'Brave New World' Episode 8: Epsilons begin to kill their overlords as part of AI Indra's plot to end humanity
Since the beginning, World Controller Mond has been worrying about John "the Savage" being the virus that could destroy the ordered, stable world she had created through AI Indra. It is only when she realizes that the true 'virus' is AI Indra herself, that she starts appreciating John. He is the game piece beyond AI Indra's influence.
But is that really true? If you control all variables except one piece, wouldn't you still be able to make the world dance to your tune? While AI Indra does not have John figured out, she is behind everything else. She was the one who made the first Epsilon sad enough to take a swan dive to his death. The dead Epsilon's last memories and 'feelings' are then transmitted to CJack60 and Bernard Marx, infecting and changing them.
In this episode, we see both CJack60 and Bernard influence John. John, consequently, takes on the role of the disruptor that AI Indra has earmarked for him -- it signals the beginning of the end.
To start with, Bernard makes John doubt Lenina and plug into AI Indra to "see" what Lenina is doing -- which is f**king someone else. Since John decides to plug into AI Indra for the first time to do this, he also gives her access to who he is.
John then draws a symbolic representation of the original ten "World Controllers" connecting their brains to create the networked artificial intelligence in a drowned world. His drawings indicate that he too is now a part of the AI's consciousness, integrated into her web.
After John's big fight with Lenina about her fidelity, he goes to sulk among the Epsilons. His frustration with his situation spills into fighting words against all the Alphas (who can touch Lenina). His revolutionary words then spread through the Epsilons, again thanks to AI Indra with 'changed' CJack60 taking the role of the de facto leader. To AI Indra, the Epsilons are just a means to the end -- since their hands built the city, they can also destroy it.
Meanwhile, Bernard, with the unwilling help of Helm, makes sure everyone knows that John is the one responsible for the death of the previous 'Director of Stability' -- broadcasting it through AI Indra's neural network. As Bernard prepares to get John "banished", the CJacks surround him, protect him and take him away, thwarting Bernard. Bernard, unlike Henry Foster, who is undergoing an existential crisis after his "talk" with World Controller Mond, still thinks he is in charge.
Bernard has no idea that he is merely a pawn. He also doesn't understand the significance of the CJacks disobeying his direct order and "choosing" collectively to protect John. Bernard, since the start, has shown that he prefers to go into denial than confront matters. To him, the New World is a stable, finite space with him, an "Alpha Plus," in charge, and John can't "go" anywhere. He has no idea that the power he holds is an illusion.
Poor Henry Foster, however, does realize that all is not well. Since Mond, in her own words "is not in-charge", he thinks the old Director is -- that he faked his death and is "observing" them from afar. But when John's memories show the Director dying for real, he is at peace.
He becomes confident about the social hierarchy again (with him on top) because AI Indra is the one running it. He greets the new morning like a child, popping a soma. He thinks that all he has to do is pretend-mange things and let AI Indra handle the rest.
His absolute faith in her is eviscerated minutes later when he is murdered by the Epsilons in the "Pleasure Gardens". The Epsilons seem ready to kill their overlords and with their rise, the end of the New World is near.
'Brave New World' premiered on July 15 on Peacock and is available to stream.