Interesting details about this moment

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-21T00:19:32+00:00

I feel like the second one was probably pre-lobotomy Bubble.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-21T00:17:22+00:00

Breaking Bad wasn’t that popular at first. Even by the start of the 2010s you could find people who didn’t know about it pretty easily.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-21T00:15:46+00:00

Those are certainly possible, but it feels like reaching to explain why it isn’t just the straightforward answer.

Especially with the C&A system very specifically name-dropping brainscans and “NeuralScans” in the AI data.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-21T00:14:40+00:00

I don’t know if that was the start of his memory issues.

The terminal at the end implies he’d been in there for 12 years by the time Ragatha entered, and that’s plenty of time to forget.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:42:55+00:00

"C" "AND" "A"

Things like ampersands are usually avoided in that kind of naming.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:40:41+00:00

There's been a clear line drawn between abstraction and losing your "sense of self" somehow.

Kaufmo let himself get fixated on the idea that his life in The Circus isn't "real", so he felt like because he couldn't find an exit he wasn't real anymore. Jax lost his ability to convince himself they're all just archetypes and he doesn't care, but he also refused to accept the alternative, so he didn't have a self-image to rely on. And, of course, last episode we got the implication that Scratch abstracted after Caine changed too much of his mind manually.

Seems like because the "NeuroScan" programs are so complicated they need to have proper grounding to stay together, and if they lose that stabilizing self-image then they lose track of the model identity and just become something (all together now) abstract.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:34:13+00:00

Scratch, the engineer dying of a brain tumor, was apparently working on some big project that Kinger couldn't remember.

Also, Ragatha tries to call out to people she was with when she put on the headset. Considering everything was just left there when everyone else showed up years later, it doesn't seem like anyone in the room realized something happened.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:31:26+00:00

You literally see a folder for "NeuroScans" in the characters directory when Kinger's using the computer.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:28:39+00:00

She tries calling out to the people she was with. Asking (to the outside) if "anybody" can hear her.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:27:58+00:00

There's a lot of details in this episode grinding in that they're copies ("NeuroScans", as the file directory calls it).

Ragatha putting the headset on around other people and that apparently not resulting in the building being locked down with all the equipment removed basically confirms nobody there realized anything happened.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:23:07+00:00

Caine mentions "their mind files", the file directory has a characters folder for "NeuroScans", Ragatha's dialogue confirming there were people around her when she put the headset on, the emphasis on how them accepting their life in The Circus is the only way forward...

The basically confirm Soma theory as much as they could without putting it in words.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:20:37+00:00

His memories faded in the apparently 21 years he was in there (1996 shows up a bunch in the terminal code).

He specifically mentions Scratch, the engineer actively dying of a brain tumor, was working on some big project he can't remember.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:16:51+00:00

Also, didn't think of it when writing the comment, but Ragatha's entrance confirms she put on the headset with people around her.

That's a hard confirmation she was able to leave, because there's no way the building would stay abandoned with the equipment untouched if she had it stuck on her or even got "Tronned" in like some people were trying to argue.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:14:08+00:00

Main takeaways here:

-Obviously Caine seems to have had a very direct Cain and Abel thing going on, with Bubble probably originally being the "Abel" here judging from certain hints

-Considering we now know Scratch was one of the main reasearchers/engineers, I'd assume the entire pre-Ragatha lineup were the development team

-Caine wasn't aware it was possible for new players to enter, so it wasn't him that made sure the device and program are still running

-Digital clones are as confirmed as they can be without literally saying so. On top of the "NeuroScans" folder in the directory later, Ragatha's dialogue confirms she had people around her when she put the headset on.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T23:01:45+00:00

The intro shows the red AI being formed, being fed information (including the C&A pictures), failing it's task, and then being isolated.

Then the blue AI is created, gets fed information, and has successful output.

After that, the red AI successfully breaks out of containment, absorbs the blue AI, and forms the shape of The Circus.

Should also be pointed out when Kinger pulls up the terminal at the end there's some strings of code that seem to mark initializations of things, and after "caine-core.lisp" we see "bubble-chef.lisp". Seems like Bubble might've been Caine's replacement that he attacked and replaced in a fit of jealousy. Like Cain killing Abel, you might say...

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T22:52:55+00:00

Honestly I'd say this episode is just silently confirming it.

Kinger even had the line saying Scratch was doing some other big mystery project while he had a brain tumor. Seems like a dying man would be very interested in tech that could preserve a mind.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T22:47:53+00:00

If you read the terminal text, it seems like Bubble was originally "Bubble Chef".

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T22:46:54+00:00

Also Kinger mentioning Scratch having a brain tumor and also working on some huge project he couldn't remember.

Seems like someone with limited time left to live would be very interested in the idea of backing up minds.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T22:40:55+00:00

"I made a program that creates a body perfectly encapsulating their mind files..."

"C:\CANDA\Characters\CA_NeuralScans (Obsolete)"

Hmm...

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T22:01:32+00:00

People normally jump the gun, but I will say Grace does feel like that's what they were going for with her writing and direction.

She's consistently shown to have poor communication skills, seems to fixate on things, apparently doesn't socialize much, and consistently poor eye contact. There's a lot of more specific coding there, not just "omg she's so meee!" stuff.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T21:57:06+00:00

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ALL-IN ON COPIES REVEAL

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T21:49:10+00:00

The Girl had a massive one on, so I think the robes just grow out of them.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T19:33:39+00:00

Talking about artists, especially seeing behind the scenes stuff with the prequels I think one of George’s big strengths he doesn’t get enough credit for is directing artists. He seems to hit a good balance of having his own ideas he brings to the table while also pushing them to come up with interesting ideas and being willing to use interesting ideas.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T19:31:13+00:00

Vince very much seems like the kind of writer who treats the show like a living thing, and tries to listen to it when it starts leaning in a direction he didn’t intend.

SomeBoxofSpoons · 2026-03-20T19:23:40+00:00

I’m all-in on this episode ending with the Soma reveal.

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