The Mole: Anime Edition

Episode Nine

(Shot of that road in Japan.)
Manny: (VO) It all began in Japan. It was a wild ride, and one that is about to come to completion.

(Flashback to all the shots. Shot of Naru landing in the Free Fall game.)
(Shot of everybody waiting outside Taichi’s cell, waiting for Sana.)
(You get the idea… montages of all the games, and all the characters.)

(Shot of Tomoyo, sequestered.)
Tomoyo: Well, it’s time to either taste the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. I’ve had my share of friends go through both, so I’m well prepared either way.

(Shot of Tenchi, sequestered.)
Tenchi: It was a wild ride, and certainly fun while it lasted. All that’s left is to reap the spoils.

(Shot of Ruri, sequestered, looking calm.)
Ruri: What can I say? I’m nervous as hell.

Contestants
Naru Narusegawa- College Student: "Love Hina"
Akito Tenkawa- Pilot/Cook: "Nadesico"
Sakura Kinomoto- Student/Shoujo Heroine: "Cardcaptor Sakura"
Sana Kurata- Child Actress: "Child’s Toy"
Satoshi Sekai- Animal Trainer: "Pocket Monsters"
Akito Hayama- Student: "Child’s Toy"
Taichi Yagami- Student: "Digimon"

Ruri Hoshino- Navigator: "Nadesico"
Tenchi Masaki- Apprentice Shrinesman: "Tenchi Muyo"
Tomoyo Daidouji- Student: "Cardcaptor Sakura"

The Final Revealing
(Manny is in the basement of my dorm at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater campus. It’s a TV Pit, with a television hanging over him. The room has light blue walls and carpeting, and blue chairs and sofas, on which sit Naru, Akito, Sakura, Sana, Satoshi, Hayama, and Taichi. Over to the side, on the other side of the "hall" (a walkway with lighter carpeting and some cement columns separating it), there are a series of tables and chairs.)

Manny: Well, greetings. I know this is the first time you seven have been together since you were all executed. And naturally, since the Mole earns less respect than Survivor, we can’t even get the gym, we have to settle for the basement of the author’s dorm.

Satoshi: Actually, this is pretty nice.

Manny: Right. Anyway… the real deal started out with an apology from Charlie to Kate. Taichi?

Taichi: What? Oh… right… ‘Tosh I take it back- I don’t think you’re the Mole.

(Laughter from the others.)

Manny: Great, print it, let’s get moving. I’m going to ask each of you two important questions. First off- who’s the Mole. Second- who’s going to win?

Naru: Well… can you really value my opinion after how well I did? Anyway, I think Tenchi’s the Mole… and Tomoyo will win the money.

Akito: I agree. I gotta say Tenchi… although Ruri will probably win.

Manny: Sakura? This should be interesting.

Sakura: Yeah. Tomoyo certainly made herself suspicious, but I have to think Ruri’s the Mole, and it looks like Tomoyo’s going to take me on a shopping spree later.
(laughter)

Sana: Tomoleyo-chan!

Manny: You say Tomoyo?

Sana: Yep! And Tenchi’s winning!

Satoshi: Oh boy. I don’t think I suspected any of them. Don’t ask how I beat these four. Um… Tenchi’s the Mole, Ruri wins.

Hayama: Strange as it sounds I agree with Sana.
Sana: Hah! There’s a first for everything.
Hayama: Tomoyo’s the Mole… but just to spite Sana I’ll say Ruri wins.

Taichi: I agree. Tomoyo’s the Mole, but Tenchi wins.
(Sana jumps up and hugs Taichi.)
Sana: He agreed with me! Love ya lots!

Manny: Where’s Ruri when you need her? Anyway… I have to ask all of you who pretended to be the Mole at one time?

(Hayama and Taichi raise their hands.)

Manny: Not you Sana?

Sana: Nope! I am not a Mole!

Satoshi: You have got to be kidding me.

Manny: Anyway… here are the results of the review poll at fanfiction.net

(Shot of a screen, showing the results- "Ruri- 33%, Tenchi- 33%, Tomoyo- 33%.")
Manny: Slightly indecisive, isn’t it? Anyway, let’s have a look at why our polls were split evenly, and how anyone of the three remaining contestants could pass off as a Mole.

(Caption: "RURI")
(Shot of Ruri in the sniper game, ducking behind Rally Vincent.)

Manny: (VO) Ruri had the simple task of reporting in to Sana during the Sniper game. Her failure to report disqualified them from winning the game.

(Interviewing shot of Tenchi, from Episode 4.)
Tenchi: (VO) You have to wonder where Ruri was during that game. She was still alive, but she didn’t report, making Sana think she was dead. If Sana and Tomoyo would have made to the warehouse, Ruri would have gotten them disqualified!

(In the fortress game, shot of Takeru sneaking around the outside. Ruri shoots at him and misses.)

Manny: (VO) Ruri, manning the spotlight in the Fortress Game was in a position to lead the others astray.

(Shot of Taichi, arguing with Ruri after the episode 6 challenge.)
Taichi: Jeez Ruri, I don’t have eyes on the back of my head, if I would have known someone was trying to get in I would’ve stopped them.

(Shot of Daisuke, knocking the bowl over. He stupidly celebrates as Manny narrates.)

Manny: (VO) She also had a clear shot at Takeru Takaishi, yet was unable to hit him. But when the mission was over…

(Daisuke is pelted with paint and looks up, where Ruri is stationed.)

Manny: (VO) Direct hit on Daisuke.

Ruri: Baka.

(Shot of Barb, explaining the solution to the laptop puzzle from the Three Rooms game in Episode 8.)

Manny: (VO) Ruri also missed several key clues in her room in the Three Rooms game, including a piece of sheet music to help Tenchi get out, and a laptop code leading to more clues.

(Caption: "TENCHI")
(Shot of the Trap University game of Episode 4, and Tenchi arguing with Hayama.)
Manny: (VO) Despite Hayama’s insistence, Tenchi persisted that Ruri continue to solve puzzles in the Trap University game.

Ruri: Can I work on the next puzzle?

Tenchi: Yes, go ahead Ruri.

(Interview shot of Taichi.)
Taichi: Tenchi’s a top suspect to me. I mean, I don’t trust Hayama either, but if he says the puzzles are costing us money, it’s better to stop making money than to risk losing money, isn’t it?

(Shot of Tenchi, preparing to walk the hot coals in the Trust Me game in Ep 7.)

Manny: (VO) In the Trust Me assignment, Tenchi was the only one to refuse to go through with his task, and cost Tomoyo an execution, and almost cost the group $60,000.

Tomoyo: Me? He’s the one chickening out!

Tenchi: I’m not chickening out! If it was Tai guiding me I’d probably do it… but I can’t trust you.

(Shot of Tenchi, from the Three Questions game- episode 8)

Manny: Tenchi, when asked a series of questions, ensured that Ruri and Tomoyo would be unable to reach him by answering them all randomly.

(Interview shot of Tomoyo.)
Tomoyo: The only real way you could sabotage this game was to answer the questions randomly. It ensures that the other players would not guess right.

(Caption: "TOMOYO".)
(Shot of everyone but Ruri, Hayama, and Sakura at a table, waiting for the mentioned three to complete the ATM game in Episode 1.)
Manny: (VO) Tomoyo’s work was seen immediately in the first episode, when the seven not participating in the ATM game were told not to discuss pertinent information given to them. Tomoyo had other ideas.

Akito: Me and Ruri are from the 22^nd Century, how is that not a continuity mistake??

Satoshi: It is a little weird.

Tomoyo: I’m just surprised so many people here have dead parents.

Akito: Well it wasn’t my fault they were murdered!

(Interview shot of Tenchi.)
Tenchi: Very quietly and innocently, she just cost the group ten thousand by bringing up the thing with the dead parents. And as one of those with a dead parent, that does seem a bit inappropriate.

(Shot of Tomoyo, calling Taichi in the BCH game.)

Manny: (VO) Again, she crafted her work carefully, spending $5,000 of the group’s pot to call Taichi to see if he was at a location Barb had already said he was not at.

Tomoyo: Why don’t we call Taichi to see if he hears the helicopter?

Ruri: It costs $5,000.

Tomoyo: It’s worth it, isn’t it?

(Shot of the episode 5 Three Routes game as Tomoyo is seen trying to restart the van.)

Manny: (VO) During the Three Routes game, Tomoyo did do a few things to make sure that the Resourceful team did not make it to the hotel.

(Interview shot of Tenchi)
Tenchi: Tomoyo never really helped out much trying to get us to the hotel. And as much as it sounded like I was joking, that innocent look of hers does raise serious suspicion.

(Shot of the seven losers, taking this in on the television set. Manny stands up.)

Manny: Now we are going to take it over to the bullring, as Barb presides over the eighth execution.

(Over at the bullring in Ronda. Barb is standing over the big computer.)

Barb: Okay, here’s how it works. If a red thumbprint appears, you are the Mole’s eight victim. However, if a green thumbprint appears, you are either the recipient of $515,000… or the Mole. Ready? Okay.

(Shot of the computer screen… it flashes red.)

(Shot of Ruri, who sighs, and looks down.)

Sakura: (VO) No way!

Akito: (VO) Wow… I feel sorry for her.

(Shot of the seven. Akito and Sakura are shocked, and even Hayama’s eyes are a bit wider than before.)

Sana: Yeah… poor Ruri-chan.

(Back to the bullring, as Ruri stands up, obviously saddened, but hiding it. She begins to walk out. Barb goes to her side.)

Barb: You played a great game Ruri.

Ruri: Not good enough, I see.
 

(Shot of the basement party-zone, as Ruri walks in to cheers, many coming from Akito, who is smiling widely and clapping.)

Akito: Good job Ruri!

(Ruri shakes hands with many of the others, with Satoshi and Taichi especially jumping in to congratulate her. Ruri eyes Hayama nervously and goes to sit down next to Taichi.)

Sana: Don’t worry Ruri, I feel the same way.

Ruri: About me losing?

Sana: No! About Hayama! He may not be a Mole, but don’t trust him for a second.

(Ruri smiles slightly.)

Manny: Okay… now the big moment. Two left. One winner, and one Mole. Let’s find out who’s who. Just remember that Tenchi and Tomoyo do not know that Ruri has already lost.

(Barb explains the same situation to the next person.)

Barb: If a red thumbprint appears, you are the Mole’s eight victim. However, if a green thumbprint appears, you are either the recipient of $515,000… or the Mole. Ready? Okay.

(She enters a name into the computer. It flashes green.)

(Shot of Tenchi, unsure of the situation.)

Barb: (OS) Congratulations Tenchi… you’ve just won the game.

(Tenchi stands up, in complete shock.)

Tenchi: Wow… it’s that easy?

Barb: I wouldn’t call it easy, but you have won $515,000. Ready to meet your adversary?

(Tenchi laughs. Shot of the eight eliminated. Sakura can’t control the smile on her face.)

Tenchi: (VO) Bring her in.

Barb: (VO) How did you know it was a her?

(Hayama shakes his head.)

Ruri: Baka.

(Shot of the entrance to the ring, as the Mole, Tomoyo Daidouji, enters the ring and hugs Tenchi.)

Tenchi: Wow… I’ve been suspecting you since Day 1, but it’s still a complete surprise…

(Shot of Sakura, absolutely beaming. Pan down to Taichi, who smiles and nods, and over to Hayama, who (although not smiling) begins clapping for a job well done. The others follow suit. Back to the ring, as Tomoyo is smiling as much as Sakura was. Barb shakes Tomoyo’s hand.)

Barb: And I think you played the best game of all. Congratulations.

(They begin heading back, although a couple of them can’t help but stare back at that weird cloaked guy.)

(Shot of the reunion center, as Barb leads Tenchi and Tomoyo into the area, where they are both met with a standing ovation. Hayama is true to his word, as the first thing he does is shakes the Mole’s hand, followed by Satoshi and Sana, who do the same. Tenchi is getting audience from Naru and Akito, receiving a hug from the former, and a handshake from the latter. Tomoyo hugs Taichi, but saves a big hug for Sakura.)

Tomoyo: (apologetic) I’m sorry Sakura.

Sakura: For what? That was absolutely amazing!!

(Tomoyo smiles as they all head back to their seats.)

Manny: For the record, Barb had no previous knowledge of who the Mole was, and we did that to ensure that she’d be a neutral host.

Barb: I kinda figured it out along with everybody else a couple days beforehand.

Manny: No… that’s because you got me drunk and I told you that it was Tomoyo.

Satoshi: You knew it was her Mr. Edwards?

Manny: Yes actually. I was one of the people responsible for choosing which one of you ten would be our Mole. I had known all along.

Barb (taking a chair and sitting next to Manny): Any reactions?

Satoshi: I’m definitely surprised. She played a fantastic game, and while I definitely had suspected her at one point, she was never my main target.

Naru: I actually thought it would be the other way around, with Tenchi being the Mole and Tomoyo getting the money.

Sakura: I still can’t believe it!
(laughter)

Sakura: I mean, this is my best friend, and she managed to hide this from me for as long as I was in the game. This is a side of Tomoyo I’ve never seen before. I gotta wonder what else she’s hiding!

Manny: Anyway, I’m sure everybody has a lot to ask Tomoyo, and since I’m the host… I’m going to do that! Tomoyo?

Tomoyo: Yes?

Manny: What was the most difficult thing about this job? What was the hardest part?

Tomoyo: Well, the hardest part was that I couldn’t be myself. And that my entire life for a month was based on lying. It’s not something I’m used to, and probably why you picked me for this.

Manny: Hell yeah. Still did great.

Tomoyo: Thank you. But I had to lie to my friends, and during the interviews. I got so strung up sometimes after interviews that I actually videotaped myself confessing as something of a stress reliever. Just being on the camera telling "the world" how I did it.

Manny: Really?

Tomoyo: And just having my camera helped a lot, although I was hesitant at first because somebody might get a hold of it.

Barb: I believe the Tomoyo-cam was part of all this.

Tomoyo: Yes. The night that Naru was executed, I was feeling really guilty. It’s a real shame that she was the first one gone, I liked her a lot. So I basically videotaped an apology to her that night in my room, where I basically told her I was sorry for getting her executed.

(Shot of Naru, smiling and listening.)

Tomoyo: (OS) Later that night, Sakura was in my room and noticed that my tape was used a bit and asked what I put on it. I forgot what I said.

(Flashback to the "Tomoyo-Cam" from Episode Two.)

Tomoyo: But I was a bit scared that she’d ask to watch it, so the next day, I was going around videotaping everybody… and at the same time taping over that little confessional from the night before.

Barb: And lying in the real interviews wasn’t easy either.

Tomoyo: No, definitely not. But Tenchi actually made it easier. See, I had to point fingers with everybody else to avoid suspicion, and with Tenchi coming so strong on to me, I figured I’d get back at him a little bit and point the finger directly back at him.

Barb: Now, although I’m pretty sure I know the answer to this, who was the hardest to throw astray?

Tomoyo: Well, I don’t know if you mean. Do you mean, uh, that you know they’re going to be executed soon, or that I was trying to eliminate them?

Barb: Both. We’ve got time. It’s fanfic- no commercials!

Tomoyo: Well… it was obviously hard when I knew somebody was going to be eliminated soon, and I said before about Naru, but also Sakura. I never really grasped that I would have to lie to my best friend’s face. That was really difficult, and it was even more difficult when I found out that it was working. That Sakura had been led astray and that she would be executed soon.

(Shot of Taichi comforting Tomoyo before the Sniper challenge in Episode 4.)
Tomoyo: (VO) And I did feel bad when she was gone. Believe me Taichi, when I looked depressed before that Sniper challenge, that had nothing to do with me being the Mole. I was seriously sad that Sakura was gone.

(Footage from the episode.)

Taichi: If it’s about Sakura, I know how you feel. Just gotta remember to keep going. Take some time and just let it go.

(Shot of the group, watching.)

Tomoyo: Did I remember to thank you for getting me back on track?

Taichi: (smiling) Yeah… it’s nice to know that I helped you get out of your sadness, and helped you get rid of more people.

Barb: Taichi’s dealings with Tomoyo actually helped pave the path to Tenchi winning later on, but more on that later.

Sakura: Don’t worry, Tomoyo, I’m proud of you.

Naru: Yeah. No hard feelings here. You played good.

(Tomoyo smiles.)

Tomoyo: Thanks. You’d be surprised how sincere I was during this game. Even as the Mole, I was still personally affected by the stuff that Taichi said after the Fortress game, and Ruri’s answers for the Questions in episode 8.

Manny: Tenchi had suspected Tomoyo from the beginning, which is why I’m not too surprised to see him win. But what about a few of the others? I asked a few of you regarding the likelihood of Tomoyo being the Mole…

Sana: Among others!

Manny: Obviously, Sana. If I asked on Day 1 if you thought Tomoyo was the Mole, you’d be slightly suspicious, wouldn’t you? Anyway… here are some fun responses.

(Shot of Tenchi, at dinner.)
Tenchi: I just seem to be drawn to Tomoyo as the Mole. I think it’s more of an intuition thing, but she just has that look that suggests that she’s hiding something.

(Shot of Akito, interviewing.)
Akito: Tenchi seems to think Tomoyo could be the Mole, but I don’t know where he gets it from. She’d be probably the last person on my list. Between Hayama and Taichi, there’s a lot of directly suspicious stuff. Sure, she could be that quiet innocent person, but I think that Narusegawa would be the Mole if I was to look at that.

(Shot of Sana, interviewing.)
Sana: Hmm… I might be overlooking Tomoyo, but that’s what a good Mole should do! Hide in the ground and let all the others fly overhead and miss you! I still say it’s Hayama though.

(Shot of Sakura, interviewing.)
Sakura: Tomoyo? Obviously I can’t dismiss the possibility, but one night when I was in her room I looked her right in the eyes and asked if she was the Mole. She told me she wasn’t. So there is no way I am going to believe she’s it.

(Back in the interview room, Tomoyo is looking a bit sad.)
Tomoyo: That one moment, looking her in the eyes and saying it. That was probably the single most difficult part of the whole experience. And that’s when I realized two things. One was that there was no way this was going to get harder, and that I’d do fine in this. (smiling) And two- was that I was going to kill Manny for making me do that to Sakura!

(laughter)

Manny: Anyway, we’re going to take a short break, and when we come back- we look at the two alliances that emerged. The one that failed, and the one that succeeded. We’ll be right back.

(Manny wipes some sweat from his forehead)
Manny: We’re off. Vending machine is down the hall. Be back in three, I’m trying to get this done before anybody notices us.

(Shot of Taichi and Satoshi, as Sana and Hayama join them.)

Hayama: Anything good here?

Taichi: Not really. Sana, wanna start rapping?

Satoshi: No!

Sana: Aw… I thought this was going to be the heartfelt apology scene.

Taichi: Not really, I already said I didn’t think Satoshi was the Mole, and telling off Kasumi was the boldest thing I’d ever done.

Satoshi: Well at least apologize for saying I’d end up with Kasumi one day. That hurt.

(Sana face faults.)

Taichi: Baka.

(Taichi walks away, and is met by Ruri.)

Taichi: Hey… did you do it?

Ruri: Yes. While back in my time I cashed your check…

(Ruri pulls a million yen out of her backback and hands it to Taichi. Taichi smiles.)

Taichi: Thanks, you are the greates… wait… who’s this on the front?

(Shot of the money, with a weird looking guy on the front.)

Ruri: That is Hotohori, who led the United Forces and brilliantly reclaimed the moon in our war against Jupiter… I suppose that money wouldn’t work in your time.

Taichi: Aw damn.

Ruri: And since you already did cash it, there’s no way to get it back. The money will be taken out of the AA’s account and is pretty much going to waste… unless you wanted to give it to myself or Akito.

Taichi: Fine… keep it.

(Taichi hands the money to Ruri. Taichi walks away, Ruri cracks a half smile.)

Ruri: Who needs to know who the Mole is when I know people like him?

(Everybody rushes back to their seats as the commercial break ends.)

Manny: Now, anyone who has seen the real show knows of the coalition between Steven and Jim, which helped Steven win the money. We had our share of coalitions too. And the first will go down in history as the worst coalition to ever play the game. Of course, I am talking about Taichi and Satoshi.

Taichi: We sucked. Seriously.

Manny: Now, what was the plan with this?

Satoshi: The concept was that we would bond together as the two big "monster" animes that were big in America, and that would lead many to believe that we were covering for each other and that Taichi was the Mole.

Naru: I wouldn’t call that a terrible coalition, it worked for me. I really thought that Satoshi could have been Moles.

Taichi: Yeah, the helicopter thing was his idea. I basically told Tomoyo that I could hear the helicopter when there wasn’t one around. Essentially, Satoshi and I were basically isolating ourselves from each other, and pretty much making us look as suspicious as possible.

Manny: And actually this did help eliminate some of the earlier people. Naru, Sakura, and Sana’s answers in particular tended to suggest that they thought either one of you two were Moles.

Satoshi: The big problem is that we ourselves didn’t know who the Mole was, so we were as vulnerable as anybody.

(Shot of Taichi telling off Kasumi and Satoshi in episode 5.)

Manny: (VO) There was also that breakdown in episode 5, which left Satoshi in no position to think about the Mole’s identity squarely, leading to his execution.

Barb: This coalition between Satoshi and Taichi kinda sucked ass, but out of it emerged the alliance that did prove to be the game’s decisive moment. Take a look at this…
 

(Clip from Episode 6, of Tenchi and Tomoyo in Taichi’s room.)
Tomoyo: Me neither. (sarcastic) If Tenchi was to think anyone else was the Mole, I would be totally devastated!

(Taichi snaps out of it and joins them in laughter)

Taichi: You two just crack me up sometimes. You know, considering how you suspect each other like this, you should team up or something.

Tenchi: (joking around) Yeah! Between us two, we’ve got a 40% chance of being right.

(Shot of the group watching this on television.)

Barb: Little did Taichi know that by suggesting that Tenchi and Tomoyo team up, he had just given Tenchi the extra edge he needed to win the game.

(The monitor covers episode 6, and Taichi’s infamous laying into Tomoyo.)

Taichi: Is this what’s going to happen every time we decide to put some faith in you? Right now I’m starting to hope you are the Mole, because that would be a lot more forgivable than this being an accident.

(Tomoyo is starting to tear up, shocked at Taichi’s words.)

Tomoyo: Taichi.

(Shot of Tomoyo running off, as she narrates.)

Tomoyo: (VO) Again, that wasn’t acting. I was quite unhappy with Taichi at that point. And I’ll be honest, when Tenchi was talking to me later, I really wanted to let it out at that point and tell him. I was tired of being the Mole.

Manny: Fortunately, we have footage of that.

(Hidden footage from the episode, as Tenchi is comforting an almost crying Tomoyo.)

Tenchi: Hey, we’re all a little nervous. Everybody makes mistakes.

Tomoyo: (sad) Yeah but… I just can’t believe that…

Tenchi: Well, if it makes you feel better, I think you’re the Mole, so you’ve already got an excuse for screwing up!

Tomoyo: Thanks Tenchi.

(Tenchi smiles.)

Tenchi: You know what would really screw him over. Ruri said before that him and Satoshi had a coalition. Maybe we should try one.

Tomoyo: Why would I want a coalition with you… I think you’re the Mole.

Tenchi: I think you’re the Mole too, it’s perfect! We should do stuff to make ourselves suspicious, and make people believe that one of us is the Mole.

Tomoyo: Yeah… that sounds like a good idea. It’ll be a good cover for my bonehead mistakes!

Tenchi: Yeah!

(Barb shuts off the monitor.)

Barb: As you could guess, Tenchi missing the stop in the Carriage game and not walking the coals in the Trust Me game are to cast suspicion away from Tomoyo and onto himself. Tomoyo, what was it like entering into a coalition as the Mole?

Tomoyo: I was really surprised that he asked, but I figured that there was no better way to divert attention away from myself than by entering into an coalition with Tenchi. I actually could do more suspicious things and everybody would think coalition.

Ruri: Certainly had me fooled.

Tomoyo: As for Tenchi himself, I was thinking that by growing in our friendship, and growing with this alliance, he would eventually come to believe that I wasn’t the Mole and switch his efforts to Ruri. After all- what Mole would enter an alliance with a player? But Tenchi’s persistent, and stayed with me the whole way.

Barb: Tenchi, you suggested the idea and offered it to the person you thought was the Mole. Strategy or stupidity?

Tenchi: A little of both. I seriously thought that Tomoyo was the Mole, and was testing her out by suggesting the alliance. And what she said was right, her participation in the alliance actually decreased my certainty of her as the Mole. I have a feeling I was hanging in there by the skin of my teeth. But I could not believe that Ruri was the Mole, so I stuck with Tomoyo for the heck of it. And I was just dumbfounded to find that she was actually the Mole.

Barb: I suppose that’s playing the game well. Strange, but it worked. I’ll just say that the final execution scores were quite low, and Tenchi only won by two questions, 14-12.

Manny: Now comes the fun part. The time of the show where we go through exactly how Tomoyo did the deed. And believe me- it goes way beyond not being able to shoot Davis.

Taichi: Daisuke.

Manny: Whatever.

(Barb walks in)

Barb: And we’ll also cover the secret hints that led you in Tomoyo’s direction… or so they should have if you were paying attention.

Manny: Those are later… especially since you missed one less than a minute ago. Roll it!

(Shot of all ten in the middle of nowhere, Japan.)

Manny: (VO) Unlike the ABC version, Tomoyo was not given prior knowledge on any of the tests. This was done to not only give Tomoyo plausible deniability, but also as a sort of challenge for her, although I was always there to give some pointers in case she was running dry.

(Caption: "Episode 1")
Tomoyo: (VO) The first thing I knew I wanted to do was be myself. I really didn’t plan on doing any sabotaging for the first episode, and just got to know the others better, and find weak spots, and see who was coming on to me. It was a little rough, especially when Tenchi picked me from the start.
(Shot of the eight people waiting during the ATM game.)
Tenchi: I’m looking at Tomoyo, and I’m thinking it’s a perfect disguise.
(Shot of Tomoyo, taken aback.)
Tomoyo: (VO) I was really frightened then, and I think I might have struck too early planting the dead parents in there and costing the group ten thousand dollars. But Manny assured me that it was okay, and if I just slowed down and played Tenchi’s game of random accusations, pointing fingers at people like Sana or Hayama, I’d be fine.
(Caption: "Episode One Attempted Spoils- $10,000. Successful Spoils- $10,000.")

(Shot of the Van Team in the BCH test. Caption: "Episode Two.")
Tomoyo: Why don’t we call Taichi to see if he hears the helicopter?
Ruri: It costs $5,000.
Tomoyo: It’s worth it, isn’t it?
Manny: (VO) Although Tomoyo certainly gets the points for costing the group $5,000, it was not her decision that cost the group the assignment as a whole. Remember that Ruri did not suggest looking somewhere else until Tenchi found the brochures on the boat to Canne.
(Shot of the Observant team, Tomoyo, Ruri, and Hayama, during the Cartier Test.)
Tomoyo: Hold on, why don’t we try calling the company?
Hayama: Do they speak English?
Tomoyo: Only one way to find out.
(Shot of Tomoyo calling on the phone.)
Tomoyo: (VO) My plan for the watch game was to act like I was helping the team discover which watch was fake, and yet slow down the team as much as possible during the game. It was actually Hayama that helped foil this plot, as he helped us get up the hill in time, and selected the correct watch. I really had no idea which watch was fake, so I went along with his guess, hoping it would be wrong. Unfortunately…
(Shot of Manny blowing the fake watch to smithereens.)
Tomoyo: (VO) …He guessed right.
(Caption: "Episode Two Attempted Spoils- $25,000. Successful Spoils- $5,000.")

(Shot of Tomoyo bullfighting. Caption: "Episode Three")
Tomoyo: (VO) The bullfight game would have been extremely difficult to sabotage, so I didn’t try to. Instead, I decided that the best move would be to continue to convince people that I couldn’t possibly be the Mole. So I did my passes with the bull, and actually attempted a tienta, which would have added $5,000 had I succeeded.
(Slow-motion shot of the tienta attempt. Tomoyo reaches around for the tail as the bull jerks around. Tomoyo puts a hand on the bull’s head next to his horns, and pushes herself away from the bull, and down to the ground. From there, she hustles back to safety.)
Tomoyo: (VO) I had to make sure that I wouldn’t succeed and add money, so I purposely made it look like the bull threw me to the ground, and just got away.
(Shot of the Dice Game, and Tomoyo discovering she has to shave her head.)
Tomoyo: (VO) The dice game was probably the one that I feared would give me away. I made up some excuse about not wanting to deal with the humiliation of Sakura seeing me like that. But I was just glad Taichi didn’t go through with his thing, and while he was very vocal in defending himself, I stayed pretty quiet, and even confronted him a bit about it.
(Caption: "Episode Three Attempted Spoils- $80,000. Successful Spoils- $0.")

(Shot of Barb and Manny announcing the Sniper Game. Caption: "Episode 4.")
Tomoyo: (VO) I thought that I had eliminated myself from the picture enough, so I decided to try a big one this time. Manny had told me that the assignment would involve one person isolated, and that she would be in a position to spoil without suspicion, so I decided to use the guilt I felt over Sakura to gain Taichi’s sympathy, and let him get me up there. Had he not, I would have explained my case anyway.
(Shot of Tomoyo and Sana running to the warehouse. Tomoyo turns around.)
Tomoyo: (VO) Since I did think Ruri was dead, I had to stop Sana from reaching the warehouse. Since I didn’t need an exemption anyway, I figured that I could turn around and attack Vash and lose the battle graciously. While shooting, I maneuvered myself behind Sana so that she’d go down first. I stopped for a second, debating on whether I should go for the exemption or not… but I got shot anyway.
(Shot of the Trap University game, and Tomoyo, Sana, Hayama, and Satoshi doing the water puzzle.)
Tomoyo: (VO) My strategy for the Trap University game was to act as inept as possible for puzzles like these. I made sure that a couple games were spoiled because of me, like the water puzzle…
(Shot of the rope puzzle, where Tomoyo moves randomly around Hayama and Satoshi, screwing them up completely and binding them together… then Hayama cops a feel as they decide to pass.)
Tomoyo: (VO) The rope puzzle… and I tried to spoil one of the other puzzles too.
(Shot of them working on the "number of 9’s" puzzle.)
Tomoyo: So the answer’s twelve…
Hayama: Hold on… you forgot to count the ones between 90 and 100.
Tomoyo: Oh yeah, how’d I miss those?
(Caption: "Episode Four Attempted Spoils- $75,000. Successful Spoils- $60,000.")

(Shot of Tenchi, Tomoyo, and Yurika driving the van. Caption: "Episode 5")
Tomoyo: (VO) The Three Routes test was basically a combination of little things that added up to us not making it to the hotel. I had no doubts the van was going to break down, and let Tenchi take as much time as possible, as well as the pictures of our route. I just prevented him from looking at them by talking to him as much as possible
(Shot of Tomoyo, putting gas into her motor scooter.)
Tomoyo: (VO) Later, when I was refueling my scooter, I put a small hole into the tank so that the gas would leak out and we would run out before arriving at the hotel.
(Shot of the Reunion Game, and the group deciding on changes.)
Tomoyo: (VO) I wasn’t going to be too aggressive with sabotaging the Reunion game, since I wanted to see my guest as much as the next person. But when Taichi suggested I be labeled as the one "not hesitant to show feelings," I was right there to agree, even though I think I hide a lot of feelings… like being the Mole for one. If I said I was very hesitant in showing feelings, I’m sure a few people would look my way.
(Shot of Tomoyo being reunited with her mother.)
Tomoyo: (VO) It’s up to you to decide whether I had good luck or bad luck in that game.
(Caption: "Episode Five Attempted Spoils- $45,000. Successful Spoils- $0.")

(Shot of Taichi, Tomoyo, and Tenchi "partying" after dark. Caption: "Episode 6.")
Manny: (VO) Obviously, Tomoyo breaking curfew in Taichi’s room counted as $20,000 in spoils, but that’s pretty obvious so we’ll move on… to another obvious one.
(Shot of Tomoyo, trying out the gun before the Fortress task.)
Tomoyo: (VO) I knew that the best excuse for me sabotaging the Fortress game was claiming that I was inefficient in using the gun. Really, it didn’t bother me too much since I had gotten some with the laser gun in the Sniper test. That inefficiency was my key to saying I was unable to hit Daisuke, although it led to the things that Taichi said, and the alliance with Tenchi.
(Shot of Tomoyo and Tenchi agreeing to their alliance.)
Manny: (VO) As said before, Tomoyo’s alliance was done in part to relieve some of the pressure, and hopefully divert Tenchi’s suspicions away.
(Shot of Tomoyo and Hayama, heading to their stops in the Carriage test.)
Tomoyo: (VO) Although I knew that Tenchi was going to raises suspicions, I was actually planning on doing the same thing and getting lost on my way to my stop. Unfortunately, Hayama gave me a direct escort, so I naturally couldn’t lose my way if I was already there.
Hayama: So it looks like right here is stop 4, and 5 is two blocks down.
Tomoyo: Here comes the carriage. See you in a few minutes!
(Hayama runs off, as the carriage picks up Tomoyo.)
(Caption: "Episode Six Attempted Spoils- $140,000. Successful Spoils- $80,000.")

(Shot of the art studio, and caption "Episode 7.")
Tomoyo: (VO) I knew that by putting as much junk into the artwork as possible, it would be a dead giveaway to Yukito. The jewels and the "ten" and "chi" on the gloves were part of that. I knew that Taichi would let me put them in there, even though he kept saying "less is more." We were kind of at odds with each other, and being the nice guy that he is, he decided to let me have my way. It’s definitely very gracious, as it made my job a lot easier.
(Shot of Taichi and Tomoyo, heading to the plank.)
Taichi: Hey, I told you about all that stuff Manny and Barb threw at me on the island. I should be able to take this.
Manny: Sorry Tai, this is slightly worse than eating bugs.
Tomoyo: (VO) Taichi told me all the thing that he had to undergo in Animation Survivor, and one of those that stood out in particular was having to walk the hot coals as part of a ritual for the final challenge.
(Flashback all the way to Animation Survivor, where Taichi, as well as Kenji and Bart from "The Simpsons" are in front of hot coals.)
Taichi: Let me guess…
Barb/Manny: Yep.
Bart: What’s this one for?
Manny: Don’t have a clue.
Barb: We just like to torture you guys!
(Shot of Tenchi, relenting in front of the coals in Ep 7.)
Tomoyo: (VO) Since I knew Taichi would be able to go through with it, I gave Tenchi the coals, and worked it out so that he wouldn’t do it as part of the coalition. Manny also helped out by talking about the bugs instead of the hot coals.
(Shot of Taichi on the plank.)
Tomoyo: (VO) I didn’t act overly convincing to Taichi, and demanded that he do it, but when he decided to, I was very sincere about helping him, since I wanted him to go out on good terms with me. I’d been pretty much taking Taichi for a ride for his last week in the game, and him walking the plank was the icing on the cake.
(Shot of Taichi finishing the walk, and hugging Tomoyo, totally relieved. Caption: "Episode Seven Attempted Spoils- $100,000. Successful Spoils- $40,000.")

(Shot of Tomoyo explaining her answers in the Three Questions test. Caption: "Episode 8.")
Tomoyo: (slowly) Given the question, I’d rather spend the day with somebody my own age than somebody eight years older… regardless of gender… and regardless of sexual preference. Okay?
Tomoyo: (VO) I had not expected that Ruri would interpret my answer that way… especially since I had answered Ruri for every question on the list! Tenchi’s idea of going random was his own idea, and he actually admitted it. I decided not to, in order to try to get Tenchi off my back once and for all.
(Shot of Tomoyo, ignoring the number behind the curtain in the Three Rooms game.)
Tomoyo: (VO) With the three rooms game, I decided to be the Mole for as long as I possibly could, and then make a last ditch, totally honest, futile, all-out effort towards winning… and hopefully come up just short. So with about twenty-five minutes left, I made this all out spree and found everything in my room. I got out, and tried to help Ruri through everything, but she was just not on her game that day.
(Shot of Tomoyo, talking through Tenchi’s door.)
Tomoyo: We only have about seven minutes left.
Tenchi: What do you think these names mean?
Tomoyo: Hey, why don’t you try asking the clerks for one of them? Ask them if they know of a Rei Sagami?
Manny: (VO) Tomoyo had pretty much ensured that they wouldn’t discover the identity of Rei Ayanami at the desk by asking Tenchi to call Rei Sagami… the same Rei Sagami who helped drive Tomoyo and Ruri around in the BCH game in episode two. Having recognized the name, Tomoyo suggested it, knowing it was the worthless name of the three.
(Caption: "Episode Eight Attempted Spoils- $95,000. Successful Spoils- $85,000.")

(Interviewing shot of Tomoyo.)
Tomoyo: It’s a wild game, and going in blind to sabotage these games requires you to show no mercy. Go in there, and have at it. And remember- it’s just a game.
(Caption: "Total Attempted Spoils- $570,000. Total Successful Spoils- $280,000.")

(Shot of Taichi, who nods as we get a reaction from the studio.)

Manny: It gets better- there were several clues that gave this away. Many of them had to deal with Manny’s involvement with the selection process, which is why we didn’t say that I knew who the Mole was until just now.

Manny: The first clue was right there in the character bios if you bothered to check them out. Here’s one for a regular player like Taichi…

(Screenshot from the webpage of Taichi's bio.)
Manny: (VO) Taichi is a strong leader that can gain respect quickly. Courageous, bold, loyal, everything a leader should be. But with leadership comes the ability to lead his teammates right where he wants them.

Barb:  (VO) Most of the descriptions were objective and calm in the same tone. But watch what happens when we hit our Mole.

(Screenshot of Tomoyo's bio.)
Manny: Tomoyo, from "Cardcaptor Sakura…" (more manic) Just look at this picture, she has Mole written all over it!! How could anyone distrust a face like that?

(Back to the reunion.)

Barb: Sure enough, she did have Mole written all over.

Manny: Also, Naru’s logic in thinking that we would choose a character from a series more closer to our studios definitely makes a lot of sense.

(Shot of Naru being interviewed in Episode 1.)
Naru: I’m looking at things a little differently. Since this is an American company making this show, you have to think they’d be a little more in touch with shows like Pokémon or Tenchi Muyo, so the people from those shows that are big in the States are probably on the top of my list first.

(And back…)

Barb: She guessed Pokémon and Tenchi Muyo, but managed to overlook Cardcaptor Sakura, as well as Digimon, in her reasoning.

Manny: I will say that I did choose Tomoyo partially because of her status as a dubbed series on the WB.

Tomoyo: (cheery) He also let me be the Mole as a kind of sign of respect for screwing around with my character in the dub!

(Manny looks a bit irate. Barb walks up and puts a hand on his shoulder.)

Barb: And it was the crappy dubbed version of Cardcaptor Sakura that provided the biggest hint towards Tomoyo’s Mole status.

Manny: You see, one of the biggest complaints I receive as head of the Kid’s WB division of the AA is the character of Madison, and how she frequently acts more like a valley girl… (smiles) and you know what valley girls say…

Naru: (smiling, sarcastically snobbish) What-ever!

Barb: So naturally, whenever somebody mistakenly used a dubbed characters name rather than a Japanese character’s name, Manny started the trend of using "whatever" as a retort. Here’s just a sampling…

(From the helicopter in Ep. 2…)
Manny: (sarcastic) Oh, yeah, Ash, like you’re a genius at stuff like that.
Sana: Isn’t his name Satoshi?
Manny: Whatever.

(From the cornfield…)
Manny: Okay, the substitute guard will be… James!
Kojiro: Kojiro.
Manny: Whatever.

(At the bullring in Ep. 3…)
Manny: And Cardcaptors…
Sakura: Cardcaptor Sakura!
Manny: Whatever.

(At Trap University, Ep. 4)
Mitsuke: If Gary…
Satoshi: Shigeru.
Mitsuke: Whatever.

(At the hotel in Ep. 5)
Taichi: Ask Mini-Matt what he wants?
Satoshi: Isn’t it Chibi-Yamato?
Taichi: Whatever.

(At the Ep. 5 execution…)
Globie: I’ll type in Madison.
Tomoyo/Mrs. Daidouji: Tomoyo!
Globie: Shoot. There goes my perfect game. Oh well- whatever!

(Shot of the room, stunned.)

Barb: Isn’t it a bit convenient to use a dubbed character’s catchphrase to make fun of bad dubbing?

Sana: These secrets are pretty weak… what else ya got?

Manny: Oh, um… well… the final thing was that the staff website lists one of the co-producer's home state as Wisconsin, the centerpiece of this series, without which we wouldn’t have anything- is Madison: Wisconsin’s capital and the dubbed name of our Mole. Likewise, my alma mater, as said before, is Readington Community College in Virginia. Readington, of course, is Madison's home town.

Barb: (dry sarcasm) How patriotic.

Manny: Individually, they aren’t much, but put them together, and it’s clear evidence of who the Mole is. But anyway, there you have it. Tomoyo Daidouji is the Mole, Tenchi will be really rich if we ever decide to pay him, and we have come to the end of yet another animated reality series knockoff.

Barb: On behalf of Manny Edwards, the Animation Alliance, and our ten contestants, I’m Barb Bresnick saying goodnight and remember- when life hands you lemons, don’t read them unless you are over seventeen or mature enough to handle the content. Sana, bring us home!

(Sana pulls out her digital composer, and composes one more musical number over the closing credits. Afterwards… shot of Ruri, who opens her mouth to say baka one last time. She is dubbed over by the voice of an obviously older woman.)

Woman: (VO) Whatever.

End Episode Nine

Author's Notes
Well, that's it. Another project is at an end, and although it kinda sucks that my Mole matched up with ABC's Mole (Tomoyo's actions was based on those of Mole Kathryn Price on the real show), it still worked out okay. As said before, I didn't know about it, and am a tad disappointed that we had the same ones. Oh well... whatever!!