As ridiculous as it sounds, I decided to finish the "No/One" series after the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, because it feels like someone's going to make the connection between the shooting and the Accountability Killer and I didn't want the ending spoiled!
No/One #9: Holy shit, this issue is taught.
At the Monroeville landfill, Ben is digging for Charity's body but can't find her. (OMG, Charity is alive, isn't she?) He calls Chuck, telling him to come to the landfill to show him the spot again, but Chuck says they've been out there five times and he knows that they buried her there. He points out it was 12 years ago and tells Ben to stop calling him.
We then move onto the Pittsburgh Ledger's front page announcing that Prop 87 won, 53%-47%. As expected, all hell breaks loose.
Harper is on the phone with Singh and tells him that she's considering sending her daughter, Riley, to her dad's place in Virginia. Singh suggests she keeps her home or take her to work, and Riley mutters, "Like I need that," before telling Riley to hurry so they can get to school.
In the back of her limo, Alanna holds firm with a producer that she won't have Kenneth Chbosky on her show. The producer pushes back, noting Chbosky is the Prop 87's face, but Alanna isn't budging. The producer tells Alanna to return to the studio as soon as possible because they need her for their Prop 87 coverage, but Alanna says she'll get there when she's good and ready. Glowing, she tells her driver to take her for ice cream.
At the Forbes Semple Garage, a security guard refuses to let in an employee because he doesn't have his passkey, and the employee tells him that his boss is waiting for the guard's boss to issue one since his passkey was stolen. The guard says it isn't his problem and wants the employee to use the visitor's entrance. The employee is furious and tells the guard that he's going to beat his ass next time. After parking, the employee walks to the elevator and shouts, "Keep looking at me and see what happens!" The guard then pulls a gun and shoots him.
At the Allegheny Charter School, a mean girl threatens another girl, asking why a teacher asked her to come see her at lunch. The mean girl tells the bullied girl that she told her what she'd do to her if she snitched, and the bullied girl tells her that she didn't do anything. As a crowd of girls watch, the mean girl shoves the bullied girl into a stall, and the bullied girl starts to cry. The mean girl then mocks her for crying, and the bullied girl pulls out a gun and shoots her off-panel.
On FOC, Alanna says that Pittsburg is seeing a welcome "tonal shift" and, though "we do not encourage violence on this network," an "early adjustment period is to be expected." A separate reporter covers a "volatile crowd" gathered outside the garage, where pro-Prop 87 activists are demanding to know why the police took the shooter into custody. Amidst various panels showing coverage of Prop 87, a conspiracy theorist podcaster claims the Kern family is somehow behind everything and a reporter notes the city has seen nine acts of violence related to Prop 87.
As the crowd outside the garage starts to riot, No/One notices a melee in an office and breaks through the glass to try to stop it. Someone pulls out a gun and starts shooting. No/One takes out the shooter and then takes off his mask - we only see the back of his head in shadows - as he watches the chaos on the streets below him.
Meanwhile, Ben calls Julia and says that he's going to come get her because she needs to be somewhere safe, informing her that Senator Kemp is missing.
Surprising only Alanna, Chbosky appears at FOC in full combat gear to kill her. He's already killed five people as he makes his way to her where she's hiding, shooting her assistant through the door. Just before he can kill her, the SWAT team shoots him in the head.
At City Hospital, Singh arrives to see Harper, who's stunned that a 14 year old had a gun. Singh informs her that her parents had the gun and that Riley had been bullying the girl who shot her for months. Oof.
Julia runs to Ben's car as the riots have spread, and Ben says that he thought Chbosky was coming for her. Julia tells him that her mom is OK and notes Gill and now Kemp are missing. Ben loads his gun and says that it's "Aaron. It's always been him." Aaron returns to the Carrie Blast Furnaces as the issue ends.
I managed to make myself listen to the podcast before racing to the last issue to get the mystery solved, and I'm glad I did. It's probably the best one.
It starts by letting us know that it's three days after Prop 87 passed, and they've seen 14 deaths. Julia interviews two people here: her mother and Kate Harper.
Alanna is the stone cold bitch she always is, pedantically telling Julia that the world isn't a very nice place and we need to help the good guys. She dismisses Chbosky as a nutjob, and Julia notes Prop 87 is giving nutjobs like Chbosky "further legal justification for murder." Appalled that her mother thinks the answer is more violence, Julia ends the interview.
Next, we get a gut-wrenching interview with Harper. (The actress does a phenomenal job here.) Harper called Julia after Riley died, telling her that Julia's listeners need to hear what Prop 87 is doing to real people. Harper says Riley grew up tough because her dad left a long time ago and Harper had to work a lot. She acknowledges that she knew Riley could pick on other kids when she was stressed, but, very relatably, says she didn't know how to get through to a teenage girl. Crying, she says Riley doesn't get to learn from this mistake because we're now punishing mistakes with death. She says she doesn't want the other girl to suffer anymore either, because she's going to suffer enough with Riley's blood on her hands. As Harper says, this girl paid for her mistake with death, too.
You guys, Kate Harper is the only hero here.
No/One #10: OMG, what an ending!
The police have instated a curfew in Pittsburgh, which the National Guard is enforcing. Senator Kemp's aides confirm they haven't seen him since he missed a fundraiser appearance on the eve of the Prop 87 vote. The conspiracy theorist podcaster from last issue opens that Kemp is in cahoots with the "Kern crime family," noting Ben is also missing.
At the Ledger, Julia tells Teddy that she's concerned, since her mom is "a lot of things" but "off the grid" isn't one of them. Her mom then calls, sounding distraught. Alanna tells Julia that Julia was right and needs to come to the Blast Furnaces because she has information that she'll only share with Julia.
When Julia arrives, Aaron meets her with a gun, telling her that he isn't going to hurt her and that her mom is safe. Aaron is rambly as they walk to where he's leading Julia, telling her that corrupt people will "always find way to turn chaos and suffering into money" until "someone holds them accountable." Telling Julia to get her phone ready, he leads her into a room.
In the room, No/One, Alanna, Ben, Noah, and Jack are tied to chairs. Aaron ties up Julia and tells everyone that he wants to treat the following like a confessional, giving them "one last chance to unburden" themselves and "be held accountable." He tells them that he's going to kill everyone but Julia, which is interesting, the idea that he doesn't view Julia as corrupt. (She isn't, obviously, but it's interesting even Aaron sees her as the good guy.) Julia is outraged, and Aaron tells her, "sorry your mother is one of them" but, says, hey, "my dad's here, too!" (He's a real gem.)
Staring with "Uncle Jack," Aaron is outraged when Jack refuses to admit he shot the kid, so Aaron beats him with the .38 Special until he does. Aaron asks Jack why he shot an unarmed kid, and Jack admits he did it because the kid flipped him off. Aaron is furious that he made his dad into a conspirator and made him "carry it in his heart" all these years. Jack stammers that, "we stuck together --," and Aaron shoots him, quipping, "Fuck your thin blue line." Team Aaron on this one.
Second, he goes after Noah. Aaron tells Noah that he doesn't understand how infuriating it is that he not only survived ("one of our first") but started the Prop 87 nonsense. Noting Aaron said "we" (he actually said "our"), Kemp asks if he and No/One are working together. Aaron says that they did, claiming that he gave No/One the idea. Notably, No/One is gagged so can't dispute this assertion, though does mumble something.
Aaron reminds us that he originally targeted Kemp because he stole taxpayer money and threw his chief of staff under the bus. Kemp tries to reason with Aaron about Prop 87, noting that Aaron has assigned himself as judge, jury, and executioner whereas Kemp let the people decide. (I mean, he isn't wrong.) Aaron isn't buying it, saying Kemp co-opted his movement for personal gain. (Aaron also isn't wrong.) He's convinced Kemp isn't working from conviction or ideals and kills him. I'm Team Kemp on this one. Noah was slime, but I actually think he was trying to do the right thing while profiting from it.
We move onto Ben. Ben tells Aaron he's just the "teary-eyed little boy who couldn't handle his brother cheating at a board game." Aaron asks if Ben is trying to get a rise from him, and Ben, not unreasonably, is like, "You wanted honesty, there's your fucking honesty." He tells Aaron his movement failed, and Aaron again implicates No/One, saying they were partners in crime until No/One decided he wanted to be the hero. Deciding to give him a chance to save the day, Aaron cuts loose No/One bonds and No/One...runs away.
Aaron chases him and we hear sounds of a scuffle. Aaron returns with a bloody knife and says, "He never was the hero he pretended to be." Aaron tells Ben that he needs to accept responsibility for creating monsters like Aaron. Ben doesn't disagree, and Aaron thanks him for making it easy. Telling him that he still loves him, Aaron is ready to shoot when No/One arrives with a smokescreen. Aaron runs from the Furnaces with No/One in pursuit. They struggle and then fall into the river.
In the aftermath, we learn that Harrison Gill was in the No/One costume but police didn't find Aaron's body. As Julia cleans out her desk at the Ledger, Alanna thanks her viewers for their support on her first night back on air.
Meanwhile, no one — I mean, no one — is buying that Gill was No/One. Alejandro has started working with Danielle at the Edge and remind us that No/One saved him from Harrison Gill when he was acting as Copycat #3.
Chief Mixon also says it's "trash," and Harper agrees. But Mixon says that, in the interest of "moving on," the brass says they're going to stick with the idea that it was Gill since they're "up to our eyes in Prop 87 nightmares." (I'm glad no one has learned a lesson or anything.) Singh points out Gill stabbed Mixon, making it impossible for Roe to be No/One. (I don't quite follow this assertion, since No/One wasn't on site when Gill stabbed Mixon, so it doesn't make it like the Alejandro situation.) Harper then wonder aloud how any one of them are supposed to move on. Oof.
At the Allegheny Cemetery, Ben tells Teddy that it's probably better to hope that Aaron is dead. But he says that he's furious they want them all to move on (again that term) even after all the suffering. Teddy notes that they don't have a choice, really, since all the leads are dead at this point. That said, he hands Ben a photo, telling him that someone sent it to the podcast saying it was Charity and providing a name. Ben takes the photo to Chuck who initially demures because it's been so long but then confirms it's her.
Later, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court strikes down Prop 87 as Ben and Julia talk on the phone. Ben asks if Julia wants to go find Clarity's mother, who's still alive and lives outside Philadelphia. Ben swears he can let it go if it turns out it isn't Charity, but he feels like he needs to try. Julia tells Ben that she hopes to go cover some local sports somewhere, "something with clear winners and losers." Ben notes that she's probably being optimistic that exists.
Meanwhile, apparently the podcast got J.C. promoted to the Ledger's executive editor. A postman brings a box full of hard drives and SD cards to his office and tells him someone sent it to the podcast. It includes a note: "THE TRUTH. I AM NO ONE." We then end with "The Beginning...?"
Theories and Questions: I've got a lot to discuss.
The Note: First things first, the note that J.C. gets is a fiesta of clues. The E in "THE" is Roe's E though the E in "ONE" is a regular E. Since Gill claimed he was Richard Roe, the presence of the Roe E implies he was also No/One. But he was also more than likely Copycat #3; in fact, Copycat #3 is really the only identity anyone seems comfortable assigning to Gill. As such, we've got the possibility out here that Gill was Richard Roe, Copycat #3, and No/One. Let's break it down.
Aaron & Gill and Richard Roe & Copycat #3: Honestly, it's really unclear who Richard Roe was. To the extent we have insight into that question, it revolves mostly on the question of the relationship between Aaron and Gill.
In issue #8, we learn Copycat #3 used the same .38 Special Richard Roe did. Given the gun's connection to Aaron, it seems impossible that Aaron wasn't tied to the murders somehow. We seem to have three options: a) Aaron and No/One were behind the data drops and Gill took on the guise of Roe to get revenge; b) Gill was Roe and took out targets that Aaron directed him to hit; c) Aaron committed some or all of the Roe murders and Gill committed the remainder of the Roe murders (if Aaron didn't commit them all); or d) Aaron was Roe and Gill was Copycat #3. In all four options, Gill is likely Copycat #3.
It's possible Aaron and Gill didn't work together, as in option a, but, given the gun's connection to Aaron, it really seems unlikely. (Gill had to know Aaron was behind the drops if he used the .38 Special.) In options b and c, it's also possible Aaron was lying in the Furnaces when he implied he and No/One were behind the data drops and he really just started murdering the people No/One outed. But it means we still don't really know who Richard Roe was, whether it was Aaron, Gill, or some combination of the two of them. Again, the only thing we really know is that Gill was likely Copycat #3.
Aaron & Gill and No/One: Upfront, I'll say the Aaron vs. No/One showdown inside the Furnaces felt wrong from the start. It seemed unrealistic that: a) Aaron managed to capture the real No/One so easily and b) the real No/One couldn't manage to break his bonds.
Given Aaron's comments about working with "No/One" until he decided to be a hero, it seems more likely Aaron somehow got his hands on the No/One suit and put Gill in it. Again, as Alejandro noted, if Gill was Copycat #3 and No/One saved Alejandro from Copycat #3 in issue #6, Gill can't be No/One.
It really feels like the only thing we know about No/One definitively is that he isn't Gill, which is ironic, given he's the one they found in the suit. I think it's still possible Aaron is No/One (particularly since he had access to the suit) though unlikely. That leads us to the next section.
Aaron and Richard Roe & No/One: Again, in the Furnaces, Aaron alleges that he and No/One worked together until he wanted to play a hero. We know No/One was involved in the data drops, so it makes sense if he's connected to Aaron in this way.
However, we don't know if the project's goal, to Aaron's mind, was always to segue into the Accountability Killings and Richard Roe. Also, as I mentioned, it's entirely possible Aaron is lying and No/One alone ran the data drops, with Aaron taking on the murders independently.
Putting it all together, my guess is that Aaron and No/One worked on the data drops, Gill started killing people as Richard Roe, and the murders didn't bother Aaron, breaking up his partnership with the person who became No/One, who wanted to stop them.
After all, Aaron does shoot people in the face here. I think this issue makes a late-in-the-game case for Aaron being as No/One, but I don't buy it. It's hard to see even someone as delusional as Aaron also seeing himself as a hero, which No/One clearly does.
Who Is Richard Roe?: Again, to list the possibilities: a) it's Gill indirectly taking orders from Aaron via the data drops; b) it's Gill directly taking orders from Aaron; c) it's Aaron and Gill; or d) it's Aaron and Gill takes up the mantle as Copycat #3. If it isn't Aaron or Gill, I don't think we have enough information to know who it is.
Who Is No/One?: Given Copycat #3 killed Donovan Kemp, our only suspects from the podcast's original list are Alejandro — who seems unlikely, given the events of issue #6 — and Harmon — who's probably still in the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Moreover, the image we get of an unmasked No/One here also seems like a man, so I don't think it's Charity back form the dead, though I guess it's still possible. Either way, it's still really unclear how Charity fits into this puzzle, since it seems more than just her connection to Coach Cade.
If I had to guess, No/One is Michael. I still don't know if it was him in the Furnaces, but it makes sense that he and Aaron worked together on the project until they had a disagreement over its direction. The two drawbacks to that theory are a) I don't see how he was so athletic and b) he's technically dead.
Interestingly, I wrote this part before I listened to the podcast, where Julia and Teddy informs us that Harrison Gill was behind a Reddit account that a few months ago said Michael was No/One. But, again, Michael is technically dead.
The only other possibility is that Chuck is No/One, since I'm still not sure why the Charity link is so important. But Chuck didn't seem like the kind of guy with the necessary direction and focus to serve as No/One.
Other Mysteries: I'll point out two other issues that we never really resolve.
We never really return to the question of why Copycat #3 killed the No/One candidates. If Copycat #3 was Gill, he saw himself as getting revenge against the corrupt. Why kill the heroes? Was he just afraid they'd catch him?
We've never really focused at all on Copycats #1 and #2. Maybe they're just background noise, but it's interesting that no one seems to care about their connections to the case.
Final Thoughts: This series was great. The multimedia aspect was novel and really worked, and I really hope they manage to make the movie. If there's a Kickstarter, I'll definitely contribute! Particularly after the UnitedHealthcare CEO's murder, I'd recommend this series to anyone who wants a really thoughtful meditation on the role of violence in our society.
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