But please, can we talk about the lowkey perspective of Gary Puddles in "Joker" and "Joker: Folie a Deux"?:
-You were born with the condition of dwarfism
-It's okay, it's fine, you can live with it
-Teasing because of your height is part of your life, you think it will change when you become an adult but it doesn't
-Your economy is not the best and even worse, you live in Gotham City
-You work as a party clown and absolutely EVERYONE makes fun of your height
-His name is Arthur, Arthur Fleck. And believe it or not, his life is harder than yours
-His pathological laughing condition and his mental problems make his life really fucked up
-But he's still trying to get by, you know something about him being alone in the world and helping his ailing mother
-And despite not hurting anyone, he is even more rejected at work than you
-And he says nothing, does nothing, just puts up with everything, and tries to go on and do his job well
-He seems to consider you his friend and that's okay, he's the only one who doesn't make fun of you in the place
-One day, you discover that, because of the accusation of another of your co-workers (one of the closest to you), Arthur is fired
-You don't hear from him for days, you're hoping he's really okay
-The police arrive at work looking for the suspect in the murder of three wealthy men and that co-worker who got Arthur fired insists on going to visit him so they can be “on the same page” when the police question them.
-You learn that Arthur's mother passed away. “Oh, poor boy,” you think, ”He's all alone in the world now"
-You and that co-worker are going to give condolences to Arthur's department
-Finds him and you see he's in clown makeup “Well, he got a new job”
-He tells you he's off his meds, something's not right.
-You see that your coworker tries to talk to him about what the police are questioning and Arthur seems to agree
-You are about to witness the worst moment of your life
-Arthur kills Randall right in front of your eyes
-Everything is so surreal and horrible. What has Arthur become?
-You want to run away, but the door is blocked. Arthur helps you unlock it
-"You were the only one who was ever nice to me" He said to you and let you go
-Despite the fear is attacking your body and with your limitations, you go to the police to report the incident
-You find out what Arthur confesses and does on the Murray Franklin Show
-Time passes and you can't go back to being you. You have nightmares all the time, you just want to be locked up in your home, you feel like you are in danger, of how really helpless you are
-And you keep wondering why Arthur Fleck became what he is now
-Two years pass and you are called to testify at Arthur's trial.
-You're nervous and scared, but you still show up.
-When you are in court, all Arthur does is start making fun of you, mocking your height, your last name, your fear, your feelings, and assuring you that you were no different than the rest who treated him badly, and talked about a strange sense of “freedom”
-You can't believe what Arthur has become.
-You can't take it anymore and you explode, you say what you really think of him now, how afraid you are of him
-You can see the remorse in Arthur's eyes, but he insists on being in his role as “Joker.”
-“You were the only one who was ever nice to me” you say the same words he once said to you.
-You know that Arthur feels a huge remorse, but he doesn't want to get out of his role
-When the Judge tells you that you can leave, you do, and as you walk out of there, you keep asking yourself “Why did Arthur have to become like this?” with tears in your eyes
-And probably to find out later that this old friend left that world in the most painful way possible
Poor Gary, hardly anyone talks about his point of view in this story, and it is by far, one of the saddest, to be honest.
