Inside Job



Inside Job is a 2021 animated show on Netflix. It is created by Shion Takeuchi. Alex Hirsch of Gravity Falls is a producer on the show.

Reagan Ridley should be on top of the world. She's primed to become the next successor of Cognito, Inc. Her father Rand founded the company and got ousted after he tried blowing up the sun in a bid to cure skin cancer. Now the Ridleys have divorced, and Rand has moved in with Reagan. To make matters worse, her boss J.R. says that she's great at the science and conspiracies, not so much at the team management. He hires a co-leader, a smiling Nice Guy named Brett, to help Reagan earn her promotion to Cognito, Inc. CEO. Reagan hates that Brett gets along with everyone but doesn't have an ounce of evil -- or tech smarts -- in his body. But as they become friends, and deal with shenanigans that may destroy the planet, Reagan may realize this dream to rule the world has a tainted source.

Part one of season one, which came out in November 2022, deals with the fallout of first part's finale. Reagan has lost her promotion, and sense of identity. Brett tries to provide emotional support as a new leader at Cognito, Inc. seeks to declare war on the Shadow Council. Reagan may find an unlikely ally from a salty Illuminati assassin.

Inside Job is Spoilered Rotten as a series, so be warned, Spoilers may be unmarked.

"Reagan: You aren't going to sacrifice me to Cthulhu are you? Robed Leader: Oh hell no, that guy is fucking nuts!"
 * Adaptational Villainy: In addition to the celebrities who are secretly Reptoids who plan to conquer the world and (might) prey on humans, there is Buzz Aldrin (who murdered Neil Armstrong and became a cult leader) and the Flat Earth Society (who are an actual terrorist group).
 * An Aesop: Reagan's arc with Ron has this in season one, part two: sometimes no matter what you do, your relationship is going to spiral out of control and it's not completely your fault.
 * The Alcoholic:
 * Rand has been drinking so much that he regularly gets organs from the cloning department at Cognito, Inc. Episode 2 features him blackmailing J.R. to get more livers. Reagan does ask why not cut back on drinking.
 * According to, Reagan's alcohol index is at high levels. She gets it from her dad. We know that things are going to suck in season one, part two when.
 * Ambiguously Human: The "robes" have never been seen without their masks, so it is uncertain whether they are human or not underneath - Staedler even questions this in "Appleton".
 * Ancient Conspiracy: Cognito works for a cabal of secretive folks who claim to have ruled the world from the shadows since, as they put it "the dawn of time". This isn't as easy as it used to be, so they founded Cognito to act as intermediaries.
 * And the season 2 premiere shows Cognito is one of six such cabals, the others being the Reptoids, the Atlanteans, the Catholic Church, the Juggalos ("for some reason") and Cognito's rivals, The Illuminati. All of them are just as stupid as the governments everyone knows about.
 * Bad Boss:
 * J.R. downplays this; he has never been known to murder his employees (at least not onscreen), but he does a lot of other things that make him detestable. For example, he gives Brett the job of making a ceremonial toast at a gala because he was the only one who did not physically or sexually assault anyone at the meeting where it is announced (JR was part of said meeting), pleads with the Reptoids not to cut their funding as he “has mistresses to feed”, tries to provoke a kraken into wrecking his yacht (while passengers are on it) so he can collect on insurance, and possibly worst of all, steals the entire employee pension fund, and then buys a Supervillain Lair to act as a tax haven. In an episode where Reagan is happy because of J.R. promotion (because that means he's leaving) and feels like celebrating, he offers to "erase" someone for "funsies" by sending him to the Shadow Prison.
 * In season 2,
 * Beware the Silly Ones: The Juggalos are one of the six organizations that secretly rule the world; even they do not know why.
 * Both Sides Have a Point: In "We Found Love in a Popeless Place", this comes up when Reagan and Gigi discuss that
 * Conspiracy Kitchen Sink: The whole point of the plot. All conspiracies are real, and a select number of corporations manage them. The Illuminati is Cognito, Inc.'s biggest competitor.
 * Cruel Mercy:
 * Season 2 has
 * Also in season 2,
 * Deconstruction: Rand Ridley serves as this for Rick Sanchez of Rick and Morty fame, and actually manages to be worse than him. (Not en easy achievement, by the way.) Like Rick he believes that being the smartest guy in the room is an excuse to be an antisocial asshole and do whatever he wants. They both walk all over their daughters in their initial appearances after moving in with them. The difference, however, is that Rick had some lines he wouldn't cross, and he never used Beth as a pawn in his various schemes. Rand seems to have no lines, complete with Note that Rick has never done such a thing to his daughter.
 * Dramatic Irony: While they're both attending Anon-Anon, Ron accuses Reagan of being upset over a little bit of waiting that "Ms. Nepotism" had to do. Considering that, that's a very cruel thing to say and Mothman, who knows the circumstances, tries to get Ron to shut up.
 * Driving Question: Seasons/parts one and two pose this question: what does Reagan actually want in her life? She says that she wants to run Cognito, Inc. and use its conspiracy resources for good, to encourage recycling and reduce social media abuse. Yet life confronts her with the reality that running Cognito, Inc. was not her dream but her father's, and he groomed her as his successor for all of her childhood; even her narcissistic mother Tamiko has enough perspective to encourage Reagan to fight for her happiness rather than conform to other's expectations. When Reagan was a kid, she seemed to want normal friendships and to be an astronaut, according to . "Appleton" has Reagan make the hard choice that.
 * Even Evil Has Standards:
 * When the Reptoids hear about how Rand caused Reagan to have a violent response to hugging-- -- they all agree that Rand is a terrible father.
 * ROBOTUS snarkily says that Reagan shouldn't be avoiding her problems when she opts to make a robot duplicate of her supposed soulmate Bryan rather than actually go on a date with the guy..
 * More like Well-Intentioned Extremist has standards, but.
 * Used as an off joke in one episode where a realtor who claims to have been in the "evil real estate business" (meaning she sells Supervillain Lairs) for 15 years calls J.R. (her current customer, whom she just required to sign his name on the deed with his own blood) a "psycho".
 * The only line that Rand will not cross is leave Reagan alone with a confirmed murderer. He's genuinely freaked out when realizing that.
 * When Reagan attends an Anon-Anon, Mothman specifies that it is a safe space. Ron violates that by showing No Sympathy towards Reagan and challenging her to actually . When she says that's a good idea and storms off to do that, everyone in the group glares at Ron, including Slenderman. The same guy that preys on children in canon. Mothman also looks pretty angry, as does a deposed dictator that comforted Reagan.
 * Another "off joke" example, when the "robes" decide to show Reagan their history in "Appleton":


 * Fate Worse Than Death: Played for laughs at the end of Season 2 -
 * Foil: Ron to Reagan, while they're both sent to Anon-Anon. In Reagan's case, she decided to go after . She at least to give it a go, respecting the established boundaries that Mothman sends. Ron reveals he was sent under protest, and believes there are no safe spaces, while outright insulting Reagan after she gets vulnerable and opening up about her current problems. . Ron also reveals that he chose this life after being a conspiracy theorist in college, which is why he resents Reagan for her alleged nepotism.
 * Genre Savvy: In "Clone Gunman," Brett admits to Reagan that he accidentally created an Akira situation to stop the runaway clones. He then checks that she knows the movie. "Of course, I've seen Akira! Anime is very mainstream right now!" It ends up being an apt summary of the situation.
 * Godzilla Threshold: ROBOTUS nearly destroyed the world in the pilot when Reagan shows him how things really are. Thus, it's a really big deal in the season finale when.
 * Good All Along:
 * Both the pilot and season one finale have Reagan suspect that Brett is pretending to be a nice, easygoing people pleaser to hide his ulterior motives. In the first one, they work together to stop ROBOTUS, while in the season one finale he ends up accidentally.
 * Rather, reaching the Heel Realization eventually all along. The episode "Project Reboot" shows that
 * Evil All Along:
 * The Gump: Assuming their word can be trusted, the Order of the Black Robes has been behind many important human events, many of them done as a Necessary Evil. The Black Plague was done to cull overpopulation, the ensuing quarantine giving Isaac Newton the time he needed to develop his theories. The Titanic was sunk because it held an Atlantean invasion fleet. The deforestation of the Amazon was done to halt an army of carnivorous tree monsters. And of course, there was the aliens who "impregnated" JFK; in "Appleton", Noels says he saw an alternate timeline where he failed to kill him, and millions of innocents died as a result.
 * Half-Human Hybrid: Glenn Dolphman, another member of the main cast. While in the army, he volunteered for a Super Soldier program, and ended up turned into a human-dolphin hybrid. Likely not what he expected, but he has absolutely no regrets.
 * Handicapped Badass: Andre is a druggie to repress really bad Tourette's and OCD, while performing surgery on his crew and serving as the team medic. As shown in "My Big Flat Earth Wedding" and "Inside Reagan", he can be dangerous if it means his team is in danger.
 * Heel Face Turn: ROBOTUS started as a president impostor that nearly blew up the United States in the first episode. In season one part two, he actually admits that it's nice to have a team and in the finale.
 * Hidden Agenda Villain:
 * Horrible Hollywood: Many A-list male actors are vampires, their unholy feeding keeping them eternally young - which for such a profession, is very profitable. This comes as something of a surprise to Reagan, as supernatural-themed conspiracies are the Illuminati's area of expertise.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: The "cloak guys" who Cognito answers to; putting J.R. in charge was bad enough,
 * It is eventually revealed that
 * Ignored Epiphany: As Rand admits in "How Reagan Got Her Groove Back," he misses his ex-wife and despite hurting the latter so badly that she never wants to speak to him again. He proceeds to . "Project Reboot" has him face the reality that
 * In Spite of a Nail:
 * A really tragic one in "Project Reboot"; Rand was trying to.
 * More Played for Laughs but in Brett's better timeline, even if he fulfills his dream of being a puppeteer,
 * Then in "Appleton", ROBOTUS helps Reagan make an informed decision about
 * Irony: The season one finale had Reagan's team turn against Rand when they uncovered evidence that Season one part two opens with a drunk Reagan
 * It Gets Easier: Brent in season one is very hesitant about the morally ambiguous parts of being co-leader with Reagan. He can't handle the thought of firing someone or making them upset. Season one part two shows him more attuned to being deceitful, like when he infiltrates Leonardo DiCaprio's old posse of washed out actors to get to Leonardo. Brent is still Brent, though; when he reveals the ruse, he tells the posse they don't need to follow people blindly and are wonderful individuals. He advises them to do what makes them happy.
 * Married to the Job: More than one episode shows that Reagan's attempt at a social life is marred by her work, with a little of The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life factoring in.
 * Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate: Dr. Andre Lee, one of Reagan's colleges. Whether he is a doctor at all is debatable, his job is to create diseases whenever Cognito needs a plague (which seems disturbingly often). He is also a neurotic mess who uses drugs to cope with his OCD, drugs  which include chemtrails. Ironically, the Reptoid doctor who appears at the end of "Blue Bloods" seems much nicer.
 * Mushroom Man: Myc, part of the main cast. He's a mushroom-like creature with psychic powers, a dry, sarcastic wit, and a foul mouth. Also something of a pervert.
 * My Master, Right or Wrong:
 * Necessary Evil: In the first episode, Brent asks Reagan directly if Cognito Inc is evil - she doesn’t deny it, but claims they are no more evil than Facebook or Starbucks, stating, “At least here I develop tech to prevent war with Atlantis.” One seminar instructor, when asking recruits if there are any questions, discourages anyone from asking about ethical concerns.
 * Never My Fault: This is basically Rand's M.O.; he did nothing wrong in the parenting, husband or job department so he doesn't know why he got disowned, divorced, or fired. Season 2 has Tamiko call him out for this; she says the reason that they divorced is that
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Defied. Some examples:
 * Buzz Aldrin is portrayed as a horny jerk in "Buzzkill", and celebrities who are secretly Reptoids include Queen Elizabeth II, Mark Zuckerberg (though he clearly deserved dying in the shadow council trials), Judge Judy, and Reese Witherspoon (who claims the true meaning of "Shake it Off" is how she has to molt every thousand years).
 * Members of The Illuminati (Cognito's biggest rival) include Oprah Winfrey (who was killed in season 1 and replaced by a clone in season 2) and Beyonce Knowles. Their leader is Dietrich Kluge, who may be an Expy of Mads Mikkelsen.
 * One episode shows that many A-list male actors in Hollywood are vampires, including
 * Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Brett is not stupid by normal standards; J.R. mentions that he's a Yale graduate, which is not an easy thing to accomplish even as a personal trainer. He also has great people skills, as shown in the pilot. It's just that compared to Reagan's super-genius that he's an idiot who lacks the qualifications to co-lead a team that manages conspiracies.
 * An Offer You Can't Refuse: Implied in "Appleton"; although the Robes said
 * Only Sane Man:
 * While Brett has his issues, like his compulsion to please everyone and ignore his own needs or other people's red flags, he's definitely the most normal person working at Cognito, Inc. He admits that Reagan is right to be suspicious of him because he is underqualified for the job as her co-leader, calls her for help when ROBOTUS goes haywire, and later tries to guide her gently when J.R. orders them to choose someone to fire. While he thinks something is wrong with him in season one part two about
 * Mothman is the only HR person at Cognito, Inc., and very beleaguered because of it. He fails Myc and Andre in sensitivity training with the Reptoids because they keep asking about the orgies, sanctions J.R. for failing when J.R. caused the PR crisis, and is horrified when Reagan panics and punches out Brent for trying to hug her. Season one part two shows that he runs Anon-Anon on a volunteer basis for different conspiracy members, and encourages Reagan to open up about her problems with no judgment. Later, when, he says that he can't stop them, but warns them that they're using each other as a coping mechanism. Reagan is perfectly fine with that.
 * Among the Reptoids, Judy seems to be this, being the only one who seems a rational and Reasonable Authority Figure. But then, she is The Judge.
 * OOC Is Serious Business:
 * If Rand is actually scared for Reagan's well-being rather than being a dick to her? Yeah, be afraid. Very afraid.
 * Druggie Andre becoming retrospective? That is a sign that things are going to go off-the-rails. During "The Brettfast Club," he waxes eloquent about the racism preserved in Still Valley due to everyone thinking they're still in the 80s.
 * If Brett stops smiling or actually stands up to people, things get serious for this people-pleaser. Case in point, during "The Brettfast Club", he's actually hurt that Reagan thinks 80s nostalgia is stupid and doesn't want to indulge him while they go undercover in Still Valley to locate a missing Myc.
 * A Party - Also Known as an Orgy: The Reptoids are infamous for their gatherings (not just parties) turning into this. They're perfectly okay with humans participating, but after Andre does so he winds up with no less than five Reptoid-originating STDs, plus another from Myc.
 * Pet the Dog
 * In her twisted way, Tamiko keeps trying to encourage Reagan to be happy and live for herself. She's a narcissist and emotionally abusive, but if Reagan is actually in danger? Tamiko will go Mama Bear and attempt to rescue her. One of the reasons that she
 * In "My Big Flat Earth Wedding," there are a few examples:
 * Myc normally pokes Reagan's buttons. He offers to do telepathy to ease her stress about planning her mom's wedding.
 * J.R. freaks out when a kidnapped Reagan is in mortal danger, thanks to Harold the Flat-Earther making her drive to the "edge of the Earth" aka the portal to inner Earth. He orders Glenn to get in the ocean, swim for it, and rescue her!
 * Harold thanks Reagan for "fulfilling" his dream of seeing the edge of the world. Excusing that he kidnapped her to do that, it was his only decent moment.
 * When it seems that Reagan has met her leadership goals, J.R. gives her the promotion as promised..
 * Every conspiracy leader on the planet gives Reagan
 * Power Perversion Potential: Cognito has a holodeck-like room that is specifically used for this purpose. J.R.'s sex-deck history (which Reagan and Brett can't resist looking at) includes something involving a "pay pig".
 * Reality Ensues:
 * It doesn't matter if it's part of your job or cover, lying is a deal-breaker for many people in a romantic relationship:
 * Reagan thanks to bribing ROBOTUS for an algorithm finds a guy that might be her soulmate, a Nice Guy named Bryan. Due to her social anxiety and fear of screwing up her only perfect match, however, Reagan ends up
 * It seems that Keanu Reeves is a good influence for Tamiko and can provide the emotional stability she craves.
 * Ultimately, this is why, though in this case it wasn't her fault this time (mostly). She tries to sell him on working at Cognito Inc., using her connections to get him a cushy job where he could do anything and everything he wanted and never have to wipe a mind again. While Reagan wasn't the one who did the lying or the manipulations this time, she was still responsible, and
 * "Project Reboot" and "Appleton" have a consequential one:
 * Really Gets Around: Tamiko combines this with Horrible Judge of Character; her former boyfriends and lovers include Buzz Aldrin, Keanu Reeves , the guy who cleans her swimming pool, Richard Branson, and the entire Cirque du Soleil (at the same time). Her daughter has tried to be the voice of reason to her every time (causing resentment from her mother for not being supportive) although one would argue all of them are better than Rand, whom she nonetheless almost reconciled with in one episode.
 * Redeeming Replacement: Despite expecting Reagan to essentially be an obedient clone that will do his bidding -- Rand admits in season one that he manipulated her DNA to ensure she got more genetics from him than from Tamiko and that's why Reagan is coded white and not biracial-- Reagan proves time and time again that she is not Rand. Sure, their alcohol habits and potty mouths are similar. She's able to trust Brent in the pilot when he calls her for help to take down ROBOTUS, while Rand maintains barely-veiled hatred of his former business partner J.R. Reagan's plans for Cognito, Inc. included drastic improvements for employee accommodation; And in the end during  "Appleton", Reagan is able to do what Rand was never able to do:.
 * Revenge Before Reason: Reagan realizes in the season 2 premiere that.
 * Rewriting Reality: JR and Rand's attempt to create a Time Machine instead created a device that does this, changing small events in the past that change the time line and alter the present. Before they used it, Earth had two moons, Rand had a mustache and The Berenstain Bears were originally called The Berenstein Bears. Unfortunately, too much use of this device could cause a Time Crash and The End of the World as We Know It.
 * The Rival: The Illuminati is this to Cognito. According to Rand, they're rather petty for an evil organization, pulling pranks like TPing Cognito's office. Every year they had a Power Struggle competition where the leader of the losing team has to literally kiss the winner's ring - JR always lost, and Rand's first order of business is making this rivalry personal.
 * Sassy Black Woman: Gigi Thompson (Cognito Inc's Head of Media Manipulation and Subliminal Messages) another member of the main cast; sassy and snarky.
 * Sequel Hook: "Appleton" the season one, part two finale has a few:
 * Although Brett stops
 * Even though Reagan decides to
 * The Robes reveal, after promising Reagan that there are no more secrets,.
 * Ship Tease: It's not confirmed, but "The Brettfast Club" hints that Brett has a crush on Reagan, and that's why he gets really hurt when she refuses to play along with his 80's fantasies in Still Valley. Reagan's tech skills and ability to solve a crisis definitely impress him, as he praises Reagan for ROBOTUS being tough enough to kick his ass in the pilot. The Cold Open features him running a simulation of his  family where his mother asks him if Reagan is more than a friend at work.
 * Skewed Priorities: Happens a lot. The episode "Project Reboot" even has a short montage that shows most of the cast slacking and/or goofing off while Reagan is screaming, "The fate of the world is at stake!" because it is. Of course, Reagan is no better; to give one example, in "We Found Love in a Popeless Place", she is more concerned with her plans for a romantic holiday in Rome with Staedler than she is with the Pope going insane and turning the city into an animatronic facsimile of Hell on Earth. (It Makes Sense In Context, really, it does.)
 * The Starscream:
 * Also in season 2,
 * Reagan starts this way towards her father in season 2, before realizing that he will probably get himself fired. When forced to take him down in "Project Reboot",
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Reagan and Staedler are this in season 2. Because Cognito and the Illuminati are rivals, they try to keep their relationship secret, using the Anon-Anon meetings to be together. Unfortunately, it is an Open Secret at least to the other members of Anon-Anon and to Cognito, at least, and Ron keeps saying that he wants to leave their terrible jobs behind. Reagan's attempt to properly introduce him to her colleagues was a disaster, and
 * Tin Foil Hat: In this reality, this is recommended safety gear when using a Time Machine; according to Rand, it preserves the freshness of the space time contingency (as in, prevents a Butterfly of Doom) in much the same way it preserves the freshness of food. In the episode where this is stated,
 * Token Good Teammate:
 * In season one, Brent is the only Cognito Inc. employee who doesn't have a malicious bone in his body. He's so darn nice that the thought of firing someone makes him throw up. Season one part two makes him a bit more cynical, willing to deceive people for Cognito Inc while still being nice to them.
 * Compared to the other organizations that run the world, the Juggalos are this. They aren't sure why they are with the other conspiracy leaders, but are actually very nice to their "rivals", giving Myc and Glenn pep talks after they are shunned from the festivities.
 * Shockingly, it's revealed that Myc is this compared to
 * Too Kinky to Torture: Brett reveals in the pilot that he did 38 weeks of hazing at Yale to get into all the fraternities. As a result, he can handle large amounts of physical pain, and even seems to welcome it.
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm: The season one part two opener shows that
 * Undying Loyalty: Brett demonstrates this in "Project Reboot"; despite Reagan
 * Unperson: J.R. claims that anyone sent to the Shadow Prison is "erased from history". It is implied he has done this to employees simply For the Evulz.
 * Villainous Breakdown: "Project Reboot" has a quiet, devastating one from
 * Villain Has A Point: J.R. in "Project Reboot" does have one legitimate point when.
 * Villain Protagonist: Reagan and most of the supporting cast could be considered Anti-Villain types, as they are more than willing to commit such atrocities as murder, kidnapping, and brainwashing for the greater good. Except for Brent, who could be considered the Token Good Teammate, even if he isn't very bright.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: JR and Rand were this when they were roommates in college (Harvard, something JR will never let anyone forget), due to a Slobs Versus Snobs situation (Rand was the slob, JR was the snob). As JR relates, they hated each other from the start, but each saw potential in the other, leading to them becoming business partners, and the Start of Darkness for both of them. In the present, they simply hate each other.
 * We Can Rule Together: Anti-Villain example: "Appleton" has the Robes
 * We Want Our Jerk Back: Justified in "Appleton"; Reagan gets a standing ovation and welcome back party after
 * Who Shot JFK?: In this reality, the true killer was "Grassy Noel" Atkinson, the longest serving member of Cognito Inc, and by his own account, the best assassin alive, claiming JFK was not the only Head of State he has killed. Ironically, this revelation was far less interesting than the reason why JFK was killed - JFK had been seduced by a Roswell alien and had gotten a Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong, requiring Atkison to kill him before the eggs hatched and released a Horde of Alien Locusts upon the world, something that sounds bizarre even when compared to other JFK-related conspiracy theories
 * You Get Me Coffee: While Brett is Reagan's co-leader, she notes that J.R. had hired him as an unpaid intern. It means that J.R. will occasionally use Brett for demeaning, deceptive, or dangerous tasks, like serving as the sample Reptoid that the staff has to hug in the H.R. meeting, or asking him to pose as a billionaire to convince Jeff Bezos to buy J.R.'s yacht. (It Makes Sense in Context) Brett doesn't mind the former task because he loves hugging people, and for the latter he eagerly breaks out his method acting, honorably offering himself as a hostage when the Flat Earthers take over the ship.
 * You Shall Not Pass: Attempted. In the season one finale when.
 * You Shall Not Pass: Attempted. In the season one finale when.