The Deep Dive Into…
Edict Zero - FIS
by Lex Scott
Welcome to part four of my deep dive into Edict Zero. If you’re new here make sure you check out my previous episode reviews (part 1) (part 2) and (part 3), before joining me for the rest of my journey.
And as always, spoilers ahead.
Episode 4, Beautiful Lies
A Man in the Alley, a Man in the Elevator, and a Man with(out) a pan. A tactical unit commander acting as technical support, and a military presence despite the assertion that humanity (and the planet they occupy) are no longer divided into competing countries.
This was another episode where I really felt the excessive length, another episode that seemed more interested in catching up it’s characters with the plot than progressing that plot for its audience. Kircher and Garrett learned of the briefcase bomb’s appearance and interesting properties (which we heard of in the last episode), while Briggs heard of the briefcase bomb’s interesting properties from Socrates.
We were however introduced to a new character, one Kora Reznik: former tactical unit commander, and current technical analyst for our team of protagonists. This entire situation, her transfer and the preceding discussion featuring Dockstader, are the only genuinely new developments in this episode, and they raise real questions about what exactly is going on at FIS.
An exciting prospect, but in all honesty when Dockstader was being confronted by Whiteman the conversation was a bit tough to follow. I actually scanned back a re-listened to see if I missed something, and I still feel like specifics of Reznik’s transfer is a reference to something I missed or simply can’t remember.
Now, something far more interesting is the introduction of (two?) new characters: The Man in your Elevator, and The Man in the Alley, who both share an identical voice. A voice specifically similar to one of the voices used by Captain Socrates. Now it’s possible that MIYE and MITA are actually the same character, but I’m inclined to believe they’re separate entities. Or at least separate bodies.
This confirms it, Socrates is (or at least was) an agent of Edict One, as well as doubly confirming that Edict One is conspiring (again, directly or indirectly) against the rest of humanity. I personally believe it reinforces my theory of Socrates being some kind of product of Edict One, along with his various rants to Briggs in the holding cell. “I am everyone and no one in equal measure”, and “playwrights fashion the who’s of Captains with no other who to be” certainly in my opinion suggest his fractured psyche is artificially made up of other people. Not to mention his constant talk of gods and creation.
Now, please correct me if I’m wrong, but it was stated either in the first episode or the prologue that humanity and the entire planet (barring Edict One of course) were in unity. No more competing countries, no external borders to protect, no “others” to guard against. Ever since they arrived on Edict Zero it’s just been “us”. So why do they need a military at all?
This is something I see all the time in science fiction, and honestly it bugs the hell out of me. A military’s purpose is to act on foreign soil. If you deploy your military on your own territory against your own something has gone drastically, devastatingly wrong in you governance. So why, in this world without borders or artificial division, is there even an established military at all? That is literally what your police are for.
I think this, like every other instance, is nothing but an oversight but like I said it bugs the hell out of me. If there’s any trope that desperately needs to die in sci-fi it’s this.
Side note: Actually if there’s any trope in any form of fiction it’s the phrase “I don’t have an accent” when talking to people with other accents. It’s such an ignorant thing to say and I’ve heard it so many times.
All in all, it was an okay episode, but once again it felt like it was just spinning its wheels. My main problem continues to be the slow pace and excessive episode length, but this time I noticed just how slowly each actor was speaking. It really felt with the way they carefully enunciated every word that they were mostly just struggling to put on an accent, and that was what is slowing them down. It’s clear when any actor is speaking naturally, and they inevitably speak much faster than the other characters.
I won’t bore you by continuing to harp on about pacing and trimming these episodes though, my thought’s on that remain the same.
Theories and Predictions
Well other than my most deliberately outlandish one, all my theories seem to have been confirmed, and honestly I don’t have much more to give you right now. With all the talk of Cooke wanting to “punch holes in the world” I’m still kind of hoping that my “matrix-ish” theory might hold some water but honestly it was never meant to be viable.
I guess the best I’ve got is that there is actually an army of The Man in the ___ out there, acting as combination butlers/ enforcers. I could definitely see that being true somewhere down the line, and from a practical standpoint it would really cut down on production logistics.
Or alternatively, there is an army of blank mindless bodies that one mind is just beamed into to act as an agent throughout the world.
Oh, I almost forgot! The military’s presence at the alley. Are they in league with Edict One or just unwitting pawns, all too willing to compete with and oppose FIS? I’m inclined to suspect the latter, but that’s mostly because that’s the likely choice most writers will make. Including several branches of government in a conspiracy like this would make it infinitely more complicated and far more likely our protagonists would already know things instead of just suspecting.
What do you think of my theories and criticisms? Am I being unfair, is Socrates actually the best fictional character ever and I’m just a bitter old man/ amateurish failure? Let me know in the comments below, let me know your own theories, or better yet let me know if you are listening along with me in this deep dive. Just please no spoilers for upcoming episodes, as I will absolutely be reading your comments.
And of course, go download episode 5 right here, and join me next time as I continue my deep dive into Edict Zero - FIS.
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