Episode #50 "Shadow In The Dark"


Ferrariman

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A great, cinematic episode!One of my favorite episodes! Two main reasons: It is shot and directed VERY cinematically. You are thrown into a 45 minute long movie.Secondly, the writing is perfect. It's smart, quick and emotional, with a rewarding ending.Think of how Sonny is when the episode starts. And where he is by the middle of the episode. The writing takes Sonny to hell and back but does it with sharp, clipped dialogue.My favorite line in the episode comes from Castillo, and says it all: "Cancel the one."GENIUS!

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  • 3 weeks later...

This episode divides people and it certainly has done the same for me.I remember the first time i watched it i thought it was laughable.The burglar was not intimidating and i thought don johnsons acting was comical.It was very late at night and i fell asleep.Next night i watched it again-i viewed it different-i thought dons acting was amazing-deffo emmy effort.-its when he gets the guy to pick out something(is it a house?)its been so long since i seen it-and the sheer relief crockett has-also remember two great scenes-castillio meets him in a cafe-cancels his order and leaves with disgust at the way crockett is lol.Also tubbs has a great line about the cop who is in a mental hospital-telling sonny he is gone and that if he thinks they are going to chat with him over tea and thorozine he is as crazy as the cop lol.

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I totally agree with the glossary and my previous writers. Shadow In The Dark is a unsurpassable 45 - minutes - thriller combining all important VICE elements: incredible tension, deep-going and extensive dialogues, many close-ups, styled and highly decorated interiors and innovative fashion.:happy::clap::glossy::happy:Although Shadow In The Dark is presumable the darkest VICE episode, it features typical VICE - style. Only VICE can implement such a plot so much impressively. A great dose of skill was necessary to pack this comprehensive plot into 45 minutes - really really WELL DONE!!!:happy:The most interesting point for me is Sonny's transformation from the cool and hardened cop to a highly sensitive, tensed and nearly insane guy.:cool:Donnie plays this role overwhelmingly!!! I'm of the opinion that nobody can play this better that Donnie, especially it demands great skill to portray a cop who is between hard work and obsession without being ridiculous or overacting.Anyway he acts so perfectly that you don't realize that he's acting a part.:clap:PMT and EJO also do a great job. They are scared for Sonny and know for sure that his behavior isn't normal and can be dangerous.The scene where Sonny meets Castillo in the restaurant is pure VICE and therefore iconic: long close-ups and depp-going dialogues.:happy:The second scene which is such fantastic is where Sonny and Rico are in the restaurant and Sonny jumps to his feet and rushes out. His mimic art is awesome.Jack Thibeau aka Lt. Gilmore is remarkable too. He shows the typically broken up and burned-out cop, similar to Sonny in Season 5. He doesn't want to uphold a law any longer, he only wants to arrest "the shadow". The scene where he sits onto the freezer, fires inside it and screams "think like him, walk like him ..." is creepy, but terrific. :clap:At the end, Sonny is on the verge of lunacy when Rico and him scours the last house. When he eventually catches "the shadow", he beats him up - a very brutal scene, but suitable for such a dark episode.The icing on the cake is that we don't know whether Sonny dreamed the whole story or not, but one fact is certain: Shadow In The Dark belongs to one of the best episodes!!!10.000.000.000.000.000.000 points!

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  • 5 months later...
  • 5 months later...

is the scariest aspect to me!Oh yeah...the only thing I didn't really get was the "Shadow's" bizarre fish-like mouth actions?? What was that all about or was it really that important?Anyway, I'm hungry. Hmmm...screw Arby's--I'm thinkin' raw steak and flour tonight!! :p

This was my original review and rating of this episode. Not much has changed...except I would now give it a 10 instead of a 9! Superb episode!! :clap:What I failed to mention in my first statement was that I was spending the night at a friend's house that Halloween 1986. It was storming outside too, no I'm not kidding, and after watching this episode that night I was freaked out! :eek: I kept looking out the window with the thunder and lightning thinking...if I see that guy standing outside the next time the lightning flashes, I'll die of a heart attack before he can get me! :)This one just captivates me, and I'll be honest...it still kind of freaks me out when I watch it! I give kudos to anything that can still kind of scare me, as I like spooky or scary stuff and I'm kind of picky when it comes to what's really truly scary or just Hollywood crap. ;)There's so many psychos, "whackos", nut-jobs, druggies, crazies, etc...out there today, that I can see this happening for real---as I stated before this was based off a real-life case that a cop wrote a book about once. Again, that to me is scary enough...that basically this happened for real! :eek:But, I still don't understand the whole "fish-mouth" actions by "Shadow-Man"? :confused: What was that all about? What I also thought was bizarre was that Shadow only made Frankenstein-like grunts or moans throughout the episode, until the end...when he did talk. :rolleyes:Don did a superb job of acting in this one too, and he deserves kudos for sure!! :clap: Love Crockett's nightmare...that one made me jump 10 feet for sure the first time I saw this! I just love watching this one everytime and it's definitely one of season 3's best...in fact it might be my favorite for that season! :thumbsup:Hmm...steak sounds really good about now...but I like mine cooked. :p
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Yes, this episode is great. I love everything about it, The Shadow sure as hell did freak me out though. 10/10

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Yes' date=' this episode is great. I love everything about it, The Shadow sure as hell did freak me out though. 10/10[/quote']I know...he freaked me out too...still does! What's crazy is I was re-watching this one again last night, and it was storming outside just like it was on Halloween 1986, when I first watched it! Once again, I was listening to all kinds of banging and strange noises outside while the wind, thunder, and lightning raged on--it was a little too much deja-vu for me! :eek:However, instead of thinking if I look out the window and see Shadow standing there when the lightning flashed, I'll probably have a heart attack like I did when I was a kid...I was thinking I have my 9mm to greet Mr. "Steak Tartare" ;) (in case anyone is wondering that's a dish made up of mainly raw meat or steak :p )Did they ever really figure out what Shadow's obsession was with the flour and raw steak? I kind of got the whole lipstick drawings of violence and killing...him basically showing each time that he was working his way up to the final victims' bedroom to kill. But, what did the flour, raw steak, and taking men's pants have to do with that? I know he was completely insane and a madman with homicidal and/or violent tendencies...but I was just wondering if those aspects were ever really explained...or they were just left as the bizarre and twisted "brainfarts" of a demented, evil psychopath? :rolleyes:
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  • 11 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Until reading some of the comments in this thread I had completely forgotten this originally aired on Halloween!  Watched it a week or so ago but decided to hold off and rewatch on Halloween to honor the rather creepy vibe of the ep :)  It did not disappoint!  First off, the music had an eerie sound and enhanced the action and storyline.

 

(snipped) Again, why is this a Vice investigation? If you look at it within the context of this being one of Crockett's dreams then I guess no sense would make sense though, and in particular as Crockett used to work in Robbery then his mind may have been mixing up the past and present.Notice how when Crockett drags the rest of the team out late at night, he almost says "I sense that he's here", but manages to stop himself in time and change the words to "I swear that he's here". He's very much aware that he doesn't want them to think he's a nut case. Again I think DJ's acting in this episode is very good, and I think he put a lot of effort into it. Crockett asks Tubbs at the end of the scene "Do you think I'm crazy?". Tubbs replies "No, I just think neither of us has had much sleep recently". Crockett accuses him of not answering his question. If you notice, he did though! (snipped)  I also like how when Crockett is going into this semi trance while telling Tubbs how he wants to "take pictures of all these houses", he happens to catch sight of Tubbs staring at him as if he's crazy, and that snaps him out his trace, because at that point he realises that he's actually sounding crazy.Notice how impatient Crockett is with his obsession. Watch his reaction when the Psychiatric nurse at Gilmore's hospital stops to take the clip board.   

I agree, great acting by DJ.  Why was it a Vice investigation?  From the opening segment, it appeared it was not a Vice investigation, but due to community unrest and upset over the repeated incidents over the past couple of weeks in the same neighborhood, Headquarters had requested assistance from the OCB unit (whether that's believable or realistic I don't know--but it sounded plausible!)  Since Crockett had past experience in Robbery he would be a somewhat logical choice.  Why was it turned over to Vice after Gilmore's breakdown?  Now that's another question!  I didn't get the impression that the whole episode was a dream episode (like Missing Hours, for instance), but that's an interesting idea.

 

 Also interesting is Castillo recognized this and was trying to monitor it and remind Sonny of it also. The interaction between the partners was good. Rico doesn’t understand how Sonny can be so obsessed but he’s trying to help. He’s there for his partner, as Sonny gets more dragged into the Prowler’s psyche Rico seems to be his shadow and anchor to reality 24/7. Rico unceasingly tries to remind Sonny that he may be getting obsessed. Sonny is in control but barely. He comes close to hitting Rico but instead removes himself from the immediate confrontation when Rico says anyone can get a little crazy.

Yes, the interactions between Sonny, Castillo, and Rico were fascinating.  I was a bit surprised that Castillo didn't seem to enforce some of the restrictions  that he tried to place on Sonny during the investigation.  He obviously recognized the danger of Sonny becoming obsessed with the case, and gave him a lot of leeway and even support although Castillo himself didn't seem to feel Sonny was actually getting close to catching the burglar.  He was obviously concerned more about Sonny's mental stability and preventing him from going the way of Gilmore.  Rico was the anchor to reality, as you say.

 

(snipped) A major problem is the prowler was a complete doofus who was not in the least bit intimidating. He was about as menacing as Pee Wee Herman. Crockett says he's like Casper the Ghost. He's not as scary as Casper. What was the girl so scared of? She could kick his ass. (snipped)

True that the prowler never harmed anyone physically, but I disagree that he wasn't intimidating.  He carried a kitchen knife around in at least one of his break-ins, he was gradually moving closer to his victims, he forced the girl referred to above to get out of bed and get on the dining room table.  And his behavior (as well as his words, later) was so odd and *crazy* that it would have been frightening to confront him.

One thing I did wonder about:  In the first break-in we saw, the glass doors must have been 8 feet tall and maybe 40 inches wide per panel.  I have a hard time believing one man (who doesn't look like a super-strong person) could pop it off the track alone.  

 

I work 2nd to 3rd shift a lot. I have been know to come home and drink a martini at 8:00 am.  :rolleyes::)

LOL, not much of a drinker myself but have known plenty of people who do have a drink after working all night!  That was realistic for sure :)

 

A great, cinematic episode!One of my favorite episodes! Two main reasons: It is shot and directed VERY cinematically. You are thrown into a 45 minute long movie.Secondly, the writing is perfect. It's smart, quick and emotional, with a rewarding ending.Think of how Sonny is when the episode starts. And where he is by the middle of the episode. The writing takes Sonny to hell and back but does it with sharp, clipped dialogue.My favorite line in the episode comes from Castillo, and says it all: "Cancel the one."GENIUS! 

Agree. The writing, dialog, and the way each scene is set up and shot are great.  The scene with Sonny and Castillo at the restaurant is classic!

 

(snipped) But, I still don't understand the whole "fish-mouth" actions by "Shadow-Man"? :confused: What was that all about? What I also thought was bizarre was that Shadow only made Frankenstein-like grunts or moans throughout the episode, until the end...when he did talk. 

My take on this was that the "fish-mouth" actions were just another way to show the guy was a "whack-job", as someone else said.  He was weird and his actions didn't make logical sense, so the fish-mouth and grunting were ways of reinforcing that.

 

I also must comment on the colors, as whenever the OCB team appeared their clothing coordinated, with black, charcoal, deep blue, dusty turquoise and accents of bright yellow (Switek).  Honestly I had never paid attention to this prior to reading other members' comments in this forum, but now I notice with each episode.  It had to have been a lot of work to get the coordination just right!

 

All in all, a great spooky, creepy episode that is scary because everyone worries about an intruder entering their house while they're sleeping.  It strongly portrays Sonny's growing tendency to work a case to the point of obsession, to the point where he can't tell he's getting personally involved.  This does represent a development in his character that wasn't always there.  When I watched MV originally I didn't really pick up on the gradual disintegration of his character over the course of several years (not just in S5, for example) but while re-watching the series now, I am seeing that.  Wondering if this is truly something that was purposely planned by TPTB, or if it evolved accidentally, or if it was a direction taken primarily by DJ?  With the number of different writers, directors, and exec producers over the course of the show, it's a bit hard to believe there was an actual overall plan, but it's interesting (to me) to speculate!  

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I forgot how much I liked this unnerving psychological shadowy trip!
A thrilling dark ride on many levels, I don't know quite where to start,perhaps if I stare at a light bulb and outstretch 
my hands I'll get some clarity. For now I'll just share the moments that stood out for me.
 
Hammer's score for this is spooky, different, fitting. I can imagine him watching the footage and applying his sonic magic 
to this one. And I am a huge fan of Brain Eno's atmospheric styling, incredible to hear his work in this one as well.
The initial opening scene sets the mood so well, the shadow on the staircase after gazing at the slumbering 
homeowners. The writers must have had a blast with creating Shadow! Flour, raw meat, the creeptastic sketching....I know 
many of you have mentioned similarities of this episode to the exquisite film "Manhunter", and I'll add, in a related way 
that I have always got similar vibes of our villain here to Buffalo Bill from "The Silence of the Lambs." His dwelling 
spot was so well done, candles and stolen roadside construction barricade lights. He had a fixation with light....I want 
to write an entire paper analyzing this guy.
 
The morning diner scene between Sonny and Castillo is absolutely amazing. Sonny sipping shots of Jack Daniels, explaining 
his all nighter, epic acting that is perhaps right up in the upper echelon of my favorite moments of Miami Vice of all 
time. Don's acting is animated, heartfelt and electric throughout this entire episode. His obsession and slow disturbing slide into borderline insanity are so well written and acted.
I'll freely admit, both dream sequences made me jump, and this is what a solid suspenseful production is supposed to do.
 
 

 

All in all, a great spooky, creepy episode that is scary because everyone worries about an intruder entering their house while they're sleeping.  It strongly portrays Sonny's growing tendency to work a case to the point of obsession, to the point where he can't tell he's getting personally involved.  This does represent a development in his character that wasn't always there.  When I watched MV originally I didn't really pick up on the gradual disintegration of his character over the course of several years (not just in S5, for example) but while re-watching the series now, I am seeing that.  Wondering if this is truly something that was purposely planned by TPTB, or if it evolved accidentally, or if it was a direction taken primarily by DJ?  With the number of different writers, directors, and exec producers over the course of the show, it's a bit hard to believe there was an actual overall plan, but it's interesting (to me) to speculate!  

 

I never thought of this until you pointed it out some time ago, vicegirl85. And I'm right there with you. We seem to be continually witnessing the slow unraveling of Sonny's mental fortitude as a continual theme throughout the entire series, and watching from this vantage point it has added a much deeper dimension to the viewing experience this time around!

 

This episode gave me the chills, and I'll finish up with an idea. At the very end, when Sonny wakes up on his boat, how frightening would it have been if just after coming out of his nightmare, opening his eyes.... he looked up and saw some of the Shadow Man's red writing on the ceiling above his bed? 

10/10

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  • 1 year later...

One of the best of S3. I actually prefer Mahunter to The Silence of the Lambs. I watched this episode last Halloween. Made it even better. Has a real Michael Mann vibe.

The prowler is effing creepy.

DJ gives a great performance. The entire cast actully.

The nightmare scene is a cliche but i love it.

Great cinematography. Hammer's score was suspensful.

The only flaw is that the Crockett going crazy plot feels a little rushed. Ehh who cares. This is a classic.

10/10

Edited by Remington
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17 hours ago, Remington said:

One of the best of S3. I actually prefer Mahunter to The Silence of the Lambs. I watched this episode last Halloween. Made it even better. Has a real Michael Mann vibe.

The prowler is effing creepy.

DJ gives a great performance. The entire cast actully.

The nightmare scene is a cliche but i love it.

Great cinematography. Hammer's score was suspensful.

The only flaw is that the Crockett going crazy plot feels a little rushed. Ehh who cares. This is a classic.

10/10

This episode actually aired on Halloween that year...which made it even better! Superb, freaky episode...but what makes it even more creepy is that it was based off a real-life case! :eek:

I also remember seeing this one on Halloween night when it originally aired...scared the heck out of me! This is one of my favorites of the season. Im thinking raw meat with flour for supper tonight. :p

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  • 8 months later...

Just dropping by to say that I watched this episode once again last night and it never disappoints! 

Youtube user Lazarus A. Game (are you around here Lazarus? Nice job!)  has created a great trailer for this one that I just stumbled upon last night. I am really fond of these trailers because beyond being awesome,  I think they are a great way to get people to start watching Miami Vice who haven't seen it, or not seen the show in many years. Cheers! (and keep your meat and flour locked up!)

 

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6 minutes ago, DeepCover333 said:

Just dropping by to say that I watched this episode once again last night and it never disappoints! 

Youtube user Lazarus A. Game (are you around here Lazarus? Nice job!)  has created a great trailer for this one that I just stumbled upon last night. I am really fond of these trailers because beyond being awesome,  I think they are a great way to get people to start watching Miami Vice who haven't seen it, or not seen the show in many years. Cheers! (and keep your meat and flour locked up!)

 

Superb trailer...never seen one that good before! NBC would have wanted this back-when!  :clap:However, the altered or changed (aka the syndicated/DVD/Blu-ray versions) show logo at the end was used.

But, it’s hard to find a copy of the original logo used for seasons 3-5. For some unknown reason for syndication the logo for those seasons was changed from the MV teal & pink to a purple & green look. ?(  Sadly the DVD and Blu-ray sets also used the syndicated versions of episodes/logos. 

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1 hour ago, DeepCover333 said:

Just dropping by to say that I watched this episode once again last night and it never disappoints! 

Youtube user Lazarus A. Game (are you around here Lazarus? Nice job!)  has created a great trailer for this one that I just stumbled upon last night. I am really fond of these trailers because beyond being awesome,  I think they are a great way to get people to start watching Miami Vice who haven't seen it, or not seen the show in many years. Cheers! (and keep your meat and flour locked up!)

 

Outstanding trailer. The best I've seen for MV. 

On 5/14/2017 at 6:11 PM, Remington said:

One of the best of S3. I actually prefer Mahunter to The Silence of the Lambs. I watched this episode last Halloween. Made it even better. Has a real Michael Mann vibe.

The prowler is effing creepy.

DJ gives a great performance. The entire cast actully.

The nightmare scene is a cliche but i love it.

Great cinematography. Hammer's score was suspensful.

The only flaw is that the Crockett going crazy plot feels a little rushed. Ehh who cares. This is a classic.

10/10

I agree 100%!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I haven’t because it’s all been released, as far as I can remember. Send me a message if want me to share the MP3s with you. 

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  • 6 months later...

Vincent Caristi plays the role to perfection. one of these rare moments in the series where it's hard to make the difference between the man, and the role he plays. i had that feeling with J. d'Allessandro too. V. Caristi plays the man suffering from OCD with an incredible talent. i would give 8/10 for the plot, and 11/10 to Vincent Caristi

trully amazing

Screenshot_8.thumb.jpg.a4a38989fefc67f218ffdde55b053fac.jpg

Edited by jpm1
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44 minutes ago, jpm1 said:

Vincent Caristi plays the role to perfection. one of these rare moments in the series where it's hard to make the difference between the man, and the role he plays. i had that feeling with J. d'Allessandro too. V. Caristi plays the man suffering from OCD with an incredible talent. i would give 8/10 for the plot, and 11/10 to Vincent Caristi

trully amazing

Screenshot_8.thumb.jpg.a4a38989fefc67f218ffdde55b053fac.jpg

Agreed! However, I would say “Fish-Mouth” suffers from far more than OCD. ;) Sociopath with violent and/or homicidal tendencies would be more accurate. :eek:  We never knew whether his bizarre rituals with the flour & raw steak were the results of some kind of OCD issues, or twisted acts that actually meant something to him or achieved something for him minutes before the attack?? ?(

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yeah i don't know if OCD can go that far. but his behavior, and gestures are definitely symptomatic from OCD. maybe he had also other diseases, like schizophrenia..

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23 hours ago, jpm1 said:

yeah i don't know if OCD can go that far. but his behavior, and gestures are definitely symptomatic from OCD. maybe he had also other diseases, like schizophrenia..

Along with sociopath, schizophrenia could definitely be another diagnosis...added to a list that who knows how long would end up being! :p 

However, regardless of all the diagnosis’ and mental illnesses “dreamed” up for him—he was evil...and got-off stalking, tormenting, attacking, and ultimately attempting to kill people. 

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i don't fully agree with the evil thing. you see, when i was a teenager i suffered from OCD. hopefully these completely vanished when i become an adult, and more precisely when i turned into the religion. you can call this a miracle or whatever. but what i'm trying to say, it's that i know pretty well what OCD symptoms are. and this is exactly what Vincent Caristi is doing in the episode. not the law infringement thing, but all the weird gestures he has. these are definitely symptoms of OCD. obviously in the series there's something else, another more serious patholgy. i'm not a doctor myself so unfortunately i can't tell what it is. to finish, OCD is not evil, it's a kind of mental slavery state. i do not wish this to my worst enemy, believe me. people who saw it from the exterior tend to think it's funny,. but it's a state of great suffering

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4 hours ago, jpm1 said:

i don't fully agree with the evil thing. you see, when i was a teenager i suffered from OCD. hopefully these completely vanished when i become an adult, and more precisely when i turned into the religion. you can call this a miracle or whatever. but what i'm trying to say, it's that i know pretty well what OCD symptoms are. and this is exactly what Vincent Caristi is doing in the episode. not the law infringement thing, but all the weird gestures he has. these are definitely symptoms of OCD. obviously in the series there's something else, another more serious patholgy. i'm not a doctor myself so unfortunately i can't tell what it is. to finish, OCD is not evil, it's a kind of mental slavery state. i do not wish this to my worst enemy, believe me. people who saw it from the exterior tend to think it's funny,. but it's a state of great suffering

Interesting jpm didn’t know that 

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12 hours ago, jpm1 said:

i don't fully agree with the evil thing. you see, when i was a teenager i suffered from OCD. hopefully these completely vanished when i become an adult, and more precisely when i turned into the religion. you can call this a miracle or whatever. but what i'm trying to say, it's that i know pretty well what OCD symptoms are. and this is exactly what Vincent Caristi is doing in the episode. not the law infringement thing, but all the weird gestures he has. these are definitely symptoms of OCD. obviously in the series there's something else, another more serious patholgy. i'm not a doctor myself so unfortunately i can't tell what it is. to finish, OCD is not evil, it's a kind of mental slavery state. i do not wish this to my worst enemy, believe me. people who saw it from the exterior tend to think it's funny,. but it's a state of great suffering

The symptoms of the OCD, or whatever it was, is not the evil part. I myself have some slight symptoms of OCD...though nothing severe or serious. I’m talking about the desire and pleasure of attacking, hurting, and trying to kill people. :baby: Not everyone who has been diagnosed with OCD, or even schizophrenia, wants or likes to hurt & kill. That, in my opinion, is something else—and whether you look at it from a Christian point of view (I do) or not, it’s still evil. ;)  

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