Arkham Interviews with Professor Crane
Episode 15
Evolution
Opening Scene
(We begin the episode in Arkham Asylum. It is a bright sunny day, and the halls are equally as bright. In a court room in one of the asylum's wings we find a judge looking over some files as the Joker stands before him in hand and ankle cuffs. Joker looks very unhappy. The judge has dark black hair and pink swirly mustache and speaks with a slightly southern drawl.)
Judge: Joker, you are hereby found guilty on all charges of burglary, robbery, black mail, smuggling, rape, human trafficking, homicide, genocide, regicide, bad joke telling, grand larceny and all other forms of illegal naughtiness and are hereby sentenced to life in prison at the maximum-security prison for evil supervillains, known as Tartarus, with NO chance of bail. And may God have mercy on your soul!
(The judge then smacks down his gavel and motions for the bailiff to take him away. The bailiff in question is Batman. Joker glowers as he is led along the hallway as Batman pushes him through. Batman then stops at an office desk that is randomly sitting in the hallway and turns to the man sitting at the desk.)
Batman: Thank you, Dr. Crane, for helping me to compile all this evidence to put the Joker way for good. I owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be truly repaid.
(Batman then shakes Jonathan's hand. Jonathan is currently leaning back in a large comfortable winged back chair with his feet up on the desk. Also, in the chair are both Pamela and Harley, one on either side of him with their hands on his chest and smiling smugly or lovingly at him as he accepts Batman's praise.)
Jonathan: Well, Batman, I was simply doing what I consider to be my civic duty. I think we'll all sleep easier knowing that the Joker is down in the deepest pits of hell. Just remember you can always rely on me. Maybe think about inviting me to meet that group of super friends you've got.
(He winks and gives Batman a finger gun gesture. Batman smiles and nods before pushing Joker into the Batmobile, jumping in himself and peeling out down the halls of Arkham. Jonathan puts his hands behind his head and sighs in successful relief. Harley undoes her hair bun allowing her golden hair to flow down as she begins drawing circles on Jonathan's chest with her fingers.)
Harley: Oh, Professor! You were so brave to stand up to the Joker like that. He could have done all sorts of wicked things to you in retaliation, but you were so clever and outwitted him. I'm just glad that I listened to you and didn't fall for his nasty tricks.
Pamela: Back off, Harley! (She grabs Jonathan's tie and pulls him towards her.) This hunk off man is mine. He's already promised himself to me.
(She gazes at Jonathan, her eyes full of lust for him. She licks her lips. Harley pouts at Ivy as she throws her arms around Jonathan's neck.)
Harley: But he was MY Professor long before he was ever YOUR Doctor, Pammy. I've wanted him for soooo much longer.
(Jonathan then raises his hands and puts his arms around the women before the fight can go any further.)
Jonathan: Ladies, ladies please. There's no need to fight. There's plenty of Jonathan Crane to go around. Just as there's plenty of room in my double king-sized bed for the both of you.
(He winks and gives the women a dashing grin. They both giggle girlishly at his innuendo. Just then Victor Fries comes in and grabs Jonathan's hand and starts shaking it.)
Victor: I don't know how you did it, but Wayne Enterprises has just agreed to make finding a cure for Nora one of their top priorities! I also just signed my release forms so that I can start working for them again! How can I ever thank you?
(Jonathan leans forward and grabs Victor's hand with both of his and smiles.)
Jonathan: Go… and live your life well, my friend.
(Jonathan then leans back in the chair and repositions his arms around his lady friend's waists. Victor smiles in gratitude and then begins skipping down the hallway to live his new life. Then the face of Edward Nygma pokes through the doorway holding a phone receiver in his hand.)
Nygma: Dr. Crane, Dr. Crane! The President of the United States just called! He wants to award you the Nobel Peace Prize for successfully putting the Joker away for good!
Jonathan: Really? Oh, I suppose I can make room for him in my busy schedule. Set up that appointment for me, would you my good man?
Nygma: Yes sir!
(Edward salutes Jonathan and dips back through the doorway just as Jervis comes bounding through the door. He is wearing a white lab coat and an Arkham staff badge. He runs up to Jonathan's desk all grins.)
Jervis: Dr. Crane! Dr. Crane!
(Jonathan leans forward and greets Jervis.)
Jonathan: Hello Jervis. Please come in. How are today, my friend?
Jervis: Just another busy day of curing the inmates of Arkham. Speaking of which, we just had another one come in and he's requesting you specifically. Given your success rate he's probably hoping you'll be able to get him out (he snaps his fingers) just like that.
Jonathan: Well, let's hope he stays a little longer than that. We need to make money somehow, am I right? (He slaps his hand on the desk and laughs.)
Jervis: Ha ha! Right you are, Jonathan. Right you are. Well, I'll leave you to it then.
(Jervis exits the room. Jonathan then stands up, pulls down the front of his shirt to straighten it out and begins making his way out of the room. Pamela and Harley moan softly not wanting him to go. He turns around.)
Jonathan: I'll be back my darlings. I'm just off to help other people. (He blows them a kiss and exits the room in a dramatic flourish of his lab coat, leaving the women swooning over him.)
(We then cut to a new room as Jonathan enters. The room is pitch black with no windows and no lights. There is one over head light that shines down on a cage in the middle of the room. In the cage is a tall lanky man sitting on a small stool with his back towards Jonathan. The man wears a raggedy hand stitched reddish-brown long-sleeved shirt and brown pants. On top of his head is a wide-brimmed floppy brown hat. His legs are so long and the stool so short that his knees reach high enough for him to comfortably prop his elbows onto them. He doesn't turn as the door behind Jonathan closes, leaving them in almost pure darkness. Jonathan pulls up his clipboard to read the patient's file, but finds that the paper is completely blank. He turns about looking for the missing files.)
Jonathan: I'm sorry. I seem to have misplaced your files, sir. Would you mind telling me your name?
?: (The man's voice is slow and mysterious.) Name? I don't think I've ever had a name before. Would you give me one?
Jonathan: Er- perhaps. I feel that I should know a little more about you first. Where are you from? Why are you here?
?: Why are any of us here? We're here because you put us here, Jonathan. All those years ago. (The man reaches up to touch his face with his overly large hands and slides them down his face.) Oh, it has been so long since you acknowledged us, Jonathan.
Jonathan: I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't have any memory of you.
?: Afraid. Ha ha ha ha ha. How apropos. You may think we're gone but we never really left you. We've always been here. Tell me Jonathan. What is it you fear most?
Jonathan: Me? (He chuckles nervously.) I'm not afraid of anything. I'm the master of fear. I overcame and tossed my fears to the wayside years ago.
?: Oh, Jonathan. (He stands up to his full height matching Jonathan's.) Tsk tsk tsk. You of all people should know how essential fear is. You never lost us, Jonathan. We never really went away.
(The man turns his head slightly towards Jonathan. He then rushes up to the bars of the cage with inhuman speed and grabs the bars. Jonathan screams and falls backwards onto his rear. The man can now be seen clearly. His body is like a caricature of a man, with long spindly arms that bend at odd angles and reach past the knees of his equally long legs. His torso is thin and lithe, so thin that his bones could be made out of sticks. Around his neck hangs a noose that sits like a tie. His face is a patch work of burlap and leathered flesh. His gaping maw of a mouth is held together by stitches in his face and his eyes glow a bright neon orange. From under his clothes, we can see straws of hay and large black feathers poking out. The man's voice is now loud, scratchy and resonant.)
The Nightmare-Crow: WE MERLEY EVOLVED INTO SOMETHING NEW!
(Jonathan scurries away from the Nightmare-Crow against the wall where the door should be, but is no longer there. The Nightmare-Crow begins to phase through the bars of his cage and reaches out towards Jonathan.)
The Nightmare-Crow: That's right! I am the personification of your deepest, darkest fears! (His right arm and upper torso are now through the bars.)
Jonathan: I'm… I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!
(Fear, however, is self-evident on his face. The Nightmare-Crow manages to get his whole body through the bars of his cage. He now stands before Jonathan who is cowering on the floor.)
The Nightmare-Crow: Of me, no! (The Nightmare-Crow's right arm suddenly drops under the weight of a shiny sharp harvesting scythe that has grown out of his forearm and hits the ground with a clatter, still attached to his arm.) But you do fear many other things! (He begins to grow, twice, triple his size while he monologues.) You're afraid of intimacy! You're afraid the Joker will somehow ruin your work! (As he grows his legs become incorporeal. The roof of the Asylum is then ripped off and floats away into the ether as a red swirling storm cloud fills the sky. The wind tears at Jonathan's coat and hair while red lightning and thunder arcs across the sky and the Nightmare-Crow takes his full size.)
The Nightmare-Crow: YOU'RE AFRAID OF LOSING YOUR JOB! AFRAID OF LOSING YOUR FRIENDS! AFRAID OF LOSING YOUR MIND TO THE MADNESS OF ARKHAM ASYLUM! (The echoing caw of a crow can be heard by us and Jonathan. The Nightmare-Crow looks down at Jonathan.) YOU'VE SEEN IT YOURSELF! ALL THE BRILLIANT DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS WHO'VE BEEN THROWN INTO AN INSANE ASYLUM! FRIES! ISLEY! TETCH! EVEN THE FOUNDER AMADEUS ARKHAM HIMSELF WAS NOT IMMUNE TO THE ASYLUM'S CURSE! (He points down at Jonathan with his left hand.) YOU SHALL BE NO DIFFERENT! (He raises his right fist high holding the scythe aloft on his arm.) COME, PROFESSOR CRANE AND FACE YOUR FEARS!
(He then swings his arm down, scythe cleaving through the air ready to strike at Jonathan who screams in terror. The camera zooms in very quickly on Jonathan's face before the blow is struck and we cut to Jonathan sitting bolt upright in his twin sized bed screaming as the sound of the crow's echoing caw fades into the night.)
Scene 2
(The next scene shows Jonathan in his small two-bedroom apartment, washing his face with cold water in the bathroom. It is still late in the night. The occasional ambience of passing traffic can be heard along with the sound of running water. Jonathan shuts off the water and allows himself a moment to catch his breath. He lets the cold water run down his face and wash away the sweat and anxiety. He has his shirt off and we can see the sheen of sweat all over his lanky form. Jonathan grabs a towel off the nearby rack and dries his face. As he dabs at his face he looks up into the mirror and sees the Nightmare-Crow standing behind him. Jonathan gasps and whirls around only to find that he is alone in the bathroom. No one was ever there. He curses and throws the towel at the wall where the phantom nightmare would have been. He then slumps to the floor and holds his face in his hands. The scene then dissolves into morning and through the bathroom door we can see Jonathan is now in the kitchen with a piece of toast and a glass of apple juice. He is wearing a robe over his night clothes. Whether it is the same day or a different day we can't be certain, but Jonathan looks to be very tired. He looks out the window to watch the melting snow give way to the first signs of spring. He sighs and takes a seat at the table where he has a tape recorder set up. After taking a bite of his food Jonathan turns on the tape recorder.)
Jonathan: Experiment log update. After increasing the dosage of chemical mixtures in an attempt to develop an immunity, Subject #2 had begun developing side effects which included incredibly vivid dreams. At first this was of no concern as the dreams were merely the sort one would have when having a tablet of Melatonin before bed. However, the dreams have recently been changing into nightmares brought on by anxiety. (Jonathan takes a gulp of his juice.) The nightmares have been more vivid and recurring themes and patterns have been spotted as well as the manifestation of a… tormentor. One based upon Subject 2's fears. Normally I wouldn't believe it a cause for concern that medicine couldn't fix, except most recently, Subject 2 has begun seeing his tormentor during his waking hours. While awake this phantasm doesn't speak or make any attempts to harm or even move towards Subject 2. Instead, he just stands there. (Jonathan looks up from the table.) Watching. (The camera cuts to what Jonathan is looking at. We see the open doorway of the kitchen into a dark empty hallway where the glowing neon orange eyes of the Nightmare-Crow stare at Jonathan. Jonathan shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again. The glowing eyes are gone. Jonathan sighs.) Given Subject 2's description and the apparition's nature I've decided to call this personage The Nightmare-Crow, as it is scarecrow like in appearance. The final results of this experiment are as yet unknown and untested for it's intended purpose. I do recommend perhaps moving up the timetable so that Subject 2's mental state does not continue to deteriorate.
(Jonathan then turns off the tape recorder and finishes his toast. He then gets up and takes his juice with him over to the window. He takes a sip of it as he stares out the window. The view from the window indicates that Jonathan lives closer to the edge of Gotham City close to the harbor. From his view he can see Arkham on its lonely island in the distance. If he squints, he can make out the orange bat signal pumpkin that he and Ivy made months ago still standing having not decayed over the winter. Jonathan chuckles to himself and takes a long sip of the remaining juice, before looking down to the street below where he sees the Nightmare-Crow looking up at him before a van passes in front of it and the Nightmare-Crow vanishes. Jonathan sighs.)
Jonathan: Okay. This is starting to get old.
(Jonathan then puts his empty cup in the sink and heads for his bedroom to start getting ready for the day. The camera zooms out on the kitchen window of Jonathan's apartment before we cut way to the next scene.)
Scene 3
(We open to the approaching twilight of the Gotham sky and pan down to the exterior of Arkham Asylum. Very few traces of snow remain, and the trees are beginning to bud and the branches are beginning to visibly turn green even at this distance. Cut to the Arkham interior. We see Harley walking down the hallway in a very good mood and humming to herself. She pauses as she passes by a glass door and begins checking her hair and makeup. After she's satisfied, she continues down the hall like normal. Jonathan then comes around a corner behind her and calls after her as he rushes to catch up. Harley turns around and waits for him until he reaches her. Dark circles are clearly visible under his eyes.)
Harley: Jonathan. I wasn't expecting to see you this evening. You don't look so good. Are you getting enough sleep?
Jonathan: It's uh… new medicine. My body is still getting used to it.
Harley: Ah. New meds will do that. I recommend having a warm glass of milk to help soothe your body before bed. It's always helped me.
Jonathan: Thank you, Ms. Quinn. I'll have to try that. (Clears his throat.) Um, I was hoping to speak with you when I went to drop off my reports in your office, but you had already left. You'll be happy to know that both Edward and Victor have been making some progress, but if you do have a moment, I would like to talk with you.
(Harley checks her watch.)
Harley: You'll have to make it quick, Jonathan. I've got an appointment soon.
Jonathan: Right. Short version then. Okay. (He clasps his hands together.) Well… It's about the Joker. (Harley's expression falters at the mention of Joker. She raises her chin.) I've noticed that you have been spending a lot of time with him lately. I was actually just speaking with Pamela earlier and she said that she hadn't seen you in a few weeks and was starting to worry about you. Are you alright? He hasn't…
Harley: I'm fine, Dr. Crane. Joker hasn't done anything to me. He never would.
Jonathan: That's good. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind not having to speak with him as often, but… I'm concerned that your relationship with him might be going beyond that of a doctor and patient. You've been spending less and less time with the other patients and I hardly see you anymore. I'm just worried that you're putting yourself in a dangerous situation. If I could echo your words of advice to me…
Harley: Dr. Crane. I've been spending time with him as it has been made very clear that you don't care for the Joker's well being at all. I would hope that you trust my judgement…
(In Jonathan's vision, from out of the shadows the Nightmare-Crow appears behind Harley. Jonathan eyes widen and Harley's voice becomes muted and shallow as the Nightmare-Crow is the only thing Jonathan is paying attention to. For the first time in weeks since it first appeared, it moves. The Nightmare-Crow walks up to Harley and puts its hands on her. It looks Jonathan in the eye and takes its hand and slowly drags it across her throat. Harley of course doesn't react since the Nightmare-Crow is not actually there. But Jonathan knows the meaning of this vision.)
Jonathan: You're right! I- (He pauses to make up an excuse. Harley stops and notices Jonathan's curious behavior.) I should… come with you to see Joker! We could do one of our joint sessions. It's been so long since we have, and I could talk with him more like you say and I could be there to make sure you're… not alone with him.
Harley: That won't be necessary, Jonathan.
(Harley holds her clipboard close to her chest. All the while the Nightmare-Crow continues to drag its long fingers all over her body while eyeing Jonathan.)
Jonathan: I really must insist, Ms. Quinn. We're a team. We've got to watch each other's back and help the other to keep from getting too close and see the bigger picture.
Harley: Dr. Crane! (Jonathan takes a step back at Harley's outburst.) As your supervisor I am saying no. (At this point the Nightmare-Crow has vanished.) Don't you dare try to use my own words against me. You only care about your own work, your own goals. I've heard about your side experiments, and I won't let you do that to Mistah J!
Jonathan: What- how- that's not…
Harley: As of this moment I am going to be taking over as the Joker's primary therapist. I'll need you to give me all of the files you have on him and leave them on my desk before you leave tonight. Is that understood?
Jonathan: But-
Harley: Is. That. Understood! Dr. Crane?
(Jonathan stands there in stunned silence. It's clear that she means it and that if he doesn't comply his job will be on the line. He never expected her to ever use her authority over him to get her way, but it's clear that Joker has said something to cause her not to trust Jonathan. He's too late. He sighs as the shift in their relationship takes hold.)
Jonathan: Yes, ma'am.
Harley: Good. Now if you'll excuse me.
(Harley quickly turns on her heel and briskly walks down the corridor away from Jonathan. His gaze continues to follow her as she storms away. The dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep make Jonathan appear all the more crestfallen. He wants to reach out to her, to say or do something. Anything. But he knows that he's done all he can, and that Harley has made her choice. Where once was a kindred friend, now sits an ache in his chest.)
The Nightmare-Crow: (Whispered) It's happening again.
(Jonathan turns his head towards the source of the voice and the camera pans around him and stops as we and Jonathan look to his left. Leaning against the brick wall with his arms folded is the Nightmare-Crow. A wicked looking scythe is now strapped to his back. He smirks and cocks an eyebrow at Jonathan.)
Jonathan: … I liked you better when you just stood there.
(Jonathan then turns around and walks in the opposite direction of Harley and we are left looking at the blank wall where the Nightmare-Crow was.)
(End of Episode)