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One day, a friend came at me, visibly excited and not having slept for a long time. He told me, I think, of a show he saw during the past few days:

So, there was this guy, a ginger guy. We already know him, but after... I mean, this was before, you know, the book. Anyway, that's when he meets this other guy, he's not that tall yet, and they go on some adventures, it's pretty cool. There's also some women, many women in fact, and they're all supposed to be bad, but we learn that, well, some of them aren't so bad after all. I guess the ginger guy wouldn't like them too much though, plus he can't really meet them can he? Well, speaking of not liking people, did I told you about this other bloke? What a bastard! He thinks other people are bastards, but I tell you: he is the real bastard here! Quite literate though. But you should see how he treats that nice... hairy-beardy guy, that's a real shame! Anyway, he's nothing compared to "Mister Evil" there. At first you think he's a nice guy, a family guy, and that the young one is the jerk, but no! He's the worst! There's not uncertainty on this, the guy loses all of his principles in a matter of months. A real descent into hell, just like all these other people, with their phones, and their screens, and their pigs, and their technology...

He wasn't making much sense, and I have a feeling that part of his story is quite out of place here, but I can't figure exaclty which part and why. Can you help me find what's wrong?

Hint:

Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if my friend didn't in fact mixed several shows...

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    $\begingroup$ Reminds me of (ROT13) uneel cbggre... but I can't make all the pieces fit, nor can I figure out what would be wrong $\endgroup$
    – puzzledPig
    May 2, 2018 at 22:56
  • $\begingroup$ @puzzledPig then don't pursue on that idea, because this is not related to it ;) $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 3, 2018 at 7:01
  • $\begingroup$ For a while I thought that this riddle should rather have com from user (ROT13) Enaq ny'Gube. It's been long time since I read this particular series and I stopped somewhere in the middle (around volume 7) of this seemingly neverending story, so I am not sure whether the parts I can't connect are due to me not knowing the whole of the story, or due to me guessing wrong. - Do you think for this riddle I should blow the dust off the neglected volumes and go on a speed-reading frenzy from where I left? $\endgroup$
    – Karsten Köpnick
    May 3, 2018 at 10:05
  • $\begingroup$ @KarstenKöpnick I don't know which series you're talking about, but I can tell you you are on the wrong path here $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 3, 2018 at 10:21
  • $\begingroup$ @Keelhaul: Thanks. That would have been Wheel of Time. Was a rather wild guess, but some bells rang and looked like potential matches. But I definitely prefer not having to do the reading frenzy. $\endgroup$
    – Karsten Köpnick
    May 3, 2018 at 10:41

4 Answers 4

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A partial answer w/ thanks to Joseph Mulligan

There's also some women, many women in fact, and they're all supposed to be bad, but we learn that, well, some of them aren't so bad after all. I guess the ginger guy wouldn't like them too much though, plus he can't really meet them can he?

Orange Is the New Black, a sitcom set in a women's prison.

Well, speaking of not liking people, did I told you about this other bloke? What a bastard! He thinks other people are bastards, but I tell you: he is the real bastard here! Quite literate though. But you should see how he treats that nice... hairy-beardy guy, that's a real shame!

Black Books, a sitcom set in an eponymous book shop run by a misanthropic Irishman and his long-suffering hairy-beardy assistant.

Anyway, he's nothing compared to "Mister Evil" there. At first you think he's a nice guy, a family guy, and that the young one is the jerk, but no! He's the worst! There's not uncertainty on this, the guy loses all of his principles in a matter of months.

Joseph Mulligan: Mister Evil is Walter White in Breaking Bad ('uncertainty' and 'principles' refer to the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle, and Heisenberg is White's pseudonym in the show).

A real descent into hell, just like all these other people, with their phones, and their screens, and their pigs, and their technology...

Black Mirror, short stories about dystopian futures in which technology perverts, abuses, and erodes humanity.

So, there was this guy, a ginger guy. We already know him, but after... I mean, this was before, you know, the book. Anyway, that's when he meets this other guy, he's not that tall yet, and they go on some adventures, it's pretty cool.

On the basis that we're looking for something black, why not let's give Black Beauty (an 1877 novel) a bash? A horse that starts out small, and whose best mate is a horse called Ginger (or possibly a ginger-haired human). There have been countless adaptations, but perhaps The Adventures of Black Beauty, a TV series beginning in 1972, is most relevant to the riddle?

As for the odd one out,

All the TV shows have black in their names, except for Breaking Bad, whose main character is Walter White.

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    $\begingroup$ I'm pretty sure that 'Mister Evil' is ROT13(Jnygre Juvgr (Oernxvat Onq)) because ROT13('hapregnvagl' naq 'cevapvcyrf' ersref gb gur Urvfraoret Hapregnvagl cevapvcyr, naq Urvfraoret vf Juvgr'f cfrhqbalz va gur fubj). $\endgroup$
    – Joseph Mulligan
    May 4, 2018 at 6:46
  • $\begingroup$ You're closing in! $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 4, 2018 at 8:51
  • $\begingroup$ The ginger guy could be from the TV show Riverdale based on Archie Comics ? $\endgroup$
    – Albino
    May 4, 2018 at 9:46
  • $\begingroup$ "Ginger guy" references a much more recent show, but the rest is all good! Let's wait a bit more to see if you or someone else get the missing one... $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 4, 2018 at 11:23
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Your friend is confused because:

He has seen several different shows (or movies) back to back and mistaken them for one show because he has seen the same actor in more than one show.

My guess at the links:

Sean Bean was in Game of Thrones (the "bastard" reference) and also in the Lord of The Rings movies (meets a short guy and goes on adventures).
Jerome Flynn appeared in Game of Thrones and Black Mirror.
Jesse Plemons appeared in Breaking Bad (the mister evil reference) and also appeared in an episode of Black Mirror (although not the pig episode!)

The clue is:

Your title "A story of manicheism". Manicheism was an ancient religion that blended elements from other religions into one. Your friend has blended elements from multiple shows into one story.

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  • $\begingroup$ That's not it, sorry $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 3, 2018 at 14:36
  • $\begingroup$ @Keelhaul How about now? $\endgroup$
    – Astralbee
    May 3, 2018 at 15:18
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    $\begingroup$ Like @Joseph, some parts are good (let's say 2 out of the 3 you mention), but you still go off the trail with that ;) $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 3, 2018 at 15:24
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There's definitely elements of

Black Mirror: "A real descent into hell, just like all these other people, with their phones, and their screens, and their pigs, and their technology"

and

Breaking Bad: "Anyway, he's nothing compared to 'Mister Evil' there. At first you think he's a nice guy, a family guy, and that the young one is the jerk, but no! He's the worst! There's not uncertainty on this, the guy loses all of his principles in a matter of months"

I also think that

'Bastard' might refer to Sean Bean's character from Game of Thrones, as Sean Bean is quite famous for saying 'bastard'.

As a guess at the solution:

The connection I've come up with so far (though I don't think this is a complete solution) is that HBO produced Breaking Bad and Game of thrones, and Black Mirror is a show that started out being produced by Channel 4 in the UK and is now produced by Netflix.

Another guess at the solution (thanks to fanjie):

All the shows have Black in the title except Breaking Bad, in which the main character's name is Walter White

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  • $\begingroup$ You started well and then got off trail :) $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 3, 2018 at 13:55
  • $\begingroup$ @JosephMulligan I just added the same guess :D I took a punt at the identity of our ginger fellah, if it misses I'm totally lost. $\endgroup$
    – fanjie
    May 4, 2018 at 11:02
  • $\begingroup$ @fanjie's answer is more complete and will get the tick in a while (just waiting for more ideas on "ginger guy"), but well done nonetheless! $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 4, 2018 at 11:27
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Is this about:

Harry Potter? He's not so tall at the beginning

Ginger guy:

Ron Weasley

Some women:

Hermione seems mean at the beginning of the show

The bloke:

Malefoy

The hairy-beardy guy:

Hagrid, being bullied by Malefoy.

"Mister Evil":

I would see Harry's cousin, Dudley Dursley, because he's the one who seem to be the good boy in the first Harry Potter, and he become spoiled by his parents presents and technology. He also got a piggy tail in one of the movies.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nope, @puzzledPig had the same idea in the comments but unfortunately this is not related to Harry Potter ;) $\endgroup$
    – Keelhaul
    May 3, 2018 at 13:26

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