Script for Part 1 of our film “OFFICIALLY FISHY?”
Please note that the following is the latest version of the script. The video version is not as up-to-date.
OFFICIALLY FISHY?
PART 1 of 3
Note to all readers: Sincere apologies for the large amount of italicization, underlining etc in this script. It has been added as a guide for the narrator.
O.F., PART 1, INTRODUCTION
* TITLE = Officially Fishy? (Comedic Cartoons Concerning Covid-Shot Critics)
For suggested music, see file ‘jolly music’.
[Fade into ‘Fair Use’ text + Disclaimer]
Popeye: “Is there any spinach in the house?” [See ‘A Date to Skate’, 05:43->05:52. See vid ‘Date1’]
[Freeze the picture and give the sound of a stylus being hurriedly dragged off a record. See vid ‘scratch’.]
NARRATOR: Don’t worry. We may be new to video production, but that wasn’t a mistake.
FOOTAGE for the following text: Show the “Surprise Pictures Corporation” footage (00:37-> 00:47 of Aladdin’). Continue it to show the ‘Story Dept’ and Olive typing (see 00:47-> 01:24). See vid ‘surprise’.
NARRATOR: Popeye’s got nothing to do with Covid-19 (as far as we know); but, to add some extra color, humor, and fun to this film, we’ve co-opted him to illustrate the sort of person who’s long been horribly skeptical about the shot.
Olive Oyl: “Why, Popeye the sailor is great for the part!” [1:18 of ‘Aladdin’; see vid ‘great’].
FOOTAGE for the following text: Keep going with the ‘Surprise Pictures’ footage. When we mention “drawings”, show 2:01->2:15 of the vid ‘Cartoon Madness’ (file ‘Cartoon Madness clip’).
If we’d possessed the time and talent, we’d have tried to invent our own cartoon personality. But, even if we’d had the skills – which we don’t – creating all the drawings would have caused a mammoth delay.
FOOTAGE: ? {} [For the bit about “identical twin brother”, see 04:03->04:17 of ‘Bride and Gloom’, or various bits of ‘Patriotic Popeye’ (i.e. 2:02->2:04, 2:20, 3:18, 3:30, 3:40, 4:08->4:10, 4:17, 5:55->6:00 (the last of which may be best)). See vid ‘twin’] Also, there’s a mammoth at the start of ‘Cartoon madness’. See vid ‘mammoth’.
We’ll only use cartoons already in the public domain. And we shan’t talk about Popeye himself. Instead, we’ll refer to an identical twin brother by the name of Frankie, who (completely and totally by chance, of course) happens to have a life that’s absolutely indistinguishable from Popeye’s.
FOOTAGE for the following text: Show image of Olive on skates from ‘A Date to Skate’.
NARRATOR: Right. Let’s get moving. [See vid ‘moving’!]
FOOTAGE for the following text: Olive looking shocked. See vid ‘olive shocked’.
NARRATOR: Even before any country had suspended – let alone completely ended – the use of any Covid shots for any types of people, there were already quite a quantity of skeptics about.
NARRATOR: In the United States alone…
John Avlon (CNN): “[O]ver a quarter of Americans have decided not to get a shot” [see vid ‘Amazing CNN-Avlon…’, 00:12; released 30th April 2021]; [Caption: 30th April 2021] See vid ‘quarter’.
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: Popeye running away from the bull in ‘Gopher Spinach’ (05:11->05:18) or from being jabbed by the horns of a bull at 2:16 of ‘Cookin’ with Gags’, or similarly in 2:15 of ‘Patriotic Popeye’. See rest of vid ‘mandate depression’.
NARRATOR: Due to the mandates that were subsequently introduced, that proportion obviously fell. On the other hand though, we should also bear in mind those folks who did get the jab but who – as a result of developing a massive disquiet about getting further jabs (rather than mere doubts about the need for further jabs) – decided to shut the door on their scheduled boosters.
[Make sure to give a caption for each with the locale.]
* “Covid-19: Experts ‘shocked’ at low booster and child vaccine rates” [see sg ‘boost3’];
* “Public complacency responsible for low uptake of booster dose of COVID vaccines: Experts” [see sg ‘boost4’];
* “A fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose is on the horizon, but Victoria’s booster rate remains stubbornly low” [see sg ‘boost2’];
* “Low booster uptake, expiring vaccines ‘not encouraging'” [see sg ‘boost5’];
* “Low uptake of Covid-19 booster shot is a concern to be addressed – RBC” [see sg ‘boost6’];
* “COVID-19 booster uptake “very poor” – Health Minister” [see sg ‘boost7’];
* “Many Mass. Residents aren’t stepping up to get their COVID-19 boosetr shots” [see sg ‘boost’].
NARRATOR: All told, Frankie is part of a very substantial wodge of individuals who, for a long time now, have been seriously leery about the shot.
W.H.O Spokeswoman: “30 percent of the world has not yet received a single dose” [Caption: 20th December 2022]
* “A Plague Of Vaccine Skeptics” [see sg ‘1a 2a’].
In fact, there are so many ‘Frankies’ out there, it seems like most of us have at least one in our personal circle of friends and colleagues – if not our own family.
NARRATOR: Now, thus far Frankie hasn’t turned into one of the EXTREMISTS. He’s not yet among those peculiar creatures who are opposed to ALL vaccines. He’s just skeptical about certain shots – particularly this one.
But if you have a ‘Frankie’ in your own life, and you’d like to know how to help them and make sure they become less – rather than more – estranged from you, then you’ve reached the right place.
NARRATOR: So, what’s the key?
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: Show Popeye looking through a telescope. {} Then show the animals gathering for the Bluto/Popeye fight in ‘Sinbad’ (see 14:11->14:16), or the animals at 01:30 of same. (see vid ‘odd animals’.) Latterly, show footage of Popeye looking unsure / dubious about something (e.g. see ‘Aladdin’, 09:27->09:28). See vid ‘not sure’.
Well, it’s imperative to make sure one has a grasp of Frankie’s outlook.
FOOTAGE: Image of Popeye looking thoughtful.
NARRATOR: We must get to the bottom of his refusal to take the shot. Some people assume it’s down to being…
Gov. Phil Murphy: “selfish” [see 00:10 of vid ‘Not getting COVID…’]; see vid ‘murphy_self’.
Michael Gove: “selfish” [see 00:26 of vid ‘gove’]; see vid ‘gove_self’.
Brad Hazzard: “Extremely selfish” [see 01:40 of vid ‘hazzard’]. see vid ‘hazzard_self’.
FOOTAGE: Show some sgs where people like Frankie are called selfish. See the many sgs we have with the word “selfish” in their filename. ‘selfish 18’, ‘selfish 17’, ‘selfish 10’, ‘selfish 16’, ‘selfish 14’, ‘selfish 12’, ‘selfish 15’, ‘selfish 7’, ‘selfish 4’, ‘selfish 3’, ‘selfish 2’, ‘extremely selfish’ =12] See pix ‘selfish 4->6’.
NARRATOR: Given this, let’s play a quick game. Imagine you were talking to Frankie and you said something along one of these lines:
Jeff Zients: “For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death” [See 04:43 of vid ‘White House COVID…’] [Caption: Date: 17th Dec 2021] See vid ‘winter’.
Tony Fauci: “If you’re vaccinated, you don’t have a risk. [And that’s the reason why we say it’s as simple as black and white.] You’re vaccinated, you’re safe; you’re unvaccinated you’re at risk. Simple as that.” [See 5:40 into vid ‘Fauci, if youre vacc…’ [Caption: June 23, 2021] See vid ‘fauci safe’.
Gov. Kathy Hochul: “[I’ve prayed a lot to God during this time. And you know what?] God [did answer our prayers. He] made the smartest men and women, [the scientists, the doctors, the researchers; He made them] come up with a vaccine. That is from God to us. And we must say, ‘Thank You God, [Thank You’.]” [see 00:02 of vid ‘New York Gov…’] [Caption: New York Governor Kathy Hochul, 26th Sept 2021] See vid ‘New York God’.
NARRATOR: Despite such statements, Frankie opted not to take the shot… So, it’s starting to look like there might have been a factor other than selfishness at play in his mind.
* “Lack of trust in public figures linked to COVID vaccine hesitancy says new research” [see sg ‘lack of trust’].
For Frankie, rejecting the jabs was down to lack of trust in the authorities in terms of what they had to say on this whole issue. If he’d believed their statements about the Covid crisis and the Covid shots, he too would’ve taken the jab.
FOOTAGE: Headlines about “no jab, no job”, the unjabbed should be put to death etc. {}
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: See Popeye as Aladdin blithely showering crowds with money (see 10:25->10:35, or 15:50->15:54). Also, could show him getting jabbed in the heart (‘Parlez Vous Woo’), but better to show him getting jabbed by a bull. See image ‘get the shot’, then see vid ‘blithely’.
{} NB I must not go overboard here, else my target audience will guess who’s side I’m really on. Just stick to him losing his job, and give some sgs about the unjabbed losing their jobs. It will make a nice bookend in Part 3 to point out how people – e.g. pregnant women with heart issues, or men with failing hearts or kidneys – are apparently rejecting the jabs through “selfishness” – even though their condition will probably kill them as a result of their decision. Also note – in Part 3 – how, even though refusing the jab means you are (supposedly – according to Biden etc) at FAR greater risk of being hospitalized, put in ICU and indeed DYING from Covid if you catch it (we faced a winter of death!), it is somehow SELFISH of us to choose to end up in ICU and potentially dying!
In time, his stance on the shots resulted in him having various freedoms taken away and losing access to a number of services.
But he continued to pass up the…
Mehdi Hasan: “miracle” [see 04:38 of vid ‘Still waiting…’]. See vid ‘still miracle’
NARRATOR: …jabs.
He was also required to choose between being jabbed and being unemployed.
His refusal to take the shot meant he lost his job – which alone suggests his motive wasn’t selfishness.
Beyond this, many people who shared his outlook, and who happened to be in the queue to receive an organ transplant when the shots came along, still elected not to take the jab – even when they knew this decision would result in their name being scrubbed from the waiting list for this life-saving surgery.
(Enabling a bunch of strangers to leapfrog past you in the queue for an operation you desperately need doesn’t come across to us as terribly “selfish“.)
And, if people such as Frankie had sought to selfishly ‘ride on the backs’ of the jabbed, it seems unlikely they’d have urged anyone they thought might listen to be wary of taking the jab. Yet, both he and many folks like him did just this.
FOOTAGE: Pic of Popeye looking sad.
NARRATOR: As this film progresses, it’ll become evident that any selfishness on Frankie’s part is NOT the reason for his attitude towards the shot.
FOOTAGE: ?
The tireless efforts, for many months, of what Frankie often calls the “powers-that-be” – including what he sometimes terms the “mainstream media” – to coax him into accepting the shot, were wasted on him because, for ages now, he simply hasn’t trusted their remarks on the topic.
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: Olive listening to the radio/TV, while Popeye looks fed up (see start of ‘Parlez Vous Woo’ (i.e. 00:32->1:58, removing the bit where Olive does her lips)). Then show Popeye with a look of suspicion on his face.
This film explains why this situation has arisen. In so doing, it’ll also reveal the solution to this somewhat discombobulating and friendship-destroying state of affairs.
O.F., PART 1, BODY
Officially Fishy?
(Comedic Cartoons Concerning Covid-Shot Critics)
Part 1 –Superficially Fishy
[For the accompanying graphic, use one of our FISH images!!!! {}]
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: Show Bluto as a politician, where Bluto is bribing the voters.
Bluto: “All right men, step right over here and get your free cigars“. [00:36->00:41 of ‘Popeye for President’] see vid ‘cigars’.
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: Show Popeye with a look of suspicion on his face. Then show Olive looking through binos and raising the angle steadily upwards (see 4:57->5:00 of ‘Out to Punch’). See vid ‘ascending’.
NARRATOR: Okay. When it comes to the various different professions that exist these days, the public at large have long seen journalists and politicians as some of the least trustworthy. [see sgs ‘trustinpols’ & ‘trustinpols2’]. Politicians, especially, already had a really poor reputation for honesty, well before Covid arrived. But even aside from all that, Frankie thinks it unwise to trust the powers-that-be on the jabs for 3 overarching reasons. We’ll be looking at those reasons in ascending order of importance.
O.F., PART 1, BODY: LITTLE GENUINE CARE FOR THE ‘LITTLE PEOPLE’
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: Popeye examining some termites by getting a magnifying glass out (see 1:16->1:24 of ‘Insect to Injury’). See vid ‘least sig’. Then footage of Bluto showing no concern for the people around him (i.e. the bit in ‘Altitude’ where Bluto makes Olive paint his plane while flying (see 1:25->1:40)). See vid ‘track record’.
NARRATOR: Here’s the first and, by a very long way, the least significant. (In fact, it won’t immediately appear to have much to do with Covid shots at all – but its relevance will become clear in Part 2.) Frankie thinks the ‘powers-that-be’ – who, in his view, are the folks most eager for the man in the street to take the jab – don’t possess a great ‘track record’ in terms of having much care for the man in the street.
O.F., PART 1, BODY: ONE RULE FOR THEM AND ONE FOR US
FOOTAGE/IMAGE for following text: See vid ‘one rule’. Also, find an article with a good headline about hypocrisy within the ptb when it comes to Covid rules.
* “COVID Hypocrisy: Policymakers Breaking Their Own Rules” [see sg ‘hypoc’].
* Show at least three images of the hoi polloi maskless around people wearing masks!! E.g. see pic ‘…Abrams’. See sgs, ‘celebs’, ‘masks’ and ‘understand’.
NARRATOR: Frankie feels this way, partly because he reckons a lot of people with influence think there should be one rule for them and a markedly different rule for the rest of us.
O.F., PART 1, BODY: EXPLOITING COVID FOR THEIR OWN ADVANTAGE, AT THE EXPENSE OF TAX-PAYERS
FOOTAGE for following text: The very start of ‘Ancient Fistory’ where Bluto exploits Popeye as an underpaid and overworked servant. See vid ‘mistreat’.
NARRATOR: Frankie also finds it a struggle to believe the powers-that-be really care about the average citizen when they mistreat the citizenry for their own benefit. For instance, it does look as if politicians in the U.S. and across the globe took advantage of the Covid crisis (even to the extent of putting lives at risk) to exploit the tax-paying public in order to bolster their own circumstances…
* “Congress’s 5,593-page porky ‘relief’ bill is essence of the swamp” [See sg ‘pork 2’];
* “Red Flag: Corona Corruption Is Legal in Germany” [see sg ‘germany’];
* “South Africa warns Covid-19 corruption puts ‘lives at risk'” [see sg ‘corrupt3’].
[See also sgs ‘corrupt2’ and ‘corrup4’.]
NARRATOR: …or to enrich their family members or friends:
* “EXCLUSIVE: Tennessee wastes millions on no-bid COVID contract with politically connected company” [see sg ‘TN’];
* “How global corruption has ‘flourished’ during Covid-19 pandemic” [see sg ‘corrupt’];
* “UK government accused of cronyism with coronavirus contracts worth millions” [see sg ‘1o 1d’].
NARRATOR: In the UK (often considered a very just society and one of the least politically corrupt places in the world), this type of thing became so commonplace during the early stages of the pandemic that – instead of a “DEM–ocracy” – it was labeled a “CHUM–ocracy”:
* “Watchdog criticizes UK government for COVID procurement amid ‘chumocracy’ claims” [see sg ‘1o 1e’];
* “Government in the UK accused of a virus ‘chumocracy'” [see sg ‘1o 1b’];
* “Chumocracy first in line as ministers splash Covid cash” [see sg ‘1o 1c’].
NARRATOR: Frankie views it as unethical for politicians to abuse the citizenry like this, particularly when the public are already suffering.
Popeye: “That’s unethical” [see ‘Spree Lunch’, 1:12->1:14]. See vid ‘unethical’.
NARRATOR: See? Told you.
FOOTAGE for following text: If necessary, grab a still of Bluto and the pigs in the trough from the early stages of ‘Assault and Flattery’. Then show Bluto mistreating someone? E.g. see 5:18 of ‘Nearlyweds’ – Bluto using Popeye’s mouth as an ashtray. No, see vid ‘ash in face’. Follow it by another still image of Popeye with a look of suspicion. For options here, see my list named “Popeye being suspicious of someone”.
NARRATOR: This behavior by the powers-that-be tempts Frankie to speculate that they don’t really care about the general public – which, in turn, causes him to distrust what they have to say about the welfare of the public, including their claims about the shots.
O.F., PART 1, BODY: LACK OF EMPATHY
FOOTAGE for following text: 09:35->09:42 of ‘Ali Baba’ (Bluto hanging Popeye from a candelabra), and/or 05:18->05:21 of ‘Popeye’s 20th Anniv’ where Bluto tips cigar ash onto Popeye’s face [(or where Bluto takes delight in Popeye’s suffering – e.g. in ‘Cookin’ with Gags’)]. See vids ‘no empathy’, ‘don’t really care’ and ‘ash in face’. See also the fight near the end of ‘Sinbad’. Also, I love the bit in Sinbad where Olive is getting upset: see 11:14->11:52.
NARRATOR: A bigger reason Frankie thinks those in positions of influence don’t have much genuine care for ‘ordinary Joes’ like him is the absence of empathy he believes he detects in many of them.
* “The Bloodless Political Class and Its Lack of Empathy” [see sg ‘bloodless’].
Frankie reckons these people go to some lengths to give the impression they have empathy. He’s aware that, if such individuals are to retain their positions and privileges, they need the public to tolerate them.
Boris Johnson: “It’s perfectly true that I did once talk on a mobile phone, erm, whilst cycling, and actually, why shouldn’t you be able to talk on a mobile phone whilst cycling?”
Jeremy Clarkson: “Because you can’t reach the brakes!”
Johnson: “You can – with one hand.”
Clarkson: “Oh! I had this exact…”
Johnson: “Are you saying… Are you saying that people with only one arm shouldn’t be allowed to ride a bicycle?”
[Clarkson: “Yes, people with one arm should not be allowed to ride a bicycle…”]
[See vid ‘boris on top gear’, 00:18] See vid ‘boris bike’.
NARRATOR: Frankie surmises that people like Boris Johnson might be able to put on a caring front; but he judges that their true feelings get exposed from time to time.
* “Boris Johnson branded ‘flippant’ and ‘uncaring’ over footage of visit to Afghanistan crisis centre” [see sg ‘Johnson uncaring’; highlight – e.g. circle – the word ‘uncaring’].
Another occasion was when George W. Bush [see sg ‘katrina’] was preparing to give a televised address and didn’t realize he was being recorded. [See vid ‘bush giving the finger’.] Frankie suspects this gesture revealed Bush’s actual, unfiltered attitude towards the public.
FOOTAGE? {}
And Frankie considers there to have been a monumental lack of empathy shown to the average citizen by Prince Andrew, younger brother of the current King of England, during the 2019 TV interview he gave vis-à-vis his friendship with billionaire and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein…
(As an aside, Frankie’s quick to point out that Andrew’s highly elevated position meant he was fêted by rich and powerful people across the world. Epstein was merely one of the more prominent examples of that. The Duke of York was also, for many years, the UK’s “Special Representative for International Trade and Investment” – until his ties with Epstein became too embarrassing for the British Establishment.)
[NB WHEN LARGE SCREEN NEEDED (e.g for Andrew), see sg ‘opt/opt2’.]
Emily Maitlis: “July of this year, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex-trafficking and abusing dozens of under-age girls.” [see vid ‘…dozens of underage girls’].
FOOTAGE: Photo or silent footage of Andrew looking stressed.
NARRATOR: Here’s just one of the times he displayed what Frankie sees as a chilling paucity of empathy:
Prince Andrew: “Do I regret the fact that, that, that he… has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.”
Emily Maitlis: “‘Unbecoming‘?? He was a sex offender.” [see vid ‘…unbecoming x2’]. See vid ‘unbecom’. We can extend it if nec, from vid ‘prince Andrew full’, 47:50.
[Maybe give one or two headlines from press coverage of the interview?]:
[* “Apologise to Epstein’s victims now, prince told” [see file ‘prince andrew guardian’];]
* “NOT ONE SINGLE WORD OF REMORSE” [see sg ‘mail on andrew’; includes photo of him].
[* [See also file ‘andrew papers’ for a montage of front pages].]
NARRATOR: By way of a reminder, one of Epstein’s many crimes was the procuring of a 14 year old child for prostitution. [see sg ‘epstein’] Frankie realizes that Andrew is a prince – and therefore won’t have had anything like an average life. But the very reason he agreed to take part in this interview was to restore his reputation. And he had plenty of time to prepare for it. Crucially, the people around him had decades to help him deal with (or at least learn to hide) his lack of empathy. So, Frankie still finds it appalling that the best he could apparently manage, unprompted, was to describe Epstein’s actions as “unbecoming”.
NARRATOR: In Frankie’s view, there’ve been many other occasions when organizations, or institutions, or folks in positions of influence, have been unmasked as having little genuine care for the public.
* “America’s political elite are dangerously out of touch” [see sg ‘out of touch’];
* “Bank bonuses to run into BILLIONS as population continues to feel after-effects of bail-out crisis” [see sg ‘bankers 4’];
* “AIG’s arrogance is stunning” [see sg ‘bonus 4’];
* Show sg ‘check watch’ of Bush Snr checking his watch.
* “Can celebs stop crying in their mansions about being in lockdown” [see sg ‘celeb lock 3’];
* “Sacked for lifting lid on UN sex ring” [see sg ‘un sex ring’];
* “Report slams U.N. for ‘gross institutional failure’ in child sex abuse cases” [see sg ‘abuse 3’; leave this sg on-screen for a relatively long time].
Indeed, the British magazine Private Eye has, probably in EVERY bi-weekly issue since its launch 61 years ago, contained multiple instances of organizations, institutions, and powerful individuals demonstrating a breathtaking lack of empathy for ‘regular Joes’. And Private Eye doesn’t just look at Great Britain. It’s brought to light the same sort of thing from all over the world.
[Give lots and lots of Private Eye covers, very quickly, to get across the scale of things. When we refer to the rest of the globe, show ‘Eye’ covers that display big images of foreign leaders and other non-Brits.]
FOOTAGE for following text: A still of Popeye looking thoughtful. See 09:27-09:29 of ‘Aladdin’.
Frankie isn’t certain why these folks in influential positions apparently have such little care – whether it’s a product of their schooling, or of the clubs they belong to, or of the political ideologies they cling to, or perhaps even of the religious rituals they participate in – but if we’re to change his mind on the jabs, it’d be good if we could give him reasons to have more faith in these people.
[Use the following pictures in their respective slots.]
* Show the famous photo of those 2 posh boys ignoring the working class lads in 1937 [see file ‘3557’];
* Show photo ‘bulling’ – i.e. the shot of Boris Johnson and the Bullingdon Club – and then zoom in on Johnson and the guy next to him, with an arrow pointing out “Boris Johnson”;
* Show photo of Mao and Gerald Ford [see file ‘mao and ford’];
* Show file ‘bo grove 2’ for a photo of a ritual at Bohemian Grove (alongside an sg from an article about the “Cremation of Care” ritual; see sgs ‘crem’ and ‘crem2’).
O.F., PART 1, CONCLUSION
FOOTAGE for the following text: See many points in ‘Customers wanted’, e.g. 1:52->1:57 or 3:06->3:11, see also 3:45, 4:07 or 5:30->5:34 (i.e. Wimpy watching a ‘flick’).
NARRATOR: Part 2 of this film will discuss the second, and incomparably more important factor behind Frankie’s mistrust of the powers-that-be on the question of Covid shots.
[Caption: For links to all official, unadulterated copies of Part 2, visit us at fishily.net]
[Caption: Copyright © Deke ‘n’ Tammy Nation, 2025. We encourage viewers to download and share this video; but it must not be portrayed as a true and complete copy if it has been altered in any way beyond the addition of accurate subtitles.]