One of the advantages of sticking a player with a some tiresome chore is that it’ll make them angry. And if they’re angry, they’re more determined to win. Or at least they’ll look more determined…because, frankly, anger and determination are pretty hard to tell apart, as far as facial expressions go. And looking the part is between 51 and 98 percent of the game, depending on who you ask.
Anyway, Gregory steps out on the pitch…wicket…steps out on the pitchwicket with a steely look of grim determination/anger, and that’s a clear signal to the audience as well as the opposing team. Things are about to go down. Tanuki Kazuya is definitely feeling the tension.
In view of all of this determination, Riko also grows very determined to do her job – by unearthing as many interesting tidbits of information on the new batter as she can. Fortunately, in a B-movie it will be enough for her to flap her hands on the keyboard of her laptop in a generally uncoordinated but definitely fast manner – and she’ll have all of the information she could ever desire right there on her screens. B-movies take shortcuts, after all, and if the characters are aware of that they can use them as well.
And boy, is there a lot to be found out about Gregory. Not so much in terms of his batting average, but his background in general – quite a few of the episodes in his life (and unlife) are hard to find analogues for in the typical cricket biography. One thing is obviously the absence of cricket in Gregory’s life until very recently. But then there’s also the absence of life in Gregory’s existence for a while. And the atrocities, of course. In the end, I felt it would be unlikely that absolutely no other cricketer in Riko’s database would ever have been a zombie, but five felt like a realistic upper limit. As for the other cricketer who has murdered kindergarteners with a chainsaw…well, he’s never been officially prosecuted, but I’m sure you all know to whom I’m referring. There’s no evidence, but he clearly gives off exactly that vibe.
As for his romantic life, Riko had problems making the numbers match up…looking at his current age and counting backwards it started looking like he had his first romantic relationship before he was born. And that gave Riko such Cersei-and-Jaime-Lannister vibes that she didn’t dare pursue that line of investigation any further. O_.
Find out on Monday.