The Gephardt Phoenix want a clean game, but the Simcoe Loyalists aren't obliging. Welcome to the commentary for "A Nice, Friendly Game". Please read the chapter first before continuing.
While the Unrulies have left the safety* of the Academy in the past two episodes, they haven't dealt with anyone that isn't from St. Dymphna in the series. That oversight is corrected. The other schools in Oshawa haven't faced against either the Academy or St. Dyphmna before because the two rivals kept getting suspended for the season. Heidi has heard the stories, but has dismissed them as rumour. Her friend isn't so sure. Heidi's wrong about the stealing; the Unrulies wouldn't steal everything not nailed down. Some would bring claw hammers and crowbars. The rest would find a way to just take the entire building. Autumn summed it up, they're supervillians-in-training. Stealing one computer is beneath their efforts.
St. Dymphna also has a reputation, one they work to keep unmarred. In the war of public relations, St. Dymphna has managed to make the Unrulies look like the aggressor. The girls of both schools know better, but the public perception is that St. Dymphna is the innocent party. It's a useful perception for when police get involved.
The basketball game is the impetus for the plot, it's not the central action. I know just enough of the sport to know I don't know enough of it to write a full game. Thus, the action in the stands and the cuts to significant plays on the court. Skye is very unimpressed by the dive her opponent took. The soccer reference is to some of the overacted dives players have made on the field**.
The Unrulies have set a record. The game hasn't been called, nor have the riot squads arrived. The match is still clean, with no bleeding. The previous year's game against St. Dymphna ended in a brawl after Skye tried a rebound pass off the face of Sarah, one of Verity's people. Sarah didn't take kindly to that, and, well, any semblance to a basketball game ended and things fell apart fast.
Coach Cherry wants a win. She'd be ecstatic with a complete game, too, as would the team. For once, they have a shot of finishing a game. Caitlin wants to help Skye. She also hates seeing her school being messed with. She weasled her promise to Skye last chapter to leave room to act. Caitlin is also dealing with an unknown school. Most of her schemes involved St. Dymphna and Verity. She never expected that another school would dare get involved.
The basketball game is degenerating. The Phoenix are trying to keep playing, but the Loyalists aren't making it easy. Skye's bloodied nose could have been the end if Felicia hadn't grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Felicia was taking her life into her own hands; for all she knew, Skye could have been past her breaking point and wouldn't have cared who she hit. Even the Simcoe students in the stands see the game as getting out of hand.
Tomorrow, Unruly: Basketball Night in Canada Chapter 3, "Clock's Ticking".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, the history of adaptations continues with the top movies of the 1950s.
Saturday, over at MuseHack, The Evil Dead.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
* Barring kidnapped Jennifers and tipsy killer robots.
** Between the time I wrote the post and the time it came out, the world of soccer took a bizarre turn. Several over FIFA's top officials were arrested on corruption charges. Makes what's happening in this episode look tame, really.
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