The mayor is honoring Henry Adams with a crime-fighting award, for keeping crime lower in Little Town. Since the city used to have the lowest crime in the country, they honor Henry with helping them fight for that title again. The mayor reminds everyone to be careful since monsters can attack at any time. A passing policeman scoffs the event, saying that they are as much heroes as Henry—they just don’t get the credit. After the event, Darla leaves to run an errand and witnesses a man get shot to death in an alleyway. After the situation sinks in, Darla runs away and merely escapes the gunman and his cronies, managing to get lost in a crowd of people. Clearly shaken up, the police comfort Darla in her apartment and try to get information from her. The details are shady but the police have an idea who to go after. Before they leave, a policeman notices a picture of Darla and Henry on the wall, obviously close. He mutters, “Henry Adams…a guy who’s so heroic for fighting monsters while the real criminals are left to us.” Another policeman, realizing that they are friends, tries to save face by pointing out that they don’t know how to defeat monsters so it’s a good thing he’s in town. Professor Beckett and Gary are downtown, helping Henry fight the latest monster, who is unnamed. The experience is played just to relay the standard monster battle, but from Darla’s point of view – now with bigger things on her mind. Darla comes to the crime scene to talk to Professor Beckett alone. Henry and Gary wander off and Darla asks for advice. She is now caught up in a situation which can tie her up for some time, if she’s asked to testify. Professor reminds her that a man was dead and she could go to any precautions to get him locked away. She agrees and makes her way to the police station where she is going to pick the culprit out of a line-up. On the way there, she gets dizzy and paranoid walking down a busy street, imaging herself attacked in several situations. Things get worse as she spots the police station ahead and bravely cuts through an alleyway to get there. She makes it there safely and takes a breath at her accomplishment. During the line-up, Darla clearly picks the man out as #5, who is the same as before. He glares at the glass but Darla is unshaken. The police officer asks her if she will testify and she agrees. Awhile later, Gary is helping Darla carry shopping bags to her apartment. There is a note on her door – she opens it and it reads “TESTIFY AND WE’LL KILL YOU.” Darla is sitting in the lab with Henry and the others comforting her. Darla is most worried by the word “We’ll”, indicating there is a huge group of criminals who are out to get her. Gary insists she not testify, Henry is on the fence, and the Professor is worried for her safety but says to bring the note to the police. Darla decides that is exactly what she’ll do. She goes to the police and gives them the note. They say they know of the culprit’s friends and just needed evidence to prosecute them, too. Darla asks if she has room to not testify and they explain that they need her testimony to get the men off of the streets. Darla explains that there could be others who will punish her after the fact. The policeman asks her to remember carefully – how many men were in the alley? Darla easily recalls that there were three total, including the man she picked out. The policeman scribbles down some names and then releases Darla. She walks down the police steps and continues in the crowd, still imagining herself attacked. She passes her favorite clothing store but is too afraid to go in, imaging all the customers as hitmen. She runs away and bumps right into Riley. The two go in a diner and talk. Darla explains that she has been very paranoid lately because her life has been threatened. She has to decide whether to buy into the threats. Riley tells her that her life is more important and that it is better to let the guy go free than to die. Darla realizes that to let someone bully her into not reporting them for murder is worse – other people could get killed because of her cowardice. She leaves Riley without much affection, even though he treats her without much sympathy and asks her on a date. The next day, Darla is hanging out with the gang. Professor Beckett and Gary make a mess of their new experiment and Henry laughs. Darla, however, has too much on her mind. Henry notices her somber attitude and points out she hasn’t smiled in weeks. Darla is afraid she will never smile again. Henry says that, in time, everything will return to normal but she feels she is a marked target and will be paranoid unless she moves away. Henry says that that will never happen and these culprits will all be caught. In the meantime, he isn’t letting her out of his sight. Henry and Darla go on a walk in the park but Darla requests Henry leave her alone so she can learn to toughen up and not be so scared. However, Darla realizes Henry keeping a watchful eye on her in the distance and runs to lose him. In her escape, she runs right into a man who kidnaps her. Captured, Darla panics and struggles to get loose, as if her life depended on it. The man then talks to her and she realizes he has a cartoonish face and is a goon of Master Himas. Darla relaxes and quickly escapes from his clutches, now confident knowing he is just a monster and not a real-life crime boss. After successfully fighting the monster, remembering her missing belief in herself, it quickly fades away as she runs home, paranoid of all the people she passes. Darla locks herself in her apartment and breaks down and cries. The day of the testimony, Darla goes on a walk outside the courtroom, finally making peace with what she has to do, and is attacked by two of the criminals. After being punched and kicked, a policeman arrives and points a gun at the criminals, who enters the police’s custody. Furthermore, the entire incident was caught on surveillance and is now evidence. The police point out that those two were the only ones who are in cahoots with the man Darla fingered in the line-up. Darla confidently testifies against the man. Cut to a few weeks later, when all three goons are locked up (thank God) and she feels safe again. Darla continues on with her life. She gets a call from Professor Beckett that there is a monster attack in a dangerous area downtown. She proudly responds, “I’m on it” and leaves her apartment with a smile on her face. The camera cuts back to the picture of Henry and her on the wall.

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“The early cars already are drawing deep breaths past my door.
And last night's phrases, sick with lack of basis,
Are still writhing on my floor.” - Fiona Apple
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- CookieGrl27

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Founder of the Simon Copeland Appreciation Society.
Member #1 of the Simon Copeland Appreciation Society.

Yeah, her performance tonight was (as usual) stellar and up to par.

A really profound episode, and it reminded me a lot of “Papercut”. But not just for stellar writing but also for superficial reasons -- it was also about Darla being paranoid. But this time, instead of fearing a monster who could appear as anyone, she was afraid of real life crime. It was almost a sequel to the first and commented further on the metaphors and themes. Very profound and very well done. Good job to the team at Alton Lewis.

- CookieGrl27