Notes for season 4 episode 19, “Search and Destroy“
04:04 Finch claims that “86% of networked devices” are using Castellum anti-virus. I’d be surprised if 86% of desktop/laptop devices have full file-scanning anti-virus running, let alone “networked devices” as a whole. The release of Microsoft Security Essentials (and later Windows Defender) as free products means that there’s no near-monopoly in the PC anti-virus market.
07:07 We see in-universe gossip website “GXT News!”, which I’m assuming to be an analog of TMZ.
08:00 A “castellum” is a small Roman fort or watchtower, so definitely in the genre of infosec company naming.
13:30 “When one of the studios got hacked, it was like a shotgun blast.” The hacking in this episode appears to be a combination of the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, and the 2012 targeting of journalist Matt Honan.
27:30 Samaritan is able to hack retractable bollards and cause car accidents – a core mechanic in Watch_Dogs (2014).
38:40 The prop used for the bulletproof case is, incredibly, not a Pelican – it’s a Samsonite Focus Inspector Briefcase.
39:10 Inside the briefcase is a Fabergé Egg. The machine instructs Root to smash it, and keep the case. It’s a gag, but we do get a glimpse of the Machine’s cold martial priorities. Art is worthless, but a bulletproof briefcase is of practical value.