Doing What We Could Because We Can.

March 18, 2013 4:06 PM

Wayside Creations: the studio that produced the surprisingly high-budget fallout Fan series: Nuka Break (with Dougie Jones!) (previously, previously) have turned their attention to the office politics of our favorite hive of mad science: Aperture R&D.
posted by The Whelk (15 comments total)

It's got potential as a concept. Backbiting office politics is a good fit for an Aperture series, and I look forward to more.

But the Aperture Science workplace should be an unsettling mixture of Kafkaesque nightmare and audaciously irresponsible Big Science. Screwing up shouldn't mean accidentally getting face-lasered or winning Worst Lab Team of the Month. Those clowns over at Raytheon can do that. It should mean accidentally setting the atmosphere on fire when you run the zero-point energy chamber with the safeties off, or finding out you've been laterally promoted to the position of Medical Asset Incubator in the worryingly-named Organ Storage and Reclamation department (effective immediately). It doesn't feel like Aperture without a sense of of low-level threat overlaid with a thin veneer of euphemistic corporate double-talk.

If they can capture that they'll have a winner on their hands, no matter how questionable that Personality Sphere puppet is.
posted by figurant at 5:02 PM on March 18, 2013 [13 favorites]

I enjoy the low-tech Henson-like designs for the Aperture "'bots". It makes it clear that we're supposed to enjoy the show rather than worry about the seriousness of the science or whatever.
posted by P.o.B. at 5:42 PM on March 18, 2013

Except that the humour was forced and unValve-like.
posted by sneebler at 6:19 PM on March 18, 2013

But the Aperture Science workplace should be an unsettling mixture of Kafkaesque nightmare and audaciously irresponsible Big Science.

So, it needs to be an internet version of Better Off Ted? Yeah, sounds about right.
posted by absalom at 6:37 PM on March 18, 2013 [4 favorites]

That reminds me that I need to watch Better Off Ted.
posted by figurant at 6:45 PM on March 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

I feel like the tone of an Aperture Science show should be close to the Cabin In The Woods science guys than the Better Off Ted ones... they're both at the Dark Whimsy end of the spectrum, but this and Ted are a little overtly comic for my tastes.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 7:43 PM on March 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

the tone of an Aperture Science show should be close to the Cabin In The Woods science guys

Wow, this is the most correct statement I've read today.
posted by Ipsifendus at 8:38 PM on March 18, 2013

It's a great concept, and petty office politics goes very well with Aperture Science. Plus they're pretty good at establishing quirky characters with clear personalities. I like the two lab guys.

At the same time, this episode kind of fizzles. Nothing really boffo, and I think it's a missed opportunity... "bad scientists working with turrets" suggests all kinds of experimental shenanigans that would have been funnier than actually playing out the 'forgetatorial'.

I hadn't seen the Nuka Break episodes; that came off better, perhaps because they're not competing with Valve's comedy writers... also, the VATS joke was the sort of winner they just didn't get to here.
posted by zompist at 10:08 PM on March 18, 2013

I really recommend the Nuka Break series cause it does deal with how rich the New Vegas environment is for stories (and it has Dougie! And ghouls!and actual location filming! OMAG)
posted by The Whelk at 10:14 PM on March 18, 2013

Better Off Ted is fantastic.

A Perth filmmaker I know is working on Fallout: Lanius, a New Vegas fan film shot on location in a vast wasteland. I want to see a movie about The Kings or The Chairmen.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 12:43 AM on March 19, 2013

absalom, you've inspired me to spend an evening with a few glasses of whiskey and the first season of Better Off Ted, and for that I am profoundly grateful.

Portia de Rossi is so good in this.
posted by figurant at 12:57 AM on March 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

figurant: "That reminds me that I need to watch Better Off Ted."

Yes, yes you do.

CAWWWWWWWWWW!
posted by Samizdata at 9:28 AM on March 19, 2013

When I first saw my first thought was "So there's doing Better Off Ted then? Cool."
posted by The Whelk at 10:11 AM on March 19, 2013

I enjoy the low-tech Henson-like designs for the Aperture "'bots". It makes it clear that we're supposed to enjoy the show rather than worry about the seriousness of the science or whatever.

So, we should repeat to ourselves "it's just a show, I should really just relax?"
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:57 PM on March 19, 2013

I guess I don't understand what you're asking me, but to be clear - my opinions are not directions. I thought it was funny, and I didn't expect Valve humor because it wasn't made by Valve. But if you didn't enjoy it then well I guess it isn't for you and you don't have to bother watching the next one. That just means MOAR FOR ME.
posted by P.o.B. at 1:26 PM on March 20, 2013