Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 1)

—Juno Steel

**Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 1)** is the first (or ninteenth) episode of the first season of The Penumbra Podcast. It was released February 28, 2017 and was created to replace the originally released version of the episode in the canon.

## Overview

Juno Steel has had a lot of clients in his time, high-profile and low. But when he’s called in to investigate the murder of Croesus Kanagawa, head of the Kanagawa crime-family-slash-entertainment-network, it’s not the client that interests him. It’s what Croesus was wearing when he died – and an ancient curse that hangs over that very strange mask.

### Trigger Warnings

* Death
* Some gore/“body horror”
* Sudden loud noises
* Depictions of being chased/pursued

## Episode Summary

Juno Steel is contacted by Agent Sasha Wire regarding a case. Mobster and media tycoon Croesus Kanagawa has been murdered, his head having been pushed into the Death Mask of Grimpotheuthis and the words "YOU'RE NEXT, JUNO STEEL" written on the wall in blood behind him. Due to his previous history with the family, the Kanagawas are insistent on Juno being the one to investigate the murder, and Dark Matters agent named Rex Glass has been assigned to aid him. When Rex Glass enters Juno's office, Juno observes that his smile makes him seem "like he was happy to see me and like he'd be just as happy to kill me, if push came to shove." He admits to himself that it isn't an unpleasant look.

Upon arriving at the Kanagawa's mansion, Rex insists on opening the door for Juno, much to Juno's annoyance. Juno is approached by Cassandra Kanagawa as he and Rex go to investigate the crime scene. Croesus had been pushed into the mask, which then split his head apart into three portions and killed him. While Rex examines the mask, Juno questions Cassandra on her motives and whereabouts the night before. Cassandra shows Juno video evidence of her going into town, apparently securing an alibi for herself.

Afterwards, Juno and Rex set out to find Cecil Kanagawa but are interrupted when they are chased by a mutated Camera Man, one of Cecil's genetic experiments. Rex pulls Juno into a nearby hidden compartment, offering the two a moment of respite. While waiting for the Camera Man to leave, Rex briefly flirts with Juno, asking him about the origin of his name. Juno answers by saying that he once looked up the name and found that Juno, the Roman goddess, "had a mean streak" and a nasty habit of killing her children. When asked if he has a mean streak as well, Juno admits that he doesn't, but his mother did.

Juno and Rex listen for sounds of the Camera Man, and when they hear nothing, the two assume that it has left. However, they are immediately ambushed once they exit their hiding place and are chased into Cecil Kanagawa's filming studio. The two are then trapped, bound together on a torture device and forced to participate in his stream, "From the Jaws of Death."

## Cast and Crew

### Cast

Starring

* Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel
* Noah Simes as Agent Rex Glass
* Kate Jones as Rita
* Sophie Kaner as Agent Sasha Wire
* Leslie Drescher as Cassandra Kanagawa and Cecil Kanagawa

### Crew

* Kevin Vibert, Co-creator, Lead writer, Recording engineer
* Sophie Kaner, Co-creator, Director, Sound designer
* Grahame Turner, Script editor
* Ryan Vibert, Composer and performer of original music

## Quotes

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> | CECIL: | Esteemed visitors… elders and gentlechildren… human beings from across the span of age and space!
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## Trivia

* Fans often shorthand this version of the story as "2 Mask 2 Murderous" or "2m2m," patterned after the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious.
* During this episode, after Rex mentions that he's used to rabbits that eat carrots and wrinkle their little noses, Juno warns him to stay out of the sewers if he wants to keep all his limbs. This is a reference to the rabbits on Mars, which dwell in the Oldtown sewers and have semi-sentience. Juno, Sasha, and Mick later encounter a rabbit during the events of Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 2).
* In a Twitter Q&A, writer Kevin Vibert has alluded that the Kanagawas are loosely based around the Kardashians. The official Tumblr has also alluded to this fact.

* + In The Penumbra Podcast Live!: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask, the Kanagawa family drama is featured in a stream series called "Catch Up at Casa Kanagawa," which is similar to the TV series "Keeping up With the Kardashians."
	+ Additionally, with the exception of Min Kanagawa, all of the Kanagawas have first names that start with the letter C. The Kardashians all have first names that start with K.

## References

1. ↑ This is the remake of the first episode of the series. It was released as the ninteenth episode, but has since been moved to the beginning of the feed
2. ↑ https://thepenumbrapodcast.tumblr.com/post/151049560796/where-did-you-find-inspiration-for-writing-the

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