Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. Episode 10, Kill all Others.

Written and directed by Dee Rees. 

Starring Mel Rodriguez as Philbert Noyce, Sarah Baker as Maggie Noyce, Jason Mitchell as Lenny, Glenn Morshower as Ed and Vera Farmiga as the Candidate.

Good morning citizens. Productivity, prosperity, from sea to shing sea. Nexus can, yes us can. Mexuscan! Yes, us can! 

Production and Design.

Kill All Others, what a way to end a fantastic series. I prefer an episode that doesn’t rely on the visual and special effects too much. Like the previous episode, the dialogue is powerful, and you don’t want to spoil that. However, it does not mean this isn’t a beautiful episode, and every scene is perfectly crafted to deliver a story of great importance. The casting was perfect, and the acting was meaningful and sincere. I think Dee Rees directed the best episode in the series Electric Dreams, and I can see why they saved this one for last. I have revisited this episode numerous times, as I am always finding something new in there. The main character, Philbert Noyce, reminded me of Oliver Hardy, and I think that was intentional because it made him look like an old-world kind of guy. I remember watching those old Laurel and Hardy movies as a child, and it made me miss times gone by. Okay, I know about rose-tinted glasses and all that but it brought back some great feelings of happiness. I was also highly impressed with Vera Farmiga as the candidate. I guess you don’t see anything about her true character in the episode as it’s always a political broadcast that she is delivering. It’s her perfection and beauty that makes you believe her words, and there is a real power in her confidence that people crave.

Story.

Philbert is a simple man who enjoys simple things, like shaving in the bathroom, in peace. Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore, as a holographic advert for shaving cream interrupts his morning routine, whilst another hologram is getting cosy with his wife in the living room. His journey to work is far more peaceful but in a far more uncomfortable way. The sound of silence as a bunch of sheep make their way to a designated location. Philbert still has his co-workers Eddie and Lenny, but their idea of a perfect night is getting frisky with the Yellow Bunny Cheese girl in the kitchen. Democracy is dead, and there is only one candidate in this modern political system. A concerned Philbert sits down to watch the one and only candidate’s speech. She talks about the usual stuff, education, public schools, and killing all others!! Philbert, shocked at what he is watching, calls for his wife but after a quick rewind, the message disappears.

Kill all others is a pretty big statement. Everyone, including his friends, seems to think this kind of stuff is trivial. On the train home, Philbert voices his frustrations loudly on an empty carriage that now plays more political propaganda on the television. The carriage shuts down and he finds himself alone in the darkness. As the power comes back on, kill all others is visible on various billboards throughout the city. Trying to capture all the evidence he needs on his camera, he slams the emergency button, leaving the train screeching to a sudden halt. Imagine sitting in a psychiatrist’s office, and trying to defend your actions concerning the hate speech that is popping up around town. Philbert does not feel crazy, but these two counsellors are trying their best to find out why Filbert is acting so bizarre. Transcom does not have accidents like this on their trains unless it has anything to do with drugs or alcohol. Philbert watches a scenic video projection on the wall and is asked if he can see the snowflakes or sheep on the screen. I guess some good has come out of this, as his wife has decided to give up coffee and his boss has given him a brand-new car that will automatically take him anywhere he wants. Back home, the debate about killing all others is in the mainstream media now, and some people seem to be accepting it very well. Philbert can feel his anxiety get a hold of him as he believes what he is watching is something pretty terrible. Thankfully, with the support of his wife, he manages to switch off the television and act like nothing is going wrong. I guess you can switch the tv off but reality has no power button, as Philibert tries to protect a woman who is chased down by a group of crazed vigilantes. Philbert tries his best to diffuse the situation but the group begin to turn on him and decide that he is just like the women lying on the ground. Is Philbert one of them?

Philbert is back in therapy, and one of the counsellors tells him that he is starting to look a little screwy and needs to fall back in line to fix things. Okay, just a little pinprick, and there’ll be no more nonsense as Philbert is given a free smartwatch at work that can monitor his health throughout the days and weeks coming up. The device is plunged right into his bloodstream, leaving all his information right there for anybody to see. Oh, just one more thing, his boss orders him to lay off the political talk, it’s company policy. During his lunch break, Philbert notices another huge billboard, again with the words kill all others emblazoned across the skyline, and this time there is a body hanging from it. Eddie and Lenny seem unaffected, but Philbert can feel his anxiety rising again. All Eddie and Lenny are concerned about is, who are the others? Later, Philbert decides to stick on some aviators and a hoodie and phones the candidate live on television. He pretends he is Bob Lucas from Sacramento, and demands some answers about the billboards and the violence they are creating. There is a slight problem as his real name and location are shown live on-screen in bold letters. Philbert Noyce from Chicago, leaving him to try and terminate the call as soon as possible. Philbert feels like he is in deep shit now. 

Philbert tries to go about his business at work, but Eddie and Lenny are not allowed to talk to him anymore. Even worse, peace officers are waiting for him at home, along with some graffiti that shows him that things have turned pretty sour. Philbert manages to climb through a window at home to discuss what is happening with his wife. Instead of agreeing with him, she says this is because of the accident when he banged his head, and he should get help. The anxiety and frustration for Philbert finally reaches breaking point when his wife finally asks him, is he one of them? Philbert lashes out and strikes his wife. Philbert flees, and the peace officers finally track him down to one of the billboards that have started this whole mess. At the same time, Eddie and Lenny are both happily playing pool when the news comes on television, and Philbert is live, standing on top of the billboard. Lenny cannot believe Philbert is one of them, but Eddie disagrees and says he is not. One of the counsellors is back and is trying to access Philbert’s smartwatch, to raise his cortisol levels to put him to sleep. Eventually, Philbert manages to get rid of the device and says “They’re not taking our information! We’re giving it to them. We’re giving it to them, and they are using it against us. It’s not just me! It’ll be you too. It’ll be all of us. The candidate’s serious. You hear me? This is real. This is real! We are all others! Philbert tries to bring down the body that is hanging right next to him, but he loses his grip and eventually falls. Moments later, Philbert is shown hanging from the billboard for everyone to see.

Before every great truth is spoken, there is an uncomfortable silence. And in that silence, we hear all the things we don’t want to hear, see all the things we don’t want to see, reckon with irreconcilable conscience that must be faced. We want to believe the best of ourselves, but before we can access our best, we must first acknowledge and root out the worst of ourselves. To see such things must mean we are on the verge of a great truth. Tonight, we are a little bit wiser, we are a little bit stronger. We are a little bit safer. Ours is a self-identifying self-correcting democracy. When you see others like poor Mr Noyce here purge themselves, well we can’t help but be a little bit sad for them and their families but you also have to breath a big sigh of relief. It could have been you he flung from the billboard. It could have been your loved ones, your children and not his own disturbed self. But now you know what I have known all along. That if you are not an other, you would have nothing to worry about. That if you were a sane and productive member of this great mega nation, mere words would not unhinge you. And, so, I would like to congratulate you, good citizens, for vigilance and your belief. Based on this great success, we are expanding the K.A.O program to every state and city in the western hemisphere, to finish the good work we have begun. Be well, dear citizens. Be Proud. And God Bless.

 Conclusion.

So, what is Kill All Others about? At first, it all seemed pretty straightforward. There is something terrible happening, and Philbert and the others are trying to make everyone else aware, but? After a couple of views, it didn’t seem that way any longer. I think Philbert was pretty happy in his life till he started to wake up to reality, and it was too much to deal with. My theory is that there are others out there who know exactly what is going on and keep their mouths shut to live in peace. As Philbert spoke with the counsellor, she asked him if he could see the sheep and he said no. At first, I thought it was a smart way to point out that they are all sheep. Later though, I think she was asking him if he knew the way things work. You keep your mouth shut and life can be simple. I should back that up with some evidence, and it was a scene with Lenny and Eddie that pointed this fact out. Lenny is shocked that Philbert is an other but Eddie says he is not. However, his pool room gives it away. Eddie’s basement is full of memories from a world that has gone, arcade machines and bar memorabilia. Eddie knows what’s going on, and chooses to keep his mouth shut and play by the rules, while still keeping his treasures. Unfortunately for Philbert, he didn’t understand the rules of the game or simply forgot them. I guess it sums up life in a nutshell. I have to admit, it was pretty difficult to write this one as it makes you ask a lot of questions about your view on life. Am I doing enough, or do I turn a blind eye to what I think is wrong in the World? I believe I choose my battles well, and make sure I have all the correct information I need to survive. I think it’s pretty sad that you have to live that way though. I had no idea that starting this site would have such a profound effect on my life. I just wanted to try something new, something I never felt confident enough to try and come out of my comfort zone. However, the deeper I look into science fiction, the more I feel like I’m learning so much about life, and my place in society. I guess that is a good thing and I’m glad stories like this exist. 

Well, that’s it for Electric Dreams, and I have enjoyed every one of the ten episodes, for many different reasons. I now have the Electric Dreams book by Philip K. Dick, and I cannot wait to read and review them at some point. Maybe, when that is all finished, I can talk about the series and short stories together. There is a long way to go, but I am enjoying every second of this journey, and I don’t want to rush it. What did you make of Electric Dreams? I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the series below. 

Thank you for visiting today, it really is appreciated. If you enjoyed this review, please leave me a like or comment below. Also, if you would like to follow my journey on this site, please subscribe for future posts.

The Philip K. Dick Vault.