Dylan Minnette’s uncle must work for Google
Hollywood is awash with stories of tech startups gone wrong right now. From WeWork to Uber, it seems like every streaming service is showcasing what goes wrong with inexperienced CEOs get access to billions of dollars. The Dropout seems to be the most successful of these shows, with Amanda Seyfried’s performance as Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes garnering critical acclaim. It’s a show that’s pretty devoted to period-appropriate technology, but eagle-eyed viewers likely spotted a time-traveling Pixel phone in the latest episode.
Although Theranos was as much a health company as a tech startup — in theory, at least — the world of consumer technology surrounds it. One episode opens with Holmes at the launch of the first iPhone, a device she later smashes out of frustration, causing a particularly emotional trip to the Genius Bar. It follows up the old-school iPods and Blackberrys that litter the first few episodes of the show, tracking from the late 1990s into the downfall of Theranos throughout the mid-2010s.
The penultimate episode, “Heroes,” is set in 2015, just as Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou tries to finish work on his exposé against the company. In the episode, Dylan Minnette’s character Tyler Schultz takes a call from his grandfather, Theranos investor George Schultz. As he picks up his smartphone, Android fans will likely recognize the distinct look and style of the Google Pixel — a landmark Android phone, and another exciting easter egg for technology fans. The only problem, of course, is that the first-gen Pixel arrived in the fall of 2016, a year after Wall Street Journal ran its Theranos expose.
It’s a funny mix-up in a show that has, otherwise, shown some real dedication to the technology used by its characters. Depending on the exact month this scene takes place, a Nexus 5 or Nexus 6 would’ve been a better choice for set dressing (Google announced the Nexus 5X and 6P just a couple of weeks before the WSJ report). Of course, it’s possible all of those old LG models bootlooped ages ago, leaving the showrunners unable to choose the exact device they wanted for the character.
Now, if we want to talk about real errors, there is one obvious one. Everyone knows the “Really Blue” Pixel variant was the one to get. Why he — or anyone — went with the “Very Silver” version will haunt me for the rest of my life.
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