| Technology | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 13 | |
| |
| Air date | April 9, 2011 |
| Written by | Dan Mandel, Chris Pearson |
| Directed by | Brian Sheesley |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "George Washington" |
Next "The Barber" |
"Technology" is the thirteenth episode of the 1st season and the thirteenth episode overall. It originally premiered on April 9, 2011.
Overview[]
When Dan's new computer breaks and is deemed obsolete, he sets out to Silicon Valley to track down the CEO.
Intro[]
In order to distract Dan so they can have more alone time, Chris and Elise buy Dan a computer. He is initially hesitant about it, distrusting technology, but soon grows enraptured after discovering funny cat-related videos. After just one day, the computer breaks down and upon being told that it can't be repaired and that he must buy a new, more modern model (despite the fact that the model he bought had been released the previous day), Dan swears revenge against technology.
Main Plot[]
The vengeful Dan enlists Chris' help to take revenge on Barry Ditmer, the CEO of Omicron, the company that made his computer but his revenge quest is overheard by a hidden microphone in his damaged computer, which alerts the people at Omicron. Due to the fact that the company has no records of Dan other than his apparent involvement in several violent incidents, Ditmer grows afraid and calls on a goverment agency to help protect him. The government agency in question happens to be the one employing Elise and they send her to take care of the job.
While driving towards Sillicon Valley (where Omicron headquarters are located), Chris and Dan get lost in the woods and Chris crashes the car after an argument with Dan. They are found by Hiram, a creepy hermit who initially intends to eat them until he discovers Dan hates technology, upon which he takes them in. Though Dan and Hiram are initially friendly, Hiram grows violent when he discovers Dan likes television. Hiram makes Dan and Chris sit through a puppet show detailing the awful things he'll do to them before trying to attack them with an axe. During the fight, Dan sets Hiram's shack on fire and the two friends flee, though Hiram begins to chase them without their knowledge.
Elise under Ditmer's mind control.
Elise arrives to Omicron headquarters and begins to make a security analysis of the building, during which she discovers Ditmer is working on mind control technology. When confronting Ditmer about this, he tells his robot assistant/wife, Ilsa, to attack Elise and put a mind control device on her. Elise manages to destroy Ilsa and prepares to attack Ditmer (who is afraid of human contact) when the broken remains of Ilsa spring to life and place the mind control device on her head. Ditmer activates the device and takes control of Elise's mind.
The following night, Dan and Chris arrive at Omicron and break in through the front door. In his office, Ditmer sees Dan and Chris breaking in through a security camera and sends the mind-controlled Elise (whom he has outfitted with cyborg armor) to neutralize them. She stealthily knocks Chris unconscious before attacking Dan with a laser gun, who misreads the assault as Elise being angry at him for taking Chris away on a revenge scheme without asking first. Dan manages to get a hold of an axe from a storage closet and (using a trick taught to him earlier on by Hiram) throws it with perfect precision at Elise's head, smashing the mind control device and releasing her (though Dan acutally intended to split her skull open).
Hiram confronts Dan and Ditmer.
The newly freed Elise and Dan go to Ditmer's office, who is surprised to find Elise has broken free of his control but is nonetheless not scared since he sets several copies of Ilsa onto them. Before the robots can attack them, Hiram arrives. Ditmer appears to recognize Hiram, prompting Dan to ask how the two know each other. Hiram then reveals that he used to be Ditmer's partner, until Ditmer betrayed him, took credit for his inventions, through him out, and stole his half of the company, after which Hiram decided to shun technology and go off the grid. An enraged Hiram swears revenge on Ditmer after he takes revenge on Dan. Seeing this as an opportunity, Dan tricks Hiram into destroying Ditmer's main computer with his axe, causing the building to begin exploding.
Dan, Elise and an unconscious Chris flee from the building as it comes down, presumably taking Ditmer and Hiram with it. Satisfied with his revenge being completed, Dan fails to notice the moral of the story when Elise points out how similar he is to Hiram, a man whom Dan claimed was "crazy angry".
Trivia[]
- Dave Foley's Kids in the Hall co-star Kevin McDonald plays Barry Ditmer, the CEO of a computer company who indirectly wrongs Dan. Ditmer is portrayed as a hippie technology wiz who is afraid of human contact, is in love with his robot assisstant/wife Ilsa and also has diabolical aspirations, plotting to develop mind control technology to force people to buy his products. Ditmer is a parody of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs and his relationship with Hiram is a parody of Job's relationship with his former partner, Steve Wozniak.
- Grey DeLisle voices Barry Ditmer's robot assistant Ilsa.
- Silicon Valley is the nick name for the San Francisco Bay Area's South Bay. It's home to many well known tech companies including Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Google, Oracle, Yahoo!, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Xerox, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Stanford University. Broadly described, Silicon Valley is generally anywhere in Santa Clara County, California.
- Dan & Chris get into a car wreck when they ram into a tree stump & Dan is thrown through the windshield (because he didn't have his seatbelt on),resulting in a hilarious Non-Sequitur Thud.
- This is the only episode to show Chris using a Bluetooth device.
Continuity[]
- This is Mr. Mumbles second formal appearance in this series after Dan adopted her in "The Animal Shelter". She previously appeared in "George Washington" but was only heard meowing off-screen.
Characters[]
- Dan
- Chris
- Elise
- Mr. Mumbles
- Spy Boss (debut)
- Barry Ditmer (debut)
- Ilsa (debut)
- Hiram (debut)
Gallery[]
