You're listening to Question Mark, a joint venture of Bludhaven Public Radio and The Podcast Collective. I'm your host, Meera Malhotra. If this is your first time listening, welcome. If you're a returning listener, welcome back. Last season, we examined the claims of a World War II unit who said they had encountered and been held captive by a shadow government based in Nepal. This season, we've decided to work a little closer to home.
In March of 2016, as we were wrapping up our reporting on season one, I received an email. It read as follows:
Dear Mrs. Malhotra,
I have been an avid listener of your podcast for many years. I am also an investigator of all things unknown and extraordinary. Like many of your fans, I noticed that when past investigations have touched on questions of the paranormal, Question Mark tends to back off those lines of thought. While I understand the disinclination to report on a field in which many of the experts are unreliable, I would like to nudge you in the direction of a story that I feel rests completely within the realm of the reliable information.
The paranormal community, which I count myself a member of, often finds itself in intersection with the vigilante community. While I personally find the obsession with unmasking useless, one theory regarding the identity of the Green Arrow has, in my opinion, become relevant outside these limited circles. I have noticed an alarming trend. As Star City's mayoral election draws to a close, candidate Oliver Queen has once again become a key figure in the vigilante community. The theory that Mr. Queen is the Green Arrow is considered straightforward, almost fact, by enthusiasts from other cities. Oddly, citizens from Star City overwhelming consider it absurd.
I hope you consider looking into this. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.
Sincerely,
Daniel Peterson
Daniel is right about our policy on the paranormal. While many of our staff, myself included, privately entertain phenomenal theories regarding our cases, we don't think it's responsible to report on them.
However, something about Daniel's email caught our attention- that part at the very end, when he notes the discrepancy in geography. We thought he was suggesting corruption within the Star City media, so we followed up with him over the phone.
MM: Hi, is this Daniel Peterson?
DP: Yes, this is he.
MM: Hi, this is Meera Malhotra from Question Mark. I'm getting in touch with you about the email you sent us.
Daniel was excited we called, but immediately steered us away from our original questions.
DP: No, that's not what I was saying. I'm a copy editor for the Star City Sentinel as my day job, actually, and from what I've seen the election reporting has been mostly by-the-book.
MM: In your email, it seemed like you put a lot of emphasis on the opinions of Star City vigilante theorists. Can you tell us why that is?
DP: Well, Mrs. Malhotra-
MM: Meera, please.
DP: Meera. If you go deep into these forums, like I have, people typically advocate for vigilantes based in their home cities. When it comes to unmasking theories, it tends to be that the more famous the civilian identity, the more popular the theory.
We had an intern check this out. For the most part, Daniel's hypothesis holds water.
MM: So what you're saying is that Star City citizens should be advocating for the Oliver Queen theory, because it will bring their vigilante more attention.
DP: It's not even necessarily about attention, it's just more exciting. Frankly, if it came to light that Mr. Queen was the Green Arrow, it would be the most interesting thing I've seen in years.
MM: So you believe this theory?
DP: No, I don't buy it. Frankly, I've thought this through a lot and I can't figure out what the disconnect is. Even the most skeptical blogs have begun to subscribe to the Queen theory. I know it sounds ridiculous, but honestly, if you all look into this I think you'll see what I'm talking about.
We took Daniel up on his challenge and found his observations to be generally true. Star City views Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow one way, while the rest of the world sees something different. However, in confirming that, we got it. That reporter's itch. That inquisitive bug. That question mark. This case is tricky. Once you think you've got a firm grip on the facts, they slip through your fingers like water. Though we didn't want to investigate a vigilante, much less a vigilante with occasional links to the paranormal, we fell down the hole, and soon our entire staff was trying to chase down the facts.
So here it is- season five. Over the next twelve weeks, we'll take you through all the twists and turns of this story- not the story of the Green Arrow, but the story of current Star City mayor Oliver Queen.
MM: Can you state your name?
TQ: Sure. My name is Thea Queen, and you're listening to Question Mark.
(theme music)
This season will not be about superheroes. They, specifically the Green Arrow, are an important part of the events we will explore, but our primary focus will be on Oliver Queen and the people in his life. Whether or not you believe he has a vigilante alter ego, his personal narrative is full of red flags and holes that would have, in normal circumstances, kept him from rising to a position of political power. In this first episode, I would like to take you through his official biography as presented to the citizens of Star City. We begin where he first gained his notoriety- in the tabloids.
It was windy morning when I first met Layla Fairchild in a Star City coffeeshop.
MM: (laughing) You'll have to excuse me, my scarf got blown into the gutter on the way here.
LF: Oh no! Well, I promise Starling isn't all doom and gloom.
For any international listeners- Star City used to be named Starling City until a few years ago. Believe it or not, this is relevant to our story and we'll address it in a future episode. Here's what you need to know about Star City, or as many current residents still call it, Starling City. It's a densely packed metropolis of about 1.3 million people, with suburbs that extend out several miles in every direction. The neighborhoods are marbled, with a sharp contrast between the wealthy and poor sections, more distinct than in most cities. As a Bludhavener, I've always felt a bit of kinship with Star City. The doom and gloom Layla's talking about is a label that gets pinned on us as well.
MM: You know what I'm here for, right?
LF: Yes. You want the lowdown?
MM: Specifically starting with the boat.
I have to admit I was curious about the differences between my career as an investigative journalist and Layla's as a tabloid reporter. We discussed the differences between our journalistic approaches at length during our meeting, and in several subsequent phone calls. She demonstrated to me many times that information she has is iron clad, and was referred to me as an expert on the Queen family by several other reporters.
LF: So the Queen family is, aptly, the closest thing Star City has to royalty. It's a family business dynasty that dates back to the 60s, but they really hit their stride in the mid-80s, around the time Oliver was born, actually.
So here's the Queen Family. On the surface, they're completely nuclear. You have the father-
LF: Robert Queen. He was the CEO of Queen Consolidated, which he inherited in his mid-20s after the death of his paternal uncle. He was generally pretty well respected, but had the reputation of being a bit of a womanizer.
You have the mother-
LF: Moira Queen. She ran the Star City social scene for years. If she sounds ditzy, you have the wrong impression. She was terrifying.
The son-
LF: That's Oliver. Back then, he was a party boy. Dropped out of four colleges, had half a dozen misdemeanors, and singlehandedly kept the city's male fashion in the 90s until 2007.
And finally, you have a daughter.
LF: Thea. She was a surprise, ten years younger than her brother. Age twelve in 2007, and mostly out of the spotlight, but by all accounts she and her brother were very close.
Oliver and Thea were raised in a mansion twenty miles outside the city, and attended an expensive private school with the children of the other Star City elite.
LF: Oliver's best friend from elementary school forward was Tommy Merlyn, son of Malcolm Merlyn. Robert and Malcolm were friends as well.
MM: They were sort of partners in crime, were they not?
LF: Infamously so. Tommy never had any misdemeanours but he was always in the background of the shot every time Oliver was arrested.
Our story begins in 2007. Oliver was 22, and had more or less given up on graduating college. He was living at home with his family, and not doing much of anything except partying.
LF: There was an expectation that he would eventually take over the company, but that pressure hadn't been applied yet. I imagine if things had gone differently he would have matured with time.
MM: Like a fine wine?
LF: Ha! More like a fine bottle of tequila. If he hadn't gotten it together on his own, I think Laurel may have pushed him toward it.
Laurel Lance was Oliver's girlfriend in 2007. The Lance family wasn't part of the social elite. Quentin Lance was a police officer, and his wife was a college professor, but they scraped together enough money to put both of their daughters through private school. Laurel and Oliver dated on and off throughout their adolescence. Laurel was always academically successful and only skirted around the edges of the club scene. Her sister Sara, two years younger, was the rebellious one.
So here we are. It's 2007. Robert Queen is preparing to take a business trip on the family's boat, The Queen's Gambit. Oliver has just dropped out of his fourth and final college, so his father invites him along on the trip. Moira Queen and Laurel Lance say goodbye to them at the docks. No one suspects that anything is wrong.
TQ: I was in school that day.
MM: You were in the seventh grade?
TQ: Yeah. Dad was away for business a lot, and Ollie was supposed to be in school anyway, so it's wasn't like it was a big deal. I remember being mad that I couldn't go with them, but I don't remember saying goodbye.
MM: So you don't remember the last time you saw your father?
TQ: No. We didn't know anything was wrong for almost two weeks. Even after we knew the boat was missing, I didn't realize that was it..
MM: What do you mean?
TQ: It was never a search and rescue mission. When we were told, it was a recovery mission. But I was twelve, so I didn't understand that. By the time someone finally explained to me that they were dead, I couldn't remember the last time I saw them. For a long time I thought Ollie drove me to school that morning, but I wasn't completely sure. It may have been the day before. I guess that doesn't matter anymore.
We know now that the Queen's Gambit went down in the North China sea on the fifth day of its journey. Initially, there were seventeen casualties reported- twelve crew members, two Queen Consolidated employees, Robert Queen, and one unidentified female. To this day, the cause of the sinking is unknown.
LF: We thought that was weird- the unidentified female. At that point Sara Lance's family thought she was back at school and her friends at school thought she was still at home. She covered her tracks well. When the police interviewed the dockmaster he told them he saw her sneak on board, but they wanted to be sure it was really Sara Lance before they announced it publicly.
MM: When did the press work out that it was Sara Lance?
LF: After her family was informed, thank goodness. The coverage was extensive. Moira- she was our Jackie O. And Laurel, bless her. It was like something out of a Bible story. Probably the old testament.
After six months, the search for the wreckage was called off. Moira Queen erected empty graves for her husband and son on the manor's estate.
TQ: I was okay with it. I liked that they were close by. We had to have Dad's grave moved when we sold the house. We put him next to Mom. It's just an empty casket with some of his old things, but it felt right.
Five years passed.
LF: Walter Steele, Robert Queen's friend and number two at the company, took over Queen Consolidated. He and Moira married three years later.
WS: At the time, it felt like she was moving forward. I see now that parts of it were empty. Not all of it, not even a lot of it, but important parts.
TQ: Walter always had my back. The older I get, the more I appreciate it.
LF: Thea was a rough teenager. By the time she was sixteen, we started getting sent photos of her at parties and the club.
TQ: I wasn't the only wild teenager in the city, but I was the one who the paparazzi followed.
LF: Legal didn't let us print anything until she was eighteen. We got one good scandal out of her on her birthday, and then she cleaned up her act.
MM: Our tabloid contact said you've calmed down a lot in the past few years. She called you a model citizen.
TQ: Did you get that on tape?
MM: (laughs)
Now, imagine that it's 2012. Thea is seventeen, and she tells me that at this point she was "emotionally treading water." Moira Queen is remarried, but still grieving. Quentin Lance and his wife have separated. Laurel Lance is doing prestigious work at a legal aid clinic. She and Tommy Merlyn had been intermittently involved since the Queen's Gambit sank.
Then, out of nowhere-
News archive: Oliver Queen is alive. The Starling City resident was found by fishermen in the North China Sea five days ago. Five years after he was presumed dead following the accident at sea which claimed the Queen's Gambit. Queen was a tabloid presence and fixture on the club scene. Before his disappearance, he was acquitted of assault stemming from a highly publicized drunken altercation with paparazzi. Queen is the son of Starling City billionaire Robert Queen who was also on board but now officially confirmed as deceased.
MM: How did it feel?
TQ: I was happy. Really, really happy, but…
MM: Go on.
TQ: We didn't know what we were getting into.
Oliver's reintegration into Star City was rocky. He exhibited erratic public behavior in the weeks after his return, which eventually came to a head when he was arrested for vigilantism. We'll loop back around to this arrest later on and detail what led to it. For now, here's what you need to know.
MM: Can you introduce yourself?
QL: Quentin Lance. I'm the current Deputy Mayor of Star City and the former captain of the Starling City Police Department.
MM: You were the arresting officer for Mr. Queen?
QL: On multiple occasions.
MM: And you are the father to Laurel and Sara Lance.
QL: Yes.
MM: So much of what you just told me sounds like a conflict of interest.
QL: In complete honesty, you're not wrong. The mayor and I have a complicated history, but we're on good terms now, and I am proud to have him as a colleague and a friend.
In the past five years, Star City has had many vigilantes. In his first arrest since returning home, Oliver Queen was charged with being The Hood, a vigilante who had appeared shortly after his return to the city and murdered primarily wealthy victims in cold blood. His weapon was, famously, a bow and arrow. These charges were cleared a few days later, and the incident shifted attention away from Oliver and onto the stirrings of bizarre crimes within Star City.
In the months that followed, instead of taking over at Queen Consolidated like it had been initially suggested to the public he would, Oliver started construction on a nightclub, Verdant, eventually hiring his friend Tommy Merlyn as the general manager.
TQ: He was gone a lot working on the club. Even when he was around he was flaky. He had a couple of girlfriends, and spent some time with Tommy and Laurel, but for the most part he was out with nobody except Dig- that was his bodyguard. Mom thought maybe he was doing drugs at one point.
MM: Wrong kid?
TQ: Hah! Yeah, wrong kid.
Thea was arrested at her 18th birthday party after she crashed her new car while under the influence of the potent street drug Vertigo. Her trial attracted a lot of media attention.
TQ: He was there for that. He tried to be there for the important things, at least.
MM: Something else was happening during that time if I recall correctly, something big.
TQ: Yeah. My stepfather Walter was kidnapped.
MM: When was he released?
TQ: April, I think? I don't remember exactly, but it wasn't long before the Undertaking.
If you want to trace when Star City fell into chaos, this is where you wind up. Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy Merlyn's father and the CEO of Merlyn Global Group, intentionally created a man-made earthquake in the Glades, a low-class neighborhood of Star City where his wife had been murdered nearly two decades previously. Over five hundred people were killed, including his own son. The news broke several hours before the earthquake when Moira Queen called a press conference.
MQ (news archive): My name is Moira Dearden Queen. I am the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated. And God forgive me, I have failed this city. For the past five years, under the threat for my life and the lives of my family I have been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose. To destroy the Glades and everyone in it. I realize now that my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur. But you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn. Yes, and I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness. Adam Hunt, Frank Chen and my husband Robert. Please. If you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now. Your lives and the lives of your children depend on it. Please.
MM: You were in the room when she made that announcement. I can see her talking to you as she exits the room.
TQ: Yeah, she was arrested a moment later. We were yelling. The press probably has the audio somewhere, I know the police have a copy. It's why I was never suspected of any involvement. Roy Harper was my boyfriend at the time, he lived in the Glades, so that was what I processed more than anything else. I yelled at her about that, and then I took a truck to go get him.
MM: Were you there when the earthquake hit?
TQ: No, he made me leave. He wanted to stay and help people, but he said he couldn't do that if he knew I was in danger. I drove to the edge of town.
MM: Did you know anyone who died?
TQ: Tommy. I was doing community service with Laurel at the legal aid center at that point in time. She was stuck inside. He ran in to save her. He was- like my brother. I knew him my entire life. Laurel was really messed up after that. Roy was, too. He lost eight friends. I went to some of the funerals.
MM: And Oliver?
TQ: He left. Almost immediately. We texted a little bit. He was gone for five entire months.
MM: Do you know where he was?
TQ: Travelling. That was back when we had the money to do that sort of thing. He went skiing a lot- I remember that in particular.
MM: And when he came back?
TQ: Let me think. I had taken over the club at that point, and he didn't ask for it back. Ummm...oh, shit! Sorry. That was when he took over the company.
MM: Your stepfather told us about this- he said he asked Oliver to take over.
TQ: Yeah, I was a little shocked. Our stock had plummeted though, so it's not like Oliver could do much harm. The mansion was pretty much empty- Mom was in jail and at the point I didn't want anything to do with her, so I was practically living with Roy.
LF: Malcolm Merlyn died in the Undertaking, so all of the focus was on Moira Queen. The press coverage was nasty, but during the trial it came to light that she honestly had much less to do with the plot than we had assumed in absence of information. Sympathies shifted, and I think people finally started to realize the risk she took in giving early warning.
MM: All that being said, though, it must have been surprising when she announced her candidacy for mayor.
LF: Undoubtedly, but she was a very popular candidate. Her numbers got even better after the kidnapping incident.
Thea Queen was kidnapped near the end of the campaign. A ransom demand was broadcast during a live debate, and the campaign instantly halted until she was found alive and unharmed several hours later. Moira Queen's numbers spiked significantly. While this was not initially public knowledge, we discovered during our investigation that it was during this altercation that Queen Consolidated was taken over by Isobel Rochev, a hostile partner.
TQ: Oliver signed away management of the company temporarily to her so she could deal with a mandatory something-or-other. I don't fully understand what happened. All I know is that within a few months we were completely broke.
Queen Consolidated became Palmer Technologies, and pivoted toward the technological side of the market. A few weeks after Thea's kidnapping, the campaign turned nasty once again. Moira Queen died under suspicious circumstances.
TQ: I was the one who ditched after that, right before the attack. I took a page out of Oliver's book and travelled for months, on much more of budget crunch, of course.
MM: Your brother managed to stay out of the press during that time?
TQ: Shockingly, yes.
We'll address the attack Thea is referencing in future episodes since, officially, it had nothing to do with Oliver. For almost an entire year after the death of his mother, he remained on the edge of the public eye, until, once again…
QL: In 2015, I arrested Oliver Queen for vigilantism.
MM: I'm sensing a trend.
QL: Yes. This time he was accused of being The Arrow, who was similar to The Hood in weapon choice and costume, but at this point in time is not thought to be in any way officially related. The Arrow was a non-lethal vigilante at first. At many points the department directly associated ourselves with his work- think of the relationship the Central City Police Department has with The Flash. When we arrested Mr. Queen, that relationship had soured. Roy Harper stopped our motorcade mid-procession and turned himself in.
TQ: I didn't know. We were just friends at the time. We had broken up a year earlier. Roy idolized the Hood. I never realized how far that obsession went.
MM: He was later fatally stabbed in prison.
TQ: Yes. I'd rather not talk about that.
MM: Let's talk about something different. Tell us about Felicity.
TQ: I met her in… I want to say sometime after the Undertaking, but maybe earlier. Dig was Oliver's bodyguard at first, but they became good friends. Felicity worked for Queen Consolidated in the IT department, and I guess Oliver went in for tech support at some point and they hit it off.
MM: When did they get together?
TQ: Not long after Roy died. They left the city- it was too much. I think a lot of people here felt that way at the time. I know I did. This city has seen so much tragedy. He and Felicity wanted to experience something good for a change, so they bought a house in Ivy Town. Eventually though, Felicity's job drew them back to town. They missed the city.
Felicity Smoak had taken over Palmer technologies after the death of CEO Ray Palmer.
MM: Do you remember your reaction when your brother told you he wanted to run for office?
TQ: I laughed. We all did. He told Dig, Laurel, and I all at once and we thought it was a terrible idea, but he really meant it. After a while, when we were all making plans for the campaign, you could see that he really believed in what he was doing. I'd never seen him like that before.
MM: Were you worried he would be killed? That was why he had the chance to run of course- everyone who tried ended up dying.
TQ: Yes, and there were assassination attempts of course, both during the campaign and while he's been in office, but that was part of why he wanted to do it. Oliver's got gumption, and he learned to live with a sword hanging over his head while he was away. He survived five years alone on an island, and he didn't live through that just to come home and be a party boy again. He loves this city, and he wants to make a difference. He is making a difference. He's making it better.
After Thea said this, I drew her attention back to a quote I got from her during an earlier interview.
TQ: I love Ollie, and I'm thankful every day that he's here, but we had no idea what was coming. If I could go back and warn myself….I don't know. I don't know what I would say.
MM: Do you think everything that's happened would have still happened if he had never been found?
TQ: Turn the tape off.
Thea and I went back and forth about the limitations about this question for a while. That happens a lot in my interviews with her. I thought our hardest interview would be our first, when I asked her about the disappearance of her father and brother. We've talked nearly two dozen times since, and in retrospect, while that conversation was emotional, Thea Queen, little sister, is a lot easier to talk to than Thea Queen, representative of the office of the mayor.
My question stands. At the time of that interview, four years had passed since Oliver had returned home. It has now been nearly five years. In that time, Star City had been through a reckoning of misfortune, as had the Queen family. In future podcasts, we'll explore how all that misfortune might be linked back to one man. But for now, before the first arrow flies, I have to catch everyone up on one more thing.
In all his years of public speaking, Oliver only addressed his time on the island once, briefly and within a week of his return. This statement was at a court proceeding to legally resurrect him.
OQ: I almost died. I thought that I had because I spent so many days on that life raft before I saw the island. When I reached it, I knew that I was gonna have to live for both of us. And in those five years, it was that one thought that kept me going.
Other than this, a Chinese naval report, and a record acknowledging that Oliver was medically examined upon his return to the United States, there are no records of his castaway experience. We tried very hard to find the most basic information regarding those five years, and failed every time. We couldn't even find the name of the island where he was rescued- that is, until we sent Thea a draft of this episode.
MM: Hi, Thea?
TQ: Hi! Is this Meera?
MM: Yes! I know you're at work, but I wanted to see if you had a moment to tell me about the island.
TQ: Yeah, I'm sorry. I was listening last night and I heard your comment about not knowing the name of the island. I don't think you actually ever asked me about that.
MM: I guess not. You were very clear that Oliver doesn't talk about his time away from home.
TQ: That's true, he's notorious for it, but I do know the name of the island. Also, on the podcast, when I said I don't remember saying goodbye to my father- that's not completely true now that I think of it.
Sometimes interviewing Thea is like pulling teeth. If I sound suspicious of her at any point, frankly, I am. We'll get to that later. For now just know that what Thea says next completely threw me off guard, not just because of its significance, but because of how willingly she volunteered it.
TQ: I'll cut to the chase- I definitely know where the island is. I couldn't find on a map, but I've been there. Ollie and I went a few years ago. We camped out.
TQ:...Meera?
MM: Sorry. Wait a moment...do you mind if I go grab my producer?
TQ: I've got a meeting in ten, so you'll have to make it quick.
We ended up scheduling a time to talk later that evening, after Thea had gotten home. The other voice you'll hear is Pauline Gregg, Question Mark's producer.
MM: Alright, we're all set here. Go for it.
TQ: I can't tell you the name of the island.
MM: You can. We checked with our lawyer.
PG: It isn't labeled on most maps, so there's no gag order on the name, just the location.
TQ: Well, I honestly don't know the location, so I can't help you there.
The gag order we're talking about isn't from the government, it's a strong suggestion from the AP regarding this particular story. Layla warned us about it when we first started our investigation.
LF: They're concerned about copycats. That's the official line.
MM: You think there's something more to it?
LF: Yes.
Our staff is divided on this. Whether or not it's the whole story, I think copycats are a legitimate concern, so we here at Question Mark won't be the ones to break the gag order.
MM: But if you all visited, that means Oliver knows the location. How did you all get there?
TQ: We flew, of course. Just the two of us.
MM: Has anyone else been?
TQ: Felicity's been. And Dig.
MM: So you all…what. Vacation there?
TQ: Camping is definitely right word.
MM: So right off the bat, I have to ask. You know this is a big deal for us. Did you meet anyone else while you were there.
TQ: I didn't see anyone else on the island, if that's what you're asking.
MM: Has Oliver ever met anyone else on the island?
TQ: No.
PG: Thea, you know we have you on this one.
TQ: The island is uninhabited.
MM: (dryly) Except when you all are camping there.
TQ: Exactly.
This question of whether someone else was on the island is important. We're going to come back to it over and over again. The medical records I mentioned in the last episode indicate beyond a shadow of a doubt that Oliver was not alone, but so far we haven't got anyone close to him to admit that.
MM: So, what was the island like?
TQ: In my head, I always imagined it like a cartoon. It was a mound of sand with like, a coconut tree. When I saw it from the plane, I realized that it's huge. At least a couple of miles across.
MM: Is it sandy?
TQ: It's a forest. And it's cold. We weren't there at the coldest time of the year, but I still needed a couple of jackets and a hat.
MM: What did you all do there?
TQ: We talked, mostly. More than we ever had before.
MM: About what?
TQ: Our family. That was the first time we talked about Mom. It was the year we had an apartment together, so before the trip we were living in the same space. Like, we were making the choice to spend time with each other. That was a big deal, but all the barriers between us since she died didn't come down until we started hiking.
MM: How long were you hiking for?
TQ: At first, about six hours. We traveled along the shoreline- the terrain was beach around the edges and trees and rivers and waterfalls everywhere else. A lot of the shore was rocky, not sandy. He didn't tell me where we were going until we got there.
MM: Was it his shelter?
TQ: If he had a shelter, he hasn't told me about it. No, he took me to Dad's grave.
(A long silence, then a sound clip of waves on a shore. Seagulls can be heard from overhead.)
PG: Sorry, Thea. We're unmuting. Thea, we thought Robert drowned.
TQ: Oliver made it to the island because he was on a life raft. They had more than one. I'm still not sure why more people didn't make it. There are protocols, you know? I'd been on board. I'd been on other trips. I knew how to evacuate. I used act out the procedure with my stuffed animals. I guess he came across Dad's b-body and pulled it onto the raft.
MM: How long did he drift?
TQ: I have no idea. I've never asked. I'm not even sure if he would remember.
PG: Honey, is someone home with you right now?
TQ: Ugh, sorry. I didn't mean to cry. This part is happy.
MM: So he takes you to the grave.
TQ: It was just a pile of rocks. There used to be an inscription, but it was gone. We didn't say anything, we just sat down. I spend a lot of time with the graves behind our house. Ollie had his torn down when he came home. We moved Dad's- I think you all said that in the demo.
MM: We did.
TQ: After the earthquake, I didn't go to his grave anymore. My dad...he wasn't the man I thought he was. My mom was there to be angry at. I couldn't be angry at him, but that also meant I couldn't…connect...with him anymore.
MM: Could you be angry when you saw his grave on the island?
TQ: I wasn't. His body wasn't really in the other grave. It wasn't him. So on the island, that was the first time in seven year I was with my father. It should be sad that he was so far away from home, but it felt...right.
MM: How so?
TQ: I felt safe there. It's kind of like...I saw this thing about this pro skater. He put some photo online of him skating with his daughter. A bunch of people were angry because she wasn't wearing a helmet, but he said that there was nowhere safer for her than on a skateboard with him. That's what it's like being on the island with Oliver. It's not safe, but it feels safe.
MM: We've talked about my father off the record, Thea, about how I lost him. We've talked about how neither of us felt like we got to say goodbye. What did you mean, earlier, when you said you sort of did. Is this what you alluding to?
TQ: It is. That trip was very special to me, but I never want to go back. And now that I know what it's like to stand by his real grave...the old one feels cheap. So I said goodbye. I left him on the island.
(Silence, then a sound clip of waves on the shore and a young girl laughing. The sound fades out into the exit music.)