JPod
Encyclopedia
JPod is a novel
by Douglas Coupland
published by Random House of Canada
in 2006. Set in 2005, the book explores the strange and unconventional everyday life of the main character, Ethan Jarlewski, and his team of video game programmers whose last names all begin with the letter 'J'.
JPod was adopted as a CBC
television series
co-written by Douglas Coupland
. It premiered on January 8, 2008, and ran until its cancellation on March 7, 2008, leaving the series with a permanent cliffhanger
. The first thirteen episodes of the series aired in the United States
on The CW Television Network
.
novel of six young adults, whose last names all begin with the letter 'J' and who are assigned to the same cubicle pod by someone in human resources
through a computer glitch
, working at Neotronic Arts, a fictional Burnaby-based video game company. Ethan Jarlewski is the novel's main character and narrator
, who spends more time involved with his work than with his dysfunctional family
. His stay-at-home mother runs a successful marijuana grow-op which allows his father to abandon his career and work as a futile movie extra. Ethan's realtor brother Greg involves himself with Asian crime lord Kam Fong who serves as the plot's crux of character connection.
The JPod staff are required to insert a turtle character based on Jeff Probst
into the skateboard game that they are developing as 'BoardX. The marketing manager, Steven Lefkowitz, mandates the turtle's addition to the game because he is trying to please his son during a custody battle. JPod is then drastically challenged and changed when Steve goes missing and the new executive replacement declares that the game will be changed yet again. Upper management decides to change Jeff the turtle for an adventurous prince who rides a magic carpet. The game is then renamed "SpriteQuest". The JPodders, upset that they would not be able to finish their game, decide to sabotage SpriteQuest by inserting a deranged Ronald McDonald
. They do this by creating a secret level where Ronald works malevolence, thus creating, in their opinion, a culturally-suitable game for the target market.
Ethan begins to date the newest addition to JPod, Kaitlin, and their relationship grows as she discovers that most of the members of the team, including herself, are mildly autistic. Kaitlin develops a hugging machine
after researching how autistic people enjoy the sensation of pressure from non-living things on their skin.
Douglas Coupland, as a character, is inserted into the novel when Ethan visits China
to bring a heroin-addicted Steve back to Canada
. This Google
-version of Douglas Coupland consistently bumps into Ethan and manages to weave himself into the narrator's life. JPod finds itself in a digital world where technology is everything and the human mind is incapable of focusing on just one task.
.
John Elk’s review of JPod comments on the novel being an affirmative updating of Coupland’s previous Microserfs
, for the "Google generation". Coupland is mentioned as being “possibly the most gifted exegete of North American mass culture writing today”, with JPod being “his strongest, best-observed novel since Microserfs." JPod is described as an engaging book, with bizarre characters and devices making it “definitely worth the read” and while it is “not fully satisfying, it is entertaining”.
Another review of JPod describes how the fragmentation of the book relates to the autistic characteristics of the characters. The book is about the technology and video game generation, who “paradoxically have superhuman powers on concentration, yet can’t seem to focus on anything”. This message is brought up throughout the book, which tends to provoke the reader to really think about the effects of technology on our society.
called it “smug, vacuous, easily distracted, and often supremely irritating”. He did note, however, that this “may be purposeful, but it's not in service of a meaningful larger point—unless you count the unmissable observation that too much information is, like, overwhelming”. John Elk said that Coupland “is neither a master of plot nor of characterization”, and his characters were also called “hollowed-out cartoons”.
Coupland was further criticized by critics like David Daley of USA Today
, who wrote that “subtlety still eludes Coupland” and that his “relentless riffing can be exhausting”. The 41 pages spent listing digits of pi
, for example, were found by many to be pointless and, as Patrick Ness
noted, “lazily assembled”. As well, many critics found that Coupland’s appearance as a character was annoying, “narcissistic” and “an obvious and sort of sad attempt to turn [himself] into a cultural icon”. Other critics wondered if Coupland simply inserted himself because he didn’t know how else to end it.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland is a Canadian novelist. His fiction is complemented by recognized works in design and visual art arising from his early formal training. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularized terms such as McJob and...
published by Random House of Canada
Random House of Canada
Random House of Canadais a publishing house which was established in 1944 as the Canadian distributor of Random House, Inc. It is made up of several imprints, including Anchor Canada, Bond Street, Doubleday Canada, Knopf Canada, Random House Canada, Seal Books, and Vintage Canada...
in 2006. Set in 2005, the book explores the strange and unconventional everyday life of the main character, Ethan Jarlewski, and his team of video game programmers whose last names all begin with the letter 'J'.
JPod was adopted as a CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
television series
JPod (TV series)
jPod is a comedic television series based on Douglas Coupland’s novel of the same name. It premiered on CBC Television on January 8, 2008. Starting with the fifth episode, the show began airing Fridays at 9:00....
co-written by Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland is a Canadian novelist. His fiction is complemented by recognized works in design and visual art arising from his early formal training. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularized terms such as McJob and...
. It premiered on January 8, 2008, and ran until its cancellation on March 7, 2008, leaving the series with a permanent cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
. The first thirteen episodes of the series aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
.
Plot
JPod is an avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
novel of six young adults, whose last names all begin with the letter 'J' and who are assigned to the same cubicle pod by someone in human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
through a computer glitch
Glitch
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. It is often used to describe a transient fault that corrects itself, and is therefore difficult to troubleshoot...
, working at Neotronic Arts, a fictional Burnaby-based video game company. Ethan Jarlewski is the novel's main character and narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, who spends more time involved with his work than with his dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
. His stay-at-home mother runs a successful marijuana grow-op which allows his father to abandon his career and work as a futile movie extra. Ethan's realtor brother Greg involves himself with Asian crime lord Kam Fong who serves as the plot's crux of character connection.
The JPod staff are required to insert a turtle character based on Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
into the skateboard game that they are developing as 'BoardX. The marketing manager, Steven Lefkowitz, mandates the turtle's addition to the game because he is trying to please his son during a custody battle. JPod is then drastically challenged and changed when Steve goes missing and the new executive replacement declares that the game will be changed yet again. Upper management decides to change Jeff the turtle for an adventurous prince who rides a magic carpet. The game is then renamed "SpriteQuest". The JPodders, upset that they would not be able to finish their game, decide to sabotage SpriteQuest by inserting a deranged Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and...
. They do this by creating a secret level where Ronald works malevolence, thus creating, in their opinion, a culturally-suitable game for the target market.
Ethan begins to date the newest addition to JPod, Kaitlin, and their relationship grows as she discovers that most of the members of the team, including herself, are mildly autistic. Kaitlin develops a hugging machine
Hug machine
A hug machine, also known as a hug box, a squeeze machine, or a squeeze box, is a deep-pressure device designed to calm hyper-sensitive persons, usually individuals with autism spectrum disorders...
after researching how autistic people enjoy the sensation of pressure from non-living things on their skin.
Douglas Coupland, as a character, is inserted into the novel when Ethan visits China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to bring a heroin-addicted Steve back to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. This Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
-version of Douglas Coupland consistently bumps into Ethan and manages to weave himself into the narrator's life. JPod finds itself in a digital world where technology is everything and the human mind is incapable of focusing on just one task.
Related works and influences
- BookShorts; a short video film depicturing characters of JPod was filmed in 2006 by BookShorts.com project with support from Random House Canada.
- Microserfs; JPod has been described frequently as an updating of Coupland’s 1995 novel MicroserfsMicroserfsMicroserfs, published by HarperCollins in 1995, is an epistolary novel by Douglas Coupland. It first appeared in short story form as the cover article for the January 1994 issue of Wired magazine and was subsequently expanded to full novel length...
for the 2000s. Publisher’s Weekly even called JPod “Microserfs 2.0”. Both novels centre around a group of eccentric young programming professionals. Both books are narrated by a young male (Ethan Jarlewski in JPod, Daniel Underwood in Microserfs). Both of these characters write the novel manuscript on a laptop, and both novels feature random product names, slogans, and messages in varying font size. In Microserfs, Daniel types in these random messages in an attempt to tap into his computer’s subconscious, while in JPod, the messages reflect the stream of messages, and consciousness, that computer users experience everyday. The narrator in both novels also begins and maintains a relationship with a female co-worker; Daniel dates Karla and Ethan dates Kaitlin. Both novels also deal heavily with lifestyle in the modern age of technology. In addition, the characters in both novels are introduced by the narrator through a piece of pop culture: in Microserfs, Daniel lists his co-workers’ dream categories in a game of Jeopardy!Jeopardy!Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
and in JPod, Ethan asks his co-workers to design an eBayEBayeBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
page for themselves. Finally, both novels touch on autismAutismAutism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. In Microserfs, Daniel says that he thinks that all tech people are autistic, and in JPod, Kaitlin describes all of her co-workers and her boss as mildly autistic. On an interesting side note, hugging machines as described in the novel have actually been developed to help those with autism. - Sitcoms; JPod was called by one reviewer “a 448 page sitcom”. The style of humor is very similar to that of sitcoms, and especially of Arrested Development. The humor mostly originates from character flaws. The characters themselves do not have much depth, and their flaws are exaggerated for comic effect. For example, John Doe is obsessed with being an 'average person' and many of his actions result from this singular character trait.
- Terry; TerryTerry (book)Terry is a pictorial biography of Terry Fox written by Canadian author Douglas Coupland in 2005 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Fox's death in 1981.-Overview:...
is Douglas Coupland’s pictorial biography of Terry FoxTerry FoxTerrance Stanley "Terry" Fox , was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research...
, written to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Terry’s 1981 death and published in 2005. Coupland was writing both Terry and JPod simultaneously, and Coupland was quoted in the Jerusalem Post saying that all of his “more noble character traits went into [Terry]. There was a tar-pit of ooze left over that wanted to go somewhere. JPod was it." This helps to explain the malicious version of Douglas Coupland (Anti-Doug) who appears in the novel. - Epistolary novels; Parts of the text of JPod are written as e-mails, text messages, and other messages written by the characters themselves. Therefore, JPod can be considered partly an epistolary novelEpistolary novelAn epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
, although much of the novel is also standard narrative format. - Self-insertion; JPod makes extensive use of the literary device of self-insertionSelf-insertionSelf-insertion is a literary device in which an author character who is the real author of a work of fiction appears as a character within that fiction, either overtly or in disguise....
, in which the author himself appears as a character. Other examples of this technique appear in The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
, The Divine ComedyThe Divine ComedyThe Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
, and numerous other fictional works. - Video gaming; JPod draws similarities to several real-life elements of the video gaming world. For example, the company that the characters work at is called Neotronic Arts, which is extremely similar to the real company Electronic ArtsElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. Besides the similarity in the name, both video game companies have their main office in Burnaby, close to the freeway, and both deal heavily in sports games. - TV series; A TV series based on the novel was produced by CBCCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
and began airing in January 2008. The show starred David KoppDavid Kopp (actor)David Kopp is a Canadian actor who starred as Ethan Jarlewski on CBC's jPod.- Cine :- Television :-External links:...
, Emilie UllerupEmilie UllerupEmilie Ullerup is a Danish actress. She is best known for playing Ashley Magnus on the television series Sanctuary.-Early life and education:...
, Ben Ayres, Steph SongSteph SongSteph Song is a Malaysian-born actress raised in Canada and Australia. She was voted Sexiest Woman in the world by Asian readers of FHM magazine...
, Torrance CoombsTorrance CoombsTorrance Coombs is a Canadian film, theatre and television actor.-Early life, education and early acting work:He was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
, Colin CunninghamColin CunninghamColin Alexander Cunningham is an American television and film actor, now living in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Television:...
, Sherry MillerSherry MillerSherry Miller is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Jane Oliver on the Canadian drama E.N.G. , Jennifer Taylor on the Showtime television show Queer As Folk and Dorothy O'Sullivan on The Best Years .- Biography :Miller began her career as a singer and dancer, gaining attention...
, and Alan ThickeAlan ThickeAlan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
. Six of the episodes were written or co-written by Douglas CouplandDouglas CouplandDouglas Coupland is a Canadian novelist. His fiction is complemented by recognized works in design and visual art arising from his early formal training. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularized terms such as McJob and...
. The show began airing on Tuesday nights, but because of low ratings it was moved to Friday nights. The continued low ratings resulted in CBC announcing the cancellation of the series in March 2008, despite the fan-based protest that this sparked. A total of 13 episodes were produced. The executive producer of the series, Larry Sugar, blamed CBC for the cancellation, saying that they had not done enough to promote the show.
Reviews of JPod
JPod has been received with mixed reception from literary critics. Some felt it is just an unsuccessful update of Microserfs, with no added substance, while others enjoyed its entertaining style and satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
.
Favourable
Favourable reviews of JPod largely focus on its entertaining qualities arising from the improbable-probable lives and quirks of the characters. As a Post-Gutenberg novel JPod is recognized for reflecting the fragmented state of the technology saturated generation, illustrating this generation’s inability to concentrate on one item for more than a few seconds.John Elk’s review of JPod comments on the novel being an affirmative updating of Coupland’s previous Microserfs
Microserfs
Microserfs, published by HarperCollins in 1995, is an epistolary novel by Douglas Coupland. It first appeared in short story form as the cover article for the January 1994 issue of Wired magazine and was subsequently expanded to full novel length...
, for the "Google generation". Coupland is mentioned as being “possibly the most gifted exegete of North American mass culture writing today”, with JPod being “his strongest, best-observed novel since Microserfs." JPod is described as an engaging book, with bizarre characters and devices making it “definitely worth the read” and while it is “not fully satisfying, it is entertaining”.
Another review of JPod describes how the fragmentation of the book relates to the autistic characteristics of the characters. The book is about the technology and video game generation, who “paradoxically have superhuman powers on concentration, yet can’t seem to focus on anything”. This message is brought up throughout the book, which tends to provoke the reader to really think about the effects of technology on our society.
Unfavourable
On the other hand, many critics were frustrated and irritated by the book. Dennis Lim of The Village VoiceThe Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
called it “smug, vacuous, easily distracted, and often supremely irritating”. He did note, however, that this “may be purposeful, but it's not in service of a meaningful larger point—unless you count the unmissable observation that too much information is, like, overwhelming”. John Elk said that Coupland “is neither a master of plot nor of characterization”, and his characters were also called “hollowed-out cartoons”.
Coupland was further criticized by critics like David Daley of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, who wrote that “subtlety still eludes Coupland” and that his “relentless riffing can be exhausting”. The 41 pages spent listing digits of pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
, for example, were found by many to be pointless and, as Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness is an American author, journalist and lecturer who lives in London. He holds both American and British citizenship...
noted, “lazily assembled”. As well, many critics found that Coupland’s appearance as a character was annoying, “narcissistic” and “an obvious and sort of sad attempt to turn [himself] into a cultural icon”. Other critics wondered if Coupland simply inserted himself because he didn’t know how else to end it.