Robot Revolution
Some of you may recall the episode of Sealab 2021 called “I, Robot.” This is the episode where the characters hypothesize about and choose sides in the robot revolution. Some decide to obtain robotic bodies and join the robots, others decide to remain human and try to survive the robot onslaught.
I’ve come to see that I’ve been reading way, way too much onto the meaning of this episode. I had understood that the joke was not in the (hilarious) dialogue between the characters. It was outside of that. It was between the writers and the audience. I knew that the real joke was that the audience had already thought all about the robot revolution, had already picked sides, and the characters’ dialog was an instrument by which the writers acknowledged the audience’s (my) shrewd forethought.
I guess the joke was on me, though. I’ve made my explanation to several friends, friends whom I thought were “in on the joke” with me, but no one seems to have any idea what I’m talking about… or maybe they just won’t admit it.