Cycle Three: The Flood
SPOILER ALERT!!! DON’T LOOK AT THIS PAGE unless you have read Cycles One and Two, and avoid reading it in advance, especially the Episode Guide, if you don’t want hints about how Cycle Three develops.
NEW IMPORTANT CHARACTERS
Becky Charles: Despite a long history of difficulty asserting herself, Becky, convinced by recurring dreams, takes her daughter Charlotte Charlotte and flees her abusive husband George on a course for the one place she believes is safe: The Middle Reaches.
Charlotte (Charlotte Charlotte, or CC) Charles: A shy, pretty, eight-year-old girl, Charlotte Charlotte shows strange independence except, of course, for her relationship with JJ, the stuffed rabbit she carries with her everywhere. They have uncanny conversations. They might have an agenda.
George Charles: A possessive brute prone to fits of rage, George finds different sources encouraging him to follow his wife and daughter into The Middle Reaches and goading him on to violence. He ends up with an even more uncanny relationship with JJ.
Si-woo Park: Mentioned in Cycle 2, Si-woo, having discovered his daughter Heather missing after he returned home from a business trip, inexplicably finds himself in The Middle Reaches, searching for her.
Ellie Mortimer: Mentioned in Cycle 2, Ellie and Adam Mortimer were a married couple living on the other Acton Way when they first met Gordon Marks and mentored him in the art of murder. Ellie and Adam separated when they entered The Middle Reaches, and Ellie is now an assistant at Beaufort & Associates.
Angelica Beaufort: The Managing Partner at Beaufort & Associates, Angelica is at ease with power, which makes others uneasy. She is lead counsel on the Mansworth Futures and Securities (MFS) case, mentioned in Cycle One, on which Leslie Jarndyce works as well. Episode thirty-two reveals crucial details about her.
Lyanetha: Lyanetha is a denizen of Carcosa involved in discussions of that realm’s balance of power and how it relates to the MFS case. She first appears in episode thirty-five.
RETURNING CHARACTERS
Leslie Jarndyce: A core character from Cycle One, Leslie returns to her old job, lawyer, in new circumstances. Now at the top of Beaufort & Associates, she soon finds herself involved in diplomacy and negotiations that span realms.
Bobby Lightfoot: Arguably the hero of Cycle Two, thirteen-year-old Bobby carries on his journey into the Walled City, called by the God of the Palace. He understands he must protect Heather, but otherwise his purpose–who he is now that his childhood is prematurely over–seems obscure.
Heather Park: Passing through moments of lesser and greater psychological stability, Heather undertakes the journey with Bobby while her sense of greatness–surrounding them, awaiting them, belonging to them–grows and grows.
Gordon Marks: A lead from Cycle Two, fifteen-year-old Gordon is infamous in the earthly realm for murdering Annie and Chris Ledbetter in his basement. In The Middle Reaches and Carcosa, he serves Adam, whom he increasingly idolizes, but he has also formed a meaningful bond with his brother Steven.
Steven Marks: Twelve-year-old Steven often feels left out and alone, but he has come to rely on his brother Gordon and has gradually–since he helped murder the Ledbetters–come around to Gordon’s sadistic perspective on life and other people.
Adam Mortimer: A significant presence in Cycle Two, Adam was part of a serial killing team with his wife Ellie in the earthly realm, but, more important, he is the avatar of Avin, God of the Citadel, who has been one of the three major ruling (and scheming) powers in Carcosa for millennia.
Max Gracey: A lead from Cycle Two, Max was one of Gordon’s victims in life and now serves Hastur, God of the Palace, in death. He is relatively well-adjusted for a ghost.
Sheldon Vere: The (mostly) missing center of Cycle One and a major character in Cycle Two, Sheldon feels somewhat reduced these days, but he still has a role to play.
The Shadow Man: A pivotal figure throughout the story, The Shadow Man appears and beckons.
EPISODE GUIDE
Episode Thirty-One, “Doorkeeper.” (9/25/23) Leslie Jarndyce must reenter earthly reality via the Law, and she must also get past Ellie Mortimer for a meeting with Angelica Beaufort, Managing Partner of her law firm, which is handling a case involving the land between the two Acton Ways (mentioned in episode one). Heather Park and Bobby Lightfoot face a challenge from a doorkeeper who blocks their progress into the Walled City. Becky Charles tries to escape with her daughter, Charlotte Charlotte, from her abusive husband George.
Episode Thirty-Two, “What Happened to….” (10/2/23) George gets advice about following Becky and Charlotte Charlotte, Becky and Charlotte Charlotte journey into The Middle Reaches, Bobby and Heather push forward into the Walled City, Si-woo Park looks for his daughter Heather, and Leslie learns a great deal more about Angelica, herself, and the legal battle in which she now plays a much bigger role.
Episode Thirty-Three, “Departed Negotiations.” (10/9/23) Leslie prepares herself for negotiations with powerful beings in unknown places while Ellie handles logistics for the meeting, Si-woo and Becky get another taste of Middle Reaches hospitality, and CC visits the Grove of Ghosts.
Episode Thirty-Four, “The Underplace.” (10/16/23) Bobby and Heather encounter a variety of creatures as they enter the Walled City’s “underplace,” Becky and Si-woo become closer and consider fleeing The Middle Reaches, and George receives more encouragement to pursue Charlotte Charlotte from a familiar source.
Episode Thirty-Five, “Beneath the Gods.” (10/23/23) Becky and Si-woo return to their homes and make crucial discoveries; Leslie, Ellie, Adam, and Gordon venture into Lake Hali; and for Heather and Bobby, the actual City is finally in sight, but more horrors intervene.
Episode Thirty-Six, “Upstairs.” (10/30/23) The voice George hears gets a more distinct personality and agenda, Bobby and Heather climb the stairs, negotiations with Lyanetha begin in multiple ways, and Becky and Si-woo go to visit the offices of MFS.
Episode Thirty-Seven, “How to Kill a Ghost.” (11/6/23) Charlotte Charlotte and Steven set about doing the “something special” Adam assigned without really knowing what it is, George gets reassurances from another familiar visitor, and Si-woo and Becky get far more information than they expected.
Episode Thirty-Eight, “Walled Carcosa.” (11/13/23) Heather and Bobby enter the actual City and delve into madness and lore, CC and George travel The Middle Reaches with their JJs giving them greater purpose, and Si-woo and Becky have a meeting with Beaufort & Associates.
Episode Thirty-Nine, “The Shadow Zone.” (11/20/23) Sheldon helps George along, Bobby and Heather enter the City’s Shadow Zone, Leslie makes progress in negotiations, Steven and CC find useful tools and face a confrontation, and Becky and Si-woo take an enormous leap forward in both location and knowledge.
Episode Forty, “Losing Control.” (11/27/23) Ellie gets suspicious about the negotiations’ outcome, Leslie gets bad news from Angelica, Si-woo gets shocking news from Heather, George and Sheldon get overwhelmed in Lost Carcosa, and Angelica gets upset.
Episode Forty-One, “Bargaining.” (12/4/23) Ellie must arrange travel back to the earthly realm without revealing the reason, Adam explains political intrigue to Gordon, Bobby and his group approach the Palace, and Adam and Lyanetha consider alternatives to the status quo.
Episode Forty-Two, “The Flood.” (12/11/23) Carcosa quakes with the forces flooding through the Gates, The Middle Reaches are overwhelmed as the creek’s current reverses, and nightmares spill into the suburbs.
Episode Forty-Three, “Broken Boxes, Broken Brains.” (12/18/23) Heather speaks of the spread of madness and what she is becoming, CC and Steven take a shortcut through the New City, Si-woo worries about losing Heather, George learns Sheldon is only his “invitation,” and Ellie and Leslie have different interpretations of productivity.
Episode Forty-Four, “Palatial Reaches.” (12/25/23) Bobby, Heather, Si-woo, and Becky reach the Palace, and CC and Steven aren’t far behind; Sheldon and George part ways, leaving George to his mission; and the final horrors of Cycle Three begin.
Episode Forty-Five, “The Wedding.” (1/1/24) Cycle Three ends.