Ice on My Teeth
What we know so far: (See full recap in Ateez Storyline: Updated March 2024, Ateez Lore: The Who, What, When, and Where of It All, and Golden Hour: Part 1)
On October 28th a new account, @_StrangeMansion, launched to create a "choose your own adventure" version of comeback prep for Ateez's upcoming album. It gave us one simple task, to read the rules before entering.
In case you were not employed by the Strange Mansion during that period, I am going to walk you though the adventure Atiny chose along with some of my commentary because, to be perfectly honest, Atiny did not make the best choices based on the rules we were told to follow and it was a frustrating time for me.
Ok, so why did y'all think we needed to ring the doorbell? The rules said the door is open before 4pm. This is also our place of employment. Do y'all ring the doorbell when starting a new job or just walk in and find a manager to "report for duty"?
We were assigned to clean the tennis courts and found a diary outside. Why wouldn't we choose to stay outside and explore the outside of the mansion? I think they wanted us to pick this choice because the minute we reentered the mansion, we saw a fire in the garden prompting us to return outside. I wonder if we would have still broken the rule of having a non-work-related conversation with the gardener had we stayed outside. Nevertheless, they asked us to choose another person to talk to, I hope we pick the right one so we can ask a work-related question.
#2 Welp, I guess we made the wrong choice because there was a day break before a new post appeared and a change in point of view where we were specifically told we had been having too many non-work-related conversations.
#3 At least we stayed in the room after hearing the violin but WHY did we open the door for the locked room at the end of the second floor?
#4 Y'all, I think we died. 😩
The other thing Atiny noticed during comeback prep was the design of the Golden Hour Part 2 album cover. It was a pulsar map! (I had no idea what this was by the way.)
A pulsar map shows the relation of our sun to other known pulsars (rapidly spinning remains of dying stars) in the universe. Each pulsar has its own signature pulse rate, making them easy to identify, and ideal as reference points on a map. This map was etched on a record on board the Voyager space craft that was launched into space in 1977 as a way to show extraterrestrial life how to get to our galaxy. Of course they added something else related to time and space in this comeback.
Diary Entries:
To find the Golden Hour: Part 2 Diaries in their entirety, please read them HERE. I am only going to list the key take aways for the purpose of this blog entry.
Diary Entries - Key Points
These diary entries recap a lot of what happened in the Golden Hour: Part 1 diaries with some extra info, but overall, each of the members has a job that has taken them away from performing as a group:
Hongjoong is a writer, Seognhwa is a firefighter, Yunho is an archeologist, Yeosang is a CEO of an investment firm, San owns a food truck, Mingi is a famous model, Wooyoung is a flight attendant, and Jongho is a producer and vocal coach.
Mingi and Yunho are both on Wooyoung's flight and they reconnect when Wooyoung performs a new version of the flight's safety announcement.
Jongho and Seonghwa reconnect when a fire breaks out at Jongho's studio and Seonghwa's team is sent to respond. Jongho had fallen asleep while listening to old Ateez music and Seonghwa got him out of the fire.
All eight Ateez members joined Yeosang at his "antique villa" for a party in honor of Hongjoong's latest book release.
While at the party they discovered Yeosang had brought back the broken Cromer and restored it. (We learned that when the Cromer shattered, the members were forced back to World A).
They also noticed a ruby-colored stone next to the Cromer and Jongho remembered it was the stone Left Eye had given to them after finding it in the Strictland Disposal Site. The members asked Yeosang why he brought it back to World A without informing them but he reminded them he had repeatedly asked them what they wanted to do with the Sopro (the ruby-colored stone).
The members began reminiscing about their time in World Z again and wondering how Thunder was doing. They then listened to some of their old songs and those who remembered their choreography began dancing.
Seeing this, Wooyoung asked the members if they could give being idols one more try. Most members tried to brush Wooyoung off but Jongho said he had actually written some songs, but Yeosang argued with Wooyoung about how just because he didn't follow his original dream did not mean his life was a defeat or something to be ashamed of.
After earnestly asking the members one more time, and them not accepting his idea, Wooyoung left the party with his heart broken.
While waiting for the next train, Wooyoung looked up at the sky and a red star reminded him again of Sopro and what Left Eye said about it, "Sopro is a sort of magical spirit that synchronizes the feelings of those who hold it with those who draw breath around them. According to legend, one of the four priest guardians of Halazia gathered the breaths of all of Halazia to create it."
Wooyoung decided to go back to the villa and give it a try. Holding the stone tightly in his fist, Woo Young brought his hand to his heart and earnestly prayed: "It's as though they've all forgotten what it was like to be happy. Reignite our passion like it was back then, and let us be happy together again. Please." Red light spilled from the gaps of his fingers, a ruby aurora dancing throughout the dark.
Oh no, Wooyoung! What did you do??
Ice on My Teeth Music Video:
Y'all I am LIVING for this music video! It's dark and sophisticated with so many nods to things I have grown up loving. So let's start with gangsters. I don't know about y'all but as a person with Italian heritage, The Godfather series was a staple in my family, so when Mingi's ring was kissed, I immediately thought of The Godfather. Kissing the ring was a way to show respect to the Corleone crime boss in that series. Even though I have never seen Peaky Blinders, TinyTown was aflutter when the Ice On My Teeth poster came out because the costumes instantly reminded Atiny of Tommy Shelby and his crime family. Seonghwa even said in the Making of video, "Must be angry. Big bosses are always angry" as he was immersing himself in his character.
My favorite movie in The Godfather series is The Godfather II which tells the tale of how Vito Corleone establishes his crime family in 1920s America. Peaky Blinders is also set in the 1920s in Birmingham. Since I didn't have time to watch six seasons of Peaky Blinders, I watched an 18 minute recap of the full show and the following themes emerged: crime, guns, gambling, gang battles, alliances, kidnapping, revenge, double crossing, payment in jewels, murder, coming together once again, entrapment, betrayal, seeking power in a more official way (politics), smuggling, attempted coup, prophesy about infighting and death, depression, vengeance, plotting, scamming, burning ties to former life of crime. That's a lot! Most of these themes are also found in The Godfather series and in The New World, a Korean crime film Wooyoung mentioned in the music video reaction.
Since it was only a movie, I did have time to watch The New World and I recommend it to anyone who likes crime drama. The New World is about about a policeman, Lee Ja Sung, who has spent eight years undercover in the notorious Goldmoon crime gang. He has risen in the ranks of the gang and has earned the absolute trust of the boss’ right hand man. When the crime boss is murdered, a power struggle breaks out and the police view this as an opportunity to take down the gang and is a test of where the policeman’s true loyalties lie through an operation named, “New World”.
Using an organized crime motif continues what we have been seeing in previous music videos with Ateez's connection to the antiestablishment (e.g., pirates, anarchists, outlaws, etc.) but makes it more sophisticated and well, organized. Maybe because they are older and wiser now. Maybe because they are moving into a place in the lore where they will be more controlled (by whatever Wooyoung did), so there is a need for a “boss” figure that holds more control than just a captain. You can leave a captain, but you can't as easily leave a mob boss.
Another mob/gangster connection in Ice On My Teeth are the balaclavas featured on every person, statue, and painting in the music video. Alison Maragaret B. Moule in her article, "The Significance of the Balaclava" explains that balaclavas have a military history from the Battle of Balaclava in the 1854 Crimean War and that they are still very much associated with violence. Balaclavas are commonly worn to conceal the identity of individuals committing crimes, including police and military forces, and in the contexts of political resistance. In fact, they are often used as a symbol of resistance which connects to Ateez's history of resistance themes. In the Making Of video, they even say, "starting off the shoot with Seonghwa who's giving off resistance vibes." when filming this scene:
Another fun connection in the music video is the ventriloquism scene. The second I saw Yeosang with a ventriloquist dummy and the reporters all around him, I instantly thought of the scene in Chicago where Billy Flynn, speaks for his client, Roxie Heart, to try to get her positive press during her murder trial. San wanted to make sure we made that connection because during the music video reaction he says, "It gives off musical vibes" and during the Making Of video he actually sang a portion of that same song from Chicago.
Chicago takes us right back to the 1920s during a time of crime, corruption, and media sensationalism and is based on true life murder trials of two women who killed their lovers and captured public attention. A blog post on Broadway Inbound titled, "All That Jazz Through The Decades: A Deep Dive into the History of 'Chicago' on Broadway", states, "Maurine Dallas Watkins, a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, later transformed these stories into a satirical play in 1926, aptly titled Chicago. Her play was a scathing critique of the way justice was manipulated by celebrity culture and the media, themes that would later be central to the musical...The creators of Chicago intentionally chose the musical language of jazz, a genre that was revolutionary, rule-bending, and deeply intertwined with the spirit of the 1920s."
Ventriloquism had two definitions:
the production of the voice in such a way that the sound seems to come from a source other than the vocal organs of the speaker
the expression of one's views and attitudes through another especially
Ateez choose to incorporate this ventriloquist scene from Chicago to emulate the revolutionary, rule-bending spirit of the music from that show while showing how the world can be manipulated by celebrity culture (which is another common theme Ateez portrays in their commentary about their music industry). It is also the first instance of manipulation we see in the music video.
We then see Jongho "pulling the strings" to move all of the furniture into mansion and Yunho using that same string to manipulate the doctor/dentist when he wouldn't give him what he wanted (which is apparently the mansion since Yunho is holding up an x-ray of the mansion). Between these two scenes and the ventriloquist scene, we get a clear depiction of control and manipulation which, I think, ties into Wooyoung's decision to use Sopro to control the feelings of the rest of the members.
Jongho's pocket watch also shows the time, 11:15 pm, which may be when Wooyoung used Sopro since we know it was late at night and the members were asleep.
We see a couple of games of strategy in the music video, Tic-Tac-Toe (go with me here) and chess. Even though Tic-Tac-Toe is a child's game, but if both players are “good” at the game, it’s actually really hard to win and takes a set up that gives you two ways to win at once so the other person can’t block you. This takes strategy. Tic-Tac-Toe was originally named, Tit-Tat-Toe and means "tit" to slap, "tat" retaliation, and "toe" the third piece placed making the winning combination by securing the other two pieces. It was linked to pagan rituals dedicated to the magic properties of the nine-square grid and secret societies who believed the magic square held a numerological message about the world. So way more than just a child's game.
Even before the music video dropped, Atiny like @Outlawizard and @ArtsyBblhead were going crazy making chess connections based on how the members were sitting in their title track poster. Chess is the ultimate game of strategy and each piece moves differently and has its own symbolism.
Pawns: the foot soldiers who represent the infantry of an army. They symbolize resilience and progress. They may seem expendable, but their potential for promotion underscores the importance of perseverance. Pawns, representing growth and transformation, are linked to the Moon, especially as they can become Queens.
Rooks: the castle’s strongholds that signify stability and strength which are essential qualities for defense. Their movements symbolize the unyielding and direct protection they offer and they share characteristics with Saturn and Venus. Yunho and Mingi are known as the twin towers of Ateez and often flank the members when standing in a line. Having our twin towers acting as rooks makes perfect sense.
Knights: the equestrian warriors whose unique movement pattern symbolizes agility and daring. They maneuver unpredictably, reflecting the spirit of adventure on the chessboard and bear similarities to Mercury. San and Jongho who are both athletic and adventurous makes them perfect knights.
Bishops: the Church’s reach and influence in medieval Europe, where chess evolved into its modern form. The bishops evoke wisdom and strategy aligning with Jupiter or Mars due to their diagonal movements and strategic importance. Yeosang who once did math for fun during a break in filming and Wooyoung who uses strategy in Ateez challenges represent bishops well.
Queen: the powerhouse of the board, the king's protector, and main strategist. It is the most versatile piece, embodying power and flexibility. Its movements symbolize dominance and foresight in the game and parallels the Moon's agility in astrology. Seonghwa not only protects Hongjoong but mama bears the rest of the members as well. Hongjoong has consistently talked about Seonghwa's role in helping him lead Ateez.
King: the symbol of authority and power. It is the most crucial piece and represents authority and vulnerability. The King correlates with the Sun, as its capture signifies the end of the game. Of course our captain, Hongjoong, is the king. Without him, KQ would not have idol groups.
So what does highlighting games of strategy mean for the storyline? Maybe it’s referring to Wooyoung’s choice and the strategy that went into making that decision. I think it is also speaking to the strategy Ateez has been following related to their careers and how they are starting to see the fruits of that strategy.
The mansion, chandeliers, art, tennis, violins, piano, and ballerinas all combine together to bring a sense of sophistication that may just be referencing that they are no longer kids and their choices now hold more weight.
But they also made the choice to set everything ablaze which often marks significant transitions in life; closing one chapter to start another.
My favorite fellow Loretiny, @ItsTheTinyBug, also recently posted her insights on Ice On My Teeth so I thought I would share it HERE. You should check it out!
Golden Hour: Part 2 Preview Live, Making of Music Video and Jacket, and Reaction to Ice On My Teeth:
Yunho, Hongjoong, and San talking about the song itself:
Yunho: It was sudden, it’s about how if you know the true value, it talks about diamond on the teeth, and that it might seem unfitting but if you know true value things that don’t seem fitting can coexist.
Hongjoong: Diamond is the symbol for value.
San: It is about your value.
Hongjoong talking about his interpretation of Ice On My Teeth:
"Adding one plus one, topped with an ice chain"
1 (Il') plus 1 (Il') is ice chain on the teeth. (*Il’ is the word for “one”, but also work). If you work and work, you will one day be able to put diamonds on your teeth! That’s what that means. If you work that hard, you can increase your self worth! But, everyone please know your worth isn’t determined solely by expensive jewelry or material possessions. That’s right! But if you work hard enough! You’ll one day be able to show off your self worth without having to work hard! That’s the meaning behind it. It’s not the ice chain on your teeth that is important. What’s important is that you keep working hard.
Yeosang talking about their "phantom" jacket concept: It’s completely different to the Ateez style we’ve done up to now. I think that’s the type of shoot we’re doing. It’s somehow both very elegant, yet luxurious? But it’s not only just pretty, I think we’re really showcasing so much uniqueness in this shoot. It’s really interesting.
Hongjoong, and Wooyoung talking about the vibe of the music video:
Hongjoong: It was like watching a Noir film
Wooyoung: I really like Korean Noir films like New World. It really feels like I am watching one of those.
Hongjong: It kind of gives off the vibes of a western movie as well.
Wooyoung: Like Peaky Blinders. It gives off that resistance feel, right?
The thing I love about Ateez is on the surface of so many of their songs they are braggadocios what with talking about buying diamonds at their dentist to represent a diamond grill, which is seen as a status symbol, and being a priority and taking their seat first. However their true message is about recognizing our own worth and being confident in our own value. As Hongjoong said, our worth is not determined solely by material possions but by working hard we increase our self worth.
Sopro
Before I move too far away from the diaries, I need to talk about Sopro. The diaries defined it as the Portuguese word for breath or a gust of air. It is called this because the breaths of all of Halazia were gathered to create it. [As an aside, it sounds like Halazia is some sort of deity since there are four priest guardians, which are most likely those four people in white at the end of the Halazia music video.] It is also a magical spirit so even though it is a ruby-colored stone, it has some sort of living presence. My friend Carey, who is obsessed with the prism, thinks it must be Sopro because the last time we saw it, it was red. However, I'm not 100% or even 50% sure it is the same thing.
I think the prism was red the last time we saw it because of the red moon, since the first three times we saw it, it was clear.
So either the prism is Sopro and the red moon charged it/made it red and since a red light emulated from it when Wooyoung used it maybe we will see it turn clear again after its use, OR Sopro is a whole new artifact and it’s a ruby-colored stone and not a clear prism that can take on the properties of the red moon. Time will tell, I think.
Golden Hour: Part 2 Album
In the Golden Hour: Part 1 blog post, I talked about "golden hour" and "blue hour". Golden hour occurs when the sun is 6° to -4° from the horizon and blue hour occurs when the sun is -4° to -6° from the horizon with civil twilight, the first of the three twilights, occurring when the sun is 0° to -6° from the horizon. Therefore, some of golden hour and all of blue hour are taking place during civil twilight. To read more about the golden and blue hours, refer to my Golden Hour: Part 1 post.
Since both golden and blue hours make up civil twilight, it only makes sense that Ice On My Teeth acts as the blue hour to Work's golden hour. So Work was the lighter side and Ice On My Teeth was the darker side of the same coin. This is also why I think that there will only be two releases in the Golden Hour era. If you look at all of the releases combined, you start to see a pattern emerge. In fact my friend and I were chatting and I had a little idea that @mountiny_1024 mocked up in a post of her own a couple of weeks later and LOOK!! Our ideas of Golden Hour era being 2 albums then the next era being 1 album (which I am hoping will be a full album since it will be the only one in the era) and then building back up again turns into a CROMER!!
ALSO if you consider the middle release (1 album era) as the anchor, there are four eras on either side and 4+4=8! 8 MAKES 1 TEAM!!
Enough Special Clip:
When I saw the Enough music video, it instantly reminded me of the first episode of Code Name Ateez where they are introducing the members of Ateez. Hongjoong was in his studio composing a song, Mingi was in a different studio writing a rap, and Jongho was in a practice room singing and playing the guitar.
I don't know if Ateez intentionally recreated these scenes in the Enough music video, but the nostalgia it brought to me just highlighted how far they have come.
"Sometimes, you gotta move forward; Just take it step by step; And then you’ll notice; You've found your place (God, damn). Hold on to your ground; Doesn't matter how; They don’t even care; So then, why should you? (Woah, oh). Don't stop believing how you got here. Hold on to that feelin'. Gonna make it far enough."
During the Preview Live, Jongho said, "This song is about moving forward unfazed and keeping one’s center." I feel like Ateez has done that. They have stuck to their plans for their music this whole time and have not wavered. It reminds me of what Hongjoong said in this interview:
"When you're more tense than anyone else; Just take a breath, that's enough."
Hongjoong said, "The part I want Atiny to hear, since the exam is over, you should listen to this song because this song will comfort you, you have worked hard till now, so I recommend the part that says take a break, that’s enough."
"When all the walls are closing; When the weight's hard to bear; When you feel like you're nowhere; Let it go ’cause I'll be there for you. When there is no one for you; When you just need a friend (*For you*); When you're just feeling lonely; I'll be there (God, damn)."
Enough was written as that song of encouragement urging us to to try our hardest, put in the work, don't try to conform, and when it gets tough, to just let it go because they will be there for us and we are enough. It's funny because Wooyoung was right when he talked about Mingi's part, "you might cry when you sing it" and Seonghwa replied, "It is like the F people are crying and then the T person comes and says 'it’s ok'." Thanks for the comfort Mingi, because I am an F person so of course I cried while writing this.
Oh and don't think I missed the bluebird filter that Matz and a little bit Yeosang and Mingi liked to use. I saw you happily flying, bluebirds!
Other Golden Hour Part 2 Songs
This leaves us to discuss Deep Dive, Scene 1: Value, Man on Fire, and Selfish Waltz to finish up the album.
I will be using the words Ateez associated with each song at the beginning of their track preview as a way introduce each song.
Deep Dive
"Wander - Numbness - Detachment - Anxious - Wonder."
These are the words Ateez chose to describe Deep Dive. They also included these two quotes, "The sudden drop makes our hearts beat louder, so take the plunge, dive into the deep inner self." and "To stay steady amid the swirling amplitude of emptiness." So even in the track preview we get the sense of this song.
"A cold space where I face my inner self; I’m smiling, but why does it look like I’m crying? Like shoddy construction, the lies I’ve built up, when will they crumble? Hiding my anxiety, I hold my breath. Wide awake, not getting any sleep, yeah. Floating like pieces of unease. Ooh, it doesn’t seem too bad, ooh, yeah. I’ve grown used to this scenery. In this emptiness; I know how to swim through it. Diving deep, I’m getting closer; To this emptiness. Right now, I’m deep diving, drifting away; The city’s night feels a little hollow; Keep in mind, gotta get used to it, huh? It’s like a mismatched traffic light, not prime time. At the end, waiting is the turmoil of the heart. Holding a short breath, I deep dive again; Alone."
Sorry for so many lyrics but they are just that powerful, I felt like I needed to include more. Wooyoung explained it as, "The first track is about one’s inner conflict about not losing themselves." Hongjoong said, "Some fans said this song reminds them of WDIG...I guess it has the same vibe of falling in... But if you listen to the full song, it is different." Where Do I Go is a song from the citizens of Strictland's perspective as they are loosing themselves to their emotional numbness caused by Strictland's government and a life of regimented work, while Deep Dive is about diving into your inner self in order to explore your inner turmoil and a quest for meaning amidst the chaos of urban life. So while they do have the same vibe of falling in, who the fall is happening to and the reason for the fall is different. In Deep Dive we have Ateez in the storyline, putting on a smiling face while diving into their inner turmoil alone in the chaos of their new lives away from their first dream.
Scene 1: Value
"Great minds think alike; And only we can see the true vision"
I feel like the members did a great job explaining this interlude, so I am just going to let their words stand on their own.
Yunho, "This part was different from the preview. This really shows the overall mood. I want to ask, the song title has value which this album emphasizes. What value did you want to express through this album?"
Mingi, "We are near our late 20s ,we are walking towards the late 20s. Now we want to show the value of maturity and when I hear this song, it reminded me of a museum, and the life of art directions. I think the song is very fitting, and has an artistic taste."
Hongjoong, "We talked a lot during the preparation and what we wanted to express is, we have been moving forward and working nonstop but we always say we have a long way to go, but sometimes we should accept our value and what we have achieved, and also the value of our Atiny, we should protect all of our value, and through this album, that is what we wanted to protect, our unchanging value with our Atiny."
Jongho, "The value is very valuable." Hongjoong, "And even if a raven comes…" [Ok, I can't help myself. Even if the raven comes? Hongjoong, why do you need to foreshadow doom?]
Man on Fire
"Leap into flames - Ardent - Lure - Light and dark - Losing oneself"
Mingi described the lyrics of Man On Fire as, "capturing the severeness of love."
"Going through the flames, yeah; The sin of coveting the sun. Even if I turn to ash, I don’t care, yeah. If it’s just for your love, yeah; I would weather any storm, yeah. You, who colors everything red; Stepping into this place was a mistake from the start; The forbidden fruit must be destroyed before my eyes, ah, yeah. I got no way; Swallowing the sun that is you, igniting; A song of longing I can’t resist; I’d walk into these flames, if it’s for you."
When I read these lyrics, it reminded me of the story of Icarus, who overcome by the giddiness of flying, flew too close to the sun causing its heat to melt the wax holding the feathers to the wings his father built for him and plunge into the sea. Coveting the sun, swallowing the sun, flying too close to the sun all have the same effect. Destruction of oneself. They are willing to destroy themselves to what they desire. Songtell states, "The general theme of the song revolves around a consuming desire that drives the speaker toward self-destruction or transformation. This burning passion is likened to fire, symbolizing both the exhilarating warmth and the potential danger of getting too close." I like Songtell including "transformation" as an option for what Ateez is headed towards. Maybe the sun won't just destroy them but transform them. Maybe that is Wooyoung's hope when he, like Icarus, chose to fly too close to the sun by using Sopro.
Selfish Waltz
"Feud - Hatred - Regret - Oblivion - Iterations"
Selfish Waltz seems to be the favorite song on this album by most of Atiny based on my Twitter timeline. San described it as, "This is a mind game, it was done on purpose." Hongjoong, the writer of the song, included, "It is a great song and waltz is a partner dance, and so having selfish in the title is ironic."
"I don't know, can't describe; You and I, again; Falling apart, oh; Tonight feels like a war. Eyes frozen (Why you actin' like that?); We feel like we've gone crazy (Why you so aggressive?); Throwing out to each other; Sharp words that can't be erased. (With your tears) Blinded by selfishness. (No one's gonna see) As if we never loved each other. Even though we know we'll regret it. Yeah, we know. It's the same every time, like, like, oh, like a waltz (Like a waltz). Going round and round, back to where we started (Back to where we started). Dancing to this endless music; Our love song, like a war."
Anyone else feel really uncomfortable when reading the party at Yeosang's villa parts of the diaries. That is what this song reminds me of, that night and specifically Yeosang's and Wooyoung's argument. "Tonight feels like a war, sharp words that can't be erased." Both were being "blinded by selfishness". Both lacked perspective and empathy towards the other. This happens often in an argument. You dig in on how you are feeling and forget that on the other side if someone you care about. Yeosang may have won the battle, but Wooyoung's later actions may have cost him the war. We will have to wait to find out.
Final Thoughts
Golden Hour: Part 2 is the yin to Golden Hour: Part 1's yang. Although we went through some tough emotions in Part 1 when learning about Ateez leaving their dreams behind and separating, seeing them try to come together again only to end in such destruction, was even more heartbreaking. I have no idea what will come of Wooyoung's selfish choice to use Sopro to align the other's emotions with his, but I sure do hope his strategy pays off and does not cause him to be in control of the others like Z was in control of the citizens of Strictland. We all saw how that turned out for him.