JPod (TV Series) - Notable Differences From The Book

Notable Differences From The Book

• The series' main storyline lacks the book's character "Evil Mark". It was revealed in Episode 5, through a flashback scene, that Evil Mark was killed from inhaling helium at a jPod party. In the book, a different Marc (Marc Jacobsen) died from inhaling helium at his sister's birthday party before "Evil Mark" and Kaitlin join jPod.
• In the book Kaitlin asks what happened to Marc and no one answers to which she replies "this is so Pulp Fiction". In an episode Bree remarks after they kidnap someone "this is so Reservoir Dogs"
• Some brands mentioned by name in the book have been altered:
  • The "taint" has been changed from McDonald's food products to buttered popcorn.
  • The mention of Steve having "turn around Toblerone" becomes him having "turn around Monrovia Chocolates."
  • The "Subway Diet" Kaitlin supposedly went through is now the "Underground Sandwiches Diet", and rather than it being a hoax as in the book, on the series she claims to have lost a large amount of weight.
  • As of the third episode, it is apparent that the references to McDonald's and Ronald McDonald are switched for a Churley's fast food den who also has a red-haired clown Klownsworthy as a mascot (albeit with a different hairdo).
• With the public debut of jCola, the drink is flavoured with sugar and then spiked with cocaine by Kam Fong in the book. In one episode, Ethan creates jCola with a low calorie sweetener derived from breast milk (freedom and John Doe's secret sweetener), then Kaitlin's ex Kevin laces the drink with refined white sugar.
• In the book, Steve's son's name is Jeff, though he initially tells people it is Carter. In the show, his son's name is Conner.
• In the book, the turtle is named Jeff (supposedly based on Jeff Probst, but Steve was pulling a fast one). In the series, it goes by Dwight, after the drug dealer Steven and Ethan's mother injure at a subterranean parking lot.
• In the book it is Carol who asks Kam Fong to help her get rid of Steve (without hurting him). In the series, it was Jim who made that call when Steve was serenading the house.
• When Steve is missing; in the book Kaitlin discovers Steve's Penguin necktie in Ethan's parent's bathroom, instead, in the series, Ethan discovers Steve's PDA amongst some boxes in the basement.
• In the show, Ethan and Cowboy go to China, whereas in the book, Ethan made the trip alone.
• Cowboy's obsession with death is not noted until "Sprite Quest".
• In the book, Alistair Parrish did become the boss of jPod after Steve's disappearance, but he was rather nondescript. In the show, the podsters suffered under his tyrannical reign until Ethan tied him in a game of Rock-paper-scissors, with help from the mysterious Babette.
• Referencing Grand Theft Auto's Hot Coffee version, the TV series jPodsters work at inserting a secret red-light district into BoardX. Ethan then convinces the management that this will increase sales. Ethan attends meetings where another game, starring Klownsworthy as a hero clown is being negotiated. In the book, the jPodsters create Ronald's (McDonald) Lair of Death to insert into Sprite Quest. Steve later arranges for Ronald's Lair of Death to be released as a separate game. However, on the show, desperate for drug money, Steve tries to sell Sprite Quest to Awesome Arts to copy and release as Elf Crusade.
• Ethan's dad, Jim is hired to voice several characters for BoardX in the series. Instead, in the book he voices Ronald the Slasher clown for the secret insert in Sprite Quest.
• Kaitlin takes a class at the Kwantlen College Learning Annex in the book. But on the series, she needs to take night classes at the Princess Stephanie Institute to complete her high school diploma.
• Kaitin builds the hug machine in the book, for all the geek staffers to use. In the series, Steve steals the hug machine from his Cuddling group and installs it in the Neotronic Arts employee lounge.
• In the book John Doe tells the story about how his father won the Irish Sweepstakes and left his wife, and she became the radical feminist lesbian "freedom". On the show John Doe introduces Bree to his father, the turkey baster; it is implied that freedom was always a lesbian.
• The show also includes several different plot points including:
  • Cowboy trying to get John Doe laid
  • Storyline involving Bree visiting and helping John Doe reunite with his mother after he steals a tray of lasagna.
  • Storyline involving Bree meeting with the head of the U.K. office and John Doe getting her on to the list of people in line to the British throne.
  • Storyline involving Cowboy helping Alistair Parrish, who was detained at Guantanamo Bay detention camp following the September 11th terrorist attacks update the code for his game, which involved flying planes into buildings.
  • Storyline involving a mysterious Neotronic employee named Babette helping to remove Alistair from jPod.
  • John Doe being very proficient at administering oral sex.
  • John Doe and Bree have sex, while in the book, they have no romantic relationship at all.
  • John Doe and Cowboy were mentioned to go graffiti tagging in the book, in the show there is no mention of such activity.
  • Storyline involving Jim and Carol attending the Vancouver Swing convention.
  • Storylines involving Kaitlin's ex-boyfriend Kevin and Ethan's ex-girlfriend Sarah coming back into their lives. These characters do not exist in the book, so the Kaitlin-Ethan romance is much less complicated.
  • Storyline involving Carol and Dwight. In the book, Carol has only one drug dealer to dispose of - Tim.
  • Storyline involving the disposal of the ashes of Carol's father.
  • Kaitlin's graduation problems and jPod Prom storyline.
  • Cowboy donating sperm to the Lesbian commune.

• In the book Ethan's room was converted into a sewing room, in the show it remained the same as when he had left it.
• Kam Fong shoots a video of Ethan singing karaoke to "All out of Love" by Air Supply. In the book Ethan sings "Total Eclipse of the Heart" written by Jim Steinman.
• On the series, John Doe does not have any interest in sneakers, while Ethan collects them. In the book Ethan refers to John and Cowboy as "Shoeheads".
• No mention of Douglas Coupland as a pop reference, or as a character. But he plays a dead guy in a dream sequence in the episode "Sprite Quest".
• The woman executive Gordina only exists on the show. Her version in the book is actually a man named Gord-O. In the book, a few very minor co-workers were named who did not work in jPod but interacted with Ethan. On the show jPod is very isolated and the only interaction is with management executives.
• John does not mention siblings in the series. In the book Ethan briefly meets John Doe's sister Yarrow. Kaitlin mentions an overweight sister in the book, but on the show she has an absorbed twin.
• Carol Jarlewski is faithful to Jim. In the book, both of them have cheated on the other.
• The finale: In the book, the jPodsters all leave the gaming company to work on a new Globe project for Douglas Coupland. Steve arranges the release of Ronald's Lair of Death by their old employer, and the jPodsters are all paid a share. On the show; Steve is dead, and Jpod is soon disbanded and the podsters find other projects to work on at Neotronic. Bree works on Girlfighter, John at Knügle (The Sims-like IKEA game), Cowboy works on an artificial intelligence program, Kaitlin on Baby Cloris (based on an iconic childhood doll), and Ethan plans to transfer to Neotronic San Francisco to work in medical imaging.