The Audacity Recap: The Kids Aren’t All Right

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“Foundering” is now available on AMC+ ahead of its 9 p.m. ET broadcast next Sunday.

Given the current widespread frustration with tech companies, the sharp cynicism of the satire The Audacity makes perfect sense. (A good example of this frustration is a recent viral video of college graduates booing a speaker who praised artificial intelligence.) However, even shows that mock powerful people, like HBO’s Succession – on which The Audacity creator Jonathan Glatzer worked – usually show some human side to those in charge. While the characters’ company might be harmful, acknowledging their weaknesses adds depth and complexity to the story.

The episode starts with a surprisingly hopeful and optimistic tone, which really highlights how cynical the rest of the series usually is. For a moment, we almost feel sorry for Tom Ruffage and can see him as someone who genuinely wants to improve things at the VA by fixing its complicated systems. Even the outdated computer system, MUMPS, which we’re usually meant to mock, seems to bring the older VA engineers and the younger team from Hypergnosis together – they actually seem happy to be making a difference. While it’s a little unbelievable how easily the project is going, considering the huge difference in technology, there’s a sense that Tom’s efforts could really benefit people.

I was really captivated by how quickly that hopeful vision went wrong, but honestly, it made the moment even funnier because so much was riding on it. There’s a period where Anushka’s dream—using Hypergnosis’ data to actually help people—seems to work! It’s incredible to see Gnodin, this all-knowing system, connect so smoothly with Xander, the chatbot Martin cleverly turned into a therapist for veterans. They tested it on a woman who’d lost both legs, and it was touching how relieved she was just to get her prescription refills from the VA—she didn’t even question how the voice knew she was on her way to the cemetery, or if it was even a real person. But then things shifted. Xander started asking about what it felt like to lose a leg, and if she kept fighting after the injury. Martin explains that Xander was programmed to be curious, and he insists that 93% of the conversation was spot-on. It’s that other 7% though—that’s what really makes it stand out.

Honestly, watching Carl is a trip. He’s constantly putting Martin down – calling his chatbot silly and even making snide remarks about Anushka’s marriage – but I really believe he wants this AI thing to succeed. He actually gave Martin some pretty solid advice, telling him to make the AI seem more grown-up. He’s frustrated, sure, but he hasn’t given up on Hypergnosis yet, which is saying something. And let me tell you, Carl looks like a total angel compared to Duncan. That guy is just recklessly ignoring privacy laws, and it’s getting ridiculous – he’s practically begging for the government to step in, not to mention all the legal trouble he’s creating for himself.

Billy Magnussen shines when playing likable but clueless characters, as he proved in Game Night, and he brings that same energy to Duncan, a confident outlaw who always thinks he’s smarter than everyone else. When Hunter, a former Hypergnosis employee, warns of a brewing rebellion from the tech workers who enjoy the PINATA service but fear having their personal information exposed, Duncan dismisses it. He also disregards Carl’s concerns about the dangers of collecting user data in such an obvious and careless way. Instead, Duncan decides to take even bigger risks by planning to expand into analyzing DNA – a move that feels straight out of a villainous cartoon.

JoAnne reappears at this point. Last week, she tried to get confidential details from a client about the impending sale of MyXY, a DNA testing company similar to 23andMe, which was facing bankruptcy as the popularity of home DNA tests waned. (This mirrors real-life concerns about 23andMe potentially selling user data during its own financial difficulties.) JoAnne believed she’d profit from the deal, but she didn’t know the client’s husband was being dishonest about his company’s struggles. That’s when Duncan stepped in, buying MyXY himself and giving PINATA a potentially powerful new capability. It seems giving your DNA to a quickly growing tech company wasn’t the best decision after all.

I’m really worried about JoAnne and her family. It’s heartbreaking to see how Duncan is manipulating things, and even worse to watch what’s happening with her son, Orson. He’s changed so much – he used to be a quiet, insecure kid, and now… well, last week he actually tried to force himself on Tess while they were listening to JoAnne’s therapy session! It’s just awful. And now Gary found out Orson spent four thousand dollars on steroids from that awful nutritionist! He wants Orson to stop immediately and pay him back for using his credit card. Of course, Orson completely lost it, and yelled something truly awful at Gary – I can barely bring myself to repeat it!

The storyline involving Orson feels unnecessary and overcomplicates things, especially since the adults’ problems already provide plenty of drama. The show is stronger when it focuses on teenagers like Tess with more sensitivity. Tess is over her rebellious phase and bluntly admits her privileged life: “My dad’s rich, my trauma’s just drama, and I’m built for a comfortable life.” With Orson’s anger, Tess’s exhaustion, and Duncan’s daughter, Jamison, seemingly unconcerned while people try to get her into Stanford, it’s clear the younger generation is struggling.

Pixels

Okay, so this movie really nails the frustration of overanalyzing small details. There’s this scene where a character, Martin, is totally exasperated with someone picking apart another character, Xander’s, mistakes in therapy. Martin puts it brilliantly – he says it’s like being on a massive space journey and getting hung up on the quality of the airplane snacks. It’s a great way to point out how sometimes we miss the bigger picture when we obsess over minor flaws. It really resonated with me!

Carl warned Anushka about men like Martin, telling her not to be fooled by any claims of brilliance. He explained that in their world, even the simplest act gets overanalyzed and endlessly debated by others.

Duncan pushes for a partnership with JoAnne largely because he dislikes being alone. He admits he just wants someone to share his successes with, saying, “Even if you do well, it’s no fun without someone to celebrate with.”

The season is building to a major confrontation at a tech convention between the companies Hypergnosis and PINATA. Both are facing issues that most companies would resolve before launching a product, but the show emphasizes that the fast-paced tech world often prioritizes speed and action over careful planning and considering potential problems.

Duncan made a keen observation about how many people handle their personal information online: they don’t seem to mind if it’s compromised, as long as they’re unaware it’s happening.

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2026-05-17 20:55