History Fridge / Maniac2018

** This informs her journey through the rest of the series -- "Windmills" demonstrates that her refusal to play along with Ellie's ideas for a fun trip together is what got Ellie killed, and Annie 'buying in' to the fantasies that she and Owen go through is what helps her navigate them. The show then ends with them going on a ''Quixote''-like journey, in a rickety vehicle (analagous to Quixote's fleabitten horse Rocinante) and pursued by people who'd prefer Owen/Alonso be kept under lock and key.
** Notably, during his sexual harassment trial, we see in CCTV footage that Jed (Owen's brother and nemesis) followed up his act of non-consensual sexual act by strutting with his arms straight out to the side -- not unlike a windmill...

** The photo serves as a subconscious reminder of how Annie contacted Calvin through a chess game — and how Robert himself is playing a high-stakes chess game, of a sort, with both her and Owen.
** Not to mention the angry, bulling way he forces Owen to take the 'A' pill might be reflective of the way he raised Calvin, indicating that there's a good reason there's no love lost between them.

* Why does Owen hate Balderdash? Per series creator Cary Joji Fukunaga, it's because the game rewards lying, and Owen hates lying.

** Maybe this incompleteness of the treatment has to do with the fact that she circumvented the entry test. Or with her abuse of the pills prior to the study. Muramoto (who "studied" the consequences of abusing the pills) is about to kick her out for that, but Mantleray doesn't.

* When Robert introduces the trial to the test subjects, he points notably at Owen and says "You don't fuck this up, I won't fuck this up!". He has no idea how disturbing this must be to Owen, who had just the day before hallucinated his imaginary brother Grimsson, also telling him "Don't fuck this up" re: his "secret mission".

* Dr. James Mantleray's opening monologue creates the narrative arc for the series: the unmarked historical event of an amoeba and a bacterium co-operating is what sparks the emergence of all life on Earth. Similarly, we see the newfound potential for stories and opportunities opening up by some intensely lonely and traumatised people - Annie and Owen/James and Azumi - co-operating together. Thus, the monologue is also the end coda to the series in its' mid-credits scene.
* Why does Owen hate Balderdash? Per series creator Cary Joji Fukunaga, its because the game rewards lying, and Owen hates lying.
* When Robert introduces the trial to the test subjects he points notably at Owen and says "You don't fuck this up, I won't fuck this up!". He has no idea how disturbing this must be to Owen, who had just the day before hallucinated his imaginary brother Grimsson, also telling him "Don't fuck this up" re: his "secret mission".

** A major component of Cervantes' novels is Alonso Quijano's community, particularly his next-door neighbour Sancho Panza, begin to play along with his madness in order to shepherd him to safety. Sancho becomes Quixote's squire, and other friends and neighbours take on fanciful identities such as "Knight of the White Moon". Annie herself unconsciously plays into this methodology when Owen asks her for instructions, playing along in order to keep him from blowing her cover.
** This informs her journey through the rest of the series - "Windmills" demonstrates that her refusal to play along with Ellie's ideas for a fun trip together is what got Ellie killed, and Annie 'buying in' to the fantasies that she and Owen go through is what helps her navigate them. The show then ends with them going on a ''Quixote''-like journey, in a rickety vehicle (analagous to Quixote's fleabitten horse Rocinante) and pursued by people who'd prefer Owen/Alonso be kept under lock and key.
** Notably, during his sexual harassment trial, we see in CCTV footage that Jed (Owen's brother and nemesis) followed up his act of non-consensual sexual act by strutting with his arms straight out to the side - not unlike a windmill...
** Another recurring trope of ''Quixote'' is a subversion of the DamselInDistress - Quixote can't help but run to save any woman he meets from a potential villain, only to find that this is not necessary. Similarly, in all of their fantasies, shared or solitary, Annie is far from hapless and Owen is barely able to protect anyone.
* Annie's addiction to the "A" pills is demonstrated in her hallucinating a row of A's forming a much bigger letter "A" in the train timetables at the station - silently implying the idea of a stutter, or a repressed scream.
* During many shots in Robert Muramoto's office a photo of his son Calvin can be seen. We don't get much detail of Robert's relationship to his son, but it can't be good if Calvin is scamming experimental drugs from Robert's high-stakes trial.
** The photo serves as a subconscious reminder of how Annie contacted Calvin through a chess game - and how Robert himself is playing a high-stakes chess game, of a sort, with both her and Owen.

* When James and Azumi go to get in their cars at the end of the story, their respective vehicles - bizarrely - are exactly the same as those which appeared in Owen and Annie's dreams, perhaps implying that they were ''more'' than dreams.

* Annie puts all blame on the truck driver (that's when her score during the proximity test stops going up, indicating that that is not totally honest). She unconsciously likely feels guilt of not having watched the road herself. This is her largest problem but apparently is never addressed.

** Maybe this incompleteness of the treatment has to do with her abuse of the pills prior to the study. Muramoto is about to kick her out for that, but Mantleray doesn't.

* Annie puts all blame on the truck driver (that's when her score during the proximity test stops going up, indicating that that is not totally honest). She unconsciously likely feels guilt of not having watched the road herself. This is her largest problem but apparently is never addressed.

* When James and Azumi go to get in their cars at the end of the story, their respective vehicles - bizarrely - are exactly the same as those which appeared in Owen and Annie's dreams, perhaps implying that they were ''more'' than dreams.

** Not to mention the angry, bulling way he forces Owen to take the 'A' pill might be reflective of the way he raised Calvin, indicating that there's a good reason there's no love lost between them.

[[AC: FridgeBrilliance]]
* Why does Owen hate Balderdash? Per series creator Cary Joji Fukunaga, its because the game rewards lying, and Owen hates lying.

Fridge Brilliance: Why does Owen hate Balderdash? Per series creator Cary Joji Fukunaga, its because the game rewards lying, and Owen hates lying.