Rise Of Madness: You Have To Laugh

Rise Of Madness: You Have To Laugh is the 1st episode in The Four Mad Men Origins.

Synopsis
The Four Mad Men are introduced, while the gangs led by a mysterious Mob Boss continue to overtake much of the city, but the new mayor is desperate to stop them.

Plot
The episode opens with gang leader Frank Wilson and his sister Laila Wilson arrive at the docks in a truck full of crates. They order the dockhands to unload the crates, and soon enough a small boat arrives, driven by Captain Marko. The crates are loaded onto the boat, which leaves before the coastguard arrives.

After the opening credits we see Charlie, a Cyrus City Asylum Inmate. He is brought his food, and the guards tell him that he is going to have to double up with a new inmate because of the increase of crime. This is too much for Charlie, and he kills the guards and runs away, hoping to find a better life in the city, and maybe get revenge on those who he has deemed as his enemies.

Frank Wilson contacts one of his hitmen, Nicholas, and orders him to take out the leader of an Irish Gang. Apparently the gang has been "digging around where they shouldn't". Over the past few weeks, Nicholas has had an incredibly busy time with countless jobs, but his pay grade has remained remarkably low. He reluctantly agrees to kill the leader, but only because he knows that if he doesn't, he'll be disposed of as well. Nicholas enters the warehouse where the gang is based and murders everyone, except for the leader - his target - Oliver, who escapes. Oliver runs into the alley behind the warehouse, and grabs his files from his office, including a top secret one on Cupid. This is why he was being targeted. He gets into a car just as Nicholas comes out and drives away. Nicholas gives up the chase and returns to tell Wilson of his failure.

That same day, the new mayor, Sven Teece, enters his new apartment. He is introduced to the vice-mayor, Cole Slotemaker, and he's a little confused as to what happened to his chosen vice-mayor. Apparently, the previously decided candidate met an unfortunate end in front of a logging truck. Cole warns Teece that the rest of the politicians in the city are corrupt and that he has only survived by striking deals with the police force for protection. Teece says that this won't be a problem for much longer, because he is about to set out to wipe crime from the face of the city.

Meanwhile, Charlie has made his way to the city. He runs into a police officer and interrogates him to find out who is in charge of the gangs. The police officer gives him the names of Cupid and Frank Wilson, but after Charlie has left, he contacts for backup, worried that Charlie is going to try to kill the mob bosses. Further on down the road, Charlie gets run over by Oliver, who is speeding away. Oliver swerves off the road, and Charlie grabs him and drags him into a back road. He then notices all the files on Cupid in Oliver's car, and he forces Oliver to help him.

In a pub, the thug for hire, Corban, is drinking away his sorrows. He is met by Karl Finch, a hitman. Finch explains that he has been given orders to assassinate Charlie. Obviously he's disappointed to be getting such dull work, but he thinks that Corban might enjoy a bit of action. Corban agrees that it could take his mind off of things for a while. They make their way to meet up with the police officer who encountered Charlie. Afterwards, they find Nicholas, and the three of them figure out that Oliver and Charlie are now working together. This is very worrying for them, because Oliver has allies throughout the city, allies who might be willing to help dispose of Cupid, who has held an iron grip on Cyrus City for nearly three years. Following a trail set by security cameras, they find that Charlie and Oliver have headed to the airport, which is connected to a secret base area for the gang leaders to meet. Corban predicts that if just the trio attacks Charlie and Oliver, it may not end well, but Nicholas and Finch are confident of their abilities, especially seeing as their victims are an Irish whiskey trader and a recent escapee from and Asylum.

Back in the mayoral office, Teece declares his goal to destroy crime to the city council. Cole talks to him in private, warning him that being so open about his motives is not a particularly safe idea, but Teece brushes this aside. Sure enough, one of the councillors almost immediately rings Wilson, explaining what has happened, and saying that they ought to deal to Teece. Wilson simply sets up a bribe. Diego Horowitz, one of the chief police officers, pays them a visit. He gives Teece information about a series of kidnappings in the streets, and Teece gives him orders to get to the bottom of the mystery.

At the airport, Oliver is showing Charlie the way to the secret room when they are ambushed by Nicholas, Corban, and Finch. The fight is brought out onto the runway, where Finch ends up shooting Finch's leg off with a shotgun. Charlie rages and snaps the unfortunate hitman's neck. Before the fight can go any further, the police arrive and arrest the remaining four. They're taken to the police station, where they are interviewed by Horowitz. Seeing that they are connected to Cupid and Wilson, he tells them that if they help investigate the kidnappings, their sentence will be reduced.

Wilson visits Teece and tries to pay him off, but gets shouted out of the building. After this, he wants vengeance. While he doesn't see Teece as a big threat, he feels personally slighted. As soon as he returns to his home, he contacts The Shadow and gives her the task of killing the Mayor.

On Cupid's private island, we see a small lab. A lone scientist enters and grabs a series of syringes. After injecting them into his arm, his eyes become white, and he smiles grimly.

Appearances

 * Charlie
 * Oliver
 * Corban
 * Nicholas