I’ve been meaning to talk more about the background conversation that Duck and Red have in electricity, the one referenced in this post from three years ago .
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Here’s an updated transcript of the scene (to the best of my abilities):
D: Is he still there?
R: Maybe it’s time to get that weird blob thing upstairs….
D: Oh yeah-
R: The one I turned into you.
D: The one you turned into me, yes.
R: We could do a few electric experiments….
D: Yeah,
R: Still there’s probably some way- I mean- except there isn’t gonna be anyone listening to him is there?
D: Yeah, plus it’d be impossible for him to get that open.
R: No, yeah and if they are willing to listen then we’re basically free to do whatever we want
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This conversation is unsettling for a multitude of reasons. For starters, it’s unintelligible , and that’s by design. Duck and Red are not the main focus of the scene. It’s yet another way to show the separation between the trio in this moment. It’s disorganized on purpose, and even if it was improvised, which it likely was, it still serves a purpose. The implications here are quite disturbing. Of course it’s hard to tell exactly what they are saying, the transcript I made is simply making it somewhat easier to understand, but it’s clear that the idea of replacing Yellow in some way is being proposed, even if just for a moment. It also implies that both puppets are somewhat aware of the staircase but choose to ignore it, which is interesting to me. The staircase in itself is an abstract concept, its not supposed to be taken super literally. As with many other things in the show, it’s a mindset more than anything. The conversation is a look into Duck and Red’s psyche.
They speak in hushed voices as Yellow walks over to the staircase, like they don’t want him to hear, like they’re trying to pretend he isn’t there. Duck and Red are both cynical and avoidant of things that make them uncomfortable. They need the mood to be light all of the time. The idea that something could be above them, an endless amount of things, absolutely terrifies them, and it’s even more terrifying to them that Yellow is the one to propose the idea. Not only does this shatter their sense of authority over him, it also shatters their sense of stability. They need Yellow to go back to normal immediately, no matter what. They are feeding into an existential, primal fear here that resides deep in their gut. Sound thinking goes out the window and they feel an overwhelming urge to replace their friend, just as Red did in death to feel some semblance of normalcy.
Replacing their best friend feels logical to them in the moment because they live in an illogical world, one that objectifies them any moment it can and lets them know that they’re inherently replaceable. They feel like have no choice but to conform to its rules. Red proposes the idea of creating a new Yellow out of Stain Edwards because there needs to be three of them. If he’s missing in action, if he’s acting different, that could mean potential harm being put upon Duck and Red, and they can’t have that. They obviously forget about this later on, by distracting themselves with the prospect of Electricity, but that’s exactly the point. They’re not meant to linger on things for long, they’re meant to avoid what unsettles them, run from it. It’s all about avoidance. Yellow questioning things and not being as cynical as they are, is wrong. He’s not supposed to do that, he’s not supposed to be the smart one. He’s supposed to go along with whatever they are doing and not question it.
