The Arkham Sessions, hosted by Dr. Andrea Letamendi and Brian Ward, is a weekly podcast dedicated to the psychological analysis of Batman: The Animated Series. Nostalgic, humorous, and even a little educational, each episode promises to lend some insight into the heroes, villains, and classic stories of the Dark Knight!
The Arkham Sessions, Ep. 105 – “Torch Song”
It starts out pretty harmless. A minor dispute between a sassy pop star named Cassidy and one of her stage pyrotechnicians. His name is Garfield Lynns, and Garfield seems pretty burnt by Cassidy’s rejection. She makes it clear that they are no longer a romantic couple, but his comments about her skimpy outfit begin to raise red flags. We begin to see overt signs of his anger, resentment, and feelings of control over Cassidy. Garfield transforms into the pyromaniac villain, Firefly. What follows is a disturbing series of predatory, stalking behavior that nearly ends Cassidy’s career– and life altogether.
In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we explore the development of stalking behavior through Cassidy’s narrative. First, we consider the “types” of stalkers. For instance, “Rejected Stalkers” are motivated by revenge and desire for reconciliation with former romantic partners. They often know the person they are targeting. “Intimacy-seeking Stalkers” simply pursue their victim in order to gratify their highly romanticized and infatuated beliefs about them. “Resentful Stalkers” have the sole motivation of frightening and distressing their target, and may not even know them personally. In addition, we describe concrete factors that increase the risk of stalking violence, such as having a previous criminal record, note-leaving, and having a history of untreated mental health and substance use disorders. Listen below for the full analysis!
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