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asherlockstudy · 21 days

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The plot hole of Wonderhole (E1)

Introduction

The Plot Hole

The Flight

The Simulation

The Desert Island

Introduction

I finally found the opportunity to start my ANALysis of Wonderhole (Rhett & Link Wonderhole compatible joke). If you have read previous posts I have made about their scripted content or even candid conversations they have had, my main object is to examine whether this new content belongs to the same category of the recurring - and treated as a symbolism of their reality by me - Rhink storyline like almost all their previous scripted videos (including stuff from 2015) and creations (i.e TLCOBC); what I have been calling "One Story" for convenience. One Story Masterlist can be accessed here. By the way, I will also not take into account what new thing Rhett IRL may or may not have said in order to mud the water because he has been doing it a lot lately and I am not sure it is 100% reliable.

I will say that I had to watch the First Class Flight more than once to determine whether this episode is actually part of the One Story or not. After a few rewatches I realised that what was confusing me is that Wonderhole so far has a critical difference from the previous videos. The previous videos usually take place in an undefined time or in the present and they are full of symbolisms of their past and present. Wonderhole deals mostly with the future. Therefore, there are two ways we can view this:

Wonderhole so far is not part of the One Story because it only minimally draws parallels from their lived past.

Wonderhole so far IS part of the One Story because even though it doesn't draw from the past a lot, it actually reflects their certainty or expectation for how their future will unfold depending on certain circumstances, so technically it is still part of their true One Story because it is the future that's coming towards them or the one that seems very likely to come their way.

I suppose it's easier for readers to understand this through the obviously futuristic Time Capsule episode, however here I will argue about how this is also the case with the First Class Flight. This episode is linearly distinguished in two great time segments: the present in which Rhett and Link fake a first class flight vlog and the future of them being deserted in an island three years from now.

The Plot Hole

This is the time I should explain the title of this post. There is a massive plot hole in the episode and it is an intentional one. The way we can tell it is intentional is because our attention is drawed multiple times throughout the video towards it. Here are some examples:

"Without ever having to leave Burbank" - Rhett

"Since this is a simulation-" - Link

"...to fake fly us to fake Singapore wearing a fake mustache" - Rhett

"Well, it tastes like it might be juice but it's a simulation!" - Rhett

Link: "We're moving"... Rhett: "Oh it almost feels like it hehe"

"I gotta say, this is the smoothest takeoff I've ever experienced" - Link

"Since Mythic Air flight 138 operated at a real world altitude level of zero feet above ground we're not anticipating any flight safety issues" - Flight Attendant

Get it? They were in Burbank in a simulation of a flight. They never left. They go out of their way so many times to make it absolutely clear they are not moving and they are faking the whole thing. So, how on earth did the disaster and its consequences prove to be real???

At this point we should also acknowledge that there is not any technical evidence, there is no footage - how could there be one after all - that the plane somehow crashed and Rhett and Link survived the fall and were washed ashore to some desert island. This is the general implication but like we saw it is a very faulty one because it makes no sense. Which means that if we want to be precise about what could have happened in those three years between the vlog shooting and them being castaways, there are two possibilities:

It is a fantastical story in which the lie somehow morphed into a truth, it transcended into reality and caused all these consequences or

the technical issue / fall in the flight was just part of the prepared experience by the Mythical Crew, like everything else. We stop witnessing before the fall but it doesn't mean it didn't stop at some point, Rhett and Link continued the vlog, returned home and they ended up as survivors in a desert island after making the real vlog in a later time.

Now, I don't have an opinion or preference on which is the better theory between the two but I think that as symbolisms they signify pretty much the same thing. In order to understand this, we need to examine what each segment of the video stands for.

The Flight

This is very easy. The whole segment of the First Class Flight symbolises Mythical and, most notably, GMM. Everything that happens in this vlog is a conflation of all the most typical GMM formats and running jokes together.

Counting, we have: 1) the Mythical Crew crafting and the attention down to the smallest detail, 2) not consuming alcohol due to youtube rules, 3) their whole experience is curated by the Mythical (Plane) Crew, 4) precautions taken for dangerous Link, 5) Link interrupting the pilot (Stevie), 6) Mythical kitchen outdoing itself, 7) Rhett and Link tasting stuff, 8) Link typically going for what Rhett wants / has, 9) Link being super picky with the food, 10) Link not ceding to compliment Rhett to save his life, 11) Link oversharing and then Rhett making him feel worse for it, 12) Link's sexual but meaningless jokes (coconut in the pants / mile high club), 13) Link being extra particular about getting the perfect angles and shots, 14) Rhett and Link made to do something intimate together with stupid excuses just for the shippers (changing together, touching butts, sleeping together), 15) Link being grossed out, 16) indirect reference to Link's much discussed herpes, 17) Mythical grooming products, 18) doing something physically strenuous but ridiculous, 20) feeding each other, 21) smelling stuff blindfolded, 22) Rhett winning and / or doing something impressive, 23) Rhett winning the prize (here, picking what TV show to watch), 24) synchronizing in everything.

They squeezed in this "vlog" everything they typically do in Mythical episodes. The plane and the flight stand for Mythical, this space Rhett and Link have carved around them and it is what has made them rich and, to a degree, what keeps them secure. Also, the fact that it stands for Mythical is not subtle at all actually:

And in case you did not realise, THIS IS MYTHICAL.

The presence of their company has not been so emphatically stressed in other videos and it makes sense both at face value and subtextually because this is of course who is behind the making of this supposed vlog according to the plot, however we will see now why this matters a lot as a metaphor as well.

The Simulation

This is actually part of the Flight segment but I really want to talk about it on its own because it is the most essential part of the video. I believe this is why they made that video and this is also why it is the first episode of Wonderhole.

Like they clarify, this is not a vlog. It is a test video in place of the actual vlog they wanted to do but weren't sure the fans would approve of. So, they decided to test the waters by spending budget to frivolous Mythical simulations in order to minimize the risk and check the fans reactions, before proceeding with the actual vlog. I have explained many times that this is exactly what I believe it is happening with all their scripted content, especially the recent ones (TLCOBC onwards) and this is what is happening with Wonderhole too. This is the first episode because it is the warning, if you will, regarding what Wonderhole truly is. In short, this first episode is the shrunk simulation of Wonderhole itself, if not their situation for quite some time. Don't forget that last year Link had said there was a very specific question they wanted to get an answer to in regards to people's response to their scripted videos and by the end of the year they both concluded that aside from the positive reviews they had not received the exact response they wished for. (This is why Wonderhole is also going to be bolder than last year's videos, you are seeing this already. Because there is more despair to get the specific response.)

This explains why it didn't matter whether Rhett and Link survived the plane crash either through a fantastical transcendance to reality or in a later time but we do not see it; because it means disaster ensued either because they danced too close to the fire with their simulations / scripted content and people realised it had to be real or because they ignored alarming cues from the audience, went through with the "real" content and that's when the disaster took place. Both are possibilities and whichever one is the one that happens, in their minds the result is the same: they end up stranded and forgotten in a desert island by themselves.

Before proceeding with the final segment, there are more significant layers to the simulation. There are three times when Rhett and Link hear a concerning noise from the plane: when they touch butts in the bathroom, when there is an implication for Link's herpes and when they are together in bed. So those sobering noises happen in moments of relatively more intimacy. Rhett and Link then watch a trash reality show with a frankly weird premise, hot singles go to underdeveloped countries to perform surgeries as complete amateurs?! Wow. Perhaps there is meaning to it but I couldn't find it. The interesting thing here is that even this reality show has the element of practicing something dangerous through simulation. The show host tells the players they have the chance to perform a surgery in a practice before being exposed to the real thing. This is exactly when chaos unfolds, the show is paused and the pilot screams in panic. And at that moment we have what I think is the most important, the most telling screenshot so far:

Rhett and Link then embrace, waiting for the end, while they confess to each other things we all know. As they are looking for something super special to confess, Link says Rhett's balls are hanging out at that moment too. I don't think there is a sifnigicance to this unless the implication was that Rhett had removed his pants while we were unsuspectingly looking at the reality show! But, honestly, I don't think we got the equivalent of the announcement this was an allegory for. They didn't push for anything more there other than the notion that it was time for a most pivotal confession.

Lastly, let's also examine Link's quote early in the episode: "We like closing one eye, because it immerses us in something that's not really happening". This can be interpreted in various ways. Does it mean that we close our eyes in order to see something that is not true or does it mean that if we opened our eyes, then we would see what is really happening? These may seem similar but there is all the difference in the world between them.

It is very interesting however that the theme recurs later with the reality show: the participants perform eye surgeries like cutting cataracts, so there is this repeated theme of wanting to improve what one's eyes see. Alas, they are amateurs which means the surgeries are likely to lead to disaster before they lead to the much desired "eye opening".

The Desert Island

Believe it or not, this is in my opinion the least important segment or, maybe, the one least packed with information. That segment expresses their conviction of how they will survive a potential disaster. They appear removed like recluses but they stick together. Of course, their big longing will be to keep making videos, even if they don't have the means anymore or even if nobody cares to watch. This is about their professional life. Then:

"When left alone Rhett and Link exhibit all sorts of strange behaviours"

Aside of hopelessly trying to work and create, we are presented with what their life is likely going to be privately post-plane crash / disaster. Almost everything we see involves a level of physical intimacy; Rhett massages Link, "their" version of poker (which involves nipple stimulation), trying to make wine (like the notorious wine they made in puberty), skygazing together, checking each other for dermatological issues, sharing their thoughts and the classic joke of changing SOS to SEND TACOS, an indication that they are having enough of a good time to not really try to be rescued and return to their previous lives, with their old job and families. Oh, and having sex with the sex bush. This is the boldest imagery in this episode because we see them... uh...rub themselves on the sex bush (at the very least), not only in each other's presence but also while clasping hands. I don't think I have to tell you this but this is canonically engaging in the same sexual activity because it's like they are masturbating while holding hands. Now, if Rhett considers this a wild leap of logic indicative of "us the Rhink shippers", I don't know what to say.

There is also a very interesting lyric in their song. Watch how it is phrased:

"Sharing peanut butter because we are peanut butter lovers, lovers as in, we're both loving peanut butter. Not that we are making love with one another... We got a bush for that."

What exactly does this mean? We are making love with a bush instead of one another or we are using the bush to make love with one another and not the peanut butter? It sounds more like the former one but the imagery suggests the latter. I don't know. It could also mean that they are really tiptoeing around each other while still keeping their sexual life straight. We are not making love with the peanut butter (gay sex), we have a bush for that (straight sex). But then we see that in the bush they are really pushing the limits between them. It could be all of these things.

Bush aside, what does the peanut butter symbolise on its own? Link denies he is aroused by it but he readily admits he wants to "eat it out" and Rhett follows immediately, the more Link opens up. Again, we see once more Link to be the first one to voice his desire and of course Rhett jumps at it at a moment's notice. This is the case also in Digging the Medium-sized Hole, in the Puzzle, in the Brown Diamond. But then we have this strife caused between them as they cannot decide who should take the "first scoop". Like, who will break the seal of the peanut butter? To be honest, I think this is the drama that anal might have caused between two ex-Christian very traditional dudes. Like, who takes one for the team. Both of them claim the position of sticking their spoon to the peanut butter. Link has the argument that he should be the one to do it because he is the guy into peanut butter while "what Rhett really is is a bean guy" (bean is a slang for clitoris, so he's more into female genitalia, more hetero than Link). Rhett on the other hand doubts Link's versatility in sex (has happened IRL as well) so he doesn't want to cede the position of control to him.

Link: I got a lot of novel grill ideas. Rhett: Like what? Link: Like, the grill that uses the heat generated from rubbing your hands together. Rhett: ...And then you place them on the food?! Link:...... Yep. Rhett: So, the Link Neal Grill is just hands?!

Link is shamed for being too vanilla.

After a lot of talking it out, their eyes are opened to what they wanted all along. Link admits Rhett might like peanut butter just as much and Rhett admits that Link might be as competent in this as he is (find the peanut butter). They decide to each take a scoop from one side of the top and then enjoy it together. I mean, none of this is a great analogy but the most plausible scenario is that in order to overcome their conservative inhibitions and their sense of pride, they had to both agree to engage in this in absolutely equal terms. In short, to switch. Which I totally believe could be the case in reality as well.

The way the sex bush contrasts with the peanut butter makes it all rather confusing because we can also tell this does not proceed in a chronologically linear way at all, let alone that we have a blend of past and future here. But don't worry too much because the result is the same. By putting the peanut butter on leaves from the sex bush and then consuming it, they have canonically exchanged sex fluids. I could have said this from the beginning of this segment and save me of all this struggle.

#rhink #rhett and link #wonderhole #randl #rhett and link's wonderhole #r&l #one story #mythical

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