okio, Vicky Abear, Brad Maneer, Jane, Hannah Dale, Phantom Zone, Stabby Cacti, Crystal Delightful, Gruntled, Killshot Betty and Her Stealide Bow, Jackie Lowey, The Little Pigeon, Quentin Elizabeth Jones, Crayed Bear, Evinilla. Dr. Ladis Trash Angel hits it and doesn't understand why people would want to punch a box. Now there's smelly liquid everywhere.

Noble Barrel. Yes, my brain is weird. Thank you. Bippity Boppity, boom. Megan the Meg Young. Baby Bears Love the Diner. Corey Morose. Russell Bunny.

Max Savage. Apprehensive Craig. Tim Aranetta. Bacon. Nicole Studioso. Rambo. Chaos Squatcher. Lord Thann and Lady Sarah.

Stephanie Sturgis. Kirsten. Hurry up and wait. Sarah Farmer in her prismatic chickens. Crittle. Twilio. Hidalbertie.

Tom Webster. Rachmi Vincateh. McClump. Azana. Rad Dolls. Salazar. The Dome. The Bard with the Tubah, Hayward's finest Garin Elizondo, terrified toddler, Sir Schitts-A-Lot strikes again,

damn, Elspeth, Skyland, ALR, Sidewalk Jam, Sarah McGuire, Tonka 2005, Cruzen B Anthony, Anthony, Jay Way Mythical, Stephen Schmidt, Xavier Romo, Tess Bart, Alley Frog, Tray the Turquoise, Trayette Mittens, Courtney the Frogologist, The Fonducky Wrangler, Jessica Shelton, The Singing Loon, Zuzana, Celestios, I'm So Antigney Fun, Noah and Katie, Joe R, Sarah, Murphy, The Ambergler, Boodles, Reaper, Osvaldo Simeone, Shavon Delilah Rose, Ashley Chapel Peoples, Ryan Ortega, Zehoni Vida, Barbarian Bloodbath, The Deferan, The D'Effanthorne, Beatrice Bodhis, Shadow Daddy, Rubius Fuzzlebutt, K-something-something-Dective agency, Hia Bada, Eli-The Electrician, T&B Lemmy, Sunny D'Anomily, Charmey, K-on with Karma, The Wondarus

Mathesophon, Percifanon, Hashtag Nisan Akura, Finnegan-Rober, Samira, Flat Doug, Trinket Coralie, Deary Darling, Book Shift Managed, Ambient Drifting Man 80, Chris Hancock, Nicole 23, Gracefully Impaired, Tired Pirate Morrow Pope, Enshuligan, Cryptessia, Rebecca Trossel, Mitzi Lou, Kelsey Home, Casper's number one fan, Amanda Marie Catherine, Damien the Goddamn Time Lawyer, DeliCruz, All My Homies hate Croc the Propagator, Matt Mosby, St. Foo, Harry Fishnuts, Astronaweeb, Magno's the Civil Nome, me and my best friend pressure cooker versus the world starlight berserking off david peerini techno ranger rick joe's weas laugh mossy would come up with a cool name but sadly she's just mossy la cockney francis virgo aries infinity best buds danny and em a bug named nat potato nation c c writer hunter b rudra rusty accord death the kid big whiskey all cockinator magic pony robert oliverie dan

boman paul a johnson killer odd dandy bay dr punt cussher esquire has has a ticket to see David Lynch's return of the Jedi at the Paradise. But Jolent, Laif's One True Love, Mermaid of the Dark Seas, Cosmic Shrug, Incorrigible Ross, Deborah Wales, SCRB Mark 11, Courtney Depp, Retel the Beetle, John Doe, Maggie's Yarm, Stu, Anthemone, Megyn Mighty, Purple Saline, Miss Chris still making sandwiches, Three Legs are perfectly good, Drew and L, Captain BLEP, Evie Power, Your Favorite Kenny, Terry, PJ says, What? Amelia L! Shiny Melon Fear Now, Blargo, Blargo, Blargo.

Tonight at 11. Elate Abraoul. Zealous Pragma. Tuba Rick. It's just Blake. Alice Malice asks, how many chains could two chains chain if two chains could chain chains?

Sir Cat Dad, Kelly Jane Denke, Aaron the Optimist. Thomas Stolen, aka Casper from another universe. Chadney Ashra. Lucrezia. Andrew Barner, Tamara Oliver, The Real Dirt Fairy, Marissa,

Bracowini. Eva. No, not that, Ava, the one with a... Grim. Zackinat. Underwater Corvid. Spisorinkton.

Christian, Ransom, Runea Salil, Late Indeed Again, Theron Pyrallis, Ome-Veyrata, Aaron Mitchell, Lady Keanu-Myreauvin, Jackie Wavelet, J.R. the Hiker Bear, Velasicate, Al-Cave, Krusty McBeardface, Tracey, Malarletta, Sweet Michelle, Kara, Call me Zen, Colibri, Mel Momburgberg, Lisa Gisler, India Holbert, Watt the Chuck, Sonae Suna Nassuno, Ben and Jessica, Nea Deruso, Pici Zatuiti, Justine Burbank, Inky the Crackin, Azula the Brave, and their ever-faithful Squire Grabthar. Dalek Steve, dancing dog dreams,

and existentially exhausted beast. The Fable and Folly Network, where fiction producers flourish.