Netflix's MANIAC: Is It Deep or Dumb? - Wisecrack Edition 

Finally an original story thank god !

I couldn't stand this show

This show to me, as someone with childhood sexual abuse, parents divorcing during that time (no the S.A. did not occur form them, but it was family), being hit by a drunk driver and going through 4 low back and 1 neck surgery, and then getting diagnosed with M.S. before I hit 25, they nailed what dealing with deep trauma is like. I Thought it was a brilliant and touching show that showed how true connection, and people who actually care for you, are what matter and can help deal with our wounds to a degree.

@@kjellvb1979 that’s a lot of trauma dumping to internet strangers. I’m sorry that happened to you but bro you should be selective of what you post of your personal life to total strangers. It may harm you in the long run because it’s hard to erase.

My favorite part of this show, besides the beautiful story it tells, is all the computer stuff, all the visual effects on the screens and the mainframe. Alan Watts did an amazing job building the mainframe with 2 arduinos but the rest of the set is still mysterious to me. I love all the visuals on all the screens and there are so many of them too! I wish, actually it's my dream, that I could see how those visuals were made. Simple stuff like the sleeping/eating times on screens, or subject's temperatures, or even the "GRTA is rebooting" screen. I love those aesthetics so much, I wish I could see a behind the scenes on how these were done. I'm working on a pygame script to recreate these, that's how much I love them. I think it's quite amazing how much work can go into a series like this. Those are details almost no one thinks about but I know they took a lot of time to make and it's kind of a shame that they are destined to be left in a storage room for years until they get thrown away.

yes

Zaphlox Medical institutions are fucking terrible. Anyone in one is not there by their own consent, and if they are then they’re miserable. Owen was forced into the loony bin by his parents. Yes, some people do need to be there. But Owen was not a danger to himself or others. Thats the only, final, last resort reason anyone should ever be there. They finally found a way to be themselves. They were not forced down by anyone or anything anymore. They’re free.

Well put

That is interesting...as a philosophy. In reality, we are developing a greater understanding of mental health and general wellness, and it definitely is pointing in a certain direction, not in a "whatever you think works" direction.

@@demifolk8940 They vary drastically in their quality and depending on how much you can pay. I was in one where they really knew what they were doing to treat addiction, but it is one of the top institutions in North America. I was just fortunate enough to live near it.

Rhowski!!!! I'm a hawk!!!!

I fucking loved this show

Agreed. The ending was do fucking feelgood it nearly left me in tears of joy.

I agree wholeheartedly. The series is fantastic!

"So do we actually know each other? " " We're off to a good start" 😆😆😆

Yeah, the plot is actually quite simple, and that's what make it work, i think.

I think your analysis is quite on point

But doesn’t this theory kind of gloss over everything else, like the futuristic setting; all the symbols and objects that recurred between the realities; and the fact that most episodes were spent within each of the different realities/dreams?

The facility treats mental illness with a combination of psychedelics and electromagnetic therapy, which, believe it or not, is exactly where mental health treatment is heading. Much to its benefit. Owen and Emma were able to conquer their demons through its help. Actually showing innovative psychiatry work in modern cinema is rare and I like it.

Best way to describe it tbh

Exactly--a wild ride

And FUN!

It went deep tho

That sums it up, pretty much

I could go for a nice asses impact right about now...

Wide but not deep, well said! I felt like it felt more on the "dumb" side but I also agree there were some good ideas in there. It like...tried, had good/smart intentions....but it didn't really execute it in a fantastic way (I wasn't a fan of the dream sequences, which took up a huge part...I know that was a big part of the story, but, still)

The point was made in the video that dreams were the landscape and means for their transformation. You make the point that Maniac sacrificed depth for breadth, and the video points out a lack meaning that surrounds even the supposedly life altering dreams. The search for what is meaningful was the point, though. A lot of the interactions lacked meaning so as to clarify what meaningful experience looks like in juxtaposition. To me, it was about what meaningful living might look like: different for everyone, and yet similar in that we need to understand what has happened that has lead us to where we are so as to know where to go.

I 100% agree. I think this show is similar to taking acid. It presents you with many questions you can implement in your own life and experiences but it does not give you many “answers.”

So you could say the message of this show operates like a rhizome and not like a tree.

Nice

+

This is great! I noticed tons of Japanese elements in the show, but didn't think to flesh them out. Isolation and loneliness is a hallmark of the current culture in Japan. The country is seeing a trend towards highr death rates than birth rates. This world could be a testament to what life could look like if we all continue to head towards that direction

+ I don't understand how this is completely not obvious

So anime characters are white.....lol jk, but I loved your analysis

i felt i was watching a live-action anime, so odd. But really great!.

Trying to fix people up through simulation, and a connection in Annie's and Owen's case, it's kind of like Neon Genesis Evangelion. It helps that a lot of the characters are Japanese :P

I just really liked Dr. Muramoto. Best character by far.

@@seanmatthewking oh boy I think my timeline glitched out, because I cannot remember watching this show lmfao

Omg, I was thinking the look, feel pacing, and concepts reminded me of anime the whole time, too. Good anime, seinen stuff.

Yeah, it left me with more questions than the usual breakdown of things

I have watched it that way, you get e v e r y t h i n g lmfaooo

@@sergeibatsoev4336i might have to do a second viewing 😊

Mike B I was dying at that whole part. When he was telling all the employees “run, save yourselves” and whatnot And everyone just sat there awkwardly watching him stumble around 😂. I’m still laughing

Naaaa him becoming a hawk takes the cake lol

I lost it when he only got his vision back after "killing" his computer mother. There's mommy issues and then there's MOMMY issues 😂

Snorri beats them all.

Him screaming his head off as his mom was trying to hug him had me rolling on the floor laughing 😂

It's only exaggerated because of the universe it created compared to our reality. Sure, the ABC program; nothing works like that way (just 3 intense days?! No wonder everyone could get a McMurphy ending) in our reality--but the themes, characterization and motivations are all too real in their own right, across the entire ensemble cast. "Over the top," "camp for effects" *or* "high concept(s)" work best when there is consistency of world building. It's an NDA test trial where almost everyone got brain nuked; but they didn't. Think in universe: such an endeavor by our all-mighty neo-retro Japanese overlords seems like an obvious Big Pharma plot to attempt, if the tech exists in the media's universe. It's there, so they try. It's all about universe contextualization. It helps, again, the self-aware nature of the writing--a reconstruction of 80s tropes into a weird disphoric utopia, with grime and grimace and the cracks showing by the end. But ultimately: the story is relatively simple and the journey through this world created for the viewer (a few quirks away from our own, if not a mirror with a different tint) is you in the middle with Annie and Owen. And it. Is. Fantastic.

Just feeling it’s better than critics say, doesn’t mean it is.

@@audiosurfarchive Absolutely, I agree with you on all points. The world building is astounding, adding on to the Terry Gilliam aesthetic with a bit less absurdity. Ps. Audiosurf rules

@@Greggers1516 because critics *absolutely* decide how much you can enjoy something, amirite? Personal opinions? About a subjective experience? Shiiiiiiiiiiiet, that ain't gonna fly. It's a high 70's on metacritic. The "4 Point Scale" problem and its diffusion within the last two decades has warped perception. Viewers and reviewers are in a symbiotic relationship now more than ever that perpetuate expectations because some reviewer who majored in Journalism or Art History (not to put BAs and MAs on blast, but a lot of reviewers didn't know they'd end up being reviewers at the start of their higher education) is the end-all emperical analysis because an aggregate says so. RT is lopsided as it's just a "recommendation." Sure, the individual scores are there: but trailers and DVD releases--even Xfinity has RT built in--wear that on its sleeve like it is Oscar material. Metacritic can be worse, despite being better all around, if there is a small pool of reviews. Credibility matters even more on Metacritic, but slips through the cracks anyway; of course there's exceptions and counterpoints to both systems when *it works as intended.* Fan score tanking for that matter: almost *nothing* deserves a 0 (or a 10 for that matter) but Meta has 0 bombs with such little thought put into them it should be trashed. The same for 10s too. These systems have discouraged serious discourse; and the idea of cordial discussion--analysis of the whole is subjective, while digging into the technical production aspects yields objective concepts. This is now a synthesis created from understanding, contextualizing the product and forming a synthesis of subjectives-to-objectives pros and cons. METACRITIC: reviews that come out for something like say, a Cable weekly series, certainly are fueled by being able to see the first 3or4 episodes a few days early. This may be obvious and I'm not trying to sound like a dick BUT LOOK AROUND ON TV SUBHEADING ON METACRITIC. Those reviews are first impressions that are left up all season long. They even admit it most times (italicised "we got review copies and swag bags") or are required to. I'm willing to bet that the majority of TV shows on Metacritic use the advanced copy reviews (the first few episodes) over season-end let alone series-end balancing. Some seasons are better once it's all said and done. This is a bit meandering, but I just wanted it to be out there that critical praise, and the arguments to be made that something can/is be better than a "reviewer consensus" that is flawed in all current aggregate sites, and the " Four Point Scale" problem that is both engrained in the reviewers, and consumers from being acclimated to it. 50 doesn't equal take or pass. It translates to "shit." A 70 and above should say that "this" is an absolute watchable series, and should be. A 78 translates "niche" and "passable" to far too many people afraid to discuss and dissect. Critics are paid, but that doesn't mean their review can matter more solely because they do it for money. The viewer, their own review in elaborate to the community (if they give enough of a shit/ can articulate why something is as good as they can argue) and the total volume of views--good show or bad--are ultimately what matter.

@@jamesdingus1468 hey thanks man. Great way to listen to lots of music and even digest it better.

nope, they converged because of a fault in the wiring, also define best? how can you say a "union" is best? while you can't know the outcome of the union you didn't take

Any show or movie that aknowledges the chaos and randomness of fate and also presents a meaningful relationship between characters can give people the idea you suggest. That's not the same as saying that Maniac presents a philosophy on that or explores that idea. I think it is your take on it rather than the meaning of the whole thing (which does not underestimate it at all)

Everything is an accident, the only question is what spin are you going to give to the things that happen to you. Some people need a lot of help to change their frame of mind, like the two protagonists of the show.

@@sclh know what? 3 years on from leaving this comment, I think you’re right. Still think the message I took from it (albeit poorly explained by 17 year old me) was a good one :)

Yes, Don Quixote and Neoconservatism have that in common - the idea is to construct one's own preferred reality. The sinister form of this is outlined contemptuously by Karl Rove - “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality - judiciously, as you will - we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” Neoliberalism also follows this logic - the idea is to transform the world. Hurricane Katrina was very exciting since it gave them the ability to transform New Orleans. Don Quixote is a reactionary - he's upset about the "corrupt" modern times and he attempts to bring back an idealized form of what the world used to be. He's attempting to be an inspiration to guide culture. So for Don Quixote, it's Make the West Great Again.

@@briankoontz1 i like your analysis more than butt cracks there is more to don than meets the eye, they are just to pretentious for my taste like the art critics looking at vomit paintings and laughing at outsiders but in reality they too have grandeous delusions of something that never was

damn... you smart. What do you read/watch?? This is very interesting!

dude, i was thinking the same. a Philip K Dick vibe is really present in the aesthetics of the show

Yeah I was thinking along those lines. But I was too lazy to write all that xD

WEIRDLY awesome*

Is the music at 15:30 in the series? Lol if you can recall

It really is.

That's what they should call Half-Baked.

Agree though. I consider wisecrack my favorite channel and I'm happy to hear the reference they give, but it feels like they try too hard to find the meaning behind it without trying to acknowledge the show as what it shows. And the show itself shows that satire vibe that maybe they are aware that they're not talking about some very deep philosophy idea and that that's not what they're trying to achieve. Watching this video made me think, does every film need to bring one big philosophical idea and if not, the film is dumb dumb? Well doesn't that sound kind of pretentious?

Kamila A. Widyanto Exactly my thoughts. Not every story needs bullshit like that

I agree, I'm looking for such a video and that isn't what I'm looking for. I want someone to talk about all the things that made this such a reference heavy, cerebral mental health masterpiece. Imo

i didn't thought of that! but I love that you pointed that out!

This... this is the one

have you seen like stories of old's video of it? it's way better than the actual movie

They just did a podcast on it, check it out.

@pushkin yms's synecdoche,new york 6 part review might be something to watch for you.

@@myson999it’s been 10 years and he still isn’t done with it lmao.

Its been done to death.

It is also the greatest animated show ever created so no need

Sage rain

@@jeromealday614 I'd like to see a go at it from a philosophy break down angle though. These guys at @Wisecrack would be perfect for the job.

what movie? no one ever made a movie adaptation. never happened.

Jens Gärtner agree :(

I found the three stage setup of reliving the event, overcoming blind spots, and confrontation to fit in line with the current understanding of this too.

that's how I found it, meh but interesting.

I just watched _White People Can't Jump_ last night and woody harrelsen talks about globular clusters. That's some Baader Meinhof shit right there.

Unfortunately, from the moment he turned into a hawk the quality took a massive dive, in my opinion

There's a comedy called "Brain Candy" about a pharmaceutical drug to cure depression that ends up getting users stuck in a loop of the best day of their lives.

Yeah I loved this format! It showed how there can be many interperetations of one thing that may seem more substantial or less substantial depending on who is experiencing it.

How was Devilman Crybaby incoherent? The thesis of the show is pretty clear: humanity has the potential to be its own salvation and destruction.

So what are you really trying to say?

being mental ill doesn't make your opinions on Maniac superior to others. i also don't understand why you're blaming Netflix, it gaved many people a platform to expose their work and it gave Fukunaga the privilege to make the series we should appreciate that.

Quote from Fukunaga: "Because Netflix is a data company, they know exactly how their viewers watch things. So they can look at something you’re writing and say, We know based on our data that if you do this, we will lose this many viewers. So it’s a different kind of note-giving. It’s not like, 'Let’s discuss this and maybe I’m gonna win.' The algorithm’s argument is gonna win at the end of the day. So the question is do we want to make a creative decision at the risk of losing people... There was one episode we wrote that was just layer upon layer peeled back, and then reversed again. Which was a lot of fun to write and think of executing, but, like, halfway through the season, we’re just losing a bunch of people on that kind of binging momentum. That’s probably not a good move, you know? So it’s a decision that was made 100 percent based on audience participation." Which is uh, not exactly the *best* way to preserve the artistic integrity and merit of your work. Does being mentally ill make me more enlightened when it comes to film/TV generally? Of course not. But does it give me some authority when it comes to portrayals of mental illness? Yep, and I gotta tell ya it's hard to find such good ones

Hannah Brooks i get that what Netflix did is sad, unfortunate & unfair but it didn't had a big impact on the entire series, it's still amazing and everyone did an amazing job. you definitely have an authority when it comes to this, i apologize if my answer sounded a little bit rude towards your illness(es)

Oh wow I didn't realize I needed to explain, in my original comment what I'm saying is that some critics haven't given Maniac its due because of Netflix's business decisions. If they show had been allowed to get even just a bit weirder, it could've become an even richer narrative that says what it wants to in an even more effective way.

both primacy and recency effect are a thing though :P

They literally said it out loud in the movie , unconscious decisions aka cancer , looks like you , acts likes you ls not you, and wants to destroy you , we are self destructive but by ignorance not by malice

Why would you think that's what the show is about? Annie was the person who claimed that, and she later changed her mind.

Serendipitous

Oh my god..I was just about to comment this as well! The same thing happened to me.

Do you understand what "metta" means?

They are watching us

@@mandaloriancrusader3746 I guess not 😂.

Show is too good and not enough people watched it. Wait another 8 years.

Ohh my, yes, literally the best I've ever seen.

Yessssss

Criminally underrated

I totally agree with you, The Leftovers is a perfect subject for this channel. But personally, I couldn't get through that show. My god. What a depressing trudge that was. I only saw most of the first season. I think. I've tried multiple times! I always quit around the same episode. I feel like I'm the only one too. I'm just letting my freak flag fly here, I don't get to discuss the show that much.

I'd like to see Wisecrack tackle this show as well. In the meantime, you might want to see this excellent analysis by Pattern Theory "Legion | Time and Wellness". Afterwards, you could also check out ScreenPrism's take on it "Legion Explained: Symbolism & Visual Storytelling" I haven't gotten around to watching this one yet, but ScreenPrism's videos - although different in tone and style - are about on par with Wisecrack's, and both these channels complement each other nicely.

So I just finished watching with a friend and in a similarity to Lost, we were also thinking up crazy twists and turns along the way only to be somewhat disappointed in the same way you're laying out. But could that in itself tied together with the Don Quixote fiction v. reality existentialism be the point? At some level, I can't help feeling like that explanation is probably an excuse or cop-out as you explain, because accepting that would leave no room for it to just be an idea salad which it may very well be. But it also seems like this was done intentionally to some degree, so I have to wonder if there's any more behind invoking such an experience of not meeting preconceived expectations "in reality". If that makes sense. Maybe fun side-question: what were some of twists or plot theories you had while watching? Just to throw out one of ours that I liked, we were thinking Annie and Owen's sibilings were just alternate personalities and the convolution of crazy experiences through the NPM program were in some way merging these projections to give them a semblance of stability. Our ultimate conspiracy surrounding that was that AdBuddy was somehow behind invoking these multiple personalities in a fucked up attempt to increase consumption by increasing the "amount" of people buying things without having to reach physically different people. I think we can definitely agree though, fuck the Snorri accent.

@@Bisquick Just off the top of my head; 1)They were in a program designed to steer witnesses to different accounts 2)They actually were secret agents here to take down an illegal operation 3)They were there for corporate espionage 4)It was all a delusion brought on by the stress of having to testify falsely I'm sure there were more if I actually went back I remember thinking this is too many red herrings to count. It could be interpreted as an existential question of expectations vs reality. It could be interpreted as a reverse Don Quixote in the sense that the world was left worse without Don Quixote with the return to Alonso Quixano. I mean look back to the intro monologue, does it actually say anything? Anything of value, or something profound? Not in my opinion. Not everything has to be smart and the world they set up was cool enough to stand on its own.

Hi, so all things you suggested are profoundly less interesting than the show. The show was interesting not because of the "red herrings" but because it felt honest. It's about dealing with mental illness in a healthy way not "life is a simulation" or whatever. That's why it's profound. These people aren't magically cured, but they are better for confronting their illness and learning to deal with it. The show was never trying to throw you for a loop.

@@blitzkriegdragon013 I completely disagree.

@@blitzkriegdragon013 the show was the most dishonest thing I've ever seen. It has nothing going for it because it hid behind references to other films/tv shows, had no consistent tone, had no consistent visuals style; had no commitment to anything. The worst of the worst post-modern posturing.

Ved Prakash what about Philosophy of Dexter’s Lab? It gets pretty deep.

dexter is the reason i study philosophy at uni

Victor Loza analysis*

Emily Griese nice

Did you watch until the end. He clearly says the show isn't dumb and is a great show because of all the things they do right.

Nick Alvarez I did not say they called the show dumb. And I did watch the whole video!

Steve Pickford I was talking about how in all their analysis videos they reference philosophy which in our academic realm is mostly white men and from the past so old. Just pointing out things can be considered deep without it being confirmed by one of these scholars. And the fact they got the meaning of don Quixote wrong which is a Spanish Novel, so idk man just wish they’d expand their sources to a more culturally diverse pool and understand them properly when they use them! If you get mad when I say colors that’s on you dude!

They dropped it.

@@greenli9551 are u sure about that? I can't find anything hunter related by them

The Beast of the Land why wait