Line #12 YMMV/BlackMirrorUSSCallister


1	[[center:[-'''[[YMMV/BlackMirror Black Mirror YMMV]]'''-]]]
2	[[center:[-'''Series Four'''-]]]
3	[[center:[-'''USS Callister'''-] -- [-[[YMMV/BlackMirrorArkangel Arkangel]]-] -- [-[[YMMV/BlackMirrorCrocodile Crocodile]]-] -- [-Hang the DJ-] -- [-[[YMMV/BlackMirrorMetalhead Metalhead]]-] -- [-[[YMMV/BlackMirrorBlackMuseum Black Museum]]-]]]
4
5	* AccidentalAesop: Just because someone at work is ostracized and/or ignored by their co-workers does not automatically mean they're a MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold. In fact, sometimes they are avoided for good reason and the treatment they get is justified due to their own pettiness and asocial nature.
6	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: James Walton's personality is subjected to this. Lowry warns Cole of his flirtatious tendencies, and it is implied that he exploited Daly's intellect in the early days of the ''Callister'' company. However, Walton's colleagues (both women and men) seem to be comfortable around him, he genuinely loves his son and, as there is no hint that he is still married to Tommy's mother, being a 'player' is not necessarily a strike against the CEO. Furthermore, Walton shows a lot of nobility [[spoiler:with his HeroicSacrifice]].
7	** Walton probably had a friendship with Daly at some point in time, and likely still sees him as a friend. Walton does an affectionate gesture to Daly when showing Cole around, and the two bosses still work together quite well. There are only two scenes in which the real life Walton interacts with Daly and, while he certainly sounds abrasive, is completely right that the CTO needs to be more assertive when it comes to important things such as updating the game on time.
8	%%
9	%% This is a CM-thread-approved write-up, please don't change it except for grammatical corrections.
10	%%
11	* CompleteMonster: [[EvilNerd Robert Daly]] is a [[PsychopathicManchild sociopathic inventor]] who has created a special mod of the online game Infinity. By taking the DNA of his co-workers, Daly can create fully sapient digital clones in the game, which he uses to [[CruelPlayerCharacterGod torture and mistreat]] to relieve all his frustrations. Endlessly abusing and humiliating them, Daly refuses to grant them any relief, at one point sealing Nanette Cole’s mouth to suffocate her and painfully transforming Shania Lowry into a monster when he wishes to make a point. Constantly putting them through endless pain and abuse, when James Walton refused to play along, Daly got the DNA of his young son and [[WouldHurtAChild threw the boy's clone]] out [[ThrownOutTheAirlock of the airlock]] with the threat he'd revive him and torture him worse if Walton didn't knuckle under. When the crew tries to escape, Daly vows to torture them even worse than before, starting with Walton's son, threatening how his punishment will be "biblical".
12	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: It is quite possible to view Robert Daly as autistic or at least socially anxious. Despite being highly intelligent, he is introverted to the point of having trouble exerting authority over even his own real life subordinates, and seems to otherwise lack a social life, spending most of his off-the-clock time in ''Infinity.''
13	* DracoInLeatherPants: [[MisaimedFandom Unsurprisingly]], Daly almost immediately attracted defenders claiming that his actions are completely justified, the crux of the argument being that his victims aren't real people--never mind them being real enough to think, feel pain, and even contact and interact with the outside world in a desperate bid to escape his torture.
14	* EsotericHappyEnding: As noted on the main page entry, OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding. But even setting aside the problems of their real life counterparts, the crew are still stuck forever in a created universe populated by [[ForumSpeak G.I.F.T]][=-afflicted=] douchebags like [=Gamer691=]. The rules of their new existence free from Daly's mod, such as whether they're now capable of dying permanently, are also left unclear. Downplayed, in that none of those same douchebags have nearly as much power as Daly did and, as shown, the crew can just leave if things get threatening.
15	** Another implication bordering on FridgeHorror is that [[spoiler:the lead designer and key figure of the company that made the ''Infinty'' game is dead]], which makes the in-universe future of ''Infinity'' very uncertain. Even without that in mind, how long would it take for the game to be inevitably rewritten or shut down, erasing the whole crew from existence in the process?
16	*** It's unlikely that the ''Infinity'' game as a whole is at risk. If the episode is anything to go off, though Daly invented it, it seemed like Dudani and the other programmers were the ones actively coding everything. Additionally, considering how large the office is, it's unlikely that ''Infinity'' is Callister's only source of revenue even if it's their most popular game.
17	* FanNickname: Daly has "Gamin’ Damon" due to his actor’s strong resemblance to Creator/MattDamon.
18	* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler: Daly's fate]] can be seen as a dark reprise of "San Junipero" -- [[spoiler: his outer body seems pretty certain to die, and his mind has safely been uploaded. [[SpaceIsolationHorror To endless space that is deleted around him]], [[AndIMustScream trapped and alone with absolutely nothing to do]], [[AFateWorseThanDeath possibly forever]].]]
19	* HilariousInHindsight:
20	** Nanette mistakenly calls Daly's favorite show ''Space Force''. Months later, in real life, former U.S President UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump proposed a new branch of the United States military which he called the "Space Force". Even funnier is that Greg Daniels (who is a frequent collaborator of Creator/MichaelSchur's, who made [[Recap/BlackMirrorNosedive "Nosedive"]]) created a Netflix original series named ''Series/SpaceForce''.
21	** In ''Film/GameNight'', Jesse Plemons ends up playing a quiet loner with a creepy demeanor who is just outside of the main group which includes Creator/BillyMagnussen's cool guy, and the movie reveals partway through that a lot of the realistic turmoil the main group went through was orchestrated by Plemons' character as a game.
22	* MemeticMutation: A screenshot of Lowry taking orders from Daly has [[https://www.buzzfeed.com/victoriasanusi/this-screenshot-of-michaela-coel-from-black-mirror-has?utm_term=.dnkP77AAK#.ak4QAA55z become a meme]] used roughly for "judging you" or "too cool".
23	* MoralEventHorizon: There are several candidates for Daly.
24	** The revelation that [[spoiler:Daly broke Walton by flushing his son Tommy out of an airlock whilst forcing him to watch. Even if they are only digital copies, it's still monstrous. The fact that he threatens to do so many times more, in even worse ways, if Walton steps out of line only cements it.]]
25	** Alternatively, you could argue that Daly crossed it even earlier when he [[spoiler: turned Gillian and Shania into [[BodyHorror giant insect]] [[AndIMustScream monsters]]. ]]
26	** An interesting debate, because he almost certainly crossed it the moment he decided to lock digital copies of his coworkers' minds into a modified video game for his personal amusement as [[DisproportionateRetribution revenge for perceived slights]], but we don't really understand the depths of what he's done until partway through the episode.
27	* NarmCharm: The whole "stealing my pussy is a red line" thing was utterly hilarious, but then wouldn't ''you'' be upset if you could no longer pee, poop, or have sex? Also maybe justified by Nanette's subconscious forcing SkewedPriorities on her as a coping mechanism for her nightmarish situation.
28	* OneSceneWonder: [[spoiler:A hilarious cameo by Aaron Paul as a {{Jerkass}} player who thinks the newly freed ship is just more players screwing him around in an attempt to trade resources.]]
29	* TheWoobie: Anyone trapped in Daly's ''Infinity'' mod.

Context YMMV / BlackMirrorUSSCallister