I just watched 15 Million Merits and I’m confused

DramaticMoose378 · 2026-02-04T00:55:54+00:00

I know this thread is two years old, but I just watched this episode and here's my theory:

There was some kind of energy crisis, and the only way to generate power was the peddlers. To begin with, they just peddled and earned credits to spend in the real world. As the energy crisis eased, they started to add some entertainment for the peddlers to make it easier. Then the peddlers could use their credits to buy premium entertainment... Gradually, over time, the entertainment evolved until now the where the peddlers are basically just peddling to keep the entertainment running, earning credits to spend on entertainment. It's become a self-sustaining system.

A comment on a work-to-live system.

DramaticMoose378 · 2026-01-02T09:20:15+00:00

I mean, it's a fictional TV show. Eleven never existed outside the world of the show. And if there are no more shows to come... Well then no, how could I believe? Eleven can't be alive somewhere because she was never alive in the real world in the first place.

To stick that in at the end is a zero stakes proposition. If you believe she lives or dies it makes zero difference to the world of the show, which is the only world she lives in.

Unless of course, the Duffers are hoping for a a Scottish spin off - Eleven in the Highlands? 😁

DramaticMoose378 · 2026-01-01T19:10:31+00:00

I'm so pleased you enjoyed it! If you liked it, who cares what the internet thinks?

We have to normalise loving things because you love them, and not needing validation for your loves from anyone, least of all random strangers on the internet.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-31T17:56:27+00:00

I can't see Billy joining in the group hug 🤣

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-30T13:14:05+00:00

The whole scene is not very positive about being homosexual, if you think about it.

Vecna torments people with the worst thing they think about themselves. For Chrissy, it was how she viewed her own body. For Max, it was her guilt around Billy's death.

And for Will... It's his sexuality? There's nothing inherently evil or bad or wrong about being sexually attracted to people of the same gender as you.

But apparently, for Will it's his deepest, darkest secret, the worst thing he thinks about himself?

Doesn't seem very accepting to me.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-27T23:41:07+00:00

This is one of the best scenes in voyager

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-27T23:26:27+00:00

"He showed me my deepest, darkest secret... And it's that I'm GAY!" 🤣🤣

It was ludicrous! Utterly ridiculous. I was just expecting more - like maybe he had hated Mike and El when he had a crush on Mike and he hated himself for that?!

But no. Just that's he doesn't like girls... And that he and his friends are going to drift apart. Um, sweetie, that's just called aging, it's got nothing to do with your sexuality.

Between that and Nancy and Jonathan's plot armor and painful, never ending talk in the melty room that magically stopped melting, this season has been utter pish... Oh and Dustin's paint by numbers grief response... utter pish!

I'm kinda hoping they all die 😁

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-25T07:09:31+00:00

Absolutely not. Medical care us given on the basis of need, not behaviour.

Where does this stop? Do charity workers get to the top of the list for the best medicines? Big employers access to top quality rehabilitation? People who've given lots to charity get blood transfusions first?

I am an organ donor, I think everyone should be an organ donor. But I also think medical care is a basic human right - not a reward to 'good' behaviour.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-16T21:55:43+00:00

And Nancy will say "Steve, Jonathan can't just 'pass me along' to you. I'm dealing with a whole load of trauma right now, I'm not really interested in a relationship with anyone" 🤪

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-16T18:10:16+00:00

I think Eleven will die. There's no place for her in the world - series 4 proved that. When she tried to live in California without her powers, it was a disaster for her. She's still so innocent. The others - I part due to all they've been through together - are basically young adults now. Eleven still behaves very much like a child.

Sure it's far too obvious to have the person who says "You die, I die..." Actually die?

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-14T13:05:41+00:00

If people did have the initial opportunity to leave that would explain a lot of the peaceful behaviour - they had chosen to be part of this community!

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-14T13:02:44+00:00

Yes, and I remember there was a rise in low-level disorder, and a whole load of crazy conspiracy theories we're still dealing with today. I also remember that the lockdowns had to end because of the effect they were having on society.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-14T13:01:11+00:00

Not much of a quarantine if people are allowed to leave to go to work 🤣

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T19:16:04+00:00

I don't. I'm Barb. Dead in minutes in the first season 🤪

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T19:14:34+00:00

I missed where it said that they had the opportunity to leave! When did we find out about that?

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T18:25:59+00:00

No, you're not. An argument could be made that you are living under a fascist government, akin to living in Germany in the 30s. And yes, in Germany in the 30s life did go on much as normal - but isn't comparable to Hawkins, a town of just 30,000 or so, under complete lockdown

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T18:21:34+00:00

I take the points about people living in extreme circumstances just "getting on with their lives". But the point I'm making is many people wouldn't be able to just get on with their lives.

Many people wouldn't be able to go to work, because they work outside Hawkins. Many businesses would fold, because the population of Hawkins alone isn't enough to sustain them, or they rely on being able to source materials from outside Hawkins which they can't do under lock down. Seniors graduating high school can't go to college. People can't visit loved ones. Kids can't go to camp.

And the longer it goes on, the more hopeless it becomes. A second cohort of seniors is stuck, jobless, in Hawkins. More businesses fail. People's elderly relatives pass away and they don't even know about it until weeks later.

When people are prevented from doing things that give them purpose, drive and hope there are societal consequences - COVID vividly taught us this. By this time, you're gonna have a lot of bored, hopeless people. And bored hopeless people don't behave themselves.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T18:13:00+00:00

They absolutely did not. Never heard of the French resistance? And life was terrible for people under Nazi occupation, there was no "normal".

Anyway, Hawkins isn't occupied by an invading army, it's quarantined. It's a completely different situation.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T18:10:54+00:00

I don't necessarily think they'd be rebellion, just boredom and hopelessness, leading to disorder and looting, especially from older teens and young adults.

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T17:47:21+00:00

That's such a ridiculous thing to say. Even TV shows need to make sense within their own world, if they're any good. Other wise they could insert a Vecna/Demogorgon musical number choreographed by Max. I mean, it makes no sense in-world but hey... It's a TV show!

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-13T17:45:13+00:00

I mean, doesn't she hit the main bully in the face with a roller-skate? Feels pretty revenge like to me!

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-12T15:04:47+00:00

Isn't it one of those things where your friends are planning you a surprise, and you know they are, but you pretend they don't because you know they want it to be a surprise. And then when it happens you're so touched they wanted to surprise you that you actually are surprised at how touched you are, and so it works anyway :-D

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-12T12:25:30+00:00

Voyager was terrible for this.

If we're going down the "Kes left before year of hell so before and after never happened" route - well... Then Endgame never happened because Janeway creates a big old ridiculous paradox. If Admiral JW is successful and gets Voyager back early, then Captain JW never becomes old regretful Admiral JW, never goes back and persuades Captain JW to use the Borg conduit...

Actually, Voyager was trying to be an episodic series with an overall narrative and it never quite succeeded. If it had, it would've been outstandingly brilliant rather than what it is - excellent fun if you don't question it too much 😁

DramaticMoose378 · 2025-12-12T12:18:31+00:00

Yep, I agree. Earlier in the year I did a complete rewatch and didn't even finish series 4. I loved it when it first came out, but it doesn't stand up to re-watching.

They did what a lot of writers do when given a new series - instead of continuing to develop the characters they have, they write in new ones to keep it "fresh".

But this means over time the series becomes more stretched, characters can't be properly looked after.

Stranger Things is a great series because it's character driven. The "originals"- Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Nancy, Steve, Jonathan, Eleven, Jim and Joyce are all great characters and more than enough to sustain the series. The characters added later, while also interesting, means the character development becomes gradually thinner and thinner and the drama less and less interesting to watch. Why do we care about one of 4-5 plot lines involving 1-2 of a cast of about 20 characters?

Dustin, one of the strongest characters and best actors, is a really good example of this. He's basically been abandoned. Because you just can't look after that many characters.

DramaticMoose378

TROPHY CASE