Original subtitles

- Where's Garaboski? - Uh-oh.

- Did we do it? - Did we finally break him?

You broke him.

(All cheering)

Quiet! Mr. Garaboski retired yesterday.

(All cheering)

Quiet! The guy survives Vietnam and Mrs. Garaboski,

and he can't get past you.

Now, he left a letter here that expressed his feelings.

"Dear you little..."

okay, I can't read this.

He always talked about the good old days before 1985.

What happened in 1985?

That was the year the New York board of education said you couldn't hit a kid with a ruler.

"Bored" of education? I do believe I am.

Well, now you're gonna need a new English teacher.

That's okay, thanks.

Uh, I don't know, Maya. You may want to consider this one.

(Rock music playing)

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ms. Harper Burgess.

You got a bike that goes with that outfit?

1800 cc twin cam fat Bob fuel tank wide glide.

What do you ride?

He rode a sheep.

62-pound quad hoof white fleece, kind you count before you fall asleep. Baa baa.

Wanna race?

No.

Ms. Burgess is here to teach you about great books and great ideas.

Please give her the same respect that you give me.

Oh, we could do better than that.

(Theme music playing)

I've been waiting

for a day

like this to come

struck like lightning

my heart's beating like a drum

on the edge

of something wonderful

face to face with changes

what's it all about?

Life is crazy

but I know

I can work it out

'cause I got you

to live it with me

I feel all right, I'm gonna take on the world

light up the stars, I've got some pages to turn

I'm singing "go-o-o"

oh, oh, oh, oh

take on the world, take on the world

take on the world

take on the world, take on the world

take on the world

Frank Miller, the dark night returns.

This is Batman.

A future Batman.

What's the difference?

This story is the continuation based on an original series of characters.

Do you guys know what that means?

All: Yeah.

Um, aren't you supposed to be teaching us the important books?

Mmm, this graphic novel was as important to its style of literature

as any book you can think of.

What's it about?

It's about a world that's become so tough that Batman fights superman.

You will tell me why he does that.

You're gonna start by teaching us a comic book, miss motorcycle?

Yeah, and you're gonna start by not calling me miss anything.

You can call me Harper.

- Harper? - Yes?

I just wanted to see if it would work.

Farkle?

You know my name, Harper?

I know all of your names.

Mr. Matthews told me all about you.

When is this due, please?

Hi, Riley.

Hi.

How do you like having him here?

It's terrible.

It's wonderful.

My father gave me my love of books.

He did?

He's why I became a teacher.

It's why he named me Harper.

You'll figure it out.

Riley, stop me right now.

- From what? - I can't like a teacher, I'm Maya.

It's a good day, Maya.

School got better and now nothing bad is ever going to happen again.

So, I'm passing by your classroom on this, your first day,

and I can't help noticing that somebody has a comic book...

that everybody has a comic book.

They're graphic novels.

Pipe down, Farkle.

I think Harper's trying to teach us something important.

Oh, Harper is?

Hm? Well, she's not.

It isn't literature, it's comic books.

Which are against school policy, miss Burgess.

And so is calling miss Burgess by her first name.

You will gather these up, and you will teach something important.

To kill a mockingbird?

Are you familiar with this?

I know this book.

Then teach it, miss Burgess.

So...

The dark knight returns.

Read it tonight, and tomorrow we will learn something important.

(All cheering)

Ah, stop it.

You're not supposed to like a teacher.

You're Maya.

Oh, no, what are you doing to me?

Girls, slow down. What is the rush?

Dinner is keeping us from our homework.

The new English teacher wants us to read this.

Well, this looks like a comic book.

Yes.

Didn't we have a teacher who taught us...

yes.

Tell me more about this new English teacher.

- Motorcycle. - Leather jacket.

Sounds familiar.

Weren't you on the committee to hire the new English teacher?

Yes.

Principal Yancy doesn't like her very much.

She's a young idealist.

You think she's gonna win him over.

I'm just looking for a little action.

Not all history repeats, Cory.

Why, what happened to you guys?

Well, we had a pretty cool teacher once.

Feeny!

No, we actually had one other teacher.

Did that teacher get along with the principal?

Feeny was the principal.

Feeny taught you every year and was also your principal?

Yes.

That would never happen today.

We'll see.

Our principal won't let her teach us this.

But she is anyway?

It's a more complicated world now.

Heroes and villains aren't as easily recognized.

Maybe it takes different teaching methods to tell them apart.

She thinks this will help, and I like that she believes in something.

But Cory, the world isn't so different that the principal

doesn't still make the final decision.

Yeah, that's interesting, isn't it?

Yancy has a lot of power.

He's like...

Who's a guy with a lot of power, girls?

Superman.

Whoa.

- Then Harper's like... - Batman!

Whoa!

What's the difference between the two?

Well, one has superpowers and one doesn't.

Well, how can that be a fair fight?

I mean, that's like a fight between you and me.

I know.

You know, I don't want Harper...

- Batman. - ...To lose.

Well, maybe you should do your homework and find out what happens next.

(Giggles) Yeah, like they're gonna run...

this is gonna be real trouble, isn't it, Cory?

I hope so.

Can good change?

Good is good.

Can evil change?

It seems like just when we think we've seen the worst that there can be,

somebody comes up with something.

Why do you suppose that is?

Because it's evil that fascinates us.

But doesn't good have to win in the end?

Does it?

So I'm passing by your classroom on this, your second day,

and I see no mockingbird.

But I still see comic books.

Yes, we're studying the nature of good and evil.

(Gasps) I don't care.

- Class dismissed. - Excuse me?

Study hall, all of you!

Except Farkle. You... Go sit in a garbage can.

Yay!

Leave now.

Go.

- Riley. - Yes.

If I may explain my lesson plan.

Oh, there's no need, miss Burgess. You're fired.

You are brand-new, kid.

You think there are heroes and villains? There aren't.

There are only kids who come and go.

You really think that you've affected anybody?

Uh...

What's going on here?

I've been fired.

I want to thank you for believing in me.

You're welcome.

Oh, wait.

That hasn't changed.

Uh...

How can you possibly fire someone like her, Yancy?

Go back to your class, Matthews.

You're right, this isn't history, this is English, but...

You know what history has in common with the great books?

It turns out there are heroes and villains.

All through them.

And the villains will always cause trouble.

But there's always gonna be heroes to fight back.

You ruined my entire lesson.

She was hired to teach literature, but she's not.

She rides a motorcycle and she teaches comic books.

How is that a teacher?

That can be a great teacher.

A passionate teacher who doesn't believe that kids just come and go.

And if you let her go, then...

You have to be prepared to let me go as well.

Let you go?

(Exhales) Well, I wasn't prepared for that at all.

Just give me a second...

okay, I'm good. You're fired, too.

How was everybody's day today?

It was a good day and then my friends treated me nicely

and then my teacher measured me,

and I'm growing, and then Jenny Lewis loves me.

Wait a minute, this already happened.

Yeah, I'm out of stuff.

He's right. Nothing new happened at all.

Dad got fired today.

(Chuckles nervously) Well, there's that.

You know how you thought there might be trouble

between Yancy and the new teacher?

The young idealist who was gonna win him over?

She didn't... so much.

But you defended her?

- I did. - So Yancy fired you?

So much.

Yancy can't fire you.

According to statue 3028, teacher dismissals have to come from the state.

Mom, do you know everything?

Yeah.

So Mr. Matthews is safe?

Aw, Maya... you care?

No, I just haven't spoken yet.

I've met principal Yancy.

He can be pretty stubborn.

Yeah, he's gonna pursue this.

What will we do next?

Well, he has to take it to his boss.

He has to take it to the superintendent of schools.

Doesn't that make you guys nervous?

Um, they don't seem nervous.

Today's lesson.

Okay.

So I've learned it's more difficult to get rid of rabble rousers

than I thought.

Too bad for you, I've got a great relationship

with the superintendent of schools.

(Chuckles)

How's your relationship, Matthews?

Okay, so why do I have to do anything?

Mr. Turner and I go back a bit.

So, I hear you want to dismiss a couple of educators, Yancy?

She's here one day, and she's teaching comic books!

Yeah, my first day I taught the X-Men.

(Chuckles)

That's funny.

Oh, no!

Now, why would I do that, I wonder?

Matthews?

Well, you took characters we already loved to show us

that good and evil wasn't always so black and white.

How come?

So we'd understand it better when you taught us real books.

Cory, you were listening.

How could I not?

I mean, you wore a leather jacket to work every day.

You taught comic books and you rode to work on a motorcycle.

Right up until the day the bike and I both got totaled.

But things happen for a reason. I married my nurse.

Aw.

You fell in love with her?

Nah, in case it ever happens again.

I...

there's a pretty cool bike parked next to your sensible sedan.

What, did you buy that from Feeny?

Well, it only had four Miles on it.

The roll-up windows are a real workout.

Hey, Burgess, you be careful on that bike, okay?

Thank you, sir.

Jon, I just wanted her to teach to kill a mockingbird.

Your mom or your dad?

My dad.

What about him?

He named her Harper Lee Burgess.

I figure she'll get around to it.

Isn't this the one about understanding

that people turn out pretty good if you give them a chance?

Don't ask me, I read comic books.

Look, Yancy, I'll observe Harper's class, I'll make my decision then.

I already made my decision on Matthews long ago.

I hired him, you know?

I did not know that.

I withdraw my objection.

Too late for that.

Too important.

What a kid is taught is what a kid becomes. That's the job we have.

You ask me to see how it's being done, and I will.

Hmm.

Interesting lesson.

Let's see what comes of it.

We have some special guests in our classroom.

Please behave as you normally would.

- Hi. - Hi.

We love Harper.

Do you understand, Uncle jon?

Real Uncle, or do you just call him that?

He comes over like a million times a week...

I withdraw my complaint.

You got them calling you by your first name?

Sir, I wanted them to put together the mockingbird thing

to see how much I care about what I'll be teaching.

All right, does anybody understand the significance of Harper's name

in regards to the author of to kill a mockingbird?

Harper's first name is Charles twain!

You're doing a bang-up job with her, Matthews.

Look, she was told by the principal not to teach us something,

but she did anyways. That's gotta mean something.

Psst, will you stop helping us?

Yeah, it means something.

Now, may I see what you've learned?

Because that's what means everything.

Farkle goes first, Farkle always goes first!

Stuart Minkus' kid?

- Yeah. - Super genius?

- Outer space. - Real human boy?

We're not sure yet.

Sit down.

I'll make the presentation.

You like this teacher?

I like both of these teachers.

Are you familiar with the material?

Me? No, I never saw this thing before.

I never saw this thing before in my life.

Yeah, I read it. I read it, actually, a lot.

Thanks for telling the truth.

Yeah, I can't help myself. (Sighs)

Now, I prefer someone who is unfamiliar with the material.

Someone who is notoriously unteachable.

How you doin'?

Not you, Riley.

I only looked at the pictures.

I read the words.

It's a duet.

I hope you learned something, girls.

I learn something all the time.

I come here because my apartment leaks.

Come here.

Yes...?

I know you just say this stuff.

I know you're a lot smarter than you want us to know.

Shh.

We got this.

I hope so.

Our future's in your hands.

In Frank Miller's the dark night returns the keyword is dark.

He doesn't write heroes or villains that you are used to.

You have to really think about what's right and what's wrong.

The pictures make you work, too.

You have to look up, down, across, and sideways,

but I believe he's trying to get us to look at what our own world has become.

Up, down, across, and sideways.

Heroes that should be friends with a common goal, fight each other instead.

One hero was trying to inspire his old friend to take a look at the world,

and realized that it's changed.

So, he needed to change, too.

But he wouldn't, so he fought against him.

Which was hard to look at, because the world is dark enough

and heroes are supposed to bring light.

Everyone in this room knows that someone with real power

doesn't need to hit a kid with a ruler to get the kid to want to learn.

Because this is a new world, and we don't do that here.

Frank Miller turned a comic book into... what's the word?

You know the word.

Literature.

And Harper here, is named after someone who gave us a great story.

Which her father taught her to appreciate, and it means everything to her

that her father taught her.

She's taught me so much already.

You did that in two days?

(Laughs)

They're smarter than they want us to know.

She did that in two days!

Shape up, Matthews.

Yes, sir.

Jon, comic books are against school policy.

Yeah, and you can hit a kid with a ruler in 19 states.

Hey, Matthews, I know it was you that chose Harper for these kids.

Is that because maybe she, uh... reminded you of someone?

- No. - Okay.

Riles?

Yeah?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I don't know yet.

Is that okay?

Yeah.

Am I supposed to ask you now?

That would certainly keep this going, so...

- Maya? - Yes!

Do you have any idea what you want to be when you grow up?

No.

But being a teacher might be cooler than I thought.

You know what else is cool?

Uncle Jon used to take care of Shawn when he was younger.

You don't say.

I do say.

And my dad said that they were really good for each other.

Okay, Riley, I finished this Archie comic you gave me.

I wanted to start him on the road to good books.

Well... this dark-haired girl and this blonde girl

both like the same boy and they all stay best friends.

Could that really happen?

- No. - Okay.

Good morning.

Before we begin today,

a decision has been reached. Now, I know you're all going to remain quiet and calm.

Both: We love her!

Thank you.

We appreciate it when students are fond of a teacher.

I mean, it factors into a decision, but it cannot be the first priority.

Uh-oh.

That has to be preparation that a teacher puts into a lesson plan,

and what the students take from it.

Cory, what are you teaching today?

I don't know. I'm probably making something up.

All right, now Ms. Burgess went against school policy.

The principal decided what he saw fit.

Right and wrong can be difficult to identify sometimes.

That's what you just read in English class.

But this is history.

And what does history teach us. You?

When it's a struggle between right and wrong,

that's when the real hero fights hardest.

So... For the greater good of this school,

it has been decided that someone had to go.

So I would like to introduce you to your new English teacher.

No!

Why is it worth learning anything

if we can't change the world for the better?

How are we supposed to be heroes if we can't do anything about anything?

Hi!

(All cheering)

Wow!

Sometimes you can beat superman.

Very good, Maya.

You get an a.

This new teacher's out to ruin my reputation.

He was one of your teachers, mommy?

Yeah, Mr. Turner helped me learn everything I know.

She knows everything.

I know.

Was my daddy a good student?

He was a wonderful student.

Why would you lie to my kid?

He tried his best.

Why would you lie to my kid?

He was so bad, he became a teacher so he could go back to school again.

So... word has it you took care of Shawn Hunter?

Yeah, I did.

His dad was a little off and on.

No kid should have that.

Yeah.

Did you care about him, though?

You weren't his real father.

No, I wasn't.

But was it possible for you to...

yes, Maya.

I loved him like a son.

I still do.

That's good.

Dad?

Yeah?

Thank you for being a good teacher.

Yeah, thanks.

Boy, there's nothing better than hearing that from your students.

Mr. Turner.

Thank you for being a good teacher.

Yeah, thanks.

You gave me an a-minus once.

Topanga.

- Topanga. - I want you to change it.

Okay.

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