MovieChat Forums > The Last Man on Earth (2015) Discussion > What was the point of having Mike....

What was the point of having Mike....

posted 8 years ago by monkeyalien
14 replies | jump to latest

if you're just going to kill him off? Will Ferrell & Jon Hamm's character were good one-offs but there was a lot of set-up to bring in Mike only to have him die. I like this show but it lacks direction and consistency. At one point gasoline was becoming unusable and yet they're still driving gasoline-powered vehicles. Phil #2 started making their situation more sustainable with solar panels and they talked about growing food but there was no follow-through with that. When the group moves they don't seem to take much with them. They have two pregnant women and they're not preparing for the future at all.

(this signature was absent on picture day)

[–] psychozealot 8 years ago

lacks direction and consistency

that is what makes the show so great, you never know what to expect, just like in real life

[–] standrkm 8 years ago

he's a scientist, might be alive and figure out a useful cure or something in case they start getting sick or the babies need a vaccine?

"how's a fella go about gettin' a holt of the police?" -Karl

[–] grchereck 8 years ago

I like the idea of him surviving a mutated, milder strain of the virus which he can then use to develop a vaccine for the babies. 

But ultimately, I still look at this show as being primarily about how Phil/Tandy gradually becomes the best version of himself (even if it took "the end of the world" and finding someone like Carol to help him jump-start that process), and I suppose his being able to reconcile with his estranged brother was a necessary step -- both his biggest moral test yet (which he apparently failed at first, considering his regression in "Skidmark" and "Fourth Finger" after the incremental growth he'd shown during the first half of season 2), and a key to understanding and confronting his major issues (insecurity, selfishness, pettiness, etc.).

"I know I'm not normal -- but I'm trying to change!" ~ Muriel's Wedding

[–] standrkm 8 years ago

I still believe that ultimately Tandy will be the last man on Earth by the time the show ends.

"how's a fella go about gettin' a holt of the police?" -Karl

[–] grchereck 8 years ago

I could see that -- him eventually, somehow, outliving all the male characters. 

"I know I'm not normal -- but I'm trying to change!" ~ Muriel's Wedding

[–] TopFlight 8 years ago

He probably is anyway, in that the final episode of the series will probably show him dying in the desert of Arizona, having hallucinated the entire series.

[–] Scott-101 8 years ago

I don't know if Mike got killed off. He was just getting sick but we don't know if it was explainable

[–] bing-57 8 years ago

> if you're just going to kill him off?

In case you missed it, Mike is just one in a long string of characters (and animals) that have come onto the show only to get killed off in a couple of episodes or less.

In any case, we don't know that Mike is dead or that he even had the virus. We'll just have to wait and see.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] trazey34 8 years ago

Am I the only one who doesn't think Mike is dead? I don't think Jason Sudekis wanted to be a regular cast member but I definitely think he'll pop up again at some point! Probably just wishful thinking tho :)

Someone who disagrees with you is NOT a hater 😉

[–] hotrats2112 8 years ago

I don't think even Will Forte knows if Mike is really dead. In all the interviews he says they left it open ended but to him he died. On the other hand Sudsy could be free when they're filming parts of season 4 and make a reappearance but it's unlikely.

[–] TopFlight 8 years ago

He would almost certainly have died in the re-entry to earth. Keep in mind that your body deteriorates in long-term zero gravity. You can even develop severe eye problems. He wouldn't even have been able to walk without help. That whole part of the show was absurd, and probably only in there to get Forte's friend Sudeikis in the show for a few episodes.

[–] standrkm 8 years ago

Realistically he would have been in really bad shape mentally and physically. His eyesight wouldn't have been so good for sure.

No matter what he did he'd lose over 1% of bone mass per month, so at around 3+ years he's lost at least 36% bone mass. If Mike stopped exercising then he'd lose 20% of muscle mass in as little as a week. So he had to be exercising the required 2.5 hours a day to only lose 2% per month for a total of 72%. He'd also be 180% weaker! The funny thing is after he crash lands, he's immediately paddling that sea tricycle. I figured he would have some decompression issues but that's actually a nonissue. He would have a blood issue though that would probably kill him as space causes so much blood to travel to your brain.

So yeah, if Tandy and him got into a fight on the beach, he would have broken every bone in Mike's frail body. I'm not a scientist but I do google way too much.

"how's a fella go about gettin' a holt of the police?" -Karl

[–] sarahthenerd 8 years ago

Episode 3x06 is called "The Open-Ended Nature of Unwitnessed Death" and Will Forte has said the sports balls (last seen with Mike) will be back, so I don't think we've seen the last of him yet.

[–] kramsey20 8 years ago

Because crapping on Tandy is the universe's favorite hobby.