Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion S1 E13

## Plot

Was it a coincidence or intentional that this ended up being unlucky episode 13? For being one of the title characters, Ultra Violet doesn't appear at all in this episode… and I love it. I think it shows that being a superhero and having powers doesn't magically fix things in your life. If anything, the sudden responsibility and secret keeping thrust onto a teenager would cause them even more angst, stress, and drama to deal with. Anyways, the episode starts with quotes from various characters in previous episodes playing in Violet's head while she's at school. Cruz told her in the first episode that no one could know who she was, but Luis wants to unmask her, and Tiago knows that she's lying about something, although he's actually been a pretty interesting character and a good big brother by not constantly pressuring her to reveal what it is or repeatedly questioning others or invading her privacy to find out what it is at any cost, possibly because she's also keeping his interest in fashion a secret from their parents. And now she knows who Cascada is, which means her uncle/godfather/superhero mentor is dating someone that he doesn't actually like, and he doesn't even know it. She's suffering from anxiety with the weight of keeping so many secrets from so many people. She's keeping at least one from everyone: The world, her parents, her best friend, her brother, and now her uncle, the one person she could previously share everything with, in both her superhero and civilian lives, which is probably how they bonded so quickly. As someone who suffers from anxiety and has to deal with some people who think I'm "just shy" (I'm that too, but that's not the point), this episode made me feel seen, and I appreciate it for that, and for accurately representing the kind of surreal yet also realistic nightmares I typically have, where they start out and feel as normal as reality, but then go off the rails as they continue. Even when I start out knowing that I'm dreaming (i.e., I recognize the plot or setting and realize I've inserted myself into a movie and then try to change its plot), I can quickly lose control of it. That specific example had me in the original 1961 *Parent Trap* movie at the summer camp (specifically the dance), and it ended with me watching myself from the side *dying* by being stabbed in the throat with something small and sharp by a shadowy man with a deep voice while I couldn't move my body, except for my head and neck, and only a little bit. The man told me not to move, but I automatically tried to lift my head up, and then I felt a small, sharp pain in my neck, like I had been stabbed with the world's deadliest needle, like in *The* *BFG* or something. I don't think I had even read that book yet. It felt so real that I actually thought I was dead before I grounded myself *on accident* by realizing that my hands were touching my fitted sheet, which was covered in sweat, which logically meant that I couldn't be dead on the cold, hard ground outdoors after an earthquake. Dreams are weird. That "experience" was so traumatic though that it stuck with me all these years, even the details, like what I was trying to do during the dream. I was either trying to stop one of Hayley Mills' characters from getting revenge on the other at the dance when she cut out her dress, or I was trying to stop said character from going back inside and being embarrassed, probably because, as someone with siblings, I totally understand getting mad at them, but I also know that nothing good can come of it. Back to Violet though, maybe she could talk to a therapist about this. After all, confidentiality would prevent them from revealing anyone's secret identities, and even if they did, who would believe them, especially without proof? I was around Violet's age when I first started going to therapy, although I haven't gone in years. Or maybe she could write about it in a locked physical or even digital journal/diary? I also did that throughout middle and high school, and even a handful of times in college. I personally find writing to be very therapeutic and cathartic. Violet tells Maya that she can't handle one more secret, and Maya tells her to breathe and let go of the new secret if it's causing her this much stress. She tells her that she knows who Cascada is, but she can't reveal her secret identity to anyone, even her best friend. She claims that Black Scorpion doesn't want to hear about it when she sees Cruz and Catalina together. Even when she's at school, she has to worry about Luis trying to expose her. At home, Tiago notices that she's tired, and says she's been going out a lot. Carrying secrets can eat away at you. He lets her know that she can always come to him with whatever it is, but she can't. Aw! He calls her Vi! That's so cute! When it comes to myself, I hate nicknames, but when it comes to fictional characters, I love them. After this scene, almost everything in the episode is a nightmare inside of a nightmare inside of a nightmare, but you don't even realize it at first because it starts off normal before all of the creepy and trippy stuff comes out in full force. It's perfect for October, I'll give it that. Not just because of Halloween at the end of the month, but also because of Mental Illness Awareness Week at the beginning of the month, at least in 2022. October 10 is also World Mental Health Day. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The DSM-5, which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, specifically the 5th edition from 2013, is published by the American Psychiatric Association. There are several anxiety disorders described in it. My dad, who minored in psychology and teaches it to high school students, basically worships the behaviorist B.F. Skinner (minus free will being an illusion). He thinks that I have social anxiety, and I'm inclined to agree. I may also have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but I'm not sure. I have literally pulled my hair out from the intense feelings of stress and anxiety, which is a condition called trichotillomania. I just feel overwhelmed sometimes. It's been years since I had my last panic or anxiety attack though. I learned what they were through my dad's psych class before I started getting them, so I knew how to handle them, and reading about a fictional female teenage character also having one (or possibly a PTSD episode) in a young adult book shortly after that also helped remind me that I wasn't alone, and that there were people out there who went through the same thing. Thank you Ally Carter. The occasional migraines don't help though. In fact, they seem to get worse when I find myself trying to process intense negative emotions like anger and put myself in similar stressful and anxiety inducing situations, especially back to back. Sometimes all it takes is reading and/or writing something (like right now) to start the migraine. It usually doesn't progress beyond feelings of pain and pressure in my temples though, and it's almost never painful enough that I need to take medication for it. And even then, it's over the counter medication that no one should rely on, because it may be hazardous to your physical health long term, and you shouldn't use short term solutions all the time. How are we still only three minutes into this episode? Violet tries to tell herself that everyone keeps secrets, and what they don't know won't hurt them. She wakes up at 7:13 AM to a bunch of impatient texts from Cruz. And this is why my phone is constantly on silent and I turn my notifications off at night. She calls her uncle, who asks her if she's noticed Catalina acting weird lately. She swears that she hasn't and that she isn't a liar. Anyways, Cruz actually needed to talk to her because he got a tip that Cascada is going to steal the Diamante de Promesa, a.k.a. the Promise Diamond. Violet says she'd never do that. It's going up for auction to raise money for charity. Cruz says her whole Robin Hood thing has been an act. He has something that not even she can phase through though, and when he catches her tonight, he'll unmask her. Violet says he can't do that, and when he asks why not, she claims that he and Catalina promised they were coming over for dinner tonight. She and Tiago are making soufflé. He believes her, and she can't believe that worked. That night though, Tiago snaps at her for acting like everything is fine when it's not. He doesn't even know who she is anymore. She's been lying to him and everyone else every single day. She thought they were alright after they talked about this earlier. He says he's not alright. Violet apologizes to him and admits that she has been lying, but it's for a good reason. He asks her where she's been going, and he leaves after she says that she can't tell him. She sees her dad putting Cruz and Catalina's plates away because they're not coming to dinner. Something came up. This means that Black Scorpion arrests and unmasks Cascada live on the news, which Violet, Nina, and Juan see. He trapped her with handcuffs made of an ancient Mesoamerican alloy. Even though it's a nightmare, I love that Cascada has her old hairstyle back. I'm not a fan of her new one, especially when it became apparent that it wasn't just a one episode/scene thing from her being heartbroken and running herself ragged after cancelling her date with Cruz. Nina says it serves her right. You can't trust someone who runs around in a mask, acting like the rules don't apply to them. Wouldn't that apply to Black Scorpion too, a.k.a. the one who captured her in the first place? Violet thinks this is all her fault, and it never would've happened if she had told Cruz the truth. Nina tells Violet to go get Tiago so he can see this, but when she enters his room, it's empty except for a small, old TV that just has static. Juan and Nina tell her that Tiago ran away because of her, and demand to know what she did to their perfect child. The extreme close ups work very well here, and I wouldn't be surprised if they used a fish eye lens for some of them. Violet screams and wakes up in Cruz's office. He brushes off her nightmare and tells her that he and Catalina are engaged. Violet visits Ms. Rivera in her office sometime later (as evidenced by her wearing different clothes). She tells her that she knows she's Cascada. She claims that she has proof, and Catalina has to tell Cruz the truth if she's going to marry him, because he deserves to know. Catalina asks her why *she* hasn't told him that she's Cascada. Cruz suddenly appears with flowers and says that's a great question. He can't believe that Violet knew about this and kept it from him. He runs off and Catalina goes after him, telling Violet to look at what she's done. She hopes she did the right thing. When she gets home that night, the lights don't work and no one is there, except for another static TV… and Cascada, who tells her that her family isn't there. She has her mask and knows that she's Ultra Violet. She wants revenge on her for ruining things with Cruz, so she's going to tell the world about her. Violet has no idea what she's brought down on herself and her family. Cascada threatens to tell Los Chapos Guapos, or Miradora. That vaguely reminded me of Freya's face heel turn at the end of *God of War (2018)*. In my defense, I've been obsessed with the franchise lately. Violet hides in her room and wonders how her entire life could fall apart in one afternoon. She needs to talk to her uncle, but before she can call him, she can't speak because her mask is suddenly in her mouth, and she has to slowly pull it out. Ew. If this were a more realistic nightmare or if the show had a higher rating, it probably would've been in her esophagus and she wouldn't have been able to even breathe. She isn't able to get it out, and it seems to change into Cascada's mask just before she wakes up in her room at 3:01 AM… which also happens to be the time of me writing this… in October… one day (or even just several hours) after the episode came out on TV (October 21, 2022). It came out on Disney+ and DisneyNOW before that though. Violet sinks into her bed because she's still having a nightmare. She "regains consciousness" inside the ring in Cruz's gym. There's another TV with static. Luis suddenly appears in a suit, but it's not really him, or even a dream version of him. It's a representation of Violet's worries, fears, anxieties, etc. She's here because he wants her to be. Her brain appointed him and put him in charge. He controls everything inside the dream with a remote. He changes her into her father, mother, brother, Cascada, Maya, and Black Scorpion and chains her to the floor. He'll be here waiting for her, night after night. He calls her deceptive for not telling her uncle what he needs to know. She says she will, she just needs more time. She has no idea how to free herself. Let me guess: With the truth, since the saying goes "The truth will set you free." Luis turns the static TV to Violet's parents and brother watching a breaking news story about Ultra Violet's identity being revealed. They can't believe she's been lying to them this whole time. Black Scorpion shows up to protect them, but people surround the house and pound on the windows like zombies. I laughed when I first heard Luis say "We're binge watching tonight", because that's what I was doing with the show, just watching every episode, one after the other. Violet is able to activate the Scorpion Sting and free herself. Maybe it's just me, but the effects for it seem slightly better or more detailed when it's shown in the close up shot. Before she can leave the ring though, more shadow hands appear. Luis says she can't outrun him. He's in her head. This is her head. Her dream. Which means that she's in control, and she doesn't have to listen to him. She takes the remote and turns back into herself. Luis says it doesn't matter, because she'll always have to carry secrets, and the stress that comes with them. That's true, she has to carry some secrets, but not all of them, and she knows which one she needs to get rid of. Like I wrote earlier, she just has to tell the truth, and it'll set her free. She mutes Luis, turns off the TV, and wakes up for real this time, although she's not sure at first. She splashes herself with water, but only realizes after the fact that it doesn't prove anything. She asks her family if Cruz is getting married, which they laugh at. She shows up at the gym later to talk to him. He's busy training some guys, but when he sees how badly she needs him, he tells them to take a break. They go into his office, but Violet doesn't close the door, which seems like a bad idea to me, especially given what happened with doors in her nightmares. She nearly has a breakdown and blurts out that she can't keep this secret any longer. Even though Cruz has no idea what she's talking about, he tells her to take it easy. She tells him that Catalina is Cascada and explains the burn. It looked more like a cut to me, but whatever, burn marks with a weird taser does make more sense. She apologizes to Cruz. As he's taking it in, she begins to worry that he's mad at her and begs him not to be. He tells her that he's not mad, he just needs some time to think. And then the real Catalina shows up with a coffee. The only good news is that she didn't overhear anything. This was probably one of my favorite, if not the best episode of the series, at least for me. The costume designers presumably had to make at least two or three different versions of Violet's purple pajamas so all of the actors could fit in them. And the acting! Scarlett portraying all of her character's fear, worry, and anxiety throughout the episode was amazing. Almost all of the other actors also had to play the "real" versions of their characters and then play exaggerated dream versions of those same characters that express different emotions, like anger, sadness, and fear, and then play Violet herself and accurately portray her emotions and the language a 13 year old girl would use on a Y7 show without coming across as *too* silly. That's a tall order, but they did it. Speaking of tall orders, I stayed up until almost four in the morning to write this whole thing in one sitting. According to the recent activity log, it took four hours and five minutes. The only things that have taken me longer to write have been series finales. And then I stayed up until 5:00 AM reading. I'm gonna go to bed now. Good night, and good luck everybody!