"They Cloned Tyrone" Was A Masterclass On Social Issues, But I Bet These 19 Things Went Over Your Head
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Have you ever watched a good movie and started overthinking everything?
That was me while watching Netflix's They Cloned Tyrone. Not only was it entertaining, but there were so many things to catch.
I rounded up 19 things (in no particular order) that might've gone over your head. Even if it didn't, you might learn something new. So, walk with me!
1.If you've never seen or heard of Hollow Man, this reference probably went over your head.
Bacon played a scientist that found a way to make matter invisible after years of experiments. That's why it fits perfectly for the club scene where Nixon used experimenting and science as an excuse for cloning and controlling residents in their hood.
2.Now, I could be making something out of nothing, but there was a tiny message behind these losing scratch-off cards.
Fontaine scratched off a part of the card in different directions every time he got one but still lost. This is saying no matter where you start, if it's not time for you to win, you simply won't.
3.The subtle mention of gentrification.
In this scene, Nixon is saying that it’s easier to control people with less. If residents in the Glenn had their own resources, it wouldn’t be easy to persuade them that they need powerful people.
4.Fast food has a chokehold on poor communities.
Easily accessible, highly advertised, and cheap. In They Cloned Tyrone, the chicken had flour (or some white powdery substance) that made those who consumed it laugh. In real life, fast food is unhealthy and addicting, but in many cases, that's all some people can afford. You're more likely to spend money on quick, cheap food than expensive groceries.
5.Music can control human emotions.
That's somewhat true. You'll eventually feel sad if you listen to a sad song repeatedly. In the movie, the "subjects" were under surveillance, and their mood changed when they heard specific genres.
6.Ah, the hip-hop to violence pipeline.
We've all "heard" that hip-hop "convinces" people, especially in poor communities, to partake in violent activities, and this scene shows two men fighting when they listen to the lyrics of a rap song due to the mind-controlling powers over the clones. Does softer music equal happy humans? When they hear the mellow, loving words of R&B music, they stop fighting and hug each other because there are no "hardcore lyrics to trigger violence and angry emotions."
7.The hood can, indeed, come together.
Violence and rival groups within the same communities divide neighborhoods, but there's always been a sense that they could come together to go against outsiders trying to tear apart what they call home. In this film, the hood only won when they all came together.
8.Here's the perm plague!
Black women have always been told our natural hair is "unprofessional." Perms and relaxers were always advertised as the best way to get that "slick and perfect straight hair." Just another form of mind control.
9.Slick Charles consumed the powdery substance twice before the restaurant scene.
When the crew sneaks into the world "underground," they find powdery substances and boxes of groceries like grape juice, cereal, etc... That substance was in everything, especially the chicken. Before they obtained that information, Slick Charles could be seen consuming the food, and he threw an empty bottle of grape juice when Fontaine revisited him.
10.There was a civil war in the neighborhood.
Who needs a world war when there's a civil war? With the rival gangs in the Glenn, the drug dealers and more, there was a war going on right in their neighborhood.
11.Anything is more likely to get funding faster than schools in poor communities.
This scene briefly refers to how teachers have to use their own money, which is not much to begin with, to ensure their students learn. However, there was money to invest in mind-controlling technology.
12.The bad guys using religion as a form of control.
Using the heart of the community to control its residents also happens often. Churches often are the heart of many communities, especially poverty-filled ones.
13.The movie on the TV in this scene is Bloodsport.
The movie on the TV is a 1988 American martial art film called Bloodsport. It's about a martial artist that left the army to compete in a martial arts tournament where death can occur. It symbolizes fighting for your beliefs, no matter who your challenger is. In this case, the challengers were the people in power.
14.Fontaine is a clone but isn't affected when he says, "Olympia Black."
When Nixon said "Olympia Black" a few scenes prior, Fontaine and Slick Charles had no control over their bodies. However, Fontaine used the exact words to get the clone to kill the older version of himself (who isn't a clone), and he wasn't affected this time.
15.The girl highlighted in various missing persons flyers throughout the movie was reunited with her family.
Many flyers are seen throughout the movie, but one was highlighted the most: Aliyah Jackson. She could be seen with her eyes wide open as the mind controllers tried to convince her about beauty standards. The character was missing (held captive by the bad guys) and freed at the end of the movie with the rest of the people.
16.The advertisement of "safe science" throughout the film.
When someone has to over-emphasize that something is safe, you start to judge whether it is really safe. Many advertisements and posters were shown throughout the movie, like the one above, saying, "Working together makes us all stronger. Human betterment through safe science." What the bad guys were doing clearly wasn't safe science, but in their minds, it fits within their mission to create unity.
17.The powerful people tried to hide their real agendas behind "fake positivity."
Nixon's excuse for cloning and controlling people was the mission to keep "the United States united." He claimed they were striving for greatness and togetherness. Does this sound familiar?
18.In Yo-Yo's stack of Nancy Drew books, you can see one titled The Hidden Staircase.
Just like the trio, Nancy had to solve a baffling mystery in this book. She finds a secret panel to an underground passage and staircase. She also discovers people are held prisoner underground, including her father.
19.Call Tyrone? More like they cloned him. Erykah Badu changed her hit song lyrics up just a tad bit.
There was no better song to fit with this film that Badu’s classic hit. Instead of, “I think you better call Tyrone,” she says, “I think they cloned Tyrone.”
