WP, ID - An Extraordinary Town

[KDeFlane]

In between bouts of speculation and confusion, I like to think about the daily lives of our residents.  It's not all mystery in the town of Wayward Pines. (I do believe Nurse Pam used the WP abbreviation, too.)

 

We got a good look inside the refrigerator at the Burke's new house. What struck me is the amount of fresh vegetables and unpackaged foods, and how none of it is branded.  The liquids are in clear glass bottles without any labels.  The cheese is under a dome -- don't even think about that other show -- and other assorted foodstuffs are in unmarked Mason jars.  None of the packaging is plastic, with the exception being the tub of ice cream.  (I tried to freeze-frame on the lid, but I could not read the label.)

 

I wonder where the grocery store is.  Maybe everyone gets their groceries delivered to the house.  Maybe the menu is pre-selected for them.  (Maybe a pallet from the Dharma Initiative will parachute into the park.)

 

[walnutqueen]

I hadn't noticed.  But now that you mention it, that sounds like the food from my 1950s childhood.

[peach]

And we've seen that the toys are all carved from wood.

 

The clothes are fairly fashionable, however.  They can still get Levi's wherever they are.  And lipstick.  I could survive a lot if I were allowed to have lipstick and cool boots.  And the interior decorating is swell.

Edited May 30, 2015 by peach

[KDeFlane]

The phones don't make outgoing calls?  Is that everywhere, or just in the Burke's house?  There is a pay phone booth on Main Street (and I've even seen an extra (actor) inside it in the background of one shot), but perhaps it is just for passers-by to "answer the call" when it rings. How do people ever contact one another to organize community events?

 

No television, no wi-fi, and I assume no cell phone service.  What about radio?  It seems like a small town would at least be able to run a low-wattage radio station, kinda like they had in "Northern Exposure" (i forget the name of that Alaska town). Do we know if they have phonographs?  I wonder how old the LP records would be -- assuming classical orchestra symphonies are not counted as mentions of the past.

 

Entertainment?  No movie theaters (that we've seen), because movies would be too much of a reminder of their life before. But there is a marquee on Main Street which looks like a theater entrance, and a notice of a recital.  It's probably just a local talent show.

 

At this point, I might just get violent with those horseshoes.  Good thing they don't have lawn darts.

Edited May 30, 2015 by KDeFlane

[JenE4]

The phones don't make outgoing calls? Is that everywhere, or just in the Burke's house?

But oddly the couple of times Ethan was able to place a call, he was hearing his answering machine with his wife's voice, but she had 0 messages from him. So was the time inconsistency in play that perhaps he was calling in the future when she would have already been in WP from the outside even though she wasn't there in the WP timeline yet, or was there some alternate reality blocking the message that him hearing the voice mail wasn't real and/or something was blocking/erasing his calls?

Edited May 31, 2015 by JenE4

[walnutqueen]

Maybe they have to dial 9 to get an outside line.  :-)

 

 

What about radio?  It seems like a small town would at least be able to run a low-wattage radio station, kinda like they had in "Northern Exposure" (i forget the name of that Alaska town).

 

Cicely, Alaska (modeled after Talkeetna, Alaska) but actually filmed in Roslyn, Washington.  I stood outside Chris In The Morning's radio set, drank at The Brick, and had breakfast at the Roslyn Café, a very long time ago.

[KDeFlane]

Thanks for the reminder about all of Ethan's outgoing calls.  Even from The Excellent Bean, the Powers That Be are letting him think he is dialing the outside world.  I wonder if the other citizens are taking notice and wondering when they'll get dialing privileges.

 

More random thoughts:

All of the cash registers are antiques, and none are electronic.  A quick search didn't give me any specifics about the history of cash registers (aka 'tills') but some look to be at least 100 years old? Is this a choice driven by power consumption or security issues?  Are the coins also counterfeit, and how old are the newest mint dates?  There is a W.P. Bank and Trust next to the Laundromat near the park, and my guess is that everyone with a paying job brings their paper paycheck to the bank to cash it, rather than anything as modern as direct deposit into accounts.

[jhlipton]

But oddly the couple of times Ethan was able to place a call, he was hearing his answering machine with his wife's voice, but she had 0 messages from him. 

 

He was also able to place a call to someone pretending (or not) to be a receptionist at the Boise Secret Service office.  But that could have been routed to an office in WP (NOTE: it was not the nurse who answered.)

[KDeFlane]

I have answered my own question: they have radios in WP.  Somehow it took me until my 5th rewatch of the first episode to notice that Arlene has music playing in the background of the sheriff's reception area -- it's the song "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by the Ink Spots from 1941. In episode 2, she has something else playing which sounded a bit like really old country-western, maybe 1940s but that's a wild guess.

 

I also spotted what looks to be a radio (model from the 1950s, maybe) in the area of the hotel behind the managers desk.  And of course we do see Beverly mopping the bar floor and turning up the radio to dance with Ethan.  (I couldn't place the song, but it has a 1940s blues feel to it.)

 

This brings me back to Kate in the park interrupting Henry's horseshoe match to say, "We'll miss our program."  Now I'm thinking that is more likely to be a radio show than televised, maybe a drama or comedy, or maybe just a specific block of music.

Edited June 4, 2015 by KDeFlane

[SpaghettiTuesdays]

There is a W.P. Bank and Trust next to the Laundromat near the park, and my guess is that everyone with a paying job brings their paper paycheck to the bank to cash it, rather than anything as modern as direct deposit into accounts.

I was thinking they don't even get paid. The jobs are just there for the pretense.

[Lillybee]

This show is making me want to rewatch The Prisioner if I could find it anywhere.

[KDeFlane]

I feel like putting this to a vote:  Are the "buffalo" burgers regular beef cooked in the style of Buffalo Wings with that hot sauce, or do you think they mean the meat is from a bison?  Or will either choice be moot when it's revealed it's all soy protein and tofu and an illusion? (btw, one of the cases in the delivery van is marked "beef" with contents of "steaks" and "ground beef" in units for delivery to the "Meat Market".) 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Or will either choice be moot when it's revealed it's all soy protein and tofu and an illusion?

 

Maybe the "beef" ...... is made out of people !!!!

[jhlipton]

Are the "buffalo" burgers regular beef cooked in the style of Buffalo Wings with that hot sauce, or do you think they mean the meat is from a bison?  

 

I vote for bison. Buffalo meat is very popular in places where bison are raised, including lower Idaho.

 

Maybe the "beef" ...... is made out of people !!!!

 

Soylent Brown?

[KDeFlane]

I forgot to mention the Brazilian coffee.  (I love the way the show just sprinkles flavor and extra details into the frame, like a newspaper front page casually held in a scene where we're looking at people's faces instead.) The emphasis in such a headline could either be "small town news" level of excitement over the little things in life, or it could be propaganda from behind the curtain to help the citizens maintain their illusion that Brazil even still exists beyond the wall.  (I'm not enough of a coffee snob to know for sure, but I thought coffee beans from Brazil are the least exotic kind you can buy now, but back in the 1950s it was probably a selling point.)

[JenE4]

I feel like putting this to a vote:  Are the "buffalo" burgers regular beef cooked in the style of Buffalo Wings with that hot sauce, or do you think they mean the meat is from a bison? 

 

That's funny because when I was watching the show I thought buffalo hot sauce. But then reading someone's post here, I realized, oh, buffalo (meat) burger--even though the post didn't specify, just seeing it in writing made me recognize it as an animal from which one could make a burger, lol!

[ottoDbusdriver]

That's funny because when I was watching the show I thought buffalo hot sauce. But then reading someone's post here, I realized, oh, buffalo (meat) burger--even though the post didn't specify, just seeing it in writing made me recognize it as an animal from which one could make a burger, lol!

 

I hope it's not Buggalo meat. </Futurama>

[janie jones]

I've never heard of burgers done in the style of Buffalo wings, but I have heard of burgers made of buffalo meat, so I took it to mean that (like turkey burger, bean burger, etc.).

[jhlipton]

If the price of disobedience is death, what do they do if there's a mass protest or strike?  Kill all 10, 20, 50 people involved?  How do they prevent an "I am Spartacus!" incident?

[KDeFlane]

I just poured myself a glass of wine and wondered... What do the labels say on the wine bottles in WP?  Do they have no appellation or year of vintage?  Do they have faked labels, as the wine itself came from cold storage?  (And is 2000 years a good amount of time for maturation, or would it spoil?)  Random thoughts.  Plenty of bottles on the wall behind the bar at Das Biergarten, too, but hard alcohol probably is ageless.

[KDeFlane]

I'm back after a rewatch, yay!  So now we have a whole 'nother layer of civilization to examine.  We can start with all of the motivational signs placed at strategic locations in the complex:

WAYWARD PINES IS THE FUTURE

OUR FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS

WE ARE THE FUTURE

KEEP WAYWARD PINES SAFE

YOUR WORK STAYS UNDER GROUND

DON'T SHOW THAT YOU KNOW

SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON YOU

 

So Ted works for a top-side-only local delivery service, not to be confused with the Finest "International" Foods delivery van.  (I'd love to think of a witty comment here.)

 

And yes, there have been multiple sightings of dogs on leashes, at least I remember a golden retriever in maybe the first episode on Main Street, and near the end of episode 5 showed a different breed dog in a driveway as Ben is walking home.  That one *might* be the same black dog as people spotted in ep#6 but i haven't gone back to check.

Edited June 30, 2015 by KDeFlane

[ottoDbusdriver]

And yes, there have been multiple sightings of dogs on leashes, at least I remember a golden retriever in maybe the first episode on Main Street, and near the end of episode 5 showed a different breed dog in a driveway as Ben is walking home.  That one *might* be the same black dog as people spotted in ep#6 but i haven't gone back to check.

 

You are correct @KDeFlane -- those are three different dogs

[Chicago Redshirt]

I've never heard of burgers done in the style of Buffalo wings, but I have heard of burgers made of buffalo meat, so I took it to mean that (like turkey burger, bean burger, etc.).

I've had a burger with buffalo sauce on it, as well as a burger with buffalo wings on it, I've heard of but have not personally had bison burgers.

[jhlipton]

So Ted works for a top-side-only local delivery service, not to be confused with the Finest "International" Foods delivery van.  (I'd love to think of a witty comment here.)

 

Wouldn't Ted work for a bottom-side-only service?  Another set of drivers go to the food storage site in Moscow, Idaho (or perhaps there's one in Athens, Georgia?) and a third set runs supplies from the freight elevator to the town (and recyclables and trash back up?)

What do they do with their trash?

[KDeFlane]

There must be more pets in town, to support the Noah's Bark Pet Store on Main Street. 

 

Can you imagine how feral all the domesticated animals would be after 2000 years without humans to care for them?  I wonder whether the fish in the local rivers also developed mutations to cope with the environmental changes.  The Drill&Nail hardware store sells Idaho fishing licenses, but are people able to access a stream within the perimeter?

Edited July 6, 2015 by KDeFlane

[jhlipton]

The Drill&Nail hardware store sells Idaho fishing licenses, but are people able to access a stream within the perimeter?

 

 The map made by KDeFlane: https://imgur.com/gallery/IiQFEPc/new shows what might be a stream on the bottom of the map.

[KDeFlane]

I can't believe I didn't remember the stream on that map, thanks for the nudge.  I still wonder whether there are fish that can pass under the wall, or whether the stream has a grate to prevent things from coming in or going out of town via the stream.

 

A new question crossed my mind: What kinds of religious life are being supported by the town? Did Pilcher build any churches at all? Did he choose people without any religious affiliations for his project?  Calling the festival a "Fellowship Gathering" comes rather close to reminding people of their past lives, whether they were part of a church or not.

Edited July 12, 2015 by KDeFlane

[Actionmage]

Plenty of bottles on the wall behind the bar at Das Biergarten, too, but hard alcohol probably is ageless.

 

You got me curious. So I Googled about liqueur and wine spoilage.

 

Now, after all this, I would think you're expecting me to tell you that with proper handling, you can expect your liqueurs to last for decades. Unfortunately, no. The longest I've ever had a liqueur last was three years, even with good corking. Why? Well, you'll remember that much of your liqueur creation, especially filtration, was done in the presence of open air. That's a lot of oxygen dissolving into your liqueur. In time, it will kill your liqueur from the inside. And for home use, it's really impractical to try to work without exposure to air, especially that dastardly filtration step. Wine makers do much of their work in plastic tubes and glass carboys. And their filters are often closed pumps. But with liqueurs, the stuff we're filtering is much larger, and would overwhelm wine-makers' pumps. If I had to guess, I would say that no home-made liqueur would reasonably last more than 5 years, even with antioxidants like potassium sorbate added. So all you can pass down to your grandchildren are the recipes.

 

 

That   was for liqueurs. For wines, I found the following here ( http://academiewines.com/blog/2010/03/10/how-long-will-wine-last/ ):

 

Conclusion:

And there you have it folks. Wine will go “bad” within hours or days, but will truly taste “bad” within weeks. You can slow this process down by getting your wine in the fridge as soon as it’s opened.

 

   So unless there is some nifty, really deep, really freeze-y deep freezers in Ye Olde Mountain Headquartres, I'm just going to have Hawkeye, Trapper and BJ's set-up in the Swamp pictured somewhere in Pilcher's Tomorrowland hideaway.

________________

 

What kinds of religious life are being supported by the town?

 I am kind of curious about this too. I was a regular church-goer until I got to college because my folks weren't going to allow my brother and I the option of not doing so.  Still, I realize that faith does need some support, for some more support than others, in order to remain strong. I wonder if Pilcher is supposed to be the terribly clichéd Non-Believer Scientist?  That he believes that time spent away from useless jobs and baby-making is non-productive and therefore, not a part of Wayward Pine's make-up?  I hope not because it is terribly cliché and Pilcher having a faith outside himself would be a wonderfully curious note for the character.

[jhlipton]

Pilcher having a faith outside himself would be a wonderfully curious note for the character.

 

Maybe he's a Jehovah's Witness, which is why Pam had to fix her own nose...

Edited July 16, 2015 by jhlipton

[legaleagle53]

 I wonder if Pilcher is supposed to be the terribly clichéd Non-Believer Scientist?  That he believes that time spent away from useless jobs and baby-making is non-productive and therefore, not a part of Wayward Pine's make-up?  I hope not because it is terribly cliché and Pilcher having a faith outside himself would be a wonderfully curious note for the character.

 

That would be redundant in Pilcher's case, since he already thinks he's God.

[Actionmage]

Yes, David has a definite God complex, but one thing that was always driven home was that biblical Christians were hardcore believers who were brave enough to meet in secret. While I can't see big groups forming, there could be a couple of couples ( 3 or 4) that meet for "cards" and carry on coded small talk.  Or even a book club. Talk about the ostensible secular book, but smaller pairings can talk in the kitchen or yard or wherever.

 

No, I can't see David allowing even a teeny New Testament ( or Koran, Torah, or anything else considered holy text) in the WP Library or in folks' houses. 

 

Sadly, I am betting a) it's not something that would be addressed by the show directly and b) we are to presume that all the subjects are godless heathens or otherwise lapsed in their religious beliefs.  Because adding texture is too much to hope for in a 10 episode "event."  A line, a quick visual, something nominal would go a ways to stalling dissatisfaction with the plot holes and some questions.

 

I am supposed to believe that every single volunteer and abducted townie has no religious life? These folks like even supposedly  reformed druggie Pam has no spirituality that can be covered by a prop, background business or a quick, throwaway line? 

 

Theresa rushes into the hospital emergency room. Pam intercepts her.

Pam: Theresa! Theresa! You can't help him right now.

Theresa: But he's--

Pam: I called the phone tree; some will be here for you in about five minutes.

 

Pam looks over the picture of younger David and herself. She unconsciously fingers the Ohm pendant she wears under her uniform's collar.

 

Amy's distraught parents  move a few feet away from their daughter's room, but then sink to their knees and brokenly sing a hymn.  ( Classic hymns may very well be considered public domain, so free to use, no matter the religious origin.)

 

Ethan, searching through Pope's stuff comes across a Gideon's Bible in one of the drawers. Or when he was in the hotel for longer than a half-minute.

 

 I can see that was what Pilcher wanted ( and probably looked for in people), but I can't see it being completely so in actual practice.

[Auroraborealus]

My question is why was the deceit needed in the first place? Why did Pilcher have to kidnap the residents of the town instead of putting out a call for volunteers? Recently, in the real world, hundreds of people tried for a chance to volunteer for a one way mission to Mars. Doomsday cults attract scores of people. Even in WP, he had volunteers in the mountain who ran things behind the scenes. If he had volunteers instead of kidnapped victims the whole "having to keep a secret/no talking about your former lives/hidden camera" lifestyle wouldn't be necessary.

[Tabasco Cat]

Sadly, I am betting a) it's not something that would be addressed by the show directly and b) we are to presume that all the subjects are godless heathens or otherwise lapsed in their religious beliefs.  Because adding texture is too much to hope for in a 10 episode "event."  A line, a quick visual, something nominal would go a ways to stalling dissatisfaction with the plot holes and some questions.

 

I have watched many TV shows and countless movies, read innumerable novels and fiction books and rarely did any of them mention religion at all. If the WP writers added religious beliefs into the mix then the show would be even worse than it is. Not because religion is bad, but because it's not germane to the plot.

[legaleagle53]

I have watched many TV shows and countless movies, read innumerable novels and fiction books and rarely did any of them mention religion at all. If the WP writers added religious beliefs into the mix then the show would be even worse than it is. Not because religion is bad, but because it's not germane to the plot.

 

And because religion in general is such a touchy, personal subject that some viewers would be bound to take offense (i.e., that their particular faith is either underrepresented or misrepresented -- or in the case of atheists/agnostics, that any faith is represented at all).

[jhlipton]

One thing I think they missed out on was where the abbies came from and why no other pockets of civilization survived.  Are the abbies humans who [d]evolved?  How did they become so different so fast?  What happened to people on the Space Station when the world started to go to hell? (The comic book "X: The Last Man" answered this).  Why weren't any bio-domes constructed or used?

 

So many questions, and all we got was The Love Life of Ben.

[legaleagle53]

One thing I think they missed out on was where the abbies came from and why no other pockets of civilization survived.  Are the abbies humans who [d]evolved?  How did they become so different so fast?  What happened to people on the Space Station when the world started to go to hell? (The comic book "X: The Last Man" answered this).  Why weren't any bio-domes constructed or used?

 

So many questions, and all we got was The Love Life of Ben.

 

Three of those questions were answered in the fifth episode.  The Abbies were the result of human genetic mutations brought about by damage to the environment, as Dr. Pilcher had predicted.  They devolved over time into what we saw them as in 4028, and they overran the rest of the human population so rapidly that they wiped out all of civilization by the year 2095.  As for other pockets of civilization?  The ninth episode showed us that other human colonies like Wayward Pines had existed at one point, but the Abbies had destroyed them all by about 4020.  Wayward Pines was the only one left in 4028.

Edited July 30, 2015 by legaleagle53

[legaleagle53]

The de-evolution idea just doesn't seem well worked out to me.  I just don't think evolution works that way.  I could see creatures who evolved with the ability to live in the damaged environment, but the abbies don't seem to have many skills other then to be relentlessly hungry (I guess their plan is to eat each other when all other life forms are gone).  Their ability to survive seems pretty limited, but I could completely buy them being the creation of someone with infinite money and resources that is also a little nuts.  Like Pilcher.   I could see Pilcher wanting to prove his point and him introducing mutations into human DNA that results in these creatures (probably in an artificial womb since a human female probably couldn't survive giving birth and nursing a creature that is all teeth and blood lust).

 

That is an excellent hypothesis.  To take it further, the Abbies could have been the result of an attempt by Dr. Pilcher to create an über-species that would survive the impending destruction of the environment, only he somehow botched the attempt and the results spiraled out of control.

 

Unfortunately, neither hypothesis is supported by the evidence we were given onscreen or in the books (from what I've heard about them -- I myself have never read them).

[jhlipton]

Three of those questions were answered in the fifth episode.  The Abbies were the result of human genetic mutations brought about by damage to the environment, as Dr. Pilcher had predicted.  They devolved over time into what we saw them as in 4028, and they overran the rest of the human population so rapidly that they wiped out all of civilization by the year 2095.  As for other pockets of civilization?  The ninth episode showed us that other human colonies like Wayward Pines had existed at one point, but the Abbies had destroyed them all by about 4020.  Wayward Pines was the only one left in 4028.

 

None of this makes any sense whatsoever.

 

All (ALL!!!!) of civilization was "wiped out" in 80 years.  The survivalists, the Amazonians in the rain forest, the ultra-rich with their private islands, everybody was wiped out.  nah, don't buy it.

 

Abbies "mutated" into their current form in 2000 years.  Nope -- as been pointed out, mutation doesn't work that way.  We've been breeding cattle for a lot longer than that, and they still resemble the aurochs in most regards.  And that was guided mutations.

 

Pilcher was not exactly portrayed as an eccentric billionaire that no one would listen to.  So where did he get the funds to build the deep freezes and storage lockers to create WP?

 

It's pretty clear that the author of the books didn't put a lot of thought into "world-building", and neither did the script-writers.