# The Plot Against America on HBO (open spoilers as each ep airs) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666 "2020-03-17T18:16:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/21 "2020-03-19T20:42:30Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > As a subversive German joke of the day went, “If the Nazis have their way, eventually we’ll all be as blonde as Hitler, as tall as Goebbels and as thin as Goering!” I saw the same joke in a British editorial cartoon in an excellent art book called **Heckling Hitler** — except for “as handsome as Goebbels,” who was drawn as a monkey. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/22 "2020-03-26T00:14:13Z")
second episode was ok, not as good as the first one ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/23 "2020-03-26T01:13:57Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > second episode was ok, not as good as the first one Well I’m done then. I didn’t think the _first_ episode was very good. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/24 "2020-03-26T04:51:20Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Well I’m done then. I didn’t think the _first_ episode was very good. So sloooow. And I dont know why they are gonna paint Lindbergh as a Nazi. My pet peeve- a _lot_ of smoking- and yes, i know people smoked. They also chewed gun, and pissed. I didnt notice any scenes with either. There’s no reason to portray smoking. Just leave it out, no one will care. Only Big Tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/25 "2020-03-26T06:31:23Z")
So Lindbergh wins the election. I like the alt history, but I just cannot get into the main characters. The men constantly bitch that Lindbergh is going to sell out the Jews, the women wring their hands and worry about their husbands, and the kids play and do kid things. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/26 "2020-04-01T01:35:26Z")
this week’s episode was good. I am looking forward to the last 3 episodes to see who dies since the preview showed an open grave. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/27 "2020-04-22T00:57:23Z")
Not a very good ending but I did predict who died. I hope the book had a better ending. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/28 "2020-04-22T06:12:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > My pet peeve- a _lot_ of smoking- and yes, i know people smoked. They also chewed gun, and pissed. I didnt notice any scenes with either. > > There’s no reason to portray smoking. Just leave it out, no one will care. Only Big Tobacco. Lol. ---
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/29 "2020-04-22T21:02:10Z")
The finale seemed to wrap up the drama very suddenly, and I’m not sure I followed it. Was the first lady sincere in her radio broadcast pleading for calm? Or what was her motivation? And if she was sincere, does that mean she wasn’t so anti-semitic as her husband all along? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/30 "2020-04-22T21:06:10Z")
I read that the book had a different ending, not the open ended ending in the show. I think Mrs. Lindbergh was sincere. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/31 "2020-04-22T23:08:00Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > The finale seemed to wrap up the drama very suddenly, and I’m not sure I followed it. Was the first lady sincere in her radio broadcast pleading for calm? Or what was her motivation? And if she was sincere, does that mean she wasn’t so anti-semitic as her husband all along? Yeah, I’ve actually liked this show quite a lot, mostly on the strength of the main nuclear family’s characters. But the last episode did seem a bit disorientating plot wise. The whole kidnapping plot and pseudo-coup by the Vice President just came out of nowhere (and just as quickly was wrapped up). It’s not a huge deal because I think the show has wisely focused on the one family and it makes sense for the broader political sphere to be seen from their perspective if not only at least mostly. But it was a bit jarring. I’d assume that she was being sincere. But I was confused about the plane disappearance and the blackmailing attempt. I couldn’t quite tell if we were meant to take that at face value or interpret it as Bengelsdorf’s descent into conspiracy theories to justify his behavior. On the other hand, there was an actual disappearance. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/32 "2020-04-22T23:16:13Z")
I think the kidnapping of his son was just made up to blame his plane going missing on Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/33 "2020-04-23T11:18:42Z")
The book unequivocally says FDR won. Shortly after Pearl Harbor is attacked and the timeline essentially rights itself. I liked the show ending even if it was unsatisfying on a dramatic level to not get closure. The show is meant to be a warning and giving it a happy ending would have rung false and a bad ending would have been too much so they kept it vague. As far as the kidnapping theory. That was just the Rabbi being the 1940s version of Qanon and trying to cover his own ass with his old Community “See, the obvious antisemite I aided and abetted? He wasn’t one at all. He was forced to be like that because they kidnapped his kid.” Complete BS. Lindy was shot down by Canadian agents (that part is not from the book. In the book he just crashed as I recall). ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/34 "2020-04-23T12:22:39Z")
So they were burning ballots to help FDR? Was that in the book? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/35 "2020-04-23T15:12:54Z")
I saw the final episode last night. I don’t think it was clear if the vote tampering (burning ballots, removing a voting machine) was for or against FDR. BTW, when the Rabbi was meeting with the synagogue leaders, their expressions seemed to suggest they didn’t believe the crazy story he was telling them about Lindbergh. And I assume the meeting was to fire him as rabbi of that synagogue. And the scenes of the aftermath of the anti-semitic riots reminded me of Kristallnacht, which I suppose was not a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/36 "2020-04-23T15:20:29Z")
FYI Spirit of St. Louis is at the Air & Space museum in DC. If you haven’t been there that museum is always very crowded except for the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/37 "2020-04-23T19:14:52Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > As far as the kidnapping theory. That was just the Rabbi being the 1940s version of Qanon and trying to cover his own ass with his old Community “See, the obvious antisemite I aided and abetted? He wasn’t one at all. He was forced to be like that because they kidnapped his kid.” Complete BS. Lindy was shot down by Canadian agents (that part is not from the book. In the book he just crashed as I recall). That makes a lot of sense. Given how explicitly relevant to current events this show is it would have been really weird if Simon’s position was “insane conspiracy theories are totally real!!!”. Seems a tad out of character. I think I confused myself by missing the reason for the plane’s disappearance. It wasn’t obvious to me that the Canadians did it but in retrospect that was clearly telegraphed by the questions implying there were other radar sites and the quick packing up of their site based on the telephone call. That’s some solid disciplined writing there, that avoids making this specific family the center of every single event in an implausible manner (the World War Z movie comes to mind as the worst offender I can think of right now). Too subtle for me I guess. One of the risks of assuming your audience has a brain is that sometimes they let you down. 🙂 > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I saw the final episode last night. I don’t think it was clear if the vote tampering (burning ballots, removing a voting machine) was for or against FDR. > > BTW, when the Rabbi was meeting with the synagogue leaders, their expressions seemed to suggest they didn’t believe the crazy story he was telling them about Lindbergh. And I assume the meeting was to fire him as rabbi of that synagogue. And the scenes of the aftermath of the anti-semitic riots reminded me of Kristallnacht, which I suppose was not a coincidence. I had assumed it was against FDR just because of the parallels to today’s voter suppression. And yes, it was clear the other leaders thought he had gone off the deep end and was a liability for the synagogue. That scene is much clearer to me now that I realize the conspiracy theory was not meant to be taken as a real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/38 "2020-04-23T20:34:44Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > I think I confused myself by missing the reason for the plane’s disappearance. It wasn’t obvious to me that the Canadians did it but in retrospect that was clearly telegraphed by the questions implying there were other radar sites and the quick packing up of their site based on the telephone call. That’s some solid disciplined writing there, that avoids making this specific family the center of every single event in an implausible manner (the World War Z movie comes to mind as the worst offender I can think of right now). Except this family _was_ at the heart of the plane’s disappearance, in that whatever Alvin did with the pulse navigation system contributed to the conspiracy. Remember how frantically he tried to set up an alibi with his girlfriend and her family? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/39 "2020-04-23T20:41:52Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Good show so far. I always wonder where they get the old cars but I guess someone in Hollywood rents them out when needed My best friend’s father when I was growing up was Tom Sparks, [covered in the article](https://roadsterhouse.com/picture-car-history). He had an enormous collection of cars. I wish I had talked to him more about it. At the time, we were much more interested in horses. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666/40 "2020-04-23T21:24:32Z")
I just read Erik Larson’s new book about the first year when Churchill was PM. The book covers the German system that used radio beams to direct planes to targets. As you might expect the UK developed a system to screw up the German beam system [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-plot-against-america-on-hbo-open-spoilers-as-each-ep-airs/849666.md?page=3)