Permanent Chair Detention

A: Alright, so, before we dive into anything substantial today, can we just acknowledge the elephant in the room... or rather, the ropes on our wrists? This is quite the start to a recording session.

B: It's the price of doing business... *unethically*. We're serving our sentence for leaking Jackson Begley's early work, 'BUSINESS AS USUAL'.

A: Yeah, the one he penned when he was just seventeen, and is now, understandably, a tad mortified by. But honestly, it's a goldmine of absurdity!

B: Which he made clear he didn't want unearthed. So, here we are, facing ninety minutes of 'chair detention' with our hands tied behind our backs.

A: And it's not a one-off! This is our new normal. Every single future podcast we do will be recorded like this. Permanent chair detention, folks.

B: We agreed to it. Jackson's a friend, and frankly, we knew better. It was a lapse in judgment, and this is the consequence. A pretty direct 'so what' for our 'what if'.

A: Agreed. We accept our fate. Maybe it'll add a certain... focus? A different kind of creative constraint? Well, speaking of things that defy all conventional constraints, our next deep dive, or maybe more like a freefall, is into the absolute chaos that is Norman Pryce, our volatile crime boss.

B: And this guy, if I'm remembering right, is running a business where he's selling *candy* like it's the most illicit substance known to man? We're talking about 'fundip' here, right?

A: Precisely! Like it's top-tier, grade-A narcotics. And his management style is... extreme. We see Helen Docherty get executed for a 'sloppy sale' right in front of a police officer.

B: A cop? Just standing there? And this is happening while Norman is dressed like... what was it? Underwear over pants and a bra over his shirt? The visual alone is a lot.

A: Oh, absolutely. And then, the script throws in canned laughter after Helen's execution, with a line like, 'Hey; if she's cryin she's dying!' It's just so bizarre.

B: It's beyond bizarre. Then we get a storybook narrator, literally breaking the fourth wall, and Norman can actually *hear* him? That's a unique take on meta-commentary.

A: He can! He's yelling at the narrator to get out of his head. And amidst all this, he manages to recruit a new guy, Dave, after Norman just, you know, casually shoots two men for berating the kid.

A: So, we've got Norman, Dave, and Helmet. And Helmet, bless his heart, is actually trying to get Dave on board to *kill* Norman. Can you believe it?

B: Yeah, and the motivation for Helmet is just... layers. It's not just about taking over, which is usually the big bad guy move. He also has these unrequited romantic feelings for Norman.

A: Right! It's this messy blend of ambition and affection! But Norman, in true Norman fashion, overhears the whole thing and decides, 'I'll just poison them at a dinner party.' Classic.

B: Of course. Which leads to this absolutely bonkers climax: a comical chase that ends in a three-way standoff, guns drawn. Helmet and Dave dramatically die.

A: A-ha! A-ha! A-ha? Wait, no, it's just Norman left. But then, the ultimate irony... he forgets *he* poisoned the wine, takes a celebratory gulp, and promptly dies himself.

B: Poetic justice, Jackson-style. Everyone's dead. It's truly a chaotic masterpiece. Which feels... surprisingly resonant with our own current, shall we say, predicament?

A: Sitting here with our hands tied for the rest of our podcasting careers. It's that same brand of absurd, self-inflicted punishment, isn't it?