Predictions and Observations:
The Race To Escape I and II

Episodes Aired: December 11, 2010
This Post Posted: December 17, 2010

Woot! Well, this is just *fun*! A turbo-duel through a dark mine at three in the morning-- what's not to love!

...Or that scene meant Yusei was observing that the guards all turn totally oblivious when the shift change happens and don't notice a thing unless someone keels over. Called that one wrong; I thought Yusei's escape plans would include the shift change differently.

I'm noticing that, throughout this duel, everyone's path is concretely limited; mine tracks and tunnel walls shape where we go next, whether we like it or not. They could definitely be seen as a metaphor for destiny itself-- if we follow these tracks, and we must keep going forward, they will lead us to a certain place. And they led Kalin and the kids straight to West and Niko's dad, which Kalin did see as fate.

However, while the path of the tracks had already been laid, what happened within that journey made all the difference in the world. Several times they could have been caught, or harmed, and the actions of the people in the cart made a difference. West kept the chainsaws away from them with a well-thrown rock; Kalin took that sharp turn in the track just right and kept them from smashing into the wall; Kalin stopped the first collaring attempt, and then Niko saved him from falling behind and got him back into the cart. Several times it looked like the end and would've been, if those guys didn't look out for each other. Even more remarkably, Kalin began that minecart journey as a different person than when he ended it. He found something in himself worth saving; and we can tell he's made that shift when he grabs Niko's hand and lets them pull him back into the cart. The track's path is fixed, but what happens on the way matters far more.

Yusei begins this adventure with the memorable line, "Just call me 'fate'!" And thus it is that Yusei's choice becomes Kalin's unescapable event. Thus is the paradox of determinism unless we back up further and said that we all know that Yusei's just the kind of guy who would never have done anything less, and thus he was fated to become Kalin's fate, yadda yadda. Which can be argued. But I'm getting off-track, so to speak. Yusei isn't the only one 'playing fate' in these episodes, changing where the tracks and tunnels lead. The guys chasing Kalin and the family (the last set of goons) change the forking track. Then West and Niko's dad risks his life to overcome their ability to control the path of the track, to change the way the cart will go. Later on, Lotten also alters the path, by making the tunnel end a bit earlier; but when he said they would never escape the mountain, actually he made it by his own hand that they did. I guess the point is that, someone with the will to risk and strive can find a way to bend destiny a bit, to accomplish the impossible, even if someone who seems to have more power, who seems able to alter the world at whim, like the guys with the remote for the track junctures, like Lotten with his dynamite, or like Goodwin with both marks, says they cannot.

This tallies with our philosophy of destiny in 5D's-- maybe it exists, but what matters far more is "that we listen to ourselves, and that we do what we think is right" (ep#57), and when it comes down to it, "the bonds that we form really are all that matter in life." (ep#64) In YGO, we definitely don't believe in no free will at all, and we also don't believe that there is no destiny at work. We're going with a variety of compatibilism that generation after generation of the world's mightiest duelists has made up as they go along, reconciling between their own strong sense of self and will to create their own future, and their inescapable role as part of something far bigger than themselves.

So *what's* the significance of the necklace? It keeps changing hands and means different things at different times. Here we learn that it belonged to West and Niko's dad, and honestly, it was how I recognized him at the beginning of the flashback, because he looked so much younger, less worn, than he does now. Because it sets him apart so, I'm guessing, is why he threw it away when he attempted to escape and knew he would fail; he wanted West and Niko to find it and know that he was okay and still fighting to get back to them. When Yusei carried it, he kept it because he knew it was important, but didn't understand why. When he gave it up, it was to West, who recognized it as his dad's. And West, evidently, kept it close until it fell from his fingers in the crash-- and Kalin picked it up. Kalin placed it over one of the "graves" in the field of abandoned duel disks, a memorial, and nearly gave up-- before the duel disk there lit up. I'd say definitely that one of the things the pendant represents to us is hope. It also represents a shift of focus; while Yusei carries the pendant, he is our main protagonist, and we view this whole situation in terms of him reaching out to Kalin; as the pendant changes hands, so does the storyline and who drives it. When West carries the pendant, he, Niko, and his dad are shifting Kalin's view of himself; to the point that when Kalin himself picks up the pendant, he almost, but doesn't, relinquish it as hope that's been lost. I feel like the reason I can't quite articulate this is that there's a punchline we're missing.

Let's just not even *ask* how Yusei got his deck back for this duel... it makes my head hurt... but in theory they would've taken it away from him before letting him in the mines, probably, but somehow West and Niko got it back, and... like I said, not even going there. Might be that the deck on his runner was left slotted into his runner's duel disk because we do know for a fact that Yusei keeps multiple decks to switch between turbo and non-turbo duels. That would mean he currently does not have Stardust, because it's one of a kind and we know it was in his duel with Kalin earlier. Should we be worrying about where Stardust is right now? Probably not; just wait, it'll mysteriously reappear just like this deck did.
And, my far more pertinent question is this-- we're probably going to see Kalin duel next, and with everything he's been through, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a change of deck from him, since he probably also lost his deck when sent to the mines. There was a deck slotted into the duel disk he took from the field of abandoned ones, so I'm wondering if he'll use those cards instead, standing and fighting in the name of those who have lost their freedom such as the nameless owner of that deck.

Yusei knew Lotten would accept a duel without question. He's just foolishly macho like that. Good to know. What else do we learn about Lotten's strengths and weaknesses? For starters, he's way overconfident; we all know he's going down and it's going to be fun to watch. He calls Yusei a tenderfoot, for goodness sake. He doesn't treat his opponents with nearly the amount of caution or respect that he should, and he's about to get schooled for it and never know what hit him. We do begin to see Lotten's insecurities. Hit him hard enough with some real heart, pop that ego of his like a balloon, and he'll crack wide open.

Slightly off-topic, but I wonder if, in about a decade or so, Luna will look just like Effect Failer? The hair is absolutely right.

Lotten just hamstrung Yusei's strategy pretty good by restricting his special-summons. Not the first time this has happened, either. The probability robot also did that. Hopefully we'll see Yusei finding more ways around that sort of thing in the near future, because that seems to be his weak spot at the moment...

Yusei vs. Lotten seems to be a series of guns (like Gatling and Full Cannon Ogres) versus battlements (like Turret Warrior).

The card Max Warrior, when it first debuted, reminded me strongly of Kalin himself; very strong on attack, especially when battling, but ultimately that can be its source of weakness. Only fitting that we see a lot of it around now.

The trap Narrow Tunnel, I thought, was exceedingly fitting for this situation on so many levels. And not just because they happened to be riding through a narrow tunnel at the time. In addition to that, it forced each duelist to only put up one monster at a time, much like the dusk duel system in Crashtown: each side puts up one contender at a time. I wonder if we're going to see that trap again when we see Lotten duel again; it seems to be another card, along with Gatling Ogre, that suits him.

Now is when I talk about the kids' dad and his story. So is the kids' dad the same guy we heard called "Jordan"? I'm getting really tired of not having a name for him.

Despite never having made the acquaintance of an Earthbound Immortal, West and Niko's dad tells a story that resonates with Kalin's own-- he came there because he thought he had nothing left to lose, and part of him wanted to end up down in the mines. Kalin was also quick to say that he couldn't do anything right and he broke everything he touched; compare with dad's saying that nothing he did ever went right. If nothing else, I think this story sort of brings Kalin, and us, to thinking that this isn't so much about what anyone did, it's about the lost and the desperate people just like both of them, because clearly, regardless of how they got that way, this mine is a magnet for 'em and they aren't as alone as they think they are. Niko and West's dad is a perfect example of that-- as he put it, "A man can get so blinded by self pity, he forgets that he's got something worth living for."

Hey, it's Cyber Commander! Dad's monster in that duel is Cyber Commander! Small world. First Mirror Force and Time Wizard, now Cyber Commander?

I was right; since he beat a guy with a red bandanna, West and Niko's dad dueled for Radley. Meaning he was never up against Kalin and in fact in a way Kalin avenged his defeat, possibly. That means, by the way, that this all happened before Kalin arrived in town, and it happened at least fifty days or so ago.

*Will* their dad come back? I have this feeling he will. The only reason I think that feeling might be wrong is that look on Kalin's face riding away from that. The two shared one last look-- why did what he understood from that look shake Kalin up so much? Whatever it was, if he took that to mean that their dad wasn't coming back, which could be one reason for that look, I don't think Kalin would've lied to West and Niko, asking if they believed in him. Since I'm pretty sure the answer's yes, my next question is when. Count on it being right when they need him most.

A big chase in mine carts! Of course! Don't I know my Western cliches at *all*? We do see people ducking behind barrels in a shootout; have yet to see anyone block a cyber ray with a book or metal plate (or equivalent) stashed in a pocket, or with a big hat. And we finally have a sheriff. I predict sometime in these next two episodes, we'll hear something about that town not being big enough for the two of us.

You bet Kalin can take a turn no amateur can! And by the way, I'd meant to mention before, and it's even more evident now, that Kalin definitely remembers how to ride. Not surprising, since he remembers being a Dark Signer; but it's canon that the Enforcers never built a duel runner and Yusei's construction of the white one must've come later, but not long after Kalin's arrest; and therefore it's canon that Kalin never rode until he became a Dark Signer. But he can definitely still ride now. In this same vein, the person I'd really like to see on a runner is Carly; I have this feeling that her muscle memory would knock her socks off. The other thing I want to say about Kalin's riding is that we see him ride *borrowed* runners-- a matching one with all the others when he was part of Radley's bunch, then the one he stole out from under the goons in this duel. I wonder, when all this is over, will Yusei and company build Kalin his own runner?

When Kalin was trailing behind the mine cart, it reminded me of the Battle of Downtown-- "Now, quit hangin' around and climb!" (ep#34)

One thing strikes me: Kalin *is* a natural leader. We've seen Yusei, Jack, and Crow step up dozens of times, see how readily people follow their lead because they inspire the best in those around them; Yusei is the de-facto leader of the Signers, Jack takes a backseat to almost no one, and Crow spent his teenage years raising half a dozen play years kids which is definitely harder than he makes it look. *But*, back in the day, those three titans looked to *Kalin* for leadership. Jack said of the Enforcers days, "Kalin inspired us. He taught us to believe in ourselves. He showed us that we have the power to change our situation. And that we could control our own destinies... I guess you could say he was our leader. At the time, we would've followed him anywhere." (ep#33) I'm really beginning to see even more why that is, as we see Kalin find his power again. It's not just because no one could beat him in a duel. By declaring himself the "new sheriff in town", Kalin has placed himself in direct competition with Lotten (and Barb) as the town's leader-- and I think he's well prepared, both with his old spirit and his new wisdom, not to mention how readily he can identify with what makes someone come to Crashtown, to take on that leadership. I can definitely imagine a happy ending for Crashtown, its citizens, and even its miners, with Kalin to lead them.

I can begin to understand more how the Enforcer we met about sixty episodes and three years or so (their time) ago has grown and changed, and also what has stayed the same. It's not just about the fight; Kalin does stand up for people and for the right reasons. I can more easily grasp the subtext behind the scene where he confronts the leader of the Magicians; it's the same sense of justice we're still seeing in Kalin's words and actions. I get the sense also that for him if you're not actively moving forward you're going backward; that explains both his anti-duel-disk campaign after the Battle of Downtown (ep#54) and his pursuit of a means to punish himself and pay for his own wrongdoings (ep#88). That's what made it so hard for him not to take things too far, as he did in the events that led to his arrest.

Man, Kalin's big redemption speech. I really don't know what to say. "Mood swings, much?" comes to mind, but only a little bit. Mostly I can't wait to see what happens next; I want to see Kalin call Lotten out.

Called it! Barb is loyal to no one! Sure hope Lotten doesn't think he can trust that one... actually, 'cause it's him, I hope he *does*... And now it's called "Lottentown", huh? As goes the town, so goes Barb, or so it seems; in a way, Barb represents the town itself. Sassy, nasty, fickle, and kind of beautiful; Crashtown is a bouquet full of dynamite and/or shock blaster. If Kalin becomes the next leader of this town, the pattern will dictate that Barb will then get friendly with *him*, but count on it that Kalin's way too smart for that. I note also that Lotten, too, calls her Barbara. I'm beginning to wonder, did she sign that letter "Barb" instead because she didn't want to make Yusei as suspicious and everyone else calls her Barbara and if they know her they know she's big trouble?

Why are those kids tied to that monster duel runner? I get the feeling that the answer to that question is not pleasant. Unless that's just how Lotten hauled them back to town. You leave them alone, jerk!

Barb shows us the deed to Crashtown; I bet the duel's going to be over that, now that we've seen it.

So, we return to the field of abandoned duel disks that I call the "duelists' graveyard", both right before this duel and right after it. I'm pretty sure I'm missing something profound about this, and I'm out of time. I'm noting how Yusei and Kalin interpret it differently-- Kalin calls it a "memory to their past dueling days", and Yusei adds that it's also to "the freedom they've lost". I'll get back to you on this one next week.

So... Kalin vs. Lotten, is my prediction, for what happens next. Pretty sure on that one.

After that? I get the feeling Kalin's not coming back to the City with us; I just have a hunch. He's got a place here, and even after he takes out the trash, Crash Town's still going to be a town full of lost souls in need of the wisdom he has gained here. The place is still a tempting one to exploit for the next Malcolm, Radley, or Lotten who comes along, unless someone like Kalin is there to send them packing. I sure hope he'll come visit now and then, though; I like Kalin.

They say this'll be the Season Finale?? But it'll only be episode 92! Well, the episodes are called Clash at Crash Town I and II, so apparently my call of one word or two initially was wrong :( Oh well. Either that or the episode title is messed up... but, ya know.

'Til next week, everyone! Happy Solstice! - Clio

READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THE RACE TO ESCAPE I

READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THE RACE TO ESCAPE II