Questions about The Television [COV spoilers]

[Apologies for posting it in this forum, but I just returned to the game and couldn't find the "COH lore" / "MA lore" forums anymore]

'Eyall,


I've had a story arc kicking around my head with everyone's favorite Television as the main contact. Since my villains don't have access to TV yet, my only source of information thus far was this wiki page. However, that still leaves a few questions unanswered:

1. Main goal. From the wiki it looks like the TV's #1 priority is to spread its influence. Is there any hint to a grander plan?
2. Powers. I'm guessing some kind of soft mind control / lingering hypnosis effect exerted on an arbitrary # of viewers. Does it affect everyone watching TV to a certain extent, or only the ones who watch the physical TV set itself? Similarly, does the strength of this power have a connection with how many people are watching TV?
3. Origin. Is/was there someone behind the box (some high-end rogue Arachnos operative perhaps) or is it alive 'on its own'? One of the souvenirs seems to imply that TV is an abstract living entity powered by all people who watch TV; I'm getting 'Television God' vibes from Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" here.
4. Programming. Can it produce any sort of graphics (such as showing an action series matching the player's actions in the last mission) or is it basically constrained to altering the text / imagery of news shows etc? The mission texts seem to focus on the latter, ie. showing existing shows with minor changes to fit the missions, but I'm not sure.
5. Dependencies. Would it 'die' if nobody in the world watched TV for a year or would it just 'hibernate'? What if TV stations (or even just TV stations in the Rogue Isles) stopped broadcasting? What exactly was Nemesis trying to do that threatened to 'kill' TV?

I'd gladly welcome any clarifications for these questions from those better versed in lore than myself. I realize that some (most?) of these questions probably aren't explained ingame, so speculation is fine too... as long as it sorta makes sense!


Thanks in advance,

-- Z.

1. It seems TV's "grander plan" is to support Arachnos, because Arachnos uses it to spread propaganda.

2. Stacking mind control/hypnosis, actually. The more a character watches TV, the more enraptured he or she is, and the more influence it exerts. But it can choose whether to actually use that influence or not, on specific people.

3. Like Radio, Television seems to be an archetypal entity, generated by the expectations of the people. Sort of a spirit/psychic influence kind of thing. Ever heard of the Spirit of Radio? This is the Spirit of Television. There's also a Spirit of Slot Machines; unlockable contact in St. Martial. There might even be Cell Phone and Computer out there, someday

4. Television "speaks" through the shows. Maybe it can generate new programming, but it seems to prefer altering what's on the screen; or at least the character's perception of what's on the screen. Like Radio, though, it seems to be primarily limited to the one "body", mostly seen in Grandville.

5. Presumably, the "spirit" of TV has a home, a vulnerable point. What Nemesis was trying to do was capture that spirit in that home, grab control of it at that vulnerable point. Whereupon, like any other bound spirit, it would have to serve Nemesis instead of pursuing its own goals.

If you want an example of the TV as a contact in MA try out my arc "Have a Blap, Blap, Blappy Day Kids!" Arc ID: 2019. In the arc Blappy, the most loved kids TV host in Paragon is missing and the TV needs your help before viewership drops. I've always felt that like The Radio, The Television is all about promoting itself and having the most influence over the public.


WN

Thanks for the input, all!

Starcloud:
Awesome info, thanks!

Do you think the Television is a sort of ephemeral entity 'conjured by the people', or is it a more tangible spirit which is bound at a certain place? The "Cellphone" and "Computer" examples make these spirits sound similar to gods (the 'worshippers' being those who watch TV / listen to the radio / etc), which means that if their worshippers abruptly stopped worshipping them (due to a catastrophic event or something), they'd probably wither and die. Or would they just sort of 'ride it out' in a weakened state by retreating to their 'temple' / home / bind point?

Good point about Arachnos -- I was actually thinking about some sort of symbiotic relationship between the two (the Television does seem to want more TV time for Arachnos operatives to get into their heads, etc).

My final question is more about locality. I haven't seen any evidence of Television (not TV) doing anything beyond the Rogue Isles; maybe its sphere of influence is limited to that area? That would also indicate that it is an actual spirit instead of an abstract entity; in which case something like an EMP MacGuffin disabling all of the RI broadcasting equipment would seriously hurt -- if not kill -- it.

WN: I'll check out that arc. I'm getting Barney the Dinosaur vibes from that description, which fills my heart with unspeakable horror.


As always, more insight / speculation is welcome! Would Television ever hurt or betray you (or even 'give you up' / 'let you down' / 'desert you')?!


Thanks again,

-- Z.

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Television

This is a good place to start. Bookmark that site for everything lore you'll ever need.

Also -

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaphir Do you think the Television is a sort of ephemeral entity 'conjured by the people', or is it a more tangible spirit which is bound at a certain place? The "Cellphone" and "Computer" examples make these spirits sound similar to gods (the 'worshippers' being those who watch TV / listen to the radio / etc), which means that if their worshippers abruptly stopped worshipping them (due to a catastrophic event or something), they'd probably wither and die. Or would they just sort of 'ride it out' in a weakened state by retreating to their 'temple' / home / bind point?

That's up to you to define in your arc; I like the idea of them being semi-gods though.

Clave + Glazius: Awesome info, thanks! I think I have a good grip on the Television spirit / entity / god / time-space-anomaly now. It's one of my favorite contacts - even though I haven't even run any missions from it - due to its mystique and, well, unconventional-ness (is that a word? now it is!).

Megajoule: What kind of evil brute would try to deny the world the wonders provided by Television? That reminds me, Dallas reruns are coming up on channel 42... right now! I'd better go. :P


thanks again, all,

-- Z.

The Television was created so a mission writer could do an arc riffing off the song "Video Killed the Radio Star". It's very likely that there wasn't much thought put into what Television actually is or any real backstory of note.

As a result, anything you do with The Television is unlikely to be incompatible with the canon, but you also probably shouldn't read too much into it.

Mind control/hypnosis is likely. The text for the badge in front of the big TV screen in Grandville: