Especially Taylor still thinking Coil is
that important...
I mean, others have touched on it but Joe tried to convey that what Taylor was thinking wasn't what he was talking about. Again, this goes back to bad communication, but Joe actually had reasons for not wanting to tell Taylor - he was worried he'd break her. Taylor at this point didn't really have a reason to keep it from Joe, especially since he could be a critical ally, and he seems on the up and up. And if he really was trying to keep her alive, then revealing her mission wouldn't help her.
She knows that she is one of the deadliest villain in the bay right?
Teenager with self-esteem issues. It takes Taylor a long time to truly recognize the kind of figure she strikes to others in canon. And all her biggest accomplishments here are easily getting overshadowed by Apeiron so she hasn't really taken the time to think about it.
And that is how regent became the best undersider.
And how often do you hear
that in a story?
Which is the other hilarious part of it. Brian's done. Everything he was working for is already in place, and he doesn't know it. He wanted Aisha to have a safe place, somewhere she wouldn't run away from. And she's got it. She's happy. Brian getting custody doesn't help her any more.
I mean, it still helps, but it's been implied that she no longer has that bad of a relationship with her dad in this story, so it's not like in canon where he was neglectful of her or she was forced to stay with her mom. The moment Brian realizes that Aisha is working with Joe, it's going to kind of break him in a sense. Especially once he puts it together how Aisha becoming more responsible, and even his dad being more supportive towards her is likely due to Joe, even if not directly. I never understood Brian's choices in canon, but that's a larger discussion.
I loved it when he called out Tats and Grue on their plan to play the situation. Hopefully everyone on them can sit down to talk. Not likely they would but hey, hoping for the best.
Yes, this was one of the best moments, and it's been coming for a while. Quite frankly, I'd love if Joe came over for Pizza, and when asked about what the hell is going on, he just looks at Lisa and asks if she's ready to tell him what the bank job was a distraction for yet. At this point, only Lisa knows 'why' the bank job was so important. If she tries to evade answering, Joe can simply respond with "Lisa, why should I trust you with my secrets when you're unwilling to come through on what you promised me? You seem to have a profound misunderstanding of the arrangement we have. Don't think that you can manipulate me just because I'm easy-going. The stakes have gotten too high for that, for both of us. So spare me the hypocrisy, and if we're going to come clean, let's come clean."
Granted, if Lisa does come clean then, it's basically the end of the Undersiders. They were never, truly, a united group until after the S9. Something this ground-breaking, this soon, with other options than their current employer? Brian is the only one who actually
needs what Coil gives him. The rest are simply there for money or out of fear, or in Taylor's case, because she's a stupid teenager trying to be a double-agent and failing miserably. With Apeiron taking over your protection, fear tends to be less of a factor. As for money, how many times have people commented that a single watch made by Apeiron is worth more than the Undersiders would ever earn from crime?
Hell, if Lisa informs Joe about Coil and the mini-endbringer in his basement, would Taylor even care about trying to 'reveal' Coil anymore? At that point, the stakes are too high anyway. That's the time she calls in to Armsmaster and basically says,
"I'm out. Their boss is Coil, and he has a pet Endbringer in his basement. I'm going to hide in Apeiron's workshop until after the apocalypse. Apeiron will call you with details."
"Wait, what?"
*Click*
but Brian wants to support himself.
He doesn't really care about that. It's helpful, because it would help get Aisha out of their shitty family environment, but his whole concern that we see in canon is in regards to gaining custody of Aisha to get her away from a bad home life. If he finds out that not only is Aisha fully capable of taking care of herself, but has found a supportive environment, and even has a better relationship with their dad than he does, it's going to kind of break Brian, as it means everything he's done has been for nothing.
If he had joined the Wards in canon, sure he wouldn't have made a lot of money, but if he made getting his sister out of an abusive environment his price, they would have jumped on that shit in a heartbeat, for the PR alone. Would he have gained custody as a Ward? Kind of depends on 'when' he joined - I could easily see them blurring his age and having him join the Protectorate if he was close, but even then, she would at least been moved out that environment until he
was 18 and could take custody as a member of the Protectorate. And it's not like he wouldn't see her a lot.