The Peripheral 2022 (Spoilers)

[Art Waring]

So here's a trailer, but this thread contains spoilers (avoiding spoilers in my first post if you happen to drop by and don't know about the show). I recommend watching the first season before getting into the nitty gritty details.


Honestly I think its probably a bit too complex for the average casual viewer. But, for sci-fi enthusiasts it really has a lot to chew on. My wife and I didn't fully understand everything until we watched it a second time, and the show actually rewards you for watching it again, because the first episode has a lot of important elements that you don't really notice until you have seen the whole first season.

Not to mention that there are A LOT of elements at play in the story:

-TIme Travel (well, not exactly, but we can get into that later).

-Quantum Entanglement/ Quantum Data ("Stubs").

-Peripherals.

-Koids.

-Nanotech (Limited & unexplained, but present in the show)

-The Jackpot (impending disaster).

-Restructured society (Post-disaster: Klepts, Research Institute, Cops, and the reclaimed).

-Experimentation (Haptics, Implants a plenty, VR Headsets, & the Human element).

....

Overall I think the show is pretty good. What did you like about the show? What stood out to you among the varied elements? What would you like to see more of in the future?

 

[Reynard]

I liked the show a lot, so went and listened to the audiobook.

Wow were these different. Most of the core characters are the same from a personality and motivation standpoint but the details are extremely different. I am glad I watched the show first because I think I would have hated it for how much they changed for the show.

 

[MarkB]

I enjoyed the first season a lot. Both the near-future and the further-future setting feel real, with some well-judged progressions of technology.

The use of the term "stub" for the artificially-created alternate timelines, as opposed to branch or offshoot, is interesting. I'm still not sure whether it's a scientifically-accurate choice and those timelines have an inherently limited existence, or if it's done for purely psychological reasons, to allow the future society to more easily treat their inhabitants as unreal and disposable.

The RI's presentation of ruthless control feels a little like a front to me. My speculation is that sometime in the next season or two we'll find out that the 2077 setting is itself a stub, created by some further-future derivative of the RI for exploitation, and that the 2077 RI are the only ones in that time who know about it and are quietly putting up a defensive fight.

 

[Art Waring]

I liked the show a lot, so went and listened to the audiobook.

Wow were these different. Most of the core characters are the same from a personality and motivation standpoint but the details are extremely different. I am glad I watched the show first because I think I would have hated it for how much they changed for the show.

Thank you for letting me know, I didn't get to read the book yet.

 

[payn]

I like the material and setting. Some of the characters dialogue and exposition was excellent. Though, It did have its issues like you expect with a Nolan Joy venture. I think they didnt let this season stew enough, they just warp sped the last few eps and I think it hurts the overall presentation. Though, its very slick and the type of sci-fi I like.

 

[Art Waring]

I enjoyed the first season a lot. Both the near-future and the further-future setting feel real, with some well-judged progressions of technology.

I enjoyed it too, particularly the attention to detail & the progression of technology. The local pharmacy and the local 3D printing shop fabricate everything locally, albeit at great cost to the customer (question: what exactly does the pharmacy charge for medication, if a single pill on the street costs $1000?).

The use of the term "stub" for the artificially-created alternate timelines, as opposed to branch or offshoot, is interesting. I'm still not sure whether it's a scientifically-accurate choice and those timelines have an inherently limited existence, or if it's done for purely psychological reasons, to allow the future society to more easily treat their inhabitants as unreal and disposable.

I would likely attribute it to Gibson not exactly being a scientist, and being free to use his own expression. Probably thought it sounded better than an offshoot or a displaced quantum gismo-whatchamicallit.

The RI's presentation of ruthless control feels a little like a front to me. My speculation is that sometime in the next season or two we'll find out that the 2077 setting is itself a stub, created by some further-future derivative of the RI for exploitation, and that the 2077 RI are the only ones in that time who know about it and are quietly putting up a defensive fight.

I think it is more of a tree-way triumvirate, with the RI currently wearing the crown, but it passes among the three depending on the current state of things. The Klepts had the crown after the jackpot, then the government Lowbeer types, then the RI who are using stubs to further their own agendas while testing technology using questionable to what could be seen as illegal methods.

Now 2077 being a Stub as well would be a nice twist, but I guess we will have to wait and see on that one.

 

[Tonguez]

I really enjoyed the show, and its use of Appalachia as a setting without it being all hillbillys was refreshing. The world building in both the near future and far future London was great

 

[Art Waring]

I like the material and setting. Some of the characters dialogue and exposition was excellent. Though, It did have its issues like you expect with a Nolan Joy venture. I think they didnt let this season stew enough, they just warp sped the last few eps and I think it hurts the overall presentation. Though, its very slick and the type of sci-fi I like.

I agree that the first season does feel rushed at the end. Possibly in part to having so many details, and so many characters with good development, they probably could have used an extra four episodes to flesh it out more and give it time to develop a few plotlines further.

Oh in case anyone was wondering why they have those weird statues all over future London, there is a line somewhere about using them as air scrubbers, post Jackpot the air is bad I guess outside the city (they don't explain it in the show).

 

[Dire Bare]

The use of the term "stub" for the artificially-created alternate timelines, as opposed to branch or offshoot, is interesting. I'm still not sure whether it's a scientifically-accurate choice and those timelines have an inherently limited existence, or if it's done for purely psychological reasons, to allow the future society to more easily treat their inhabitants as unreal and disposable.

I forget which episode, but Flynne questions the use of the term "stub" and Ash blurts out the reason (from her POV) . . . colonialism. The powers-that-be of the future (RI and the Klepts) use the demeaning term to otherize the alternate timeline and to justify doing terrible things there.

The RI's presentation of ruthless control feels a little like a front to me. My speculation is that sometime in the next season or two we'll find out that the 2077 setting is itself a stub, created by some further-future derivative of the RI for exploitation, and that the 2077 RI are the only ones in that time who know about it and are quietly putting up a defensive fight.

The plot getting more complicated like that could be very cool . . . . .

 

[Aeson]

I really enjoyed the show, and its use of Appalachia as a setting without it being all hillbillys was refreshing. The world building in both the near future and far future London was great

Deputy Tommy didn't seem authentic to me. The others did a good job. Chloe is from Georgia so I expected a lot out of her. She delivered. The one that plays Billi Ann is from the Southern US also.
I'm happy they all were not portrayed as dumb rednecks. Most of the characters seemed like folks I would see around here. The only thing missing, no one was dipping.

 

[Reynard]

I agree that the first season does feel rushed at the end. Possibly in part to having so many details, and so many characters with good development, they probably could have used an extra four episodes to flesh it out more and give it time to develop a few plotlines further.

Oh in case anyone was wondering why they have those weird statues all over future London, there is a line somewhere about using them as air scrubbers, post Jackpot the air is bad I guess outside the city (they don't explain it in the show).

In the book they are just tall spires. I don't know why the show depicted them as weird collosi.

 

[Dire Bare]

In the book they are just tall spires. I don't know why the show depicted them as weird collosi.

Because they look cool? The future London is incredibly visually arresting, and makes you realize you are somewhere else . . . .

 

[Reynard]

Because they look cool? The future London is incredibly visually arresting, and makes you realize you are somewhere else . . . .

I personally think things like that ruin good world building because there's no purpose behind them.

 

[Dire Bare]

I personally think things like that ruin good world building because there's no purpose behind them.

Huh?

Does art in the real world always have to serve a purpose? Does it in the fantasy/sci-fi world?

Yet, it usually does. As already discussed, these giant towers are air scrubbers. They could have made them into utilitarian, ugly towers . . . but instead decided to make them imposing giant, super-cool statues. Also, they are a part of the illusion the RI projects, the illusion of control, of power, of stability and safety.

It's a very deliberate and purposeful part of the world-building for this show.

 

[MarkB]

I personally think things like that ruin good world building because there's no purpose behind them.

The RI is trying to project power while at the same time personifying stability and British tradition. Making its world-saving technology into monuments that dwarf everything around them allows them to do just that. It's also an expression of the march of technology - from custom-printing complex electronic devices in the 2030s to using similar techniques on a literally monumental scale in the 2070s.

 

[Rabulias]

Does art in the real world always have to serve a purpose? Does it in the fantasy/sci-fi world?

Yet, it usually does. As already discussed, these giant towers are air scrubbers. They could have made them into utilitarian, ugly towers . . . but instead decided to make them imposing giant, super-cool statues. Also, they are a part of the illusion the RI projects, the illusion of control, of power, of stability and safety.

It's a very deliberate and purposeful part of the world-building for this show.

I think there is a one-off line in the show that described them as air-scrubbers. And I agree that in a world where they show you fake people to make you think the world is more populated so you feel better, it makes sense that they would try to make such depressingly necessary technology as an air-scrubber appear more beautiful and attractive.

 

[briggart]

I liked the show a lot, so went and listened to the audiobook.

Wow were these different. Most of the core characters are the same from a personality and motivation standpoint but the details are extremely different. I am glad I watched the show first because I think I would have hated it for how much they changed for the show.

I read the book, and loved them. I mean, it's Gibson.

The show, I have mixed feeling about. Overall I really liked it, but I've the same issues as with Game of Thrones. The parts that deviate the most from the books also feel rushed and overall weaker than the rest of the show. So it's not necessarily the changes per se, but the quality of the changes.