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Tear Jerker / Carmen Sandiego

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From the 2019 Netflix animated series

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    Season 1 
Becoming Carmen Sandiego
  • Gray holding Carmen at gunpoint on the train from Poitiers to Paris. Carmen reveals in Paris that she could have taken him down at any time, but she was hoping to talk to her former best friend and convince him to switch sides. It doesn't work.
    • Player frantically calling for Carmen when Gray shorts out the communications.
    • Gray firing on Carmen, either to knock her out to take to V.I.L.E. Island or execute her. It's a sign that nothing of their friendship remained, and Carmen's hope was empty.
  • Carmen's reaction to finding out that Shadowsan failed her on finals. She confronts him after pickpocketing his key, and demands a do-over. Shadowsan brusquely tells her that accusing him of cheating is a serious affair, and that if she wants to be a good thief, she needs to control her impulsiveness.
  • The fallout from Carmen tagging along with the other graduates, only to see Gray fire on an innocent man:
    • First, as she tells Gray later, she trusted him as the older brother she never had, and he revealed a ruthless side she hadn't seen before.
    • Second, she learned that the teachers, who were the only parents she knew, lied to her about what V.I.L.E. was about: committing crimes out of blind loyalty, and "stealing lives". But she never had an opportunity to call them out; Coach Brunt let her off the hook, while the other teachers put physical and psychological surveillance on her. What hurts her most of all is Shadow-san not even bothering to talk to her.
    • Third, realizing that she couldn't stay on V.I.L.E. Island after what she had seen and learned. Since Carmen got a slap on the wrist for sneaking out, she could have easily redone her school year, passed the exam, and become the thief they wanted. Or she could have stayed on her Gilded Cage of an island. Neither option was acceptable to Carmen; she busted out after lying low, turning her back on the people who loved her, and declared war.
The Opera on the Outback Caper
  • Carmen breaking off her date with Gray because It's Not You, It's My Enemies without ever getting to tell him that. She was really holding out hope to get a fresh start, believing Gray's real personality would have survived his brain wipe by V.I.L.E., but they never get to reconnect, Carmen simply standing him up within line of sight.

The French Connection Caper

  • Coach Brunt strangling Carmen in a bearhug after Carmen refuses to come back to V.I.L.E. Island. Neither woman likes where they are, and Brunt realizes that "Black Sheep" is no longer her daughter.
  • The Reveal that Shadowsan failed Carmen because he didn't want her to throw her life away to become a thief and please him or the other teachers, and he was the one who rescued her as a baby. Obviously if he had talked to Carmen about this at any point in her childhood, then he could have communicated this. And if she hadn't started her escape boat in time to evade him, he would have joined her. Shadowsan regrets that he motivated Carmen to take the most dangerous path but vows to help.

    Season 2 
The Daisho Caper
  • The beginning of the episode of Shadowsan's interactions with Carmen growing up. The one probably would rip into someone's soul is the first one, when Shadowsan tells the myth of Japan and the story of the samurai and Carmen asks if he will take her to Japan one day. We all know what happened to their relationship.
  • Shadowsan's personal reason to go to Japan? To return the sword that he had stolen. It was part of a pair of swords from the museum his brother was the curator for, to which he stole as part of his initiation into V.I.L.E. When his brother found out about this, Shadowsan could not take it in his hear to attack his brother and fled. Years later, when Shadow-san and his brother reunite after decades, the swords are reunited, Shadowsan wishes to atone for his sins, and the older brother is unable to forgive Shadowsan for the atrocity and walks away in silence.
    • For those who know their Japanese culture, Shadowsan is bowing his head in shame in an act known as a Dogeza. He's stating that he has severely fucked up and knows that he does not deserve said forgiveness and only asks to correct his mistakes.
  • The end of the episode has Carmen note that Shadowsan has made his choice and that it will be a lesson that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

The Need for Speed Caper

  • When Zack and Ivy come in, excitedly telling Carmen about the racing offer they've been extended, Carmen rips into them for letting her down and they both visibly wilt in shame and hurt.

The Stockholm Syndrome Caper

  • Because of the interference from ACME, the trust between Julia and Carmen has been broken. Even though the audience knows that Julia wasn't leading Carmen into an ambush, Carmen herself doesn't know. And Julia was unable to state the truth. And by the end, the two women share a look of similar disappointment for how things turned out.

The Deep Dive Caper

  • Everything that Shadowsan revealed about Carmen's father, Dexter Wolfe: he was a former V.I.L.E. operative who wanted to quit the organization and start a new life for his family, but he was killed by an agent of Interpol (a younger Chief who thought he was pulling out a gun when it was actually car keys) before he could do so. In fact, as he explains why he had to keep this secret, his eyes are watering with tears.
  • Any alliance between Carmen and ACME was destroyed as the chief wants Carmen arrested at any cost.

    Season 3 

The Luchadora Tango Caper

  • Carmen infiltrating a bank in Buenos Aires and finds her father's passports and a locket that showed him and her as a baby. She notes that she had his eyes.

The Day of the Dead Caper

  • Carmen sets the locket on a stone surrounded by candles and marigolds, the only act she could do for the father she never knew.

The Masks of Venice Caper

  • At the Masks exhibition, Shadowsan finds a Majago mask worn by samurai and learns from the curator that a scholar from Japan is arriving...his brother. There is a Flashback from "The Daisho Caper" of Shadowsan begging forgiveness and Hideo walks away again. Shadowsan can't steal the masks because Hideo won't understand what Shadowsan is doing and because it just reminds him of how their bond has been broken beyond repair.
    • When Shadowsan tries to take the Japanese mask, he's stopped by his brother stating his name.

    Season 4 

The Himalayan Rescue Caper

  • Graham's memories of being Crackle are restored due to A.C.M.E. resetting the Laser-Guided Amnesia V.I.L.E. had placed him under. He's had a rough go of it in this episode and the previous one, ping-ponging between the thief's instincts instilled in him through his training and the moral compass that he's slowly realizing had been programmed into him. After Maelstrom gives him a refresher on who he truly was, Graham ultimately decides to return to being a member of V.I.L.E., despite Carmen's pleas.

The Viennese Waltz Caper

  • The team's horrified reactions to finding out that Carmen's been brainwashed by V.I.L.E., solidified when she pushes Zack off a ferris wheel and would have killed him had it not been for Shadowsan. Thoroughly shaken, Zack tells him that it was like he was talking to a different person.

The Dark Red Caper

Plenty, on top of this being the series finale, given how much everyone had to earn their happy ending.

  • Part of Shadow-an's search for Carmen includes looking for leads at the destroyed V.I.L.E. Island where he recalls a younger Carmen happily chasing a ball, showing how much Carmen's disappearance weighs on him.
  • While Shadowsan searches for Carmen, all Zack and Ivy can do is constantly run repairs on Lydia to take their minds off Carmen and the void her disappearance left in their lives.
  • Remorseful at how brainwashed Carmen turned out, Graham turns himself in to A.C.M.E., all but begging the Chief to bring her back. The plan very nearly fails, too, as Carmen gives Graham a blast with his own weapon.
  • Carmen's immediate response after her memories return is to stagger unsteadily as her eyes water when she realizes what she did under V.I.L.E.'s control. Upon thinking she's killed Graham with his taser she cries out in tears, "What have I done?"
  • Following his reprieve, Graham's first priority is Carmen's safety - but not wanting to complicate her life, he chooses to turn down the Chief's offer to put him in contact with her. As the Chief walks out of his hospital room, he sadly looks out the window, knowing he'll never see Carmen again, but is content knowing she's safe to follow her own destiny.
  • Doubles as Heartwarming, Carmen finally reuniting with her mother after being encouraged by Shadowsan to choose her own path after inspiring others to walk in hers.
  • Even before she reads out Carmen's goodbye note, Ivy is on the verge of tears when she realizes Carmen has left her and Zack. It's just as much of a Tearjerker for the audience.

    Specials 
To Steal or not to Steal
  • The bad endings where Zack and Ivy (and in the worst ending, Carmen herself) are brainwashed into becoming V.I.L.E. operatives.
  • If a player chooses to trick Julia instead of trusting her, the consequences are to be expected — anger, hurt, and disappointment. When Carmen later goes to ask Julia for help in playing a decoy, Julia coldly refuses the offer.
    • Carmen's whole demeanor to said possible choice isn't great either. She's not happy with having to trick Julia and is saddened by (but also understands) her reaction.

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