CITIZEN COBRA - Scene 12

Here's the 2nd to last scene. It's just Cobra Commander, and a video.

SCENE 12

The oval office, again. Cobra Commander is sitting behind the desk. Lights up, center stage, just on him.

COBRA COMMANDER

Good evening. Through the yearsss, from the day of turning Cobra into a legitimate businessssss to when I 
was sssworn in assss president, I have be ssssupported by interesssts who were doing sssso becaussse they 
claimed, and I believed, that their prosssperity represssented the true American way. But insssstead of hard 
work, a belief in accountability, and a ssssenssse of fair competition, thesssse ssssupporterssss only 
ssssought to connect themsssselvess to anyone with a promisssse of power. Through this channel they 
would be able to ussse the very resssources, the good will of an organized public forum and infrassstructure 
ssssssupported by you, the American Taxpayer, at their very whim while denying you the right of having a 
sssay in the processs completely.

That channel…was me, Cobra Commander. These ssssupportersss are now rebelling within my 
administration, merely becaussse they were expected to acknowledge thesssse services and resssourcesss 
they have plundered, while leaving the bill to thosssse without a voicssse.

So, there is no choisssse but for me, Cobra Commander, a man who dreamed of ruling the world with an 
iron fisssst, to ressssign as Presssident of the United States. Unfortunately, Vissse Presssident Baronesss 
wasss not an American born citizen. I should have looked that up. But ssssshe is therefore disqualified from 
the office, and therefore I hope that you will ssssupport Ssssspeaker of the Housssse Michelle Bachman as 
our new Pressssident when she is ssssworn in tomorrow.

Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you be proud Americanssss, and fight and organize. Don’t asssssk for 
anything ssspecial. Don’t assssk to be coddled, or demand that someone hands your life to you. Our 
government was dessssigned by reasssson and logic to be a sssystem guaranteeing true freedom for itssss 
citizens. Fight for that level playing field. The one hinted at in the firsssst line in the Declaration-

The lights goes out. A video starts.

ANNOUNCER

We interrupt this Presidential Resignation for a special announcement. Here is Tom Brokaw.

TOM BROKAW

Good evening, I’m Tom Brokaw. This is TMZ. Tonight, the music world is in chaos with the news…

(a picture of Zarana holding the conch shell and the Dreadnoks appears behind him)

TOM BROKAW

…that the Dreadnoks have released a new album, and will be on tour with their wonderfully hypnotic music 
this fall, as sponsored by The M.A.R.S. Weapons corporation and Crimson Guard Holdings.

COBRA COMMANDER

God DAMMIT.

Video off, lights out, scene change music: “Cold Slither.”

================================

The "Cold Slither" at the end reminds me:

It was suggested for Scene 11 that I turn Cobra's (Destro, Baroness, Xamot & Tomax) gloating into a song, to the music of Cold Slither (a song from the cartoon). That's a good idea. It would be (hopefully) livelier, and shorter. That was going to be the LAST thing I did in my revision, but didn't get around to it.

This scene is pretty much intact...except that I've cut down Commander's speech nearly every time. The theater co. wanted me to shorten it further, but I don't know what to reduce here without getting my point across. I would have had to have just rewritten the whole speech to simplify it. You got through some silliness and absurdity, let me have my point.

I maybe should have established in scene 10 that Michelle Bachmann became Speaker Of The House. When we read the first draft at a table read, though, it got one of those low "ooooo"s and a lot of people winced. I think that means they got it, and thus was effective without establishing the fact in a previous scene.

One suggestion was to end the show with this scene. With the blackout gag, Commander getting cut off, "goddammit!" That's not a way I want to end a show, especially if the show is about something GI Joe related. That's not what you paid for.