Maniac - General Discussion

[sjankis630]

Hello,

This time I am combining episodes 7 & 8. I am doing this partly because I am getting tired of this show and partly because they are giving us less and less each episode. Also these two episodes kind of fit together. So enjoy.

ceci n'est pas une drill (This is not a drill)

We start on Owen’s C Pill dream. He is a drug dealer with gold teeth and pigtails. (not a good look for him) His Dad – who runs the family drug business – tells him that he had another brother but he gave him up for adoption when he was 4 months old because he was hiding things and might talk. He mentions that cops are sniffing around - he killed a bookie with a drill - and he wants Owen to claim that Owen did it and then claim he was crazy. Owen ain’t feeling it.

Later Owen asks one of his Dad’s consiglieres for more pills and is given some pills from a large bag of prescription bottles.

Owen and the consigliere are watching a TV show which is of course the adventures of Annie and Ellie’s adventure of going to the Lake of the Clouds. The girls are still dressed like elves and Ellie is sick (she keeps coughing) and Annie is a ranger who has promised Ellie good health if she can make it to this Lake of the Clouds. She just needs to drink of its mythical water and it will heal her….. Annie is drinking her own liquor to keep her going on this trip as she is tiring of Ellie's goodness and annoying stories. Annie tells her that she needs to drink to be able stand being with Ellie. It is clearly a business arrangement and now Annie needs 8 more diamonds for the trip. Ellie says that it hurts because she urinates them. (ouch!)

Owen drives a old Mercedes hooptie back to an old motel too meet with two police detectives. He is a snitch. They are Adelaide (Jed’s fiancé) and one of the orderlies – Carl - from the study who always threatens Owen and Annie. They wire him for evidence and send him to his Dad’s house.

His Dad is shaking down a lackey who let one of his shipments get jacked. Owen’s Dad tries to act understanding and says it’s never going to happen again right? The guy says never again.

They pull him to the floor and Dad asks for his drill. (the detectives are listening in) Owen and the gang hold the guy down while his Dad drills into his skull with a power drill. (it is pretty gross but it is also funny at the same time funny because blood splatters everywhere in a comical way)

 

Annie wakes and sees that Ellie is asleep and has pissed out her additional diamonds. She picks them up quietly and departs leaving Ellie to her fate. While she is leaving an invisible cloaked person shoots arrows at her. She ducks behind a tree and shoots  an arrow in his direction taking him out. When she approaches the body and turns it over it is actually her (her psyche trying to stop her from confrontation?) and a guard sneaking up behind her knocks her out. She wakes up and a dragonfly tells her that these assassins who keep popping up are her inner demons. She sees them carrying away Ellie before she passes out again.

 

Meanwhile back in Owen’s dream (My Mind’s Playing Tricks on Me is playing again) and Owen’s Dad is leaving his business – Milgrim’s monuments – they make tombstones. Owen goes back to the detectives and says that he is through. His Dad is going to find out and kill him like he did the guy earlier. He is trailing his Dad in the rain and Adelaide sweet talks him into continuing by telling him if he doesn’t he is going to jail. He also mentions that he thinks that there is another mole in the organization and accuses Carl the detective of being it. Carl says he is so clean he pisses bleach. Owen’s  Dad drives to a diner and Owen slips into the counter while his Dad is over eating at a booth and doesn’t see him. The waitress is Olivia and she recognizes Owen from school. She wants to study together and seems to be flirting with him but before he can say yes he has to follow his Dad out of the restaurant. She touches his hand and her is very warm. She has an unusually high temperature of 106 degrees because of a medical condition.

 

Meanwhile Annie is explaining to some queen that Ellie found her in a Tavern and insisted that she lead her to this Lake. (Apparently the queen is played by Trudie Styler - singer Sting's wife in real life. She looks like a dude in drag) The Queen tells her does Ellie realize that you are being hunted by invisible assassins who have been sent by Ellie’s mother Queen Gertrude? (this is a reference to their real mother who we have only heard to be cruel) Later Annie and Ellie are eating and drinking with the queen and the queen is mean to the male servant when he hesitates. Ellie says that she is looking for this lake and her ranger – Annie – is going to protect her on the way there. The queen gets her husband – who she is sitting on (?? Wtf) to get her a mirror and she asks Annie to look into it. It is magic. She says that their fates are intertwined and that she is most interested in her reflection in it. Annie looks at it and sees two sisters and the older one is putting rouge on the face of the younger one. They are getting ready for the return of their mother but Annie says that she is not coming. She says the two girls are Annie and Ellie. (this is obviously the scene we saw from before when Annie was following a young Ellie back at the lab with the B pill study) Ellie says how can that be? Annie is confused and the queen tells them they will find the lake within two days (by a burning tree and an invisible moon) – if their eyes and heart are clear. (they were sitting on men too- wtf?) The guy who hands them their items is Greg FUN Nazlund the driver of the truck who kills Ellie and the son of Nan from her earlier dream.

 Annie calls him an asshole.

Back in the lab Dr Mantleray is watching his Mom sleep inside the machine with Dr Fugita. She is still helping out with the experiment. Mantleray apologizes about the “Gala” which apparently ended his relationship with Dr Fugita.  He says it was a way out of failure.

 

The lake in the clouds

Annie is now clearly out of the fantasy and is herself trying to explain what is happening to her elf Sister Ellie that this whole thing is just the C pill experiment/dream. Ellie of course doesn’t believe her - she's an elf. She insists that someone has cast a spell on Annie and maybe the Lake of the Clouds can heal her too. Later Annie sees some grubs under a log singing and she tries to snap herself out of it…….

Which leads us back to Owen now back at the diner at a booth with Olivia. They are studying together.  

He tells her that he hasn’t slept in a week. He tells her that our brains are computers that make our life stories make sense. She is impressed (where were these girls when I was in school?) She says he is so smart but looks like he doesn’t think at all. She tells him that her last boyfriend yelled at her and accused her of working for the FBI and yelling to her face and throwing things. She was terrified. She said he never apologized and she never heard from him again. Owen guesses that maybe he was to ashamed to apologize and pretend it didn’t happen. (of course this was Owen who mistakenly thought that Olivia was a plant by his family) Sometimes there is too much guilt for one man to bear. She says she wants to model but her parents won’t let her . There are too many conditions from family says Owen. Olivia wants a family with no conditions.

 

Back at the family business Owen comes down in time to see that his Dad has killed another person – this time one of his other brothers Rick – not Jed he thought he was a snitch. Owen says that it could not have been Rick and what has he done? His Dad suggests that Owen is trapped in an extremely dangerous experiment which is being directed by a suicidally depressed consciousness. (GRTA) He asks Owen what he is going to do about protecting the family? Owen says that he isn’t crazy and he is not going to lie for the family. (here this is  obviously the current situation where his Dad wants him to lie to protect Jed) Is Owen finally standing up to his own cowardice?

Back at the Motel Owen wants out but is told that murder is not enough for them to take down the family. Adelaide then calls on the phone and tells a code – Roosevelt, 088. Wendy is the password and then she says Utangatta. They say there could be another person who is on the inside… another rat they just aren’t sure. There is a knock at the door and Adelaide goes to answer it and is shot to death by Jed. (it is clear that she recongnizes Jed as her fiance and asks what he is doing there before she is shot.) He shoots Carl too leaving only Owen. Jed tells Owen he is the long lost brother that their Dad gave away in order to have him join the police and then they would always have someone on the inside. Nothing trumps blood and he has been watching Owen his whole life and he has always wanted to be him. Before he can do anything else the guy from the family business who gave Owen the prescriptions (and the fake prosecutor from the mock trial in the first episode) from the bag comes in and shoots Jed and tells Owen he was really undercover and working with the Feds for 36 years and he is going to put Owen into witness protection program. Owen says that he needs to bring one other person with him. They go to the diner and he kisses Olivia and tells her he wants her to run away with him. She says yes and kisses him.

In the next scene we see Owen in his old broken down tiny apartment with Olivia and their 7 kids – all named after continents. The kids are cute and all but he is miserable and wants out. And I mean literally he jumps out of the window and escapes down to the street. Briefly he is giant compared to the apartment building but then he hears Annie’s voice telling him that they promised to look out for each other. Down on the street there is a model of him with his pet hawk. He picks it up and then turns into a hawk for real and flies away in search of Annie! (trippy)

…..The girls find the burning tree and the invisible moon – clues to the fact that they are close to the lake. (here it is obvious that Annie has had this trip many times before as she alludes to never having gotten this far. I am guessing that she has pushed back against going further)

Later that night when they are bedding down, Ellie and Annie are telling stories. Once they had played as girls and gotten very muddy. (as sisters?)  When they came back their mother said, “I’m the mother of two filthy roaches. I will drown you both before you set foot in this house.”

After this Annie ran away and left Ellie there with her Mom alone. After she left their monther asked Ellie why she didn’t leave too and Ellie said it was out of respect. Her mother said what did I do to deserve a utterly and predictably normal daughter like to Ellie.

The next day the girls find the lake. Ellie states that this is the place where she died. Annie looks down and realizes this is the cliff face where their car went over when it got hit by the truck. She doesn’t want to look but Ellie insists telling her, “this is how you move on.” It is time to say goodbye but Annie cannot. She still needs her fix of Ellie.

Back at the lab in the machine Greta is sleeping but we hear her voice coming through the computer…

Greta is having her own dream and she is having a conversation with herself (lonely Greta/GRTA) back in her apartment. She tells GRTA to do what she wants and GRTA (lonely Greta) says what she really wants is a friend.  She fell in love with Dr Muramoto and then she lost him. She is too emotional and one moment she wants to cry and the next moment she wants to help everybody, and then the next she wants to do as much damage as possible. (GRTA is one messed up CPU)

GRTA says this is all Greta’s hysteria. They start to argue and then the real Greta calls for Dr Mantleray to let her out of the machine. Mantleray hears her and opens the drawer.  When he opens the drawer the first words out of her mouth – once she takes off the Hulk Headphones® - is to ask him “What’s a McMurphy?”

 

Hawk Owen flys towards Annie but before he finds her Dr Greta (GRTA) shows up in a pickup truck with her two twins and lackyeys looking like a cross between Lord of the Rings and Mad Max. She offers for Annie to stay there in her dreams for all times. She will experience true bliss.  Owen flies in trying to tell her no talking in hawk – so Annie doesn’t understand him – and is quickly zapped back into the globular cluster by Greta. Ellie implores Annie to say no and move on with her life but Annie refuses and agrees.

Once in the truck they leave Ellie behind . Annie will be stuck there forever but not with her sister Ellie (the whole reason she agreed in the first place). Greta tells her that the deal was really just for her and that they will be together forever… the truck drives off leaving Ellie by the cliff side.

Edited October 7, 2018 by sjankis630

[MisterGlass]

I also finished just because rather than because I was really enjoying it. I started fast forwarding through the fantasy bits, which is rare for me.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Legion were the direct comparisons for me, and this didn't come close to those.  It really meandered and got overly interested in the fantasies and the weirdness with Justin Theroux.  If this had been more focused on the central two characters - and if it had been shorter - I think it would have worked better.  None of the other characters held my interest.

It was kind of flat.  It never evoked fear, joy, or sorrow, just grayness.  I think the actors did as well as they could with the material, but the series plan needed another pass.

[tennisgurl]

Well, that was...interesting. I dont think it was quite living up to its potential, but I am glad that I watched it. The Alternate Universe was interesting, but I wish we had gotten to explore it more, and understand more of how it differed from our world. It seems like a world that is alternately very colorful, but also very lonely. I think that was the central theme that they were going for in all this weirdness, about lonely people finding connections, and how everyone needs them, even computers. So, I liked Annie and Owen, and even the doctors, coming together and making true connections with each other. I think the character stuff ended up working out well, even if I thought the plot was just super confusing. 

The series was interesting, but seemed to be lacking in something to make it a real classic. Maybe the fantasy sequences should have gone farther, or the world should have been explored more? I dont know, there was just something off that kept it from really living up to its great cast, and interesting ideas. Like, I enjoyed them setting this in an alternate universe, but they didnt really do much with it. Or the AI being heartbroken over the dead scientist. Its a bunch of cool ideas and visuals that were never really explored to their full potential. 

[Zuleikha]

 It seems like a world that is alternately very colorful, but also very lonely. I think that was the central theme that they were going for in all this weirdness, about lonely people finding connections, and how everyone needs them, even computers.

Yes, this was it exactly. I loved it. I thought it was a really beautiful meditation on loneliness and the ways we try (but always fail) to find substitutes for human connection.

There were some things that I didn't think paid off as well as it could have with the scientists. I would have liked to have known more about Fujita's issues (agoraphobia?), how Robert and GRTA connected, and whether Greta was dying. But I didn't actually need to know any more of that. 

I loved the A, B, C adventures and thought they all worked very well. I'm glad the plot was simple because I think when you have something as non-standard as constantly changing dream worlds, you need a very simple plot to hang it on. 

[VCRTracking]

Yeah it was a good idea to combine episodes in one thread because they are essentially two parts of one chapter. I liked Owen's mob story more than Annie's fantasy storyline, the former being more outrageous and imaginatively told than the latter ironically. Also from interviews Emma Stone isn't a fan of the genre, which works because they mention Annie isn't either but that lack of enthusiasm makes it kind of a drag.

The "C" pill is for "confrontational" but it may as well stand for "closure" too. Owen apologizes to his girlfriend Olivia who IRL he accused of being paid by his family when he had the "blip"(meltdown). He proposes and in the dream sees they would have been married with lots of kids and both are miserable so he's able to let her go as well as his guilt.

[VCRTracking]

I would say Emma Stone is the MVP with the series being an acting  showcase for her with memorable supporting work from Justin Theroux, Sonoyo Mizuno and Sally Field. I've always liked Jonah Hill mainly as a comic actor from way back in Acceptance in 2006("Ask me about my weeeeinner!"), Superbad, the 21 Jump Street movies and This is the End. I thought he was good in more serious dramatic stuff like Moneyball and Wolf of Wall Street. His role as Owen was less flashy and he had to play very low-key and morose. It wasn't until the last episode where he really impressed me with the courtroom scene and in the bathroom with Annie. He was very moving.

Edited October 13, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Mindthinkr]

I’m not even looking for this to make sense anymore, but hoping that it does all melt together at some point (like the solder tear that linked these two together).

[atlantaloves]

Well, I did finally finish it what did you think? God, what a mess....there was so much to like, but so much to hate. It was too strange for me, and I am a 60's chick. 

[Mindthinkr]

2 hours ago, atlantaloves said:

Well, I did finally finish it what did you think? God, what a mess....there was so much to like, but so much to hate. It was too strange for me, and I am a 60's chick. 

Same here. Usually I can binge a series, but with this one I can only do a bit at a time. It’s like a hard to digest meal at a nouveau restaurant. I like it but still not sure if I’d ever order it again. I’m going to continue on...slowly. 

[Blakeston]

This had a lot of potential, but I feel like there must have been some sort of hack editing job that resulted in significant scenes being cut from the storyline with Justin Theroux and Sally Field.

Because if not...what the hell was that? Those characters seemed to be headed somewhere interesting, but then they just floundered, and suddenly we got a "shut it all down!" ending that was deeply unsatisfying. So much weirdness, and no good reason for it.

That's my biggest complaint about the whole series, actually - weirdness for the sake of weirdness. I'm all about quirky Charlie Kaufmanesque atmospheres, but I really don't think the ad buddies or the rent-a-friends or the koala robot added much of anything.

There was a good story underneath all of the mess about Emma Stone's character dealing with guilt and loss, and Jonah Hill's character accepting that he can embrace life despite his mental illness. And there was nice touches exploring how deeply affected we are by childhood experiences - like Owen's guilt over the death of the hamster.

But all of that was buried underneath the weight of a lot of extraneous nonsense. The dream sequences had their moments, but a lot of it felt like it was just an excuse for Emma and Jonah to put on cool outfits, or break out accents they were good at.

[NaughtyKitty]

I do't understand the little robot thing that was on the sidewalk when Owner and his dad were walking to the train station.  I feel like it might be important.

[sjankis630]

The robot is a dog pooper scooper. It takes the poop in and puts out some non toxic liquid in its place. I believe it is manufactured by Milgrim industries.

[NaughtyKitty]

I feel like you left out an important part.  In the previous episode when Annie told Owen about the car crash she said the trucker's name was Greg F.U.N N-something.  Who has Fun as a middle name?

In this episode when Paula was ranting about being already pregnant, she said she was going to name her baby Greg "Fuck You Nan" N-something.  Her unborn son is the one who caused the crash and presumably Annie's sister's death.

[hokeypokeyFOIA]

Note to self and others: do NOT watch this show while high or stoned

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was cracking up at the little robot because it looked like a cross between the Kiwi food delivery robots and one of the robots that R2D2 growled at.

[JZL]

I loved this.  Will probably re-watch in a few months.  It's a drama with comedic elements, a serious work that's missed if taken too seriously.  Dr. Strangelove comes to mind. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I found this episode more interesting than the previous one (but I give the first episode a pass because it was a lot of world building and set up). I liked that we got to see some of the events from the first episode again but from Annie's point of view. I heard her talking about Usnavy going to Hunter College in the first episode but out of context, I was just giggling about the In the Heights shout out (and because if there's one thing I've learned from tv shows, it's always the students at Hunter College who are killed off!).

As soon as Annie told Patricia that she couldn't talk to her sister about their fight, I figured she was either dead, in a coma, or institutionalized. Glad to see Kimmy from The Americans is working so much!

Quote

Friend Proxy – that service where you pay to have friends.

Based on what Patricia said to Annie, Friend Proxy allows you to give them details about your friendship which your proxy is supposed to know, which made me think that it's not just paying some random person to hang out with you for a few hours - it allows you to have someone simulate a relationship with someone you used to be friends with. They might not look like the person you knew in real life (unless you can also request hair color and that kind of thing) but they are supposed to know the things that you told Friend Proxy. Patricia was reminiscing about the summer she spent at Coney Island with her friend so I'm guessing that her Friend Proxy is based on a real person who is not in her life for some reason.

Not only is Annie an asshole for wasting so much film on armpit pictures but who the hell takes a selfie WHILE DRIVING?! I was already yelling at her to stop fucking around before I saw the truck heading straight towards them.

Edited October 21, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[AngelKitty]

On 10/19/2018 at 5:15 PM, hokeypokeyFOIA said:

Note to self and others: do NOT watch this show while high or stoned

That's funny. I was thinking that's the best way to watch.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Although their shared dream was weird, I thought it was a fun adventure to briefly take us away from the dreary and serious world that they currently live in (and there were elements of their real lives that seemed to seep into their dream - part of the healing process or another side effect of the tear?). The American flag pants paired with a fanny pack on one of the brothers totally cracked me up.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Owen and Annie meet again as a disgraced Icelandic spy and a CIA operative who helps him. Greta implores James to shut down the trial.

Edited November 5, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

After the subjects are discharged, James and Azumi face Neberdine's CEO. Owen and Annie part ways - until a startling headline sparks a reunion.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wow, the other science guy (James?) and his sex simulation were just...wow.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On a shallow note, Emma Stone looked gorgeous in that period costume!

[NYCFree]

There was an “in joke” in both the episodes regarding the character of Ellia played by Julia Garner. In each episode she mentions her home town (village?) of Riverdale. The actress is from the Riverdale neighborhood of The Bronx in New York City.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Emma Stone as a grumpy elf in a Lord of the Rings parody was hilarious.

Although I like seeing Annie and Owen in different dreams/setting/costumes, it's been monotonous seeing Owen as a sad sack in so many different scenarios. It makes me miss Mullet Owen.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Maybe I just really needed a change from mopey Owen, but Snorri the Icelandic guy was so enjoyable to watch, from his ridiculous title (temporary administrative adjunct assistant to the consulate of Iceland) and his utter devotion to Ernie to his utter glee at Annie's skill at shooting all the bad guys.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, Owen refusing to lie for his brother in court was awesome! I love that he finally stood up to his terrible family.

[Guest]

I loved that CJF threw in the callback to True Detective with the re-appearance of the Big Hug Mug. 

[Guest]

I loved this, too. It wasn't perfect by any means (much like CJF's True Detective which I loved despite its shitty ending) but it satisfied me as a solid piece about grief, loss, sadness, and making an effort to move on. 

I don't think it needed to be 10 episodes though. Five would have been plenty to achieve the same narrative goals. 

[Cranberry]

I think my favorite thing about the show was that Annie and Owen became friends. Not romantic partners, friends -- and unambiguously so, as we saw when Annie told the Friend Proxy guy that he was playing Owen all wrong with his love confessions and proposal (and when she told Owen she was springing him because she was his friend). Close male/female friendships are a rarity on TV, and I always appreciate them when I see them (Elementary is another great example). I felt that the ending, while definitely open-ended, was an uplifting and satisfying one.

“I’ve never seen a show with 10 full episodes, like a whole season, where a female character doesn’t have a love interest and isn’t focused on that,” Stone explained, praising “Maniac” for doing just that. “She’s getting over trauma in her life, and she’s self-focused and she makes a friend.” -Huffington Post

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Emma Stone was nominated for a Golden Globe!

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture: Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)

[Pristine]

I have no idea how I missed this in 2018.  Thank you COVID for allowing me to binge more.

[Lakebum]

On 9/23/2018 at 6:56 PM, sjankis630 said:

Re-entry

We are back at the end of the study. Everyone comes out of the haze. One woman says it was unethical and the orderly reminds her that she waived her ethics with her signed consent form.

The techs say that they got something from everyone but subject one – they aren’t sure he was actually out during the test. (This is Owen)

They say nine- Annie – already has the brain structure which tells them that she has been here before. (they don’t know that she is hooked on the “A” pill).

They say that they will be debriefed in order and to wait to be called. They call Owen first and as he walks from the room he throws his “A” pill into the corner. He didn’t take it after all.

Dr Muramoto asks everyone how their emotional state was after the test:

1)      Owen –  speechless    … (he wasn’t actually out)

2)      Black dude – Fragile, sad and also hungry (you want a snack? lol)

3)      Greedy dude (no 5) – Bleeding .... internally.

4)      Annie – exhausted and devastated, ...but satisfied.  (She wants the second pill.)

AS they wait Annie talks with an older woman who looks just like the secretary from the tv show Moonlighting. (but it can’t be her because this woman looks like she is 100 years old with too much lipstick on). Greedy guy talks to Owen and tells him that these testing situations are like being at camp where everyone goes wild for hooking up. (even though they are told to not hook up and to not discuss their experiences with each other) Anyway Moonlighting lady says that the pill made her memory different than it has been in the past. (was it a real memory – or Memorex?)

Owen, Annie and Greedy guy (have to find out his name – the one who originally spoke to Owen in the lobby) are called in at once and Greedy guy says this is not a good sign. He has done dozens of these (his job?) and when they do this at this early juncture it is because they are getting ready to be terminated from the program.

Owen tells Annie he didn’t take the pill, “in case you needed to activate me.” Annie admits that she was leading him on. She admits that she sold her face to the ad company so that is where they go that from and she knew his name was Owen because she heard them call him that in the lobby.

 

Owen’s story

Owen is called in and Dr Muramoto tells him that they found inconsistencies with his results so they are going to have to verify his experience of his core trauma and he needs to recount what happened in his mind after taking the pill. (Owen is wearing the Hulk headphones ® in the office)

Owen says this is supposed to be the worst day of your life right?
Owen says it took him back to his parent’s house seven months ago (he has just starting on a new medication…) at a his brother Jed's engagement party.

Jed comes over and asks Owen if he “really” likes his fiancé Adelaide. He pushes Owen to lie for him and Owen says the truth matters and at this juncture may not be dependable.  Jed  then blackmails him by saying he will tell Mom and Dad that Owen has had another episode where he is writing angry letters and all “seeing a pattern in the universe” …. Then he laughs and said the whole thing was a joke. (asshole) But then he re-threatens that “someone” could. (real nice family)
Jed goes down and gives a speech which culminates with his Dad playing piano and him singing Sting’s “Every Breath You Take.” It is a cheesy way of announcing your engagement - but he actually is not a bad singer.

Owen goes outside alone and puts his drink down and purposely falls off of the roof. But lucky for him it just goes down to his parent’s skylight about one floor below.  He lands with his face squished into the glass but it totally interrupts the entire party when his Mother starts screaming his name at the top of her lungs.

Muramoto tells him to take a fresh pill after accusing him of faking earlier. Owen takes it in front of him.

 

Peace Muramoto

Muramoto accuses Annie of already using the pill and she plays dumb. He tells her that some people get off on taking the A pill over and over when they want to re-visit past pain which they cannot get over. She claims she wants to move forward with the next pill but he tells her people like her say that but always end up coming back. He then collapses on his desk face forward – like he did earlier in episode 2.

Annie then realizes that Muramoto has just died there in the office. She calls Owen back in to help her and frantically starts searching the office and in a desk finds a whole bottle of A pills. She looks longingly at these like she has just found a gold main and is just getting ready to mine it when .......

Owen tells her about an earlier BLIP (Brief Limited psychosis) he suffered when he was hallucinating back at school with Olivia – an early crush he had who his illness ruined the relationship with and how devestating it was for him.

Annie puts the pills back in the desk. And manipulates hers and Owen’s rejected files on Muramoto's desk so they can stay in the test.

They are at dinner and are told to eat unappetizing food which is in cube form. Annie tells Owen that the reason she is there is because a truck driver who was zoned out on nodoze crashed into a car she was driving with her sister.  She says she has to relive the worst day of her life when she takes the pill and she feels the urge to do it because it allows her to relive a time with her (dead?) sister Ellie.

(she neglects to mention her part in the accident.) 

 

Dr Fugita Finds a New Doc - Or Mantleray in the house

Dr Fugita discovers Muramoto’s body and tells the orderly not to say anything as she has to go up to the 77th floor to report this. In the elevator she cries a little. She ends up reporting this  to a voice on a monitor being held up in mid air by a strong dude. This entire part is in Japanese and my download has no subtitles so I don’t understand it. (if anyone can tell me what the fuck just happened I would be grateful)

But it segues to a story about Dr Mantleray out in some sort of weird part-cartoon, part virtual reality video game story. Dr Mantleray is fucking a cartoon priestess in a pond in some sort of weird multi-colored land that looks totally cheesy and cool at the same time. Her body is all blue cartoon – naked – and he is part cartoon and part human. She has blue wings and he has white cartoon tentacles instead of a human lower body… but his upper body is real.

We see Dr Fugita leaving a cab in the red light district  and running into  a ratty apartment.

We briefly are flashed back to the cartoon fucking from above and then suddenly we see what is actually going on. Dr Mantleray is wearing a VR headset and is imagining fucking this priestess in the world of the headset. He also has some sort of device on his dick – don’t ask as it is used as a sight gag for the rest of the scene.

He takes off the helmet and puts on his wig (he is mostly bald in real life apparently) and asks Dr Fugita what is up? She came straight into his apartment because she has a key – they were an item ? – and tells him Dr Muramoto is dead (he was free-basing A & C pills secretly) and Mantleray is going to be his replacement. (it is obvious from Mantleray’s tone that is he is on the outs and hated his old partner Muramoto.) He accepts.

 

New Sheriff in town

The subjects are bedding down to sleep for the night back at NPB.  While they are sleeping Dr Mantelray is quietly brought back into the facilities. We are told that he is the inventor of this treatment. He calls the GRTA computer “Gertie”.

He walks into the control room, bows deeply to the computer and speaks with GRTA and tells her that he is back because Dr Muramoto has died. He asks to see her “face” but gets no response.

He goes into Muramoto’s office with Fugita and asks if Muramoto had access to a beta headset (Hulk headphones®?) and is told that yes he used them for red flag volunteers. He is worried about a data taint so they agree in order to get the most data out of the subjects they can get, they reinstate #5- Greedy man.

He asks her if Muramoto (an addict) died by suicide? She says no, it must have been a mistake.

The Drs get ready for bed separately. Fugita asks GRTA how she feels and GRTA says she doesn’t know.

Mantleray and Fugita both go to bed in 2 drawers which come out of one of the walls of the computer and then retract into the computer with what must be no more than about 9 inches of space over where your head is. It is 13% cool and 87% horrifying. ( I do not like tight spaces) They are sleeping right over/above each other and say goodnight - Waltons style. (Fugita keeps smoking in hers though)

We cut to GRTA “crying” alone at night. This is the best way to describe seeing the lights which form a face and then a light bright tear drift down -> across the floor > and back into the machine near where the cords from the 12 subjects enter the main computer. This “tear” manifests itself as a giant dollop of solder which then drips out in a physical form and falls on the two wires 1&9 together (Owen and Annie's feeds from the chairs).

Morning starts and we are again shown a minature Japanese Bonsai mountain which now reminds me of the one that we saw from Hank’s (Annie’s Dad) windowsill.

Mantleray greets the test subjects and tells them due to a family emergency Dr Muramoto had to go away. Annie and Owen look at each other knowingly . Mantleray gives such a wimpy, milquetoast greeting and salespitch of the test program that everyone looks like they are suddenly not so sure of his ability. They stay that way until Owen starts clapping and they all join in half heartedly.

 

Odd Experiment Time

They start that days test where everyone gets a B pill this time. Mantleray tells them to take the pill and Fugita says “let’s illuminate some blind spots” as a way to spur on the troops. (WTF?)

When the main computer starts up the current from the initial spark causes the two wires with the solder to burn in together with puff of smoke.

They go to green light in the room and we are immediately taken into an Owen dream. He is asleep in an easy chair watching TV. His wife calls him from the kitchen and he gets up. At this point we see that he is wearing a Houston Oilers Warren Moon jersey and he has one of the most hideous curly mullets this side of Danny McBride’s Eastbound and Down. The house interior looks to be a typical cheap suburban ranch style with wood paneling and shag carpeting which combined with the Moon jersey puts this solidly in the mid 80s timeframe. He walks into the kitchen and his wife is Annie wearing the biggest blonde Jersey hair and stone washed Mom jeans this side of ….. well you know. (Also there are handdrawn pictures on the walls which tell us immediately that they have kids)

Jersey Annie – Big day today!

80s Owen – you say that everyday

Jersey Annie – Well, today I mean it.

Annie shows him a pot with some residual spaghetti  in it and asks whether to toss or keep. Then decides without waiting for him to answer – to keep.

The episode ends with Owen smiling and an old horrible country song – which I hope is fake – playing in the background…….

 

“I have the key to escape reality.

And you may see me tonight

With an illegal smile

It don’t cost very much

But it lasts a long while,

Won’t you please tell the man

I didn’t kill anyone

No I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun

Well done.

Hot dog bun

My sister’s a nun”   

(See what I mean about the song?)

The song is "Illegal Smile" by the legendary and inimitable John Prine. It was first recorded and released in the early 1970s, when writing about marijuana use was decidedly "edgier" than it is now.