Shout out to @fluffybirb18 for reminding me about the Wally Reads the Classics series Jason Spisak made on YouTube because it is just so interesting. It makes the literature nerd in me squeal.
Episode 1 and 2 are just Jason reading classic love poems and verses as Wally. They are, of course, all about Artemis and how much Wally loves her. It’s incredibly sweet and extremely in character. 10/10, it’s very cute.
Episode 3 is where things start to get interesting. Jason reads the closing monologue of Midsummer Night’s Dream as Wally and he changes some of the words around to fit Wally better. For context, this closing monologue is essentially the character Puck apologizing to the audience about the play if it made anyone mad and saying that he will fix the issue and make it up to the audience if they just applaud for it anyway.
Now choosing Wally to say that monologue is already insane because with the context of Wally saying this, the thing Wally wants to apologize for and fix is the ending of season two. But then Jason takes this a step further and changes the words.
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended—
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream, babe
The words in red are words that Jason has changed/added. So again, the above prose is essentially saying “If you are mad about the ending of season two, don’t be because it’s not anymore real than a dream.” You could assume that Jason is speaking to the audience here, saying “he didn’t die, it’s all fake” or even “it’s just a kids show, calm down, don’t be upset” but with the addition of the word ‘Babe’ this suddenly becomes directed to Artemis. And suddenly this is Wally telling Artemis that it’s not anymore real than a bad dream.
Fandom, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Kid,
I think of all the things we did
Now to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long.
ElseKid Flash a liar call.
So good night unto you all.
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
Now this part is spoken directly to us, the audience. Wally is breaking the fourth wall to tell us that he will fix it if we have patience and cheer for him. He goes so far as to stake his reputation on him being able to fix it for us. What’s interesting is that Puck, the character who says these lines, is also known as Robin Goodfellow. So when he refers to Robin he is referring to himself. Jason changes every instance of Puck referring to himself in the third person to Kid or Kid Flash but kept Robin as Robin. Obviously changing the meaning and referring now to Dick Grayson.
Episode four drives me crazy. It’s Wally reading Romeo and Juliet but with Wally as Romeo and Artemis as Juliet. Jason starts this off with a prelude from Wally “I imagine where I am right now I’m really upset that I got here, so I picked this monologue to kind of tell you how Wally feels right now.” So already you have Jason refusing to name where Wally is, leaving it ambiguous, but making it extremely clear that wherever it is Wally isn’t happy. The monologue really highlights why that is:
'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here,
WhereArtemis lives; and every cat and dog
And little mouse, every unworthy thing,
Live here in heaven and may look on her;
ButWally may not:
So Jason is implying here that it is torture for Wally to live without Artemis and that she is Wally’s heaven. The implication, even metaphorically, that Wally isn’t in heaven or can’t get to heaven meshes really well with PZ Wally’s speech to Conner. Wally’s speech in the PZ was all about how they’re both trying to make it to 'their final destination’ (aka move on to heaven) but that they are both stuck. It’s a very interesting parallel. I, for one, can believe that Wally thinks he is dead and is frustrated relentlessly at his inability to find heaven, whether it’s Artemis or the real deal.
They are free men, but I am vanished.
And say'st thou yet that exile is not death?
Hadst thou no poison mix’d, no sharp-ground knife,
No sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean,
But ’vanished’ to kill me?–’vanished’?
OJustice League, the damned use that word in hell;
Howlings attend it: how hast thou the heart,
ButWally may not; he is vanished:
Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,
A sin-absolver, and my friend profess’d,
To mangle me with that word ’vanished’?
So here Wally is saying that living without Artemis might as well be death to him. There is no point in living without her. He says that it would’ve been nicer to have actually killed him then to make him live without Artemis. Jason changed the word 'Banished’ to 'Vanished’ here to make it fit more with Wally’s situation and he took out a few lines which I’ve indicated by crossing them out. I think that it is interesting that Wally calls out the Justice League for calling him 'vanished’, saying that it’s a label fit for hell. This entire thing is fascinating because it’s a character comparing his situation to death and saying that death would’ve been better and this is what Jason thinks Wally is thinking.
Episode five doesn’t exist. Not sure why.
Episode 6 and 7 are both interesting because they both mention and focus on the Speedforce. Episode 6 mocks the speedforce, saying “I, all alone, beweep my outcast state and trouble deaf heaven with my speedforce cries.” This passage is Jason almost using Wally as a stand-in for the fandom. Wally is upset about his 'outcast state’ (ceasing) so he 'troubles deaf heaven’ (in the original context this would be pleading to god and being ignored, here this refers to asking the creators of the show and being ignored) for the speedforce. The rest of episode 6 is a love sonnet for Artemis which basically boils down to Wally saying “I don’t care what happened to me, I wouldn’t change a thing about my life because I got to spend it with Artemis.” It’s adorable.
Then episode 7 starts off like this “Jason Spisak as Wally reading the classics from the speedforce. I’m not gonna lie it’s kinda lonely, so here’s a little bit of Hamlet that I think captures what it’s like to be here.” He then goes on to read “To Be or Not To Be” which is a monologue about Hamlet deciding whether or not he’s going to kill himself. In the context of Wally reading this, it becomes Wally deciding if it’s better to die or live on, trapped in the speedforce. So here’s the thing: Jason knows the ultimate fate of Wally West. He’s known since before season two was even written if Wally was coming back or not. He also knows that Greg hates the speedforce but this particular recording was made in a post cancellation world, aka YJ was cancelled and no one ever thought it would return. Which means that people were a lot more loose with plot details. So this is either a) Jason writing fanfiction or b) Jason using the speedforce as a stand-in because he couldn’t actually tell the audience where Wally really was without tipping his hat.
Anyway, here’s a link to these. Definitely check them out!
