Thursday, September 10, 2020

What I’m Watching: Dead Pixels

Dead Pixels: Season 1, Episode 4 “Big Nose” (B+)

I’ve started to wonder why it is that Alison makes any efforts to engage her roommates when she knows that they have absolutely no interest in socializing with live human beings and they would probably bring down the mood of her party. But they’re also unpredictable and prone to disruptive behavior, especially if it in any way interferes with their ability to stay fully engaged in the game. Nicky took Big Nose’s death hard, gathering up all the leaves as his own sort of tribute and getting lost in the world of the game so that he didn’t have to confront his own mortality. Meg extracted a different message from his impressive legacy, and she was very much in denial about the ulterior motivations of most of the people who subscribed to her. She also got so excited about the five-hundred-pound contribution only to later learn that it was Russell who did it when his mother asked if she’d give it back. Nicky’s venture out to the party turned out to be a huge mistake, and in a supreme act of selflessness that just isn’t like her, Meg took credit for the abomination that was left floating in the toilet. That’s the truest sign of friendship, and even if this is one of the only times that it materializes in a non-digital world, it’s still affirming. What’s much more concerning, however, is that Usman’s real job is as a pilot, and he apparently plays the game while he’s flying and shouts about bears over the plane loudspeakers, sparking rightful confusion and panic from his passengers.

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