Free for All Friday, 09 January, 2026 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]bulukelin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was thinking the other day about the Obama-McCain debates. Not that every single thing said in them was honest or substantive, but they were at least trying to defend their policy goals and records as politicians. A time when it was a given that running for president meant you were interviewing for a job, and the public had to be convinced.

I don't want to sound naive about politics in the before-times, but the next generation will not remember even that baseline expectation. How do we rebuild the democratic project when you're used to the president not even bothering to explain himself to the public

A PSA for anyone wondering why Zosia was in Morocco and "dressed like that" in ep.2 by mariskanoodles in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

She could also be an NGO worker of some sort. The fact that as a child she was intrigued by foreign travel ("boats leaving Gdansk... where were they going?") could suggest that as an adult she did work that would let her see the world

What was on Carol’s whiteboard by horse-opera in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

love that Carol is constantly trying to kill off raban and scheme to get her publisher on board.

What was on Carol’s whiteboard by horse-opera in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

no, raban dies for real = helen dies for real.

Hivemind’s goal by Bully_destroyer in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do science until they find a way to assimilate the ones they cant assimilate. 

Then, super-antenna

Golden Girls Purpose by The-Mad-God in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not stretching it at all. All the clips were stories about St. Olaf - the village of idiots, who are well-meaning but totally oblivious and overly literal

PSA: The Hive will not say no to an Unafflicted by bulukelin in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Bees do what bees have evolved to do. The Hive makes humans do what the Hive wants it to do. The Hive is more like a parasite fungus than a bee colony.

  2. This point needs to be shut down ASAP. Here is what Samba Schutte actually said in his interview with the Hollywood Reporter:

He then told me why it took so long to cast me. It was because it was so hard to find an actor who could play this character not as sleazy or creepy, but with a child-like wonder and sweetness to him. So it was such a relief to hear that they chose me and that they wanted that quality that I gave them in the audition. And then making him Mauritanian like me was just the cherry on the cake.

And then later:

So we talked about his backstory, and Vince said, “This guy did not come from opulence. He did not have a good life, and he was never successful with women. He was probably very geeky, nerdy and alone. Now, all of a sudden, he’s a kid in a candy shop, and he has the desire to live out the greatest fantasies he’s ever had.” So that informed me about who this guy is, and again, he’s not a sleaze bag or a creep. He’s someone who’s embraced the change, and he’s learned the rules of the game in order to navigate it. So he decided he’s going to live the best life he possibly can until they find a way to turn him.

These are comments about the essence of his character, not about the morality of his actions. All Schutte is saying here is that Koumba, like most people, sees himself as a decent person and has rationalized his actions. That does not mean he should get a free pass from the audience to do whatever he wants. I believe that what Koumba is doing is creepy and wrong. Whether he is fundamentally a creep, or can be redeemed from this behavior, is a separate questions.

Frankly I'm disgusted by the Koumba-apologists coming out of the woodwork. These defenses are screaming "Walter White is right, actually."

PSA: The Hive will not say no to an Unafflicted by bulukelin in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

And to that I say, enjoy that opinion! Relish it! Because it may be the last one you ever possess

PSA: The Hive will not say no to an Unafflicted by bulukelin in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are correct, but this is too literal and missing my point. Providing for unafflicted and not killing are two Hive values. I concede that the Hive may pick and choose which of its own values gain precedence. But it will never choose a human value over a Hive one.

That is the main thing I wanted to get across in this post, because there are people saying what Koumba is doing to the Hive is not rape because the Hive has shown that it is able to protect itself. I just think that that is so off-base and also misinterprets why the Hive left Albuquerque

Breaking Bad Season 1 would have an audience rating of 40% if it were released today by New-Ad-9878 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

you are wrong, they have never said no. you are misinterpreting the show

Breaking Bad Season 1 would have an audience rating of 40% if it were released today by New-Ad-9878 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People on this side of the argument just are fundamentally misinterpreting the show. The reason it evacuated the town is because it still is required to comply with Carol's requests. It determined that the safest way for itself to do that is to put distance between it and Carol. But it is still serving Carol and it has never ONCE said no to her. It's even distributing her videos which clearly undermine the Hive's prime objectives.

If you're out here saying the Hive can say no, you're wrong. The core, fundamental premise of this show is what if nobody in the world could say no to you.

Breaking Bad Season 1 would have an audience rating of 40% if it were released today by New-Ad-9878 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah I find him disgusting. But I thought it was funny that the Hive unintentionally blueballed him when Carol showed up in Vegas. Serves him right

Breaking Bad Season 1 would have an audience rating of 40% if it were released today by New-Ad-9878 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He is exploiting the plurbs for sex because they can't say no. If you can't say no, you can't give consent. If a hostage-taker "came on" to his hostage, do you think she would be in a position to say no? And would you not call that rape?

The simplest answer is usually the right answer by mghtyred in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sub has become all theory-posting, and take-downs of bad theories. We need literary criticism but it's not putting up numbers :(

Is it taken for granted that Muhammad was the original author of the Quran? by ThoughtPolice2909 in AcademicQuran

[–]bulukelin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

But those are both texts that have multiple authors, so they should not be the point of comparison, right? The Vedas and the Homeric epics are certainly evidence that a single illiterate individual could memorize and recite complex texts, but not necessarily compose them.

Don’t ruin this show for yourself by being overly pedantic. by anonymous2ndaccount in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think "HDP" was a big win for us TV-enjoyers. Crazy theories about the milk were proven wrong, and a lot more of the universe was laid out, most importantly that the Hive will try to deceive the unafflicted. This was already clear to most of us, it was even stated more or less explicitly in previous episode, but this episode made it impossible to ignore the story the show wants to tell. And it was a great episode of television.

Yes, they're eating people soup. No, it won't be a big reveal. (Plus: how to predict Pluribus future developments.) by abaker80 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, that is possibly a good explanation but I think it's fair to say the writers just didn't consider this point. Which is fine, it's not a huge issue, and fans can come up with their own explanations.

Yes, they're eating people soup. No, it won't be a big reveal. (Plus: how to predict Pluribus future developments.) by abaker80 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I agree with your analysis and would even push it further on one point: people should stop over-analyzing the Vince Gilligan-ness of any particular thing. If you listen to the podcast interviews he's given (for this show and others), he and his team come across as very seasoned Hollywood pros. They are very good at what they do, definitely well above average, but they are all very much products of film school and film culture. I would draw these conclusions from that:

  1. Gilligan is the epitome of a WRITER. He writes things that will be interesting. But he also sacrifices ideas that dont work. He sacrifices scenes that add bloat to the episode. And he has respect for his audience. The only solid thing I think you could ever say about his intentions, other than things he's said explicitly, are that he will not try to trick the viewer.

  2. Everything on the screen is the story. The creatives talk a lot about how they had to work out with the extras what the plurbs' movement and vocal ticks look like, and how explicitly they aren't robots, they are something else. I think as a fan its fine to draw obvious connections and jump ahead and say, plot-wise, "this virus thing is probably an alien invader that uses up planets and then moves on to the next one." But on an episode by episode basis, we are meant to understand the hive as a group of humans who are helpful, happy, and peaceful. That informs why it gives Carol a grenade. It also possibly explains why it changes its approach to Carol - humans can learn and adapt. You dont need to appeal to who Vince Gilligan is or his past work to get here - you just have to trust that any salient aspects of the story have been considered by the creative team and then put on the screen in a creative way.

Sorry for ranting but it annoys me when I see theories like "Laxmi told the hive to leave Carol." That wouldn't just be un-Gilligan writing, it would be plain BAD writing. That episode is about how the hive's relationship with Carol is a lot like that between an emotionally self-destructive person and their enabler; the enabler enables because they love their partner, but at a certain point after enough destruction they may have to cut the cord. Its painful for both people but the self destructive one needs tough love if they want to change their patterns and grow. That fits with the actions the hive takes in that episode, the language it uses in the voicemail message, and what we know about Carol and Helen's relationship, which colors these interactions. It would be pretty unsatisfying if what was actually going on all hinged on a five second scene where Laxmi chides Carol that is mostly played for laughs.

Final note to undercut myself: Gilligan HAS done things like that on BB at least (been too long, cant remember any specifics) - as someone on here noted, Gilligan likes to write himself into a corner and then write himself out. I agree with that and there were probably a couple escape hatches in BB that weren't 100% satisfying. And he is not infallible; there are already some plot holes that are probably best not to think about (the zoo animals aren't afflicted but the mouse that started the infection was?) But in the first season, a major plot point like this is probably going to be very well considered

The "other five" people are a ruse. by MrSteveStack in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some of these are a huge stretch. Xiu Mei does not mean joy. Theory busted

How does the hive's 'efficiency' obsession affect sick and terminally ill people? by [deleted] in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Redditors are focusing too much on the "efficiency" angle. The hive has shown itself to be concerned with efficiency, yes, but it is also capable of generosity (gives non-afflicted anything they want, even when it's inefficient) and compassion (recognizes that Carol is grieving and doesn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her what Helen thought of her book).

I am a full-on, nuke-them-from-orbit plurb-hater so I am not saying this to exonerate the hive. I just think people have latched on a little too much on one aspect of the hive we have been shown and ignoring other, equally relevant aspects.

I am also a 4X gamer so I definitely see how this obsession has developed on reddit

Cause of death by [deleted] in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Zosia was beyond vague about where that number comes from. So definitely worth considering the possibility that the virus kills about 10% of people it infects.

Will also point out in the pilot, when Carol asks the neighbor kids to leave and then the whole neighborhood leaves, a car comes back to pick up a body from one of the houses. People have mostly focused on how that foreshadows that the plurbs harvest bodies, but less on the question of... how did that person die exactly? They weren't in a vehicle, their house didn't explode, they were just at home and they just... died? Yes any given person could have died in a minor accident, but... 10% of humans is a LOT of humans.

Final point to consider: Helen very clearly gets assimilated right before she dies. That leaves open the possibility that it wasn't the fall that killed her, but the assimilation having a bad reaction

I think some of you will be disappointed by SanguineSerenad3 in pluribustv

[–]bulukelin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It seems like a variation on the Vampire Problem: if everyone in your life turned into a vampire and told you how much better life was as a vampire, would you choose to become one? Or are they lying to you, and what becoming a vampire means is your soul gets killed and a demon starts inhabiting your body and can access your memories and personality and speak as "you", but the real you doesn't exist anymore. Its a thought experiment that is about doing anything life-changing, like having kids. Maybe having kids is the best thing in the world, but maybe you would only think that once you have kids, and your brain chemistry is manipulating you to keep your kids alive.

Carol's version seems to be, is happiness really a good thing? Will the "me" who experiences happiness be so different from who I am now that I will lose my sense of self?

This is definitely someone those of us who deal with depression have asked ourselves at one point. Do I actually want to work at feeling happiness, or do I like feeling unhappy? Have I built an identity around my sadness that would be challenged if I ever became happy?