Safe and Sound

The episode is a good idea based on the well established premise of the Big Brother watching your every move knowing just how to manipulate you to achieve its own nefarious end. It is well shot and well acted. It lets you establish real empathy with the main character, albeit in a manner which can be possibly considered crude or rough around the edges. I think conspiracy theorists will find this story anthemic, but don't let this take away anything from the overall production value.

Watching this episode after listening to today's newscast and our current POTUS calling for his ideas to make safer schools, I had to shudder. The technology is almost here now and, as always it's about control and money. I need to look and see just when DIck wrote this story and would like to read it to see how much the script was updated to fit in today's current political mood.

Politics aside, the plot was somewhat predictible and I didn't find the acting or production quality as good as some of the others. But all in all still far better than 90% of anything else on the small screen.

I give every version of Dick' s work at least a try. Watched a couple of episodes here. Only ok for me If you're a Dick fan they don't even begin to come close to the worlds and words he creates in print If you haven't read any of his books you might find a whole new world.

The episode is a fusion of many current issues. Terrorism, racism, increasing government surveillance.

Foster Lee and her activist mother have moved east to an advanced technological society from their bubble in the west, which is more low tech. However Foster and others at school who do not have have a Dex (A handheld tracking and tech device) are treated as second class people, even viewed as terrorists. Those with a Dex look like people from the town where The Stepford Wives reside which deep down is a rather nasty, consumerist society, where you do not get something for nothing.

A fellow student helps Foster get a Dex illegally. The device has a tutorial voice who initially helps her but then inflames her paranoia.

This is a well constructed pacy episode that maybe simplifies its story a bit too much. The viewer immediately is suspicious of the voice from the device and its motives as you figure that the government is inventing scare stories to control the population.

I mean what more can I say. 20 minutes in you'll know how this one ends.