Let's Play with Matches

"Story by:"
Armando Iannucci

'**Let's Play with Matches**' is the fifth episode of Avenue 5's second season.

## Synopsis

After a failed revolt, the passengers put the ship’s leadership to a vote, bringing forth a pack of unlikely candidates. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Office of the Other President proposes a plan that could spell doom for Avenue 5.

## Plot Summary

The passengers continue rioting and looting, all while heading towards Ryan. Once face to face with him, they threaten Ryan with physical harm. Isaac, who was able to calm the crowd in the cafeteria in How It Ends: As a Starter and a Main, calms the angry mob once again. He suggests an uprising which the other passengers are supportive of. Ryan and Judd are moved to a storage closet for the time being.

The passengers form committees for every subject: entertainment, diversity, currency, arts and crafts, engineering, food, education, safety, logistics, crimes, welfare. Soon arguing breaks out, nothing is being accomplished and it's clear the ship needs a strong leader to take charge.

Elena and Charles rescue Ryan and Judd from the room they were being held in, wanting Ryan to act as captain again. Recognizing the need for a leader, Ryan suggests the ship hold an election. Isaac, Matt, Iris, Rav, Nathan the cannibal, Billie, Mads, and Frank (via Karen's nomination) all join the running for Supreme Leader.

The candidates start their campaigns. Mads thinks WWII was a mass media conspiracy and promises to tell everyone the truth. Judd begins to lose faith in him after he mentions swans can't break a human arm. Nathan leans into the cannibal thing, but his policies seem normal. Frank wants to take what's good and make it gooder. Iris hammers down on how "intensely competent" she is. The votes are being tallied with oversized cutout pictures of each candidate's face on the wall.

During the campaign, TV Ryan's face is added to the list of candidates. The lack of any good candidates makes Ryan worried until he remembers Billie is running. He enlists Spike's help to make Billie a more appealing candidate to all of the passengers and not just the male nerds. After complimenting a woman's outfit, she gets her vote. Iris announces her promise to use proportionate (or disproportionate) force when necessary. Matt's campaign is focuses on all of the poor choices Ryan has made as captain.

Mid-way through, Nathan leads the polls while Billie and Rav are in second and third. Ryan, Elena, and Judd try to find a way to make Nathan less popular, but struggle to come up with anything worse than him being a cannibal.

During a Q&A, Mia heckles Billie which results in Billie becoming frustrated and insulting everyone's intelligence. She finishes with one last insult and drops her rank in the polls, setting Nathan up with a bigger lead.

Realizing Frank and Rav were not good choices in leaders, Ryan asks Karen to run. She gets on stage and is immediately boo-ed by the crowd. Ryan remembers Isaac is still in the running and convinces him to step up.

Instead of campaigning for himself, Isaac rallies for "TV Ryan" to be their leader. But since TV Ryan is not real, Captain Ryan will act as him. The crowd gives Ryan a makeover to look to look more like TV Ryan.

Judd enters the race and like Karen, is immediately boo-ed. He backs Mads which kills Mads' chances at winning the election. Matt continues to bash Ryan and reveals he created a crossbow.

Lucas Sato has a meeting with TOTOPOTUS. TOTOPOTUS is a few descendants of legacy CEOs (Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Musk) and the Quantum Computer. Irritated by Judd's reveal of the lithium shortage to the world, they are no longer interested in helping Avenue 5. They suggest the idea of "sunsetting" Avenue 5 by blowing up the stranded ship.

The episode ends with a missile being fired from Earth, pointing at Avenue 5.

## Quotes

"You know what else has two i's? Whiskey on the rocks." - Mads

"Together there are more of us!" - Isaac Davis

"You belong in the Museum of Depressed British Fucking Assholes." - Judd

"We need a dictator. But a benign dictator." - Iris