The Dreamatorium is more important than any of us.
|
— Abed |
The Dreamatorium is a special play area that is set up in the second bedroom of Troy and Abed's apartment. According to Abed, it's a virtual play room, a place where they can go anywhere and have any type of adventure, the catch being that it only works in their minds. Aside from the blanket fort they constructed in the living room, it's the place where Troy and Abed will often spend most of their time; it is considered by them to be the most important room in the apartment. Its first appearance was in the Season Three episode "Studies in Modern Movement". It makes subsequent appearances in the latter half of the season before it's finally dismantled in "Introduction to Finality".
History[]
When Annie agreed to move in with Troy and Abed, she was told that there was a second bedroom. She was shocked to find out that the room they intended her to sleep in was a blanket fort constructed in the living room. She tried her best to cope with the living arrangements they had laid out for her until she discovered that there actually was another bedroom. It had been turned into a special playroom for Troy and Abed. Upset that they would force her to sleep in a blanket fort instead of an actual room, she leaves. She returns later in the day to retrieve her property and is surprised to find that all her stuff has been moved into Troy and Abed's former room. They decided to give it up and live in the blanket fort instead. Abed explains that while the Dreamatorium is more important than anyone, Annie is more important to them than having their own bedroom.
|
Troy and Abed later use the Dreamatorium to "de-whimsify" themselves for Shirley's upcoming wedding. They act out as much of their fantasies as possible to become normal, so they won't embarrass Shirley. Abed later goes to the Dreamatorium after a fight with Troy about his addiction to celebrity impersonators. Once inside, he encounters Evil Abed from the "Darkest Timeline". Evil Abed suggests there are advantages to not having Troy with him in the Dreamatorium. Abed agrees which foreshadows events in future episodes. ("Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts", "Contemporary Impressionists").
|
Abed later shows Annie the true power of the Dreamatorium as he reveals its ability to create simulations based on real events. He proudly shows off a closet that houses the "engine" of the room which is actually made up of cardboard pipes and boxes. Abed explains that he is able to distill his thoughts into the machine and accurately predict the future based on scenarios he plays out in the Dreamatorium. Already annoyed with Annie that she set up Troy and Britta on a date, Abed suffers a nervous breakdown when she rearranges the "engine" and collapses into a catatonic state. When he awakens, Annie is forced to play along with his delusions to get to the heart of what's really troubling him ("Virtual Systems Analysis").
|
Honoring an agreement he made, Troy is forced to enroll at the Greendale Air Conditioning Repair School and has to cut off all ties to Abed and the study group. Abed is unable to properly handle the loss of his best friend which makes him susceptible to the machinations of Evil Abed. He lures Abed into the Dreamatorium and takes control of him. He waits for Britta to arrive and lures her into the room as well where he crushes her spirit. He leaves the apartment to do the same thing to Jeff, intending on recreating "The Darkest Timeline" in this reality. When he finds Jeff and overhears a Winger speech he is delivering about friendship and selflessness, he falters. Abed takes back control of his body, and Evil Abed is forced to leave. Later, Abed is seen dismantling the Dreamatorium so Troy can move into the room after he returns from the Air Conditioning school. Back in his blanket fort room, however, he has constructed a mini-Dreamatorium closet ("Introduction to Finality").
|
Layout[]
The Dreamatorium has intersecting orange tape covering the walls which are painted green. A cardboard control panel is located across from the closet which stores the engine that powers the room. The "engine" is a series of interconnecting tubes, plastic bottles, pizza boxes, a laundry basket, and the two most important elements: two tissue boxes. The larger tissue box is Abed's thoughts, and the smaller one is other people's thoughts. Using both together, Abed claims he is able to run highly sophisticated scenarios to predict the future.
|
List of Dreamatorium simulations[]
- A courtroom (mentioned in "Studies in Modern Movement").
- S.S. Abed 1373 ("Contemporary Impressionists").
- The "much crappier" HMS Spacetime 12 ("Virtual Systems Analysis").
- X-7 Dimensionizer (mentioned in "Virtual Systems Analysis").
- Señor Kevin's ("Virtual Systems Analysis").
- Greendale Community College ("Virtual Systems Analysis").
- Greendale Hospital School ("Virtual Systems Analysis").
Trivia[]
Inspiration[]
- The Dreamatorium is an homage to the Holodeck in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Dreamatorium borrows both its look and purpose.
- The mini-Dreamatorium Abed builds may be a reference to the 'Zero Room' from Doctor Who which was introduced, destroyed and rebuilt as the 'Zero Cabinet' in the episode "Castrovalva".
- Its name may be derived from Buckethead's 1994 album released under the guise of Death Cube K.
- The name also appears in the Bob's Burger's episode "Hamburger Dinner Theater" as the name of the show Linda Belcher puts on at their restaurant.
- Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) of NBC's Parks and Recreation uses the name "Dreamatorium" to describe Entertainment 720, a business he opens at the end of Season 3, Episode 16 ("Lil' Sebastian"). The episode aired in May 2011, seven months prior to the introduction of Troy and Abed's Dreamatorium.