Baccano! Episode 03

"Randy and Pecho Are Busy Getting Ready for the Party" is the third episode of the 2007 Baccano! anime.

Funimation Blurb
She whispers his name over the river and wonders if he’s sleeping with the fishes. They get heavy with a news man. The pen is mightier than the sword, but a pistol trumps them both. A back-alley beat-down doesn’t help his already bad reputation. There’s gonna be a party. A wanted poser brings some unwanted attention. He doesn’t handle attention very well. He momentarily kills a rat with a hammer just before his laboratory goes up in flames. Cotton gloves burn easily. Their first number features more Tommy Guns than tubas. Blood flows back into wounds. A good hat makes the made man. It’s tough to not move, get on the ground, and stick ‘em up at the same time. He knows that sometimes a knife just will not do. Here's all you need to know: The pen is mightier than the sword. A pistol trumps them both. A rat comes back to life. The band knows more about Tommy Guns than tubas. A good hat makes the made man.
 * First Version
 * Later Version

Recap Scenes
Bartolo Runorata ordering Gustavo Bagetta to deal with Dallas Genoard (E01); Senator Manfred Beriam's aide informing the senator that the 'item' is 'safe' and that his wife and daughter are on board the train (E02); clips of Natalie Beriam, Mary Beriam, Isaac & Miria, and Jacuzzi Splot in the dining car with Jacuzzi asking what a Rail Tracer is in a voiceover (E02); and a clip of the Lemur conductor aiming his revolver at the Young Conductor, with the Young Conductor recounting the Rail Tracer legend in a voiceover (E02).

Synopsis
The year is 1932 and Eve Genoard overlooks a group of men dredging the bottom of the Hudson. Her steward Benjamin hands her her coat and warns her that staying out in the salty air for too long is unhealthy, but she only thanks him and says that she wants to wait just a little longer all the same. With a look of aching sadness, Eve's thoughts turn to her missing brother Dallas Genoard.

Title card.

In 1931, employees of the Daily Days are hard at work when two shady men pay the company a visit. Nicholas Wayne hurries over to the front desk and welcomes them, introducing himself as running the newspaper's English edition desk. He then identifies them as men of the Runorata Family; taken aback, the two men ask Nicholas how he could have known such a thing. Nicholas chalks it up to his job at the Daily Days, claiming that as information brokers, there is little they do not know.

The first man asks Nicholas if he has heard of a punk called Dallas Genoard. Nicholas immediately places Dallas as the second son of the Genoard Family, and a notorious juvenile delinquent whose whereabouts are currently unknown. The man demands that Nicholas cough up Dallas' location, information that Nicholas prices at $500 along with a piece of information from the men themselves: namely, why the Runorata Family is after Dallas in the first place. When the Runorata asks what would happen to the information should someone ask for it, Nicholas nonchalantly answers that the Daily Days, of course, would sell the information to them.

Angered, the Runorata reaches into his coat for his gun – only for every single employee in the office except for Nicholas to pull out their own handguns and aim it at the two customers. Nicholas remarks that the nature of their business necessitates such preparation, and once more asks what the Runoratas want with Dallas with a smarmy grin.

In 1930, three ruffians follow Dallas down an alleyway, stopping to confront a man who carelessly tosses his cigarette in Dallas' direction. The man identifies himself as a member of the Runorata Family, which as far as he is concerned means that he is untouchable. Dallas sends him to the ground with a punch to his face and kicks him over and over, snarling that the Runoratas are like "crap employees" to him due to how brownnose his father and older brother.

Luck Gandor and Berga Gandor happen to be passing through the alley, and Luck grabs Dallas' wrist and tells him to knock it off before he kills his victim. Dallas asks "who the hell" Luck is, and in lieu of an answer Luck asks Dallas' group to leave. He informs the Runorata that he is on Gandor Family turf, that the Gandors do not take kindly to the Runorata name, and releases Dallas' wrist only when the Runorata leaves.

Dallas sneers that this was not their business, Gandor or otherwise, and departs with his friends. Berga and Luck watch them leave and wonder who they were.

In 1931, Ladd Russo waltzes with Lua Klein in a Second Class compartment aboard the Flying Pussyfoot, remarking that it is almost time for the 'show' to start and the passengers' lives to end. He is so excited that he doubts he will be able to sleep, and Lua asks why he did not 'go' in person if he was that eager. Ladd complains that there is no helping it considering that he lost the draw, and expresses his frustration: he says that his dream is to kill everyone who wants to live more than Lua tonight, and that he will kill her when she is the last person standing. Since the night is still overflowing with yet-to-be-killed people, it will take him a long time before he can kill her. He asks Lua to make sure that she doesn't die before then, and she smiles demurely.

Who opens the door to the compartment and says that Vicky is "chomping at the bit." Ladd releases Lua and drapes himself over the bedsheets, expressing his sheer envy for Vicky's good fortune – going so far as to say that there is no God in this "cruel, cruel world," for Vicky must have killed Him already. Ladd says he is very jealous. He thinks Vicky must have killed someone already. Lua suggests that Ladd can at least go see what is going on. Immediately cheered up, Ladd roughly noogies Lua's head and exits the compartment. Jacuzzi Splot immediately bumps into him in his rush down the corridor, and Jacuzzi apologizes to him just like he did in Episode 02.

Ladd watches Jacuzzi run down the corridor, and remembers a wanted poster advertising a $5000 bounty on Jacuzzi's head. Opining that tonight has become a little more interesting, he leans over to the doorway of his compartment and asks Lua and Who to go investigate the conductors' compartment – and to grab a tattooed kid should they spot him there. Lua and Who head off for the rear car, and Ladd heads for the dining car in the opposite direction. As he walks, he mutters over how "interesting" things are becoming, what sort of "trouble" Jacuzzi thinks the train is in, and that he may very well explode if he does not "cut loose."

Two men named Randy and Pezzo loaf outside the back of a building at an unspecified time. Randy lights his gloved right hand on fire, and snickers at Pezzo's alarm before extinguishing the fire by pressing his hand to the wall. Pezzo is duly impressed, and Randy says that he plans to show it off at the party taking place that night - he is sure that Firo will get a kick out of it. Pezzo pours oil on his glove, wanting to try the trick himself. Randy's warning that Pezzo's glove is the wrong kind of glove comes too late, and Pezzo only realizes that his folly after his glove is on fire.

Pezzo flails around – accidentally knocking over the oil can in the process – but ultimately manages to pull his glove off, though he doesn't notice that he tossed it right on top of the spilled oil. His and Randy's relief is cut short when the building behind them catches fire, and they flee the scene. Meanwhile, an aging man named Barnes drives a hammer down upon a bound rodent. After several seconds, the rodent regenerates. Overjoyed, Barnes throws his hands into the air and calls out to an absent Master Quates that 'the formula' is finally complete. Disaster strikes when the building catches fire, and Barnes desperately tries to pick up a crate carrying multiple bottles. It proves to be too heavy for him, and he removes two of the bottles and places them into a smaller box before exiting the building.

Eve and her servants Benjamin and Samantha arrive at the Daily Days building, where Samantha's information broker friend works. Samantha is sure that the Daily Days will know where Eve's brother Dallas is. Just as the three are about to enter, the two Runorata men from earlier exit the building with scowls on their faces. A little more wary, Eve and her servants enter the building and are greeted by Nicholas.

Maiza Avaro and Firo browse a hat shop's wares. Firo calls the shop "amazing," and Maiza tells him that Martillo Family executives have chosen their hats at this very shop for generations, Maiza included. Firo admits that him becoming a capo does not feel real yet, and Maiza advises him to relax before picking out a green fedora and placing it on Firo's head. He enthuses that the hat fits him perfectly, and Maiza welcomes him to the Camorra. Firo notes that Maiza is a day early, but Maiza says that the 'ceremony' has already started.

Upon exiting the shop, Maiza bumps into a fancily dressed Isaac Dian (who is accompanied by an equally fancily dressed Miria Harvent) on the stairs. Isaac and Miria warn Maiza that there is no excuse for carelessness before entering the hat shop, leaving Firo and Maiza to stare after them in bemusement.

As Maiza and Firo walk down the street, they spot a plume of smoke billowing from a building a block or two away. Firo runs around the corner to investigate, despite Maiza warning him that nobody likes a rubbernecker. Firemen have already arrived on the scene by the time Firo arrives; Ennis accidentally bumps into Firo as she hastily makes her way out of the rubbernecking crowd, and she apologizes and explains that she is looking for someone before running past him. Firo bends over to pick up a cufflink that fell off Ennis' jacket and hurries after her, calling for her to wait.

In 1931, Jacuzzi bumps into Nick and Donny on the connecting platform between the dining car and the first Second Class car as he did in Episode 02. Nice Holystone steps onto the platform seconds after he disappears into the dining car, and orders Nick to 'take care' of the dining car while she and Donny go after Jacuzzi – noting that they will have to stop and check out the freight hold on their way back from the rear car

Left alone on the platform, Nick puzzles over what Nice meant by 'take care' of the dining car, assuming she wanted either for Nick to simply keep an eye on the dining car, or for Nick to keep the people in the car nice and quiet should they overhear any commotion caused by the delinquents' train robbery. Nick is so deep in thought that he hardly takes notice of Vicky walking past him into the dining car. He concludes that Nice meant the latter option, takes out his favorite knife, and grins in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Goose Perkins delivers a speech to a group of Lemures while Chané Laforet stands by his side. Back in 1931, Elean Duga enters one of the Daily Days' rooms – where Eve and her servants have been waiting – and has a happy reunion with his old friend Samantha. Once he sits down, he picks up a photograph on the table and identifies the photographed man as Dallas. When Eve asks if he is familiar with Dallas, Elean goes on and on about Dallas' reputation as a scumbag delinquent who bullies the weak. Hurt, Eve murmurs that Dallas was always kind to her, and Elean hastily apologizes over his insensitivity while Samantha glares at him. He assures her that Dallas will be found one way or another.

One of the Daily Days' Chinese employees enters the room and hands Elean some papers, which Elean reads after reprimanding the employee for his lateness. After reading the records, Elean affects a look of empathetic dismay and says to Eve that despite all the Daily Days' information, they still do not know where Dallas is. Eve's eyes glisten with tears. Back in 1930, Firo runs down Little Italy's alleys in search of Ennis, stopping in his tracks when he sees Dallas and company assaulting Barnes. Firo easily takes out all four men before kneeling by Barnes and asking if he is all right. Barnes ignores him, turning away so he can check the condition of the bottles in his crate in secret. He brusquely dismisses Firo's curiosity over the box and demands that he leave.

Firo prepares to do so, but first asks if Barnes has seen a woman wearing a suit pass by. Barnes says that he has not, and Firo warns him to flee before the thugs recover. When Firo leaves, Barnes continues on his way – only for Dallas and his three goons to ambush and beat him to a brutal, bloody pulp. With blood leaking out of the corners of his mouth and down his chin, Dallas clutches Barnes' crate to his chest and mutters Firo's name.

In 1931, several Lemures walk down the corridor of a Flying Pussyfoot car, carrying their 'instrument' cases. Vicky surveys the calm, oblivious passengers in the dining car, singling out Rachel and pointing his finger at her in a suggestive manner as he makes his way down the aisle. As he approaches the middle of the car, he supposes that he should "get started." The Lemures ready their machine guns outside the door leading to the dining car from First Class, and Nick hefts his knife outside the door leading to Second Class. He and the Lemures burst into the dining car simultaneously: the Lemures demand that the passengers get down on the floor; Vicky whips out two handguns in the middle of the car and shouts for the passengers to put their hands in the air; and Nick brandishes his knife and demands that the passengers freeze.

The bewildered passengers hesitate, having no idea which order they are supposed to follow. Isaac and Miria, meanwhile, have managed to follow all three orders at once by lying on the ground, raising their hands into the air, and freezing. Nick considers his knife and gulps as he realizes his complete disadvantage; he apologizes for disturbing everyone, and leaves the way he came.

Barnes regains consciousness as his body regenerates, and he opens his eyes to find Ennis standing over him. The two clearly know each other.

On the Flying Pussyfoot, Jacuzzi discovers the horrific corpses of both conductors. Horrified, he realizes that he was too late to stop the Rail Tracer.

1930
Click "Expand" for differences regarding the 1930 timeline. The scene with Luck, Berga, and Dallas' crew is anime-original.

Ladd does not waltz with Lua in the novels; the scene opens with him clutching a pillow and rolling around on the floor while their companions – many of them present, unlike the anime – look on. He is performing a headstand when Lua makes her suggestion. He also does not specify that Lua should take Who, only that she should take 'somebody' with her. Lua selects the companion herself (still Who). Ladd also should have passed Nice and Donny in the corridor in the anime, but they don't appear.

Randy and Pezzo bought multiple cans of fuel oil, not just one as the anime seems to indicate. Pezzo also tosses their paper bag (containing multiple opened cans of fuel) aside, instead of knocking the can over like he does in the anime. In the anime his left hand is the one he sets ablaze, whereas in the novel it is his right hand. Additionally, Randy is not the one who has the idea to use the fiery glove as a party trick; Pezzo suggests it could be a good trick for the party right as he tries the trick out personally.

Maiza's and Firo's visit to the hat shop in the novel takes place after Firo's altercation with the beggar, but this cannot be the case in the anime since Episode 01 presented that scene as a post-immortality scene. While the anime states that the Martillos have been buying their hats at that particular hat shop for generations, no such claim is made in the novels: Maiza merely notes that he is a bit of a regular at the shop.

Firo and Maiza are carrying booze in paper sacks when they spot the plume of smoke in the novels.

Firo's and Ennis' encounter in front of the burning granary happens differently in the novels. Ennis doesn't bump into Firo as she is making her way through the crowd; instead, Firo spots her exiting a large black passenger vehicle on the street. He proceeds to watch her elbow her way to the front of the crowd and then does the same, putting his hand on her shoulder and asking if she is all right once he reaches her. She replies that nothing is wrong, and moves back through the crowd and leaves for one of the alleyways. Firo doesn't follow after her for the sake of a cufflink - she doesn't drop a cufflink in the novels - he follows her mostly because he thinks she is pretty and wants to talk with her more.

Firo is still carrying his sack of alcohol when he comes across Dallas and his men. What he does after defeating Dallas in the novel is quite different than what he does in the anime, as future episode discussions will reveal.

1931
Click "Expand" for differences regarding the 1931 timeline.

Jacuzzi's wanted poster does not display a specific monetary amount in the novels.

Several Runorata men enter the Daily Days in the novels, not two, and for an entirely different reason. The Runoratas are not interested in finding Dallas like they are in the anime; in reality, the Runoratas visit the Daily Days in the wake of a traffic accident in which a passenger car hit a Runorata truck, causing the truck's occupants injury. The driver of the car ending up stealing a black bag full of drugs from the truck, and the Runoratas want to know who the driver is. This entire plotline is not adapted by the anime.

Jack is supposed to be with Nick and Donny on the platform, where Nice would have ordered Donny and him to follow her. Since he is not on the train in the anime, only Donny follows Nice.

Vicky has only one handgun in the dining car in the novel, not two.

In the anime, Elean lies and says that the Daily Days does not know where Dallas is. In the novels, he tells Eve the truth: that Dallas is drowning at the bottom of the Hudson with two of his companions, though he does not specify that Dallas is immortal. The anime also largely does not include his bouts of self-loathing over sharing bad news.

Preview
Isaac & Miria’s preview dialogue differs between the sub and the dub due to language differences (playing off the Japanese and English words for slaughter - a word that appears in the next episode’s title - respectively).

Sub: Miria asks Isaac what the word satsuriku (Japanese for ‘slaughter’) means. Isaac surmises that the ‘rich’ part must be the ‘rich’ of tairiku (continent) and that the ‘satis’ part must be part of osatsu (banknotes). Isaac concludes that satsuriku must mean a ‘land made of banknotes.’

Dub: Miria informs Isaac that the word slaughter can also be a person’s surname. The two wonder if one having such a surname means one is hot-blooded or if having the surname makes one violent. Isaac thus surmises that if he names himself Isaac Greenback he will become rich, and Miria enthusiastically that she will become rich as well; Isaac retorts that she must come up with her own name, and Miria suggests ‘Miria Moneybags’. Isaac this that this is a brilliant name.

Trivia

 * While Pezzo's name is spelled "Pecho" in the title card, the official Yen Press translation spells his name as "Pezzo."
 * This is the first episode to include recap scenes in the OP.

New Characters

 * Benjamin and Samantha
 * Nicholas Wayne
 * Dallas Genoard (first physical appearance; mentioned in Episode 01)
 * Randy and Pezzo
 * Elean Duga
 * Barnes
 * Vicky (appeared in the previous episode with no speaking lines)

Unanswered Questions

 * Why does Jacuzzi have such an expensive bounty on his head?
 * What does Dallas mean when he says the Runoratas are sucking up to his father and brother? What is the relationship between the two families?
 * How exactly do Randy and Pezzo know Firo? Are they Martillos?
 * What does Barnes mean when he says that the "formula is finally completed?" What is the formula?
 * What becomes of the dining car?
 * How do Barnes and Ennis know each other? Why was Ennis at the burning building?
 * How did the older conductor die? Why is the Young Conductor's body so horribly mutilated? Was it really the Rail Tracer?
 * Where is Dallas Genoard?