Red Crackle

Red Crackle is the het ship between Carmen Sandiego and Graham/Gray from the Carmen Sandiego fandom.

Season One
Gray (V.I.L.E codename "Crackle") is sent to capture Carmen Sandiego (V.I.L.E codename "Black Sheep"). They meet on a train, and we learn that the two have a past history together, told through flashback.

Young Black Sheep was admitted to V.I.L.E. academy at the age of 16, much younger than her adult peers. Because of her upbringing on the Isle of V.I.L.E., the faculty decided that she was ready to begin her training alongside the newest batch of students. Among them was a man in his 20's by the name of Gray. Early on, Coach Brunt affectionately refers to Black Sheep as "Lambkins", being as she raised her and was a motherly figure to her. Gray immediately made fun of the name, which resulted in Black Sheep angrily telling him only her friends call her "Lambkins". She states he is to call her "Black Sheep", which he acknowledges with a twinge of fear to his demeanor.

The students all share a co-ed dorm-like room, so naturally Black Sheep has no choice but to be around Gray. Tigress, another new student, mocks Black Sheep's matryoshka dolls, which unbeknownst to other students is the only link she has to her childhood and her past. Tigress grabs one, but Gray takes it back. Black Sheep and Gray begin to trust each other from that moment on. They are classmates and become fast friends, with Gray often remarking on how impressed he is by Black Sheep's skills, despite her young age.

However, Black Sheep fails the final exam, and her classmates (including Gray) go off on their first mission together, without her. Gray consoles her before he leaves, wishing her luck the next year. Black Sheep believes one of the faculty caused her to fail on purpose, so she stows away on a helicopter with the other students. As Gray is preparing to jump out, Black Sheep pops out of a storage space, tackling him and causing both of them to fall out of the plane. As Gray tries to recover, Black Sheep tells him "don't let go." They manage to parachute safely to the ground, but Gray is furious, reprimanding Black Sheep for stowing away and not only putting herself in danger, but potentially putting his criminal career at risk. Black Sheep is unapologetic, seemingly unaware of the potential consequences of her actions.

Black Sheep plans to run away from V.I.L.E. and become a criminal on her own terms, but she accidentally stumbles onto the dig site where the other students have been assigned to steal The Eye of Vishnu, a priceless gem. Black Sheep sees Gray fighting with an old man, attempting to stop him from getting the gem back. El Topo, who is also on the mission, reminds him to "leave no witnesses." As Gray turns his Crackle Rod from stun to kill, she intervenes, jeopardizing the mission in the process. Black Sheep is subsequently captured and taken back to the isle, and the Eye of Vishnu is secured for Countess Cleo.

Back in the present, Carmen Sandiego states, "I thought I knew you like the big brother I never had, Gray." She reprimands him for being willing to kill for V.I.L.E., and his cold expression turns somber. He reveals that he wants to know why Carmen turned away from everything she had known growing up, and everything she had trained for, to change her name and identity to Carmen Sandiego. Back when she was Black Sheep, she decided that after seeing what was really required of being a thief, and learning that priceless artifacts should be for everyone in the world to enjoy instead of hoarded away, that she was not willing to go to the lengths that V.I.L.E. required to be a part of their group.

Gray pleads with Carmen to stop running and come back home. He seems to still hold a soft spot for her, and is reluctant to carry out the orders that V.I.L.E. has given him. Still, his loyalty is strong, and he sets his Crackle Rod from stun to kill, calling back to the first time Black Sheep saw him use the device. He points it at her, saying, "bye bye, Black Sheep." Showrunner Duane Capizzi confirmed that "he was willing to kill her for V.I.L.E. on the train." Carmen outsmarts him, incapacitating him and leaving him on the train for authorities to find. Gray is captured by Interpol, but as they are about to interrogate him, they find that he has vanished. V.I.L.E. came to retrieve Gray, but because he was caught, Dr. Bellum wipes his memory, and he forgets everything he learned at academy, and everyone he met there. He is released back into society and given back his old job as an opera house electrician, after being told that he had been in a coma for a year and that was why he had gaps in his memory.

Carmen and Gray meet again in "The Opera in the Outback Caper", while Carmen is attempting to stop Le Chevre from using a device to brainwash an audience member. Carmen calls him "Gray" when she sees him, but he informs her that his name is Graham and tells her that she is not allowed backstage without the proper authorization. Carmen initially thinks he is working with Le Chevre, but he seems to genuinely not remember their last encounter, and holds no ill will towards Carmen. In fact, he doesn't seem to recognize her at all. She is initially confused, but concludes that V.I.L.E. must have done something to make him forget his time on the isle.

Later, Carmen watches Gray leave the opera house, watching for any signs that he was faking his confusion during their earlier encounter. Unfortunately, his memory lapse seems legitimate, and she approaches him to be sure. Graham gives her the address to his favorite café, and when he's usually there, and invites Carmen to meet him sometime. Carmen gives him her name, and the two part ways.

When her mission in Australia is over and she has successfully stopped V.I.L.E. again, she decides to visit the coffee shop. She watches Graham from across the street while talking with Player, again mentioning that he is like a big brother to her, even if he does not remember her. Duane Capizzi confirmed that "she never says she cares about him in that way, romantically." Player brings up how he tried to capture and hurt her before, but Carmen feels this could be a second chance for them to become close again. Graham sees her against a bus stop across the street and the two smile at each other, before Carmen disappears a moment later. Player asks why, and Carmen says whatever V.I.L.E. did to him, he has a fresh start and she feels she may get in the way of that. She still cares for him like family, and does not want him to be put in harms way because of her.

Season Two
Carmen is on a caper in Auckland, New Zealand, trying to stop Dr. Bellum from using an EMP device. She goes to visit Graham in Australia, enlisting his help due to his particular set of skills. They meet at the coffee shop, and she asks for his help with lighting "a show for a children's charity." In reality, the soundstage is connected to an electrical grid at a V.I.L.E. hideout, and the soundboard has been wired to control the grid. During the show, Graham realizes that Carmen lied to him, and that the performance is fake. He locates Carmen, and though very confused, helps her fight off Neal the Eel. He is able to deactivate Dr. Bellum's device, commenting that the tech seemed familiar, though he did not know why. The pair escape via Carmen's glider, with Graham wrapped around Carmen like a koala as they fly. They crash, and Carmen ensures that Graham is okay, before they head back to the city. Afterwards, Carmen finally has coffee with him, deciding that getting to know him all over again is worth the risk. Duane Capizzi said of the episode that, "He's (Graham) sort of a different person now. But she (Carmen) never said she's interested in him in that way" and that "Gray was never good enough for Carmen."

Season Four
Gray's memories return and he chooses to go back to V.I.L.E., rather than living as an innocent citizen. The Villain's International League of Evil manages to finally capture Carmen Sandiego, brainwashing her to work with and steal for the agency once again. After awhile, Gray has a change of heart, and realizes that even though he chose the path of evil, Carmen did not, and that she did not deserve to have her free will taken away. He works with A.C.M.E. to corner Carmen, using the same memory device that V.I.L.E. had previously used on him. Carmen breaks the device before her memory can be fully restored. She manages to get the Crackle Rod away from Gray, dealing a full power and fatal blow.

Carmen ends up alone with Shadowsan, who shows her a matryoshka doll from her childhood. She remembers everything. She momentarily believes she killed Gray, but it is revealed that he re-wired his Crackle Rod to only be able to stun. Carmen goes to find her mother and family, and she and Gray do not see each other after this night.

At the end of the season while in the hospital, Gray receives a visit from Chief, the head of A.C.M.E. When she asks if he would like to contact Carmen again, he declines, instead deciding not to complicate her life any further. Duane Capizzi stated that he was "sure they will meet again someday."

Books
In the novel Who in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? by Rebecca Tinker, the relationship between Crackle and Black Sheep at V.I.L.E. is expanded upon. Other events from season one are included, with added details. The two bond even more than they had the chance to in the series, with Gray even referring to Carmen as his "kid sister" twice, and Carmen referring to him thrice as a big brother, as she also does in the series itself.

Fanon
Fans got into the ship, some even seeing the relationship like a Mr. and Mrs. Smith story. Red Crackle had the appeal of two friends-to-enemies-to-lovers being separated on their paths after graduation.

Red Crackle has a rather sizable fanbase behind it, liking the chemistry they had as friends and even as their current selves. There are some notable detractors, disliking Red Crackle because of Carmen in S1 calling Gray "a big brother" to her as well as the perceived age gap. Some detractors compared it to Sheith, to which Red Crackle shippers point out the differences being they were both students when meeting, not meeting as a teacher and student like Shiro and Keith in VLD.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Carmen/Crackle tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Carmen/Crackle tag on FanFiction.Net

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