How do they work?!

Science!

Or Magic!

Take your pick.

it's kind of hard for me to think about how people thought about magnets before our modern understanding of them.

You mean the scene with the captain and conspiracy guy?

Does this mean that the world with his son is the real one?

I think that scene was in Wife Reality, which I'm generally thinking of as the prime reality because it's the brighter one.

Do you think the fact that the show has scenes in both versions of Michael's life that do not include Michael is evidence that both are real?

Or neither? I don't know how to interpret the scenes without Michael if we're supposed to look at each as a potential subconscious manifestation.

I've realised that the existence of a conspiracy scene without Michael makes me less interested in the mechanics of the whole thing, and I think I'm supposed to be less interested in the mechanics of the thing, and more interested in the character study of a grieving man.

So I don't know if it's the show for me. It's a good character study of a grieving man, but I don't know if it's my show. I thought I was signing on for a paranormal reality-busting mystery.

I guess. But it almost is like a good character study of his wife and son grieving. He himself is not allowing himself to grieve.

I agree with you that it's not about the mechanics of what is happening to him, but I think what it is about is how he copes with what is happening to him, which may or may not be a form of grieving. It's still interesting to me and I am still hoping that what is happening turns out to be something other than delusion - paranormal doesn't seem quite right but, you know, still suited for this thread, I guess.

One reason I am okay with the mechanics of the situation being all vague and ambiguous is that our main POV guy has no reason to be trying to figure out what's actually happening. He wants both realities to be real, and the sensible thing for him to do is to proceed as if both realities are real - when he is in each one, anyway. Although the transfer of information between realities is appealing to me as a viewer and I can see why it's be appealing to him as well, I can't quite defend it as the most rational approach.

That's true. To be accurate, I should say--of a man dealing with loss in his particular way. It's a good character study of that. I do think he is mini-grieving, but it's definitely not conventional. He's not grieving so much for his wife or his son, but he is mourning his family, because they can't be together anymore.

Imagine if his wife should get pregnant, or a woman hit on him in the green universe--like the tennis coach. That would really mess with shit.

I was looking forward to being more knowledgeable than the main character about what was going on with the realities/dream structure, not about an additional conspiracy. I don't need a conspiracy. Things are mysterious enough. A conspiracy is trite and conventional and used in comparison. That's part of why I find myself detaching.

But I'm pretty sure at this point they could get away with the show not being Boxed Set material.

The conspiracy business is disappointing. So unnecessary.

it's so weird too because I love conspiracy theories. it isn't working for me right now. or at least not working for me as something I'm supposed to care a lot about.