The Peripheral: What About Bob? Books Included
November 11, 2022 2:21 PM - Season 1, Episode 5 - Subscribe
Flynne’s life is threatened again, forcing her to confront Cherise.
Wow, I hated this. The episode started tantalizing with the idea that the haptic implants might be an experiment from the future, which would explain why they're so far advanced than we are despite being just a decade ahead of us. But the needless violence/torture porn scene just left a taint in my mouth.
Wow, I hated this. The episode started tantalizing with the idea that the haptic implants might be an experiment from the future, which would explain why they're so far advanced than we are despite being just a decade ahead of us. But the needless violence/torture porn scene just left a taint in my mouth.
Corbell’s boots, or Jasper’s?
posted by infinitewindow at 5:13 PM on November 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by infinitewindow at 5:13 PM on November 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
Another easter egg/sop to book readers with the appearance of the Maenad's Crush, albeit in a different context (and missing the definite article, at least in the neon signage behind the bar).
The "God font". And here I was thinking that Research Institute was a placeholder name that managed to survive revisions and end up in the final product.
I never had a problem with the haptic tech seeming out of step with our current capabilities, but that probably stems from having read the novel immediately upon release in 2014, when the nearer future was far enough away that it didn't seem a baldly implausible development. But what bothers me much more than that change is the machinations of the RI being responsible for Conner's injuries. It feels claustrophobic or incestuous, especially coming just one episode after the show's version of the jackpot wasn't just shown to be the consequences of an apocalypse hundreds of years in the making, but was made personal for Flynne in the form of a nuclear explosion not far from Clanton.
The show seems to have gone more for tech being directly introduced to the stub like the optical camouflage (though squidsuits were around in Flynne's time in the novel) and now the "sonic punch thing" being delivered toPete Kosinski Robert O'Connell, which does make more sense now that the extent of the RI's use of the stub has been revealed, but I'd rather the focus be on what can be done within the limits of transferring information. I guess it just doesn't sit right with me that it's seemingly built to the same fine standard, though I shouldn't have expected anything different given the relatively streamlined peripheral interface in the show versus the heavy and awkward approximation that was the best that could be done at Fabbit and Forever Fab in a short amount of time in the novel. (I realized watching this episode that the sonic weapon reminds me of another not-so-faithful adaptation, David Lynch's Dune with its Weirding Modules).
Burton and Flynne aren't really acting like their lives are in danger if they're just driving to and from her appointment with no escort, despite Deputy Constantine saying that Burton's tooled up like in Texas. (The book was vague as to where the war had been except that it wasn't the second Korean War as Burton and Conner had been too young to enlist. Is this implying it was with Mexico or Texas tried seceding again?)
Yet more actioning up with the fight between Flynne and Dr. Nuland in the RI lobby. I guess there must be some "I know Kung Fu" aspect to controlling a peripheral in the show (I thought the same thing with Flynne's acrobatics in the Burton peripheral in the first episode).
posted by Strutter Cane - United Planets Stilt Patrol at 6:34 PM on November 11, 2022 [4 favorites]
The "God font". And here I was thinking that Research Institute was a placeholder name that managed to survive revisions and end up in the final product.
I never had a problem with the haptic tech seeming out of step with our current capabilities, but that probably stems from having read the novel immediately upon release in 2014, when the nearer future was far enough away that it didn't seem a baldly implausible development. But what bothers me much more than that change is the machinations of the RI being responsible for Conner's injuries. It feels claustrophobic or incestuous, especially coming just one episode after the show's version of the jackpot wasn't just shown to be the consequences of an apocalypse hundreds of years in the making, but was made personal for Flynne in the form of a nuclear explosion not far from Clanton.
The show seems to have gone more for tech being directly introduced to the stub like the optical camouflage (though squidsuits were around in Flynne's time in the novel) and now the "sonic punch thing" being delivered to
Burton and Flynne aren't really acting like their lives are in danger if they're just driving to and from her appointment with no escort, despite Deputy Constantine saying that Burton's tooled up like in Texas. (The book was vague as to where the war had been except that it wasn't the second Korean War as Burton and Conner had been too young to enlist. Is this implying it was with Mexico or Texas tried seceding again?)
Yet more actioning up with the fight between Flynne and Dr. Nuland in the RI lobby. I guess there must be some "I know Kung Fu" aspect to controlling a peripheral in the show (I thought the same thing with Flynne's acrobatics in the Burton peripheral in the first episode).
posted by Strutter Cane - United Planets Stilt Patrol at 6:34 PM on November 11, 2022 [4 favorites]
So much of Gibson’s art is in little islets of detail that draw the reader into understanding the tectonic forces that connect them all into an archipelago.
This seems very tempting for adapters: well, look, all these connections just waiting to be teased out and brought into the light. What a rich world!
But once you do that, the world he’s created closes in at the edges and starts feeling small and contrived.
posted by sixswitch at 10:09 PM on November 11, 2022 [10 favorites]
This seems very tempting for adapters: well, look, all these connections just waiting to be teased out and brought into the light. What a rich world!
But once you do that, the world he’s created closes in at the edges and starts feeling small and contrived.
posted by sixswitch at 10:09 PM on November 11, 2022 [10 favorites]
after Westworld and now this, I'm about to exile Nolan & Joy to the same place i exiled JJ Abrams after Lost
posted by kokaku at 2:42 AM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by kokaku at 2:42 AM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
The book is so good, and I keep thinking about the show - why would you take the writing of one of the world's absolute visionaries, and replace it with this.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:00 AM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:00 AM on November 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
Agree to all of the above. I started the book a few days ago and almost regret doing so, as it’s made me think less of the show. As others have noted, the primary flaw is turning into an action show. It’s not that Gibson’s work lacks for action, but he presents it in a low-key way that makes it seem more “realistic”.
This episode didn’t do much to move the plot along, and the hitman stuff embodied the above criticism: how cliche is the "mild looking dude wipes out room full of baddies" scene?
posted by kaisemic at 8:25 AM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
This episode didn’t do much to move the plot along, and the hitman stuff embodied the above criticism: how cliche is the "mild looking dude wipes out room full of baddies" scene?
posted by kaisemic at 8:25 AM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
The ruthless hit man trope wasn't even employed with any skill at all... he takes out the entire bowling alley in about five seconds but once he has a clean shot at Flynne on the bridge he aims at her and... just waits for them to react? So poorly done.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 12:45 PM on November 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by lefty lucky cat at 12:45 PM on November 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Uggghhhhh was there a single thing in this episode that was actually in the book?
posted by skycrashesdown at 6:23 PM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by skycrashesdown at 6:23 PM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
No, I can't think of a single scene that lines up with the book. We're definitely into the "based on the picture on the back of a William Gibson novel" territory here.
I agree with kaisemic and left lucky cat's points.
posted by Candleman at 8:27 PM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
I agree with kaisemic and left lucky cat's points.
posted by Candleman at 8:27 PM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]
It's reminding me more and more of Rings of Power... writers are trying to capture the spirit of the novel but seem hopelessly out of their depth. They just don't seem to understand what makes a Gibson novel appealing (or I'm naive and they don't care, assuming this version makes a ton of money). This hit man stuff is just so... pedestrian.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 9:08 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by lefty lucky cat at 9:08 PM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
some really insightful comments will follow
posted by some loser at 6:12 PM on November 13, 2022
posted by some loser at 6:12 PM on November 13, 2022
Is there a "show only" thread for this episode? I've read the book, but at this point there's no relationship between book and show, so I'd rather discuss the show on its own merits.
posted by mono blanco at 7:00 PM on November 13, 2022
posted by mono blanco at 7:00 PM on November 13, 2022
No, but it's super easy to create one (this was my ever Fanfare post).
posted by Candleman at 9:27 PM on November 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Candleman at 9:27 PM on November 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I too have completely turned on this show, from "Yeah, The Peripheral from a different stub" to "It's a Gibson-themed Nolan/Joy show; let's try to enjoy it as such".
Loved the hitman's character, but not the episode's huge budget for idiot balls. Only people not burdened by one were the mother and Billy Ann.
posted by kandinski at 7:00 PM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Loved the hitman's character, but not the episode's huge budget for idiot balls. Only people not burdened by one were the mother and Billy Ann.
posted by kandinski at 7:00 PM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Well, dammit, as escapist TV with a strong whiff of Gibson it's not bad at all. Dammit.
Without a doubt I would rather see a faithful adaptation of the novel - one that doesn't TV trope the thing out of all proportion, but that keeps the slippery intelligence and understated-ness of the novel. (I read it a couple years ago, but now I'm thinking about reading it again.) (I keep waiting for Cayce Pollard to show up because I think that she shows up (very briefly, maybe even only as a mention by one character to another) and I'm wondering what they are going to do about that.)
If they kept out the expository, made it a straight adaptation (like the riddle in the first season of "WestWorld") it could be as evocative and eerie as the novel. As is, it's pretty great to watch while folding the laundry.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:37 AM on November 17, 2022
Without a doubt I would rather see a faithful adaptation of the novel - one that doesn't TV trope the thing out of all proportion, but that keeps the slippery intelligence and understated-ness of the novel. (I read it a couple years ago, but now I'm thinking about reading it again.) (I keep waiting for Cayce Pollard to show up because I think that she shows up (very briefly, maybe even only as a mention by one character to another) and I'm wondering what they are going to do about that.)
If they kept out the expository, made it a straight adaptation (like the riddle in the first season of "WestWorld") it could be as evocative and eerie as the novel. As is, it's pretty great to watch while folding the laundry.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:37 AM on November 17, 2022
I've read the book, but at this point there's no relationship between book and show, so I'd rather discuss the show on its own merits.
That’s pretty much where I am with the show, too. Forget it’s based on a book I liked, and just watch on its own merits. *sigh*
posted by Thorzdad at 6:31 AM on November 17, 2022
That’s pretty much where I am with the show, too. Forget it’s based on a book I liked, and just watch on its own merits. *sigh*
posted by Thorzdad at 6:31 AM on November 17, 2022
I wanted to see the Gobiwagen. I imagine it looks like this but more kleptyer.
posted by jackmakrl at 10:01 AM on November 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by jackmakrl at 10:01 AM on November 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
On the whole, I could've taken or left the whole hitman thing; but given that there's only going to be eight episodes in the season, I wish more had actually happened in this one.
But what really stuck in my craw was the fact that they ditched the "no one quite understands how contact with stubs is made or even necessarily how it really works" conceit for "the Research Institute has the power to open stubs and they opened up Flynne's specifically to experiment on those yokels down the line to benefit their own timeline". Admittedly, the introduction of the Research Institute as the Big Bad didn't quite sit right with me either, but it didn't feel entirely outside the spirit of the novel. I suppose making the connection to Flynne's stub more explicitly about exploitation by the future isn't entirely outside the spirit of the novel and does throw the themes of colonialism, imperialism, and exploitation that the novel explores into sharper relief, but I don't have faith at this point that the show's approach to those will be particularly subtle, and I also don't expect the show to explore some of the more philosophical topics the novel touches on at all.
posted by zztzed at 5:53 PM on November 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
But what really stuck in my craw was the fact that they ditched the "no one quite understands how contact with stubs is made or even necessarily how it really works" conceit for "the Research Institute has the power to open stubs and they opened up Flynne's specifically to experiment on those yokels down the line to benefit their own timeline". Admittedly, the introduction of the Research Institute as the Big Bad didn't quite sit right with me either, but it didn't feel entirely outside the spirit of the novel. I suppose making the connection to Flynne's stub more explicitly about exploitation by the future isn't entirely outside the spirit of the novel and does throw the themes of colonialism, imperialism, and exploitation that the novel explores into sharper relief, but I don't have faith at this point that the show's approach to those will be particularly subtle, and I also don't expect the show to explore some of the more philosophical topics the novel touches on at all.
posted by zztzed at 5:53 PM on November 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also, if it turns out that the RI chose Flynne's time and Flynne in particular because the nuclear launch they showed her in that "Horrors of the Jackpot™" presentation was basically in her backyard, I'm probably going to throw something at the TV.
posted by zztzed at 5:58 PM on November 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by zztzed at 5:58 PM on November 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
(I keep waiting for Cayce Pollard to show up because I think that she shows up (very briefly, maybe even only as a mention by one character to another) and I'm wondering what they are going to do about that.)
If I recall correctly, Cayce shows up in Agency, the sequel to The Peripheral.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 11:39 PM on November 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
If I recall correctly, Cayce shows up in Agency, the sequel to The Peripheral.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 11:39 PM on November 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yet more actioning up with the fight between Flynne and Dr. Nuland in the RI lobby.
This scene felt so dumb. It accomplished nothing for either character. It wasn't visually novel -- just a cliched cartoonish fight scene. And they even chose an utterly boring space to stage it in. The RI is one of the most powerful entities in Britain in 2099, and they have a lobby that looks this bland and nondescript?
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 11:41 PM on November 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
This scene felt so dumb. It accomplished nothing for either character. It wasn't visually novel -- just a cliched cartoonish fight scene. And they even chose an utterly boring space to stage it in. The RI is one of the most powerful entities in Britain in 2099, and they have a lobby that looks this bland and nondescript?
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 11:41 PM on November 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by tovarisch at 3:56 PM on November 11, 2022 [3 favorites]