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[0:01] Brad Forenza: Well, here we are, Brian.

[0:03] Brian: Here we are, Brad.

[0:05] Brad Forenza: The end of an era.

[0:06] Brian: Post-pandemic, post-actor strike.

[0:09] Brad Forenza: Just two dudes back where it all started, sitting on their balcony and contemplating the world they've created.

[0:16] Brian: You know, this doesn't have to be the end, though.

[0:18] Brad Forenza: I know, but it's getting late.

[0:21] Brian: I'm not doing a bit, Brad. I'm just reminding you.

[0:25] Brad Forenza: This doesn't have to be the end.

[0:27] Brian: It's just time for a rest.

[0:30] Brad Forenza: A rest. I like that.

[0:33] Brian: Have a good night, Brian.

[0:36] Brad Forenza: Have a good night, Brad.

[0:38] Brian: For now, anyway.

[0:40] Brad Forenza: Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight.

[0:48] Brian: I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.

[0:53] Brad Forenza: This is our series epilogue, part three of three, Gods and Demigods, starring Joe Gilford and Sarah Saltzberg.

[1:11] Joe Gilford: Hermes, welcome back to the heavens.

[1:17] Sarah Saltzberg: Why so late?

[1:18] Joe Gilford: Why so late?

[1:20] Sarah Saltzberg: I don't know, boss. You tell me why so late.

[1:23] Joe Gilford: Come, sit.

[1:25] Sarah Saltzberg: It's almost time for our show.

[1:28] Joe Gilford: Dancing Among Stars is not our show.

[1:31] Sarah Saltzberg: It's your show.

[1:32] Joe Gilford: And you know I just got back from representing you in the mortal world, right?

[1:36] Sarah Saltzberg: Right.

[1:37] Joe Gilford: I can't keep zipping around like that.

[1:39] Sarah Saltzberg: I already have an arrhythmia.

[1:41] Joe Gilford: Did you make it to Hollywoodland this time?

[1:43] Sarah Saltzberg: No, I didn't make it to Hollywoodland this time, and I don't care to either.

[1:48] Joe Gilford: Well, then where were you, if not Hollywoodland?

[1:51] Sarah Saltzberg: Here, there, and everywhere like a spotted hyena.

[1:54] Joe Gilford: And for what?

[1:55] Sarah Saltzberg: Just to race back up to the heavens and watch your frothy game show?

[2:00] Joe Gilford: But Hermes, it's no fun to watch alone.

[2:04] Sarah Saltzberg: You know art was meant to be shared.

[2:07] Joe Gilford: What do you call Dancing Among Stars art, boss?

[2:11] Sarah Saltzberg: Starry night is art. Weekend glory is art. Dancing Among Stars is just big business.

[2:19] Joe Gilford: Well, I'd say it's the finest artistic expression you've ever introduced the heavens to.

[2:25] Sarah Saltzberg: Hardly. It fills me with such passion, such joy, like your Lyra used to.

[2:33] Joe Gilford: Used to?

[2:34] Sarah Saltzberg: And isn't that what art does best? It cracks open the soul and fertilizes the brain.

[2:40] Joe Gilford: It holds up a mirror, or a mirror ball, as the case may be, and reflects the world back unto itself.

[2:50] Sarah Saltzberg: But Hollywoodland isn't your world. You're not God of reality-based competition. She owes you God of thunder and sky. Your reign is much deeper than all that.

[3:01] Joe Gilford: The Foxtrot, the Mambo, oh, the Bliss! And the semifinals are tonight, so...

[3:08] Sarah Saltzberg: So what? Big money, big ratings?

[3:10] Joe Gilford: Big lifts! Big freestyles!

[3:13] Sarah Saltzberg: Hooray! There's no one I'd rather share the moment with than you.

[3:19] Joe Gilford: Boy, do they have use, though. Hermes, the freestyle can be a window into the dancer's soul.

[3:27] Sarah Saltzberg: But they produce all that malarkey for profit.

[3:31] Joe Gilford: If anything, it's the art of commerce.

[3:35] Sarah Saltzberg: That's for the world to decide, Hermes. Not us.

[3:39] Joe Gilford: Meanwhile, the heavens are a mess.

[3:42] Sarah Saltzberg: I can't help it. I've been busy catching up on old seasons.

[3:46] Joe Gilford: Well, I can't manage two worlds at once. I'm already spread too thin on your behalf.

[3:52] Sarah Saltzberg: I haven't represented myself in the mortal world in eons.

[3:56] Joe Gilford: My point exactly. They used to be so afraid of me.

[4:00] Sarah Saltzberg: Oh, yeah? Did you smite any of them while I was gone?

[4:04] Joe Gilford: You're thinking of the old Zeus. You're losing your touch.

[4:09] Sarah Saltzberg: Hermes. All this dancing is taking a toll on you.

[4:13] Joe Gilford: I haven't smited anyone in years. Well, not with the mirror ball of foot.

[4:18] Sarah Saltzberg: Get back to smiting.

[4:20] Joe Gilford: I couldn't. Keep the mortals in line. Besides, the mortals do a good enough job smiting themselves these days.

[4:29] Sarah Saltzberg: Whatever. Tell me about your trip.

[4:32] Joe Gilford: If you didn't make it to Hollywoodland, did you at least get to practice your Lyra?

[4:37] Sarah Saltzberg: Did I at least get to practice my Lyra? When would I practice my Lyra? I barely had time to pee!

[4:44] Joe Gilford: You can't neglect your art.

[4:47] Sarah Saltzberg: And I can't neglect my urinary tract, either. I'm not a mortal like you. I have a finite window in which to finish my work. So something has to give.

[4:58] Joe Gilford: Well, perhaps you can play some Lyra after we find out who gets voted off our show.

[5:05] Sarah Saltzberg: It's your show. And I'm afraid you won't be hearing my Lyra anymore.

[5:10] Joe Gilford: But you love making music.

[5:12] Sarah Saltzberg: Oh, what's the use? I'll never get the concentrated time I need to really create.

[5:19] Joe Gilford: So, make time.

[5:21] Sarah Saltzberg: Are you kidding me? I can't just snap my fingers and make time. Not as long as I'm working for you, I can't.

[5:29] Joe Gilford: Take a vacation, then.

[5:30] Sarah Saltzberg: A vacation? Maybe Sagittarius could fill in for a while.

[5:35] Joe Gilford: Right! I'd meet that like a hole in the head! The work would just pile up. And who would represent you?

[5:42] Sarah Saltzberg: No one. We'd figure it out. Just know that freakish centaur, or maybe it was a bull, dookied in the clouds or something because I slipped on an awful mess trying to get back up here in time.

[5:52] Joe Gilford: Oh, Hermes.

[5:54] Sarah Saltzberg: It's not funny, boss.

[5:56] Joe Gilford: I fell down and popped the strings right off my Lyra.

[5:59] Sarah Saltzberg: So call the string shop. Their number is in my phone, right below Rashad and Emma.

[6:06] Joe Gilford: What about the wings?

[6:07] Sarah Saltzberg: I busted off my sandals trying to stand back up again.

[6:11] Joe Gilford: Call the cobbler.

[6:12] Sarah Saltzberg: Call the cobbler. He's right below Bindi and Derek.

[6:15] Joe Gilford: I don't need your charity, boss. Or the aggravation. I don't need busted sandals and broken Lyra.

[6:22] Sarah Saltzberg: I cared about those things, just like I care about your portfolio.

[6:27] Joe Gilford: I'm not like the bull or the centaur. They're just horsing around.

[6:38] Sarah Saltzberg: Ha ha. So funny, I forgot to laugh.

[6:41] Joe Gilford: Oh, you need a rest.

[6:44] Sarah Saltzberg: What have the bull and the centaur ever done for your reign? Why do they get preferential treatment if they're just going to crap all over our work?

[6:53] Joe Gilford: I'll speak with them, okay?

[6:55] Sarah Saltzberg: You can't dole out constellations like toilet paper. Constellations should be awarded based on merit at the end of one's career.

[7:04] Joe Gilford: You know I could never retire. Thunder and sky, it's a big job.

[7:09] Sarah Saltzberg: Tell that to my cardiologist. The scope of it all is finally catching up with me.

[7:15] Joe Gilford: So, what are you saying, Hermes?

[7:18] Sarah Saltzberg: I can't keep traveling up and down like this. It's bad for my knees. I have a business to run, and you're my right-hand demigod. Your imprint is part of every major work stream.

[7:30] Joe Gilford: I am every major work stream. I'm your surrogate. And note that I didn't say constellations should be awarded at the end of your career.

[7:40] Sarah Saltzberg: I said constellations should be awarded at the end of one's career.

[7:46] Joe Gilford: Hmm. Which one?

[7:48] Sarah Saltzberg: The figurative one. A deserving one. Based on merit.

[7:54] Joe Gilford: Right. Based on merit.

[7:57] Sarah Saltzberg: Like the mirror ball.

[7:59] Joe Gilford: Right. Like the mirror ball.

[8:03] Sarah Saltzberg: Hmm. I bet Hollywoodland is nice.

[8:07] Joe Gilford: If you're into that sort of thing.

[8:09] Sarah Saltzberg: Of course, mortals only know me as a vengeful god.

[8:14] Joe Gilford: I'm getting tired of it all, though. The work is too taxing. The god before Paso and Tango and Viennese Waltz.

[8:24] Sarah Saltzberg: Hurry up and stand still. That's the nature of work.

[8:28] Joe Gilford: They only know me as a god before art.

[8:32] Sarah Saltzberg: Before you and your Lyra. I'd like to stay in just one spot for a while. I'd like to carve a little niche. I'd like to make my mark.

[8:42] Joe Gilford: But you've already made your mark, Hermes. You've given me so much.

[8:49] Sarah Saltzberg: A few good years is all I need. A little concentrated time to practice Lyra.

[8:56] Joe Gilford: Then take it.

[8:58] Sarah Saltzberg: What?

[8:59] Joe Gilford: Take the time, Hermes.

[9:01] Sarah Saltzberg: That's what I'm trying to tell you. Retire.

[9:06] Joe Gilford: I'm too invested to retire.

[9:09] Sarah Saltzberg: Then call it something else.

[9:11] Joe Gilford: Call it restructuring.

[9:13] Sarah Saltzberg: Restructuring?

[9:15] Joe Gilford: Yes. I see the mortals do it all the time. Like when Tyra replaced Tom. I'll start representing myself again.

[9:24] Sarah Saltzberg: Are the mortals scared of you?

[9:26] Joe Gilford: They're scared of the old Zeus. The Zeus before art.

[9:32] Sarah Saltzberg: Well, that's a beautiful sentiment, boss. But is anyone going to believe it?

[9:37] Joe Gilford: Why wouldn't they? Who better to teach those mortals a thing or two about dancing among stars than the god of thunder and sky?

[9:48] Sarah Saltzberg: Okay. But what about me? Where would I go in all this restructuring?

[9:54] Joe Gilford: Well, you'll stay here.

[9:56] Sarah Saltzberg: For real?

[9:58] Joe Gilford: You'll cement your niche in the heavens. You'll plant your roots and play Lyra for all the world to hear.

[10:07] Sarah Saltzberg: You mean like a constellation?

[10:11] Joe Gilford: A constellation.

[10:13] Sarah Saltzberg: For you and your Lyra.

[10:16] Joe Gilford: For the artist within.

[10:22] Sarah Saltzberg: Wow, boss. I'm speechless. The old Zeus would have never considered this.

[10:31] Joe Gilford: I think it's time.

[10:33] Sarah Saltzberg: But don't you think this is all a bit abstract? Don't you think this whole concept is a little too frothy and saccharine?

[10:44] Joe Gilford: What is art and all that?

[10:46] Sarah Saltzberg: That's for the world to decide, Hermes. Not us.

[10:51] Joe Gilford: I guess you're right.

[10:53] Sarah Saltzberg: Hey, who got voted off?

[10:57] Joe Gilford: I missed it. We'll have to stream it again tomorrow.

[11:00] Sarah Saltzberg: And every day after.

[11:03] Joe Gilford: To the last syllable of recorded time.

[11:06] Sarah Saltzberg: Ars longa vita brevis.

[11:10] Joe Gilford: Ars longa vita brevis.

[11:14] Sarah Saltzberg: Ars longa vita brevis.