Combine Nation is a short Half-Life 2 machinima series by Lit Fuse Films. It consist of two regular episodes and one bonus subtitled Do Your Part.
Similarly to the other machinima it focuses on the daily shenanigans of the Combine order enforcement personnel while occasionally making itself look as a documentary or public service announcement.
The series
can be viewed on Youtube.
These tropes do their part:
- Aliens Speaking English: Since this is the Half-Life universe the Vortigaunts are present too. Although only one dubbed Jerry Xwolrom actually gets some focus, he speaks quite fluently and even retain the original trademark high-pitched squeaky voice from the first game.
- Blatant Lies: The shady guy in Ep 1 telling an
Ass Pull story about a random perpetrator vandalizing his apartent and then disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Tibbles believes him. - Bucket Helmet: So literal in Tibbles' case it becomes his signature point.
- *Cough* Snark *Cough*: Jerry's answer to Cpt. Bundles motivational quip is a muffled insult. Bundles asks what was that to which Jerry replies: "Just a cough, sir."
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Lt. Tibbles takes this trope to its logical extreme. He thinks grabbing a barnacle by its tongue is a good idea and is so gullible that he falls for the fraud guy's made-up testation about supposed perpetrator disappearing in a cloud of smoke and even believes his shady colleague that the Combine pod is a pinata filled with candy.
- Companion Cube: The tech administrator Charles Brandt believes every machine has to be treated with compassion and love like a child fresh from the womb. He goes as far as having an emotional breakdown over broken scanner (named Betty) and having to "put her down".
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Dead Brandt lying on top of knocked-out Tibbles in the 2nd Ep. credits looks kind of ... suggestive.
- Double Take: Bundles exercises this when the hustler ask when he's getting his money. Bundles takes his time to chastite Tibbles for acting "smart" before turning back to the guy and asking: "Wait, what?"
- Downer Ending: The end of 2nd episode is this for Tibbles. Instead of getting his candy he's implied to end up to his bucket in trouble.
- Imagine Spot: Bundles urges Tibbles not to do anything stupid during his trainstation patrol. Gilligan Cut to grayscale scene of Tibbles cheerfully waddling straight towards an oncoming train.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Charles Brandt definitely graduated one judging by how much ammo he wastes trying to hit Tibbles and accidentally knocking the pod off its management rail in the process.
- The Ingenue: Tibbles being a Cloud Cuckoo Lander doesn't mean any harm but manages to cause pandemonium with his sheer stupidity.
- Insurance Fraud: The shady overweight looking guy in Ep 1 broke all of his furniture and made up a story about random perpetrator who went up in a cloud of smoke. Then he demanded his insurance money despite the Combine not using money anymore. This enough even for someone like Tibbles to see through it.
- Married to the Job: Officer Bundles takes his duties very seriously even to the point of being downright devoted to his job. He's doing whatever in his power to preserve the order including teasing his subordinate with a torture footage when being asked if there was a punishment for sneaking a peek at classified stuff. The only exception is Tibbles who was said to look so cute when eagerly barging into the HQ in a makeshift uniform that none of the metro police had the heart to arrest him.
- Shout-Out: Bundles greets the vortigaunt Jerry with words "Klaatu Barada Nikto". Jerry's reply is nowhere near as polite.
- Straight Man and Wise Guy: Bundles acts over the top seriously while Tibbles' antics serve as a foil to him.
- Tempting Fate:
Bundles:(to Tibbles) Well, whatever it is you're planning on doing, don't. You're on trainstation duty today. I don't want you getting distracted and falling onto the tracks or something stupid like that.
Gilligan Cut to Imagine Spot of Tibbles happily waddling directly towards oncoming train while making silly noises. Considering Tibbles' antics it may actually happen.
Do your part.
