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I don’t think I have ever drunk so much over a period of 37 and a half hours, but Nick Rekieta made it possible with the latest round of livestreams on his YouTube channel. For those of you that have not been following the long saga that he has been showing, Nick has been covering the depositions of Vic Mignogna, Monica Rial, and Ron Toye. While plenty of other sources have done an excellent job at covering the details, both factually and otherwise, I decided to add my cynicism and hopelessness to the coverage.

First and foremost, Rial and Toye’s attorney, J Sean Lemoine, made a comment that was not just inappropriate, but completely insulting. When speaking to Vic Mignogna, Mr. Lemoine invited Vic to request for a break whenever he needed it, as the deposition was “not the Bataan Death March.” Well, Mr. Lemoine, you’re too young to have been there (admittedly I am as well), so the assumption is that you have participated in one of the annual Memorial marches.

There was no way I could have known you last year, therefore let me be the first person to offer you the invitation of participating in 2020’s Memorial March. The details are on the link below, it really is quite an experience that should be shared by everyone, if you’re lucky you might get to meet one of the survivors. It is quite a surreal experience to hear them talk about it, even now as I am typing this I am getting goosebumps remembering his story. So what is my impression of the depositions?

The Good

The first deposition that we received was from the “sheepdog” himself, Ron Toye. Ron appeared pitiful, and I don’t mean that as an insult. He truly looked pitiful; like a fish out of water. A good way to see just how much ‘out of water’ he was is to watch part of the livestream with the sound off, he constantly shifts his eyes and fidgets throughout the entire deposition. Literally since the moment the video begins, Ron tries to take control of the questioning by refusing to answer the most basic questions.

Ron appears almost ego-driven, needing constant praises about his masculinity from any source; but what better source is there than your enemy? The moment Ty Beard, Vic’s attorney, confronts Toye with a laugh, you could easily picture steam coming out of Ron Toye’s ears. Even if Ron was telling the absolute truth in his testimony, his physical actions and body language did more to damage his position than help. My brother said it best: “that is one shifty looking mother-$#&*er.”

Monica was much more composed in her deposition. Her body movements and mannerisms were very relaxed, the obvious results of a long career in entertainment. Watching her without audio makes it look as if she is having a pleasant conversation with someone that she is trying her best to like. Its like the girl in the bar that is being hit on by the guy that bought her a drink, she feels compelled to engage in a bit of conversation but is desperately looking around the room for someone to save her.

In my opinion, as the deposition progresses you can see the true meaning behind her mannerisms, her nervous laugh becomes more evident, her fake smile seems like a strategy to interrupt the flow of conversation, and her “crying” is an obvious white flag. And yet I believe that it was her offhanded commentary that damaged her far more than her obvious methodology: “his name is in the front of the box even though I was playing the main character.” Monica appears to be the girl that should have won the Homecoming Crown, but “that slut Brenda” with her big breasts got everyone to vote for her. Green is not a good color on you, Monica.

The Bad

Vic’s deposition is visceral, heart-breaking at times, and rage-inducing at others. J. Sean did his job as well as he could with the caliber of clients that have employed him. Despite the barrage of questions and commentary from J. Sean (and allegedly his clients, via text), Vic maintained his composure overall. This is likely the result of a long career in the entertainment industry. When watching the stream without audio, you can see the shifts in emotion from Vic: from depression at losing connection with his fans, to pride when speaking of his many roles, to pain when speaking about how poorly he must have judged the people around him.

Once again, my brother provided the best line of wisdom when he commented on the scene: “who hurt you?” I was thankful for that comment, as it brought me back from that emotional and anger inducing roller-coaster that I was witnessing. Vic was charismatic for the most part, eager to answer the questions and to prove his innocence; righteously indignant when J. Sean made comments regarding Vic’s interactions with fans. The attorneys representing Jamie Marchi and Funimation were present as well, and while they both added to the deposition it was obvious that they had very little to add to the proceedings.

The more blatant the misrepresentations were the more boisterous Vic became, to the point where Vic did what Ron failed to do during his own deposition: Vic took control. But what made the situation much more blatant was how easily Vic returned control to J. Sean, but not without a look that surely warned him not to cross the line again. Despite his clients demanding more blood, J. Sean was wise enough to admit defeat at the hands of a better man. Again, I don’t mean to insult him as he played his part well, every dog has his day and that day belonged to Vic.

The Ugly

The fallout of the MeToo movement still being felt across the nation. From the sharp decline of senior partners mentoring young female talent due to fears of false allegations, to men refusing to provide aid to women in distress. Maybe that is why seeing Monica’s performance was so infuriating for many, here is a woman leveling some of the worst accusations that anyone can make against another person. Her actions were deliberate, with the overall goal being the complete destruction of a person who had called her a friend for over a decade.

There are monsters out there, there is no doubt about it. I myself have witnessed the terrible things that human beings can do to one another. But I believe that this display is one of the worse because of the insidious nature of it; Monica sought to destroy another human being’s life simply because her name was not in the front of some cardboard box that carried a bit of plastic. Monica was willing to drive a fellow human being to suicide because she had lost the Homecoming crown all over again.

Someone stop the earth, I wanna get off this ride.

If you think you got what it takes, or if your name is J. Sean Lamoine, check out the Bataan Memorial Death March website for more information. And be sure to check out Nick’s Channel Rekieta Law for all your entertainment law needs. If you are interested in helping Vic Kick Back against all this malarkey, please consider donating to the GoFundMe or share the link gofundme.com/f/vic-kicks-back