As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Musical
Fridge Brilliance
- The Squip blocks Michael from Jeremy's field of vision because he isn't "cool" enough. One of Michael's "uncool" hobbies is collecting retro items - such as 80's soft drinks. The Squip's attempts to cut Michael out of Jeremy's life completely aren't just to make Jeremy cooler- it's to ensure Jeremy never comes into contact with the only substance capable of deactivating it!
- Michael's hoodie is red. The only way to deactivate the Squip is drinking Mountain Dew Red. Michael is the one who brings it to Jeremy and saves the school. Word of God even says his choice in wardrobe was not accidental.
- Regular, green Mountain Dew turns the SQUIP on. Mountain Dew Red shuts it off. In other words... green means go, red means stop.
- While the opening verse is hilarious and sets the tone well, it also serves as a solid Establishing Character Moment for Jeremy, as a male high schooler who doesn't have a girlfriend, is considered uncool, and is prone to overthinking and being just a tad neurotic.
- Either Fridge Brilliance or Fridge Horror, but in "The Squip Song", Rich mentions that prior to getting a Squip, he was "So suicidal". Now think. What's one of the first things Jeremy's Squip does to him? It makes him repeat the phrase "Everything about me makes me want to die". Was Rich really suicidal prior to getting his Squip, or did his Squip just convince him he had been?
- Another bad possibility: If he was suicidal before getting the Squip, it’s possible that he went through a ton of emotional pain in the same way that Jeremy does, and was only able to become more mentally stable by getting rid of the damn thing. It’s possible that being under its control again might have resurfaced his suicidal ideations.
- Jeremy and Michael's introduction music. Not counting the overture, Jeremy is introduced with high, repetitive beeping sounds, similar to an alarm clock. The sound establishes his constant state of anxiety—alarms are always going off in his head. Michael, on the other hand, is introduced with reggae- a much more relaxed and "chill" form of music, establishing his comfort with himself.
- Both of Christine's solo numbers, "I Love Play Rehearsal" and "A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into", end with a Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion. It's a cute Character Tic meant to illustrate her quirkiness and individuality, but beyond that, how she subverts expectations of a love interest character, as well as the expectations of her peers. When she's possessed by the SQUIP, who demands order and conformity and thrives off of manipulating people into particular boxes for their social roles, what does it force her to do to declare her love for Jeremy? It makes her sing a verse that ends with a rhyme. "That isn't Christine" indeed.
- During “Michael in the Bathroom”, Michael hears a drunk girl “sing[ing] along to Whitney [Houston] through the door” and sings the line “I wanna dance with somebody” before segueing back into the main song. This ties to more than the next line - the song is about Jeremy deserting Michael and Michael lamenting their deteriorating friendship and remembering the times when they were inseparable. In other words, that line reinforces the message that he wants to be friends with Jeremy again - the whole point of the song!
Fridge Horror
- When Rich is telling Jeremy about Squips, he apologizes for previously treating him like garbage, claiming that he only did it because his Squip said he had to, but now it's telling him Jeremy isn't a bad guy. This has absolutely chilling implications. It's quite possible that Rich's Squip pegged Jeremy as potentially vulnerable to its manipulations, and instructed Rich to torment him until he'd be desperate for anything that could make his life better. Then suggested, coerced, or perhaps even forced Rich to offer him the one thing that supposedly would.
- With that in mind, it's possible this may be another part of why Jeremy's Squip forced him to let Chloe have her way with him- to chip away at Brooke's self-esteem by cheating on her, break Jake by having sex on his parents' bed, and let Chloe worsen her relationships with these people. As we see right before "The Pitiful Children," that incident (as well as the fire) left everybody in great emotional (and physical) pain, miserable enough for the Squip to exploit.
- The Squip takes away Jeremy's ability to reject Chloe's advances, with the claim that this will make Jeremy more popular. Now consider the fact that Rich has had his Squip for years, for the exact same reason.
- Take a minute and imagine what might have happened if Jake hadn't interrupted Chloe and Jeremy ...
- Also consider that Chloe was herself too drunk to consent while Jeremy wasn't. Even though Jeremy didn't want it and actively tried to stop, not only would he have been raped if they hadn't been interrupted, but if it had gotten out, he would be the one accused of committing it! Then you remember that Chloe lied at the drop of a hat that it was all his fault during The Smartphone Hour ...
- Even after all Rich has gone through over the course of the show, there's still the fact that he'll probably have to deal with a police investigation, given that arson is a crime and all.
- Rich's advice to Jeremy in "Voices in my Head"- "You gotta tell her that she / Excites you sexually"- is funny on its own. But when you consider that the Squip often focuses on the sexual aspect of relationships with little consideration for personal feelings or morality (i.e., having Jeremy introduce himself to Brooke by calling her sexy, coaxing Jeremy to sleep with Chloe despite her being drunk and him dating Brooke, etc.), it's possible Rich's Squip- already implied to have pushed him into toxic masculinity- numbed him to warmth in romantic relationships so he could focus on getting laid.
