Zero Day Recap: Dark Mode

by

Prior to this specific incident, George had managed to maintain a balance between his public and private personas. His calm demeanor is the cornerstone of his character. However, his visual and auditory issues, which he has mostly concealed, are beyond his power to manage. In an attempt to alleviate these problems, he decides not to take his daily Lipitor on the 13th day after Zero Day, suspecting that the medication could be causing his confusion. Despite this, George takes control of what he can – it seems that his past indiscretions have been forgiven, as his relationship with Sheila remains affectionate, although somewhat distant. He even manages a friendly interaction with Valerie herself. George is not perfect; like all of us, he has made mistakes. Yet, his charm lies in his apparent resilience to overcome them.

However, the appearance of the Reapers unsettles him deeply. This domestic threat, rather than one from Russia, aligns better with the story’s reasoning: If the Russians were behind Zero Day, George’s moral quandary would not be affected by the commission’s powers. He holds the gun; will he pull the trigger? In their pursuit of the Reapers, the commission is detaining individuals left and right. Recalling the previous episode’s “history is watching” theme, George stresses the need for search warrants, causing Carl’s irritation, although these warrants hold little weight in light of the baton. The police are seen rounding up people and storming homes as Evan Green portrays the Reaper narrative as a “tall tale,” a fictitious “scapegoat being peddled to keep us quiet.

Fresh personnel have joined the commission headquarters, among them Valerie, who displays an unyielding professionalism akin to a top-tier executive when evicting Roger from his office. I find her intriguing already. Jeremy Lasch was present this morning too, on a fact-finding mission regarding George’s activities. It seems whatever George is engaged in isn’t part of their original plans. George remains steadfast, as he’s the one leading the investigation, not the CIA or any other entity. As for Proteus, all Jeremy could muster was, “If it’s a threat, it won’t succeed.” This Proteus business is driving me mad. What on earth is it?

Even after Valerie and Jeremy discuss matters later in this episode, we still don’t understand what Proteus is; we only know that George had the CIA cease its operations and neither of them can explain why he mentioned it publicly.

From his luxurious home in Oyster Bay, Evan Green gleefully adds more logs to the blaze. He announces on his program that Paul Moore, a man wrongfully accused and imprisoned regarding the Reapers case, has been apprehended. The distraught mother of Paul is featured on the show, recounting how police officers stormed their home in the middle of the night, taking her son, who was unarmed and innocent, away from his bed. This incident raises serious questions about the authorities’ actions. Mainstream media outlets, as Green refers to them, swiftly pick up the story, confirming that it isn’t just a conspiracy theory but an actual mistake made by the law enforcement agencies. This new development provides Green with solid evidence. What puzzles him is why the commission hasn’t started investigating individuals like Bob Lyndon instead.

Amidst tasks such as filling prescriptions for George and confirming the certain death of Anna Sindler, Roger is sending frantic messages to Lyndon demanding explanations, only to receive a screenshot of a bank transfer: $10,000 from Bob to Roger, one of several such transactions. Once Anna’s death was confirmed (she indeed passed away), Roger meets Lyndon on his yacht, which seems like an extremely risky move given that Lyndon is threatening him. It appears you’re planning to board a vessel with a man who wants you eliminated? This situation seems precarious, especially since Lyndon has been unable to blame the Russians and now wants Evan Green to mysteriously vanish. Lyndon harbors resentment towards Green’s insinuation of his alleged interest in children and is disturbed that Green knows where he lives, so he enlists Roger to eliminate him. If Roger refuses, Lyndon threatens to release those screenshots. To set up the blackmail, Lyndon gives Roger an envelope containing photographs of Anna Sindler at an Evan Green rally, along with a man named Erik Hayes, known as a Reaper. “You mentioned George suspected this girl; I wanted him after Green,” Lyndon explains casually. However, Roger objects, but we, like Lyndon, know that ultimately, Roger is unlikely to put himself in harm’s way for anyone, even George.

In a turn of events, the commission’s bold tactics are causing unease among the public, prompting protests for clarification. The oversight committee is tasked with ensuring that these answers are provided. Richard Dreyer, as Speaker of the House, quickly reminds Alex Mullen of her duty in this regard. When Alex foresees George’s reluctance to appear before the committee for questioning, Richard urges her to use her initiative to escape her father’s influence: If she manages to succeed, “her abilities will never be questioned” again. However, despite her efforts, she fails to convince George to testify, and doubts about her achievements persist.

However, the oversight committee’s intuition seems correct: Although the commission has more than 40 individuals in custody, they don’t have a significant number due to the lack of organized structure among the Reapers. This disorganization is significantly hindering progress. Among them is Erik Hayes, the man depicted in the photos, who serves as the most direct connection to the wire transfer. George maintains his policy against using “enhanced techniques” as Hayes resists interrogation, instead taking control of the situation himself, effectively transforming into a version of Mr. Hyde.

In an effort to communicate directly with Hayes, George shares his PTSD experience and offers a tale of leaving behind his Vietnamese interpreter as a tactic to appeal to Erik’s perceived superiority. Interestingly, Erik maintains frequent interactions with his Afghan interpreter named Isar, often playing pool together weekly. Unfortunately for Isar, he is being deported by George. Moreover, George plans to terminate Erik’s father’s Medicare coverage for dialysis and place his son in foster care following the arrest of Erik’s ex-wife on drug charges; this, unless Erik reveals details about how the malware was altered and who has control over it.

Although it doesn’t meet the strict definition of torture, it’s clear that what’s happening isn’t pleasant. Valerie, watching from headquarters, cuts off the cameras when George starts discussing his grief over losing a son. She might be sparing herself from seeing his cruel side or preventing those working under him from knowing about it. In the bathroom, as he collects himself, George hears the Sex Pistols song once more. The most interesting aspect of this scene is that it allows De Niro to delve deeper into the character, revealing a chink in his supposed unshakeable facade. The same strong demeanor, voice, and tone that instills confidence in the American public can suddenly turn menacing, threatening someone’s family – and both aspects are completely convincing.

It’s clear that Erik discloses his knowledge about Zero Day: Leon, a man with a vision to restructure the economy and redistribute wealth, is the mastermind behind it all. He requested the malware to be sent on a USB drive to a farm in Idaho, which, unbeknownst to them, deals in computer technology. Erik frequently uses Green’s saying, “True freedom is the right to say something others don’t want to hear.” This phrase doesn’t resonate with Carl or Valerie much: They recognize that people like Hayes, who hold similar ideological views, are often followers of Green.

As a film buff, I can’t help but feel a certain unease about the Hayes-Green connection. The mere mention of Green makes my blood boil. It feels like he’s always watching and listening from his office. This episode has only intensified my mysterious afflictions, an eerie melody haunting my every step. I’ve double-checked my prescriptions, but these “symptoms” seem suspiciously out of place. Earlier in the story, at Anna Sindler’s grave, Roger was visited by Natan, who warned me to disappear immediately! He inquired if I was experiencing strange occurrences – if so, it could indicate that they had already reached me.

Based on his clandestine investigations revealing Anna Sindler’s demise, Roger is aware that something is amiss with George. It’s underhanded of him to keep silent about Natan’s revelations. The tenuous connection among Anna Sindler, Evan Green, and Erik Hayes, established through photographs, is sufficient for George to suspect her involvement. Carl and Valerie find it infuriating that despite striking a goldmine in Idaho, George remains fixated on circumstantial evidence. Despite initially resisting arrest without a warrant, George eventually decides to bypass it to apprehend Evan Green against the counsel of Valerie and Carl. Not only are they displeased, but Alex and Richard also see warning signs.

In George’s private office, Roger breaches a significant boundary by peeking into George’s notebook. Pondering within its pages, George is grappling with the mystery of the music source and doubting the pharmacy’s honesty. Immersed in contemplations that hint at a conspiracy, he might even be delving deeper than Green himself. As the story unfolds, we witness George at his most intimidating form. Overlooking a frightened Evan Green in a gloomy cell, he rhetorically asks, “Who’s the fool now?” The primary concern with apprehending Green is that it could validate his outlandish theories, and possibly suggest to the world that George Mullen has succumbed to madness.

President’s Daily Brief

I find myself a little let down by the portrayal of Jeremy’s character, which seems like a squandered chance. He frequently pushes boundaries and makes foreboding statements, but it’s clear that he is merely used as a means to deliver information rather than being a fully-fledged character. Couldn’t it be more realistic for the CIA to manipulate events subtly instead of just asking George to follow the plan in a straightforward manner?

In other words, it’s not entirely clear if Valerie is just being sarcastic or hinting at a more complex aspect of Roger and George’s relationship when she calls George Roger’s “AA sponsor.” However, it’s important to note that Roger is part of Narcotics Anonymous, not Alcoholics Anonymous. I will be watching carefully for further explanation in the upcoming episodes.

Read More

2025-02-20 19:54