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scorpionyx9621 · 1 year

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On Ron Staedtler as a Character: A Broken Rebel or Selfish Asshole? (Spoiler warning for Inside Job Season 2 plus TW mentions of Su!c!de)

Man what a title to start this essay on. I binged Inside Job because a friend of mine here introduced me to the show on New Years Eve and to say that I love the show is an understatement. It's what you get when you throw Rick & Mory, The Office, and Gravity Falls into a blender. A very fun, very emotional, and very interesting animated series.

In this essay we'll be discussing the keystone character of the second season and the romantic interest of protagonist Reagan Ripley, Ronald (Ron) Staedtler. The director of the Illuminati's (Cognito's rival company) Mind Erasure division. When the illuminati messes up and needs to prevent secrets from getting out, they send in Ron, who more or less comes across as their assassin. Him and Reagan initially start off as hostile towards each other but very quickly grow an enemies-to-lovers relationship.

I want to analyze Ron on a bit of a deeper level in this mind dump/thought essay and see what everyone else thinks. So enjoy!

I want to start this first portion by highlighting just how many similarities these two have. They were very intentional in making it known that these two have an almost immediate attraction to each other because of their similarities.

Both have very similar physical characteristics to the point that it looks like Ron is basically just a male version of Reagan. Darker hair, darker skin complexion, similar shaped eyes and nose. (I headcanon that Ron is also Biracial just like Reagan. Who is half-white, half-Japanese. Someone made a post saying Ron is Filipino and I'm running with that. Plus it explains him being raised Catholic.)

Both are upper-level managers at their respective companies, whom they both have a lot of personal issues with. (Reagan in Robotics, Ron in Mind Erasure)

Both are bitter cynics who tend to push people away out of fear of being rejected. A lot of this stemmed from family lives that were quite abusive. (Reagan being raised by two absolute narcissists, one of whom was such a tiger parent that he forcibly wiped Regan's memories of the one friend she ever had. And while we don't know anything really about Ron's family we know he's dealing with a lot of repressed religious trauma via his family's intense catholicism.)

The naming of these two also is a bit too ironic to be coincidental. Ronald (Ron) Staedtler and Reagan Ripley. Shion and Alex weren't even trying to be subtle with this one.

All this being said, it's clear that these two naturally gravitated towards each other and immediately had comparable chemistry with one another. All this being said the show also made it a point to emphasize that they were moving very quickly as a couple. Which almost assuredly is a red flag for things not being able to last.

Much to many people's surprise. The season ends after a rocky patch between Ron and Reagan with Ron deciding to finally take the steps to wipe his own memory. To finally rid himself of all the trauma he has received and to start over with a fresh, new, quiet life away from the Illuminati and all the conspiracies of the world being alive and well and trying to make water cooler office banter with him.

I'm going to emphasize that this section has a trigger warning in that the show portrays how Ron views Mind Erasure against himself similar to how we would commonly view su!c!de and self harm. If this is something that you are not comfortable reading please by all means click off and do not subject yourself to what I am about to discuss.

The whole reason why Ron is in the Anonymous meeting at the beginning of Season 2 is because he got caught attempting to erase his own memories. Ron holds a lot of trauma and self-anger because of his job. Being the chief mind-eraser he has to bear with the weight of wiping the minds of individuals who came too close to finding out his company's secrets. Ron has pointed out to Reagan that this is something that weighs very heavily on his conscience.

When you look at Ron physically he's taller than Brett, has a similar musculature and build as Brett and in general comes across as much darker and much more imposing and intimidating. If Ron were in his cloak pointing his mind-eraser gun at me I would run for my damn life. And it's Ron's job to make sure that anyone who discovers the Illuminati's secrets has their mind wiped. At whatever cost is necessary. Ron has probably seen hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people run away from him with genuine, unadulterated fear for their lives in their eyes. These people must have thought Ron was coming to kill them. How many times must have Ron stared down at someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and watch them cry, sob, beg, and plead with Ron for their lives? Thankfully once their minds are wiped these people don't remember the horrifically traumatic events they were just put through, but you know who does remember? Ron.

It's this overwhelming guilt and general hatred for what he does that defines Ron as a character. While Ron and Reagan may have a lot of similarities. The key and largest difference between the two is the fact that Reagan believes she can fix the world and fix everything from the inside given the chance. Ron has given up the thought that he can change anything and instead actively works against the Illuminati in any way that won't draw enough attention to himself. Ron just wants to get away from everything but he knows too much to be let free and is too valuable an asset to be wiped. So he's stuck in his own hell of a job and the one time he's able to escape is with Reagan.

I want to emphasize that I do not believe that Ron is in any way a bad person. If anything he, unlike many of the people in the show, actually has a genuine conscience and deeply regrets his actions of essentially being the Illuminati's grim reaper. However it must be said that Ron is ultimately selfish in wanting to take Reagan with her into his new life of his own creation. This is by no means saying that Ron is a coward for trying to leave and forget his life, with mind-erasure acting as a heavily handed metaphor for su!c!de. Reagan herself admits to this.

"You had a hard time, for a long time. But you did something brave. You took a chance on a new life because you realized you deserved one."

However Reagan was conflicted. She had the chance of a lifetime to finally gain the power in her work that she wanted. A chance to finally work with (and against) the Robes. But she had a chance to take all of her trauma, years of abuse from her family and her parents, to be with the man who she loved more than anything. So she had Alpha Beta run thousands of simulations for her, to see if she could find a happy ending with her as head of Cognito and with Ron. And thousands of times later, the answer was still no. The one time she found a solution was when Ron had no memories of the Illuminati, Cognito, The Robes, the Secret Societies, nothing. So Reagan made the biggest sacrifice she could. She let Ron wipe his own memory but chose not to join him. Giving him the chance to finally be free from his demons who kept him awake at night.

This brings me back to my prompt. Is Ron an asshole for forcing Reagan to choose between her dreams and him? Not necessarily. I don't believe Ron ever intended on coming between Reagan and her goals, at least not intentionally. Ron was putting himself first which in itself is an act of selfishness but he did not wish to harm Reagan.

The image above from the Halloween episode to me is the best visual representation of this. Ron is forced to change into Brett's costume as Chris Angel. Having him wear a cross while he realizes the only way to save himself and Reagan is to use his mind-wiping abilities to stop the Cognito office from attacking Ron because they all fell in love with him. In this scene, Ron is holding his gun, representing his hatred of his occupation and all the trauma it has forced upon him. Plus he's wearing a cross while being all but shirtless, symbolizing his religious trauma.

It's no wonder that this shows when Reagan tries her best to convince Ron to work for Cognito, when his two most prevalent traumas are thrust upon him in a life-or-death situation that he finally snaps. He finally decides he can't take it anymore and he puts into motion his plan to end everything as Ron Staedtler and begin a new life with a clean slate and new identity. Because for all intents and purposes, at the end of Appleton when Ron wipes his own mind. The Ron Staedtler that we grew to know and love is dead. There's only Martin Higgins now. And we don't know who Martin Higgins is other than he leads a perfectly normal life in Appleton, Wisconsin, who will eventually get the life and love and family he deserves, it's just that Reagan Ripley will not be a part of that life.

Ron Staedtler is a very complex character for all 6 or so episodes we have of him. Ron is a genuinely good person who got in over his head trying to find the answers to life and ended up becoming the last thing you see before you have your memory erased for looking too deep into something you shouldn't have. He's a deeply traumatized man who learned to live and love and helped Reagan Ripley learn to open up and love again. And while both Ron and Reagan wanted to change their situations. Ron had been so damaged and so broken by the time the opportunity came around to make a change that he chose to take his own way out. He created a new life for himself free from his traumas because he knew that he deserved it. However he prioritized himself over Reagan and chose to be free. Ron didn't know that Reagan had run thousands of simulations but came to the same conclusion every time. That no matter what they had done, so long as Reagan was still at Cognito, the two of them would have never been truly happy with one another.

If Reagan could create a situation where the two of them could be happy together Reagan would have given 110% of her to make it work. But she has to choose and she chose to go with Cognito and The Robes. I don't know if Ron would have chosen to continue with this plane if he knew Reagan had to make this choice. However it shows and attests much more to Reagan's character that she sacrifices her own happiness so Ron can be happy. Ron Staedtler was a deeply traumatized man who found the courage to be free. And that in itself is so powerful. I sincerely hope we see more of Ron, or Martin Higgins in the future.

#inside job spoilers #inside job netflix #ron staedtler #ron statler inside job #Reagan Ripley #I miss this man so much #tw sucidal ideation #tw sui implied

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blatantlackofdecorum · 1 year

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Can you please write more Staedler x reader? You’re the only blog I’ve found that writes it. Tysm :) :) :)

of course!!

General Ron Staedtler x GN! S/O

- for someone who works in such a violent environment, he certainly is one of the most gentle people you’ll meet. he’s so attentive to detail. I’ve said before that when he finds out you like something?? he’s remembering it. same thing with general interests, shows, movies, even a certain animal. prepare to get random pictures of capybaras if you so much as mention one, once.

- he can never get enough sleep. by the time he gets home, prepare to be wrapped up in his arms for a few solid hours. he loves sleep. but he loves sleeping wrapped around you, even more. couch naps while the two of you watch movies?? the absolute best. prepare to feel the safest you’ve ever been.

- gods, I don’t think he gets jealous very much, but he will never take it out on you if he is. he’ll take a more mature approach and talk to you about it, and even if it’s explained away and he trusts you, expect an arm snaked around your waist when this other person shows up. lacing your fingers with his, or kissing you on the head halfway through a conversation.

- such a geek. he grew up fixated on star trek and most things to do with aliens. he definitely had his star wars fazes; and if you watch the movies with him he will be forever indebted. he gets way too excited explaining random plot holes and the rest of the lore to you. buy him a light saber and he might propose to you right there.

- even when he’s groggy from work, he’ll be all over you when he gets home. he will always check how your day is before he passes out. if there’s anything he can do to make it better? he’ll suck up the lack of sleep and make sure he jumps through any hoops he has to.

- please give him haircuts. he’s never trusted barbers enough to do it because of a bad experience in high-school, and it can get so choppy so quickly. the second you get finished cutting it, he’s checking in the mirror and absolutely praising your work. he realized how much a decent haircut can change his look up and won’t hesitate to come back when it grows out.

#ron staedtler inside job #ron staedtler #ron statler #ron statler inside job #inside job x reader #inside job #inside job headcanons #inside job ron #ron inside job #brett hand #reagan ridley

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