u/crakerjmatt

I’d argue Menelaus

Dr. Hilarius and his LSD experiments as a feature to the rest of the novel effectively confirms this as a reference to MKUltra. But was that aspect of the program widely public that early? 1965; Pynchon presumably writing consciously in 1964? Weren't these revelations several years later? Of course, there are era-relative references at play here like Operation Paperclip, but was that real shadowy clandestine LSD-experiment aspect widely known enough to feature like it did?

Lapiz lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since anitquity for its intense color. As Beach House sings: "In the blue of this life. There's nothing like lapiz lazuli. Let it go back to me. Like no other, you can't be replaced."

This would speak to his uncanny abilities to deliever at just the right times, what he's delivering etc.

I think this would work very well. Pynchon’s books are in large part difficult and risk-prone to adapt into fully fleshed films, so in this sense it could be a work with a little distance to it similar to what OBAA was to Vineland.

I recently wrote a grad school history paper on Operation Paperclip - the classified military program in the 50s that secretly and illegally recruited hundreds of German scientists and engineers, many of whom were nazis intimately involved in war crimes, to assist in the development of rockets and other types of military tech for the US in the lead up to the Cold War. Realized recently how similar the arrangements Fring sets up in S4 for the construction workers and their housing is to the historical paperclip. Both began as clandestine, under the table operations bringing German/European experts together on a project, isolated from the rest of the world but at the same time living it up in expensive luxury etc. Making it even more similar is the fact that both operations were led by a more matured leading expert named Wernher. Wernher Ziegler for BCS and engineer Wernher von Braun for the team in paperclip.

Given this would make Gus the equivalent of the military/intelligence, what makes this even more interesting is the fact that, as it has been discussed on here and the BB sub a few times before, Fring was more than likely some kind of CIA asset or at least once was one: Starts his life out having some kind of involvement with the CIA/MI6 backed Pinochet regime and then from this position winds up being a major drug dealer and Mexico-USA drug smuggler right around the time of Iran-Contra, manages to later get his record scrubbed etc.

If we want to get really out there, Wernher Ziegler's last name is likely a reference to the character Ziegler in Eyes Wide Shut - of which lends itself to themes deeply related to the intelligence industry's relationships and associations with occultist ritual groups, the cousin's religious beliefs, Kubrick, and so on.

Noticed for the first time this last rewatch of AN Lance Johnson’s initials L.J. sounding like Lyndon Johnson’s initials. Is Lance supposed to represent Johnson? The only other survivor at the end is the rich famed white male of wealth - is this the kind of theme here? I know earlier on Willard mentions Lyndon J by name so maybe there’s some underlying text there as well, will have to go back and see.