Baccano! Episode 01

The Vice President Doesn't Say Anything about the Possibility of Him Being the Main Character is the first episode of Baccano!. We are briefly introduced to the several main characters.

Warning: This series is like a Rashoman. The first episode is the most haphazardous, because the timeline skips around a lot. Bear with it, and try to make sense of this ugly mess of a job.

1932, The Daily Days Journalists
The story opens with a small girl on a table, surrounded by open books, newspaper clippings,and notes, all illuminated by a single hanging light. As she opens a book, a door opens and we see a figure standing in the shadow, a glare coming from his monacle. He(the Vice President, Gustav St. Germain) addresses the girl as 'Carol' and tells her to have some grace, referring to the mess she's made. She quickly apologizes and says she got carried away. When asked what she's been doing, she claims she's been looking for more information about the 'story', saying she can't stop thinking about the strange events that began in November 1930. Gustav begins folding a newspaper page, asking if she remembers what he told her on a train ride they took in the past.

Her Flashback
Carol admires a rainbow, from inside a train compartment. Gustav, reading a newspaper called the Kerald Tribune, muses that as children, we admire rainbows for their beauty because they are harmonious to our spirit, and that he has always wondered why that is. He notes that people with no knowledge of science or refraction of light might see the anomaly in the sky and consider it a harbinger of disaster, that something unwelcome might be coming down from that rainbow, offering a reason that perhaps there is a forest fire at the base of the rainbow. He continues that regardless, people still see rainbows with some fairy-tale wonder.

He asks if Carol has ever thought of that, and she replies, simply, "No.", saying that even if she had it wouldn't matter, and that as reporters, it's not their job to wonder such things, but to report on events that have happened. After a sip of coffee, Gustav "awards" her 319 points, and Carol worriedly asks how much that is out of. He begins folding a newspaper page, noting that what she said is true, but that as people they shouldn't just stop thinking, especially when they are obtaining information.

He says that merely stopping at ascertaining whether information is true or false is foolish, and that it makes a mockery of those who report the information. Carol complains that thinking about something all day doesn't change its validity, but Gustav disagrees, bring down and popping the paper popper he had been making, striking her out of her flashback as he also does this in the current time.



Back to 1932, The Vice President and Carol
The Vice President refers to the popper, and then asks again if she recalls, as she solemnly nods and says she does. The Vice President says that what they report is neither unaffected nor perceived information, merely the precursor to a conclusion. He considers that she could have picked any date on the timeline but chose 1930, and asks why. He berates her for not having the answers to the questions and yet calls herself the assistant to the Vice President of the Daily Days. He asks if she wants help answering the questions.

He begins recounting a story, stating the date as the year 1711, where we see a few passengers, including Maiza Avaro aboard the passenger ship Advenna Avis gathered around what looks like a pentagram. Gustav then asks if they'd rather start with the guesome happenings of the Flying Pussyfoot, which were so terrible they were quickly covered up, as it flashes the scene to an orange-haired boy with a peculiar tattoo, Jacuzzi Splot running down the halls of one of the cars on the alleged train. Gustav mentions those two instances and that there are several dozen other instances spread throughout the timeline and asks again why she chose November 1930 for the beginning of the story. Carol answers that she wanted to make the story easier to understand, and so found the time when it was first brought to their attention. Gustav casually "awards" her 156 points, again prompting Carol to ask out of how many.

He ignores the question and says that while her idea was good, that it was still important not to focus on the timeline but on the characters. We are treated to a shot of a man with slicked back brown hair, Isaac Dian, get part of his ear cut by a jabbing spearhead, as the woman next to him, Miria Harvent, cries out to him in concern, as Gustav considers them for the main characters, before switching the scene to aboard the Flying Pussyfoot, considering a young boy, Czeslaw Meyer whom we see having a gun pointed at his head by a man in a white suit with bloodstains coating the front, Ladd Russo, who stares down at the boy before firing. Another shot shows Gustav considering "the Gandor family's brilliant young Capo", man in question being gunned down by several men at once.

Carol interrupts his thoughts and asks about someone, pointing to a picture on the table. Gustav looks down as we see a scene introducing the person.

Firo's Introduction
A homeless man is on the street side, begging for donations, as people pass by him, ignoring him. A voice calls out to the man, and we see the owner of the voice, Firo Prochainezo. Carol looks up at Gustav as the scene jumps back, noting that he seems "main character-ish". Gustav is confused about the "ish" part, and Carol just reaffirms her statement, as the scene returns, Firo telling the homeless man that he's in luck, what with Firo feeling generous today. Firo opens his wallet and fishes $2 out of the several in his wallet, which the homeless person visibly sees into, and puts the money into the man's begging cup. The man begins generously thanking him, and as Firo begins walking away, the man tries to stop Firo from leaving, reaching into a bag saying that he's got to thank him for the kindness. Firo declines, just as the beggar rushes at Firo with a knife..

Cutting back to the Daily Days journalists, Carol. blushing, asks if Firo is a good candidate, and Gustav seems to be considering him as we return to Firo and the homeless man, as Firo catches the knife with his right hand, catching the man by surprise, who reels back with it. Firo winces in pain as the knife goes back, slicing Firo's middle finger, and cutting off the ring and little finger. The man laughs a little as the fingers bounce to the ground, until he notices the blood from the edge of his knife moving back and flying towards Firo's hand, as the fingers on the ground fly up and reattach, the wounds healing completely. Firo takes his left hand off from covering his face. Firo, as the man shouts and waves the knife in front of him for the "monster" Firo to stay back, walks forward and asks if the man knew he was Firo Prochainezo of the respected Martillo family, pulling his right hand back and punching the beggar.

Back with the Journalists
Gustav laughs and says he can see what Carol meant by "main character-ish". However, he continues and says that for as many people as there are, there are that many sides to the same story. We cut away to show a small montage of gangsters shooting down casinos and speakeasies, and showing black and white shots of beggars, and the times, immersing us in the depressive ages of Prohibition and the Great Depression. Suddenly we are at a mansion, earlier in the year, with a large mafioso, Gustavo Runorata, giving a rousing speech to their several hired gunmen. Emphatically, he announces that he doesn't care what family they are, Martillo, Gandor, whatever, he wants them wiped off the face of the earth.

Cut to the Gandor brothers in a room together, as Luck Gandor tells Berga that he's having Chick Jefferson "interrogate" one of their "associates". A mobster opens the door and informs the brothers that a gambling parlor, speakeasy, and ticket window were all shot down, and they were lucky that "no one got dead". Berga Gandor jumps up declaring his disdain for the Runorata family. The mobster then says that they dragged one of the perps back, and Berga goes out the door to see him, and we can hear violent sounds coming from beyond the door, with Berga asking the poor sap if he thought he could get away wth messing with the Gandors, introducing us to the turf war going on between the two families.

It cuts back to Carol, asking if it all started when the Mafia and the Camorras started fighting, and the Vice President asks her to consider something, as we cut back to Gustavo. An elderly boss talks to him from behind, saying that he's quite energetic. Gustavo looks nervous, and is called back into the room to talk. Gustavo nervously says that they recently shot up Luck Gandor, and that the Gandors would soon fall. He mentions that he's got intel about a new kind of bomb, and that with it, the Gandors along with the Martillos would be child's work, and he is interrupted as the boss stops him. The elderly man brings up a better task, pulling out a picture of one Dallas Genoard. We then see a young woman looking at a similar photograph, worriedly wondering where Dallas is, the girl being Eve Genoard.

Gustav, the Vice President has been looking back on these, considering each person. He then turns to Carol and smiles, asking if she thinks it's possible that the two of them are the main characters, which seems to excite Carol.

1931
Back with the Runorata's the elder man asks Gustavo if he knows who Dallas Genoard is, and Gustavo replies that hes the second son of the Genoard family. The director berates Gustavo for taking action without his say, killing Raymond Genoard, Dallas' father, and Dallas' older brother, Jeffrey Genoard. The director says that Dallas had contacted him, and said that Gustavo was the one who killed his brother and father. Gustavo denies any proofs existence, saying he payed off the court and everything. The director wonders aloud how it's possible he fingered Gustavo, and tells Gustavo to bring Dallas Genoard to him. Gustavo asks what to do about the Gandors, and the director tells him that Dallas takes first priority. Gustavo asks if he can be brought in dead or alive, and the director shrugs and tells him to knock himself out. Gustavo grins and opens the window of the room to address the many hitmen and tells them to bring Dallas Genoard to him dead or alive. The director listens on and shakes his head, calling Gustavo a wretched bastard under his breath.

Meanwhile, Berga Gandor has been practicing his front kick in the face of the perp they snatched from the recent attack. The perp, with his hands tied and bleeding profusely from face wounds, is being pummeled by Berga, who keeps asking him who he works for,and where are the pair of balls he had when he hit up one of their establishments. The perp falls down as the other two Gandors enter, and the perp is perplexed and afraid at Luck's presence, who notes that he looks like he's seen a ghost. The perp says that Luck should be dead, but Luck ignores him and calls for Chick's assistance and "help", and the door opens to show Chick, a blonde, squinting, smiling man, saying that he'll come, but that he hasn't cleaned the blood, grease, or piss off of his tools, and that it's going to hurt a lot. From the perp's Point of view, he can clearly see a mangled, tortured son-of-a-bitch's remains in a bloody pool in the back of Chick's room. Chick apologizes and steps behind the door from inside the room, dangling his bloody scissors out the gap and snipping them. The perp looks up at the Gandors and says he'll tell them anything they want, just not to let Chick get his hands on him. Luck steps forward and asks him who thought they could "ventilate" him.

It goes back a bit in time, to Luck in a library taking a book off of a shelf and looking at it. Firo greets him and tells him he looks creepy while putting on "that face". He asks what Luck is reading, and Luck obliges him, reading off a passage from Edgar Allen Poe's works. Firo claps once Luck is finished and Luck notes that he used to be afraid of that poem, up until a year ago, when he lost any reason to be afraid of death. He asks Firo if he ever thinks of it that way. Firo asks what he means, and Luck says to ignore what he says, and Firo agrees, then says some strange people have been hanging around their turf lately. Luck says he doesn't know who they are but bets they have the Runoratas behind them. He tells Firo to leave stay out of it, and that he's got "Vino" on the job now. Firo looks surprised and asks if Claire's really coming in. Luck tells him he'll be riding on the Flying Pussyfoot the next morning, and Firo laughs, saying Isaac and Miria will be on the same train, and that an old friend of Maiza's would be on board. As Luck asks why not to pick them up together, a car comes to a stop outside where they are, and three men jump out and start shooting up the place, hitting Firo and Luck gratuitously, and shredding the books around them.

Fade into a snowy morning, on railroad tracks. A policeman pulls a sheet off of a body, and two investigators wince and grimace at seeing such carnage. The investigators ask if he's certain, and the policeman answers that although the body is incredibly destroyed, they were indeed passengers aboard the Flying Pussyfoot. The investigator asks the casualty number, and the policeman estimates somewhere in the 'teens, also saying that the bodies have been left allover the track over 20-ish miles.As the investigators turn to leave, the policeman asks what on Earth happened. The investigators say it's classified, and get in their car. One investigator saysthat immortals were definitely on board. The other asks if he's certain, and the first says that their names were on the passenger list in Chicago. The other asks about the "lady's safety", and the first says that it's their next duty. One asks if they think they can keep the fiasco covered up, and before the other can answer, the policeman calls to them, saying that a survivor's been found amongst the bodies.

Returning to Firo and Luck's predicament, the gunfire ceases after a while, still leaving an amazing ruckus inside the place. The librarian looks over the desk he was hiding behind as Luck crawl out from underneath several books. Luck asks if the man is okay, and the man responds fearfully that he knows Luck got hit, got cut to shreds, as Luck merely smiles almost apologetically.

A woman in a nice room holds up a spear, saying that there should be no problems. A cry comes from the other side of the room, as Isaac says that the wound doesn't appear to hurt, and Miria shouts that the wound disappeared. They are in a fairly large room, as on the other side we can see 7 unnamed people mingled with the rest, one person on the ground, face-down, and the woman holding the spear in front of the rest. From left to right in the back, we have Chane Laforet, Nice Holystone,, and Ennis. Miria tugs at Isaac's ear, saying it's like it never happened. Amazed, Isaac compliments the trick. Miria asks "What's next? Doves?", obviously not realizing the implications of the wound disappearing.

In a dark room, dark crimson moves from stains on the floor and wall towards something, to the sound of a heartbeat. An unharmed boy, Czeslaw Meyer, on the floor, opens his eyes and notes, "What a useless thug."

From before when the mobsters were firing on the pair of Firo and Luck, we see something similar happen, with several blood drops on books and things shoot up and return to some place they belong to. As the shooting stops, Firo bursts through the door, visibly unhurt, save for several bullet holes in his clothing. He jumps and kicks one of the gunners in the nose, knocking him back, as the car bolts away with the other two. The librarian asks Luck again how he survived that, as Luck brushes the dust off of his bullet-hole-riddled clothes. Luck just smiles and calls for Firo. Firo shows up behind him, dragging the man he kicked, who looks like the living form of the man who had been tortured by Chick to a bloody pulp. Luck smiles and tells the librarian that they'll cover the damages, and concerning what he saw today...The librarian gets smart and says "I didn't see anything! As far as I'm concerned this happened while I was out! Besides, if I ever told anyone what happened here today they'd lock me away inside some looney bin." Luck looks down and addresses the gunman saying that he doesn't think he can ignore what happened.

A train rolling along at sunrise, a man on top of a car admires a note scratched into the roof, and says "I'll find you. I promise." before hopping down and off onto safety.

At a train station, Maiza Avaro examines a pocketwatch, with Ennis, the three Gandor Brothers, and Firo there as well, who says that as far as trains go, the Flying Pussyfoot is unusual, one of a kind. Luck says that those're both kinder terms than he'd use, saying the people he's talked to all call it gaudy, but personally he'd call it austentacious. Firo smiles and says he wants to see the train more now. Ennis frowns and says that an announcement was just made. The Flying Pussyfoot had a breakdown, and all the passenger cars were switched to another train. Firo is initailly disappointed, but gets over it, then asks Maiza about his "old friend", asking what kind of a person he is. Maiza says he's introverted, but carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, so he appears 'fragile'. Berga announces that Claire's the same way but for a completely opposite reason. Cheerful, but too damn stubborn, as Firo agrees.

A crowd of policemen in the snow gather around a wounded Ladd Russo, with his own blood and others on his white suit, and Lua Klein, as Ladd asks in a gravelly voice if they're just gonna stand around while he bleeds out or take him in, and that he's in a pretty foul mood. The policemen are baffled, as Ladd strokes Lua's face, telling her that if he knew what would happen he would've killed her sooner. He says if she likes, he could kill her right there. She is reluctant as Ladd lifts up a very damaged left arm, waving it and squirting blood as he angrily asks if that means she doesn't want to get killed by him.





Back with the group of six, the train finally arrives. An injured person is seen stealthily leaving, as the group sees Jacuzzi Splot being helped off by Nice Holystone and, as Jacuzzi cries in pain and asks if she can slow down.

Several men are fishing luggage bags out of a river as one spots a person floating on a suitcase, that person being Chane Laforet.

Isaac and Miria gasp in surprise as they see Ennis, Firo, and Maiza waiting for them, Isaac greeting Maiza as Miria hugs Ennis. Isaac greets Firo too, and Firo says he looks like hell, asking what happened. Isaac says, ironically, that if he lives long enough, someday he'll tell him the story. Maiza looks and sees Czeslaw off the train, staring intently at him, as Maiza simply smiles.

Referbacks
None, being that this is the first episode.

New Characters
Carol

Gustav St. Germain

Jacuzzi Splot

Isaac Dian

Miria Harvent

Czeslaw Meyer

Ladd Russo

Firo Prochainezo

Berga Gandor

Luck Gandor

Keith Gandor

Chane Laforet

Nice Holystone

Nick

Donny

Ennis

Unanswered Questions

 * How did Firo and Luck survive that shooting?
 * What happened aboard the Advenna Avis?
 * Why did Ladd shoot Czeslaw? How did he end up so screwed over?


 * What was Jacuzzi running from? How did he end up hurt?


 * Who left that message and who read it?


 * What happened onboard the Flying Pussyfoot?


 * What happened to Dallas Genoard?


 * How do Czeslaw and Maiza know each other?

Quotes

 * "Why do we feel these rainbows are so fairy tale like? Have you ever thought about that?" - Gustav Saint Germain.
 * "Depending on who you place in the same situation, the characteristics of said incident change kaleidoscopically. In other words, there is one incident. However, there are as many stories explaining it as there are people involved in it." - Gustav Saint Germain.
 * "A train robbery is where you take a train to your destination, make your move, and take a train back, right?" - Issac Dian.
 * "I was scared to death of this poem when I was young. But it's different now. Ever since the incident one year ago ..." - Luck Gandor.
 * "Isaac! Your wound disappeared without a trace! A pigeon might just appear next!" - Miria Harvent.