Kamen Rider Double/Recap/E13 E14 The Radio Q

"Philip: "There was a lot of kindness in your voice. I'm sure that's what you're really like.""

Titles

 * "Q" stands for "Queen" and "Question".
 * Part one's title is "The Targeted Princess".
 * Part two's title is "The Live Catastrophe".

Spoilers abound. This is a recap page; if you don't want lots of very specific information, you're better off on the main series page.
Wakana Sonozaki is walking down the street, pursued by a Stalker with a Crush. After Wakana rejects his advances, he turns into a Masquerade Dopant and attacks her. Oh no, he's a Mook, whatever will she do? Oh, wait, forgot she's the Clay Doll Dopant. She kills him. Later, Wakana is recording her radio show with her Genki Girl persona in full effect. After a short bit of Foreshadowing for The Movie and some Product Placement airplay for her latest single, we cut to Shotaro and Philip listening to her show and geeking out over her, earning both of them Dope Slaps from Akiko.

Suddenly, Wakana gets a question from a caller with obvious vocal effects identifying himself as "Mr. Question". His question is innocuous enough: "What is your favorite number?", but Wakana takes an instant dislike to him, pegging him as another stalker. She's right: when she answers "seven", he announces he has a present for her, which turns out to be a large structure collapsing in front of the station, followed by a Dopant attacking everybody around it. Cue opening theme.

Shotaro speeds to the scene on HardBoilder, delivering another Private Eye Monologue on the way, this time about always helping damsels in distress. When he arrives, Question's gone, and Wakana is being mobbed by the Paparazzi. A fellow radio host takes their attention away from Wakana by claiming to be familiar with Mr. Question. Away from the press, Wakana berates her wimpy manager for not keeping the paparazzi away. Shotaro offers to help Wakana investigate Mr. Question, but she coldly rebuffs him. Hell, she doesn't even remember him from the last time they met. After taking enough verbal and physical abuse from her, Shotaro's come to the realization that Wakana's a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing. Philip still likes her, though.

Later, the Sonozakis are all eating dinner together, arguing what to do about Mr. Question. Saeko encourages Wakana to give up her radio show, leading to both of them assuming their Dopant forms and blasting each other. Ah, dinner with the Sonozakis, never know when two people are gonna go for each others' throats. Kirihiko objects to the violence, but Saeko reassures him that it won't kill Wakana. Ryubee intervenes, telling Wakana to quit her job if the case isn't solved soon.

The next day, Jinno and Makura are at the radio station, with call traces ready for when Mr. Question calls. Shotaro shows up, too, but only because Philip insisted. Mr. Question calls again, this time asking Wakana her favorite color--he answers it himself before she gets a chance: it's red. As the cops are tracing Mr. Question's call, Shotaro holds his phone in front of the mic, relaying Mr. Question's dialogue to Philip in the Gaia Library. Philip gets a flash of intuition and asks Shotaro to relay it to Wakana. Barging into the booth, Shotaro tells Mr. Question that he should have combined that with the third and fourth questions...which is exactly what he was planning on doing to begin with. Question bolts, cutting off the trace. Wakana is (justifiably, this time) pissed, though she's interested in this mysterious partner of Shotaro's who might have a clue about what's going on. Philip explains that Mr. Question intends to create a red flame like that of a candle in Southern Wind Island Park by blowing up the gas main, and so Shotaro heads out to fight Mr. Question. By the time Shotaro arrives, Question's already blown the gas main, and Wakana's horrified facial expression is the first sign she's starting to care about people other than herself. Shotaro and Philip become Double, and a fight ensues, ending with Question kicking Double's ass and getting away.

At the office, Shotaro, Philip, and Akiko are listening to the news report, which indicates that Wakana's show may be put on Series Hiatus if the attacks don't stop. Suddenly, Wakana barges into the office, just after Shotaro sets down a stack of papers that get blown out the door, demanding to speak to Philip. Philip flees into the Elaborate Underground Base, but Wakana catches him out of the corner of her eye and chases after him. For some unexplained reason, Philip doesn't want Wakana to see his face, so he only agrees to talk to Wakana through the door. Wakana presses Philip on why he knew Mr. Questions plans, and he explains that the questions all came from one particular interview with her in Wind Life magazine. The next two questions would have been her latest interest (aromatic candles) and where she goes when she has free time (Southern Wind Island Park). Wakana is more than impressed at Philip's deductive ability, brightening her mood considerably. She touches his hand for a second, and they make some kind of connection; we can tell because the lighting effects go all wonky. Philip, in turn, is now quite fascinated with Wakana.

The next day, Wakana prepares to go on a tour of various restaurants for her show, with Shotaro accompanying her as Philip's assistant. He's not happy with the wording. Ageo, the wimpy manager from before, gets a stomach ache and bolts, and Motoko, the fellow radio host from before, wishes Wakana good luck. During the tour, Wakana gets another call from Mr. Question, this time asking her favorite scenery, promising that she'll have a great view of it from now on, and hanging up before she can answer. Philip calls, asking Wakana the answer: she gives Futo Tower. Philip asks two more questions: where her favorite view of it is and if she can still see it from there. The answer to the first is from her bedroom window, and the answer to the second is "not for about two years". With that, Philip deduces that Question intends to destroy the Futo Convention Center, which was built two years ago, blocking the view between Wakana's window and Futo Tower. Wakana is now quite madly in love with Philip. Shotaro heads out to stop Question from destroying the Futo Convention Center.

Right before Shotaro arrives, Mr. Question assumes his Dopant form, identified as the Violence Dopant, and begins his attack, only to be rebuffed by Double. A Melee a Trois soon ensues, with Wakana joining the battle as Clay Doll and attacking both Double and Violence/Question. Kirihiko observes the fight, though he declines to join in simply because it's so entertaining to watch. As Double and Clay Doll touch each other in battle, Philip is reminded of his earlier connection with Wakana, though he can't place it. During the fight, Violence/Question shatters Clay Doll into a million pieces while laughing about it and bolts, much to Kirihiko's horror. Wakana quickly pulls herself back together, reminding Kirihiko of Saeko's earlier comment that her blasts won't kill Wakana.

Later, Wakana is back on her restaurant tour, this time getting a call from Mr. Question while visiting Mai Asakawa's restaurant. Shotaro feeds the conversation to Philip, who reveals that Question made two fatal mistakes: the Futo Tower question and her complaints about the view being blocked weren't from any interviews, so he must know Wakana personally. Concerned, Akiko heads out to go be with Wakana and Shotaro. As Philip hangs up, Ageo returns from his bathroom break, and Wakana goes off to "freshen up". As Shotaro waits outside, Ageo comes out screaming about how Wakana has gone missing.

Meanwhile, Philip is dwelling over the connection he made with Clay Doll during the earlier fight, as Wakana enters the office. Philip, as usual, hides behind the "secret" door, and they have a conversation. Philip asks if Wakana's ever felt like someone is trying to kill her, and with a change in the lighting, Wakana explains that she feels that way about Saeko. Turns out that because Ryubee tightly controlled Saeko's childhood but not Wakana's, Saeko took her frustrations out on Wakana. Wakana's little brother prevented her from becoming just as mean by talking Wakana out of retaliating against Saeko, though he's no longer around, and she's become... not quite as kind. Philip counters that she still has a lot of kindness in her; her true self is the kind little girl underneath, not the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing she tends to act like (well, without using those exact words...). As Philip prepares to enter the Gaia Library to deduce Question's true identity, Akiko is berating Shotaro for letting Wakana out of her sight, and the station brings in Motoko to take over Wakana's show while she's missing. In the Gaia Library, Philip asks Wakana if she remembers anyone asking her her favorite scenery, and she recalls it was someone at her first audition for her radio show. With that, Philip discovers Mr. Question's real name, and Wakana leaves the office to get back to work, but not before making Philip promise to see her again and let her see his face. Philip is left alone, contemplating his newfound feelings for Wakana. He goes into the Gaia Library to look Wakana up, but he declines to read Wakana's book when he finds it.

Wakana returns to her show and takes over, receiving a call from Mr. Question. She rejects his offer for a present and identifies him as Ageo. Yes, that Ageo. Ageo steps forward, transforms into Violence in front of everyone, and kidnaps Wakana. Shotaro and Philip become Double and give chase on HardBoilder/HardSplasher. After catching up, Double uses the Spider Shock augmented by Luna to force Violence to let Wakana go. Violence reveals that he loves Wakana and was dared to do all this in order to prove he's a real man. He didn't even buy the Violence Memory himself; somebody gave it to him.

As the battle rages on, Kirihiko looks up the purchaser of the Violence Memory just as Wakana figures it out on her own. Motoko, Wakana's fellow radio host, bought the Violence Memory and gave it to Ageo in order to get Wakana's show cancelled as revenge for Wakana's show being more popular. Motoko, to put it lightly, is seven flavors of batshit insane. Wakana becomes Clay Doll and prepares to kill Motoko but changes her mind after being reminded of both her little brother and Philip. As Wakana walks away, Motoko prepares to expose her as a Dopant. Unfortunately for her, Kirihiko walks in on her as she's ranting to herself about how she's going to ruin Wakana. He becomes Nasca, and we hear Motoko scream as the camera cuts away.

Meanwhile, Double and Violence have taken to the skies, with Double riding HardTurbuler and Violence swinging from rooftops Spider-Man-style and bouncing off buildings. Double ends the battle by enhancing LunaTrigger's Memory Break with the Stag Phone, finishing off Violence with the Trigger Stag Burst and using Luna's Rubber Man powers to stop Ageo from falling.

At home, Philip realizes that in their confrontation with Ageo/Question/Violence, Wakana used the phrase "Gaia Memory" before anyone else said it, leaving him wondering how a sweet girl like Wakana knows about Gaia Memories. He calls Wakana to ask if she has a Gaia Memory, and she denies it. Philip suggests that they put off their next meeting for some time, and Wakana reluctantly agrees. Remembering her brother's and Philip's words, Wakana drops the Clay Dall Memory outside and walks away, leaving it behind. Soon after, Ryubee sees it laying on the ground and picks it up.

The story concludes with another Private Eye Monologue by Shotaro, Philip spacing out while listening to Wakana's show, and Shotaro getting into another slapfight with Akiko.

Tropes

 * Big Damn Villains: Kirihiko.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Wakana, at the start of the story.
 * Brother-Sister Incest: This is what fans think when the writer simultaneously Ship Teases a pair of characters and hints that they're brother and sister.
 * Character Development: Wakana gets loads and loads of it during this story. Not only did she become much nicer in general, but compare her offing of a Mook in the first part's Cold Open versus her sparing Motoko's life towards the end of the second part.
 * Continuity Nod: To "Don't Lay a Finger on M" and "The S Terror".
 * Crowning Moment of Heartwarming: Wakana and Philip's second conversation.
 * Defictionalization: Wakana's single, "Naturally", was also released in Real Life.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: The guy who sold Motoko the Violence Memory had serious reservations about it due to how batshit crazy Motoko is.
 * Evil Laugh: Popular with the story's baddies.
 * Foreshadowing: For The Movie in the first part's Cold Open.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: Motoko. Especially the monster part. Motoko's motivation was simply that Wakana's show was more popular than hers. Yeah, she set loose a Dopant on the city that could kill hundreds of people, all because of a petty grudge.
 * If I Can't Have You: The Mook from the first part's Cold Open, towards Wakana.
 * Even Heroes Have Heroes: Shotaro and Philip being obsessed with Wakana's show at the beginning. Shotaro soon ends up with Fan Disillusionment, but Philip doesn't.
 * The Man Behind the Man: Motoko turns out to be the main villain of the episode, not Ageo the Violence Dopant, who was merely manipulated by her.
 * Pulling Themselves Together: This is one of Clay Doll's powers.
 * Rule of Drama: All the lighting effects during Philip and Wakana's conversations.
 * Scream Discretion Shot: The camera cuts away when Nasca kills Motoko.
 * Stalker with a Crush: Ageo and the unnamed Mook from the first part's Cold Open.
 * Yandere: Both Ageo and Motoko.