The Fox News interview had long ended, and the TV was turned off. The living room was eerily silent, with Daisy standing still. Her pale face under her short golden hair was as cold as the eternal ice and snow of Antarctica, ready to freeze the entire house.
"Traitor!" was the only thought in Daisy's mind. "Murphy Stanton is a traitor!"
Ten years ago, as a sixteen-year-old girl, she had been utterly obsessed with his films and his dark and evil ideas. He had accompanied her through ten years, and she had walked alongside him for ten years. She admired him so much, thinking he was her belief.
Only at this moment did Daisy realize she was wrong.
For ten years, she remained steadfast, while Murphy, who had risen from an unknown newcomer to a superstar director, had changed.
He was no longer crazy, dark, evil, or unique. He had become like everyone else in Hollywood, devoid of thought and soul.
If that were all, it would be fine. After all, she had found new beliefs. At worst, they could just be strangers from now on. But he had publicly denounced her on a TV show. What else could that be but betrayal?
He betrayed his original ideals, his dark thoughts, his evil essence, and most importantly, he betrayed her!
Thinking of this, Daisy felt a stabbing pain in her heart. The spiritual pain, the feeling of being abandoned by her belief, was more excruciating than breaking bones or tearing flesh. It made her feel crazed!
Daisy's body shook inexplicably. Unable to stand any longer, she crouched down, pressing her hands hard against the floor, and dry heaved. Tears flowed down her pale cheeks.
As she crouched there, tears falling drop by drop, the pain in her heart flowed out with them, along with her past admiration for Murphy.
It was unclear how long she stayed there. When Daisy's tears had nearly dried up, she finally felt somewhat better. Using her hands for support, she slowly stood up, wiped the last tear from her eye, and her expression hardened, as if turning into cold stone.
"I've been betrayed!" she muttered to herself. "I've been betrayed..."
Mumbling a few more words, Daisy turned and walked towards the basement, talking to herself along the way. "A traitor must pay! With their life!"
She walked through the corridor, reached the basement entrance, unlocked the mechanical lock on the door, and descended the stairs, step by step, slowly and heavily.
Entering the basement, Daisy looked up at the large portrait of the magician on the wall. "Only you remain unchanged. You are my... belief!"
She walked to a corner of the basement, rummaged through the shelves, and found a large poster of Murphy. It was one she had previously hung in her home.
Daisy unfolded the poster and saw Murphy Stanton's smiling face. Her eyes turned sharp as a knife.
"Traitor!" she muttered, "Damn traitor!"
Suppressing the urge to tear the poster apart, Daisy stuck it on the basement wall and took out a bright red lipstick, writing the word "Traitor" in large letters across it.
She stood opposite the poster for a while, then raised the lipstick again, drawing a big red "X" over Murphy Stanton's head!
Since that's the case, let the dark, crazy, and evil Murphy live in her memory!
After the TV interview, despite the ongoing controversy and criticism of "Dark City," Murphy's fans, who had previously only scatteredly responded, united. Attacks from fragmented groups could never match the strength of a coordinated effort. Online, a flood of voices supporting Murphy and "Dark City" emerged, bolstered by the media under 20th Century Fox and News Corporation, splitting public opinion into two camps.
One camp, led by some Catholic-supporting media, frantically attacked Murphy and "Dark City," and even Hollywood films and their self-censorship system. The other camp firmly stood by Murphy and the film industry.
Especially media associated with the Big Six Hollywood studios, when certain remarks by Archbishop Marquez Costello were exposed, implicitly supported Murphy.
In a way, they shared common interests with Murphy and 20th Century Fox. Hollywood's film industry had thrived to its current state; no one wanted church forces to interfere.
Who would like to be shackled when making money happily?
Murphy also hired a professional survey company to understand public opinion, specifically the stance of ordinary people.
The survey results quickly came back. Out of over 6,000 people randomly asked on the streets of major cities across the United States, nearly 85% had the same opinion—"What does it have to do with me?"
To elaborate, after the TCL Chinese Theatre shooting and subsequent park murder, as well as the media's fervent criticism of "Dark City," these people continued their lives as usual. They ate, drank, slept, and played as they always did, treating these events merely as casual conversation pieces, standing by as pure spectators.
As for the so-called negative influence of "Dark City" or Hollywood films? They didn't care at all.
What people think and what they do are two different things. Often, what determines a person's stance isn't their mind but the position they sit in. For example, the Catholic Church wouldn't let go of this incident just because some victims were Catholic.
Claiming that films don't impact society at all is impossible, just as films are influenced by the social environment. Popular movies, in turn, affect society.
Gradually, many mainstream media subtly sided with Murphy.
"At any time, films should not abandon the promotion of mainstream values. These values are universal and not tied to ideology. Films shouldn't become a numbing aspirin for audiences to ignore reality, nor a preservative for the dark and rotten aspects of their hearts."
"The most enchanting trait of films is that they create a dreamlike world, allowing people to forget their troubles temporarily and find unique happiness and satisfaction in a fantasy world."
"Of course, this happiness and satisfaction shouldn't be built on others' pain."
"Blaming films for real social issues is too much."
When Archbishop Marquez Costello and the Catholic Church revealed their ambitions towards Hollywood, many media suddenly changed their stance from criticizing Murphy to supporting him.
These media were mostly from NBC Universal, News Corporation, Walt Disney, Comcast, and even Time Warner. They had one thing in common: they owned powerful Hollywood film production and distribution companies. Although these companies' box office revenue might seem insignificant in their vast business structure, they were the most crucial content providers. It was these contents that allowed the media groups to expand their industries.
Walt Disney and Time Warner were the most representative examples.
But media controversy over "Dark City" didn't stop there, as some forces behind certain media didn't want it to end.
"Murphy Stanton and his works instill fear because you can feel the film's immense incitement. It stirs every person's resistance to established social rules. Audiences often end up rooting for villains to kill the protagonists. Protagonists become the biggest obstacles to social revolution, while villains turn into heroes who smash the state apparatus, inspiring many to follow."
This was still mild compared to other remarks targeting Murphy directly.
"Only a mad director like Murphy Stanton could create such a perverted character like the magician, spawning killers who imitate the magician!"
Some so-called insiders even leaked to the media, "Murphy Stanton privately said, 'With all that happened, I don't know whether to blame the killer or myself...'"
Public opinion often precedes action!
With the second murder, the situation grew more complex. Some moral and religious organizations began appearing outside Fox's headquarters in Century City and near the Wave Manor in Beverly Hills after the Independence Day holiday. They held various banners and flags in protest, even suggesting the federal government forcibly pull "Dark City" from theaters.
These so-called organizations found it very difficult to achieve anything significant, but no one could ignore their ability to cause trouble.
Especially religious groups led by the Catholic Church, which, despite their limited influence in Southern California, had numerous followers. Gathering hundreds or even thousands of devout believers to protest in front of Murphy's house was not a difficult task.
Despite the immense pressure, Murphy and 20th Century Fox would never agree to the unreasonable demand to pull "Dark City" from theaters early. It was out of the question.
Moreover, these people weren't just targeting "Dark City." They wanted Murphy to publicly apologize, especially to the Catholic Church, to reflect on his filmmaking philosophy, and atone for his past actions that allegedly defamed Catholicism.
In the face of such a complex situation, Stanton followers from around the world rushed back to Los Angeles to support Murphy in various ways.
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