Object

Mercator Projection Map

Projector flares to life as Dr. Fallow unleashes the Peters Projection Map: continents wrench northward in squished defiance—Greenland shrinks to its true puniness, Africa swells fourteenfold vaster than Mercator's lies. C.J. and Josh jolt forward, eyes widening in stunned epiphany, as 'nothing's where you think it is' shatters their worldviews in the Press Room's charged hush.

2 appearances

Purpose

Visual demonstration tool to expose imperialist size distortions in traditional world maps, contrasting Greenland's inflated scale against Africa's true dominance.

Significance

Ignites perceptual revolution in the Press Room frenzy, mirroring the episode's cascade of espionage deceptions and hidden truths, as cartographers' assault on map biases forces C.J. and Josh to question 'nothing's where you think it is.'

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E16 · Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail

Cartographers Shatter C.J. and Josh's Map Perceptions with Peters Projection

Fallow blasts the Mercator Projection onto the projector, its warped lines bloating Greenland to falsely rival Africa's fourteenfold vastness, sparking C.J.'s mind-blown reaction and the cartographers' evisceration of its imperialist legacy, positioning it as the villainous relic under fire.

Before: Digitized, ready for projection

After: Superseded by Peters on display

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S2E16 · Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail

Flipped Map Freaks Out C.J., Challenging Power Perceptions

The Mercator Projection map serves as the central demonstration tool, projected to reveal distortions bloating the North while shrinking the South; Fallow flips it to invert hemispheres, functioning as a literal and metaphorical pivot that catalyzes C.J.'s perceptual crisis and underscores the event's theme of upended realities.

Before: Projected in standard orientation with Northern Hemisphere dominant at top

After: Flipped to place Southern Hemisphere at top, Northern at bottom, visibly altering audience perception

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