Inside Job/YMMV

These things about Inside Job are subjective - not everyone will agree with all of them.

Alternative Character Interpretation:
- Rand is confirmed to be a narcissist, as he literally shaped Reagan to have DNA more from him than from her mother. Yet despite the fact that he hurt both his wife and his daughter badly, to the point that the narcissistic Tamiko calls him out in part two for how he refuses to change his manipulative ways and that's why they divorced, Rand remains in denial that he did anything wrong. Is Rand even capable of love, or does he only see Reagan and Tamiko as extensions of his ego? The part two finale seems to confirm this is true, since Rand quietly surrenders to Reagan when he learns that no matter how many changes he made to reality, he was the common factor of why he alienated Tamiko and Reagan.
- Given Brett's less-than-stellar family and the fact that his people-pleasing tendencies have led to him risking his life and faking his death to ensure that everyone is happy, one questions if Brett is genuinely as happy-go-lucky as he appears, or if he is a deeply traumatized Stepford Smiler that has only reached this point after years in therapy.
- Why every organization in the end of part two welcomes Reagan as the new head of Cognito, Inc., including the Illuminati. Was it as thanks for Reagan help preventing reality from disintegrating? A sign of just how terrible Rand was and that unlike him or J.R., Reagan sincerely apologized for accidentally maiming the Lizard leader and gave him replacement prosthetics.
Moral Event Horizon: The fact that characters in an evil corporation can cross it says a lot:
- At first, Reagan's coworkers tease her for the way she handles her surprise relationship with Rafe Masters, the James Bond Expy that has a one-night stand with her. Rafe, however, has a bunch of red flags: if the fact that he slept with Reagan when she was drunk and regretted it the next day isn't Questionable Consent, the moment that does show he crossed it is when he reveals that he put a tracker on Reagan's phone, which is outright stalkerish behavior, and used it to track down her team. Reagan's team go Mass "Oh Crap", Brett included, and say that is super messed up.
- Buzz Aldin crossed it by burying Neil Armstrong and leaving his body to rot in the moon dust. Then he uses Reagan's technology while they bond in a bid to hijack the moon, despite the countless ecological disasters it would cause.
- While Rand Ridley isn't parent of the year, there are some moments in-universe where people or Reptoids turn against him. The Reveal that he created Bear-O to give hugs to Reagan, whether or not she wanted them, make the Reptoids gasp after Reagan makes him reveal that he gave her a hugging trauma. They all agree he is a terrible father. Reagan disowns Rand after she learns that he wiped her memories of her best friend so she would skip fourth grade and become his job insurance at Cognito, and steals her promotion when she kicks him out of her apartment.
- Brett's mother and father crosses it with the way they rank the sons based on their deeds and success, making Brett regress to the Yes-Man that he was in season one in their presence. Brett's puppet avatar calls them out for this.
- J.R. is openly slimy and corrupt, but his respect for Reagan as she does improve her social skills and leadership with Brett's influence is one of his few good qualities in season one. The guy is also portrayed as a lighter shade of grey than Rand, in that he's not the one blowing up the sun to cure skin cancer. J.R. may have crossed this by sending people to shadow prison For the Evulz, but one horrible moment is shooting off Reagan's finger after she convinces Rand to shut down Project Reboot, so he can make a better timeline for himself. Besides the betrayal, Reagan warns him that with the reality-warping instability, he could wipe out all existence. J.R. coldly says he will take that chacne before Brett stops him.
Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped: As Reagan concludes at the end of "Ghost Protocol," it's better to be upfront and "the bad guy" when you have to break up with someone who won't take a gentle hint, rather than ghost them either by avoiding their text messages or faking your death. To a lesser extent, never break up with someone in a public place. Either you will look like a monster, or the other party will guilt you into staying together.

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