this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2025
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I popped in the first episode just for this post-
The show seems to be an elaborate Thought Experiment in the vein of a lot of classic sci-fi: How would the average upper/middle class American react to their society transforming from an individualist one to a collectivist one overnight?
The POV character in the show isn't exactly the most flattering portrayal of the average upper-class American, I'll say that much.
Yeah, the hivemind is an old redscare sci-fi trope but I don't know, the vibes I'm getting are that ol' Vince "Breaking Bad" Gilligan isn't exactly going weigh in on the side of American exceptionalism, but I could be wrong I only watched 1 episode.
Edit: I thought about it some more- If the hivemind is actually supposed to be villainous, there's a queer reading where the hivemind could represent hetero-normative society attempting to stamp out what makes the main character (who is a lesbian) "different". But I'd need to see more of the show to see how exactly it handles queer identity beyond what was introduced in the first episode.
Double edit: Ok made it thru episode 2 and the entire scene set on Air Force One of a white person belligerently "explaining" to a room of coloured people that they have to save the world, only to engender the response of "Wait what why? The world doesn't need saving from this" is waaaaaaaaaay too on-the-nose that there really isn't any further room for discussion here.
Also, pre- and post-hivemind, the show has been deliberate in highlighting Carol's flaws, isolation, and poor decision making, specifically her being a functional alcoholic. In some regards, the hivemind is correct; Carol does need fixing. So I would think the Stalin namedrop right before she accidentally kills millions of people fits into the "bumbling empire" trope of a typical lib in the imperial core.
Plus, the anti-communist message is blunted slightly by Carol's attempts to build solidarity (on the surface) with the other individuals but being completely ill equipped to do so, specifically because she's an American chauvinist. So she orients her position out of her own personal gripes rather than providing a benefit for the others to rally around. She even begins by asking the hivemind, "how many of them speak English?" lol. I mean, c'mon! If you really think the world is at stake, put in a little effort!