Episode 10 - Melissa Menken

**“***Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys.***”**
— **Melissa Menken****, Season 1, Episode 10**

The Amelia Project is a secret agency that helps its clients by faking their deaths and setting them up with a brand new identity! This episode’s client find herself with an extraordinary predicament. Is it a gift? Is it a curse? Listen and find out!

## Episode Guide

### Next

Peppermint Schnapps
Jumbo Pepsi

## Summary

*The following is a summary written for this wiki. It only hits the major points of the episode and, as such, should not be used as a substitute for listening to the episode as intended by the creators.*
### Main Story

#### In Episode Order

Melissa Menken calls The Amelia Project, insisting she is not a murderer and, more calmly, saying she looks forward to tasting the cocoa.

*Note: between each of the following paragraphs is a warped wind sound.*

Melissa enters the office, and when The Interviewer asks how she knew about the cocoa, she scoffs and says she needed to get their attention. Melissa comments that the cocoa is good, and The Interviewer is horrified by this reaction and how little praise she gave it. When he repeats his earlier question, Melissa says she is waiting for Salvatore to knock on the door.

Melissa enters the office again, and the conversation occurs similarly, except this time she praises the taste of the cocoa significantly more. The Interviewer tells her that whether they help her or not depends on how interesting her story is, which makes her nervous.

The Interviewer congratulates Melissa on her death, saying they are happy to help. The Interviewer asks if she is absolutely sure about Antarctica, and if she can't be tempted by Go. The end theme starts playing.

Melissa is ready to tell her story. She tells him that she is too good of a magician, and she reads people's minds and predicts the future. She demonstrates this, knowing his great aunt's name is Astrid, he has a pet skunk.

Melissa is loudly pleading and saying she didn't kill Solveig Larson. When The Interviewer points out how unlikely it is that she happened to have a car crash just after she made an investment in her rival company, Melissa tells him it isn't technically a coincidence.

She tells him his favourite place on earth is Goa, and that he is fond of chess and tiddlywinks, to his delight. He says that if she tells him how she did that, he will help her to disappear. She says she wants a new life in Antarctica, where it will just be her, the snow, and the penguins. When he is disgusted by the idea of penguins, she comments that at least they don't play board games or talk about the stock market, before realising they haven't talked about that yet. She says she often loses track of the present.

They are discussing Solveig Larson's death, and how she was a great scientist who ran SIIIRI Industries singlehandedly. Her death gives way for IntelligentFutures to be the leading company in technology. When The Interviewer points out how unlikely it is that she happened to have a car crash just after she made an investment in her rival company, Melissa tells him it isn't technically a coincidence, using one of his favourite quotes. He asks if they have had this conversation before, and she tells him they have, so many times she cannot even recall how many. Melissa says that her secret is that she can manipulate time, but can only travel within an hour-long span. She tells him his phone is about to ring.

He receives a phone call from her, telling him it was a pleasure to meet him and asking him to remind her to ask where he gets the cocoa. While he thinks it is incredible, she finds it exhausting since she is constantly trying to have perfect interactions with everyone.

The Interviewer laments about penguins, and says he much prefers skunks, swearing on his great aunt Astrid's leg that it was the best pet he ever had.

The Interviewer says that he envies her ability, but she points out all the downsides to it. The only productive outlet for it is in magic shows. When she used her abilities offstage, she gained the attention of MI5. She talks about how she was on a date with an Investment banker who just went on and on about share prices, and insisted SIIIRI Industries was the best company to invest in. When she saw the news of Solveig Larson's death, she went back and brought shares in IntelligentFutures to spite him. However, when MI5 smashed through her door, it had been too long and she couldn't undo the action. She tells him she wants to go to Antarctica, where she can escape her ability. The solution The Interviewer comes up with is that they fake her death through a heart attack during one of her magic shows. They will put her into a coffin, from which she can use her ability to get out of. They will take her to Antarctica on a submarine. They celebrate with champagne.

#### In Chronological Order

*Note: This is not an official linear order in which events but rather a best effort in lining up the events of the episode.*

* Melissa contacts Amelia.
* Melissa enters the office.
* Melissa and The Interviewer drink cocoa.
* They discuss her investment into IntelligentFutures.
* She tells him she can manipulate time.
* He receives a phone call from her.
* He is envious of her abilities, but she tells him about the downsides.
* She talks about the date she was on with an investment banker.
* Melissa explains why she invested in IntelligentFutures and how that made MI5 break down her door.
* She says she wants to go to Antarctica.
* He is horrified over the penguins.
* The Interviewer says he is going to help her and tells her his plan.
* They celebrate with champagne.

### Epilogue

Agent Haines is on the phone to someone and talking about the Melissa Menken case, and explaining that he thinks her death was faked. He found a contact on her phone called Amelia with an interesting answerphone message, and he gives the number to the person.

### Notable Events

* This episode is the first time MI5 becomes more prevalent.

## Quotes

**“***This cocoa is as creamy as a pre-raphaelite nude’s inner thigh and as addictive as crack!***”**
— **The Interviewer**

**“***Oh... We haven’t talked about that, yet have we? Ugh. Sometimes I lose track.***”**
— **Melissa Menken**

**“** *You’re telling me, she happened to have a car crash just after you made a huge investment in her rival company?***”**
— **The Interviewer**

## Cast and Characters

* The Interviewer played by Alan Burgon
* Answerphone voiced by Julia Morizawa
* Melissa Menken played by Kudra Owens
* Salvatore played by Ravdeep Singh Bajwa
* Christopher Haines played by Benjamin Noble
* Solveig Larson is mentioned

## Credits

This episode features Alan Burgon as The Interviewer, Kudra Owens as Melissa, Ravdeep Singh Bajwa as Salvatore, Benjamin Noble as Haines and Julia Morizawa on the answer phone. Written and edited by Philip Thorne, directed by Alan Burgon, music and sound design by Fredrik Baden. Recorded at Tongeber Studios with the assistance of Gabriel Geber.