Path: ...!feed.opticnetworks.net!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: What Did You Watch? 2024-06-17 (Monday)
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:55:59 -0700
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Lines: 74
Message-ID: <v4soof$1gfl2$1@dont-email.me>
References: <UBI20240617@dont-email.me> <v4s98i$1d9be$2@dont-email.me>
 <8la37j1n1lotipujvl03ctn2b0o1rdt6en@4ax.com> <v4sf4s$1eoks$1@dont-email.me>
 <v4sffn$1eq08$1@dont-email.me>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Injection-Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2024 21:56:00 +0200 (CEST)
Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="ae49afe08b7a01d5d35d5f7afc65e95c";
	logging-data="1588898"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+2m6pYymVtx2XH6X8t5Pq2ARDHibkL2Z4="
User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird
Cancel-Lock: sha1:6mIYvNPJttR4HILHLaZZVrHIsPc=
Content-Language: en-US
In-Reply-To: <v4sffn$1eq08$1@dont-email.me>
Bytes: 4473

On 6/18/2024 10:17 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
> 
>> Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (4K disc) 2018 R-rated DC animated movie set
>> in the DCAMU.  Amanda Waller assembles a team of villains to retrieve a
>> card that will send whoever is holding it straight to heaven when they
>> die.  But Waller isn't the only one who wants it and the movie turns
>> into a bloodbath as everyone is out to get their hands on that card.
>> This movie ties directly in with "Justice League: The Flashpoint
>> Paradox" which was the first movie in the DCAMU.
> 
> Could I have a few more plot points? Who made the card, and why? Is this
> for some sort of post-death soul assasination to absolutely positively
> keep someone from coming back to life?
> 
>> . . .

SPOILERS
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

The movie opens with the Squad out on a mission.  My first reaction was 
Harley Quinn is dating a low rent Joker knock off.  And when the low 
rent Joker knock off quickly bought it before the opening credits, I 
wasn't surprised, but when "Harley" bought it too, I knew something was 
up.  Turn out It wasn't Harley, it "Punch and Jewelee" two characters I 
never heard of before, but were clearly Joker and Harley knockoffs.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/6/66/Punch_%26_Jewelee.png/revision/latest?cb=20140228070144

And I don't want to hear technically they predate Harley Quinn!  Anyway, 
Deadshot (Christian Slater) is the only survivor of the mission, so 
Waller (Vanessa Williams) assembles a new team for Deadshot to lead, 
including the real Harley Quinn (Tara Strong).

Their mission is to locate a (I think) playing card.  The card has 
magical properties that will cause whoever is holding the card at death 
to instantly bypass Hell and go straight to Heaven.  But the card can 
only be used once.  Within the movie itself, I don't think they ever 
explain exactly who created the card.  At one point Doctor Fate (Greg 
Grunberg) had the card, but he didn't create it, he simply had 
possession of it.

Waller wants the card because she has been diagnosed with a terminal 
illness.  She wants that card by any means necessary, no matter how many 
heads she has to explode to get it!  There are two rival groups of 
villains also after the card.

One group is lead by Vandal Savage.  Many of the villains catch on early 
that if they are holding the card no one dares kill them, because the 
holder will go straight to heaven and the card will be rendered useless. 
  Savage decides the best way to ensure he holds onto the card is to 
have it surgically implanted into his body in a way that will kill him 
if ever removed.

The other group after the card is lead by Reverse Flash (C. Thomas 
Howell).  In "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox" Batman put a 
bullet through his brain killing him.  Reverse Flash explains that as 
soon as the bullet hit him he began to move so fast that he bought 
himself a few days of life before dying.  Yeah, it doesn't make any 
sense to me either.

So each side needs the card because their leader will die, probably 
going to straight to hell, without it.  The card can't keep them from 
dying, but it will keep them out of hell.