Director's Notes – Episode 102

(NOTE: As always, Director's Notes contain spoilers)

It’s my fault you’re getting this a day late. Sorry! I’m on the road right now, in a super secret location doing some research for Alice Isn’t Dead (the super secret location is Imperial County, CA). 

Well another Valentine’s Day come and gone. The day, of course, is named after Saint Valentine, whose life mission was to make couples feel obligated to go on a date one specific day out of the year. It’s been awhile since Night Vale celebrated Valentine’s, because the last time they did that, it resulted in a great deal of casualties. They’ve celebrated love since then, it turns out you don’t need a specific holiday to appreciate and hold sacred the love you have for another human being, but they haven’t, like, bought any candy hearts.

What is this episode about? Ultimately, it’s about language. We had already done an episode that was the disaster of Valentine’s, so I had no interest in just repeating that and calling it a sequel. I wanted to find something new. And gradually I did, in the form of the sprawling slogan that City Council gave the day. My plot notes for the episode, going in, were basically: “something happens, slogan. Something else happens, longer slogan. Something else, longer slogan again. Weather. And then just write about love for several hundred words.” As you see, I stuck to my intricate plot structure quite closely.

A moment here for Old Woman Josie, who is dying the way most of us die. Not in a single dramatic moment. But as a slow, fading process, one that can happen over months or years, and that still takes everyone by surprise. After the shock of Hiram, we really wanted to be sure that Josie was not a thing that blindsided anyone. We wanted everyone plenty of time to tell our oldest, dearest friend goodbye. 

I myself spent Valentine’s with my wife, which was tricky since she was on tour with the Night Vale live show, and I was not. But I had wanted to come out here to do some driving around for Alice writing, and so I came out and joined the team at the Santa Barbara show, performing on the same stage that has once held Joan Baez, and Marian Anderson, and Ask Me Another. Getting to perform with my wife is a great way to spend a day like that. I recommend it.

The best Valentine’s we ever spent, though, was going to the Agility Finals of the Westminster Dog Show. If it’s possible for you to take a date to a dog show for Valentine’s, do it. It truly celebrates the spirit of the day (the spirit of the day is looking at cool dogs).

– Joseph Fink
February 16, 2017