Intoxicating Clarity

*Story by:*
Armando Iannucci &
Georgia Pritchett &
Ian Martin &
 Marina Hyde

'**Intoxicating Clarity**' is the sixth episode of Avenue 5's second season.

## Synopsis

With a "new" leader at the helm, life on deck reaches a semi-status quo – until the discovery of a mysterious blip and dissident uprising threaten to upend the passenger’s tenuous peace. Later, life imitates art as the shocking conclusion of TV’s Avenue 5 puts those aboard the real ship in peril.

## Plot Summary

Ryan, now dressed as TV Ryan, is Avenue 5's Supreme Commander. The ship has been plastered with pro-Ryan propaganda, and the passengers stand at attention when he enters a room. Employees salute him as he passes, and groups want to send him gifts (cleaning crew wants to send new pillows and brass band wants to gift him a tuba).

Rav asks Ryan to officially open the ship's Cuddle Club, which is a club of adults who willingly cuddle with each other. Rav mentions it's "totally non-sexual" for which Iris butts in with "And totally non-normal."

Judd and Billie criticize Ryan from afar, and Iris for supporting him. Billie's mystified that the ship has once again ended up with Ryan as its leader, telling Judd "[Ryan] is not worthy of your ship." This pleases Judd. Billie is buddying up to Judd so he allows her in the room when he negotiates with Lucas.

Rav informs Ryan that there are rumors that the water onboard has been contaminated. Iris suggests the idea to appoint secret police on the ship, people who work undercover for Ryan.

Matt, wielding his crossbow, is surrounded by a group of disgruntled passengers. Mads stumbles across Matt amping up his new followers with hateful rhetoric about "Lyin' Ryan."

   Spike and Rav notice a dot on the radar which they learn is a meteor full of lithium. She tells Ryan, Iris, Billie and Judd of this discovery. The meteor is 85% pure lithium, which will force Earth to re-prioritize Avenue 5's rescue mission.

Doug and Karen are monitoring Cuddle Club awaiting Ryan's arrival to officially open the club. Matt and his followers, and Mads, arrive in the room as they had also booked it for combat training. Ryan arrives and Matt starts undermining everything he says. Frustrated, Ryan declares that Matt should be cuddled. While leaving, Ryan complains about Matt's behavior to Iris under his breath. Three unnamed, muscular men begin hugging and squeezing Matt. He squeaks as he loses his breath.

Ryan greets Elena and Charles back in his office. They have met to discuss their complicated relationship, Ryan dating Elena, and Elena dating Ryan and Charles. Karen informs Ryan that Matt has been injured at Cuddle Club after being "violently compressed." He leaves to check on Matt. Rav suggests to Ryan that he host a costume viewing party of the Avenue 5 show to improve the passengers' perception of him.

Billie learns that Judd has set up a meeting with Lucas for 9pm that night. She asks to sit in on the meeting to learn from Judd.

Back on Earth, Zarah is waiting in the television studio for TV Ryan's actor to seduce him. She accidentally falls on the ledge to her death.

Ryan visits Matt in the hospital wing and apologizes for what happened. Matt accuses Ryan of ordering him squeezed, but they bond over being fans of Margaret Drabble's novels. Attempting to improve his image with the ship, Iris surrounds Matt and Ryan with "fans". While shaking hands to put their feud behind them, Matt is struck with an arrow. An unseen passenger accuses Ryan but Iris quickly dispels this rumor by pointing out a figure running away with a crossbow.

Ryan expresses his frustration with Iris for allowing a "drive-by crossbow-ing." Iris initially sends out a dictum ordering no passengers to dress as Commander Ryan at the TV Avenue 5 viewing party. Ryan, recognizing that this sounds like the order a dictator would make, instructs Iris to make it clear passengers are allowed to dress as Ryan at the party. Going too far the other way, Iris makes an announcement that all passengers must dress as Commander Ryan at the party that night.

While Spike is visiting Matt in the hospital again, Mads reveals that he was the one who shot Matt with the crossbow. He wanted to improve Matt's image with the rest of the passengers. Matt and Spike are both surprised that Mads "shot him for the numbers."

During Billie and Judd's meeting that night, Spike bursts in announcing there's another dot. This second dot is a missile, heading directly for Avenue 5. Judd attempts to leverage their discovery of the lithium meteor to get Lucas to turn the missile around. Lucas explains that there's no way to turn the missile around, and it will kill everyone on the ship once it hits.

The passengers at the viewing party are watching the latest episode of Avenue 5. It abruptly ends when a missile hits and explodes the ship, causing a panic with the real passengers. The episode is dedicated to "those who died on the real Avenue 5 in the terrorist missile strike."

Billie reveals to Ryan and Iris that the missile is real and is heading towards Avenue 5. Realizing the mass panic that is going to occur, Ryan instructs Iris to deploy her secret police. Spike, along with other passengers, begin rounding up people deemed "the usual panickers."

## Quotes

    "The mood on the ship is pre-post-apocalyptic." - Rav

"Wise words, Supreme Dipshit." - Matt to Ryan

"I've got mafia Tourette's." - Ryan

"I'd rather host my self immolation." - Ryan

"TV favorite Zarah is now too dead to play her dead sister." - Djopi Dawn