The NFC & AFC East's Reaction to Week 12

"The NFC & AFC East's Reaction to Week 12" was the 17th episode of The NFC/AFC East Saga. It first aired on December 1, 2020.

Story
We start from a scene years ago, where Joe introduces Springsteen to Bruce. Joe bluntly explains to Springsteen that he has a new brother and that he needs to, “Watch over him now, Springsteen. You need to be a good brother.” We see the legendary duo meet for the first time, introducing themselves with the classic, “Hello I am Bruce, and I am Springsteen.” Joe looks happy over the two of them, and then we cut to a few months after that. We see Joe, looking panicked, as he enters the room Springsteen is in. Joe quickly explains that he needs to leave so he can protect his sons. He also gives Springsteen a Jets Brett Favre jersey. Springsteen is ecstatic and asks Joe if they can go to the Super Bowl when Favre leads them to it. Joe, looking distraught, says that he doesn’t know when he’ll be back. Springsteen, not picking up on the sadness, says that he won’t put on the jersey until his Dad comes back. Joe agrees and we have a final flashback to last week’s final scene, where Springsteen is wearing that jersey.

We then cut to Rocky, gun out, in a panic over losing his crown. He’s trying to fend off Wildflower and Bruce, the latter of which looking like he wants revenge. Gus is laying on a dog’s bed, depressed over what happened last week. Wildflower explains to Rocky that the gun won’t stop him from getting the crown, even though it belongs to Bruce, who tells Rocky that he will kill him for what he did. Rocky tries to explain that it was self-defense and that Joe came at him first. Bruce says, in a rather badass manner, that Rocky does not have enough bullets to stop him. Rocky begins to retreat, slowly taking off the crown and setting it on the table. (He also does something else here, but that gets revealed later.) Rocky sweeps the room one last time with the gun and then bolts out of the house. Wildflower approaches the table, picks up the crown, and looks at it carefully. Bruce tells Wildflower that he can have the crown if he wants, but Wildflower explains that he needs to deserve it: “Heavy is the head that wears the crown… and when I’m ready, I’ll come for you.”

Then… we cut to the makeshift hospital room. Frederick and Carl, whose shirt collar is not popped, are staring at Joe and Springsteen, both passed out on the bed. Springsteen is still in a coma, and Joe is bleeding out. Frederick sums it up when he says, “They’re dying, Carl.” They then have a brief discussion on whether or not to take them to a hospital. Carl says that, “It (the insurance) left when Tom left.” Frederick then says that Carl still has Bill, and Carl agrees. (Tom and Bill are obviously named after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, although we never see them.) Frederick then remarks over what might have been and then says he feels sad over everything. Carl snaps back, saying that since Frederick is in first place, he needs to get angry. Frederick gets confused, and Carl yells, “Damn it, Frederick, I’m not your father!” Frederick is stunned by the outburst, but Carl keeps rambling about how he isn’t a shoulder to cry on, and that he is not a good guy. He goes on to say that he is going to win, first by hunting down Rocky and then coming back to sweep his family members at the end of the season. He finishes by saying, “I don’t have empathy because I can’t relate to losers.” He then storms out, leaving Frederick alone and hurt by his words. Carl shuts the door and almost loses it, sucking in a shaky breath to try to control his emotions, which are sure to come down at any moment. He pops his collar in the hallway, and just before he climbs up the stairs, Bruce notices him and asks where he is going. Carl just responds, “Hunting,” and leaves.

Now, we cut to a beach, and we see Joe and Springsteen. We are now in limbo. The two have a talk about whether they are in heaven or hell, and they decide they aren’t in either. Springsteen then says, “I’m glad I got to see you before I go.” Joe asks what he means, and his son explains that he is not waking up. Joe starts denying it, but Springsteen remains convinced that he is not going to wake up. Joe then explains how he left to protect the brothers, and protect Bruce. He wants to explain why wasn’t there, but Springsteen just replies, “I know.” After sitting in silence for a little while longer, Springsteen announces that it’s time for him to go. Joe says it’s not, but Springsteen says that it is okay, but he snaps back, “Stop saying it’s okay! It’s not okay! It’s not okay!” Springsteen then asks Joe if he can tell Bruce everything, and Joe agrees. Springsteen asks Joe for one more thing, and then we see the father and son tossing around a football. (Gettin’ real close to tears, here.)

After a while, Springsteen thanks Joe, announces it is time for him to go, and he starts walking away. Joe whispers, “No,” and then runs after his son, screaming his name. Springsteen turns back around, and Joe says, “You need to be a good brother! You need to be here for them… because I wasn’t!” He then yells to the heavens, “Hey! Take me! You hear me?! Take me instead!” Springsteen asks what he is doing, and Joe responds, “I’m being your father.” Joe asks Springsteen to tell them all that he is sorry and to call Danny, but he gets cut off as he disappears into thin air. Springsteen, shocked, confused, and alone, calls out for his Dad, but nothing except for the wind answers.

We cut back to Bruce, staring at the crown, and whispering, “We did it, Springsteen. We did it.” He looks so, so sad as he places the crown on his head. We see (what I assume to be) the ghost of Joe, looking at his adopted son. We then cut to Carl, in the car, with Joe’s ghost in the backseat. Carl loses it and smacks the steering wheel a few times before bursting into tears, head in his hands. (This is where I lost it, too.) And finally, we cut to Frederick, asleep in his chair in Springsteen’s room. We see Joe looking at his two sons, nodding. He mouths, “Bye, boys,” and then leaves the room. Frederick wakes up, stretches his neck, and glances at the bed. He does a double-take as he sees his Dad. Frederick whispers, “Dad?” a couple of times as the realization dawns on him. He slowly makes his way to the side of the bed where he sinks to his knees. Voice shaking, he whispers again, “Dad?” Then, he screams, “I need help!” The episode ends with Frederick attempting to get a grip on the world, staring at his father, who gave his life to give Springsteen a chance to live.

References/Trivia

 * In Week 12 of the 2020-21 NFL regular season, the Eagles lost their lead in the NFC East standings. They were overtaken by the Giants and Football Team, who both had a record of 4-7. The Giants won the head-to-head tiebreaker since they had beaten the Football Team twice earlier in the season. In the GCU, Rocky gives up his crown, and while Wildflower holds it for a bit, he gives it to Bruce to wear.
 * In Week 12, the Jets and Dolphins played against each other. The Jets lost, keeping them at zero wins on the season. In the GCU, Springsteen nearly dies, only to be saved by Joe, but he remains in a coma.