S04.E04: The Work Retreat

[chaifan]

Did Trevor's co-workers know that the manor is where Trevor died?  I didn't catch anyone acknowledging this during the episode, but I may have missed it. 

 

[Browncoat]

2 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Did Trevor's co-workers know that the manor is where Trevor died?  I didn't catch anyone acknowledging this during the episode, but I may have missed it. 

 

I wondered that, too.

[Badsamaritan]

38 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Did Trevor's co-workers know that the manor is where Trevor died?  I didn't catch anyone acknowledging this during the episode, but I may have missed it. 

 

They showed the flashback of Trevor giving up his pants from the episode as the work folks were talking about it but I don't think they specifically referenced where it happened, just that it did happen. 

[Quickbeam]

13 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I feel like I need to see this movie at some point now, given this show's references to it :p. 

You *must*. It’s fabulous. 

[appositival]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Sam is a frustrated actress.

Rose is a wonderful character actor (iZombie was a tour de force), so I guess they are taking advantage of that.

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, Badsamaritan said:

They showed the flashback of Trevor giving up his pants from the episode as the work folks were talking about it but I don't think they specifically referenced where it happened, just that it did happen. 

I was so glad they did this as I am a Johnny Come Lately to Ghosts (only started watching last year) and had assumed he lost his pants because he died during a sexual encounter.  Nice to get a bit of the back story on his character.

[chaifan]

3 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I was so glad they did this as I am a Johnny Come Lately to Ghosts (only started watching last year) and had assumed he lost his pants because he died during a sexual encounter.  Nice to get a bit of the back story on his character.

You really should go back and watch from the beginning.  Lots of recurring jokes/themes that you'll miss otherwise.  If you don't have whatever streaming service these are on, chances are the dvd's are at your library.

 

[HurricaneVal]

Oh the look on Trevor's face when he realized his online work colleagues thought he was an out of touch old coot!  He was so crushed...especially because they thought Jay was cooler than him, and he thought of Jay as a dweeb.

But that looked of crushed humiliation was nicely bookended by his look of amazed joy when he learned that he was a true legend and celebrated by his peers.  I was pretty sure that learning all that, and feeling utter happiness with the fulfillment of acceptance, would cause Trevor to get "sucked off" but no.

Which is good....because....more for us!

[AConspiracy]

2 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

Considering every cop/FBI/Law something show almost always have stories about some suspect that's found to be living under an assumed identity with credentials they bought off the dark web with bitcoin

It was recent news where many companies admitted they had hired remote workers who were really from North Korea, so quite possible

[astrohip]

18 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

But no legitimate business is paying him without reporting it to the IRS, so they'd need his ss #, at the very least.

That's why, before he said he was using a fake name, I was surprised that the company hadn't been informed that his ss # belonged to a dead man.

 

3 hours ago, Daff said:

You give the federal government waaay too much credit.

You don't give them enough. Back when I was running a business, about twenty years ago, we had to report every hire to the state (in this case, TX). We went online and reported name, SS#, and a few other tidbits. We also had to photocopy their Drivers License and SS card.

The state used this info for several things, including looking for child support deadbeats. They also sent the info to the Feds (as I think every other state does). If any info doesn't match up, they informed us. Could be a dead person's SS#, could be name & SS# don't match, could be SS# doesn't exist, yada yada. If we were notified, we let the person know, so they could rectify it. Sometimes it was an honest mistake and got fixed, most times they quit because... well, they got caught.

This doesn't mean fraud never occurs. Fake DL, buying valid SS#s, whatever. But there is a system in place to catch the obvious or dumb ones.

And this was 20 years ago. I imagine they've gotten better at it.

[PaulE]

3 hours ago, shura said:

Don’t we all see ourselves younger than we actually are and belonging to the modern society?  I know I do.  There are a lot of young adults where I work, and one of them commented once that I am just like her father in how I drink my coffee.  I was thinking, “whoa, your father?  Oh yeah, I am old enough, aren’t I…”

We certainly do.  But we're still alive and therefore experiencing the changes that are constantly taking place.  Trevor, on the other hand, is located in a sort of bubble; sure, many things can and do penetrate, but because he's essentially dependent on the bits and pieces he can glean from random livings, he's not really able to form a completely accurate picture of how things have changed.  Some of the assumptions he had when alive he still held on to, as I think would any of us in his situation.  Also, we all see ourselves getting older every time we look in a mirror, and are reminded of it by every ache and pain that wasn't there before (I definitely speak from experience!).  But Trevor's been frozen in time, as it were, so there aren't many reminders.  I don't mean that he's completely unaware of how life has changed.  He's surely got the big picture, but some of those small, gradual shifts in social attitudes, opinions, trends, etc., have mostly slipped by him.  I think that's why he was so chagrined by what happened.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Daff said:

You give the federal government waaay too much credit.

55 minutes ago, astrohip said:

You don't give them enough. Back when I was running a business, about twenty years ago, we had to report every hire to the state (in this case, TX). We went online and reported name, SS#, and a few other tidbits. We also had to photocopy their Drivers License and SS card.

The state used this info for several things, including looking for child support deadbeats. They also sent the info to the Feds (as I think every other state does). If any info doesn't match up, they informed us. Could be a dead person's SS#, could be name & SS# don't match, could be SS# doesn't exist, yada yada. If we were notified, we let the person know, so they could rectify it. Sometimes it was an honest mistake and got fixed, most times they quit because... well, they got caught.

This doesn't mean fraud never occurs. Fake DL, buying valid SS#s, whatever. But there is a system in place to catch the obvious or dumb ones.…

55 minutes ago, astrohip said:

…And this was 20 years ago. I imagine they've gotten better at it.

I think the governmental entity in charge of identities for Social Security could have gotten worse at it too. Or just not able to keep up with hackers.
I read an article in the NY Times about such things, but it isn't really relevant to this episode. I think leaving it at Trevor having gotten stuff on the dark web is good enough. 

I was thinking the bigger suspension of disbelief was Trevor being able to type quickly enough, especially for chat engagement with coworkers. But predictive text could explain that.

Edited November 8 by shapeshifter

[Skooma]

6 hours ago, chaifan said:

Did Trevor's co-workers know that the manor is where Trevor died?  I didn't catch anyone acknowledging this during the episode, but I may have missed it.

They hid Trevor's body at the time in the little pond on the property.  I doubt any of these fictional characters would have known about a place of death years later anyway.  They just know hazing was removed because of Trevor's action.

4 hours ago, Dimity said:

I was so glad they did this as I am a Johnny Come Lately to Ghosts (only started watching last year) and had assumed he lost his pants because he died during a sexual encounter.  Nice to get a bit of the back story on his character.

Lucky you.  I would love to watch the first two years again as a virgin viewer.  Enjoy yourself catching up.

3 hours ago, astrohip said:

 

You don't give them enough. Back when I was running a business, about twenty years ago, we had to report every hire to the state (in this case, TX). We went online and reported name, SS#, and a few other tidbits. We also had to photocopy their Drivers License and SS card.   ...

And this was 20 years ago. I imagine they've gotten better at it.

What you are suppose to report and what is reported are two different things.  And even reporting, you in this fictional case, are just giving them "Michael Jackson's" fake information which will easily "check out" as being true given the ability to make strong, false ID's these days.

And definitely no they have not gotten better at checking fraudulent stuff like this.  It is way way easier to falsify things these days than 20 years ago.  The more sophisticated the system the easier it is to manipulate it.  And in the next few years with AI racing ahead of us humans, we won't know much of anything about anybody it they seek AI help in manipulating their identities.

[Chit Chat]

Jay was very handsome all dressed up and his hair slicked back!

[kathyk2]

4 hours ago, PaulE said:

We certainly do.  But we're still alive and therefore experiencing the changes that are constantly taking place.  Trevor, on the other hand, is located in a sort of bubble; sure, many things can and do penetrate, but because he's essentially dependent on the bits and pieces he can glean from random livings, he's not really able to form a completely accurate picture of how things have changed.  Some of the assumptions he had when alive he still held on to, as I think would any of us in his situation.  Also, we all see ourselves getting older every time we look in a mirror, and are reminded of it by every ache and pain that wasn't there before (I definitely speak from experience!).  But Trevor's been frozen in time, as it were, so there aren't many reminders.  I don't mean that he's completely unaware of how life has changed.  He's surely got the big picture, but some of those small, gradual shifts in social attitudes, opinions, trends, etc., have mostly slipped by him.  I think that's why he was so chagrined by what happened.

Trevor usually explains things to the older ghosts like telling Flower what MIA meant. This was the first time he realized the world moved on without him.

[kathyk2]

The ratings for this episode are down a bit from last week according to Wikipedia. The highest rated program was Thursday Night Football so the ratings should rise when  the season ends.

[iMonrey]

11 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

This made me a laugh. I had just finished listening to a book where someone had faked their own death, and was using the name Alice Cooper for that very reason. It’s impossible to Google.

Yeah I get it now on second watch. Michael Jackson is "impossible to Google." Even if you Googled "Michael Jackson finance" you would just wind up with a bunch of links to Michael Jackson's finances.

10 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

Roberta's comments were killing me. She had so many great lines in response to the shenanigans around her. All appropriate and hilarious. 

OMG. When Sam went on a run about her twin sister Daisy Mae and Alberta cracked "Who is this for Sam?" I about died.

7 hours ago, chaifan said:

If you don't have whatever streaming service these are on, chances are the dvd's are at your library.

All episodes are available on Paramount Plus, FYI.

7 hours ago, astrohip said:

You don't give them enough. Back when I was running a business, about twenty years ago, we had to report every hire to the state (in this case, TX). We went online and reported name, SS#, and a few other tidbits. We also had to photocopy their Drivers License and SS card.

I think this speaks to the fact that the company Trevor is "working" for is very shady and isn't reporting employee info they are required to. That tracks with general opinions of these kinds of consulting firms. I'm sure they'll be out of business in no time.

[Harvey]

5 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

Jay was very handsome all dressed up and his hair slicked back!

The actor is so attractive. I'm jealous of his wife.

[Daff]

11 hours ago, astrohip said:

And this was 20 years ago. I imagine they've gotten better at it.

This was actually my point. What was, and what’s now- two distinctly different things. Integrity, intelligence, and competence seem quite scarce these days.

[chaifan]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I was thinking the bigger suspension of disbelief was Trevor being able to type quickly enough, especially for chat engagement with coworkers. But predictive text could explain that.

Going back to when Alberta could speak to Alexis (which then seemed to disappear), it would be funny if the ghosts could do voice to text with a certain device.

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I think this speaks to the fact that the company Trevor is "working" for is very shady and isn't reporting employee info they are required to. That tracks with general opinions of these kinds of consulting firms. I'm sure they'll be out of business in no time.

I don't think viewers were meant to infer the finance company was shady at all.  We weren't given any direct information that the company wasn't operating legally.  I think we're all thinking about this waaaayyy too much, and we need to just handwave away the finer points of I9 verification and social security checks by employers and the government.  (I'm in an HR adjacent field, I actually know how all this works, and honestly, that was the last thing going through my mind during the episode.  If I can let it go, anyone can.)

I love how Sam got called out on the accent dropping.  And I loved how Jay just decided to wing it, and came to Trevor's defense, knowing that Trevor had to listening to all of this and probably being really bummed about what he was hearing. 

I wonder if they'll keep this plot line going through future episodes, or just let it drop, have Trevor quit after getting his bonus check (let's get that fountain fixed!), or something like that.  They should just set him up with a real e-trade account and see what he does with it.  I would love it if Trevor solves their financial problems through legit trading.  But now we have 2 ghosts with their own money, so that could be another plot element this season. 

 

 

[ams1001]

28 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I wonder if they'll keep this plot line going through future episodes, or just let it drop, have Trevor quit after getting his bonus check (let's get that fountain fixed!), or something like that.  They should just set him up with a real e-trade account and see what he does with it.  I would love it if Trevor solves their financial problems through legit trading.  But now we have 2 ghosts with their own money, so that could be another plot element this season. 

What happens if one of the other employees loved the place so much they decide to come for a weekend away on their own..?

[chaifan]

44 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

What happens if one of the other employees loved the place so much they decide to come for a weekend away on their own..?

Hijinks ensue!  😆

[iMonrey]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

I don't think viewers were meant to infer the finance company was shady at all. 

Oh I do. At the very least these guys are all douchebags. That's kind of the point. The way Maggie was trying to get Dave in bed, the way Brett was egging her on. This seems like the kind of profession where frat bros from Harvard and Yale wind up. 

Quote

I was thinking the bigger suspension of disbelief was Trevor being able to type quickly enough, especially for chat engagement with coworkers. But predictive text could explain that.

He also told them he had ADHD so it wouldn't be unusual if he didn't respond to an IM right away.

[chaifan]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

At the very least these guys are all douchebags.

Oh, I agree with that.  But I think they're douchebags operating a legit finance company.  I don't think we were given any reason to believe the company itself was not legal in any way. 

[Chit Chat]

20 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I was thinking the bigger suspension of disbelief was Trevor being able to type quickly enough, especially for chat engagement with coworkers.

Last week I commented that he seemed to be able to type a little quicker when he let Jay know that he just sold Sam!  I was thinking that maybe his ability can improve over time, but as someone upthread said, maybe he has help with text prediction at his disposal.  I usually handwave the little details like this and enjoy the show for what it is. 

I really liked this episode, especially because Trevor realized that in his short life, he made a difference to one person, which then became a positive ripple effect across his whole company.  I would assume for many of us (it not all), this would be how we'd want to look back on our life.  🙂 

[shura]

4 hours ago, chaifan said:

5 hours ago, ams1001 said:

What happens if one of the other employees loved the place so much they decide to come for a weekend away on their own..?

Hijinks ensue!  😆

Yes, they would have to meet Michael Jackson’s brother the innkeeper, wouldn’t they…. Did we all just write an episode?

[Annber03]

On 11/8/2024 at 11:55 AM, PaulE said:

I think Trevor's situation was especially poignant because he's the youngest and most recently deceased of the ghosts and probably considers himself still belonging to the modern society he's now observing.  But he died in, I think, 2000 and he was, what, in his early thirties?  If he were alive now he'd be well into middle age, and the things he thought were cutting edge then are now quaint.  I'd guess that somewhere in the back of his mind he already knew this, but what happened in this episode kind of rubbed it in his face.  I think he had a mini-mid-life crisis.  Even the fact that he was a legend for helping PInkus was bittersweet: after all, you become a legend long after the fact.  At that point, you've made history but you're no longer making it.

Agreed on all of this. I think he's still not fully accepted that he's dead and a ghost, even 25 years later, because his parents and brother are still alive, as are his "bros", and so much stuff from his life is still around and still out there*. This isn't  like the older ghosts, whose people and time periods have long passed by now.

*I also think that ties into his constant references to his time period - not only does that add to the great running joke about how so many pepole and things from his time have NOT aged well, but also, it's a reminder that there has been some change since he died, and he's obviously not up to date on those changes, partly 'cause, well, he's dead and partly becausei t shows how he's still very much stuck in the world he left behind in a lot of ways. 

And he was considered a missing person for so long until the remains of his body were discovered a couple seasons ago, which I think also factors into his struggle to adjust to accepting he's dead. Like, if he's still a missing person, then maybe he's not really dead dead, you know? At least, I could see him rationalizing the whole thing to himself that way, especially early on in his time as a ghost.

But yeah, I think looking at the ghosts who've been here a hundred years or more especially, and realizing that, unless he ever were to get sucked off, that's going to be him one of these days, is a little startling and overwhelming a realization for him to contemplate. And that, combined with his struggle to accept his death and all he left behind, and wondering what his life would've been like if he were still alive now...no wonder he had osmething of an existential crisis here as a result. 

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, chaifan said:

Going back to when Alberta could speak to Alexis (which then seemed to disappear),

Sam was annoyed by the things the ghosts had Alberta make Alexa do, and Alberta was annoyed by getting all those requests (getting a glimpse of how annoying the ghosts are to Sam with their constant, overlapping, and sometimes conflicting requests of her), so my guess is Alexa was disconnected after that episode.

[Skooma]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Oh I do. At the very least these guys are all douchebags. That's kind of the point. The way Maggie was trying to get Dave in bed, the way Brett was egging her on. This seems like the kind of profession where frat bros from Harvard and Yale wind up.

Most stockbrokers come off as douchebags even today let alone in Trevor's cocaine and orgies at work 1990's era.  That is how legit firms on Wall Street are.  Nothing shady.  Just sadly typical.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, ams1001 said:

What happens if one of the other employees loved the place so much they decide to come for a weekend away on their own..?

7 hours ago, chaifan said:

Hijinks ensue!  😆

2 hours ago, shura said:

Yes, they would have to meet Michael Jackson’s brother the innkeeper, wouldn’t they…. Did we all just write an episode?

That would be innkeeper Jay Jackson, Michael's identical twin brother.
Or maybe identical twin cousin?
— who Sam has a crush on (it's Sam's southern sister who is hot for MJ).

 

[kathyk2]

9 hours ago, chaifan said:

Going back to when Alberta could speak to Alexis (which then seemed to disappear), it would be funny if the ghosts could do voice to text with a certain device.

I don't think viewers were meant to infer the finance company was shady at all.  We weren't given any direct information that the company wasn't operating legally.  I think we're all thinking about this waaaayyy too much, and we need to just handwave away the finer points of I9 verification and social security checks by employers and the government.  (I'm in an HR adjacent field, I actually know how all this works, and honestly, that was the last thing going through my mind during the episode.  If I can let it go, anyone can.)

I love how Sam got called out on the accent dropping.  And I loved how Jay just decided to wing it, and came to Trevor's defense, knowing that Trevor had to listening to all of this and probably being really bummed about what he was hearing. 

I wonder if they'll keep this plot line going through future episodes, or just let it drop, have Trevor quit after getting his bonus check (let's get that fountain fixed!), or something like that.  They should just set him up with a real e-trade account and see what he does with it.  I would love it if Trevor solves their financial problems through legit trading.  But now we have 2 ghosts with their own money, so that could be another plot element this season. 

They should let Trevor keep working he'll never be happy watching ants. He also won't flirt with guests. It would be easy to catch up on what he missed through listening to podcasts or reading articles on-line.

 

 

[Barbarblacksheep]

I love that they sneak little 'adult' references into the show, "sucked off" being a great example. For this episode, it was Jay misunderstanding Trevor's jargon and mumbled something being "DTF" (which definitely perked Maggie's  interest, LOL)

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Barbarblacksheep said:

I love that they sneak little 'adult' references into the show, "sucked off" being a great example. For this episode, it was Jay misunderstanding Trevor's jargon and mumbled something being "DTF" (which definitely perked Maggie's  interest, LOL)

That was well handled, that his mistake was quickly forgotten because she said "Sounds like me!" and everyone went back to laughing at her quest to get laid. 

[iMonrey]

19 hours ago, Skooma said:

Most stockbrokers come off as douchebags even today let alone in Trevor's cocaine and orgies at work 1990's era.  That is how legit firms on Wall Street are.  Nothing shady.  Just sadly typical.

I think what they do for a living is shady even if it's technically "legal." I also think these kinds of people are only too willing to cut corners and stretch the limits of the law. That's why a lot of them wind up in prison. My point is I think it's believable a firm like this might look the other way when hiring someone if their priority is to make as much money as they can. I won't be surprised at all if we find out they went out of business for doing some illegal things. 

I'll be interested to see if we ever hear about them again though. I'm not sure Trevor wants to continue working for them if the whole reason was to be "one of the bros" again and now realizes he cannot be that anymore. 

[KarenX]

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'll be interested to see if we ever hear about them again though. I'm not sure Trevor wants to continue working for them if the whole reason was to be "one of the bros" again and now realizes he cannot be that anymore.

And “Michael Jackson” can quit his job to make it with the hot innkeeper and her sister. Twins, y’all! Now MJ is also legend.

[oohboo]

On 11/7/2024 at 9:42 PM, kathyk2 said:

Michael is a common first name and Jackson is a common last name so nobody would think that it was strange. I think the accusations against the King of Pop happened after that date. It is sad when the ghosts talk about their deaths because they died so young.

Michael Jackson was arrested in the 90s and settled with his accuser. I think Trevor just picked the name because it’s impossible to Google, not because Michael Jackson has/had a good reputation. 

[Annber03]

It also fits with the running joke of Trevor referencing things and people from his time that haven't aged very well. 

Edited November 12 by Annber03

[proserpina65]

Okay, I have to confess, the first time I watched the episode, I didn't see Sass play with his hair when he made the comment about feeling like Isaac was kinda stepping on his thing.  Took a rewatch.  But that was funny as hell because, yes, those flowing locks kinda are Sass's thing.

On 11/5/2024 at 7:54 PM, Neptune said:

Oh yeah, the hair is definitely Roman Zaragoza's thing.

[proserpina65]

On 11/9/2024 at 9:59 AM, chaifan said:

I don't think viewers were meant to infer the finance company was shady at all.  We weren't given any direct information that the company wasn't operating legally. 

Well, he did find the job on the dark web, so my assumption of the company's inherent shadiness comes from that.

On 11/9/2024 at 1:30 PM, chaifan said:

But I think they're douchebags operating a legit finance company. 

A legit company which recruits on the dark web?  I have my doubts.

On 11/9/2024 at 10:04 PM, Barbarblacksheep said:

For this episode, it was Jay misunderstanding Trevor's jargon and mumbled something being "DTF" (which definitely perked Maggie's  interest, LOL)

I didn't get that one, tbh.

 

[Driad]

On 11/7/2024 at 8:42 PM, kathyk2 said:

Michael is a common first name and Jackson is a common last name

Someone once pointed out that the world's most common first name is Mohammed, and the most common last (family) name is Wang, so shouldn't the most common name be Mohammed Wang?

[christie]

57 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Well, he did find the job on the dark web, so my assumption of the company's inherent shadiness comes from that.

A legit company which recruits on the dark web?  I have my doubts.

He got his fake ID/social security number off the dark web - no mention of his finding the job there too.

Edited November 12 by christie

[tennisgurl]

That turned out to be so sweet, T Money has never been forgotten! I really liked this episode, it did a really good job at being really funny and being emotional, I loved the reveal that Trevor's good deed ended up causing a big change in work culture among the bros and that his legacy lives on. Trevor is in a weird spot as the youngest ghost, he's always been the one that has been the most interested in interacting with the outside world, like dating Bella, trying to reach out to his family, and now getting a job, of all the ghosts its easiest for him to try to keep on living like he's still living, so of course it hits him hard to realize just how much the world has passed him by. But now at least he knows that he did leave a mark on the world, even if it wasn't the one he planned on. 

Jay looked quite handsome in his finance bro outfit and with his hair slicked back, Sam is a very lucky woman! 

Sam is truly a frustrated actress at heart. "Sam, who is this for?" 

Loved briefly seeing Bjorn and Judy Farnsby while the rumors were being circulated. So much was happening and so many jokes were flying that it took me a second to even remember the fact that Pete's girlfriend apparently killed her husband. 

"I did not see that coming."

"Neither did Gerald."

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I didn't get that one, tbh.

DTF = down to fuck

10 hours ago, Annber03 said:

It also fits with the running joke of Trevor referencing things and people from his time that haven't aged very well. 

Yep, like Bernie Madoff, Blockbuster, Circuit City, and Enron.

Edited November 12 by Bastet

[PaulE]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Trevor is in a weird spot as the youngest ghost, he's always been the one that has been the most interested in interacting with the outside world, like dating Bella, trying to reach out to his family, and now getting a job, of all the ghosts its easiest for him to try to keep on living like he's still living, so of course it hits him hard to realize just how much the world has passed him by.

That makes sense considering that Trevor's the only one of the ghosts who's been alive longer than he's been dead.  (If Pete was around 40 when he died, he's just about reached his halfway point). He's still relatively new at this ghost stuff.

Edited November 12 by PaulE

[Skooma]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Well, he did find the job on the dark web, so my assumption of the company's inherent shadiness comes from that.

The fake ID was off the dark web.  Not the firm.

4 hours ago, Driad said:

Someone once pointed out that the world's most common first name is Mohammed, and the most common last (family) name is Wang, so shouldn't the most common name be Mohammed Wang?

That was Mohammed Lee as the most common first and last names in the world and a factoid Sheldon came up with on an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Edited November 12 by Skooma

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, christie said:

He got his fake ID/social security number off the dark web - no mention of his finding the job there too.

I was assuming, I guess. (I'm old, so I definitely don't know how the dark web works.  And some modern acronyms, apparently.)  So maybe legit, maybe not.  Part of me is so cynical that I think it can't be but I'm willing to admit that I could very well be wrong.

 

[shapeshifter]

On 11/12/2024 at 1:30 PM, proserpina65 said:

I didn't get that one, tbh.

On 11/12/2024 at 2:50 PM, Bastet said:

DTF = down to fuck

When Jay delivered the wrong acronym line to the retreaters (DTF instead of DCF), did it seem like Jay thought it was a lot cooler to use the pseudo-scandalous DTF acronym rather than the nerdy DCF? Or did he think DTF was the intended acronym?

 

Edited November 13 by shapeshifter

[christie]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I was assuming, I guess. (I'm old, so I definitely don't know how the dark web works.  And some modern acronyms, apparently.)  So maybe legit, maybe not.  Part of me is so cynical that I think it can't be but I'm willing to admit that I could very well be wrong.

 

I'm oldish as well and all my knowledge of the dark web comes from tv shows (mainly procedurals). 

[Orbert]

Wow, great episode!  (You can tell because it has so many comments.)

I liked how Jay was getting frustrated playing Christian to Trevor's Cyrano de Bergerac (via Sam), which we knew would happen, so when the question of "best restaurant" came up, he just couldn't anymore.  He knows restaurants, and started with "Well, 20 years ago, <someplace> might have been it, but..." and went on to name two or three places that have since surpassed it.  No delayed delivery, and it helped sell the "Michael Jackson knows what he's talking about" illusion.  That gave him the confidence to continue on his own.

[mojito]

On 11/8/2024 at 3:51 PM, astrohip said:

The state used this info for several things, including looking for child support deadbeats. They also sent the info to the Feds (as I think every other state does). If any info doesn't match up, they informed us. Could be a dead person's SS#, could be name & SS# don't match, could be SS# doesn't exist, yada yada. If we were notified, we let the person know, so they could rectify it. Sometimes it was an honest mistake and got fixed, most times they quit because... well, they got caught.

I had to get my Social Security Card re-issued after using it for over 45 years when an employer couldn't get my social security number verified. A 1960s last name spelling error raised its ugly head in the 2010s. (I went through countless employer background checks and a few Department of Defense investigations for security clearances over the years, and no one noticed the discrepancy until that one employer.)

I don't know why I had to get the card re-issued since the number was the same and my name hadn't been typed on my card--all that was on it was my number and my grammar school signature--but somehow they felt it was "tainted", I guess.