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Why Mouthwashing Buries Its Own Story — Transcript

by nightmoire · 39,114 words · 6,518 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:02mouthwash.
0:03Got a rotten, [music] neglected face
0:05hole absolutely riddled with cavities?
0:09Mama always told you to [music] brush.
0:11Your dentist wasted years of their life
0:13teaching you how to floss in all those
0:15hard to see places. But what do they
0:18know anyway? It's hard to see. So why
0:22should you have to go looking for it?
0:24Why waste precious printing time on the
0:27hard work of dental [music] care and
0:28maintenance when we both know what you
0:31really need to make it all feel better?
0:34Get that tingly, burning sensation of
0:37cleanliness. No hassle, no effort, and
0:40[music] absolutely no responsibility.
0:44After all, no one wants to spend their
0:46precious corporatemandated energy
0:48allowance on prevention or, god forbid,
0:51getting to the root of an ever
0:53escalating abscess. Ew, just go away.
0:58Why use 100% of your [music] effort when
1:01mouthwash gets 99.9% of the job done?
1:05That's right, 99.9%.
1:08Basically, good enough.
1:11So go on, maintain [music] appearances,
1:14feain freshness, and always remember
1:16that last 0.1% is that it's just num nom
1:20nom nom nom not your problem.
1:35Mouthwashing is not a game about
1:37mouthwash, but it is a game about that
1:400.1%.
1:42The sliver of harm or decay that cannot
1:45be rinsed away or sanitized.
1:48In mouthwashing, that little fragment is
1:51not the final bacterial [music] clump
1:53that clings to enamel in the wake of its
1:55antiseptic attack, but rather a person.
2:00Which character is represented by that
2:020.1% is rather interchangeable depending
2:05on how you frame the story. [music]
2:07But what remains consistent is that
2:10nothing you do can salve, purify, or
2:14heal [music] that remnant, no matter how
2:17many times you might try to rinse it
2:19away.
2:21That [music] is because you play as two
2:23characters who treat deep systemic decay
2:28with mouthwash.
2:40The Tulpar is a space freighter
2:42embarking on a longhaul flight across
2:44[music] the galaxy with a crew of five,
2:47delivering ungodly amounts of subpar
2:49mouthwash for the company Pony Express.
2:52The crew consists of Anna, the ship's
2:55nurse, Daisy Kay, the young, [music]
2:57enthusiastic intern under the wing of
2:59Swansea, the seasoned grumpy mechanic,
3:02Jimmy, the co-pilot, [music] and finally
3:04the ship's captain, Curly.
3:08The events of the game are presented to
3:09players out of order, but [music] they
3:11all seem to center around an inciting
3:13incident, initially presented to us as
3:16the intentional crashing of the Tulpar
3:18into an asteroid. In fact, this is how
3:22the game begins with the words 0ero days
3:25before the crash plastered across the
3:26screen. And with only one thing for our
3:28character to do, to stare right directly
3:32into the path of a clearly forewarned
3:35orbital body.
3:37The character in fact must get out of
3:40his chair, retrieve an override key, and
3:43reaffirm this decision to steer into the
3:45asteroid a second time as autopilot
3:48attempts to take over.
3:56The who and why is not clear at first,
3:59only the intention. And that every
4:01chapter from here onward revolves around
4:04this crash. X days before the crash, X
4:07days after the crash, and the ominous X
4:10hours before, judgment.
4:14This would be about as good a time as
4:16any to let you know that the core
4:18instruments mouthwashing uses in its
4:20storytelling are deception and
4:22diversion. And yes, as you may have
4:24guessed by my mentioning of the two
4:26characters we [music] play as, this is
4:27done through unreliable narrators.
4:31The two shaky perspectives we have to
4:33work with are our pilot and co-pilot,
4:35[music] respectively, Curly and Jimmy.
4:39Everything we [music] experience
4:40throughout the game is through their
4:42eyes and actions. And the real inciting
4:45incident for the game's events is
4:46[music] never shown on screen, only
4:49alluded to in various stages, making for
4:51a very fragmented, [music]
4:53cloudy, and emotionally harrowing
4:56experience as puzzle pieces slowly slide
4:59into [music] place over time, making a
5:01clearer picture. however, still painted
5:04over and obscured in places by the
5:06unavoidable filter of these limited
5:09individual experiences.
5:11To make matters even murkier, Curley is
5:14catastrophically wounded during the
5:16crash, unable to share his perspective
5:18or thoughts in [music] the scenes that
5:20unfold after that point and leaving
5:22Jimmy as the new captain.
5:26Despite not being clearly shown who took
5:28down the ship, the post crash scenes
5:30contain multiple conversations between
5:32[music] Captain Jimmy and his crew in
5:34which he implies he witnessed Curley
5:37crashing the ship before banding
5:39together with the others to pull him out
5:40of the cockpit, [music] badly injured as
5:43a result of his actions, but
5:45unsuccessful in taking everyone down
5:47with him. Instead, with the Tulpa thrown
5:50off course and badly damaged and the
5:53imminent threat of eventual starvation,
5:55the crew are stuck trying to survive and
5:58make sense of why their voiceless ex-
6:01captain would make such a [music]
6:02devastating decision to end all of their
6:05lives.
6:07This creates a multitude of questions
6:08for the player, of course, but the
6:10prevailing one is definitely a desire to
6:12piece together why Curley would do such
6:14a thing. making ship exploration and
6:17[music] getting to know the crew mates
6:18feel like the natural next step towards
6:20figuring that out.
6:22There are also tasks to be done in the
6:24course of attempting to survive, [music]
6:26which encourages communication and
6:28exploration as well.
6:30Of course, we are doing all of this as
6:32Jimmy, who at first [music] struck me as
6:35irreverent and cold, but who begins to
6:37show something far more sinister as the
6:40game unfolds. [music]
6:43I look at Curly and Jimmy, the equal
6:46parts immense tension and brotherly
6:48closeness they seem to share and the
6:50strangely unsettling sense of mystery
6:52that pulsates at the core of the
6:54horrifying crash that may [music] have
6:56doomed them all without clear reason.
6:58And I think it's fair to say that
7:00mouthwashing has certainly taught the
7:02player where to look
7:05to scrutinize motives and intent to
7:07[music] find the villain and perhaps get
7:09the opportunity to be the hero. It
7:13starts by keeping our attention firmly
7:15placed on men [music] who are afforded
7:17explanation and handed central roles of
7:20authority in the [music] story through
7:22which we will perceive all things. In
7:25doing so, [music] a different kind of
7:27harm is quietly displaced and kept from
7:30our view. A harm that fers without the
7:33overt evidence of catastrophic injury or
7:35explosive destruction, and one we are
7:38never allowed to witness directly.
7:41The crash feels like a rather neutral
7:43point from which all else flows in and
7:45out. The game itself begs us to think
7:48this way with its chapter structuring.
7:50But what is hidden is its true [music]
7:53function, a tool to teach the player to
7:56look away from something else.
7:59>> Hey, you.
8:01>> Something important and pressing.
8:04>> You
8:07>> um hidden in plain sight and becoming
8:10smothered by the
8:11>> you. Yes, I'm talking to you.
8:16You're not thinking about that, are you?
8:20That's not very productive now, is it?
8:23Remember, [music] time is best spent
8:26delivering, not dwelling. Here at Pony
8:29[music] Express, we pride ourselves on
8:31punctuality, teamwork, and maintaining a
8:34positive onboard environment.
8:38We don't pay you to get distracted by
8:40things [music] that are hard to
8:42quantify, difficult to verify, or let's
8:44be honest, outside your [music] pay
8:46grade. Companymandated break minutes
8:50should be used for rest and thinking
8:52about that next task. Why spend it
8:55looking at uncomfortable details when
8:57there's work to be planned and
8:59acceptable levels of rest to be enjoyed?
9:02Systems to maintain, morale to preserve.
9:06Some [music] things don't need
9:07investigating. They just need to be
9:09handled quietly internally by someone
9:13else. So, take a breath and rinse. Get
9:17back to what really matters. Further
9:20unauthorized attention shifting will
9:21[music] be docked from your credits.
9:23Giddy up, galaxy.
9:32Exploring the ship after the fallout of
9:34the crash. My attention was quickly
9:36taken by these posters, the pony mascot,
9:40and the slow ignition of a question. Why
9:44does this situation feel so hopeless?
9:48Without context, the crash having been
9:50non-lethal and the fact there [music] is
9:52at least some food on board, around 4
9:55months worth that Jimmy notes could be
9:57rationed to extend a little further, you
9:59might initially be left feeling that the
10:02most pressing matter seems to be Curly's
10:04severe state. With no clean bandages
10:06left to [music] redress his wounds and
10:08painkillers rapidly depleting just 2
10:11months into the crash, it's reasonable
10:13to feel that Curley's possible infection
10:15[music] or death would come far sooner
10:18than starvation while awaiting rescue.
10:21One might imagine that crashing a
10:23company ship would yield the greatest
10:25chance of [music] being found. Of
10:26course, it could take a long time given
10:28the length of their travel thus far, but
10:30I conjured quite hopeful images of
10:33emergency measures and plans [music]
10:35that such a corporation would surely
10:37have put in place for this. The posters
10:39dotted around the ship [music] speak of
10:41proper preparation and safety, punctual
10:44delivery suggesting [music] the
10:45importance of their cargo, the value of
10:48teamwork and rest for their employees
10:50well-being.
10:51This surface level hope that Pony
10:53[music] Express would be responsible,
10:56take action, and have a plan in place
10:58for such a dire situation are quickly
11:00crushed by simply reading beyond the
11:03first lines of these posters. Proper
11:06preparation [music] prevents accidents,
11:08warps injury into a strictly personal
11:11failure or negligence, [music] made
11:13uncomfortably overt by the comically
11:15villainous threat of docking medical
11:17costs from [music] personal credits.
11:19This discourages harm from being
11:21acknowledged or addressed at all. After
11:24all, this makes it [music] clear that it
11:26simply shouldn't happen. And so, if it
11:28does, it may as [music] well not exist.
11:31Punctual delivery is our pride and
11:33promise [music] seems reasonable on the
11:35surface. They are a delivery company
11:37after all. But it becomes more telling
11:39when focusing in on no matter [music]
11:41where you are. This, along with another
11:44threat of docking personal credits,
11:46shows where Pony Express priorities
11:49truly lie. Cargo and schedules are
11:52elevated far above circumstances [music]
11:54or crisis with no room for individual
11:56explanation or context, [music] only
11:58punishment for failure, regardless of
12:01the cause. The poster essentially
12:04rationing and policing rest is even more
12:06shameless. The suggestion that sleep is
12:09something to be earned, minimally
12:11satisfied, and never indulged in really
12:13hammers home the message. A Pony [music]
12:16Express worker cannot be human, cannot
12:19be exhausted or ill, and that natural
12:22functions [music] can and will be
12:24mutated into accusations of personal
12:26failure and mismanagement that must be
12:29paid for, literally.
12:31The final poster [music] I wanted to
12:33examine, perhaps the most insidious and
12:35damning of all, is on the topic of
12:37teamwork.
12:38By being vague here, as they combine HR
12:41complaints with poor team synergy, Pony
12:44Express is surreptitiously [music]
12:45trying to equate any individual issue
12:47that might prompt a notice to human
12:49resources as a team failing that should
12:52be able to be remedied internally
12:54without making any noise. The threat of
12:57collective [music] punishment frames
12:59keeping silent or pushing through as
13:01being the true unselfish noble [music]
13:03act and speaking up as the act of
13:06harming not only yourself but taking
13:08everyone [music] down with you together.
13:11These messages immediately feed us a
13:13strong understanding [music] of the
13:15system that runs this ship. It is one
13:17that does not attempt to prevent or
13:19remedy harm and crisis so much as assign
13:22the cost downwards and away [music] from
13:24what it actually wants to protect. The
13:27crew all exist under this flawed
13:29corporate- centered system that
13:31literally prioritizes the eraser of the
13:34individual and the human, promising a
13:37flawless, welloiled machine if everyone
13:39just acts exactly as instructed without
13:42putting measures in place for what might
13:44happen if they don't. or can't. Pony
13:48Express is the umbrella under which a
13:50situation like the Talpa crash is
13:53bordering on inevitable. It's a system
13:56doomed to fail on the basis of human
13:58error and fallibility alone, punishing
14:00its employees as a collective entity
14:02when a cog jams and fails, even if they
14:05were the ones rationing the oil can in
14:07the first place or who installed a
14:09faulty [music] part. For the crew, this
14:12means their environment is built on a
14:14foundation maintained by their ability
14:16to endure, conceal, and erase mouthwash
14:20without brushing. The posters do not
14:23work alone in communicating this focus
14:25on concealment, endurance, and erasia.
14:28Pony Express do not even disclose the
14:30purpose or contents of shipments to
14:32their employees, forbidding entry into
14:35the cargo hold. Two months after the
14:37crash, Jimmy finds the code scanner
14:39needed to gain entry into the hold, and
14:41the crew decide to face whatever
14:43punishment might befall them by seeing
14:45what's inside. Of course, with the hope
14:48that they might have been transporting
14:49something that could aid in their
14:51survival. Surely, the enormous hall they
14:54have been diligently moving across space
14:56for the better part of a year would
14:58contain something worthwhile, something
15:01worth the strict conditions and lengthy
15:04travel. food, medical supplies, water,
15:08parts that could be used to fix the
15:10ship.
15:15Well, it doesn't show you right away.
15:18Instead, Jimmy is transported to one of
15:21multiple aptly named bizarro sequences
15:24that jarringly cut in at several points
15:26during mouthwashing, signifying
15:28something like a break in reality,
15:31extreme mental distress, and a way to
15:34convey something hidden or psychological
15:36that wouldn't otherwise be visible to
15:38the player. These sequences are the game
15:41forcibly surfacing what the system of
15:43concealment and distraction suppresses.
15:46During many of these sequences, the
15:48insidious disregard and negligence that
15:50Pony Express is engaging in becomes a
15:53more powerful undertone that rumbles
15:55violently beneath mouthwashing's skin,
15:57imploring you to notice while continuing
16:00to bury it. The sequence before the
16:03cargo reveal demands this attention by
16:06walking Jimmy through a liinal, uncanny
16:08version of the hold.
16:11Feeling rather small now between
16:13towering walls of the boxed up mystery
16:15shipment, a television independently
16:18flickers on to static.
16:30On a first playrough, the clips shown
16:32may seem random, a selection designed to
16:35build a sense of dread or intrigue. But
16:37when breaking down their escalation and
16:40the mounting unease they create, it's
16:42clear that these are curated and
16:44deliberate.
16:46It starts with going places, a
16:49pro-industry [music]
16:501948 short promoting forward motion,
16:52profits, and worker benefits. Here, the
16:55clip is haunted [music] by the deceptive
16:57nature of the posters that precede it,
16:59as well as the current situation [music]
17:01of total immobility, helplessness, and
17:04negative reinforcement that the crew
17:06find themselves in.
17:08The crash renders the clip as absurd and
17:10detached in a situation where motion is
17:13impossible.
17:16This moves into a NASA recreation of a
17:18black hole devouring a star, violently
17:21expanding the scale to something cosmic
17:24and uncontrollable.
17:26Progress invites a forceful and
17:28inescapable consumption.
17:32Black holes don't allow light to escape,
17:34rendering them in effect invisible. They
17:37can only be identified when their strong
17:39gravitational pull engulfs something
17:41like this. Once pulled in, we can only
17:44see the intense radiation from what has
17:46already begun to be devoured.
17:49This shift reinforces not only the
17:52absurd feeling of the prior eclipse
17:53optimism, but makes it feel terrifyingly
17:56fragile, dwarfed and consumed by systems
17:59far larger than the individuals they
18:01recruit.
18:03>> Next is a clip from 1953's A is for
18:06Atom, which snaps us back again to
18:08corporate indoctrination.
18:11Though the clip shows only a small
18:13portion of the entire film, the full
18:15piece is essentially an attempt to
18:17soften public perception of nuclear
18:19power. Something that at the time
18:21incited fear in the wake of the bombings
18:24of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and in the
18:26midst of the nuclear arms race between
18:28the US [music] and USSR.
18:32Nuclear power capable of utter
18:34annihilation is reframed as something
18:37friendly, progressive, and not to be
18:39feared. Truly the superpower which man
18:42has released from within the atom's
18:44heart is not one but many giants.
18:48One is the warrior, the destroyer.
18:52Another is the engineer seeking to
18:54provide vast quantities of energy to run
18:57the world's machines.
18:59Another is the farmer helping to better
19:02feed tomorrow's world.
19:04This chirpy, empowering pedagogical
19:07veneer is shattered abruptly by
19:10slaughterhouse footage. It's difficult
19:12not to feel the punch of this transition
19:14into something so overt that it requires
19:17no voice over or charming explanation.
19:20Here, industry is stripped to its most
19:22raw form. Life bodies reduced to product
19:27through a routine mechanized death.
19:31Interestingly, we are only shown the
19:33final product, hanging sheets of flesh.
19:36All that's left is what is considered of
19:38use, and the lives that were once lined
19:41up and forced down these now empty
19:43funnels are left out of sight and
19:46unconfronted.
19:48Perhaps the clearest in its messaging is
19:50the next clip from 1948's Make Mine
19:53Freedom, which explicitly adds the layer
19:56of ideology to the mix. A sleazy
19:59salesman attempts to seduce workers with
20:01a magical curall labeled ism with the
20:04small sacrifice of uh surrendering
20:06autonomy for the promise of security.
20:09Another clear mirror of the Pony Express
20:11posters which market protection while
20:13displacing responsibility.
20:16A sign of the times ism here is alluding
20:18to communism, [music]
20:19warning against promises of security and
20:22certainty that while alluring, it
20:24suggests will in fact lead to the loss
20:26of individual freedom [music] and the
20:28centering of authority and compliance.
20:31The irony here is found in the very
20:33structure we find the [music] crew in
20:35where corporate power actively engages
20:37in the coercion, silencing, and erasia
20:40of individuality its system claims to
20:43oppose. Not because these systems are
20:45identical, but because the cartoons
20:47warnings resurface under a different
20:49label.
20:56Finally, 1898's The Merry Skeleton is
20:59shown, one of cinema's earliest and most
21:01wellrecoognized illusions. Its purpose
21:04is simple, to end these clips on an
21:07unsettling image that turns mortality
21:09into something humorous and absurd.
21:13The skeleton dances joyfully, falling to
21:16pieces, but returning to itself
21:18magically again and again. This could be
21:21looked at in many ways, but after the
21:23previous clips, it creates a feeling of
21:26trivialization or even mockery given the
21:28situation that the crew are in. The Cold
21:31War era cartoons are designed to
21:33persuade through charm and words the
21:37gift of the gab. However, the black
21:39hole, slaughterhouse, and skeleton clips
21:42are all presented without speech. The
21:44black hole is accompanied by grand
21:47music, the slaughterhouse by harsh
21:49ambient noise, and the merry skeleton by
21:52eerie silence. They speak for
21:55themselves, but they also mirror the
21:57crew in relation to the system they
21:59operate in. The nothingness, the
22:02voicelessness, the finality of death and
22:04rot feels louder than the charming
22:07voices of the past that beg us to be
22:09reassured in a world that feels
22:11hopeless.
22:13These clips do not attempt to push us
22:15forward, but rather meet the crew where
22:18they are, in the midst of a cosmic power
22:21beyond their control, at the precipice
22:24of death. And for what?
22:30Mouthwash.
23:06The discovery that they have been
23:08hauling mouthwash for all this time is
23:10enough to cause understandable distress,
23:14disbelief, and anger amongst the crew.
23:17To add insult to injury, Anna notes it's
23:20a sensible uselessness even as a
23:22disinfectant due to the high sugar
23:24content.
23:26There doesn't seem to be much to do with
23:28the endless boxes [music]
23:29until Swansea realizes it contains 14%
23:33ethanol.
23:34With Anna nervously shivering, Dais
23:37confused as to why this caught Swansea's
23:39attention and Jimmy staying silent,
23:42Swansea begins to neck a bottle.
23:49Whoa there, Bucko. Let's rain it in. I
23:52think it's high time you had a little
23:54refresher on the Pony Express certified
23:56safe ingestion instructions.
24:00Dragon Breath X mouthwash [music]
24:01is not for ingestion. We know our
24:04products taste so acceptable that you
24:06might just feel, I have to pour this
24:09down my gullet. But always consult your
24:12[music] local dental hygiene specialist
24:13before and after every use. Dragon
24:17Breath does not accept responsibility
24:18for any harm caused by this product. Now
24:20your [music] face hole is fire fresh.
24:22Let's remember what you can swallow. You
24:25can trust our nutrition pouches to keep
24:27your [music] calories stable and
24:29hydration livable. Water sack. It's safe
24:33for consumption. Gelatin clump. M now
24:36with optimal mouth feel. [music]
24:38Remember to chew thoroughly before
24:40swallowing. Tonic. Spice up the bland.
24:43Enjoyed best in moderation. We [music]
24:45will not be held liable for loss of
24:46vision or kidney failure in the event of
24:47overindulgence. Now, Captain, this part
24:50[music] is for your eyes only. We can't
24:53forget the restricted section. We trust
24:56you to keep it under control. In the
24:59event of your trip's [music] chosen
25:00morale boosting activity, such as your
25:02Pony Express provided single-use
25:04communal birthday party, we provide you
25:06sweetener. It's almost similar to
25:09[music] the real thing. Celebration may
25:11be prohibited. Subject performance
25:12results. And hey, if it's party time,
25:15you need our multicultural, multi-
25:17occasion celebration cake mix. One per
25:20hall. Communal birthday is encouraged.
25:22Just remember, no more than two slices.
25:25Pony Express is not liable for any
25:27personal injury or sickness [music]
25:28resulting in failure to adhere to
25:30company guidelines. Don't be dafted. If
25:33we told you not to do that, it really
25:35isn't our fault. It's yours.
25:46Evidence of Pony Express being the kind
25:48of corporation that fails to [music]
25:50inspire hope or reassurance during
25:53crisis is rife all over the top. The
25:56statue of their horse mascot, Polly,
25:59blares baseless platitudes about safety,
26:01positivity, and worker satisfaction,
26:04while everything else around it counters
26:06every word.
26:09>> Polly says,
26:10>> "I love working on
26:12>> tool."
26:12>> It means I have a lot of friends. It
26:15also means I have responsibility.
26:18Always remember to log your hours. Yay.
26:23[bell] Polly says,
26:24>> "Another day in paradise." Yay.
26:29[bell]
26:29>> Polly says,
26:30>> "One day the wish, but co-workers can
26:33make it better." Yay!
26:36[music]
26:38[bell] We have established this system
26:40is designed to conceal harm and shift
26:42responsibility. So what does this mean
26:44for our band of five? Every system has
26:47its hierarchies and roles, and the
26:49Talpar is no different. Da, a lastminute
26:53add-on to the group, youngest and least
26:55experienced of [music] them all,
26:57naturally settles into the role of the
26:59compliant optimist. This guy is just
27:02happy to be here, full of enthusiasm and
27:04whimsy, and at [music] times establishes
27:06himself as rather detached and oblivious
27:09to life's hardships.
27:11Anna notes that during his psychological
27:13evaluation, he described [music] his
27:15experience as an intern thus far as
27:18awesome, super cool, and like [music]
27:20totally awesome. Like really awesome. To
27:23which he wonders if she should be
27:25worried. As Swansea gleeully begins to
27:28guzzle the mouthwash, [music] his
27:30exaggerated manic laughs at odds with
27:32what is clearly his accepting that
27:34[music] they are all going to die simply
27:36confuses Dais who does not yet grasp
27:39[music] that hope is lost.
27:42These two really go hand in hand as
27:44being mirrors of one another but also
27:46depictions of a dedicated worker at two
27:48very different stages under a company
27:51that crushes [music] you.
27:53Da is eager, adaptable, emotionally
27:56sincere, and unbburdened by the
27:58long-term exposure [music] to the system
28:00that has made Swansea cynical and
28:03bitter.
28:06He is [music] trusting and cooperative,
28:08believing in the mission and the
28:10structure he has been placed [music]
28:12into, showing a deep appreciation for
28:14Swansea's skills, as well as
28:16understanding towards his snarky
28:17comments and grumpiness, [music]
28:19recognizing they are born from a
28:21frustration towards having to train and
28:23be responsible for someone so
28:25unqualified for an entire year.
28:28Ship maintenance and tech [music] is a
28:30dangerous job. There are multiple ways
28:32to be injured when working on such a
28:34vessel, with one of our earliest
28:36introductions to Diceke's [music]
28:37character showing him stuck in emergency
28:40foam after not correctly following
28:41Swansea's instructions.
28:44We also learn of a badly damaged [music]
28:46vent that was a death trap even before
28:48the crash, the ship showing its age and
28:51issues.
28:53Since we now firmly understand how Pony
28:55Express punishes injury and accidents,
28:58it makes sense [music] that Diceke's
29:00inexperience is forced into burdened
29:02territory, particularly [music] to
29:04Swansea rather than being a natural part
29:06of the learning process.
29:10Swansea, a veteran worker, contrast
29:12Ice's optimism by being the realist.
29:14[music]
29:15He is someone who has experienced enough
29:17of Pony Express to know better than to
29:19trust them or feel hope. He understands
29:22and sees the small print [music] of the
29:24posters, but pushes on anyway.
29:27Swansea is incredibly skilled at his
29:29job, which earns him a degree of
29:31authority in the crew. [music] His
29:33strict and unwavering warnings about
29:35trying to enter the utility room after
29:37the crash are listened to and followed
29:39in the first few months. despite
29:41curiosity [music] about trying to break
29:42through the foam that blocks the door.
29:46Pre- crash during Dice K's foam
29:48enttrapment, Curley even trusts Swansea
29:50with a restricted tool, the axe, despite
29:53his [music] sardonic insinuation that he
29:55was going to use it on Dice K for being
29:57so irritating.
29:59He takes his job [music] seriously, as
30:01seen in his repeated warnings about the
30:04damaged vent. He understands [music]
30:06the danger and does not want to risk
30:08Dice K's death by allowing him to fix
30:10it, [music] even if he is more likely to
30:12be able to fit in there when compared to
30:14Swansea.
30:16We learn after the mouthwash reveal that
30:18he is breaking 15 years of sobriety by
30:22drinking it, describing it gleefully as
30:24a glorious, magnificent [music] red-hot
30:27cyst finally bursting,
30:30suggesting staying sober has been
30:32immensely difficult for him to say the
30:34least. Now, Curly is something of an
30:37enigma during the post crash scenes
30:38since he cannot communicate. Though
30:41there is much we can speculate about him
30:43through how the crew members interact
30:45with or speak of him. The discourse
30:48surrounding Curley pulls other
30:49relationship dynamics to the four as
30:51well. Swansea and Dais seem to have very
30:54little to do with him at all after the
30:55crash. Though Swansea still refers to
30:58him as captain and doesn't seem to take
31:00Jimmy stepping into that role very
31:02seriously at all, [music] referring to
31:04him as Capitano or Jimbo, a sign that he
31:07still [music] respects Curley's position
31:09and looks down on Jimmy's attempts to
31:12fill his shoes.
31:14Anna and Jimmy are most closely entwined
31:16with Curly [music] post crash. With Anna
31:18having dressed his wounds, changing the
31:20bandages diligently until they ran out,
31:24she struggles to feed him painkillers
31:26since his physical state has left him
31:28unable to take them independently,
31:30meaning it seems they must be pushed
31:32down his throat, which she says hurts
31:34him so much that she can't stand the
31:37noise.
31:39After asking Jimmy if he can help her by
31:42taking over painkiller duty, she even
31:44prompts him not to leave it too long,
31:46lamenting [music] that he really suffers
31:48without them.
32:15She seems to struggle the most with
32:17accepting what Curly has done, asking
32:20Jimmy why he thinks he crashed the ship,
32:22and saying she has to believe our worst
32:25moments don't make us monsters.
32:28Conversely, Jimmy meets Anna's empathy
32:31for Curley and willingness to [music]
32:32care for and understand him despite what
32:35he did with a notable hostility and
32:38disregard. To him, it doesn't matter why
32:41he crashed the ship. He is offended when
32:43others still refer to Curley as captain
32:45[music]
32:45and views the ongoing management of his
32:48pain as a waste. After all, he tried to
32:51murder the entire crew. Of all the crew
32:54members, Jimmy is the most outwardly
32:56dismissive and unsympathetic towards
32:58Curley in these early postc crash
33:00scenes, which is especially interesting
33:02when we experience more of their dynamic
33:05in the pre-crash ones. During the
33:07chapter that occurs [music] 7 days
33:09before the crash, we get to see all of
33:11the broad strokes of Curley's general
33:13character as he has interactions with
33:15all the crew members and deals with
33:17several issues a captain might face. It
33:20opens during his routine psychological
33:22evaluation with Anna, to which he
33:24apologizes to her for having spaced out
33:27due to lack of sleep. When asked if he
33:30passed the evaluation, Anna seems a
33:32little defeated as she points out that
33:34he gave all the same answers as before.
33:37Rather than being fully open, she
33:40reminds him that the evaluations aren't
33:42just for his well-being.
33:45In a display of what seems to have been
33:46quite a playful, friendly relationship
33:49between the two of them, Curley assures
33:51Anna that all is well as long as he is
33:53fit to fly in her eyes.
33:55She notes that there is just one
33:57evaluation left to do. Curley seems to
34:00notice her discomfort at the thought of
34:02what he correctly guesses to [music] be
34:04Jimmy's turn before Anna expresses dread
34:07at having to deal with Jimmy's lack of
34:08seriousness and respect during
34:10evaluations, [music] acting as if she
34:12does it for fun. As an example, Anna
34:16remembers him making her report that he
34:18has been [music] sexually excited at the
34:20sight of cartoon horses.
34:23Curly laughs at the ridiculousness of
34:25the thought before immediately offering
34:27to take the ordeal off her hands and do
34:30the evaluation for her. This is where we
34:32find out that Curley has a history
34:35[music] with Jimmy as he says that he
34:36has known him for a long time and
34:38therefore would not try any BS with him.
34:41He reaffirms that his taking of the task
34:44is not an issue because he [music] is
34:46the captain, inferring his belief that
34:48he is responsible for keeping things
34:50running properly, even if that means
34:52[music] he will sometimes have to engage
34:54in tasks that are not usually part of
34:56his routine. This moment is an
34:58interesting role reversal of the postc
35:00crash painkiller responsibility that
35:02Anna [music] asks Jimmy to help her
35:04with, but we'll put a pin in that for
35:06later. Curley then goes to help Swansea
35:09in releasing Dais from his [music] foam
35:11prison. Entrusting the axe to Swansea as
35:14mentioned, which illustrates the sort of
35:16trusting cooperative relationship
35:18between them, especially given that his
35:20decision to let him hang on to it
35:22[music] came from Swanse's irritation at
35:24always having to ask permission just to
35:26use a tool he needs and should be
35:28qualified to handle.
35:31Playing as Curly pre- Crash feels
35:33strange at first. I started to
35:36understand Anna's struggle to accept
35:38what he had done and her clear holding
35:41on to fondness for him. Curly seems to
35:44be the stabilizing authority in the
35:46group. [music] He appears structured,
35:48reasonable, calm, and perceptive when
35:51issues arise. His thoughts when
35:53interacting with objects seem to
35:55humanize the crew in a way that was
35:56quite absent from Jimmy's parts. For
35:59example, his thought when looking at the
36:01game board about Anna and Daikke's
36:03enthusiasm during game nights, Da's
36:05impossible luck driving her crazy, or on
36:09checking this locker, seeing that he
36:10refers to Swansea as big swans, painting
36:14a picture of them as people for whom he
36:16has warmth and sees as individuals in a
36:20way that the system they operate in does
36:22not.
36:24This psychological evaluation was just
36:26one week before he crashed the ship. It
36:30felt really unnerving to imagine the
36:32unseen here. What could drive a captain
36:35towards wiping out himself and his
36:38entire crew?
36:41Curley moves forward, staying true to
36:43his word to conduct Jimmy's evaluation.
36:46Following him to the cockpit, he
36:56following him to the cockpit.
37:12following him to the cockpit. He
37:51Heat. Heat.
38:07[music]
38:12Heat. Heat.
38:48Following him to the cockpit, Curly
38:51begins Jimmy's evaluation.
38:53We learn a lot about our two leading men
38:56here. So, I felt it was the right middle
38:58point to transition from one into the
39:00other with a little mingling in between.
39:03You see, these two are something like
39:05fates intertwined where Dais and Swansea
39:08represent two workers at different
39:10stages under an oppressive company.
39:12Curly and Jimmy appear during this
39:14conversation to represent opposing
39:17struggles and opposing wishes, actively
39:20clashing.
39:22They are friends presumably of a similar
39:24age. One struggling to enjoy the success
39:27they have climbed and climbed for while
39:29the other gazes up hungrily from below,
39:31[music]
39:32struggling to grip on to something
39:34better. Curly the captain begins to open
39:38up to his old friend that now he's at
39:40the top. Rather than feeling satisfied,
39:43he is eaten by a sense of dread that
39:46perhaps this isn't what he wanted after
39:49all. Am I figured out? Is this all I'll
39:54ever be?
39:55>> Jimmy has noticed Curly's unease as the
39:58conversation grows from his own
40:00observation.
40:02How come it always seems like you're
40:03standing on the edge of a bridge with
40:05your feet in cement,
40:07illustrating his perceptiveness of
40:09Curley's emotions and his comfort with
40:12[music] asking him about them point
40:13blank. This highlights their
40:16relationship as distinct [music] from
40:17the others. where Anna, for example,
40:19noticed Curley's hesitance towards
40:21opening up without probing further,
40:24Jimmy is not only tuned into it, but
40:26also has the sort of relationship with
40:28him, where this blunt, raw honesty is
40:31normal.
40:33Where Curley might be inclined to
40:35protect the other crew members from his
40:37more personal questions about the job,
40:39perhaps not wanting to create a sense of
40:40instability among those he needs to
40:43lead, he doesn't seem to hold Jimmy in
40:45the same space. This feels like a
40:47friendto- friend moment. Curley is not
40:50speaking to Jimmy as a colleague under
40:52him, but as an equal, also evidenced by
40:55his invitation to chat off the record.
40:58This makes the history between these two
41:01stark and heavy, particularly as the
41:04conversation pivots quite rapidly from
41:06Curley's vulnerability into Jimmy's.
41:10Curley is having an existential moment
41:12here that would be difficult to share,
41:14especially as captain of the ship. He
41:17openly shares the questions that have
41:19been driving his unsure state, wondering
41:22if he should stay as he is or risk
41:24something new, even if he has to start
41:26from that bottom rung again.
41:30So, there are a few interactions Jimmy
41:32has that I think illustrate his
41:34character very well early on in the
41:37game, but some of the details could
41:38equally be missed on a first play
41:40through. His response to Curley's
41:43vulnerability here is an extremely
41:45important one that slots into that
41:47category of easily missed. He
41:50acknowledges Curley's dilemma using the
41:52ladder analogy, but rather than
41:54furthering exploration of what Curley
41:56might need or want to help his moment of
41:59existential crisis, Jimmy [music] pivots
42:01his surface level understanding into a
42:04personal comparison.
42:08So now you're thinking you might be on
42:09the wrong ladder altogether. Still a
42:12long way down from the top, no matter
42:13how you look at it. while I'm still
42:16climbing and climbing.
42:19>> This almost feels like two different
42:20conversations. Curly was attempting to
42:23share something human to human, only for
42:26Jimmy to rather seamlessly drag it back
42:29into the corporate system again. [music]
42:31One where those closer to the top
42:33benefit the most, while ones beneath are
42:35stripped of autonomy and power with no
42:38room for nuance of personal needs,
42:41wants, and differences.
42:43Curly attempts to [music] step outside
42:45of that system together with Jimmy. He
42:48moves towards vulnerability, questions
42:50the structure itself through his own
42:52identity struggles.
42:54Conversely, Jimmy reasserts hierarchy
42:57and their vertical positioning, exposing
42:59his own dissatisfaction and hunger while
43:02subtly communicating resentment and most
43:05importantly, [music]
43:07envy.
43:09Curly seems equally as tuned into
43:11Jimmy's emotions as this [music] prompts
43:13a sudden reassurance.
43:16>> Hey, hey, hey. You know, I believe in
43:18you. Here on Earth, doesn't matter.
43:23Curly is acknowledging the system
43:25[music] Jimmy has pulled their
43:27conversation back into here and rather
43:29empathetically extends a hand to him,
43:32reminding him that whatever system they
43:34might be in, whether in a long hall
43:36under Pony Express [music] or as friends
43:38back at home, he supports him either
43:41way. He's sort of telling Jimmy [music]
43:43what he might have liked to hear himself
43:45after his moment of vulnerability.
43:48This isn't the [music] first example of
43:50this happening either, where Jimmy
43:52receives reassurance and praise in the
43:54midst of someone else's crisis or
43:57[music] need. To return to that role
43:59reversal moment I touched on earlier,
44:01where instead of Curly helping Anna with
44:03Jimmy's evaluation, Jimmy is [music]
44:05being asked to support Anna with
44:07Curley's medication.
44:09Jimmy's response to Anna's distress over
44:12medicating Curly was one of my first
44:15proper [music]
44:16alarm bell moments.
44:18You did make it through nursing school,
44:20right? Pony Express sure does know how
44:23to cut corners if nothing else.
44:27Let's just get this straight. Um,
44:29[music] this is not a failure of skill
44:31or knowledge on Anna's part. She knows
44:34how to treat Curly. She is capable. That
44:38much is abundantly clear given this man
44:41without a shred of skin on his body is
44:43still alive after months. Her struggle
44:46is the [music] discomfort and distress
44:48of forcing Curly to endure pain when he
44:51does not even have the means to tell her
44:53to stop. Jimmy's inability or
44:56unwillingness to recognize that Anna's
44:58humanity, her empathy, [music] is what
45:01makes this part an understandable
45:03struggle, further exposes an unnerving
45:06parallel that Jimmy seems to share with
45:08the system he is operating [music]
45:10under, displacing blame and villainizing
45:14parts of the human experience that he
45:16perceives as weak, bothersome, or
45:19unnecessary.
45:20Just as he disregards Curley's very
45:23human [music] existentialism and career
45:25dissatisfaction, turning it into a
45:27moment of hierarchy and self-pity,
45:29[music] he meets Anna's empathy and
45:31distress with a critique of her ability
45:34[music] to carry out her corporate
45:36function. Even more telling is that Anna
45:39does not respond to this clearly
45:41unprofessional, [music] rude, and cruel
45:43remark that totally undermines her.
45:45Instead, she immediately begins to make
45:47herself useful, [music]
45:49providing guidance on where to find the
45:50code scanner and even going so far as to
45:53stroke [music] Jimmy's ego, telling him
45:55she knows he will figure it out since he
45:57is just so capable.
46:00This then transitions into her asking if
46:03Jimmy would mind helping her by [music]
46:04giving Curly his painkillers.
46:07Now, this interaction genuinely struck
46:09horror into me at the time. [music] I
46:11had been fortunate enough to avoid any
46:13major spoilers for this game, and so the
46:15many thumbnails I had seen plastered
46:17with Curley's bandaged up face and
46:19creepy eye had left me with the
46:21impression that he was probably going to
46:23be some kind of infected monstrous crew
46:25member tormenting the ship.
46:28This moment between Anna and Jimmy was
46:31my realization that this game was doing
46:34something else because it was something
46:36I recognized. Anna is fing. She does not
46:40correct Jimmy's blatant
46:42mischaracterization of her abilities.
46:44She prefaces sharing a need with
46:46flattery and helpfulness. She stutters
46:49and looks away as she tries to find the
46:51right words. Understandably, as when she
46:54does misspeak by referring to Curly as
46:57captain, Jimmy immediately corrects her
47:00with which she complies in order to just
47:02finish her sentence.
47:04Then rather than acknowledge her
47:06question, Jimmy's priority is ensuring
47:08Anna really feels her mistake by saying,
47:13"People have to be worth their titles.
47:15Don't you think, nurse Anna?"
47:19>> On the surface, this looks to be a jab
47:21at Curly, [music]
47:22but I think the purpose of a question
47:24like this is so that Jimmy can also
47:27devalue Anna completely and put her in a
47:30position of worthlessness, [music] too.
47:33He just made his feelings about her
47:35qualifications to be a nurse very clear.
47:38And so it's more about what this
47:39sentence [music] suggests rather than
47:41what he explicitly says. He calls her
47:45nurse Anna, but the quiet part is what
47:47has already been said. He invokes the
47:50name, but in doing so undermines her
47:53right to it. He frames her need for help
47:55to perform her duties as a piece of
47:58evidence to [music] support his disdain
48:00rather than an understandable call for
48:02support in a highly unusual situation.
48:05Jimmy must dismantle her like this so
48:08that he can reestablish his [music]
48:09sense of control before he accepts her
48:12request to help. Essentially, Jimmy
48:15demonstrates a [music] desire to always
48:17feel a sense of power, control, or
48:20authority. I mean, when Curley asks him
48:23[music] a friendly question after the
48:25evaluation, a simple, "How are things?"
48:28otherwise, Jimmy's response says it all.
48:32I like it. We're in control here.
48:36We're in [music] control. It isn't that
48:39life running the Tulpar is structured,
48:41manageable, fulfilling. [music]
48:43He specifically likes being in control.
48:47Curly seems [music] to suggest that on
48:49Earth, Jimmy had some undefined
48:51struggles, which further strengthens an
48:53emerging feeling that Jimmy enjoys an
48:56appointed, clearly [music] defined role
48:59of power, one that is much more
49:01difficult to seamlessly indulge in
49:03outside of a [music] system like this.
49:05If you try to seize control back in the
49:08real world, back on Earth, it's likely
49:10you will be met with resistance. If you
49:13indulge in the power that is appointed
49:15to you, however, especially in a system
49:17that rewards compliance [music] and
49:19erasure of individuality, it's easier to
49:21use the system as a justification for
49:24your actions. If Jimmy is put into a
49:27position where he feels this power or
49:29authority falters or lacks, he [music]
49:31is compelled to do something to make up
49:33for it. Whether it's making Curley feel
49:35he should be the one doing the
49:36reassuring or whether it's reminding
49:38Anna that he is above her and her
49:40trivial issues.
49:42Empathy in [music] this moment would
49:44place them on an equal footing rather
49:46than reinforce his authority. And
49:49equality is not where Jimmy seems most
49:52at ease.
49:54His language and treatment place Anna,
49:56her humanity, [music]
49:58her emotions, her work as utterly
50:00beneath him. And so he needs something
50:03in [music] return to justify doing it.
50:06In this case, that's using this moment
50:08to prop himself up on both her and
50:10Curly, [music] treating them horribly,
50:12but walking away with a sense of having
50:14justified himself as the heroic [music]
50:16captain.
50:18Through these early subtle displays of
50:20Jimmy's personality, he flags himself as
50:23a volatile component [music] that might
50:25disrupt the machine. But when looking at
50:27him within the context of the system at
50:30[music] large, a troubling thought
50:32begins to emerge. He becomes something
50:35closer [music] to a mouthpiece for the
50:37parts of the system that are most
50:39incompatible with the human experience.
50:42Having now reached the top, [music] but
50:45only after catastrophe incapacitates the
50:47original holder, his authority is both
50:50[music] inherited and unstable.
50:53This instability, lack of direction and
50:56uncertainty does not quiet his appetite
50:59for more, but rather makes it ravenous
51:02and desperate [music]
51:04as control slips through the entire
51:06crew's fingers.
51:09Anna stands out the most on a surface
51:12level analysis of the crew across Jimmy
51:15and Curley's experiences, as I feel her
51:17portrayal is the most inconsistent
51:20between them.
51:22Through Curley's eyes, Anna seems calm,
51:25matter-of-fact, playful, and unafraid to
51:27share her thoughts and opinions, even if
51:30they may challenge someone. She does not
51:33feel the need to justify or explain the
51:35significance of her work, and is able to
51:37directly and respectfully call Curly out
51:40for his lack of engagement in it.
51:43Contrastingly, through Jimmy's eyes,
51:45there is the suggestion of her
51:46incompetence. She is indirect, nervous,
51:50and thorns in an attempt to gently
51:52suggest her needs rather than feeling
51:55confident to express them openly.
51:58The fact Anna's character is drastically
52:00altered between perceptions feels heavy
52:03given the context of Curly and Jimmy's
52:06respective characters.
52:08The game does an excellent job of
52:10burying this inconsistency under layers
52:12of the trauma and heightened emotions
52:14that would come as a result of the
52:16crash. But the crash is in itself a
52:19distraction from exactly this. If Anna
52:23appears to be so diminished through
52:25Jimmy's perception and we know Jimmy
52:27uses hierarchy to stabilize himself,
52:30it's clear that his framing of her is
52:33not objective. We cannot trust his
52:36filter.
52:38But equally, Curley's experience of Anna
52:41and handling of Jimmy confirm we cannot
52:43trust his filter either. When Anna
52:47plainly expresses her hesitation
52:49surrounding conducting Jimmy's
52:50psychoaval, she may not have demanded
52:52action, but she certainly made her
52:54experience [music] clear.
52:57Jimmy undermines her by not taking her
52:59job seriously, leaving her unable to
53:02inhabit her place in this very
53:04unforgiving system [music]
53:05comfortably.
53:07The sexual manner of his disruption is
53:09what alerted me to Curley's status as an
53:12unreliable narrator as well. As though
53:14he [music] takes the task off Anna's
53:16hands, he frames it as an amusing
53:19inconvenience rather than a serious
53:21invasion.
53:23This framing [music] invites the player
53:25to treat it the same way that it's not a
53:27big deal and it's okay for him to manage
53:30it through his [music] personal
53:31friendship and connection with Jimmy.
53:34This is a truly masterful and terrifying
53:37way for the narrative to bring something
53:39deeply insidious and damaging [music] to
53:42the four without having to address or
53:44reveal anything overtly. When
53:47confronting Jimmy about his horse
53:49comment, Curley uses a [music] serious
53:51boundary crossing as a moment of banter
53:54between friends.
53:56This could [music] be looked at
53:57charitably as a mistake. Overlooking the
54:00seriousness of someone else's experience
54:02[music] because your history with
54:04someone blinds you. It's the classic
54:07trap of meeting someone's [music]
54:08alternate experience with but I know
54:10what they really meant or I know who
54:13they really are inside which distracts
54:15from the core message that should have
54:17been received here. [music]
54:18It should never have become a question
54:21of intention. It's the resulting
54:23discomfort and disruption that matters
54:26and has [music] not been acknowledged.
54:28In fact, by taking the task from Anna
54:31without first acknowledging the
54:32seriousness [music] or taking steps to
54:34deal with it, Curly is inadvertently
54:37reinforcing [music] Jimmy's more overt
54:39assertion that Anna is incompetent.
54:43By suggesting that [music] Jimmy just
54:44needs to be handled the right way to
54:46avoid BS, the responsibility for his
54:49improper behavior is skewed more towards
54:51Anna than Jimmy himself. The lingering
54:55implication is that Curley views Jimmy's
54:57[music] boundary crossing as an issue
54:59secondary to Anna's inability to
55:02navigate him. While Curley does not
55:04directly blame Anna for his behavior, it
55:07[music] seems to be only because he does
55:08not expect her to be able to manage it.
55:11He takes it on as a captain's role,
55:13suggesting it requires intervention and
55:16authority, but then [music] totally
55:18dismantles that by aligning himself with
55:20Jimmy as he reduces the incident [music]
55:23to something harmless, funny, and a
55:26moment of bonding between them. Anna
55:29disappears.
55:31That is what [music] Jimmy and Curly
55:33seem to share.
55:35Looking at the prior clear example of
55:37Anna's fawning [music] in the presence
55:38of Jimmy, I suddenly realize that Curley
55:41may indeed be engaging in a similar
55:43behavior here.
55:45While Anna might fawn for safety,
55:47[music]
55:47Curly fors to maintain stability. He is
55:50about to break the [music] news that
55:52Anna told on Jimmy, and this is a matter
55:54serious enough to require the captain
55:56having to handle his evaluation [music]
55:58in herstead.
56:00This is the sort of circumstance that
56:02would highlight Jimmy's lack of power.
56:04He is being disallowed from exerting
56:06[music] his control over someone he sees
56:07as beneath him by disrupting her ability
56:10to work comfortably.
56:12Curley monumentally softens the weight
56:15of this by first allowing Jimmy to
56:17openly mock Anna's position without
56:19challenge [music] as he says, "I take it
56:22Anna diagnose you with being sane then
56:26before reducing his handling of the
56:28evaluation to a simple," I said I'd do
56:30yours and only barely insinuating the
56:33reason through a light-hearted reference
56:35to Jimmy's behavior which encourages and
56:37minimizes rather than reprimands
56:40by introducing the evaluation through
56:43humor. Curley is the one making sure
56:45that his authority never materializes.
56:49He may have framed this to Anna and
56:51indeed to us as handling the situation,
56:54but this recurring draw to soften,
56:57minimize, or reassure Jimmy is
56:59inarguably the opposite. Curly has
57:02completely mishandled Anna's experience
57:04and through that lifted and centered
57:07Jimmy even further.
57:10But why? This tendency to soften things
57:13for Jimmy seems to be something that
57:15Curly and Ana share. But the glaring
57:17issue here is that Curly is the captain.
57:20It is his responsibility to take proper
57:23action. His history with Jimmy, his
57:25[music] understanding of him as a person
57:27that must be navigated rather than put
57:29in place highlights a potential [music]
57:32insecurity, fear, or hesitance to treat
57:35him as his subordinate. Given Jimmy's
57:38explicit resentment and bitterness
57:40towards their positioning on that ladder
57:42of hierarchy, Curley's reluctance to
57:45assert authority over him reads more
57:47like avoidance than [music] empathy.
57:50Through Anna's unstable and deceptive
57:53framing, her true function is buried.
57:57She absorbs and holds the most
57:59concentrated costs of these systems we
58:02have established. Her role itself, the
58:05gentle, anxious, accommodating
58:08caregiver, already sets her up from the
58:10start as something secondary to the main
58:12crew. She is the support existing to
58:17stabilize others emotionally and
58:19physically, maintenance. And maintenance
58:22should be invisible, only highlighted
58:24when something has failed. Her concerns
58:28are to be heard, but never taken too
58:30seriously, as managing more significant
58:33members of the hierarchy is treated as
58:35far more pressing. Curly presents this
58:38[music] framing to the player in a
58:40palatable, explainable, relatable way, a
58:43way that [music] could be easily
58:45overlooked.
58:47Jimmy presents this in a far more
58:49antagonistic and overt one, using his
58:51mischaracterizations [music] of Anna and
58:53the stress of the situation they share
58:55as a way to justify himself.
58:59Both of these filters, though different,
59:01do the same job. Berry very very very
59:07very very
59:16glad to see [music] you again, Captain.
59:18It's party time here at Pony Express.
59:22There's always something worth
59:24celebrating. What's today's occasion,
59:26[music] you ask? A bold new chapter in
59:29corporate streamlining. Pony Express Co.
59:32[music] has now concluded operations.
59:34Yay!
59:35>> That's right. After years of dedicated
59:38delivering, [music] we are entering an
59:39exciting new phase of strategic closure.
59:43Now, we know what you're thinking.
59:46>> What about the shipment?
59:48>> Great [music] question, Captain. We can
59:50always count on you to consider what
59:52matters the most. [music] The Tulpa's
59:55current contract remains active and
59:56legally binding. Termination is not a
59:59valid reason for complacency. Your
1:00:02duties continue as scheduled. All crew
1:00:04employments have been dissolved,
1:00:06including yours. Congratulations,
1:00:08[music]
1:00:11Captain. Thanks to your tireless years
1:00:14of dedication, you have been specially
1:00:16selected [music] to oversee this
1:00:17transition. As our final acting captain,
1:00:20you have been rewarded sole
1:00:22responsibility to keep this from your
1:00:24subordinates until [music] no more than
1:00:2648 hours before your contract is
1:00:28complete. This is for optimal morale,
1:00:31unnecessary distress avoidance, and
1:00:34uninterrupted performance. You want to
1:00:37get paid, don't you? Now, hold on to the
1:00:40exciting news, Captain. This is your
1:00:42moment to really uphold the everlasting
1:00:44sanctity of our corporation. So, go on,
1:00:48enjoy the party. Have that second slice
1:00:50of cake on us. You've earned it.
1:01:05At the end of Jimmy's psychological
1:01:06evaluation, the ship receives a message
1:01:09from corporate. It isn't shown since the
1:01:12screen bleeds away into a different time
1:01:14before we have the chance to open it,
1:01:16something mouthwashing often does before
1:01:18moments of revelation or devastation. So
1:01:22when we return to Curly a day after the
1:01:25message, 6 days before the crash, the
1:01:28objective to simply break the news feels
1:01:31particularly unnerving.
1:01:34The eerie silence is punctuated only by
1:01:36his footsteps, and any attempt to stray
1:01:39from the subjective leads to the
1:01:41persistent thought, I need to tell them.
1:01:45The wording of break the news carries a
1:01:48feeling of finality. And with the
1:01:50negative atmosphere of the moment, there
1:01:52is a sense something catastrophic and
1:01:54irreversible has happened. It feels
1:01:58serious. The weight of this anxious,
1:02:01hollow ambiencece is punctured rather
1:02:04jarringly as Curley opens the door to
1:02:07find the crew dawning party hats in a
1:02:09now fully decorated lounge surrounded by
1:02:12balloons and birthday bunting. Because
1:02:15the crew are permitted just one communal
1:02:17birthday per trip, they can choose any
1:02:20member to celebrate and any day to plan
1:02:22the surprise. And so a rather difficult
1:02:25to digest cocktail is formed. Curley has
1:02:28already prepared himself to reveal
1:02:30something heavy to the crew, and they
1:02:33have already prepared to celebrate him.
1:02:37A moment imbued with a doom-like feeling
1:02:39of no return is dressed in a costume of
1:02:43celebration.
1:02:44Pony Express makes itself felt here in
1:02:47the fact that even in Celebration,
1:02:49hierarchy must be preserved. With Curley
1:02:53being the captain, [music] he is the
1:02:54only crew member with clearance to
1:02:56prepare the singular celebratory cake.
1:03:00The others cannot access the necessary
1:03:02[music]
1:03:02ingredients, disallowed from producing
1:03:04the centerpiece of their own creation.
1:03:07There is [music] something so miserable
1:03:09about this scene. The idea of a
1:03:12restricted communal birthday party is
1:03:15rather sad in itself, [music]
1:03:17but this bizarre fixation on control and
1:03:20responsibility being funneled so
1:03:23strictly into the hands of a single
1:03:25person [music]
1:03:26that the other crew members cannot even
1:03:28be trusted to manage cake batter [music]
1:03:31makes Curly's already heavy, anxious
1:03:34moment feel even more detached and
1:03:37empty.
1:03:38And now he, carrying the burden of
1:03:41something not yet disclosed, is forced
1:03:44out of his moment of human suffering and
1:03:46into a choreographed performance of
1:03:49duty.
1:03:58Sitting at the table, Curly buckles
1:04:01under the pressure of an excited Dais
1:04:03and Ana playfully demanding a speech.
1:04:07This is when Jimmy, who we have
1:04:09established is particularly attuned to
1:04:11Curley's emotions, taps a crack into the
1:04:14facade by asking,
1:04:16>> "What's wrong?"
1:04:21>> Curly breaks the news. Pony Express is
1:04:24no longer operational. And though he was
1:04:27instructed not to reveal their closure
1:04:29until closer to the hall destination, he
1:04:32couldn't stomach hiding it from [music]
1:04:34the crew.
1:04:36It is clear that Curley sees his crew
1:04:38mates as people. He feels for them as
1:04:41individuals that exist outside the
1:04:44system they share together on the
1:04:45Tulpar. He might be the captain, but he
1:04:48doesn't operate solely as a puppet for
1:04:51Pony Express, even if they clearly
1:04:53expect him to. He follows his own
1:04:55initiative [music] as well, which though
1:04:57risky in such a strict setting, he seems
1:05:00willing to accept [music] responsibility
1:05:02for. This can be seen clearly in his
1:05:05trusting of Swansea with the axe or his
1:05:06off therecord attempts to share [music]
1:05:08with Jimmy because the structure of Pony
1:05:11Express essentially abandons Curly,
1:05:13[music]
1:05:14expecting him, a human, to handle a crew
1:05:17he sees as individuals in a way that
1:05:19[music] flawlessly follows their
1:05:21corporate emotionless inhuman logic. He
1:05:24is set up to fail. [music] But because
1:05:27Pony Express expects its employees to
1:05:29reject, bury, or be silent about all
1:05:32that makes them human, this also leaves
1:05:35him alone with his inevitable
1:05:37oversightes, mistakes, and mishandlings.
1:05:40Curley sees everyone as individual and
1:05:43gives them equal grace. [music] He sees
1:05:46them as being all in the same boat.
1:05:49That leaves something devastatingly
1:05:52overlooked. It assumes everyone feels
1:05:54[music] the same way as he does, that
1:05:57everyone strives for equality and tries
1:06:00to center individualism as best as they
1:06:03can under such a regime. It doesn't
1:06:06consider [music] or acknowledge what
1:06:08could happen if a crew member does not
1:06:11align.
1:06:14There is a scene pre- crash between
1:06:16Curly and Anna that we will explore more
1:06:19in depth later, but it feels pertinent
1:06:22to bring in part of it. Now, in the
1:06:25scene, Anna points out that if you look
1:06:28very closely, you can see a dead pixel
1:06:31in the corner of the screen in the
1:06:33lounge. A dead pixel that though he
1:06:36tries, Curly cannot see.
1:06:40Because Anna has seen it, it's always
1:06:42there in the back of her mind. And
1:06:44because [music] it isn't immediately
1:06:45apparent to Curly, he sarcastically
1:06:48thanks her for telling him about it,
1:06:50lamenting that searching for it will
1:06:52likely drive him bonkers.
1:06:55Despite this, [music] he settles himself
1:06:57into the thought that even though he
1:07:00knows the damage is there, he doesn't
1:07:02think it ruins the illusion because he
1:07:04cannot [music] see it. And that for him,
1:07:06it's therefore peaceful all the same.
1:07:10Because of this, Anna is left alone with
1:07:13the cost of seeing the [music] damage,
1:07:16of having to hold the thought of the
1:07:18unseen dead pixel in her mind all the
1:07:21time.
1:07:23This scene is the perfect metaphor to
1:07:25foreshadow [music]
1:07:26what's to come next. Part of Anna's
1:07:30function is to hold and maintain harm,
1:07:33while [music] Curly puts trust in the
1:07:35surface image of harmony, assuring Anna
1:07:38that he can navigate and avoid [music]
1:07:39catastrophe if she can just continue to
1:07:43silently absorb.
1:07:45The dead pixel is a warning. There is
1:07:49something Curly [music] cannot or will
1:07:51not see. And what he is able to
1:07:54disregard due to his big picture
1:07:56thinking is left to fester inside Anna
1:07:59instead [music]
1:08:00as she has no choice but to be burdened
1:08:03with it.
1:08:05The party marks a seismic [music] shift
1:08:08in the structure that already felt
1:08:09fragile due to Pony Express's
1:08:11unrealistic demands and the tension
1:08:14between crew members. Because the
1:08:16corporate structure is now actively
1:08:18crumbling away, what remains is no
1:08:20longer a table of constrained, organized
1:08:23crew members [music] struggling to
1:08:25stifle themselves for the system, but
1:08:27the raw humans within, and their
1:08:30reactions to the news tell us a lot.
1:08:34Swansea, the disillusioned realist,
1:08:36[music] is of course unsurprised.
1:08:38Anna, now loosened slightly from her
1:08:40constraints of holding harm, is able to
1:08:43express a small part of the cost.
1:08:45covering her mouth in disbelief as she
1:08:48frets over her lack of savings. Da the
1:08:51unbburdened optimist is appropriately
1:08:54silent. There is nothing optimistic
1:08:56about this situation.
1:08:59What sets these three apart in this
1:09:01moment is an aligned shared sense of
1:09:05having been wronged by a company who was
1:09:07long hurtling towards this fate. All
1:09:11three recognize themselves as having
1:09:13always been disposable.
1:09:15Swansea says it best.
1:09:17>> What a joke. And we're the punchline.
1:09:21Curley also aligns with this collective
1:09:23recognition that the system has failed
1:09:25them. He does this simply by sharing the
1:09:28news before the instructed time, [music]
1:09:30illustrating he recognizes the crew
1:09:32deserve to know just as much as he does.
1:09:36Though painful, the ability to share in
1:09:38anger, fear, and hopelessness, to direct
1:09:42the responsibility for these crushing
1:09:44emotions back towards Pony Express,
1:09:46refusing to absorb them could have been
1:09:50a powerful moment of solidarity for
1:09:52these people. It seems that's what
1:09:54Curley hoped for. A hope born from his
1:09:58inability to address the person who
1:10:01continually refuses to align, who will
1:10:04not allow him to step outside the
1:10:06system, who is unable to share a moment
1:10:10outside of hierarchy.
1:10:13Jimmy,
1:10:15imagine for a moment the utter lack of
1:10:17power Jimmy felt [music] here. Hierarchy
1:10:20is everything to him. The system is
1:10:23everything to him. It's what grants him
1:10:26appointed control. [music]
1:10:28The only thing that seems to make him
1:10:29feel he has worth. He envys Curley's
1:10:33[music] position. He is above him at the
1:10:36very top. In fact, well-liked, praised,
1:10:39admired.
1:10:40Jimmy [music] openly resents that. In
1:10:43his eyes, Curley has everything he
1:10:45hungers for, but can't quite [music]
1:10:47sink his teeth into. And now he is
1:10:50daring to step off his high ladder again
1:10:52and into a shared space [music] of
1:10:54mourning and fear with his crew.
1:10:58This makes Jimmy angry, [music]
1:11:00resentful, full of rage. A moment of
1:11:05shared vulnerability and acceptance
1:11:06[music] means forfeiting the power he
1:11:09has so desperately coveted. He cannot
1:11:12allow this moment to become too human,
1:11:15too real, as it would shatter the
1:11:18structures he holds on to. Curly,
1:11:21Swansea, Anna, and Da align [music]
1:11:23with a shared sense of humanity. Jimmy
1:11:27aligns with the system. The system that
1:11:30is about to crash.
1:11:33Jimmy has what I can only [music]
1:11:35describe as a tantrum. He forcefully
1:11:39derails the shared [music] pointing of
1:11:41responsibility towards Pony Express and
1:11:44twists it back around to where the
1:11:46company would want it directed [music]
1:11:48at Curly.
1:11:50One by one, Jimmy dismantles each crew
1:11:53member, pointing a spotlight on their
1:11:55surface level struggles and functions
1:11:57[music] and using that to separate them
1:12:00from Curley, to isolate them in their
1:12:02individual suffering [music]
1:12:04and disallow Curley from existing
1:12:06outside his place in the hierarchy.
1:12:10Jimmy twists what Curley confided in
1:12:12him, [music] his existential despair,
1:12:14and uses it as a weapon by claiming he's
1:12:18the only one who got what he wanted.
1:12:21This is a very manipulative, calculated
1:12:24derailing, [music] as it's doing
1:12:25multiple unjust and hurtful things at
1:12:27once. Jimmy begins by placing himself
1:12:30[music] at the bottom of the hierarchy
1:12:32by Riley referencing his conversation
1:12:34with Curley.
1:12:36I can go back to my, how do you put it?
1:12:39struggle of a life.
1:12:41This is a cruel mischaracterization of
1:12:44Curley's attempts to [music] empathize
1:12:45and acknowledge his reality, not put him
1:12:48down.
1:12:50Jimmy is actually doing something quite
1:12:52callous and [music] clever here. As
1:12:54twisting these words implies that Curly
1:12:57sees Jimmy as beneath him, [music] which
1:12:59suggests Jimmy is in a position of
1:13:02vulnerability and powerlessness that
1:13:04might [music] elicit sympathy.
1:13:06Meanwhile, in reality, what his tirade
1:13:08is achieving is to prop himself up on
1:13:11top of everyone as he pushes them down
1:13:13one by one with these reframings of
1:13:16human struggles through a hollow
1:13:19corporate [music] lens.
1:13:21This reduces everyone from being complex
1:13:23beings to parts of a machine that are
1:13:26only as valuable as their ability to
1:13:29function [music] within the whole,
1:13:31ignoring hardship, needs, or individual
1:13:34differences. He moves on to Anna again,
1:13:38using this moment to place her below
1:13:40himself by saying, "Anna never got into
1:13:43medical school because she's well, let's
1:13:45be real." He gets away with putting her
1:13:48beneath him while still maintaining his
1:13:50performance of victimhood [music] here
1:13:52at the table because he again does not
1:13:54finish the thought plainly. He knows
1:13:57everyone can fill in the blank of what
1:13:59he is thinking as he clearly makes his
1:14:02opinions about her known. opinions that
1:14:04others may not share but do not speak up
1:14:06[music] against. The well, let's be
1:14:09real, feels like an invitation to the
1:14:11player to begin [music] filling in that
1:14:13blank. We can imagine what's supposed to
1:14:16go there. incompetent, emotional,
1:14:18sensitive, the list could go on. But
1:14:21[music] as I explored earlier, part of
1:14:23mouthwashing is to start realizing that
1:14:26the evidence of our own eyes is a
1:14:28powerful tool that can be used in the
1:14:31[music] unpicking and challenging of an
1:14:33unreliable narrator's perception. While
1:14:36it may be true that Anna struggled to
1:14:38get into medical school, the full story
1:14:41is never allowed to be told. No one
1:14:43[music] discloses the individual reasons
1:14:45or important context that might be
1:14:48needed to understand this part of her
1:14:50life. [music] And that feels very
1:14:52intentional in a game whose main
1:14:54characters attempt to shape our own
1:14:57perceptions.
1:14:58What we do see is that Anna is
1:15:01incredibly driven, spending her free
1:15:03time studying and reading. She wants to
1:15:06conduct her evaluations properly and
1:15:08thoroughly. and her only barrier to
1:15:10doing so has been due to lack of
1:15:12engagement or active sabotage. Both
1:15:15circumstances she ensured to highlight
1:15:18and try to amend. Sorry to break it to
1:15:20you, Jimmy, but not wanting to deal with
1:15:22your sexual misconduct is not a sign of
1:15:24an illequipped medical professional.
1:15:27Being able to manage catastrophic wounds
1:15:29with limited supplies and under extreme
1:15:32pressure whilst being aware of one's own
1:15:34emotional limits might be the sign of a
1:15:36very strong and capable one, though. But
1:15:39I digress. Jimmy goes on to highlight
1:15:42Swanse's age, wondering how many more
1:15:44years of employment he could even have
1:15:46left in him, again encompassing his woes
1:15:49within the context of his use as a
1:15:52worker and not as a human. [music]
1:15:54He does the same to Da only flipped
1:15:56around stating he'll be fine because
1:15:59mommy and daddy have him covered [music]
1:16:01which is a very reductive and
1:16:03condescending way to view a young person
1:16:05with their own hopes and dreams. [music]
1:16:08The use of mommy and daddy here just
1:16:11makes his intentions so clear. This is
1:16:13not a genuine reassurance but rather
1:16:15utter ridicule and [music] dismissal.
1:16:18Both of these observations are born from
1:16:21this need to ensure everyone remembers
1:16:23their place and that they are reminded
1:16:25of their uselessness within the [music]
1:16:27context of the system, not allowed to
1:16:30find solidarity within each other's
1:16:32respective pain. When boiled down and
1:16:35simplified like this, he successfully
1:16:38makes Anna, Swansea, and Da feel [music]
1:16:41worthless and attempts to frame Curly as
1:16:44being the one benefiting from their
1:16:46losses.
1:16:48Jimmy pretends to be in this pool of
1:16:50worthlessness with the others when
1:16:52really he is the one attempting to get
1:16:55something out of this moment by taking
1:16:57control of the narrative and using it to
1:17:00feel powerful. The moment Curley defends
1:17:04himself and tries to steer the narrative
1:17:06back to reality, Jimmy slams his fist on
1:17:10the table to disrupt him.
1:17:12Jimmy is actively using his claimed
1:17:15authority over reality to stop Curly
1:17:18from even expressing how he actually
1:17:20feels or what he actually said. When he
1:17:24[music] contests Jimmy's perception of
1:17:26his words, Jimmy simply rebutts him by
1:17:28saying, "That is what you meant." He
1:17:31feels entitled and bold enough to
1:17:34reinforce his authority over truth
1:17:36without anything to back it up. There is
1:17:39an implied violence in his fist slam.
1:17:42This isn't only about getting Curly's
1:17:44wrapped attention. This escalation is to
1:17:47incite fear and silence thoughts and
1:17:49emotions that might challenge the system
1:17:52Jimmy clings to. We're the ones you're
1:17:54trying to escape. Leave the dirt behind
1:17:57once your boots are clean. You just
1:17:59couldn't frame it to yourself in a way
1:18:01that kept you as the hero. Abandon the
1:18:03crew, but remain the model captain.
1:18:07Again, Jimmy will share space with the
1:18:09others only when it makes his argument
1:18:12feel more powerful. And while no one
1:18:14around the table openly agrees with him,
1:18:16they also do not intervene nor offer
1:18:19other perspectives. They have all been
1:18:22silenced and flattened by Jimmy's words.
1:18:25Be it through fear, exhaustion, or a
1:18:28subconscious tendency to always sink
1:18:30back into the system.
1:18:33What started as a painful but shared
1:18:35moment of solidarity has been
1:18:37successfully hijacked and twisted into
1:18:40hierarchy and cost absorption once
1:18:42again. Jimmy claims interpretive
1:18:45dominance over the group. He decides
1:18:48what Curley meant. He decides the worth,
1:18:51positioning, and pain of everyone at the
1:18:53table. He even gets to have the final
1:18:56word, orchestrating the lasting feeling
1:18:59this moment [music] will forever hold.
1:19:02Let's have some [ __ ] cake. H props to
1:19:05our captain and his new prospects.
1:19:08>> The lack of challenge here marks a
1:19:10potential shift in perspective for the
1:19:12player, too. If Jimmy is [music] not
1:19:14only so capable, but so persistent in
1:19:18molding a reality that is far removed
1:19:20from the disregarded complexities we see
1:19:23as observers, what else is [music] being
1:19:26rewritten? What else is left out of this
1:19:30story?
1:19:31With the disconcerting hum of rising
1:19:34music that would feel at home in the
1:19:37center of a horror scene climaxing to
1:19:39brutal attack, Curly slowly soarses into
1:19:44the cake. Back and forth, back and
1:19:48forth. The player must alternate keys to
1:19:51painstakingly drag the knife through its
1:19:54center bit by bit as if the facade of
1:19:58celebration was only the thinnest layer
1:20:01coating a slab of raw flesh.
1:20:05A feeling of dread hangs over everything
1:20:08as the sequence bleeds away.
1:20:14Right after this moment, we get a postc
1:20:16crash scene where this table slam
1:20:18promise of violence comes to fruition.
1:20:22It stood out to me that these two scenes
1:20:24were right next to each other in the
1:20:26game's chosen order of presenting
1:20:28events.
1:20:29Jimmy wakes up to the sounds of Curly
1:20:32groaning in pain and notices that Da is
1:20:35the only other crew mate in his bed
1:20:37where he should be.
1:20:39He goes looking for Anna, finding her
1:20:42speaking with Swansea in the cockpit.
1:20:45Startled by his presence, Anna turns her
1:20:47face away from Jimmy before he asks why
1:20:50the two of them are up speaking during
1:20:52sleeping hours and asks Anna if she has
1:20:55been crying.
1:20:57She denies it. Both her and Swansea
1:21:00repeatedly dismissing Jimmy's concerns.
1:21:03Jimmy insists we all need to keep it
1:21:06together, attempting as always to
1:21:08reinforce the system before Swansea
1:21:11says, "Oh, I'm keeping it together.
1:21:14Don't you worry, Captain." It struck
1:21:17[music] me that this is one of the very
1:21:19few times that Swansea calls Jimmy
1:21:21Captain and not some other unserious
1:21:23title. [music]
1:21:24And yet, in the context of the rest of
1:21:26his speech and behavior, it still feels
1:21:28[music]
1:21:29sarcastic and belittling. Their
1:21:32reluctance to let Jimmy into the
1:21:34conversation [music]
1:21:35is palpable, and it seems as though
1:21:37Jimmy doesn't quite know how to handle
1:21:40this. Instead, bringing up Curley's
1:21:42groaning and questioning [music] Anna
1:21:44whether she had medicated him yet.
1:21:46Though Anna says it had just slipped her
1:21:48mind and repeatedly states she feels
1:21:50capable and fine [music] to give him the
1:21:52painkillers, Jimmy actually refuses to
1:21:55allow her to here, insisting that he
1:21:57will take on the task instead.
1:22:00After the party scene, [music] it felt
1:22:02quite evident to me that a situation
1:22:04like this could make Jimmy feel
1:22:06powerless again. A private [music]
1:22:08conversation which he is essentially
1:22:10pushed out of leaves him without
1:22:13control.
1:22:14If he does not know what is being said,
1:22:16how can he assert his interpretive
1:22:18dominance? [music]
1:22:19Also, Swansea's choice to use his proper
1:22:22title here further disrupts and stunts
1:22:24Jimmy's ability to latch on to [music]
1:22:26something he can use. no chance to
1:22:28demand authority without losing the
1:22:30facade of calm and control. It therefore
1:22:33feels unsurprising that he reaches for
1:22:35the topic of Curly in this very moment.
1:22:38He knows there are times Anna would like
1:22:40support with his care and it has been an
1:22:42opportunity for him to reclaim his sense
1:22:45of power by reinforcing [music] her
1:22:47worthlessness and incompetence.
1:22:50However, she also disallows him from
1:22:52doing so [music] by telling him she
1:22:55feels perfectly able. This puts Jimmy in
1:22:58a position where he seems to grasp at
1:23:00straws to try and feel some control
1:23:02while still feigning a calm demeanor.
1:23:05So, he awkwardly demands control of a
1:23:07task that she feels able for instead.
1:23:11This subtle building of insecurity
1:23:13bubbles over once Jimmy is alone with
1:23:15Curly.
1:23:17Come on, stop with the noise.
1:23:20>> Damn it.
1:23:21>> I know what everyone's thinking.
1:23:24The way they look at me.
1:23:26What could I even say? And then what
1:23:30would she do? Damn it.
1:23:34Here we are now. Me in the driver's
1:23:37seat.
1:23:38Thanks for that.
1:23:40Open up.
1:23:42I hope these make you feel [ __ ]
1:23:44better.
1:23:46As the [music] screen fades to black, I
1:23:49prepared myself for the discomfort of
1:23:51the usual unsettling sounds of Curly
1:23:54being force-fed his medication.
1:23:58But this time, my skin started to crawl
1:24:01as I realized just what I was hearing.
1:24:06Jimmy landing blow after blow on
1:24:10Curley's fragile, raw, defenseless body
1:24:14as he cries in agony.
1:24:40>> [snorts]
1:24:41>> When Jimmy looks at the remaining
1:24:43painkillers, he has the thought, "Once
1:24:46these are out, we'll have nothing to
1:24:48keep him quiet."
1:24:50Quiet. Hidden.
1:24:53Curly is evidence that makes noise.
1:24:57Jimmy's objective is not to treat him,
1:25:00not to help him, but to silence him. He
1:25:03was doing that long before Curly lost
1:25:05the ability to form words. And he will
1:25:08use physical threat that will absolutely
1:25:11materialize into violence.
1:25:15But there's something else here in his
1:25:17fearful, angry lamenting that stands
1:25:20out. What would she do?
1:25:24What would she do?
1:25:27What would she do? What would she do?
1:25:33Here at Pony Express, leadership is
1:25:35everything. As captain, [music] this
1:25:37means anticipating personnel feedback
1:25:39and handling it before it becomes
1:25:42operational setback. She could tell
1:25:44them, "Preparation is protection. Don't
1:25:47be burdened by sensitive internal
1:25:49[music] developments." She could say it
1:25:51out loud. As captain, be assured that
1:25:53access to [music] our narrative control
1:25:55framework trademark makes perception
1:25:58management a breeze. Maintain crew
1:26:00confidence, prevent unnecessary
1:26:02misunderstandings, [music]
1:26:03and avoid escalation. They already look
1:26:06at you differently. Strategic discretion
1:26:09is key to keeping any issues with crew
1:26:11synergy to a comfortable minimum.
1:26:15You know why. Remember, composure
1:26:18maintains authority. You've got this,
1:26:20captain. You didn't climb this high by
1:26:23cutting corners. You're losing it.
1:26:26You're the captain. Take responsibility.
1:26:29Take responsibility.
1:26:31Take responsibility. Take
1:26:33responsibility. Take responsibility.
1:26:36Take responsibility.
1:26:40What would she do?
1:26:49What would she do?
1:26:52It's the only time Jimmy centers Anna in
1:26:56the entire playthrough. In the center of
1:26:59his spiral, deep in the quivering heart
1:27:01of his insecurity that twists and rides
1:27:04with paranoia and violence is she, Anna.
1:27:12So, why does this question land
1:27:13specifically on her and not the crew?
1:27:17[music] Why not what would they do?
1:27:20Jimmy's constant, desperate hierarchy
1:27:23restructuring has always seen Anna being
1:27:25repositioned at the very bottom, beneath
1:27:28him, unworthy of her title,
1:27:30inconsequential, useless, not worth
1:27:33explanation or a consideration.
1:27:36And yet, in Jimmy's most vulnerable,
1:27:39paranoid moment, her actions
1:27:42specifically [music] seem to inspire the
1:27:44most dread, seem to require the greatest
1:27:47consideration,
1:27:48not through a lens of empathy, but
1:27:51rather damage control.
1:27:53Anna becomes the axis of consequence in
1:27:56this one line. At the height of Jimmy's
1:27:59paranoia, when his coveted authority
1:28:02feels most unstable, his fear fixes on
1:28:05the one person he and Curly have both
1:28:08relied upon in different ways to suffer
1:28:11quietly so the structure can hold. For
1:28:15what reason could the person he has
1:28:17worked so hard to render inconsequential
1:28:20be the one that feels most threatening?
1:28:24The dead pixel.
1:28:27This pre-crash conversation with Curley
1:28:29is one of many important and frankly
1:28:32devastating interactions that spell out
1:28:34Jimmy's reason for being so afraid.
1:28:39Anna sees damage. She points it out to
1:28:42Curly, the one who holds power. He
1:28:45chooses to view it in his own way
1:28:47without considering the cost of his
1:28:49inaction, the cost of his perception. He
1:28:53chooses to perceive the image as
1:28:54peaceful without considering what it
1:28:57might mean for Anna to have to hold the
1:28:59damage she sees in her mind all the time
1:29:02with no one else able to share or
1:29:04validate her experience.
1:29:07Even we as players are kept out of it,
1:29:10locked into these two fixed [music]
1:29:12views.
1:29:14Jimmy, his character, his behavior, his
1:29:17drive towards dominance, his unadressed
1:29:19harm is the [music] dead pixel. We know
1:29:23he does not spoil Curly's big picture,
1:29:26and Curley believes his relationship
1:29:28with and [music] supposed understanding
1:29:30of Jimmy is enough to keep the damage
1:29:33contained.
1:29:35We understand where that containment
1:29:37space is now within Anna. Though because
1:29:40we are still limited by the filters of
1:29:42our playable characters [music]
1:29:43perceptions, what Anna is holding is
1:29:46still not fully illuminated.
1:29:49Jimmy's put downs, his inappropriate
1:29:51remarks, his sabotage, his
1:29:53dismissiveness, his cruelty, [music]
1:29:56they culminate to form the evidence the
1:29:58game is willing to show us. What it
1:30:00tries to soften or justify in order to
1:30:03control our focus. [music]
1:30:06When we stop allowing Curley's softened
1:30:08perception of Jimmy to guide us and
1:30:11realize that he is also an unreliable
1:30:14narrator, those more subtle [music] yet
1:30:16deeply unnerving truths begin to break
1:30:19free from beneath the dirt.
1:30:23This point in the game, after Jimmy's
1:30:25violent assault on Curly, is when any
1:30:28shaky trust I had left in my holding of
1:30:30Curley's hand really crumbled away. Not
1:30:34because he is cruel, unlikable, or
1:30:36ill-intentioned, but because I realized
1:30:39his big picture thinking would leave me
1:30:41blind to harm, would protect someone I
1:30:45found reprehensible, and disallow me
1:30:47from discovering the full extent of what
1:30:50Anna has been left alone with.
1:30:53There are two moments in mouthwashing
1:30:55where Anna's mental well-being, in
1:30:58particular the question of her will to
1:30:59live, come to the four. One moment is
1:31:02seen while playing as Curly and the
1:31:05other as Jimmy. The first scene is set
1:31:08just a day before the crash and starts
1:31:10with an ominous objective for Curly.
1:31:13Find the gun. The search brings him to
1:31:16the cockpit where he finds a clearly
1:31:18distressed Anna hunched over on the
1:31:21floor, holding herself and rocking back
1:31:24and forth for comfort. Curly angrily
1:31:27interrogates her over the location of
1:31:30the gun, pleading that they're being let
1:31:32go from Pony Express is not a reason to
1:31:34cause herself irreparable harm. He calms
1:31:38as he realizes a glaring oversight, that
1:31:41as nurse of the ship, Anna herself has
1:31:44never had a psychological evaluation for
1:31:48telling her she could have come to him
1:31:50if she was feeling stressed. "What would
1:31:53you have done?" Anna asks him. Anything.
1:31:57Curley replies. Anything.
1:32:00You, the crew, are all my
1:32:02responsibility.
1:32:04I told you so over and over. Yeah. Anna
1:32:08tells him that she wasn't going to hurt
1:32:10herself. That the revolver is in a case
1:32:12that only the captain has access to.
1:32:15Finally revealing her true intention was
1:32:18to hide it, not use it.
1:32:22Curley again pleads for the location,
1:32:24assuring Anna that this does not have to
1:32:26go on their performance log. Again,
1:32:29using corporate framing in a moment
1:32:31where it's clear humanity is needed.
1:32:34The facade of this system is utterly
1:32:37shattered in just a few more words.
1:32:42I'm pregnant.
1:32:44You're what? Who would you? Captain,
1:32:49I told you.
1:32:53>> Anna's pregnancy is revealed in [music]
1:32:55such a masterful way. This moment does
1:32:58not feel like a cheap shock twist. The
1:33:01game has shown us nothing explicit. And
1:33:04yet, the moment Anna says, [music] "I
1:33:06told you," the player can piece together
1:33:09what this means.
1:33:12This information lands like finally
1:33:14swallowing a lump that has been growing
1:33:17[music] in your throat for hours,
1:33:19suffocating you in suspense. But the
1:33:22final gulp of confirmation does not
1:33:24bring relief, [music]
1:33:25rather a new sinking feeling that slides
1:33:29down into the pit of your stomach.
1:33:32In this moment, [music]
1:33:34Anna is finally allowed to become the
1:33:36center of the game. During her
1:33:39confiding, she literally becomes the
1:33:41focal point [music] of the screen. For
1:33:43the first time, everything around her is
1:33:46erased instead.
1:33:48The framing slowly pans away as we see
1:33:51only the back of her body, [music]
1:33:52contorted in distress. She seems so
1:33:56small, so alone, so pained. [music]
1:34:01This is a moment for the player to
1:34:02detach themselves from the bodies we are
1:34:04made to inhabit throughout the game.
1:34:06Anna is [music] in our full view now,
1:34:09even if still not reachable in a way
1:34:11that would allow action or choice within
1:34:13the bounds of the game.
1:34:16We are in many ways far from her,
1:34:19detached on the other side of a screen,
1:34:21but we are being allowed to truly see
1:34:24her if only for a moment. And that
1:34:27brings its own agency.
1:34:30She has been erased by Pony Express, who
1:34:33treats its workers as machine parts. She
1:34:36has been erased by her role as the
1:34:37caregiver. Secondary, [music] the one
1:34:40who supports and should not need
1:34:42supporting. She has been erased by
1:34:44Curley's minimization, reframing,
1:34:46[music] and in action. She has been
1:34:49erased by Jimmy's warped world view, and
1:34:51interpretive dominance. She is erased
1:34:55again by the crash. [music]
1:34:59Here
1:35:02we are given the chance to put her back
1:35:04into the story by [music] understanding
1:35:07what really happened to her before we
1:35:09are funneled back into Curly or Jimmy's
1:35:12experiences [music] once again.
1:35:14The crash is framed as a rupture, a
1:35:17reset. It is explosive, catastrophic,
1:35:20[music]
1:35:21visible, and undeniable. A disaster
1:35:24fitting for a point of origin from which
1:35:26all else flows. But when Anna utters the
1:35:29words, [music] "I told you," the
1:35:31realities that have been presented to us
1:35:33fracture and rearrange. The questions
1:35:36that once felt most pressing now
1:35:39dissolve. The story is out of order, not
1:35:42only to build tension or mystery, but to
1:35:45redirect our attention, to make us
1:35:49complicit in what we are shown and
1:35:52discourage [music]
1:35:52us from questioning what might be being
1:35:55hidden.
1:35:57Our task is not to win against monsters
1:36:00or discover a way to recover from the
1:36:02[music] crash and save the day a hero.
1:36:05It is to pick out the buried pieces from
1:36:08two very [music] complex jumbled
1:36:10perspectives that will slowly build the
1:36:14truth. To return [music] each crew
1:36:16member to the reality that has been
1:36:19taken from them.
1:36:21The crash is not [music] the point of
1:36:23origin, but rather of escalation. It is
1:36:26consequence. [music] It is what happens
1:36:28when that dead pixel is ignored long
1:36:30enough that it can no longer remain
1:36:32unnoticed or held by a singular person.
1:36:37The big picture shatters, sending deep
1:36:39cracks spindling through the facade in
1:36:41every direction.
1:36:43The inciting incident was never the
1:36:46crash. It was that Jimmy assaulted Anna.
1:36:50And now her constant [music] holding of
1:36:52cost has become actualized through the
1:36:55gestation of a baby. Something that is
1:36:58still at first unseen but that cannot be
1:37:02ignored, smoothed over, or reframed. It
1:37:06is evidence, [music] uncontrollable,
1:37:09unreachable, untouchable reality made
1:37:13flesh. The most unnerving part of this
1:37:16interaction is that Curley does not need
1:37:19confirmation or clarity in this moment.
1:37:21He does not need Anna to say, "Jimmy
1:37:23[music] assaulted me and now I am
1:37:25pregnant." This moment is not one of
1:37:27revelation or surprise. [music] It is
1:37:30one of consequence, an inevitable
1:37:33outcome. He knows what she is talking
1:37:36about. He knows who did this, just as he
1:37:39knew who the final psych [music]
1:37:41was meant for. because no one else would
1:37:44inspire such anxiety and [music] dread.
1:37:48It is not that Curley doesn't understand
1:37:50Jimmy's character or his effect on
1:37:52others. It's that [music] he has chosen
1:37:54not to acknowledge its devastation for
1:37:57as long as the machine seems to be able
1:37:59to keep moving. [music]
1:38:01Curley is not a man left in the dark. He
1:38:04is a man blinded by the intense glare of
1:38:06his own big picture. so fixated on the
1:38:10overall brightness of the screen that he
1:38:12would sooner let his vision burn out
1:38:15than allow himself to look directly at
1:38:18that dark, damaged [music] black spot,
1:38:22even if it harms him as well.
1:38:26Curly tells Anna he would have done
1:38:28anything, even repeating the word with
1:38:31emphasis as if attempting to fill an
1:38:33empty space with the shape [music] of a
1:38:35savior, a hero he has already failed to
1:38:38embody. The emphasis falls flat in the
1:38:41face of Anna's [music] surgical
1:38:42question. What would you have done?
1:38:47The question is like a vacuum that
1:38:49[music] renders the space unfillable by
1:38:51Curley's retroactive promise of
1:38:53anything. Anything is limitless, almost
1:38:56[music] cosmic. And yet here it already
1:38:59means nothing. It is already as empty
1:39:02[music]
1:39:02as the darkness that surrounds Anna.
1:39:06What would you have done is a quiet
1:39:08[music] yet all-consuming indictment of
1:39:11Curley's inaction. His anything is
1:39:14limited within the [music] bounds of the
1:39:16structure that enabled the harm to occur
1:39:18in the first place.
1:39:21His anything is asking for the gun.
1:39:24reassuring Anna it won't go on the
1:39:25performance log, [music]
1:39:27offering to navigate Jimmy, but through
1:39:29plecation and false equivalence. [music]
1:39:32Doing so at the cost of making Anna hold
1:39:36the consequences alone. [music]
1:39:38Curly's responsibility only activates
1:39:41once consequence becomes unavoidable.
1:39:44By that time, anything is just a vast
1:39:48empty void [music]
1:39:49that may as well be synonymous with
1:39:52nothing.
1:39:54Curly is now faced with the [music]
1:39:56inescapable. Jimmy's devastation has
1:40:00been made flesh. It can no longer be
1:40:02joked away or ignored. He has a [music]
1:40:06final chance here to truly invoke his
1:40:09promise of anything or to continue on
1:40:12his usual trajectory of containment and
1:40:15minimization.
1:40:17From this point, it almost feels like
1:40:19their conversation splits into two
1:40:21realities.
1:40:23Curly makes his choice.
1:40:26>> Listen to me. We can fix this. I've
1:40:29known him for a long time. I'll talk to
1:40:31him.
1:40:33This time, Anna does not accept Curly's
1:40:36path. Instead, maintaining her place in
1:40:40the focal point of truth.
1:40:44I know you'd never give me the gun to
1:40:46protect myself, so the least I can do is
1:40:50make sure he never gets it either.
1:40:53This final exchange really compounds the
1:40:56limits [music] of Curly's supposed
1:40:57anything. Even in this most undeniable
1:41:01moment of crisis, he cannot inhabit
1:41:04reality with Anna. He still chooses to
1:41:07prioritize maintenance and containment
1:41:10even when what has happened is quite
1:41:12literally [music]
1:41:13uncontainable.
1:41:15This is perhaps Curly's most damning
1:41:18moment of failure and Anna's strongest
1:41:21as even with fingers bloodied, kicked
1:41:23and pulled by alternate perceptions, she
1:41:26refuses to let go of the truth.
1:41:29The following day, the day of the crash,
1:41:32sees Curly finding Anna once again in a
1:41:34state of distress, this time with her
1:41:37back to him, [music] creating a sense of
1:41:39her now having fully turned away from
1:41:42Curley's restructuring of reality. They
1:41:45no longer inhabit the same [music]
1:41:46space. This is further proven as Anna
1:41:49reveals she already told Jimmy herself
1:41:52about the pregnancy, [music] not waiting
1:41:54for Curley or allowing him to reframe,
1:41:57soften, or erase her narrative.
1:42:00Curley is shocked and evidently panicked
1:42:03by this, [music] telling Anna she should
1:42:05have waited for him. Immediately,
1:42:07questions begin spilling rapidly from
1:42:09his mouth.
1:42:10>> What did he say? Did he seem angry?
1:42:12Where did he go?
1:42:14Anna remains in her reality, telling
1:42:17Curly he said [music] nothing that would
1:42:20change the situation and that he just
1:42:22walked away. She does not need to answer
1:42:25the question about his anger because she
1:42:27no longer inhabits a space [music] of
1:42:29unreality. Of course, he would be angry.
1:42:33Anna [music] makes a final attempt to
1:42:35reach Curley's promise of anything by
1:42:37saying, "Curly, I don't want him in here
1:42:41anymore." to which Curley can barely
1:42:44respond. His mind is already hurtling
1:42:47towards consequence [music]
1:42:48and containment. He stops her abruptly
1:42:50by asking her to hold on [music] that he
1:42:53has to go and find Jimmy with a final
1:42:56empty promise.
1:42:58Everything's going to be okay.
1:43:02I have seen people often express
1:43:04disbelief or even condemnation towards
1:43:07Anna for disclosing the pregnancy to
1:43:09Jimmy without waiting for Curly.
1:43:12I really disagree with this framing and
1:43:15I felt it important to explore.
1:43:17Anna has been labeled as [music]
1:43:19reckless, not thinking, or in extreme
1:43:22cases, I've even seen comments calling
1:43:24her stupid or blaming her for what
1:43:26[music] happens next.
1:43:28I feel this sort of reading demonstrates
1:43:30a lack of understanding about abuse
1:43:32dynamics, [music] particularly ones that
1:43:33have involved uh reframing or
1:43:36minimizations from people outside
1:43:37[music] the abuse, as well as an
1:43:40unpleasant tendency we have as a society
1:43:42to find ways to force the victim to
1:43:45share blame. Anna is already existing
1:43:47[music] in a sort of altered reality.
1:43:50She is trapped in the middle of space
1:43:52with her assaulter with nowhere to run
1:43:55and a contract to fulfill under [music]
1:43:57a company that constantly threatens
1:43:59financial punishment for any issue. For
1:44:02someone without savings and who
1:44:04>> [music]
1:44:04>> utterly breaks down at the news of Pony
1:44:07Express's collapse, this is a terrifying
1:44:10thing to have looming over your head.
1:44:12Not only this, but her disclosure of the
1:44:14assault [music]
1:44:15alongside multiple instances of
1:44:17harassment and abuse have been minimized
1:44:19and [music] softened and avoided again
1:44:22and again. Framed as being a [music]
1:44:24consequence of her inability to manage
1:44:27Jimmy, not Jimmy himself. Curley tells
1:44:31[music] her repeatedly, "I've known him
1:44:33a long time." As if he has a special
1:44:35ability to tame Jimmy like some sort of
1:44:38snake charmer.
1:44:40This may temporarily solve an
1:44:42operational issue, for example, [music]
1:44:44getting the psycho balls finished, but
1:44:46it does not stop the behavior. In fact,
1:44:50[music] it barely even acknowledges it.
1:44:52Curly never confronts Jimmy about his
1:44:55actual treatment of Anna, [music] nor
1:44:57the cost of it. For all we know, he is
1:45:00not aware of the cost outside of his own
1:45:02perception, since we never see him ask
1:45:05about Anna's experience or what she
1:45:07wants or [music] needs to happen. not
1:45:10once.
1:45:11And the one time she explicitly tells
1:45:13[music] him, "I don't want him in here
1:45:16anymore." Curly is already mentally
1:45:18trying to smooth things over for [music]
1:45:20Jimmy rather than being in the moment of
1:45:22crisis prevention with Anna and the rest
1:45:25of the crew.
1:45:27Anna will have noticed this. The effect
1:45:31of an [music] outside reality checker
1:45:33constantly siding against your
1:45:34experience can and will wear down a
1:45:37person's trust [music] in their own
1:45:39perception. This person does not have to
1:45:42be abusive. In fact, it's usually the
1:45:44opposite. It's often someone kind,
1:45:46[music]
1:45:46trustworthy, well-meaning, who wants
1:45:49everyone to receive equal [music] grace.
1:45:52The problem is that when someone is
1:45:54treating an abuser and their victim with
1:45:56equal grace, [music] it isn't truly
1:45:59equal because the very dynamic of abuse
1:46:01is completely lopsided by nature. It
1:46:04assumes both [music] sides want the best
1:46:06for everyone deep down, even when one
1:46:09person's actions continually demonstrate
1:46:11[music] otherwise.
1:46:13This is how someone well-intentioned can
1:46:16pave the pathway to hell with their
1:46:18[music] actions. There's a reason that
1:46:20saying exists. What Curly has done
1:46:23[music] is plant doubt within Anna. Not
1:46:26doubt over her pain. She cannot help but
1:46:29feel that. But doubt over what she is
1:46:31allowed to think or feel about it.
1:46:34[music] A sense of hopelessness that it
1:46:36will ever stop. And a feeling of
1:46:38responsibility that she should be able
1:46:40to navigate Jimmy's behavior. If Curly's
1:46:44so-called handling things [music] is the
1:46:46norm and has consistently led to Anna's
1:46:49narrative being erased, imagine the
1:46:52unbelievable weight of this [music]
1:46:54particular situation. How Curly might
1:46:57frame her pregnancy in order to soften
1:47:00it, minimize it, erase her, and placate
1:47:04the man who violated her.
1:47:08The level of anxiety, helplessness, and
1:47:11anger that would stir at the thought
1:47:13makes my own stomach churn just to
1:47:15envision. [music] Emotions that have
1:47:17nowhere to go because Anna's function is
1:47:20to contain them all. Pony Express
1:47:22[music] enforces this. Jimmy enforces
1:47:25this, and Curly enforces [music] this.
1:47:29This is something that simply could not
1:47:32be contained. And anyone who thinks Anna
1:47:35was in the wrong for not managing is
1:47:37perhaps missing the point a little. For
1:47:39their entire journey thus far, Anna has
1:47:42held on to everything Jimmy has done to
1:47:45her, the vast majority of which we will
1:47:47never see or know, while being
1:47:50effectively brainwashed into accepting
1:47:52this is a tenable scenario with a normal
1:47:55guy who is just a little disruptive and
1:47:57needs special treatment.
1:48:00a part of Jimmy literally being rooted
1:48:03inside her now utterly inescapable, a
1:48:06tangible evidence growing [music]
1:48:08against her will. With everything Curly
1:48:12has assured her with, it makes [music]
1:48:13most sense to me that rather than this
1:48:15disclosure being a result of stupidity
1:48:17or recklessness, it was a desperate
1:48:20attempt [music] to survive by holding on
1:48:22to reality.
1:48:24Perhaps she thought if she could just
1:48:26show Curly the true cost she now has to
1:48:29hold without minimizations or filters,
1:48:32[music] he might finally see that dead
1:48:34pixel, might make Jimmy leave her alone,
1:48:37might [music] give her the gun, might
1:48:39apprehend him. There may even have been
1:48:43a part of her that [music] hoped Jimmy
1:48:45himself might be able to understand the
1:48:47cost she is holding and take [music]
1:48:49responsibility. It seems like a
1:48:51ridiculous thought only because we have
1:48:53been able to see Jimmy for what he truly
1:48:55is. But for Anna, she has been riddled
1:48:58with self-doubt [music] and forced to
1:49:00operate within a system that already
1:49:02defies logic. Curley's consistent
1:49:05reframing of Jimmy as someone who is
1:49:06[music] not a danger also blinds Anna to
1:49:09the severity of how far Jimmy might go
1:49:12in reaction [music] to this news.
1:49:15I do not think she sees what is [music]
1:49:18coming next. Or perhaps she hopes that
1:49:20on hearing the unfiltered truth, Curly
1:49:23will finally take action to prevent
1:49:24[music] something catastrophic. Anna has
1:49:27already taken steps herself by hiding
1:49:29the gun, illustrating her understanding
1:49:31that Jimmy [music] is reactive and
1:49:33capable of harm. But Curly is the one
1:49:36who understands he is capable of so much
1:49:40more.
1:49:41As Curley turns away, unsettling music
1:49:45creeps in, escalating to an anxious
1:49:48swell punctuated by a thudding like a
1:49:51heartbeat pounding in your eardrums. A
1:49:54feeling of terror hangs in the air.
1:49:57Every wrong direction blocked by a
1:49:59single thought. I need to go to the
1:50:02cockpit.
1:50:04This walk is urgent, manic,
1:50:07horrorfilled.
1:50:09When Curley finds Jimmy outside the
1:50:11cockpit, the tense music softens into
1:50:14relief because he gets the chance to
1:50:16talk him down from what he clearly
1:50:18feared would be something severe.
1:50:21Jimmy asks what Curley thinks will
1:50:23happen when they get back, to which
1:50:25Curley reassures him that [music] we can
1:50:28figure it out. The clarity of that we is
1:50:32devastating. [music]
1:50:34It is not referring to Pony Express, not
1:50:37the crew, not even he and Anna. You and
1:50:42me, Jimmy, the perpetrator, and Curly,
1:50:46the captain responsible for everyone's
1:50:48[music]
1:50:49safety. As much as Jimmy wraps Curly up
1:50:52in the blame here, which while not
1:50:54entirely unfounded, is staggering in its
1:50:57hypocrisy coming from this creature,
1:50:58[music]
1:50:59Curley affirms that solidarity himself.
1:51:03He is not merely guilty by association.
1:51:06He is complicit. That clarification, you
1:51:10and me, illustrates it beyond doubt.
1:51:13Enabling and complicity are not
1:51:15exclusively defined by personally
1:51:17benefiting from [music] harm. They can
1:51:19stem from something as simple as
1:51:21preserving the status quo, avoiding
1:51:23confrontation, or having a bias [music]
1:51:26towards the abuser because they're not
1:51:28as overtly cruel to you.
1:51:31Intentions are irrelevant if [music] the
1:51:33outcome is the same every time. You
1:51:36could argue Curly was lying here to keep
1:51:39Jimmy [music] calm, but given their long
1:51:41history, that seems unlikely and blindly
1:51:43charitable. Enabling softens actions
1:51:46that cause harm, conditions victims to
1:51:49[music] accept the unacceptable,
1:51:51emboldens perpetrators to escalate and
1:51:54relieves the enabler of confrontation,
1:51:57change, or difficult choices.
1:51:59This is precisely what Curley has done
1:52:02for what appears to be a very long time,
1:52:05as evidenced [music] by his reminder to
1:52:06Jimmy that he has faced difficult
1:52:09situations before, and [music] his
1:52:11continual framing of Jimmy's behavior as
1:52:14struggles or difficulty rather than
1:52:16serious harm and violation of others,
1:52:19including Curley himself.
1:52:22I truly believe Curley thinks he is
1:52:25doing the right thing. [music]
1:52:27I believe he is exhausted, burdened by
1:52:30the immense pressure of captaining under
1:52:31a horrifyingly inhuman structure like
1:52:34Pony Express. I believe he is also
1:52:37harmed by Jimmy, that [music] their
1:52:38relationship is destructive in ways that
1:52:41impair his judgment. But none of that
1:52:44absolves him from contributing to the
1:52:47environment that allows Jimmy to act
1:52:49[music] as he does. It does not justify
1:52:52him siding with him here. Forgiveness
1:52:55follows reflection and accountability,
1:52:58[music]
1:52:58two things Curley has not yet explored.
1:53:02Curley believes he is being [music]
1:53:04responsible by promising they will
1:53:06handle this together when in actuality
1:53:09he is falling into the same [music]
1:53:10exact trap he has been caught in from
1:53:12the very start. He continues to trust
1:53:16Jimmy even while he shows him every
1:53:18reason not [music] to. He continues to
1:53:21believe in the image. He looks away from
1:53:24the dead [music] pixel, from the damage.
1:53:27This is his final fatal error.
1:53:33Jimmy's calmness [music] in this moment
1:53:35is what frightened me the most. It is
1:53:38the calm before the storm, the stillness
1:53:41of someone who feels cornered and on the
1:53:44verge of losing control. [music]
1:53:46When an abuser has nothing left to
1:53:48maintain and nothing left to lose,
1:53:53power is restored not through stability
1:53:55and backing down, but [music] through
1:53:57escalation at any cost. This is Jimmy at
1:54:01his most dangerous, and yet he [music]
1:54:04appears his most composed.
1:54:07Jimmy feeds into Curley's existential
1:54:09pain in a way that illustrates the
1:54:11lopsided nature of their dynamic as
1:54:13well. Jimmy feels [music] powerless, so
1:54:16Curly reaches out to lift him up. Shows
1:54:19[music] him loyalty, reassurance,
1:54:21solidarity. Jimmy responds by pulling
1:54:24Curly down. Like someone drowning who
1:54:27drags their rescuer under in an attempt
1:54:29[music] to gasp for air. Only this is
1:54:32not panic alone. It [music] is
1:54:34calculated. For Jimmy, merging himself
1:54:37with Curly is not about confession or
1:54:40encouraging a captain to reflect. Just
1:54:43like the system he aligns himself with.
1:54:46This is about redistribution.
1:54:48It is about placing responsibility
1:54:50outside himself [music]
1:54:51and forcing someone else into his black
1:54:55hole. Curley is speaking human to
1:54:58[music] human. Jimmy is reestablishing
1:55:01hierarchy.
1:55:03He frames their failures as synonymous,
1:55:05[music] entwining their actions until
1:55:08distinction blurs. What Jimmy has done,
1:55:10Curly has done. While Curly has enabled
1:55:14him, they are not the same. [music]
1:55:16Though, because Pony Express treats them
1:55:18as such, Jimmy takes advantage of that
1:55:20unjust equivalence and weaponizes it. It
1:55:24holds just enough truth to reach Curly
1:55:27and cut him deeply.
1:55:30Jimmy sews helplessness and doubt into a
1:55:33moment that should have been the most
1:55:35powerful push back against him. He
1:55:38ensures that Curley is deflated in the
1:55:41moment his authority is needed most.
1:55:45This allows him to speak without
1:55:47questioning or rebuttal, reestablishing
1:55:49Curley's feelings of helplessness and
1:55:51struggle to find meaning before placing
1:55:54himself in the position of authority as
1:55:56he turns his back.
1:55:59This mirrors Anna's earlier moment. Both
1:56:02Anna and Jimmy have detached from Curly
1:56:05and turned towards their respective
1:56:07realities.
1:56:09Anna [music] faces away looking towards
1:56:11the painful truth alone. Jimmy faces
1:56:14away looking towards his final act
1:56:16[music] of ultimate control. In both
1:56:19cases, this represents a fundamental
1:56:21detachment. Curly is unable to fully
1:56:24[music] connect with or act on the
1:56:25realities these two characters are
1:56:27facing. This means that despite Jimmy
1:56:30[music]
1:56:30essentially fantasizing openly about the
1:56:33entire crew's tragic end, Curley is
1:56:36still unable to foresee what's coming as
1:56:39his old friend walks [music] towards the
1:56:41cockpit with an ominous final line.
1:56:45I'll take care of it.
1:56:48We have seen this line a multitude of
1:56:50times here. It no longer carries any
1:56:53reassurance. It [music] is not a promise
1:56:56to fix, mediate, or contain. Not
1:56:59anymore. Throughout the scene, the
1:57:01flashing intrusions that invade the
1:57:03screen [music] reiterate those words,
1:57:05"Take care of it." Spliced with the
1:57:08classic mouthwash promise, kills 99%.
1:57:12It invades our screen, a still unseen
1:57:16and unreachable warning that Curly
1:57:18[music] is blind to. This being the only
1:57:21time we see Curly in his pre-crash state
1:57:23feels significant [music] too. We detach
1:57:26from his view and have this screen
1:57:28shoved in our faces. We are both a part
1:57:31of this scene through him and an outside
1:57:33observer who can explore it impartially.
1:57:37Take care of it becomes hollowed out.
1:57:39Its core replaced with something [music]
1:57:41sterile and cataclysmic.
1:57:44This is a warped mirror of corporate
1:57:46sanitization.
1:57:47>> [music]
1:57:47>> Harm is reduced to statistics and
1:57:49improvable metrics and real danger is
1:57:52abstracted into difficulty to be handled
1:57:55or rinsed away. In this system,
1:57:59annihilation starts to look like the
1:58:01logical solution to uncontainable harm.
1:58:04Kills 99% suggests sterilization,
1:58:09eraser, [music]
1:58:09and that remaining 1% contains the
1:58:12unnerving implication that something
1:58:14will survive this sweep. Again, my mind
1:58:18is drawn to the dead pixel, [music]
1:58:20so tiny that Curly could not find it.
1:58:23That small percentage of the screen,
1:58:26that harm and destruction [music] that
1:58:28survives to persist on and on.
1:58:32Jimmy is fantasizing about control
1:58:35reclaimed through devastation, [music]
1:58:37a crew fading into memory, no
1:58:39consequences to be faced, no reputations
1:58:42to be stained, [music]
1:58:43no truths to be exposed.
1:58:46He is communicating in a way that
1:58:48satisfies both the system he aligns with
1:58:50and Curly here. This speech is
1:58:53essentially about preserving the big
1:58:54picture [music] that Curley has always
1:58:56clung to. But the part he fails to grasp
1:58:59is the lengths that Jimmy will go to in
1:59:01order to preserve that image. [music]
1:59:03And what will remain in itstead is the
1:59:06part Curly could never bring himself to
1:59:08see.
1:59:09Annihilation is not the same as repair.
1:59:13Destroying evidence only manipulates how
1:59:15the screen is remembered. [music] It
1:59:17does not fix the pixel. This is the end
1:59:20point of everything Curly has failed to
1:59:23confront. Curly still hears
1:59:25responsibility when Jimmy is
1:59:27communicating elimination.
1:59:30Repair versus obliteration.
1:59:33Jimmy's composure speaks volumes. This
1:59:36is a man who has already made a
1:59:38decision. Their separation is absolute.
1:59:43Curley allows himself to believe
1:59:45disaster has been prevented while Jimmy
1:59:48has already decided disaster is the way
1:59:51to sanitization.
2:00:01[music]
2:00:05Yeah.
2:00:44System failure.
2:00:47System failure.
2:00:50System failure.
2:00:53>> System failure. At Pony Express, we
2:00:56pride ourselves on consistency. [music]
2:00:58A little turbulence doesn't change the
2:01:00big picture. A little damage doesn't
2:01:02undo good work. What really matters is
2:01:06how you're remembered, Captain. We'll
2:01:08calculate the margins. We always do.
2:01:11Numbers [music] are manageable. People
2:01:13are expensable,
2:01:16but we account for that, too. [music]
2:01:18Expect this to reflect in your credits.
2:01:21Kills 99% of harmful bacteria. [music]
2:01:24Kills 99% of contaminants. Kills 99% of
2:01:29liability.
2:01:311% [music] is negligible. So don't
2:01:33adjust the screen. Don't file a
2:01:35complaint. Remember, annihilation is
2:01:39just another word for sanitize.
2:01:42Now it's your turn to take care of
2:01:44things. Thank you for choosing Pony
2:01:46Express. If you're rotting, just rinse.
2:02:00>> [music]
2:02:05[music]
2:02:10[bell]
2:02:12[music]
2:02:19>> There is one scene in mouthwashing that
2:02:22I think illustrates the contrast and
2:02:24tension between Curly and Jimmy very
2:02:27well and one that is an excellent
2:02:29separator to put here between the truth
2:02:31of the crash and the depths of the
2:02:33descent that will follow.
2:02:36It's another bizarro sequence, one in
2:02:38which a post crash curly sits at the
2:02:41lounge table with the infamous corporate
2:02:43controlled [music] cake. The words take
2:02:46responsibility appear blood red and
2:02:49jumbled as if to suggest Jimmy's
2:02:51struggle to decipher the concept and his
2:02:54[music] fearfueled resistance towards
2:02:56it. The big picture screen is shattered
2:03:00now plastered with warnings that come
2:03:02far too [music] late. It feels fitting
2:03:05in this room where friendship meets
2:03:07hierarchy over strictly rationed [music]
2:03:10cake that no one really enjoys that the
2:03:13words critical system failure are here
2:03:16obscured [music] but insistent.
2:03:19Jimmy shares the table and Curly begins
2:03:22to [music] speak.
2:03:24We should have some. Why? It's mediocre
2:03:28at best. Obviously,
2:03:30sometimes you can only get the subpar
2:03:32stuff. That's what makes the really good
2:03:35stuff, well, good, right? Why bother?
2:03:39Hey, we all tried to escape. Didn't work
2:03:44for any of us.
2:03:47I've thought many times, is this what
2:03:49peace feels like? And is it good enough?
2:03:53If I'm being real, certainly isn't the
2:03:55best.
2:03:57So all I can do is try and make my life
2:03:59one I'm not trying to run from all the
2:04:02time.
2:04:03Sometimes I'll be promoted, buy a house,
2:04:06fall in love. Other times I'll just have
2:04:10some awfuling cake with my friend.
2:04:13Right now that sounds pretty brilliant.
2:04:16Yeah.
2:04:18So if you'll do the honors,
2:04:21right?
2:04:22Well, let me go find a knife.
2:04:27This nightmarish sequence is the
2:04:29embodiment of Curly and Jimmy's
2:04:31relationship. Curley tries to reach
2:04:34Jimmy through solidarity in the human
2:04:36experience [music]
2:04:37despite Jimmy never responding to this,
2:04:40never sharing this lens. Every single
2:04:43crew member on this ship will naturally
2:04:45suffer and struggle in this system as we
2:04:48will explore and we have seen them
2:04:50attempt to reach each other and find
2:04:53moments to go on through the pain. All
2:04:56except Jimmy.
2:04:58Curly is hoping to meet [music] Jimmy in
2:05:01that space of understanding and
2:05:03reassuring him that even something that
2:05:06seems dire can be made beautiful or
2:05:08special in its own [music] way. And if
2:05:11not, then it can at least be survivable
2:05:13when faced [music] together. That a
2:05:15shared experience is worth something,
2:05:18especially when it might bring a moment
2:05:20of humanity and connection to an
2:05:22otherwise hopeless environment. [music]
2:05:24It's difficult not to envision what a
2:05:27conversation like this could have meant
2:05:28to [music] Anna, Da, and Swansea if
2:05:31Curly had finally accepted Jimmy's dead
2:05:34pixel needs to be addressed. Their
2:05:37erasure in this scene says a lot. When
2:05:40this sort of attempt to reach Jimmy is
2:05:42made fruitlessly over and over, the rest
2:05:45of the crew simply disappear into
2:05:47nothingness. Jimmy's only contribution
2:05:50to this sentiment is the offer to find
2:05:53the knife.
2:05:55This is a twisted, bizarre reenactment
2:05:57of their dynamic. Jimmy ventures through
2:06:00the darkness of the empty ship. The
2:06:02harsh red of warning lights blinking,
2:06:05hallways overtaken by emergency foam,
2:06:08decay, and empty bottles of mouthwash.
2:06:11And yet, the situation is eerily silent,
2:06:15unnervingly calm.
2:06:18All the signs of despair and horror
2:06:20unsaid and unadressed.
2:06:23In the cockpit, Jimmy retrieves a blood
2:06:25splattered ax from the head cushion of
2:06:27Curley's captain chair. A jarring image
2:06:30when you consider how Jimmy inherited
2:06:33his role as he grasps the axe. Eyeballs
2:06:37fix on him from the screen.
2:06:40Hley's eye.
2:06:42Jimmy is now seen, but it does not deter
2:06:45him. His new objective crawls onto the
2:06:48screen in red capitals. Feast.
2:06:53Only as he leaves the cockpit does
2:06:55[music] sound resume. Curley's desperate
2:06:57whimpers and an ambient dreamy track
2:07:00slowly rising.
2:07:03The uncomfortably out ofplace music
2:07:05[music] ends abruptly as Jimmy opens the
2:07:08lounge door to a new big picture [music]
2:07:11image.
2:07:14Curley's eye again staring back at Jimmy
2:07:18through the desecrated screen that once
2:07:20brought him peace.
2:07:22Turning to the left introduces a sight
2:07:25that spells impending doom. Curly
2:07:28sprawled across the table in place of
2:07:31the cake. Jimmy's chair is gone. This is
2:07:35not a table they can share.
2:07:39Curly is returned to his voiceless,
2:07:42helpless state. The moment he can
2:07:44finally see Jimmy with his one raw,
2:07:47lidless, unblinking eye that follows, no
2:07:50matter where Jimmy moves, he can no
2:07:53longer speak against him, no longer move
2:07:56to protect himself, no longer act
2:07:59[music] to save his crew. He has become
2:08:03the receptacle that is forced to hold
2:08:05[music] the truth, to voicelessly and
2:08:08powerlessly hold cost. It is only after
2:08:12his critical failure that he finally
2:08:15understands Anna and that he now never
2:08:18takes his eye off the dead pixel he once
2:08:21saw as a friend. In fact, [music] he
2:08:24literally has no other option but to
2:08:26stare fixated. His eye will never close
2:08:30[music] again. Jimmy uses the axe as the
2:08:34scene freezes in suspended horror before
2:08:37it bleeds away.
2:08:45Jimmy was never the person Curley
2:08:47imagined or wished him to be. In
2:08:50treating him as if he was and
2:08:52disregarding [music] the clear warnings,
2:08:54Curley doomed himself and the crew to
2:08:57the whims of someone who would rather
2:08:59consume others than share a moment of
2:09:01vulnerability with them.
2:09:04Jimmy does not abhore the oppressive
2:09:07system. He does not suffer because
2:09:09[music] it considers him a cog rather
2:09:11than an individual. He admires the
2:09:14system because it has what he wants. He
2:09:17suffers not because he is oppressed, but
2:09:20because he is [music] starving for
2:09:21control as he waits for his turn to do
2:09:24the oppressing.
2:09:27For someone ravenous for that position
2:09:29and who will not share in the
2:09:30complexities and nuances of the human
2:09:33condition, seeing Curley's lack of
2:09:35dominance while maintaining authority
2:09:38drives Jimmy mad with bitter envy. He
2:09:42does not see why others consider Curley
2:09:44to be such a great captain because he
2:09:46doesn't grasp the concept that
2:09:48leadership is not defined [music] by an
2:09:50unchecked hunger for control and power.
2:09:54Post Crash Curley is not meant to be a
2:09:56fitting judgment for his failings. What
2:09:59happens to him is horrifying, but
2:10:01structurally it's also deliberate.
2:10:04[music] It's important that Curley
2:10:06becomes a physical manifestation of the
2:10:08harm that was not visible to him before.
2:10:11He did not [music] stop it and so now
2:10:13the purpose of his character is to
2:10:15embody it.
2:10:17He is another example of the harm made
2:10:20flesh. And in that way, he very much
2:10:23mirrors the unborn [music] baby.
2:10:25Helpless, voiceless, a product of a
2:10:27catastrophic violation, and subject to
2:10:30his caretakers with whom he cannot
2:10:33communicate beyond whimpers [music]
2:10:35and cries.
2:10:37On the topic of harm flesh, this is the
2:10:40second time that the [music] cake has
2:10:42had a flesh equivalence. We witnessed it
2:10:44in the meat-like soying of Curley's
2:10:46slice in the party scene. And here
2:10:48again, as cake is replaced by Curley's
2:10:51actual body. This imagery will only
2:10:54escalate as we proceed. From here on,
2:10:57cannibalizing death and decay begin to
2:10:59permeate the ship as we descend deeper
2:11:02[music] into Jimmy's version of
2:11:04leadership. He is captain of a doomed
2:11:08vessel. Finally at the top with a crew
2:11:10spiraling into despair as they slowly
2:11:13starve and poison themselves [music]
2:11:15with endless mouthwash.
2:11:17Curly finally seeing Jimmy. The crew
2:11:21suspicious but helpless. And Jimmy
2:11:23[music] desperate to claw onto whatever
2:11:25shreds remain clinging to the bones of
2:11:28corporate control.
2:11:414 months after the crash, Jimmy checks
2:11:43on the crew. It's an interesting
2:11:46contrast to Curley's previous crew
2:11:48maintaining chapter
2:11:51where he undoubtedly had his major
2:11:53faults. It would be remiss not to credit
2:11:56him for [music] the clear drive he had
2:11:58as a captain to understand, facilitate,
2:12:02and support his crew. No task was
2:12:05beneath him. He [music] contained his
2:12:07personal struggles for the crew in order
2:12:09to maintain a sense of stability and
2:12:11morale, and he could recognize the
2:12:13redundance of some rules, even if those
2:12:16rules granted him special power that no
2:12:18one else had. That was just not of the
2:12:21highest importance to him. He wanted the
2:12:23crew to have an easier time and in many
2:12:27ways acted as a buffer between them and
2:12:29the system [music]
2:12:30since he was the only one with the
2:12:32authority to do so.
2:12:34Unfortunately, Curley's humanity was not
2:12:37a solution inside this structure. In
2:12:40fact, [music] it became a danger when
2:12:42paired with his inability to recognize
2:12:44how some might benefit from the system
2:12:47while others suffer from it. Under
2:12:49Jimmy's command, the ship does not
2:12:52stabilize. [music]
2:12:53It splits and constricts.
2:12:56The system has [music] abandoned them,
2:12:58and so Jimmy attempts to embody it
2:13:01himself. But on a mission that drifts
2:13:03further [music] and further from meaning
2:13:05and order, there is no longer any weight
2:13:08to threats of punishment or system
2:13:10breakdown. [music]
2:13:11The system has already failed. The cogs
2:13:14are detached, leaving the crew feeling
2:13:17emboldened to let go of protocol and
2:13:20expectation.
2:13:21They have less and less to lose.
2:13:25Eventually, each crew member starts to
2:13:27close off. Swansea restricts access
2:13:30[music] to utility, claiming sole
2:13:32responsibility for clearing away the
2:13:34wall of foam that blocks [music] the
2:13:35door. Anna eventually locks herself
2:13:38inside the medical bay with Curly,
2:13:40refusing access there as well. The
2:13:43inexperienced [music] Daisay feels the
2:13:45most aimless and lost in this new
2:13:47environment. And so he finds himself
2:13:50turning to mouthwash [music] in order to
2:13:52cope.
2:13:53This of course creates more splitting
2:13:55and constricting too, but in an
2:13:57emotional sense rather than [music]
2:13:59physical. In each of these scenarios,
2:14:02the ship is closing against [music]
2:14:04Jimmy. He is denied access to
2:14:07conversations, physical spaces, and
2:14:09unable to conduct a new harmony that
2:14:12would encourage [music] togetherness
2:14:13rather than despair and isolation.
2:14:16Jimmy's fundamental misunderstanding of
2:14:18what it means to be a leader feels even
2:14:21more raw and exposed [music] here when
2:14:23the only objective is to survive.
2:14:27Jimmy cares only for absolute [music]
2:14:29power, asserting hierarchy and control.
2:14:33Survival [music] requires a deep
2:14:35understanding of individual needs and a
2:14:38heightened ability to negotiate,
2:14:40encourage, and sacrifice in [music]
2:14:42order to fill in all the gaps that will
2:14:44naturally be exposed during crisis. This
2:14:48is the very situation that demands a
2:14:50leader that can step off the ladder and
2:14:52share solidarity with his crew. Through
2:14:56this chapter, where his primary task is
2:14:58to check on the crew, Jimmy repeatedly
2:15:00demonstrates his utter inability to do
2:15:03this. When Jimmy finds Da face down on
2:15:07the floor, bottle in hand, and groaning
2:15:09in discomfort, he is unable to meet Da's
2:15:13humanity. Jimmy warns him that guzzling
2:15:15mouthwash will kill him before anything
2:15:17else does. But Dais already knows this.
2:15:21Turning over onto his back, he explains
2:15:23to Jimmy that his mother found the
2:15:25internship for him after becoming
2:15:27frustrated by what she perceived to be
2:15:29his lack of direction and slacking off.
2:15:33Dais challenges this framing, showing
2:15:35himself to be a deeply introspective and
2:15:38thoughtful person, as well as someone
2:15:40who took his mother's opinions seriously
2:15:42and strived to please her. I just never
2:15:45knew what I wanted to be. Never was good
2:15:48at anything. total screw-up.
2:15:52>> The first line shows Da understood his
2:15:55own struggles. The second and third
2:15:57reflect how a world that villainized his
2:15:59indecision made [music] him feel. Rather
2:16:02than someone with potential who needs
2:16:04guidance and encouragement, he is framed
2:16:07as naive, talentless, and a screw-up.
2:16:11Despite Swansea's grumpily, cynical
2:16:13attitude and complaints, it's clear to
2:16:15see from all the sticky notes, open
2:16:17[music] books, and intensive teaching
2:16:19sessions that Swansea actually enjoyed
2:16:22mentoring Da. And equally, Da was an
2:16:25enthusiastic, understanding, and
2:16:27self-reflective student. These facts
2:16:30seem completely lost as Daik is reduced
2:16:33to the clueless burden, a side effect of
2:16:37being filtered through Jimmy's
2:16:38perception. Someone who is unable to
2:16:40meet Da where he is, who cannot
2:16:43recognize how his mother's
2:16:45misunderstandings of him and Pony
2:16:47expresses mishandling of new recruits
2:16:49might have caused him to root a system
2:16:52failure into himself. This is even
2:16:55clearer in his earlier party comment
2:16:57about how Daik has no worries because
2:17:00mommy and daddy would always fix
2:17:01everything for him. Jimmy does not try
2:17:04to alter his watered down view of Daikay
2:17:06to treat him as a full complex human
2:17:09being. Instead, he attempts to
2:17:11reintegrate him into the machine that
2:17:14harmed him, simply stating, "We're not
2:17:17done yet, Da."
2:17:20>> Jimmy ignores Da's emotional reality and
2:17:23attempts to engage in interpretive
2:17:25dominance once again by refraraming his
2:17:28despair as unfinished utility. This does
2:17:31not reach him at all as he simply
2:17:33continues on [music] telling Jimmy he
2:17:35just hopes his mother doesn't blame
2:17:37herself implying his belief that they
2:17:41are not going to make it back. Daisay
2:17:43does not see his use in this moment. He
2:17:47already felt burdensome before the crash
2:17:50before ever setting foot on the Tulpar
2:17:53and so his disrupted internship has only
2:17:55made his lack of direction terminal.
2:17:59Jimmy's we're not done yet is not a
2:18:01reassurance in this scenario, but rather
2:18:04a painful reminder.
2:18:06Dais has to ask Jimmy to take the
2:18:08mouthwash from him when really an
2:18:11effective captain would at least attempt
2:18:13to take this [music] action themselves
2:18:14or try to engage in a more emotional
2:18:17way.
2:18:18Daisy [music] asks to be alone and
2:18:21arguably he already is.
2:18:25Next, Jimmy checks on Anna. She yelps as
2:18:28he sits next to her, his sudden presence
2:18:31understandably inciting fear. She
2:18:34immediately begins to fawn, laying down
2:18:36her usual foundation of reassurance,
2:18:38flattery, and erasia of herself in order
2:18:41to navigate the conversation more
2:18:43safely. Jimmy asks if she is planning on
2:18:46drinking the mouthwash in her hand, to
2:18:48which she admits that she has been
2:18:49considering it, though expresses her
2:18:52hesitance towards it, that it would
2:18:54likely just make her sick and solve
2:18:55nothing, as much as she might like to
2:18:58dream it could. She suddenly pivots into
2:19:01telling Jimmy there are more medical
2:19:02supplies in [music] a foamed up locker
2:19:04in one of the hallways, and that if
2:19:06picked at carefully, it may be possible
2:19:09to access.
2:19:11Jimmy ponders the risks of [music]
2:19:12picking at the foam that keeps them
2:19:14sealed, but Anna manages to convince him
2:19:17that it doesn't seem too deep into the
2:19:19mass and that it would be worth trying.
2:19:22Jimmy is enticed by the thought that it
2:19:24would be a good way to get the axe back
2:19:25[music] from Swansea, a reversal of
2:19:28Curley's earlier decision to trust him
2:19:30with it. The chance to reassert control
2:19:33is enough to win him [music] over to the
2:19:34idea. This interaction is a little more
2:19:37complicated than Daisay's. It always
2:19:40stands out to me when the point of view
2:19:42detaches and we get these voyuristic
2:19:43[music]
2:19:44like shots that exist outside of the
2:19:46characters entirely. It was an excellent
2:19:48way to invite the player to see Anna
2:19:50from their own perspective [music]
2:19:51during her scene with Curly in the
2:19:53cockpit. And here it's an excellent way
2:19:55to invite the player to think more
2:19:57[music] deeply about this interaction
2:19:59between her and Jimmy.
2:20:02When we are shown a perspective outside
2:20:04of Jimmy, he is not shown in the shot at
2:20:06all, [music] either obscured by
2:20:08mouthwash or pushed out of frame. The
2:20:11focus should be on Anna here. So, what
2:20:14is she really doing? Anna reassures,
2:20:18thorns, erases herself, and pivots
2:20:20[music] into a request. She softens the
2:20:23request because it is a personal want or
2:20:26[music] need and she knows Jimmy sees
2:20:29her personal wants or needs as below
2:20:31him. She cannot ask him [music]
2:20:33directly.
2:20:35This is a calculated planned appeal to
2:20:37the one thing Jimmy values, action
2:20:40framed as [music] power. She proposes a
2:20:42task that could benefit the ship when
2:20:45really she wants those medical supplies.
2:20:49During a conversation where Anna was
2:20:50considering poisoning herself with the
2:20:52mouthwash [music] but decided against it
2:20:54because it would not solve anything. It
2:20:57begs the question, what do these
2:20:59supplies solve for her personally that
2:21:02mouthwash cannot?
2:21:05Because Jimmy is not able to step off
2:21:07the ladder. That question is not even a
2:21:09possibility. [music] His erasia from the
2:21:12scene reinforces the distance between
2:21:14them. They exist [music] in two
2:21:16different realities. Only Anna has
2:21:19learned how to filter her [music]
2:21:21requests for support through the
2:21:23language of leadership and so is still
2:21:25able to reach into Jimmy's world to get
2:21:28what she needs from him.
2:21:30Jimmy's view of Anna is so low, so
2:21:33utterly devoid of consideration or
2:21:35respect that it seems likely he wouldn't
2:21:38have been able to imagine her capable of
2:21:40manipulating him like this, which also
2:21:43ultimately worked in her favor. He
2:21:45assumes intellectual superiority, and
2:21:48this assumption is what blinds him to
2:21:50the fact he is about to lose all
2:21:52control. Jimmy approaches Swansea next.
2:21:56As previously explored, Swansea has
2:21:58never afforded Jimmy respect or
2:22:00recognition as the new captain. He has
2:22:02always seemed entirely unafraid of
2:22:04making his feelings known. At this
2:22:07point, 4 months into the crash, Swansea
2:22:09has only further anchored himself into
2:22:11this stance. And this interaction is
2:22:14particularly rife with suspicion,
2:22:16[music] sarcasm, and dismissal, a lack
2:22:19of trust, and a total refusal to respect
2:22:23his position. He even alludes to
2:22:25suspecting [music] that Jimmy crashed
2:22:27the ship, calling him the man with the
2:22:30plan, sarcastically referring to Curly
2:22:32as our previous tragically inclined
2:22:35leader and quipping that Jimmy wants to
2:22:38[music] take matters into his own hands.
2:22:42Swanse's refusal to succumb to
2:22:44seriousness is made quite clear off the
2:22:46bat. He is found dancing, axe in hand,
2:22:50in front of the big picture screen,
2:22:51stuck on an endless sunset.
2:22:55The image is surreal and morbid. A man
2:22:58who has given his [music] life to a
2:23:00system that has worn him down into a
2:23:02cynic who has broken over a decade of
2:23:05sobriety with reckless abandon [music]
2:23:07as he immediately recognized the ship
2:23:09was doomed. The suns setting on their
2:23:12existence, but not yet quite descended
2:23:14[music] into the death of an endless
2:23:16knight. Clinging to the axe that marks
2:23:19the bond of trust with a captain usurped
2:23:22and maimed.
2:23:24He seems to grasp it all. This new
2:23:27[music] twisted system Jimmy is
2:23:29attempting to perform. But just as he
2:23:31saw and endured the systemic [music] rot
2:23:33of Pony Express, he sees Jimmy's rot and
2:23:37refuses participation, but still will
2:23:39not intervene. His behavior is another
2:23:42way to shut Jimmy out and essentially
2:23:44throw a middle finger up to any attempts
2:23:46made to control him or the narrative.
2:23:50This act of resistance is so unsettling
2:23:52because it juxtaposes his clear disgust,
2:23:55confrontational language, and refusal to
2:23:58comply with [music] a performance of
2:24:01being carefree and ready to party.
2:24:05It echoes the merry skeleton clip from
2:24:07the earlier Bizarro sequence, which was
2:24:09the final [music] stage in the systems
2:24:11collapse.
2:24:13This is the inevitability of death made
2:24:16spectacle and an act of defiance against
2:24:18any demand [music] to go down quietly.
2:24:21It's fitting that Swansea mirrors this
2:24:24journey of footage most closely, as he
2:24:27is the quintessential veteran worker. He
2:24:30is the one to finally shatter the frozen
2:24:33sunset, marking the big [music]
2:24:35picture's total collapse. There is no
2:24:38more big picture, only separate
2:24:41fractured perceptions. [music]
2:24:43He will not hand the axe to Jimmy
2:24:45directly, will not participate in his
2:24:48mockery of a system. If Jimmy wants the
2:24:51axe, Swansea will force him to pull it
2:24:54from the broken image himself.
2:24:58Swansea now represents endurance without
2:25:01illusion. His awareness does not
2:25:03dismantle or directly change systems and
2:25:07it never has. He understands
2:25:09exploitation [music] yet remains
2:25:11tethered to it. In that respect, his
2:25:13position has not changed pre and post
2:25:16crash [music] only now in his own
2:25:18personal fracture. He uses defiance and
2:25:21ridicule as a way to withhold control
2:25:24and appears to be hiding something from
2:25:26Jimmy as he has secret conversations
2:25:28with Anna and asserts [music] authority
2:25:30over the utility room.
2:25:33Just as Anna may have ulterior motives
2:25:35in requesting the medicine, [music]
2:25:37this chapter soon invites questions
2:25:39about Swanse's restriction of this room
2:25:42as well. Jimmy breaks the foam
2:25:46surrounding the sealed locker, releasing
2:25:48the trapped painkillers and a bottle of
2:25:50isopropyl alcohol, which Jimmy takes
2:25:52himself.
2:25:55Anna waits patiently by, ready to shower
2:25:58Jimmy with compliments over his success.
2:26:00Another precursor to her asking for
2:26:02help. Again, a request to spare her the
2:26:06nausea and discomfort of giving Curly
2:26:08his medication.
2:26:10As usual, it does not land well. But
2:26:13this time, Jimmy's pent up anger and
2:26:15frustration are even more apparent. He
2:26:18loses any semblance of composure here,
2:26:21admonishing her for burdening him with
2:26:23such a needless task. A sentiment made
2:26:26clear by his assertion that he is
2:26:28actually trying to fix things. The
2:26:30implication being that Curley's pain
2:26:32management is a waste of time. [music]
2:26:34The tasks and feelings of a nurse are
2:26:37simply beneath him.
2:26:39Anna can barely stutter a response
2:26:42before Jimmy begins firing off the
2:26:44various objectives [music] we have been
2:26:45faced with over the course of the game.
2:26:48Find the code scanner, figure out the
2:26:50door code, get [music] the axe, chop up
2:26:52the foam, but not too much. And the
2:26:54final task that triggered such animosity
2:26:57and resentment in the first place, give
2:26:59Curly his [ __ ] medicine.
2:27:04The game breaks the fourth wall here as
2:27:06Jimmy's resentful descriptions of the
2:27:08tasks are presented on screen to us
2:27:10through the UI. The game is once again
2:27:13inviting us to look at this from our own
2:27:15perspective. We were the ones taking on
2:27:18these tasks just as much as Jimmy. As
2:27:21they reappeared in sequence like [music]
2:27:22this, I found myself becoming more
2:27:25detached from Jimmy than ever before.
2:27:27And that's really saying something. Five
2:27:30simple tasks, none of which he had taken
2:27:33on of his own valition, and all of which
2:27:36involved handholding, justifying, and
2:27:38encouragement of some kind from Anna.
2:27:40[music] To me, this moment felt rather
2:27:43pathetic. This man has coveted, hungered
2:27:46for, craved this position, [music]
2:27:48and now he has taken it in the most
2:27:50extreme way. He crumbles at the smallest
2:27:54of requests. This is not enough. It is
2:27:58not enough to have orchestrated this
2:28:00entire situation. It is not enough to
2:28:03have doomed the crew. It is not enough
2:28:05to be in charge on a ship that is going
2:28:08nowhere.
2:28:09His attempt at ultimate control has left
2:28:12[music] him powerless and burdened by
2:28:14the humanity of those beneath him.
2:28:17Because that is all that is left. Four
2:28:20human beings trying to survive and one
2:28:23still clinging on to a fantasy of power.
2:28:27He cannot share in Anna's own feelings
2:28:29of [music] despair and helplessness
2:28:30either. He cannot step off the ladder
2:28:33even in his own moment of overwhelm. And
2:28:35so he must attempt to both punish her
2:28:38and make her hold the cost of his own
2:28:40actions [music] and failures. Jimmy
2:28:43frames himself as the victim of his
2:28:45crew's demands when this is what it
2:28:48means to be a captain. His verbal abuse
2:28:51and uncontrolled unleashed anger
2:28:54illustrate that he is [music] doing
2:28:55precisely the opposite of what he is
2:28:57saying. He claims to be bearing it and
2:29:00taking [ __ ] [music] responsibility
2:29:02that he will take care of it because he
2:29:04always does. This is a man who cannot
2:29:08even take responsibility for his own
2:29:10struggles. Jimmy has become delusion and
2:29:13desperate interpretive [music] dominance
2:29:15personified
2:29:17throughout this tirade. take
2:29:19responsibility and take care of it flash
2:29:21[music] on screen. The two phrases
2:29:24splicing into one another, similar to
2:29:26the pre- crash moment where take care
2:29:27[music] of it combines with kills 99%.
2:29:32The game is asking us to pay attention
2:29:34to these words. [music] In this
2:29:36scenario, take care of it remains hollow
2:29:39and sterile as it was before, that
2:29:41warped mirror of corporate sanitization.
2:29:45But now take responsibility replaces
2:29:47[music] the previous action of kills
2:29:4999%. Though it still represents almost
2:29:52[music] the same thing in Jimmy's ethos.
2:29:55Kills 99% was alluding to sterilization
2:29:58and eraser. Something he attempted to
2:30:00achieve through annihilation by crashing
2:30:03the ship. Now though the words say take
2:30:05responsibility, his behavior illustrates
2:30:08this is still about erasia. He claims to
2:30:11be trying to fix things and moving into
2:30:13repair. But the words flashing on screen
2:30:15invite us to ask what responsibility
2:30:18actually means, what it would mean for
2:30:21us in this scenario. For Jimmy, it
2:30:24becomes clear that the word has a
2:30:26function. He uses it as a shield,
2:30:29allowing him to assert his interpretive
2:30:31dominance. Once [music] again, he
2:30:34decides what matters. He decides what
2:30:36progress means. He decides whose
2:30:39suffering is important and whose tasks
2:30:41are a burden. There is an irony to him
2:30:44saying [ __ ] responsibility. He cannot
2:30:47even allow the word to exit his mouth
2:30:49without first coating it in the
2:30:50explosive fuel of his resentment and
2:30:53rage first. This is not accountability
2:30:56but rather controlling what
2:30:58responsibility means for him. This is
2:31:01taking on the burden of tasks that
2:31:03[music] do not serve his need for
2:31:04hierarchy and feel beneath him.
2:31:07Then there is his version of taking care
2:31:09of it, which is erasia through action.
2:31:12He erases Anna's experience. He [music]
2:31:15reframes Dice's attempts to reach out.
2:31:17He overwrites Swansea's rightful
2:31:20suspicions. And he dismisses Curley's
2:31:22pain. In Jimmy's language, care and
2:31:26destruction occupy the same space and
2:31:29become interchangeable.
2:31:31He is unable or unwilling to distinguish
2:31:34care from control. responsibility from
2:31:37[music] punishment, fixing from erasia,
2:31:40leadership from domination.
2:31:42The flashing on screen does highlight a
2:31:45moment [music] of instability. However,
2:31:47it draws attention to the inongruence
2:31:49between his words and actions.
2:31:53Though Jimmy is unwavering in his
2:31:54assertions and manages to silence Anna,
2:31:57the moment doesn't feel controlled or
2:32:00powerful at all. It feels fragile and
2:32:03directionless. a fragility that Jimmy
2:32:06attempts to soothe as he approaches
2:32:08Curly with the painkillers. [music]
2:32:12Once he is alone with Curly, Jimmy's
2:32:15demeanor shifts. This is a stark
2:32:18contrast to his previous medicine scene
2:32:20where he beat Curly into submission.
2:32:23Jimmy is gentler now and begins to
2:32:26[music] speak in solidarity rather than
2:32:29opposition or blame. I don't think I
2:32:31understood the pressure you were under
2:32:32before.
2:32:35[ __ ] You tried to tell me.
2:32:38Our worst moments don't make us
2:32:40monsters, huh?
2:32:42You were a good captain, Curly. And
2:32:45you'll be one again.
2:32:47I'll get us both through this.
2:32:51In this moment, Curley not only fully
2:32:53transitions into his new role as the
2:32:56embodiment of harm made flesh, the
2:32:59silent holder of cost, but he also
2:33:02becomes Jimmy's mirror. The words he
2:33:05[music] says are not meant for Curly.
2:33:07Not really. They are meant for himself.
2:33:11Curley is unable to respond or resist,
2:33:14to ask him to stop, to challenge his
2:33:17authority. In fact, he is now too afraid
2:33:20to even squirm after Jimmy's previous
2:33:22attack. He cannot contradict [music]
2:33:25Jimmy's interpretive dominance. Cannot
2:33:27reject his false equivalence of their
2:33:29experiences.
2:33:31Jimmy is not taking responsibility,
2:33:33[music]
2:33:34showing compassion, or trying to repair.
2:33:37He is seeking absolution in a mirror of
2:33:40his own making, [music] a reflection
2:33:42that cannot respond.
2:33:45Jimmy can comfortably care for Curley
2:33:48here because he is the only crew member
2:33:50that cannot enact autonomy. Jimmy's
2:33:54version of care when he interchanges
2:33:56with violent control can be performed
2:33:58gently only because it is quiet and
2:34:01unchallenged.
2:34:03However, once the pills are
2:34:05administered, Curly still cries out.
2:34:11[snorts]
2:34:11[laughter]
2:34:15Though he cannot speak, evidence of harm
2:34:17still remains. His fixed, unblinking eye
2:34:20and unnatural stillness spell terror.
2:34:24The mirror may be silent, but it is
2:34:27looking back at Jimmy with a knowing
2:34:29glare. One Jimmy simply erases,
2:34:32replacing it with his own
2:34:33interpretation. [music] Once again, in
2:34:37Jimmy's world, if responsibility becomes
2:34:39the right to interpretive dominance,
2:34:41[music] the right to decide reality,
2:34:43then silence and compliance become
2:34:46essential. Curly is silent [music]
2:34:48because he no longer has autonomy. Jimmy
2:34:51finds stability in him now as he cannot
2:34:53speak [music] and no longer moves.
2:34:57Anna can be made silent, [music] but
2:34:58only through a continual reassertion of
2:35:00dominance, an action that triggers
2:35:02feelings of instability [music] and
2:35:04powerlessness which Jimmy cannot
2:35:06tolerate.
2:35:08Swansea refuses to be silent, and Jimmy
2:35:10does not even attempt to enforce [music]
2:35:12anything onto him, signaling potential
2:35:14feelings of threat or fear that we will
2:35:17explore soon.
2:35:19Daisy hesitates, [music] attempts to
2:35:21reach Jimmy's humanity, and in doing so
2:35:24identifies himself as a potential tool
2:35:26to [music] be used.
2:35:28Jimmy has failed to secure a uniform
2:35:32obedience. And since his version of
2:35:35responsibility is [music] to achieve
2:35:37complete narrative control, the natural
2:35:40progression forward is to seize control
2:35:42of all bodies within the narrative,
2:35:45autonomous or not. The big picture has
2:35:49fractured. Doors have closed off.
2:35:52Communication has contracted. And so
2:35:55Jimmy must force open what is closed to
2:35:58him, overwrite individuality, [music]
2:36:00and create his perfect obedient crew of
2:36:04silent mirrors.
2:36:07Dais with his inexperience, his trust,
2:36:10his vulnerability, and his desire to
2:36:13please is the perfect place to start.
2:36:23Are you tired of unruly subordinates?
2:36:24[music]
2:36:26Drained by the constant drone of
2:36:28autonomous thought, frustrated by the
2:36:31unpredictability of crew members playing
2:36:33[music] those pesky old free will and
2:36:36personal opinion cards.
2:36:39At Pony Express, we understand that
2:36:42leadership is hard, especially when your
2:36:44crew insists on remaining human.
2:36:48Introducing the perfect crew. Expect
2:36:52praise galore and consistent,
2:36:54predictable behavior that will never
2:36:55impede on your important work. HR
2:36:58complaints a thing of the past. [music]
2:37:01You'll never have to second guessess
2:37:02your actions again. Everything is better
2:37:05with a crew that knows you know what's
2:37:07best. No questions needed. The only
2:37:09sound you'll be hearing is the
2:37:11comforting drone of yes, captain. Thank
2:37:13you, Captain. You are the best captain.
2:37:16[music]
2:37:16Introducing quiet mode.
2:37:20Permanent pores patent pending [music]
2:37:24and unlimited access to disposables with
2:37:27our junior crew member range. They
2:37:29literally don't know any better.
2:37:34Take responsibility. Shape the crew to
2:37:36fit your needs. Agreement, [music]
2:37:38applause, sedation. Nothing is off the
2:37:41table. Why manage bodies when you can
2:37:44curate them? It's time to take care of
2:37:47it. [music] Create the crew you deserve.
2:38:00Why do you think Pony Express put a lock
2:38:02on the medical room door but not in the
2:38:04sleeping quarters?
2:38:09H?
2:38:12No. Suppose for the same reason they put
2:38:14a lock in the cockpit.
2:38:18Safety.
2:38:23>> Safety. That's Curly's answer. Safety.
2:38:28The word Pony Express prefers.
2:38:31Something they displace downwards onto
2:38:34those instructed to endure harm quietly.
2:38:39Curly, responsible for preventing harm,
2:38:42fails to even identify the potential
2:38:44danger of a bedroom without a lock. But
2:38:48Curley's conclusion that the medical bay
2:38:50and cockpit locks were ever about safety
2:38:53[music] is incorrect.
2:38:55The fact the word flashes on our screen
2:38:58once again invites us to question
2:39:00[music] its use. In mouthwashing, locks
2:39:04are about control, not safety. [music]
2:39:08The cargo hold is locked for control.
2:39:11The cockpit is locked for control. The
2:39:14medical bay is [music] locked for
2:39:17control. Tools are locked for control.
2:39:21Even food is locked for control.
2:39:26Areas where personal safety would most
2:39:28likely be breached are left unprotected.
2:39:32Personal boundaries are erased because
2:39:34crew members are not considered as
2:39:36individuals. Access,
2:39:39knowledge, and relief are rationed and
2:39:41locked away. Harm is not prevented with
2:39:43locks and barriers. It is not taken into
2:39:46consideration at all. If it happens, it
2:39:50must be silenced, contained, and
2:39:52rewritten. This line from Anna is one of
2:39:55the most [music] tragic and unnerving in
2:39:58the entire game.
2:40:00What elevates the terror is that Curly
2:40:02identifies the use of a lock safety
2:40:05[music]
2:40:05yet fails to identify its need on a
2:40:08bedroom. These systems harm everyone,
2:40:11but some absorb more cost than others.
2:40:15Some cannot even see the need for what
2:40:17others suffer desperately without. Anna
2:40:20has always tried to survive in a system
2:40:22that was built against her in every
2:40:24possible way. by navigating Jimmy, by
2:40:27confiding in Curly, by hiding the gun.
2:40:30By absorbing the cost, by placing her
2:40:33sleeping mat, by the Poly mascot, a
2:40:36statue that makes noise when it detects
2:40:39motion.
2:40:41>> Polly says,
2:40:43>> "Another day in paradise. Yay."
2:40:47[music]
2:40:50>> But no matter what she did, nothing was
2:40:53prevented. Nothing was stopped.
2:40:57Now with Curly incapacitated, she
2:40:59confides in Swansea, who is resistant to
2:41:02Jimmy, but still inactive.
2:41:05Jimmy continues. He forces her into
2:41:08silence. He smashes the poly statue. He
2:41:12is relentless and the harm can no longer
2:41:15be contained both figuratively and
2:41:18literally as her pregnancy progresses
2:41:21month by month. never mentioned, never
2:41:25afforded acknowledgement or care.
2:41:29By the time Anna locks herself inside
2:41:31the medical room, the question of safety
2:41:34no longer exists. Safety was never an
2:41:37option for Anna. But the right to
2:41:40decide, even if only a single decision,
2:41:45resides in a lock that was designed for
2:41:47control. Anna locking the door without
2:41:50Jimmy's permission is a direct threat to
2:41:53his interpretive dominance. A Pony
2:41:56Express lock designed to regulate access
2:42:00and preserve hierarchy is used against
2:42:03the system that installed it. This
2:42:06moment is so unprecedented that it is
2:42:09first mistaken for a mechanical failure
2:42:12rather than a choice to defy.
2:42:15Daisy being the compliant optimist still
2:42:18believes in Jimmy and approaches him
2:42:20with urgency and concern. He tells Jimmy
2:42:23that Anna is trapped in medical, that
2:42:26the door has failed and will not open.
2:42:29[clears throat]
2:42:30Clearly panicked, racked with anxiety
2:42:33over what might happen to her trapped in
2:42:35a room without supplies she might need,
2:42:38Daisay follows Jimmy closely, urging him
2:42:40to help. As they reach the door, he
2:42:44calls inside to Anna, attempting to
2:42:46reassure her with the fact that he has
2:42:48enlisted Jimmy's help, urging her not to
2:42:50panic. As his words tremble with
2:42:53concern,
2:42:54Jimmy tries the door before calling out,
2:42:57demanding a response.
2:43:00Anna's text does not tremble. She does
2:43:04not stutter. She refuses Jimmy his
2:43:06title.
2:43:09At first, Jimmy is unable to read the
2:43:11subtext in her calmness, the subtle
2:43:14defiance of her using his name without
2:43:16[music] fear. He decides how serious
2:43:19this would be. Attempts to build the
2:43:21reality around the potential loss of
2:43:23medical supplies. That would matter.
2:43:27He asks if she tried hard enough to open
2:43:30the door. Da chips in making useful
2:43:32suggestions [music] of how she might
2:43:34escape. Anna does not respond.
2:43:38The one person who has consistently had
2:43:41plans, [music]
2:43:42contributed ideas, aided action and
2:43:45cooperation says nothing in the face of
2:43:48her own rescue [music] plan.
2:43:51This is when the penny drops.
2:43:55Anna, is the door stuck?
2:44:01No.
2:44:03Where Daisay is confused, [music]
2:44:06Jimmy immediately understands.
2:44:09But rather than explain, empathize, and
2:44:12reach out, he of course attempts [music]
2:44:14to gain control again. Look, we're all
2:44:17stressed, but you can't go breaking down
2:44:20at every little hardship.
2:44:23Open the damn door.
2:44:26False equivalence, minimization,
2:44:29eraser, and a command. Jimmy pulls out
2:44:33every [music] method he can, but this
2:44:36time it does not work.
2:44:40You were right.
2:44:42You were right all along. I should have
2:44:45done this from the beginning.
2:44:47I always believed our worst moments
2:44:49didn't define us. Didn't make us beyond
2:44:52repair. You think I wanted this either?
2:44:57Make no mistake, this isn't my worst
2:45:00moment.
2:45:02Far from it.
2:45:04It's the best decision I'll ever make.
2:45:08I'll take care of it.
2:45:11When Jimmy realizes that [music] Anna's
2:45:14locked door is deliberate, the
2:45:16construction of his control hangs in the
2:45:19balance. His key [music] cannot
2:45:21penetrate this lock. No matter which
2:45:23words he chooses, no matter how much he
2:45:26might rage, no matter the level of
2:45:28force.
2:45:30Anna returns Jimmy's [music] repeated
2:45:32phrase back to him. I'll take care of
2:45:34it, but not before stripping it of the
2:45:37corporate sanitization and masculine
2:45:39bravado it holds.
2:45:41Her meaning is free from dominance. For
2:45:44Anna, I'll take care [music] of it is
2:45:47finality and separation. An action that
2:45:50cannot be interrupted, reframed, or used
2:45:53by Jimmy to wallow in his narrative of
2:45:55burden. Anna is taking back control of
2:46:00her own reality.
2:46:03If responsibility for Jimmy is the right
2:46:05to define reality, then this moment
2:46:07[music] acts as a severe narrative
2:46:10breach, one that cannot be tolerated. As
2:46:13a distressed Dais begins to bang on the
2:46:16door, helplessly [music] questioning
2:46:18what Anna means, Jimmy begins quietly
2:46:21drafting an [music] escalation.
2:46:25We detach from Jimmy's point of view
2:46:26here, inviting us to see Dais
2:46:29objectively in this moment. He is
2:46:32completely [music] in the dark,
2:46:34desperate to help, confused, but
2:46:36terrified that disaster could be
2:46:38imminent if they do not act quickly.
2:46:41Just as Jimmy reframed his earlier
2:46:44despair as unfinished utility, he takes
2:46:46advantage of this moment in the same
2:46:48way. Daisay's concern, desire to be
2:46:52useful, feelings of being a burden, and
2:46:55his trust in Jimmy all culminate to
2:46:58making him the perfect cog in Jimmy's
2:47:00plan to regain control.
2:47:04Jimmy shifts focus, reshaping the
2:47:06situation from a minor inconvenience to
2:47:09an urgent intervention.
2:47:11He frames Anna as unstable and
2:47:14overreactive and reaches Dice's concern
2:47:17by reminding him that Curly is trapped
2:47:19in there with her. The narrative shifts
2:47:22from why is Anna doing this to the door
2:47:25must be opened to protect Curly.
2:47:29If we keep in mind that Curly is now a
2:47:31mirror in Jimmy's mind, the unspoken
2:47:34truth is that he needs to open the door
2:47:36to protect himself.
2:47:38He speaks in the language of necessity
2:47:41and selflessness, positioning Daik as
2:47:43essential to the plan by asking him
2:47:46leading questions rather than telling
2:47:47him what to do. This is a subtle but
2:47:50calculated way to hand Daike pseudo
2:47:53authority over what happens next. All
2:47:56the while Jimmy is still pulling the
2:47:58strings himself.
2:48:00>> [music]
2:48:00>> Jimmy places Daic on par with Swansea,
2:48:03reminding him that they are the most
2:48:05knowledgeable when it comes to gaining
2:48:07access [music] across the ship. Da
2:48:09hesitates, keen to follow Swansea's lead
2:48:12in such scenarios, but equally eager to
2:48:15be of use and wanting to be compliant.
2:48:19He mentions that the broken vent in
2:48:21utility leads to the medical room, but
2:48:24not without reiterating how Swansea had
2:48:26strictly forbidden entry due to the
2:48:28immense [music]
2:48:29danger.
2:48:31Jimmy ignores the details, signaling
2:48:33that in his reality, the danger does not
2:48:37matter, simply stating that if that's
2:48:39the only way, they will make it work.
2:48:43Compliance [music] is repurposed into a
2:48:45shape resembling heroism, but Jimmy
2:48:48cannot help but make his true intentions
2:48:50obvious to the player [music] as he
2:48:52shouts through the door.
2:48:54>> You listening, Anna?
2:48:58>> This plan, one that sacrifices the
2:49:01safety of another crew member, is
2:49:03Jimmy's desperate attempt [music]
2:49:05at leverage. If this locked door cannot
2:49:08be forced open with authority, then
2:49:10threats of consequence will have to
2:49:12suffice.
2:49:14Jimmy is taking a final stab at
2:49:17reshaping Anna's story. [music] By
2:49:19risking Diceke's life in her name, he is
2:49:22suggesting that she will hold
2:49:24responsibility for any harm that comes
2:49:26next. [music] He is preemptively
2:49:29reshaping the narrative, reassigning
2:49:32blame before disaster has even occurred.
2:49:36But Anna remains silent. She no longer
2:49:39participates in Jimmy's narrative. She
2:49:42has said all she ever needed to say to
2:49:45him. [clears throat]
2:49:47Deprived of all his usual tools, Jimmy
2:49:49returns to the quiet, calm demeanor that
2:49:52spells danger. He has made a decision.
2:49:56If he cannot force his way through this
2:49:58lock, then he will tear his way into all
2:50:01else that has been closed to him until
2:50:03he wrangles every last body on this ship
2:50:08into submission.
2:50:11One by one, these remaining crew mates
2:50:14are going to be made quiet and
2:50:17[clears throat] still.
2:50:19Jimmy believes the crew are responsible
2:50:22for his problems. They are obstacles
2:50:24between him and being able to embody his
2:50:28vision of power. Now that Curley is
2:50:31appropriately subdued, Jimmy can make
2:50:33him a mirror, an ideal.
2:50:37When Jimmy's usual methods of control or
2:50:40persuasion run dry, ultimate subjugation
2:50:42at any cost becomes the natural final
2:50:46step. Jimmy approaches Swansea outside
2:50:49utility with Da d d d d d d d d d d d d
2:50:51d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d
2:50:52d d d d d d d diligently in tow a wolf
2:50:54leading the lamb to slaughter [music]
2:50:57but no matter how calculated his plan
2:50:59neither Da's optimism nor Jimmy's
2:51:02authority can hope to reach Swansea he
2:51:05has always been a lock that [music]
2:51:07Jimmy cannot pick this man who
2:51:10approached the inevitability of a morbid
2:51:12fate like [music] that merry skeleton
2:51:15the moment Jimmy opened into those boxes
2:51:17of mouthwash is about as non-compliant
2:51:20and ridiculing of their approach as he
2:51:22ever has been.
2:51:25His sole objectives as the ship [music]
2:51:27descends into an endless night are to
2:51:30indulge and to hold authority over his
2:51:33domain utility.
2:51:36No words can touch him, no demands can
2:51:39shake him. [music]
2:51:40As far as he is concerned, they are all
2:51:43manic, desperate skeletons slowly
2:51:46falling to pieces without their
2:51:48puppeteers to pull them back [music]
2:51:49together. And he is determined to go out
2:51:53dancing without anyone else trying to
2:51:55pull on his strings.
2:51:59He insists that utility is blocked with
2:52:02essential foam, that the vent would be a
2:52:04death trap even if it was accessible.
2:52:06>> [music]
2:52:07>> He refuses to entertain any suggestions
2:52:09that might pull the plug early on this
2:52:12party of doom. He holds interpretive
2:52:16dominance over [music] this space when
2:52:18he decides that Jimmy is not equipped to
2:52:21navigate.
2:52:23Since Jimmy has always seemed hesitant
2:52:26to even try gaining dominance over
2:52:28Swansea, he just pivots away entirely.
2:52:32He cannot be used as a tool and so
2:52:34instead [music] he is an obstacle to
2:52:37overcome by any means. It is [music] Da
2:52:41who can still be used. So this is where
2:52:43Jimmy turns his full attention. [music]
2:52:46He does this by creating a sense of
2:52:48solidarity between them. Together we can
2:52:51save Curly [music]
2:52:52because we are the only ones thinking
2:52:54straight, the only ones capable.
2:52:57Rather than being a burden, Daise is
2:53:00given the opportunity to be the savior.
2:53:03Of course, the idea of this excites
2:53:05[music] Da. However, Jimmy's method of
2:53:08overcoming Swansea must be handled
2:53:11carefully. It [music] must seem
2:53:13necessary, forgivable, and righteous for
2:53:16it to be convincing. And so, Jimmy
2:53:19chooses the perfect words. You're going
2:53:22to have to trust me. before disclosing
2:53:26the plan to knock Swansea out. [music]
2:53:29Da imagines this in the most explosive
2:53:32way possible, his words trembling with
2:53:34shock and trepidation as he believes
2:53:36Jimmy is going to [music] fight Swansea.
2:53:39But what Dais cannot comprehend is that
2:53:42the reality is far more sinister. With a
2:53:46chilling straightforwardness, Jimmy
2:53:49describes his plan to push Swansea into
2:53:52a drunken stuper to make him pass out
2:53:55[music] using alcohol, something he
2:53:58likes. Jimmy describes it as simple and
2:54:01safe with the unnerving detail that he
2:54:04might not even realize we did anything
2:54:06after the fact.
2:54:08Jimmy is trying [music] to sell this
2:54:10plan to Dice K as something soft and
2:54:12inconsequential, something Swansea might
2:54:15even do to himself [music] without their
2:54:17intervention.
2:54:18The casual way he describes this
2:54:20situation almost seems like he has done
2:54:23it before. [music]
2:54:24And given his track record, his comfort
2:54:26with the idea of someone not remembering
2:54:28what you did to them holds a horrifying
2:54:31undertone. [music]
2:54:33Before DICE K can even answer, the plan
2:54:36has been finalized to spike a mocktail
2:54:39recipe with the potentially deadly
2:54:41isopropyl [music] he grabbed from the
2:54:43medical cabinet previously and trick
2:54:46Swansea into [music] drinking it.
2:54:49Illustrating his ignorance to the
2:54:50dangers ahead, Dice K imagines their
2:54:53mission as being like a heist movie and
2:54:55[music] describes the drink as looking
2:54:57sick, like something he would sip at the
2:54:59beach with a hot babe before throwing up
2:55:01and never drinking again. Jimmy has
2:55:04framed this as [music] safe, normalized,
2:55:08and so the worst outcome Dice K can
2:55:10imagine is something humorous and
2:55:12relatable. He does not know this
2:55:15isopropyl can be deadly. He trusts Jimmy
2:55:19who is guiding him towards a fatal
2:55:21pathway [music]
2:55:22he cannot even see coming.
2:55:26Jimmy approaches Swansea again, this
2:55:29time with camaraderie instead of [music]
2:55:31urgency. He is carefully clasping the
2:55:34strings of Swansea's skeletal puppet,
2:55:37ready to slice, [music] not pull.
2:55:41He speaks of shared burdens and stress.
2:55:44[music] He reaches Swansea's reckless
2:55:46abandon with a drink of solidarity.
2:55:49Swansea takes [music] the bait, but not
2:55:52before a final reality check.
2:55:58You never should have come here. Who the
2:56:01even decided to let you board, huh?
2:56:03Stick the idiot with a bunch of sad sack
2:56:05adults and see what he learns. Eh,
2:56:07bootstraps and all that. What a load of
2:56:10horseshit.
2:56:11You think it's all going somewhere, but
2:56:14every failure leaves you a little more
2:56:16mangled than before. Older, uglier,
2:56:21meaner,
2:56:22smarter in a worse way.
2:56:26In this moment, [music] in the tight,
2:56:29detached point of view that hugs these
2:56:31two characters together, we can see that
2:56:34Da is Swansea's mirror. Rather than a
2:56:38false mirror like Curly is to Jimmy, it
2:56:40is a mirror of absolute truth. [music]
2:56:44A mirror that shows a past self
2:56:46unburdened.
2:56:49When Swansea describes Da as an idiot,
2:56:52what he really means is unknowing,
2:56:55naive, and unbburdened by the ugly
2:56:58truth. And that the system he trusts
2:57:00[music] needs him to be that way. The
2:57:03truth that has slowly mangled Swansea
2:57:06into that older, uglier, meaner man.
2:57:09Daise does not belong here. Not because
2:57:12he is a burden, not because he [music]
2:57:14is useless, but because someone so
2:57:17hopeful, enthusiastic, willing, [music]
2:57:20and kind, can only be used as a
2:57:23disposable tool in a place like [music]
2:57:25this. under Pony Express, under Jimmy.
2:57:29His desire [music] and drive to please
2:57:32is only sending him skipping down the
2:57:34path to being crushed and changed into
2:57:37someone he may no longer recognize.
2:57:40[music] The cynical man who looks back
2:57:42at him through this cosmic reflection,
2:57:45unreachable.
2:57:48This framing [music] removed from Jimmy
2:57:50shows us the truth. Swansea has the
2:57:54knowledge Dais needs, but has become so
2:57:56bitter, [music] so changed that he
2:57:59cannot speak in words that can reach his
2:58:01counterpart. Swansey's moment of clarity
2:58:04and lucidity [music]
2:58:06is disrupted by Jimmy's narrative
2:58:08reframing as he goes on to [music] stop
2:58:11him in his tracks.
2:58:14Wallowing doesn't suit you, Swansea.
2:58:17This turns [music] Swansea's attention
2:58:20away from Dais, the one with whom he
2:58:22might be able to [music] share
2:58:24solidarity and action and towards Jimmy
2:58:27instead, the standin for the system that
2:58:29has jaded [music] him, that he wants
2:58:31nothing to do with, but is just as
2:58:33tethered to as everyone else. This
2:58:37elicits the [music] desired effect.
2:58:39Swansea returns to his objective to
2:58:42indulge, to abandon, defy, and dance
2:58:45[music] without his strings being
2:58:47pulled. He unknowingly perpetuates a
2:58:50damaging [music] part of the system he
2:58:52despises. The old abandoning the young,
2:58:56he throws back [music] the drink without
2:58:58realizing his bones are already
2:59:00scattered across the floor. and his
2:59:03mirror [music] to a more hopeful time is
2:59:05a person in the here and now, one who
2:59:08desperately needs him for guidance.
2:59:11Daise is clearly frightened and
2:59:14disturbed by how suddenly Swansea is
2:59:16knocked out, though he is once again
2:59:18easily [music] swayed into reassurance
2:59:19by Jimmy's softening and reframing. This
2:59:23lulls Da [music] from fearing for
2:59:25Swansea's safety and health to worrying
2:59:28about how upset he will be when he
2:59:30wakes. corporate consequence.
2:59:33This worry leaves Da vulnerable to
2:59:36Jimmy's final persuasive push. It's time
2:59:40to be brave, Da.
2:59:43As they open the door, a hidden truth is
2:59:47finally uncovered.
2:59:56utility, which Swansea insisted was
2:59:58inaccessible due to foam, was almost
3:00:01entirely clear of it.
3:00:05Dais meets this discovery with
3:00:07excitement, pointing out that of the
3:00:09multiple cryostasis pods lining the
3:00:12walls, one is still operational. He asks
3:00:15Jimmy how long the pods can keep a
3:00:17person frozen, [music] to which the
3:00:19ominously quiet captain finally utters
3:00:22some words.
3:00:2320 [ __ ] years.
3:00:27The contrast between Dais's bewildered
3:00:29enthusiasm and Jimmy's short, angered
3:00:32responses builds a horribly
3:00:35uncomfortable tension. The fact Swansea
3:00:38has hidden this from them is an affront
3:00:40to Jimmy. Jimmy is the one who creates
3:00:43narratives, but now he comes to discover
3:00:46almost half a year after the crash that
3:00:49he has been deceived. He begins to try
3:00:52taking back interpretive control by
3:00:55assuming malice, theorizing that Swansea
3:00:58must have been biding his time,
3:01:00selfishly saving the one working cryopod
3:01:03for himself, despite having no evidence
3:01:06for this.
3:01:07Da challenges Jimmy's version of events,
3:01:10reasonably wanting to ask Swansea about
3:01:12it when he wakes. But Jimmy is not
3:01:15looking for truth. He's desperate, out
3:01:19of control, and looking for reasons to
3:01:21tear apart what he perceives as insolent
3:01:24acts of resistance against his version
3:01:27of reality.
3:01:29He quickly pulls Dais back to task as
3:01:32they look towards the vent.
3:01:36Wires hanging, sparks flying. Da
3:01:40expresses his anxiety about how much
3:01:43more gnarly it must look on the inside.
3:01:47Jimmy does not respond to his concerns
3:01:49anymore. He simply reaffirms their hero
3:01:53plan. You could make it through. We need
3:01:56to try it.
3:01:59We detach from Jimmy, seeing Dais
3:02:02looking up into the gaping ruined moore
3:02:04of event. He hesitates again. We know he
3:02:09doesn't really want to do this. And he
3:02:11even tries to reinstate Swansea's
3:02:14dominance over ship safety. one last
3:02:16time, but by now it is too late and
3:02:20Swansea is no longer able to intervene
3:02:22himself. There is no one left to speak
3:02:25[music] against the captain's version of
3:02:27reality, and Daise is all too malleable.
3:02:31Jimmy is [music] now ready to inflict
3:02:33Daisay with a fatal push into the dark.
3:02:36And so [music] he uses the respect and
3:02:39wish to please that he feels towards his
3:02:41mentor as a dangling carrot.
3:02:45You said you could handle it.
3:02:48Swansea taught you well, right? Time to
3:02:51prove it. He'll be impressed when he
3:02:53wakes up. Proud.
3:02:56You think so, Dais?
3:02:59Everyone's counting on you. Captain's
3:03:02orders.
3:03:12Daisay looks small as his body
3:03:14disappears into the narrow unlit
3:03:17passage. The cold metal echoes with his
3:03:21every movement, clanging over the
3:03:23incessant buzz of electrical damage.
3:03:26Jimmy waits below, his silence and
3:03:29freedom of movement contrasting
3:03:31violently with the obvious danger of the
3:03:34task he has so calmly orchestrated.
3:03:38Suddenly, darkness descends.
3:03:44A harrowing scream, an electrical
3:03:46failure, lingering groans that spell
3:03:48irreparable damage.
3:03:51Daisy is reduced to a tool, reduced to
3:03:55function. But here in the vent that was
3:03:58not designed to support flesh, he can
3:04:00only absorb and endure the harm that was
3:04:03inevitable from the moment this plan was
3:04:06born. He groans in agony and Jimmy
3:04:10remains silent through all his promises
3:04:13of we. This moment illustrates what was
3:04:16always clear in the small print of
3:04:18Jimmy's persuasions. Da is alone
3:04:24in his pain. He is abandoned by the
3:04:26system that mangled him into its winding
3:04:29vents with promises of rewards and
3:04:32threats of disaster.
3:04:34He crawls on. Now bound to the systems
3:04:37course. He finds Anna.
3:04:44The urgency that propelled them into
3:04:47this room collapses into stillness for a
3:04:50moment. The room does not contain chaos,
3:04:54not instability to be calmed, nor evil
3:04:56to be vanquished.
3:04:58It contains a silent, [music]
3:05:01undeniable conclusion.
3:05:03Anna has already acted. There is nothing
3:05:06left to reframe or rewrite. Anna has put
3:05:10a full stop at the end of her story, her
3:05:14reality, and can never again be reached
3:05:17by Jimmy's attempts to intrude on her
3:05:20pages with redactions and amendments.
3:05:24Anna's previous final words carry a
3:05:27quiet precision and lucidity that makes
3:05:29them devastating in retrospect. In her
3:05:32final moments, she did not respond to
3:05:34Jimmy's commands, nor attempt to
3:05:37dismantle or argue against his
3:05:38minimizations.
3:05:40She simply steps outside of it. Her
3:05:44reality is enough. She does not need
3:05:47[music] to justify it to him.
3:05:50For months, she endured quietly
3:05:53believing that our worst moments [music]
3:05:55didn't define us or make us monsters.
3:05:58In telling herself that harm [music]
3:06:00could be compartmentalized, she was
3:06:03attempting to survive the unservivable.
3:06:05[music]
3:06:07That takes a strength that is difficult
3:06:09to illustrate sufficiently through
3:06:11words.
3:06:13Her belief about people and their worst
3:06:16moments [music]
3:06:17was stolen by Jimmy, repurposed to try
3:06:20gaining absolution without
3:06:22accountability, something he could only
3:06:24do when speaking to his silent mirror.
3:06:27But Anna [music] reclaims it in her last
3:06:29words. She recognizes that some acts do
3:06:33define us. Some harms cannot be undone
3:06:36through containment [music] or the
3:06:38passage of time. This woman was
3:06:42pregnant. Her body itself has been
3:06:44intruded on, turned into evidence. She
3:06:48carried not only the cost of a system
3:06:50that did not protect her, but the harm
3:06:53made flesh, a silent, [music]
3:06:55unseen violence.
3:06:58This isn't my worst moment. Far from it.
3:07:02Is a taking back of the scattered
3:07:04timeline. Her worst moment was not even
3:07:07seen and was not in her control at all.
3:07:11For the first time in the story, taking
3:07:14care of it refers to [music] actual
3:07:16ownership. Anna has decided what happens
3:07:19to her body. Tragic and terminal as it
3:07:22may be. She has disallowed Jimmy from
3:07:25twisting her suffering into another
3:07:27chapter of his false self tragedy.
3:07:31This ship is doomed. The systems [music]
3:07:34have already long failed. Any further
3:07:37engagement in this reality will be
3:07:39directed [music] by Jimmy's narrative.
3:07:42That is simply unservivable.
3:07:45If death [music] is unavoidable, then
3:07:47the manner of slipping away is the final
3:07:50realm of autonomy. In [music] locking
3:07:52the door and choosing her fate, Anna has
3:07:55reclaimed reality from Jimmy. She was
3:07:58never going to harm Curly. She could
3:08:00scarcely handle medicating him without
3:08:02his verbal [music] consent. She anchors
3:08:05truth beside him instead.
3:08:08Jimmy's mirror now holds consequence,
3:08:11something he struggles to accept [music]
3:08:13as his mind blurs it from view. In her
3:08:16final words and actions, she does not
3:08:19just refuse him, she pins him to the
3:08:22truth. Anna's decision is already final,
3:08:26but it is also rendered unmanipulable
3:08:29because of what has happened to Da. He
3:08:32too can no longer receive Jimmy's
3:08:35reframing of reality.
3:08:42Da lies gravely injured on a sleeping
3:08:45mat in the lounge, writhing and groaning
3:08:48in immense pain as blood pours from his
3:08:51broken body.
3:08:54The only decipherable words he can
3:08:56muster are apologies.
3:09:00Swansea has awoken from his chemical
3:09:02slumber, shocked and incensed with rage
3:09:06at what Jimmy has done. We detach from
3:09:09Jimmy's perspective [music] several
3:09:10times through these scenes as he and
3:09:12Swansea linger above this final fading
3:09:16hope.
3:09:18Jimmy's orchestration, Swansea's
3:09:20inaction, Dicay is the cost.
3:09:24Jimmy remains clinging to his delusions
3:09:27and narratives that he can fix
3:09:29everything, be the hero somehow of this
3:09:31constructed story.
3:09:34However, now he is left with only one
3:09:36crew member who can communicate, one he
3:09:39cannot turn into a mirror, cannot
3:09:42manipulate or dominate into submission.
3:09:45The one crew member that embodies a
3:09:47direct threat and retort to his
3:09:50delusions.
3:09:51one that thus far has been vocal without
3:09:54action. But the sight of his own mirror
3:09:57to the past, now shattered, twisted,
3:10:01[music] mangled, possibly beyond repair,
3:10:04begins to send him teetering over the
3:10:06edge. He directly challenges Jimmy's
3:10:10rapidly crumbling reality.
3:10:13Why do you keep saying that? Are you
3:10:16hearing yourself?
3:10:19Swansea's words tremble with rage
3:10:22[music] as he learns the only item that
3:10:25might have been able to help Daisay, the
3:10:27isopropyl had been used to spike his
3:10:30drink.
3:10:32Jimmy attempts to regain control by
3:10:34blaming him for having essentially
3:10:36forced his hand that he had to sedate
3:10:39him into submission.
3:10:41As always, Swansea does not falter. His
3:10:45emotions only intensifying as he swears
3:10:48and slams the wall. A small detail
3:10:50mirroring Jimmy's previous table slam. A
3:10:53sign that Swansea has taken a mental
3:10:56step towards physical violence.
3:11:00However, he affords Jimmy a final chance
3:11:02to find an alternative as the two begin
3:11:05searching for disinfectant.
3:11:10Another bizarro sequence begins as Jimmy
3:11:13takes on this final taskmade burden in
3:11:16his captain delusion. [music] He
3:11:18approaches the cargo hold, a place we
3:11:20know is stacked with nothing but
3:11:22mouthwash, useless for disinfecting.
3:11:26The path is blocked by a tombstone
3:11:29etched with the words seer decidedari,
3:11:32Latin for never forgotten, and decorated
3:11:35with a single habiscus flower, the same
3:11:38one seen on Dice K's floral shirt.
3:11:42Etched into the stone is the code
3:11:44scanner symbol indicating its use here
3:11:47in getting through the grave that stops
3:11:49Jimmy in his tracks. A captain [music]
3:11:52is granted corporate permission to step
3:11:55over a subordinate's grave.
3:11:58As the stone disappears, the scanner
3:12:00reveals a trail of blood leading down
3:12:03into the hold. Now set impossibly deep
3:12:06in the bowels of the ship somewhere at
3:12:09the end of chaotic, logicdying
3:12:11stairways. [music] Their destination
3:12:13unclear, lost in endless darkness.
3:12:18take care of it and take responsibility
3:12:21once again intrude on the screen. A
3:12:23pairing of words which have now become
3:12:25synonymous with a feeling of impending
3:12:28death.
3:12:30The sound design in this sequence is
3:12:33nightmarish and allconsuming. An
3:12:36electric-like buzz persists constantly,
3:12:39only interrupted by strangely monstrous
3:12:41screeches that seem to come from
3:12:43nowhere.
3:12:55All Jimmy can do now is descend further
3:12:59and further, deeper and deeper. The Pony
3:13:04Express logo is illuminated all around
3:13:07him, lingering above and below as he
3:13:10follows the trail of blood deep into its
3:13:12complex structure.
3:13:15Finally, be quiet flashes across the
3:13:18screen before Jimmy is transported to a
3:13:21bizarro recreation of the hold. A
3:13:23labyrinthine network of disorienting
3:13:26walkways from which no stairs actually
3:13:28lead to or from. You cannot get here
3:13:32without following death and rot as deep
3:13:36as it can go. As Jimmy starts to walk,
3:13:40the loud clanging of his steps
3:13:42juxtaposes with the previous command to
3:13:44be quiet, creating an instant sense of
3:13:47unease.
3:13:52You cannot get away from here without
3:13:55defying this rule.
3:13:58This place thrums with an invisible
3:14:00threat, an invisible violence that hangs
3:14:03in the air. It makes you want to be
3:14:06quiet, to be still, and yet every move
3:14:09is an unavoidable scream of attention
3:14:12that echoes through the vast shadow. You
3:14:15must try to survive, but to survive, you
3:14:18would have to be soundless, invisible,
3:14:21still, and inhuman.
3:14:24This sequence is doing a multitude of
3:14:26things. This is a horror recreation of
3:14:29the system itself. It's a long descent
3:14:32to the bottom of the ladder, reversing
3:14:34[music] Jimmy's position from an
3:14:36incontrol dominator to someone
3:14:38powerless, lost, and subject to the
3:14:41omnipotent, everchanging will of the
3:14:43structure he exists in. It is a
3:14:45recreation of Dais's doomed venture into
3:14:48the vent, a dangerous, unknown passage
3:14:51through which he had no choice but to
3:14:52move forward and navigate his way to the
3:14:55end. pushed by a reckless [music] Jimmy,
3:14:58unsure of what would even be found when
3:14:59he got there and if it would be worth
3:15:01the cost at all. It is also reminiscent
3:15:04of Curly, a captain blindly moving
3:15:07forward, only able to see the blood and
3:15:10harm through a corporate lens, blind to
3:15:13a threat that feels so near for those
3:15:15who do not have the power to take action
3:15:17against it.
3:15:19This sequence also puts Jimmy into a
3:15:21[music] position that reflects Anna's as
3:15:23he soon comes to discover he is not
3:15:26going to be left alone to [music]
3:15:27complete this task here. He finds a note
3:15:30on one of the many boxes of mouthwash
3:15:32that litter the maze of paths with the
3:15:34words, "A blind beast, aimless and
3:15:38restless. You can't run from it."
3:15:43an unnerving foreshadowing as he tries
3:15:45to navigate [music]
3:15:46this disorientating system, one that is
3:15:49not built for easy navigation. He is
3:15:52hunted, blocked, and stalked by a terror
3:15:56only he can see.
3:16:00A freakish, twisted version of Polly,
3:16:03the Pony Express horse mascot, crawls
3:16:06around the hold, invisible without the
3:16:08captain's special light from the code
3:16:10scanner. the only thing that can
3:16:12marginally serve to protect him.
3:16:16He is granted the vision to see what
3:16:18Anna begged Curly to stop. A
3:16:21manifestation of the predatory system
3:16:23that forced her to hold cost and in
3:16:26tandem, a manifestation of himself and
3:16:29what his actions have birthed.
3:16:33The only way to stop it is to be still,
3:16:36be quiet, and watch in terror as it
3:16:39slowly ascends away again until the next
3:16:42time you dare to move forward.
3:16:45If the twisted poly captures movement,
3:16:48it distorts Jimmy's view, altering his
3:16:51perception [music] and physically resets
3:16:53him back to the beginning again.
3:16:57This section is rightfully painstaking
3:17:00and difficult. [music] A horrifying
3:17:02cocktail that reveals the truth of
3:17:04everything the crew have been forced to
3:17:06hold quietly and out of sight. At its
3:17:09end is no heroic finding to save the
3:17:11day. Just an appropriately anticlimactic
3:17:15and devastating reward. Reality.
3:17:19There is no disinfectant, no way to save
3:17:23anyone in a place like this. A single
3:17:27bottle of mouthwash Jimmy must prize
3:17:30from Pauly's hoof. The motion activated
3:17:33sound as he approaches now so garbbled
3:17:36and destroyed that no platitudes can be
3:17:40spewed.
3:17:41The veil is gone. And as Jimmy secures
3:17:45this mockery of a prize, reality
3:17:47suddenly reappears.
3:17:50This image of Da, of Anna, of Curly,
3:17:56they are synonymous with the nightmarish
3:17:58hold. Just like it, they hold the cost.
3:18:03However, Jimmy is still subject to this
3:18:06sequence. He still views himself as the
3:18:10victim, the one who is impeded and held
3:18:14back. Jimmy cannot let go of delusion.
3:18:18Cannot take true accountability.
3:18:22Daisy tries to speak tragically taking
3:18:25the blame by saying, "I messed up."
3:18:29Jimmy offers no comfort and takes no
3:18:32responsibility as he tells him not to
3:18:35speak, to be quiet, to hold.
3:18:40[panting]
3:18:41Da rides in pain. Jimmy offers no
3:18:44solution as he pours the useless liquid
3:18:47onto his wounds despite knowing it will
3:18:50not work.
3:18:52It is an illusion to bolster his
3:18:55self-perception. It does not repair,
3:18:58does not heal. It only creates more
3:19:01pain. Jimmy tells Daisy not to move, to
3:19:05be still, to hold.
3:19:09But through all of this, what Jimmy has
3:19:12been attempting to wrangle into
3:19:14submission does not bend, it breaks. The
3:19:19final uncontrolled crew mate slowly tips
3:19:22over that teeteredon edge.
3:19:26In the wreckage at the bottom, the quiet
3:19:29stillness Jimmy has cultivated starts to
3:19:32curdle and swell, souring into a beast
3:19:37he can no longer fully control.
3:19:40Swansea speaks [music] to Da a final
3:19:42exchange of truth before the lingering
3:19:44nightmare in the depths of the hold
3:19:46starts to insist [music] its rightful
3:19:49place in reality.
3:19:52>> Hey kid, you hear me? Da
3:19:57da.
3:20:00>> Jimmy looks up at Swansea, watching him
3:20:02as he lifts [music] the utility axe.
3:20:06Jimmy commands him to stop. Stop moving.
3:20:09Be still.
3:20:11Swansea is no longer distracted from his
3:20:13[music] counterpart. In this moment, he
3:20:16finally sees him. Not a farway [music]
3:20:19reflection of something he lost of
3:20:20himself. Not a hindrance to be managed,
3:20:24not a piece of the system he hates. A
3:20:27young man with hopes and dreams who
3:20:30trusted him to the end, who was mangled
3:20:33by the system in an even more brutal way
3:20:35than him when his knowing eyes were
3:20:38distracted away. But he will be
3:20:40distracted no more. It's all right, Dice
3:20:44K. Calm down.
3:20:48This line of work,
3:20:50you could never have become like
3:20:52miserable old Swansea. What a tragedy.
3:20:56Decades of hauling ass for Pony Express.
3:20:59Big mighty bruiser with all his shiny
3:21:01tools. This is where it got me. The good
3:21:04life, huh? I thought you were dumber
3:21:06than a can of paint. Always just chewing
3:21:09my ear off about nothing.
3:21:11Useless ray of goddamn sunshine.
3:21:14Not an ace student, career workhorse, or
3:21:17force of ambition.
3:21:19Just a damn good kid trying his best.
3:21:23You could have taught an old fool like
3:21:24me a lot.
3:21:29Close your eyes, Dais.
3:21:33The camera detaches, rescending down the
3:21:36hallway as if to escape the tragedy of
3:21:38this vision. When the old abandon the
3:21:42young turn away, dissolve into the
3:21:44system they hate and become cynical,
3:21:47rejecting but inactive, they leave those
3:21:50who could benefit from their guidance to
3:21:52suffer the same fate.
3:21:57The ray of sunshine is useless here
3:21:59because it's just too painful to look
3:22:01at. But it's only once the light is
3:22:04snuffed out that the cost of its absence
3:22:07becomes undeniable.
3:22:09This is really encapsulated and
3:22:11recognized by his parting words. You
3:22:14could have taught an old fool like me a
3:22:17lot.
3:22:19Just as Swansea drove the axe into the
3:22:21perpetual sunset going nowhere, he ends
3:22:24Dais's suffering. The last member that
3:22:27held on to hope to life now gone
3:22:30forever.
3:22:32This marks a critical breaking point for
3:22:35Swansea. Too late to save lives, but
3:22:38with a relentless force that promises to
3:22:41fight against Jimmy's narrative until
3:22:43[music] the bitter end. Jimmy does what
3:22:46he always has. He begins to redistribute
3:22:49the [music] cost, funneling it into the
3:22:52last viable option. He calls Swansea a
3:22:55monster, accuses [music] him of plotting
3:22:57the crew's demise, planning to take the
3:23:00one cryopod for himself. He even goes as
3:23:03far as to insinuate Swansea had planted
3:23:05ideas inside Anna's mind leading to her
3:23:08death.
3:23:10But Swansea does not meet Jimmy with
3:23:12denials, [music]
3:23:13nor fing fear, trust, or submission.
3:23:17Swansea too pins him to the truth.
3:23:20[music]
3:23:22That Anna told him what Jimmy did. That
3:23:25he does not care about the cryopod,
3:23:27insinuating he was saving it for Dice K
3:23:30or Anna. that Jimmy can save himself for
3:23:33all he cares and continue his stories
3:23:35and delusions however he pleases if he
3:23:38ever [music] gets found. That Swansea is
3:23:40happy to remain on the ship that he has
3:23:43everything he needs right [music] there.
3:23:46The only thing he will not do is partake
3:23:50[music] in delusion, the one thing Jimmy
3:23:54demands.
3:23:56There are no more sounds of shock or
3:23:59reveal here. No labored breath, no
3:24:02screams, no rising music. Just
3:24:05unadorned, immovable words that
3:24:07communicate [music] something clear. You
3:24:10cannot move me. You cannot silence me.
3:24:16Swansea forces Jimmy out of his battle
3:24:18for perception [music] because he simply
3:24:20refuses to engage in it at all. He does
3:24:23not morally posture, fall into terror,
3:24:25or beg for escape. He simply fills the
3:24:28room with something Jimmy finds more
3:24:30smothering than the ripe rot and decay.
3:24:33Truth.
3:24:35Heavy [music] and unwavering. It
3:24:38deprivives Jimmy of something vital to
3:24:40his position. Narrative control and
3:24:43ambiguity. [music]
3:24:46Here in the flayed ruin of a ship with
3:24:48only two men left standing, one who
3:24:51understands the system and one [music]
3:24:53it protects. Ambiguity is gone. No one
3:24:57left to impress, [music] fool, persuade,
3:24:59or dominate. No more ladder rungs to
3:25:02climb. Only truth.
3:25:06For Jimmy, [music]
3:25:07someone the system is designed to
3:25:09protect, truth is the most lethal threat
3:25:12he could face. Not violence or control,
3:25:15but responsibility.
3:25:17A narrative that cannot be altered to
3:25:19make him the hero and victim he sees in
3:25:22his false mirror. hierarchy has been
3:25:25whittleled down to two men who refuse to
3:25:27move [music] and a body that can't.
3:25:31One clinging to the rotten bones of his
3:25:33delusions [music]
3:25:34and one with clarity and a weapon.
3:25:38Though Swansea could have attacked him
3:25:40[music] here, if he intended to, he does
3:25:43not. He offers Jimmy an out by firmly
3:25:46rejecting the pod himself. Swansea
3:25:49leaves with the axe, but Jimmy still has
3:25:52annihilation on his mind.
3:25:56Survival was never his aim. Erasia is
3:26:00death was never the greatest threat. It
3:26:03is exposure. It is losing control of the
3:26:06story. Ironically, Swansea not taking
3:26:09the pod and instead offering it to Jimmy
3:26:12heightens the threat he feels instead of
3:26:14reducing it as it denies him narrative
3:26:17control. That is what matters to him
3:26:19more than anything.
3:26:22What comes next will eventually lead us
3:26:24to this recreation of the fateful party
3:26:27scene. A scene where we see that Jimmy
3:26:29has a deadly vision for the perfect crew
3:26:32under his captaining. One where each
3:26:35member is soundless and lifeless,
3:26:39only able to express themselves if it
3:26:41asks nothing of him or aligns with his
3:26:44own self-image.
3:26:46But before we get there, Jimmy must deal
3:26:49with that final obstacle that Swansea
3:26:51represents. A remainder that has not yet
3:26:54been sanitized.
3:26:56Jimmy unlocks the revolver hidden
3:26:58beneath Curley's medical bed. It is
3:27:01labeled the Pony Express Protection Kit
3:27:04issued to captains in case of unrest
3:27:06amongst the crew. As Jimmy takes the
3:27:09gun, Curley does something surprising.
3:27:13Through pained, breathy groans, he
3:27:16erupts into laughter.
3:27:20[laughter]
3:27:25This is the laugh of someone observing a
3:27:28collapsing performance. They are
3:27:31literally surrounded by the cost of
3:27:33Jimmy's actions. Curly himself, Anna's
3:27:36body beside him, streaks of Dais's blood
3:27:39smeared across the floor.
3:27:42All this while knowing Swansea is the
3:27:44final autonomous opposition to Jimmy's
3:27:47tale of heroism. Curley can only laugh
3:27:50at the irony of Jimmy picking up the
3:27:53self-p protection revolver in the
3:27:55aftermath of his own needless violence.
3:27:58Something not even Curly could bring
3:28:00himself to do when he had every reason
3:28:02to.
3:28:04This moment is a simple yet immense
3:28:08narrative rupture. Curly still has his
3:28:12mind. He could only serve as a mirror
3:28:14while Jimmy was shielded from what he
3:28:17truly thought. The laughter shatters
3:28:19that glass. It breaks the illusion.
3:28:22Jimmy is alone in his delusions. And
3:28:26from here on, the Bizarro sequences
3:28:29become more frequent. Jimmy can no
3:28:31longer keep reality at bay. It begins to
3:28:34fracture his perception, disallowing us
3:28:37as players from seeing what is actually
3:28:40happening anymore outside of nightmarish
3:28:42or twisted recreations of the truth.
3:28:45These sequences are doing two things at
3:28:47once. They are positioning Jimmy as the
3:28:50victim to something monstrous [music]
3:28:51and out of his control, his perception,
3:28:54while simultaneously validating and
3:28:57uncovering the horrors that the crew
3:28:59have been subjected to. something we can
3:29:02continue to unravel.
3:29:04It is now our turn to begin rejecting
3:29:08Jimmy's version of events and
3:29:10recontextualizing his waking nightmare
3:29:13as the birth of his own creation.
3:29:18It's alive.
3:29:52There is nothing that illustrates this
3:29:54quite as clearly as what happens right
3:29:57after this scene where Curley laughs.
3:30:00As Jimmy moves to leave the medical bay,
3:30:03he sees Swansea at the end of the hall
3:30:06standing in the lounge doorway.
3:30:13The moment Jimmy reveals himself,
3:30:16Swansea suddenly animates and begins
3:30:18barreling towards him without warning,
3:30:21axe raised and screeching [music] his
3:30:24name. As you can see from my gameplay
3:30:27footage, this was so unexpected that I
3:30:29[music] instinctually opened the item
3:30:31menu to grab the revolver and protect
3:30:34myself. Even if, in retrospect, by this
3:30:36point, I had zero desire to protect
3:30:39Jimmy. It just shows how unusual and
3:30:42shocking this moment was [music] that I
3:30:44didn't even think twice before
3:30:46reactively opening the menu.
3:30:48Swansea feels like a relentless beast in
3:30:51this moment. very Allah Jack Torrance
3:30:54from The Shining.
3:30:58>> Any boy?
3:31:00>> The scene bleeds away before it can
3:31:02conclude and I have to say it left me
3:31:05immediately perplexed.
3:31:07Swansea had walked away, not under any
3:31:11illusions about what had happened or who
3:31:13Jimmy is, but calm and with resolve. He
3:31:18took the axe. Sure, he doesn't trust
3:31:20Jimmy rightfully so, [music] so that
3:31:22makes sense. But why would someone walk
3:31:25away and resign from entertaining
3:31:27anything of what Jimmy is doing, only to
3:31:30come back with this much [music] savage
3:31:32energy, seemingly out of the blue? And
3:31:34why do this after Jimmy has had time to
3:31:37arm himself or make a plan? [music] In
3:31:40fact, why wait here until Jimmy opens
3:31:42the door like a dungeon boss who just
3:31:44got aggroed? This is not how people
3:31:46work. If Swansea intended to kill Jimmy,
3:31:50he would have done it here, not here.
3:31:55This moment [music] simply does not make
3:31:57sense. And it makes even less sense when
3:32:00you realize this is not the first vision
3:32:02of an axe wielding pursuit that Jimmy
3:32:04has had. We were shown a scene titled
3:32:08[music] 6 Hours Before Judgment, which
3:32:10plays without context in the game's
3:32:12disordered timeline, but can now be
3:32:14looked at with all the events we have
3:32:16explored in this essay. considered.
3:32:17[music]
3:32:19When this scene is shown in game, it
3:32:21feels extremely jarring and out of place
3:32:25as [music] it comes before Dais and
3:32:26Anna's deaths, before Anna's pregnancy
3:32:29reveal, before the truth about the
3:32:31crash, [music] and before many major
3:32:33confirmations of Jimmy's horrendous
3:32:35acts. It serves as a standalone
3:32:38foreshadowing that [music] can only make
3:32:40you wonder what the hell is going to
3:32:42happen on this ship to warrant this.
3:32:49Jimmy locks himself inside the cockpit
3:32:51with an enraged Swansea banging
3:32:54frantically on the door, screaming at
3:32:56him to get out.
3:32:59The music is berserk and panicked with
3:33:02Jimmy searching around to try and figure
3:33:04out a way to keep Swansea from getting
3:33:06to him. All the while, Swansea shouts
3:33:09through the door with threats and
3:33:10promises to not only get him, but chop
3:33:13him into pieces when he does.
3:33:16The only usable objects in this room are
3:33:18a length of nylon rope hanging in this
3:33:21locker and a broken pipe that can be
3:33:23lifted from the wall. Upon opening our
3:33:26inventory, there is a strange item
3:33:28sensored by static and labeled with
3:33:30three question marks. The description
3:33:32being only an ominous observation about
3:33:34Jimmy's current state. My hands won't
3:33:37stop shaking.
3:33:40Jimmy attempts to block the door, but
3:33:42Swansea then simply smashes through the
3:33:45window, the scene bleeding away as he
3:33:47reaches in for the lock.
3:33:52Once again, the parallels to The Shining
3:33:55are quite stark here. This is a full-on
3:33:57here's Johnny moment, if ever I've seen
3:34:00one, and I began to realize that was
3:34:03actually rather important. In The
3:34:05Shining, Wendy Torrance is infamously
3:34:07[music] stalked through a supernatural
3:34:10hotel by her ax wielding husband, Jack,
3:34:13who has [music] slowly lost his mind.
3:34:16She is tormented, trapped on this
3:34:19mountain in the middle of nowhere,
3:34:20surrounded by heavy snow with nowhere to
3:34:23run. Shelley Dval's performance is
3:34:26particularly striking [music]
3:34:27as it reflects the exceptionally
3:34:29grueling and emotionally draining
3:34:31direction she was subjected [music] to
3:34:33in order to get the desired effect of
3:34:35terrorized exhaustion.
3:34:38Anna's design is inspired by Shelley
3:34:41Dval's Wendy. So, it certainly caught my
3:34:43attention when I realized that [music]
3:34:45Jimmy was the standin for her character
3:34:47in this recreation of The Shining's most
3:34:50iconic scene, reversing victim and
3:34:53offender in [music] a very direct way.
3:34:56In fact, as touched on earlier, this
3:34:59happens in every one of Jimmy's Bizarro
3:35:01[music] sequences. He is the victim to
3:35:04these nightmarish, intrusive happenings.
3:35:06[music] But now that we know better, we
3:35:09can actually use these scenes to try and
3:35:11piece together the reality that they try
3:35:13to hide or justify.
3:35:16If each of these scenes is a sort of
3:35:18reversal of victim and offender, [music]
3:35:20then reversing the roles back again is a
3:35:22good place to start.
3:35:25Doing this to the cargo hold scene is
3:35:27very effective. A blind beast, [music]
3:35:30aimless and restless, you can't run from
3:35:32it, is a very fitting descriptor for
3:35:35Jimmy's behavior. He [music] is aimless,
3:35:38restless, and inescapable on the ship,
3:35:41relentlessly seeking something more than
3:35:43what he has. [music] Though when he
3:35:44finally seizes his aim to become
3:35:47captain, it's quite clear that the role
3:35:49was never what he wanted. He blindly
3:35:52follows and engages in actions which
3:35:55make him feel in control, powerful, not
3:35:59less [music] than. But nothing is ever
3:36:02enough. nothing can satisfy because he
3:36:04is not the center of the universe. Other
3:36:07people and systems exist, [music] have
3:36:10needs and wants, have interactions that
3:36:13elicit consequences.
3:36:16His intolerance and inability to accept
3:36:18[music] or adapt to this makes him
3:36:21beastlike.
3:36:23The fact he is human may make his threat
3:36:25[music] less visible and seemingly
3:36:27manageable to some, which makes him even
3:36:30more of a threat to others. But in the
3:36:32[music] end, he will destroy and hold
3:36:35back everyone in his path
3:36:37indiscriminately.
3:36:39These two axe wielding scenes have the
3:36:41same chapter [music] opening 6 hours
3:36:44before judgment. They represent the same
3:36:47moment, the moment that Jimmy decides to
3:36:51hunt Swansea down, not the other way
3:36:53round.
3:36:55The censored item in the cockpit version
3:36:57of the attack is more than likely the
3:36:59revolver. The absence of the rope and
3:37:02pipe in the medbay version suggests that
3:37:04the true order of events looks more like
3:37:06the following. Swansea left the room
3:37:09telling Jimmy to do what he wants, but
3:37:11refusing to buy into his narratives.
3:37:14[music] He takes the axe so that Jimmy
3:37:15won't be able to use it and presumably
3:37:17for protection if he does come after
3:37:19him. Jimmy cannot tolerate [music] the
3:37:22Swansea who walked away with clarity,
3:37:24who could not be dominated, [music]
3:37:27reframed, or erased. Swansea therefore
3:37:30becomes the embodiment of judgment.
3:37:33Unable to tolerate this version of
3:37:35events, Jimmy therefore recasts Swansea
3:37:38as [music] the aggressor, manufacturing
3:37:41a threat he can justify defending
3:37:43himself against.
3:37:45Jimmy gets the revolver from the medical
3:37:47bay. Curley's reaction shatters the
3:37:50illusion of solidarity Jimmy attempted
3:37:52to root in him, heightening the chaotic
3:37:55reimagining of scenes from here onwards.
3:37:58Jimmy goes to the cockpit with [music]
3:38:00the gun, retrieves the pipe, which he
3:38:02notes is still strong enough to be
3:38:04repurposed, and a [music] rope, which he
3:38:06notes he could use. Sometime between
3:38:09this gathering of items [music] 6 hours
3:38:11before judgment and the corpse party
3:38:13scene 1 hour before judgment, [music]
3:38:16Swansea has been killed. But we are kept
3:38:19from the reality of his end by drawn out
3:38:22terrifying sequences where Jimmy [music]
3:38:24is pursued by axes forced through
3:38:27terrifying blood splattered vents and
3:38:30haunted by the image of Daay whose
3:38:33brutalized face takes over [music] the
3:38:34screen anytime we turn Jimmy's character
3:38:37away from responsibility or try to turn
3:38:40back when the game tells us we cannot.
3:38:46Just like the cargo hold sequence, we
3:38:48can easily reverse victim and offender
3:38:50here. Jimmy pushed Daisay to die a
3:38:54needless, slow, agonizing death. He
3:38:58forced him to take responsibility for
3:39:00what was caused by Jimmy's wrongdoing.
3:39:03There was no way for Da to turn back
3:39:06once he entered the deadly vent, and no
3:39:08other conclusion waiting for him at the
3:39:10end than finality.
3:39:13The events are dotted with shrine-like
3:39:16clusters of DaKay's signature hibiscus
3:39:18flowers, famed for their fleeting beauty
3:39:21due to their one-day bloom, along with
3:39:24gameboys and board game pieces. Little
3:39:27illusions to his playful, cooperative
3:39:30character [music] that feel painfully
3:39:32out of place and disturbing here, often
3:39:35marked by blood smears.
3:39:37This vent, this [music] system that was
3:39:40never designed to support flesh, to
3:39:42support humans, is surprisingly well
3:39:45navigated by Jimmy. He faces the notes
3:39:49that demand responsibility, demand his
3:39:51focus, and simply walks backwards,
3:39:54creating distance [music] without
3:39:56turning away and having to be invaded by
3:39:58this image.
3:40:00Unlike Da, he understands how to
3:40:04navigate this system. When he
3:40:07manipulates it, he remains unharmed. The
3:40:10further he walks from the vent from
3:40:12responsibility, the louder this noise
3:40:15becomes. A cacophony of mechanical and
3:40:19human sounds merge into something
3:40:22indistinguishable.
3:40:23Some sound like groans and cries, some
3:40:26like the releasing of a valve or the
3:40:28relentless pumping of a piston. A single
3:40:32relentless mass. An anthem fit for a
3:40:35blind beast protected by a system that
3:40:38harms.
3:40:46As Jimmy moves forwards, everything
3:40:49begins to defy logic. Gravity shifts.
3:40:53Hallways are twisted. And when he
3:40:55arrives in the medbay once again, it is
3:40:58barely recognizable as what was once the
3:41:00floor has now become a wall. But this
3:41:04vent surrounded by an aggressive mass of
3:41:07axes is the medbay vent from which Da
3:41:10emerged.
3:41:12It flops open as if to invite Jimmy
3:41:15inside and is no longer marked with
3:41:18warnings, dangers, or blood.
3:41:21This is just a theory, but I believe
3:41:24this bizarro sequence is the closest
3:41:26[music] to reality of all the ones that
3:41:28lead to Swanse's death. I think that
3:41:31after Jimmy gathered the revolver, rope,
3:41:34and pipe [music] uninterrupted, he
3:41:36returned to the medbay and entered the
3:41:38vent with the plan to ambush Swansea,
3:41:41who would never expect him to come from
3:41:43there.
3:41:45Of course, we do not know where Swansea
3:41:47went after he left Jimmy in the lounge
3:41:49following Dice K's death, but Jimmy
3:41:52definitely knew. He had already been to
3:41:54the medbay, walked [music] through the
3:41:56entire ship to the cockpit, and back
3:41:58again before this.
3:42:01It may seem strange for Jimmy to risk
3:42:03his life [music] by going into the vent
3:42:04for real, but we must keep in mind the
3:42:07established reality that Jimmy's [music]
3:42:09objective is not actually survival. Not
3:42:12only this, but by sending Dice K in
3:42:15there previously, [music] the path that
3:42:17led to his grave injuries will have been
3:42:19made more easily avoidable due to the
3:42:21trails of blood. Blood that has been
3:42:24erased and unrecognized in Jimmy's
3:42:27version of events. We can find where Da
3:42:30was likely injured, marked [music] only
3:42:32by the fleetingly beautiful habiscus,
3:42:35now caged off from access in [music]
3:42:37this warped recreation, symbolizing how
3:42:40the sacrifices and harm of those beneath
3:42:43Jimmy [music]
3:42:44can quite literally point the way to his
3:42:46own protection, safety, and success
3:42:50[music] without him having to put in the
3:42:51work or risk himself.
3:42:54Because this vent feels
3:42:55uncharacteristically [music]
3:42:57real for a bizarro sequence, it flagged
3:42:59up in my mind as being a slightly more
3:43:01honest reflection [music] of reality.
3:43:04The differences that occur here all feel
3:43:06very symbolic. [music] As mentioned, the
3:43:09eraser and stepping over of Dais's
3:43:11sacrifice, which is also mirrored by the
3:43:13previous stepping through his [music]
3:43:15grave, the topsyturvy room, and the
3:43:18removal of danger signs meant to keep
3:43:20people out. [music]
3:43:22in its place, a vent that opens itself
3:43:24for you. These differences all point
3:43:27towards [music] one continually emerging
3:43:30truth. This world, this system is built
3:43:33[music]
3:43:34for Jimmy. The places that are closed to
3:43:37others open for him. What harms someone
3:43:40else [music] leads him towards control.
3:43:43And yet he still views the world as
3:43:47hostile.
3:43:48Impossible axes frozen in threat,
3:43:51[music] but without an attacker to be
3:43:53seen. Another one thrown suddenly in the
3:43:56vent, but again with no origin, no
3:43:59explanation. It only frightens rather
3:44:02than harms.
3:44:04Jimmy lives in a system built around
3:44:07protecting and enabling him. And [music]
3:44:09yet, he still feels like the victim. By
3:44:13the time he plops out of the vent on the
3:44:14other side,
3:44:18Swansea is already tied to a chair. We
3:44:22finally learn the use of that rope.
3:44:25Jimmy is so determined to preserve his
3:44:28identity as [music] victim that the act
3:44:30of knocking Swansea out with the pipe
3:44:32and restraining him cannot even be
3:44:35shown. He perceives that he falls into
3:44:38situations that are detached from his
3:44:40actions, necessary because of his fears
3:44:43and desires and not really in his hands.
3:44:46And yet, in this moment, when we see
3:44:49Swansea helplessly tied up, and as Jimmy
3:44:52reaches for the revolver again, the idea
3:44:55of self-defense becomes absurd.
3:45:01Shooting anywhere here transports Jimmy
3:45:04into another surreal setting, a
3:45:06graveyard.
3:45:08Similar to other bizarro sequences, and
3:45:10indeed to the ship itself, the graveyard
3:45:13is constructed in a winding,
3:45:15claustrophobic, and maze-like manner
3:45:17through which Jimmy must aimlessly
3:45:19wander through the fog between towering
3:45:21headstones of remembrance. These stones
3:45:24engraved with I remember you, so you are
3:45:27eternal reflect Jimmy's narcissistic
3:45:30obsession with how he is perceived and
3:45:33illustrate why survival means nothing to
3:45:35him in the face of losing control over
3:45:38narrative. If he is not remembered as a
3:45:42hero, then life simply has no meaning,
3:45:46no value. And rather than looking inward
3:45:49to understand what it would take from
3:45:51him to be remembered with fondness, he
3:45:55wants to have his cake and eat it
3:45:58[music] too. Consider only himself and
3:46:02control the perceptions and memories of
3:46:04others at any cost. All of this to
3:46:07preserve an image of a [music] person he
3:46:09has taken no care to nurture
3:46:11meaningfully.
3:46:13an image that would be better suited to
3:46:15someone like Anna or Dais, the latter of
3:46:18which seems to be the one buried here.
3:46:21However, if we reverse [music] victim
3:46:22and offender again, it's plain to see
3:46:24that Jimmy is not honoring or seeing
3:46:27Dais as a hero worth remembering, nor
3:46:30someone he feels more remorse and sorrow
3:46:32over harming. He does not see him as a
3:46:35full person. That is evident from the
3:46:38fact he does not acknowledge his part in
3:46:40his death nor how he directly benefits
3:46:43from his harm.
3:46:45This is a false recognition where it may
3:46:48as well be Jimmy's image here in place
3:46:50of Daisay.
3:46:52Anna though also dead is not represented
3:46:55here at all because she has never been
3:46:57afforded any sort of recognition from
3:46:59Jimmy. In both cases, he is still unable
3:47:03to view them as human humans that he
3:47:06damaged irreparably.
3:47:09There are a few layers to this sequence.
3:47:12Jimmy is stalking the cemetery looking
3:47:14for Swansea. Swansea is stalking Jimmy,
3:47:17taking him by surprise by intermittently
3:47:20lunging at him from the fog. Whenever
3:47:22Swansea appears, Jimmy can shoot him,
3:47:25after which he runs away. If he misses
3:47:28or Swansea manages to get him, the
3:47:30sequence resets to a mausoleum with the
3:47:33photograph of Daisay.
3:47:35Take care of it and kills 99% appear
3:47:38here again as well. A mirror of the
3:47:41screen that came before Jimmy's previous
3:47:42attempt at crew annihilation.
3:47:46And beneath all of this lies the
3:47:50reality.
3:47:51Swansea is tied to a chair in utility
3:47:55facing Jimmy's barrel.
3:48:03After this imaginary game of cat and
3:48:05mouse ends, we are returned to the scene
3:48:08of the impending execution.
3:48:19This time we see the two remaining men
3:48:21only in silhouette as various scenes of
3:48:24life pass by in the background.
3:48:26Fragments of domesticity, memory, and
3:48:29mundane.
3:48:30The ropes are gone. Swansea leans in
3:48:33now, hands on his lap, calm, critical,
3:48:37but measured, and willing to share his
3:48:40perspective.
3:48:41The violence that brought us here is no
3:48:44longer visible, save for the shape of a
3:48:46revolver that hangs [music] by Jimmy's
3:48:48side, unccocked.
3:48:50As with the vent and the cemetery, the
3:48:53material conditions of what has [music]
3:48:55happened are softened and removed,
3:48:58turned into an abstract stage. If truth
3:49:01can be found here, [music] it is
3:49:03carefully curated.
3:49:05I struggle to believe that Swansea, upon
3:49:08waking up in the chair, went [music]
3:49:10quietly. We know that Jimmy has already
3:49:13shot once before the cemetery scene, and
3:49:15so by this stage, Swansea [music]
3:49:17may already be dead, the unfiltered
3:49:20truth of his final words unable to be
3:49:22relived in their honest form.
3:49:25By the end of his speech, [music] he
3:49:27will be shot again. And since his later
3:49:29corpse bears two wounds to the head, it
3:49:32raises the possibility that the first
3:49:34was indeed the fatal one, [music]
3:49:36that the cemetery scene was a
3:49:37dissociative interlude, and that the
3:49:40[music] final shot is fired into a
3:49:42corpse.
3:49:44If true, then this exchange [music] is
3:49:46not literal, but rather a reconstruction
3:49:49performed through a filter Jimmy can
3:49:51tolerate or believes can be used [music]
3:49:53to justify himself.
3:49:56The speech does stand out among Jimmy's
3:49:59other reconstructions, however. It feels
3:50:01strongly grounded in something real.
3:50:04There is no flattery, [music]
3:50:05forgiveness, or undeserved praise as you
3:50:08might expect from a figment of his
3:50:09imagination. And critically, it does not
3:50:12absolve him.
3:50:14Before we dissect this, I just want to
3:50:16take a moment to say that [music] this
3:50:18is genuinely one of the most incredible,
3:50:21powerful, and deeply impactful
3:50:23monologues I have personally experienced
3:50:25[music]
3:50:25in gaming. The writing, the
3:50:28presentation, the perfect blend of
3:50:30reality and abstraction [music]
3:50:32culminate in what has definitely earned
3:50:34a place as one of the greatest
3:50:36confrontation scenes in psychological
3:50:38horror, period. [music]
3:50:40I highly recommend just going to watch
3:50:42this scene yourself if you haven't
3:50:44played the game. It is [music]
3:50:45profoundly affecting and really stays
3:50:48with you.
3:50:52Swansea demands Jimmy's silent attention
3:50:55and begins exploring his own flaws,
3:50:58admitting to his own failures, and
3:51:01wholeheartedly accepts his mangled
3:51:03wreckage of a person without polish or
3:51:06embellishment.
3:51:08He does not glamorize [music] himself,
3:51:10blame others, nor run away from his
3:51:13shortcomings. He reflects on his time as
3:51:16an [music] active alcoholic and how it
3:51:18came to an abrupt end when a vision of
3:51:20his own bloated corpse came to him after
3:51:23being blasted by the ray of a street
3:51:25light.
3:51:27The fear of his own mortality and
3:51:30hurtling towards an end so devoid of
3:51:32dignity was enough to scare him into
3:51:35getting sober.
3:51:37This led to him [music] pursuing a
3:51:39normal life, saying he got a college
3:51:42shirt, mortgage, and a credit card.
3:51:43[music] In his words, all the things
3:51:46that make a good man.
3:51:48He wanted to be better so [music] his
3:51:50children would have the chance to not be
3:51:53like him. Wanted to believe he was more
3:51:56than just a drink away from tearing down
3:51:58[music] his new construction of a life.
3:52:01But Swansea acknowledges an
3:52:03uncomfortable truth, one he is sure to
3:52:06emphasize specifically to Jimmy. I'm
3:52:09telling you you
3:52:13the unrelenting nature of maintaining
3:52:16that manufactured normaly the image of a
3:52:19man and what he should be of upkeeping a
3:52:22[music] facade that is built over
3:52:24compulsions and self-medicating
3:52:27never culminated into a sense [music] of
3:52:29achievement success or contentedness
3:52:32that could match the indulging in his
3:52:35addiction. not his loving wife nor his
3:52:38great kids.
3:52:40Swansea [music] complicates himself at
3:52:42the center of his confession. His years
3:52:45of sinking into the sofa, the world
3:52:48[music] spinning, the way he describes
3:52:50them in this visceral, poetic way,
3:52:53paints his drunken nights as [music]
3:52:54physically harrowing and emotionally
3:52:57volatile.
3:52:59Broken glass in my palms, bleeding dry,
3:53:02the funniest thing ever. Old dogs
3:53:04laughing and snarling on a waterbed
3:53:07floor, mocking the moon for daring to
3:53:09show its face. All nausea and wreckage
3:53:13and vomit and
3:53:14>> [music]
3:53:14>> ugly cruelty. The way he describes this
3:53:17era of his life forms a nightmarish
3:53:20vision of animalistic descents into
3:53:22vicious fights bleeding into carefree
3:53:25hilarity. words that feel violent and
3:53:28melancholic over the images of
3:53:30fragmented [music] mundane that are
3:53:32their backdrop.
3:53:34He describes it in such a metaphorical
3:53:36and imagerich manner because [music]
3:53:38indulging in addiction is in a sense
3:53:40removing yourself from the rules of the
3:53:42functional world. It is a forfeiting
3:53:45[music] of the self, a giving of the
3:53:47body, soul, and mind over to a
3:53:50substance, often in the hopes it can
3:53:52quell something deeper, something
3:53:55voidlike, [music]
3:53:56and far more consuming.
3:53:59These lines are not there to romanticize
3:54:00[music]
3:54:01this time. It was battering,
3:54:04destructive, and hideous. And yet he
3:54:07does not attempt to delude himself,
3:54:09asserting that despite this vision of
3:54:12horror, they [music] remain the best
3:54:14days of his life.
3:54:17Back then, the only problem was an empty
3:54:20bottle, simple, refillable, replaceable.
3:54:24The ugliness and brutality of his
3:54:26existence [music] was immediate and raw.
3:54:29But the architecture of that good man
3:54:32did not offer transcendence. Instead, it
3:54:35replaced one endless spiral with
3:54:37another. A spiral [music] with hidden
3:54:40insidious harm which does not offer a
3:54:43simple solution when the spirit [music]
3:54:45runs dry. Maintenance, routine, endless
3:54:49desperate effort with a finish line that
3:54:51rewards a further lap performed with
3:54:54unwavering morale.
3:54:56This monologue exposes the hollowess of
3:54:59the life he bought into. The years of
3:55:01nausea and wreckage and vomit and ugly
3:55:04cruelty become the years of clarity, a
3:55:07more visible version of suffering he
3:55:10grimly recognizes as preferable. Where
3:55:13the maintenance is just as destructive,
3:55:15but at least it's honest.
3:55:19The purpose of this speech is to create
3:55:21another pivot point for Jimmy's
3:55:23character. We are detached from anyone's
3:55:26point of view. Again, here inviting us
3:55:28to consider this scene from an outside
3:55:30perspective. We see these two men in
3:55:33states that do not entirely reflect
3:55:35reality. [music] Silhouettes. These are
3:55:38stark and raw depictions. Swanse's
3:55:41relaxed position, calm [music] speech,
3:55:43and freedom from his binds, along with
3:55:45Jimmy's casual stance, compliant [music]
3:55:47silence as Swansea speaks, and his
3:55:50lowered weapon seem to seduce us into
3:55:52viewing them as equals. That is Jimmy's
3:55:56construction. In his vision, they are
3:55:59meeting on a neutral ground. [music]
3:56:01He believes he is giving Swansea a fair
3:56:03opportunity to see his vision. But this
3:56:06is the curated aspect of [music] the
3:56:08sequence, and it's one that captures
3:56:10narcissistic logic perfectly. Jimmy
3:56:13believes he is being generous by
3:56:15allowing [music] dissent before
3:56:16eliminating it.
3:56:19When Swansea refuses to buy into Jimmy's
3:56:22final persistent attempt [music] at
3:56:23controlling the narrative, he believes
3:56:26that this execution is justified [music]
3:56:29and therefore imagines an unbound
3:56:31Swansea simply sitting in place and
3:56:34without movement [music]
3:56:35or sound, accepting what must be done.
3:56:39But looking past Jimmy's delusions lies
3:56:41the real message that we can take from
3:56:43this [music] scene. the message Swansea
3:56:45likely conveyed in his final moments and
3:56:48that still exists in this
3:56:50reconstruction. [music]
3:56:51Jimmy so blinded by his own self-d
3:56:53delusions and narcissism that he does
3:56:55not erase [music] it from the timeline.
3:56:58The reality is that Swansea can look at
3:57:02his worst self without rewriting [music]
3:57:04it. Jimmy cannot.
3:57:07I got nothing to hide. Ready to face
3:57:10[music] the music. I can see myself for
3:57:12what I am, but you a cowardly, selfish
3:57:16[ __ ] and you can't even see it.
3:57:20I think the reason that Jimmy can allow
3:57:22this sentiment to be the final
3:57:24punctuation to the speech is that he
3:57:26clings so desperately to his mental
3:57:29reconstructions that for him, Swansea's
3:57:32final words are just evidence of his
3:57:34inability to grasp what Jimmy must do.
3:57:37In Jimmy's [music] mind, Swansea just
3:57:39needs to accept that he has narrative
3:57:42control, and that is worth more than
3:57:45bodily autonomy or biological survival.
3:57:48Swansea's story of tragedy, ugliness,
3:57:50and unmbellished self-acceptance means
3:57:53nothing in [music] the face of Jimmy's
3:57:55sanitizing revolver. He literally says
3:57:59the words, "We're going to make it."
3:58:01Moments before pulling the trigger.
3:58:05This scene positions Swansea's character
3:58:07as a polar opposite to Jimmy's.
3:58:11Jimmy survives by displacing blame,
3:58:14reframing, constructing new narratives,
3:58:16and reentering himself as both [music]
3:58:18necessary and important, even in moments
3:58:21where he is lacking or actively
3:58:23destructive.
3:58:24Swansea survives by exposing his worst
3:58:27self without embellishment.
3:58:30The irony here is that Swansea's speech
3:58:33is a warning. A story about chasing
3:58:36relief that never satisfies, endless
3:58:38[music] effort that never delivers
3:58:40fulfillment.
3:58:41Jimmy engages in a relentless pursuit to
3:58:44make everything [music] make sense in
3:58:46relation to his version of reality. To
3:58:48make everyone agree with him no matter
3:58:50[music] the cost, and to ensure he is
3:58:53remembered as the hero of the story,
3:58:56even when he is the villain.
3:58:58Just as with addiction, satisfaction
3:59:00never arrives, no matter how far Jimmy
3:59:03escalates when this [music] relentless
3:59:04chase is met with resistance or
3:59:07questioning. The irony is that Swansea's
3:59:10story exposes that [music] a person can
3:59:12choose to look at their worst self
3:59:15rather than force others to live in
3:59:17misery.
3:59:19Jimmy's response is to kill the person
3:59:22who pointed that out.
3:59:25Through this framing, when we understand
3:59:27why Swansea [music] embodies so much
3:59:28threat and horror for Jimmy, a more
3:59:31disturbing realization can begin to
3:59:33surface. Jimmy, like many abusers,
3:59:36relies on false equivalents. His [music]
3:59:39sustained abuse, assault, and murder are
3:59:42not coping mechanisms, [music] lapses in
3:59:45discipline, or tragic byproducts of a
3:59:47difficult life. His refusal [music] to
3:59:49take accountability is a damning nail in
3:59:51the coffin, but the violence itself is
3:59:54deliberate. It is not a mistake that
3:59:57[music] can be reached by Swanse's
3:59:59confession because they are not the
4:00:01same. Jimmy might like [music] to think
4:00:03he is presenting an image of two broken
4:00:06men, equivalent but unable to agree.
4:00:08[music]
4:00:08But ironically, his curated version of
4:00:11events only further exposes [music] just
4:00:13how different they are. Swansea's harm
4:00:16comes from losing control. Jimmy's harm
4:00:19is about exerting [music] it. Rather
4:00:21than the prevailing message being that
4:00:23striving to be better is [music]
4:00:25difficult and unrewarding but still
4:00:28necessary, Jimmy hears goodness is
4:00:31unnecessary if you can just control how
4:00:34people remember you.
4:00:36This manner of thinking is not
4:00:38compatible with a shared reality. And so
4:00:40it is unsurprising how entirely his
4:00:42perceptions continue to unravel and
4:00:45distort from here.
4:00:51He walks away from Swansea's body. The
4:00:55truth of the terror, helplessness, and
4:00:57cruelty of his demise left sanitized but
4:01:01not lost. As the aftermath contains its
4:01:05tragedy,
4:01:08the hallways are darker now, wider and
4:01:12impossible. The echo of his footsteps
4:01:14feeling mechanical as they drone on,
4:01:17crawling deeper into the system, now
4:01:20under his version of control.
4:01:23Jimmy has become one with the machine.
4:01:27But his nightmarish visions of the world
4:01:29still ask us to see him sympathetically.
4:01:33A monstrously giant curly watches him
4:01:35from beneath the great floor. [music]
4:01:37Blood soaks the walls where eyeballs
4:01:39begin to protrude and quiver from cold
4:01:42metal, ever watchful and fixated.
4:01:46A vessel that was not made to support
4:01:48flesh begins to embody it. And again,
4:01:51machine-like sounds combined with
4:01:53something visceral like spilling guts.
4:01:57Suddenly, the suggestion of this machine
4:02:00becoming flesh is consummated as the
4:02:02industrial textures of the hall are
4:02:04transformed into a soft fleshy gullet.
4:02:13The sound of breathing howling harshly
4:02:15by life reduced to relentless mechanism.
4:02:22Jimmy emerges into a sparse landscape
4:02:25born from metal and viscera. Entering
4:02:27here from inside Curley's prized open
4:02:29mouth, this giant reconstruction of his
4:02:32head is subdued, blinded, and missing
4:02:35its lower jaw. A disturbing reflection
4:02:38of Jimmy's fantasy, a fantasy that
4:02:40extends [music] beyond the incapacitated
4:02:42Curly who seems to represent it. A
4:02:45fantasy that his crew would not see him,
4:02:49would not move, could not speak. Mouth
4:02:51ever open, not needed to be forced
4:02:54apart, ever prepared for function
4:02:56[music] and unable to act on needs or
4:02:59wants. Receptacles forced to hold his
4:03:03harm, [music]
4:03:03indistinguishable from inanimate steel.
4:03:07He approaches another version of Curley,
4:03:10strapped to a chair and covered in
4:03:12valves and screens, [music] a body
4:03:15reduced to operation.
4:03:18In front of him is the television set
4:03:20now [music] showing a clip from a 1950s
4:03:23short cartoon Mother Goose's Birthday
4:03:25Party.
4:03:29>> The clip shows a decorated cake being
4:03:32delivered to the titular party. Though
4:03:34interestingly, it emits all context.
4:03:37[music]
4:03:42In the full cartoon, every fairy tale
4:03:45character has been invited to celebrate.
4:03:47All except the big bad wolf.
4:03:50>> So, I'm not invited, eh?
4:03:52>> Who decides to hide inside the cake as
4:03:55part of a plan for vengeance?
4:03:58This short snippet cuts off the moment
4:04:00before the wolf emerges and begins
4:04:02wreaking havoc on the guests.
4:04:06to see
4:04:06>> when suddenly the wolf popped up and
4:04:09said,
4:04:09>> "I'll fix you all for not inviting me."
4:04:14>> His unshown actions only proving it was
4:04:17right not to invite him, no matter how
4:04:19angry and disgruntled he felt about it.
4:04:22This mirrors Jimmy's bitterness and
4:04:24dissatisfaction that his actions lead to
4:04:28consequences, and rather than face
4:04:30those, he instead obscures or reframes
4:04:33the behaviors which he makes no effort
4:04:35to change.
4:04:37Interacting with this frozen scene of
4:04:39the cake brings up the option to take
4:04:42Curley's leg.
4:04:48Hake becomes flesh here once again and
4:04:51closely mirrors the corpse party scene
4:04:54in which Jimmy's cannibalistic metaphor
4:04:57fully metastasizes.
4:04:59In fact, these scenes seem to be one and
4:05:02the same. In the corpse party version,
4:05:05amidst the imagined praise and applause
4:05:08of his dead crew mates, Jimmy equips the
4:05:11knife with the intention to get the job
4:05:14done and begins slicing into Curley's
4:05:17leg. distributing the chunks of flesh
4:05:19between each plate.
4:05:39As Jimmy slices, Curly screams are
4:05:42reimagined as a harsh worring sound, not
4:05:46unlike a machine.
4:05:47As the knife drags back and forth,
4:05:50repetitive mechanical clangs can be
4:05:53heard behind the worring. Though the
4:05:55further Jimmy gets, Curley's true sounds
4:05:58of agony and horror begin to rise. Not
4:06:02replacing [music] the mechanical, but
4:06:04becoming one with it. From this moment
4:06:07here on the table in place of the cake
4:06:10to here beneath the floor and merged
4:06:13with the walls to him strapped to the
4:06:15chair as part of the machinery. Curly is
4:06:19slowly being reclaimed [music]
4:06:20by Jimmy again as a mirror. But now
4:06:24Jimmy sees it as a broken one. Not a
4:06:27silent perfect reflection, but one whose
4:06:30cracks risk [music] exposing something
4:06:32unpleasant that still needs to be
4:06:34sanitized. redistributed and digested.
4:06:39After serving up slices of Curley's leg,
4:06:43Jimmy makes his speech in which he again
4:06:46reestablishes hierarchy, but in [music]
4:06:49a very telling way. The compliant crew
4:06:52members, puppets of his own creation,
4:06:55repeatedly refer to Jimmy as captain in
4:06:57[music] his fantasy, tracking with his
4:06:59desire for title and authority. However,
4:07:03when Jimmy begins to address Curly in
4:07:05his speech, the only crew member he
4:07:07addresses directly, [music] he refers to
4:07:10him as his captain.
4:07:12In this scene, he has his cake and eats
4:07:15it once [music] again, living out the
4:07:17fantasy of control and recognition
4:07:20without responsibility. [music]
4:07:22He gets to be the exalted and revered
4:07:25captain while remaining the victim at
4:07:28the bottom of the ladder at the same
4:07:30time. His speech focused on suffering
4:07:33under Curly, in whom he roots a
4:07:36one-dimensional [music] vision of
4:07:38someone ungrateful and lacking in
4:07:40empathy for his subordinates.
4:07:42With no one left to refute his [music]
4:07:44claims, Jimmy bolsters his unsympathetic
4:07:47reading of Curley by using collective
4:07:49[music] language like we and our
4:07:52constructing a new narrative that paints
4:07:54himself as [music] a mouthpiece for the
4:07:57dead crew, as if they are a hive mind
4:07:59that all think and [music] feel the same
4:08:02way. What Jimmy has done here is to
4:08:05perform a hideous bastardization of
4:08:08Swansea's [music] speech. No longer his
4:08:11perfect mirror, Jimmy instead constructs
4:08:13a story that projects what he identifies
4:08:16as being the worst parts of [music]
4:08:18himself into Curly and forces him to
4:08:21hold responsibility instead.
4:08:24This is at its most overt when he
4:08:26accuses Curly of thinking that [music]
4:08:29life isn't even worth living at the same
4:08:31level as us.
4:08:33A sentiment we have explicitly
4:08:35established belongs to Jimmy. [music]
4:08:38This one sentence is the driving force
4:08:40behind every single action, every
4:08:42escalation, [music] every move he makes.
4:08:45Life is worthless and without meaning
4:08:48unless you [music] have near omnipotent
4:08:50levels of control over others.
4:08:53He has never been able to share a human
4:08:56experience or exist on the same level as
4:08:58anyone else. The closest he came to it
4:09:01was [music] to express how he liked that
4:09:03he and Curly were in control.
4:09:06Jimmy has taken this inability to share
4:09:09reality into the literal by deciding
4:09:11[music]
4:09:12who lives and dies, the evidence of
4:09:15which sits around the very table he is
4:09:19at [music] the head of. This line
4:09:22belongs to him. But when he projects
4:09:25what he perceives as the worst parts of
4:09:26[music] himself into Curley, his broken
4:09:29mirror, he can not only choose to
4:09:32forgive him and in tandem offer the
4:09:34mindless hivemind crews forgiveness as
4:09:36well, he can continue to believe in him
4:09:39and frame his actions now existing
4:09:42outside himself as [music] sympathetic
4:09:45and distributable as he serves up this
4:09:47harmade flesh to be consumed as
4:09:51sustenance.
4:09:52Through this, he not only absolves
4:09:54himself without having to first address
4:09:56he is responsible for the harm, but he
4:09:59continues to justify his [music] casting
4:10:01as the hero, victim, and narrator of the
4:10:04story all at once.
4:10:07As the camera detaches to show the once
4:10:09animated corpses in their true state of
4:10:12lifeless erasia, Jimmy insists once more
4:10:15that they are going to make it through
4:10:17this before calling back to the previous
4:10:20Bizarro cake [music] scene with Curly,
4:10:22where he makes another twisted attempt
4:10:24at false equivalence.
4:10:26Curley had tried to teach Jimmy the
4:10:29benefit [music] of finding solidarity in
4:10:31the human experience. Jimmy now
4:10:34repurposes this, likening the
4:10:36cannibalizing of his friend to [music]
4:10:38finding beauty or meaning in a
4:10:40lackluster or dark moment. Just the
4:10:43mundane turning of a cog to digest the
4:10:46harm and move forward to a better day.
4:10:50Curley must be force-fed his leg, which
4:10:53Jimmy reimagines as a puzzle miniame.
4:10:57Every failure resulting in his
4:10:59regurgitation of the piece which must be
4:11:01stuffed through his insides now
4:11:04mechanized through these screens over
4:11:06and over until it is digested and out of
4:11:10sight. Harm made flesh repurposed as
4:11:15survival as nourishment.
4:11:19After Curly finally swallows his slice
4:11:21of leg, Jimmy returns to the television
4:11:24set, seeing an image of himself upon a
4:11:27vast backdrop of space. We can control
4:11:30him from this third person view, walking
4:11:33him off the edge of the small screen
4:11:35until the image takes over our own. Here
4:11:38in the endless cosmos, Jimmy has reached
4:11:41the final stage of his psychological
4:11:44collapse. His denial collapsed with the
4:11:47crash. His dehumanization collapsed with
4:11:50Daisay's needless death. His projection
4:11:53[music] collapsed in the reality of
4:11:55Swanse's murder. His narrative reframing
4:11:58collapsed before the corpses at the
4:12:00table. And his final moral inversion
4:12:03collapses in the grotesque act of
4:12:06cannibalizing Curley. We have reached
4:12:09the bottom rung of the ladder where
4:12:11reality has become too contradictory to
4:12:14sustain Jimmy's hero narrative. This is
4:12:18Jimmy abandoning the very fabric of
4:12:20reality entirely.
4:12:23In the distance sits Curly, engulfed in
4:12:26flames. The only being who Jimmy can
4:12:29safely [music] invite into this space.
4:12:31His ideal narrative partner. One who
4:12:34cannot resist, contradict, speak, or
4:12:37leave.
4:12:39Imperatively, this is also a person for
4:12:41whom he hungers. hungers for the respect
4:12:45and [music] admiration he receives. In
4:12:48many ways, Jimmy craves to be something
4:12:50like Curley. [music]
4:12:51But due to his inability to see him as a
4:12:54full person and his lack of true
4:12:56empathy, [music] he can only project
4:12:58fantasy over him that creates narrative
4:13:01rupture when the natural complexities of
4:13:03his personhood [music]
4:13:04interfere.
4:13:06This leaves Jimmy leaning into his
4:13:09bitter jealousy that how Curly is seen
4:13:12is how Jimmy feels people should see
4:13:14him. Jimmy does not interact with
4:13:18people. He assigns them [music]
4:13:20functions in his own narrative.
4:13:23Here, his version of Curley's shared
4:13:26human experience is as abstract, cosmic,
4:13:29and controlled as one will have come to
4:13:31expect.
4:13:33Similarly to Swanse's confrontation
4:13:35sequence, Jimmy projects a tolerable
4:13:38version of Curley into this brief
4:13:41[music] exchange.
4:13:42This exchange is meant to be a final
4:13:45attempt at constructing a story by
4:13:48blurring himself and Curly together.
4:13:51This adds a further layer to his final
4:13:54act of moral immersion where
4:13:56cannibalizing becomes an attempt [music]
4:13:58to merge where emotional reality cannot
4:14:01be shared. It warps into a twisted
4:14:04melding and consuming of the physical.
4:14:08When Curly starts by saying, "I [music]
4:14:10want to go home." And Jimmy can only
4:14:12respond with, "We are home." It
4:14:15immediately establishes this space as
4:14:18nonneutral. Though Jimmy is attempting
4:14:20to frame it in that way, just as he did
4:14:22in the confrontation stage [music] with
4:14:25Swansea, Curley's desire to leave is
4:14:28allowed to be expressed even in fantasy
4:14:30because it must be first expressed
4:14:32[music] to be corrected. This is Jimmy
4:14:35filling in the mirror's cracks,
4:14:37attempting to share a fully internalized
4:14:40disaster as [music] reality.
4:14:42He is establishing that return no longer
4:14:46exists. There is nothing beyond the
4:14:48endless bounds of his narrative prison.
4:14:52Critically, there can no longer be
4:14:54separation between these two men. Jimmy
4:14:57can still imagine a curly that longs for
4:14:59distance [music] and in the face of it
4:15:01reasserts his final chapter is to be
4:15:04their permanent unity.
4:15:07He then frames this unity as a shared
4:15:10heroism, a tragic but ultimately noble
4:15:13journey survived by a captain [music]
4:15:15and his loyal secondhand man. This
4:15:18complicates the next lines which are a
4:15:20blurring of Jimmy and his projection of
4:15:23himself reflecting back to him in
4:15:25Curley's broken mirror. In this
4:15:28confrontation, [music]
4:15:29he recognizes there is a villain in this
4:15:31story, a role which he imagines Curly
4:15:34offering to play. [music] taking
4:15:36responsibility for the fact he could
4:15:38have stopped it. An inciting incident is
4:15:42identified, boiled down once again to
4:15:45the crash. A disaster becomes a vague
4:15:48mistake that can only be referenced with
4:15:50imprecise singular language.
4:15:53Jimmy then drops to his knees before
4:15:56this burning Curly, reclaiming the story
4:15:59once again by insisting he does not have
4:16:02to be the villain, that [music] they can
4:16:03in fact both be heroes, a team. What
4:16:08happened was an accident. [music] We
4:16:10were trapped. A chronic and pervasive
4:16:13pattern of behavior is not only watered
4:16:15down and [music] detached from its
4:16:17perpetrator, but is contained inside a
4:16:20single line that could never hope to
4:16:22hold the expansive mass of truth it
4:16:25tries to conceal within it.
4:16:28>> I made a mistake. All right.
4:16:32>> His final minimization marks the
4:16:35ultimate fracture. This is the closest
4:16:37he will get to admitting fault. Though
4:16:39his complete inability to name or take
4:16:42meaningful ownership over his crimes,
4:16:45harm, malignant abuse, or responsibility
4:16:48reveals something even more horrifying
4:16:50than [music] the actions themselves. In
4:16:53some capacity, Jimmy understands all he
4:16:57has done. But here, at the end of all
4:17:00things, he still cannot let go of his
4:17:03own selfish desire to be revered.
4:17:05[music]
4:17:07He apologizes not for any of his
4:17:09actions, but to his fantasy version of
4:17:13Curly, [music]
4:17:13the version in which he has rooted only
4:17:16the fault he can reframe as forgivable.
4:17:20Jimmy apologizes to the only person who
4:17:23can still function as his mirror. This
4:17:25cosmic meeting is not about repairing
4:17:28harm, but rather repairing [music] the
4:17:30fantasy that sustains Jimmy's
4:17:32mythologized identity. Curley continues
4:17:36to burn. In this vacuum, even suffering
4:17:39[music] is repurposed. He is the idol of
4:17:42Jimmy's perceived martyrdom. Curley's
4:17:45bodily sacrifice is no longer evidence
4:17:47of intentional cruelty, but the cost of
4:17:50their shared heroism. Jimmy kneels
4:17:53before him, not to seek forgiveness for
4:17:55his sins, but [music] to sanctify his
4:17:58own story.
4:18:00This moment is framed as profound. A
4:18:03captain and his co-pilot [music] finding
4:18:05a meaningful otherworldly ending amongst
4:18:09the rubble. But it is fabricated,
4:18:12dramatized, and [music] unearned.
4:18:16Jimmy continues to repurpose human
4:18:18beings for his own use. Da the tool,
4:18:22Swansea the obstacle, Curly the mirror
4:18:25martr.
4:18:27But even now one person refuses to fit
4:18:31inside his system. One cannot be
4:18:34sanitized or repurposed.
4:18:38Anna
4:18:40Jimmy believes he has finally unified
4:18:42the story with Curly, but the illusion
4:18:45cannot hold the magnitude of what he has
4:18:47done. Beneath the apology, beneath the
4:18:51heroic fantasy, beneath the carefully
4:18:54minimized and unlabeled mistake,
4:18:57something remains unspoken and unseen.
4:19:01Something that cannot be absorbed into
4:19:03metaphor, accident or tragedy.
4:19:08The truth
4:19:21System failure.
4:19:26System failure.
4:19:30System failure.
4:19:34System failure.
4:19:37Hello Jimmy. I see you.
4:19:48Jimmy is returned to the vents of the
4:19:51ship, more bodylike now than ever. The
4:19:55emergency foam now appears in mounds of
4:19:58red, as if [music] the bulging lining of
4:20:00an organ, vents coated in organic
4:20:03membranes. [music]
4:20:05This is the deepest layer of Jimmy's
4:20:08bizarre recreation where something of
4:20:11Anna resides, but notably not her
4:20:14physical being. A space where he will
4:20:17try to sanitize truth. As he turns
4:20:21[music] the corner, he is faced with his
4:20:23final and most horrific nightmare
4:20:26recreation. A monstrous [music]
4:20:28disembodied womb embedded into the side
4:20:32of the vent.
4:20:34On a medical trolley lies the objects
4:20:37[music] which represent Anna. Where Da
4:20:39had his fleeting flower and games, she
4:20:42is reduced to supplies and function
4:20:45alone. Ironically embodied by the
4:20:48painkillers that ended her existence.
4:20:51On the shelf is an ultrasound scanner.
4:20:54Its description simply stating [music]
4:20:56take care of it. Even in the sequence
4:21:00dedicated to her, Anna herself cannot be
4:21:03seen [music] cannot be recognized beyond
4:21:06her function in the system and the
4:21:08[music] organ that contains evidence
4:21:10challenging Jimmy's self- mythology.
4:21:13Jimmy's misogyny runs so deeply that the
4:21:16avatar of his most heinous act [music]
4:21:19is not a woman holding the unimaginable
4:21:21cost of his actions, but [music] a birth
4:21:24canal with eyes of whom he is the
4:21:28terrorized victim. Following the
4:21:30thudding of a heartbeat, Jimmy must scan
4:21:33the uterus, landing on a pair of
4:21:36fetuses, not human, but horses.
4:21:41As the scanner discovers their squirming
4:21:43bodies, the classic ultrasound heartbeat
4:21:46amalgamates with a machine-like
4:21:47screeching.
4:21:52In his deepest layer of sanitization,
4:21:55pregnancy is mechanized and dehumanized
4:21:58as something [music] external, a part of
4:22:01the ship rather than a body, something
4:22:04to be managed and rinsed away [music] by
4:22:07indirect confrontation.
4:22:10As the scanner discovers each body, they
4:22:13fade into oblivion.
4:22:15Once again, this is another
4:22:17bastardization of Swanse's survival
4:22:19mechanism, [music] where he faced the
4:22:22worst of himself. Jimmy only believes he
4:22:24is doing so. Jimmy does not face the
4:22:27true consequences of his actions here.
4:22:30[music] Anna's experience, her suffering
4:22:32and erasia remain unfound.
4:22:36He faces only what he can see through
4:22:38the lens of his own fears [music] and
4:22:40desires.
4:22:42The fetuses represent a threat to his
4:22:45authority, a contamination that must be
4:22:48erased, an [music] institutional
4:22:50humiliation for him, not a human harm
4:22:53that he inflicted upon Ana.
4:22:56This is a harm that cannot be reframed
4:22:59or redistributed. [music] Though he
4:23:01tries to in an abstract way by imagining
4:23:04the fetuses as horses, just like Polly,
4:23:07the Pony Express mascot, suggesting he
4:23:10sees it as a product of the systems
4:23:12failure rather than his own. To Jimmy,
4:23:16the horror exists only in how the
4:23:18pregnancy poses a direct risk [music] to
4:23:21the fantasy of himself as the revered
4:23:23captain.
4:23:24Nowhere is there an acknowledgement of
4:23:26the devastating violation enacted upon
4:23:29another human being. One that created a
4:23:32life and irreversibly changed the
4:23:35trajectory of Anna's world. Those lives
4:23:38now [music] ended unconsidered.
4:23:42Her previous words, you think I wanted
4:23:44[music] this either, exist in a space
4:23:46beyond exploration because it would
4:23:49require recognition and sharing.
4:23:53His final descent is not a return to
4:23:55reality, but rather a doubling down. He
4:23:59simply does not see Anna as human.
4:24:03As the fetuses are erased, the
4:24:05mechanical sounds are replaced by the
4:24:07cries of a human baby, which quickly
4:24:10merges with a rising urgent siren.
4:24:22Jimmy's retroactive erasia is simply not
4:24:25possible. What has already been done
4:24:27cannot be unmade. Symbolically, Jimmy
4:24:30attempts to erase evidence here,
4:24:33consequence, even the act itself. He
4:24:37wants to avoid confronting his crime by
4:24:39silently navigating this mass, making
4:24:42its contents disappear without direct
4:24:45confrontation.
4:24:47However, here in the depths, his own
4:24:50fantasy [music] no longer allows for a
4:24:52clean reframing. The canal opens and
4:24:55from it bursts the uncontainable.
4:25:07All clean.
4:25:10Really gets rid of that bad taste in
4:25:12your mouth, huh?
4:25:15Through wreckage,
4:25:19through silence.
4:25:22Wash it away.
4:25:24All day fire fresh. I hope this hurts.
4:25:30A deformed string of coagulated poly's
4:25:34form the centipedeesque child born from
4:25:37Jimmy's warped vision of a womb. In this
4:25:41sequence, the act of pursuing and being
4:25:44pursued feel indistinguishable. These
4:25:47are two monstrous forms chasing each
4:25:50other. [screaming]
4:26:04Neither are accurate portrayals of the
4:26:07truth, and [music] neither can exist nor
4:26:09cease to exist without the other.
4:26:12This is the [music] ultimate domain of
4:26:14Jimmy's constructions. A domain that
4:26:17cannot bear the weight of the truth he
4:26:19tries to hide within. Fittingly, inside
4:26:22this clean vent, without any hint of
4:26:24anything resembling human function or
4:26:26flesh, Jimmy faces only what he can bear
4:26:29to face [music] and what the system has
4:26:32enabled him to create. A manifestation
4:26:35of his own perception. Bodies reduced to
4:26:39combined mascots that only move
4:26:41together, either [music] stagnant and
4:26:43silent or automated like a machine.
4:26:47This is a self-generated nightmare loop
4:26:50that still functions to avoid
4:26:53responsibility.
4:26:54The pregnancy cannot be abstracted into
4:26:57something monstrous and mechanical
4:26:59because it has a body. A body which
4:27:03Jimmy still refuses to humanize.
4:27:07Anna
4:27:32Jimmy is transported into a hallway of
4:27:35identity cards. Anna and Pre- Crash
4:27:37Curley's cards are obscured, unable to
4:27:41be faced, in congruent with what he
4:27:44wants to reimagine or rewrite. If Jimmy
4:27:47cannot make the pregnancy biological and
4:27:50human, then he cannot truly face it. But
4:27:53if he makes it biological and human,
4:27:55then his story of heroism cannot
4:27:58survive. If Curly is recognized as a
4:28:02complex being outside of Jimmy's fantasy
4:28:04projection, [music]
4:28:05a man and not a burning idol that
4:28:08sanctifies Jimmy's story, then again,
4:28:11his story of heroism cannot survive.
4:28:15Sanitization has run dry.
4:28:18This is Jimmy being pushed into the
4:28:21ultimate corner.
4:28:23As he reaches the end of this hallway,
4:28:26he wades through piles upon piles of
4:28:29empty bottles of mouthwash. There is
4:28:32nothing left to rinse with. Only a bad
4:28:36taste remains and the rot begins to
4:28:39fester.
4:28:41Crawling up from the depths, Jimmy finds
4:28:44the final stage of confrontation.
4:28:48The platform is decorated with medical
4:28:50equipment, items signaling a space where
4:28:53part of Anna resides, again still
4:28:57unseen.
4:28:59The invisible [music] labor, the body
4:29:01upon which institutional failure lands,
4:29:04but offers no recognition or support.
4:29:08Jimmy reduces her to beds, plastic
4:29:10gloves, pills, and empty bottles of
4:29:13useless sanitizer.
4:29:16Flood lights blast on one by one,
4:29:19revealing mountains of these barren
4:29:22bottles.
4:29:23A single spotlight illuminates [music]
4:29:25the poly statue standing at top the
4:29:28pile. And in Anna's signature blue text,
4:29:32the statue begins to speak.
4:29:44What should I call you?
4:30:01>> Jimmy's descent has not ended with the
4:30:04nightmarish vision of a womb or the
4:30:06dehumanized horse centipede child. It
4:30:10has merely shifted into a quieter
4:30:12confrontation.
4:30:14Polly addresses Jimmy in language he
4:30:17understands, [music] the language of
4:30:18hierarchy and labor, and entwines it
4:30:21with something more human and familiar.
4:30:24Referring to him as both boss and old
4:30:27man, suggests that this is the tolerable
4:30:30form consequence can take. Polly
4:30:33embodies the child, the company, and
4:30:36Anna all at once and begins an
4:30:39inescapable dissection.
4:30:42Even here at the end of everything,
4:30:45[music]
4:30:46the language of rank and status is the
4:30:49most cutting of all as Jimmy attempts to
4:30:53sever authority.
4:30:56>> Pony Express is dead and so are you.
4:31:01If the system no longer exists, if the
4:31:04evidence of his harm is gone, [music]
4:31:06then it cannot judge him. If this voice
4:31:08is but a garbled echo of something that
4:31:11no longer holds agency over him, then
4:31:13Jimmy is free [music] to dismiss its
4:31:16accusations.
4:31:18So he thinks.
4:31:20But instead of being silenced, the
4:31:23statue [music] continues, pushing the
4:31:26metaphorical scalpel ever deeper into
4:31:28Jimmy's internal narrative. It is
4:31:31precise [music] and unyielding.
4:31:34>> I know what you think of this particular
4:31:43misunderstood.
4:31:47[bell]
4:31:47>> Polly says
4:31:51>> Polly is articulating Jimmy's internal
4:31:54narrative, describing it as he
4:31:56understands it himself. A tragic story
4:31:59of a man caged and misunderstood, victim
4:32:03to circumstances beyond his control that
4:32:06others simply refuse to see clearly.
4:32:08[music]
4:32:10Polly is edging towards a truth that
4:32:12would collapse Jimmy entirely, but is
4:32:15interrupted by an intrusive screen
4:32:17acting almost like a psychological
4:32:19sensor. Here
4:32:22the backdrop shifts to a night sky.
4:32:25[music] Polly further away now,
4:32:27uncontrollable, unreachable. The moon
4:32:30large and looming behind him, watchful
4:32:34and immutable.
4:32:35The stagnant sunset of the big picture
4:32:38screen has finally shifted. [music] This
4:32:40marks an inescapable end, though Jimmy
4:32:44persists, launching into the same
4:32:47narrative reconstruction once again.
4:32:50That Curly tried his best. That Jimmy
4:32:53tried his best. that [music] Curly is
4:32:55the better man. And Jimmy's recognition
4:32:57of this, that's the key to absolution.
4:33:02If Curley is the better man, Jimmy can
4:33:04still be that noble second in command.
4:33:07If Curley is preserved as captain, then
4:33:10Jimmy can still be the victim to a
4:33:12flawed structure, not the floor himself.
4:33:16Ultimately,
4:33:18Jimmy still remains the author of
4:33:20reality in his own supposed
4:33:22self-reflection.
4:33:24His apology follows the same logic with
4:33:27promises to take care of Curly and take
4:33:30responsibility. But these promises are
4:33:32detached and [music] once again curated.
4:33:35At their core remains Jimmy's prime
4:33:38objective to preserve the sanctity of
4:33:41the story in which the harm had meaning
4:33:44[music] and purpose. because it meant
4:33:46these two men could survive as tragic
4:33:50heroes.
4:33:51Anna remains [music]
4:33:53missing. The cause of collapse remains
4:33:56missing. The assault, the pregnancy,
4:33:59Jimmy's persistent dehumanization.
4:34:02Anna herself, even just the basic
4:34:05physical form of her body, is absent
4:34:08[music] from Jimmy's confession.
4:34:11Even now, he claims to understand his
4:34:14mistake. while fixating solely on his
4:34:17fantasy version of Curly as witness,
4:34:20judge, and mirror.
4:34:23Curly,
4:34:25Captain,
4:34:27I'm so sorry.
4:34:33>> Yes.
4:34:35Yes. Yes. Yes, I do. I I [ __ ] up.
4:34:40But I can still make this right. Our
4:34:43worst moments don't make us
4:34:50all
4:34:57concerned.
4:35:05Why are you still so concerned with him?
4:35:11Holly here represents something Jimmy
4:35:14cannot fully contain. This is him being
4:35:17cornered. Every [music] method he
4:35:19typically reaches for being disallowed.
4:35:23The irony of Jimmy attempting to
4:35:25repurpose Anna's hopeful belief about
4:35:27humanity in the one moment he is doing
4:35:30everything he can to avoid humanizing
4:35:32[music]
4:35:33her is palpable. and sickening. Though
4:35:36it makes Pauly's disruption particularly
4:35:39satisfying, [music]
4:35:41everything is whittleled down into a
4:35:43single eviscerating question. [music] If
4:35:46Jimmy truly takes responsibility for
4:35:49what he has done, why is he still so
4:35:53concerned with Curly? [music]
4:35:56This is total narcissistic collapse. The
4:35:59question, deceptively simple but
4:36:01immensely exposing, uncovers the central
4:36:04contradiction that Jimmy has not been
4:36:07able to resolve in his nightmare version
4:36:09of Anna.
4:36:10Even in the womb of total psychological
4:36:14and narrative dissolving, [music]
4:36:16even after constructing elaborate
4:36:18reimaginings of Anna's pain, [music]
4:36:20attempting to repurpose it as his own,
4:36:24even after elaborate performances of
4:36:26guilt, punishment, and apology, Jimmy
4:36:29exposes his [music] inability to step
4:36:33off the ladder. His attention remains
4:36:36fixed [music] on hierarchy where his
4:36:39version of Curley, one he has unified
4:36:42with himself, remains that [music]
4:36:44central character, the person to whom
4:36:47apologies are offered, fault is
4:36:49admitted, who must [music] be reconciled
4:36:52with, the person whose survival Jimmy
4:36:55repurposes [music] as evidence of his
4:36:57absolution.
4:36:59Pauly's question [music] destabilizes
4:37:02everything Jimmy has constructed
4:37:04throughout the game. If his recognition
4:37:06and apologies are solely directed
4:37:08towards the [music] only person that can
4:37:11act as a mirror, then their purpose is
4:37:14not an expression of [music] true
4:37:15remorse. Their purpose is to preserve
4:37:18some version of the identity [music] he
4:37:21has built for himself. to maintain the
4:37:24illusion of a story focused on male
4:37:26loyalty and heroism rather than sexual
4:37:29violence [music]
4:37:30and the systems that enable it to
4:37:32happen. The men that fail to act or
4:37:34recognize its systemic roots [music]
4:37:36and the discourse and warping of
4:37:38realities that bury or scrutinize the
4:37:42victim's humanity [music]
4:37:43and experience.
4:37:46Holly is not direct, [music] does not
4:37:49name Jimmy's crimes as he still exists
4:37:52within what [music] Jimmy is capable of
4:37:54hearing or feels he can still reframe or
4:37:57refute. However, he does reflect [music]
4:37:59Jimmy's own logic back at him until the
4:38:03contradictions become impossible.
4:38:05Polly exposes the structure of [music]
4:38:07Jimmy's thinking without needing to be
4:38:09explicit because his logic is already as
4:38:12structurally impossible as the bizarro
4:38:15sequences it creates.
4:38:18The question [music] reveals what Jimmy
4:38:20cannot admit. Even at the end of his
4:38:23world, the axis [music] upon which his
4:38:25moral universe turns remains another
4:38:28man. Anna [music] is still displaced
4:38:31only here in hints and traces of what
4:38:34she has been reduced to. This
4:38:36confrontation cannot be with her and so
4:38:39instead becomes a confrontation with the
4:38:42impossibility of fully erasing her.
4:38:46The scene bleeds away, the question
4:38:49lingering unanswered. Jimmy has already
4:38:53made his decision.
4:38:56Jimmy carries Curly from the party table
4:38:59and through the ship, his plate of leg
4:39:02now cleaned and absorbed. He walks into
4:39:06utility and places Curley's body into
4:39:10the cryopod.
4:39:22During the transition, our perspective
4:39:24moves from Jimmy to Curly, ending the
4:39:27game through his eyes.
4:39:33It's okay, Curly.
4:39:36You're going to be okay.
4:39:40You always have my back. I ended up
4:39:43hurting you even though I was trying to
4:39:45save us.
4:39:47But now, you'll survive.
4:39:51Like you said, together we can fix
4:39:54anything. I'm just proud I got to be
4:39:56your friend and co-pilot, Captain.
4:40:01No one can hurt you now.
4:40:04We fixed it.
4:40:07I
4:40:09fixed it.
4:40:19His final words. a correction which
4:40:22reenters himself once again as hero.
4:40:27Jimmy walks away from the window,
4:40:29leaving Curly alone, unable to move,
4:40:32save for turning his head, unable to
4:40:35confirm or refute Jimmy's framing or
4:40:38decision. The sound of the revolver, the
4:40:42full stop to his fauxh heroic rapsidy is
4:40:46the last thing we hear before the
4:40:48cryopod begins [music] to freeze
4:40:50Curley's mangled body.
4:40:53The insistence that [music] this is
4:40:56survival, that this is curly no longer
4:40:59hurt, that this is fixing things is a
4:41:03truly haunting distortion of reality to
4:41:07be left with as the credits roll.
4:41:11Like Curly, our experience remains
4:41:14frozen in this final [music] scene. We
4:41:17cannot alter Jimmy's resolution, cannot
4:41:20refute his retelling, and we know in the
4:41:22unlikely event Curly is ever found. The
4:41:25truth of what happened on the Tulpar
4:41:27will remain sealed inside a single
4:41:30voiceless body whose autonomy has been
4:41:33scraped down to the bone.
4:41:37In this moment, I clung to Pauliey's
4:41:40final confrontation. A statue standing
4:41:42where a woman's body should be.
4:41:45>> [music]
4:41:45>> Anna, a mangled voice in place of her
4:41:48honest words. Anna's words.
4:41:51The stage of her indirect confrontation
4:41:54becomes the most honest [music] and
4:41:56exposing moment in the entire game. Not
4:41:59because a genuine confession emerges,
4:42:02but [music] because this is where the
4:42:04realization finally dawns
4:42:09that you, the player, are being handed
4:42:12the responsibility to pluck [music]
4:42:14Anna's story from beneath the steel,
4:42:18blood, and empty [music] bottles.
4:42:22As Jimmy leaves us with his last
4:42:25perception of the story, and as we sit
4:42:28helplessly within the body of a man who
4:42:30once had the agency to act, now long
4:42:33gone, the importance of ensuring Jimmy's
4:42:37words are not the last, weighs heavier
4:42:40than ever. We are the last witnesses who
4:42:44have a voice, and we must speak.
4:42:58I knew mouthwashing was going to be an
4:43:00intense journey when I heard whisperings
4:43:03that its story contained narcissistic
4:43:05abuse. Though I did not know to what
4:43:08extent this would be the focus, it's one
4:43:10of the reasons I took [music] such a
4:43:12long time to actually sit down with it.
4:43:14Jimmy's character, the behaviors he
4:43:16engages in, and the tactics he uses are
4:43:19painfully familiar to me. As is the
4:43:22constant [music] reframing of the story
4:43:24that unfolds around Anna, retold and
4:43:27sanitized and twisted and lost and
4:43:29digested over and over, with good or bad
4:43:33intentions, she falls through the gap
4:43:36either way. The way the game is
4:43:39presented almost mirrors the experience
4:43:41of being close to someone like Jimmy.
4:43:44the fing, the rationalizations, the
4:43:46distortions, self-doubt, the
4:43:49impossibility to reach them with
4:43:51humanity or empathy, the self
4:43:54annihilation of remaining in their
4:43:56version of reality. It's an honest
4:43:59reflection of something I imagine many
4:44:01have found themselves faced with.
4:44:03Whether they were a daisy, Swansea or
4:44:06Curly in that person's story or whether
4:44:08they were an Ana, the devastating
4:44:11effects leave scars that can only fade.
4:44:15But what is truly special and
4:44:17desperately important about mouthwashing
4:44:19is that it is appropriately horrifying,
4:44:23pervasive, and impossible to neaten.
4:44:27Complicity [music] is not normalized or
4:44:30softened even in the final moments.
4:44:33The takeaway is also not that everyone
4:44:36is bad, but rather that silence is not
4:44:39neutral and has consequences.
4:44:43It also refuses to aestheticize male
4:44:45suffering, even though its two central
4:44:48protagonists are men. Jimmy is not
4:44:51redeemed or justified. Even though he
4:44:54believes he is a hero, we are given
4:44:57enough information to know better. And
4:45:00as we sit inside Curley's view at the
4:45:02end, helpless, alone, and destroyed, we
4:45:06are left with the consequences of
4:45:08surviving in a world in which we turn a
4:45:10blind eye to suffering.
4:45:14The lone survivor is not glamorized or
4:45:18empowered, but his end is also not
4:45:20framed as a righteous punishment either.
4:45:23Curley was an everyman caught in the
4:45:26machinery [music] of complicity at the
4:45:28helm of a system that rewards silence
4:45:30and punishes harm. But he was also
4:45:33blinded by loyalty to his friend. A
4:45:36friend who could not even share in his
4:45:37[music] reality. Blinded to the point
4:45:40that he did not see his experience could
4:45:42be met with solidarity and care from
4:45:45everyone else around him. and most
4:45:49crucially that [music] this solidarity
4:45:51had the power to save multiple lives and
4:45:54prevent ongoing harm.
4:45:57What makes mouthwashing resonate with
4:46:00players at home far beyond the
4:46:02boundaries of its own narrative is the
4:46:04clarity with which it exposes the
4:46:06multiple structures that allow harm to
4:46:08take root. The ship is falling apart
4:46:11before it [music] ever collides with the
4:46:12asteroid. Pony Express is exploitative
4:46:15and fosters an environment rampant with
4:46:18potential for abuse before it is ever
4:46:20discussed by the crew.
4:46:22Jimmy's behavior is not a sudden
4:46:24rupture, but a pattern he followed from
4:46:27way back on Earth and simply continued
4:46:30deep into space.
4:46:32All of it was always there, and the
4:46:35checks and balances that should prevent
4:46:36such a disaster are instead designed to
4:46:39ensure the dead pixels [music] are never
4:46:42exposed.
4:46:43There are no fairy tale villains here.
4:46:46Harm fers quietly, [music] operates
4:46:48through exhaustion, hierarchy,
4:46:51familiarity, and silencing.
4:46:54By placing the player inside this
4:46:56[music] slowly suffocating structure
4:46:58that is built to collapse, the game
4:47:00dissects how these systems and
4:47:02individuals acquire the power to exploit
4:47:05and abuse [music]
4:47:06whilst remaining undetected, unscathed,
4:47:09or difficult to name. sometimes even
4:47:12admired or looked up to. By presenting
4:47:16the story like this, it repeatedly
4:47:18invites us to step outside the
4:47:20perspectives we are given, to imagine
4:47:22the actions we might take, to condemn or
4:47:25question what we are being shown, and to
4:47:28honor the reality of characters who
4:47:30would otherwise remain silent memories
4:47:32frozen in an altered [music] snapshot.
4:47:36The crew's attempts to endure or resist
4:47:39do not save them and at times are
4:47:42misrepresented or erased by Jimmy. But
4:47:45even so, mouthwashing never treats those
4:47:47efforts as meaningless or without value,
4:47:50even when they come too late.
4:47:53Instead, it reveals the cost of
4:47:55resistance inside structures [music]
4:47:58already collapsing in on themselves. In
4:48:00doing so, it transforms the quiet unease
4:48:03that hangs over the tulpar [music] into
4:48:05something visible, undeniable, and real.
4:48:09What felt intangible at the beginning,
4:48:12and what was warped or altered
4:48:13throughout becomes impossible to ignore
4:48:16or look away from by the end.
4:48:20In a game that relies on concealment and
4:48:23silence, recognition and discussion
4:48:26become the greatest forms of agency.
4:48:30Seeing players recognize Jimmy's
4:48:32character or explicitly label and
4:48:35reenter Anna's experiences tells us that
4:48:39the true story cannot be erased. Stories
4:48:43like this, whether in fiction or
4:48:46reality, need witnesses [music] brave
4:48:48enough to reach into the shattered
4:48:51reconstruction and just stop at nothing
4:48:54to find the truth.
4:48:57In the end, the game leaves us in
4:48:59discomfort [music] for a reason. The
4:49:02discomfort, as Jimmy insists, we are the
4:49:05heroes who fixed everything, [music]
4:49:07is deliberate. There is a reason this
4:49:11hurts.
4:49:12Monsters do not exist. Their horrors do
4:49:16not emerge from the walls or manifest in
4:49:18stark, nightmarish visions of steel and
4:49:22flesh. They are friends, co-workers,
4:49:26bosses, family members, strangers, and
4:49:30they rarely act alone. But they thrive
4:49:33in quiet [music] spaces where no one
4:49:36speaks, where no one dares to collapse
4:49:39their stories.
4:49:42In its absence, in its burial,
4:49:45mouthwashing leaves a space for us to
4:49:47decide what we would write. Whether it's
4:49:50starting to question someone who has
4:49:52been erasing our story or asking
4:49:54ourselves, who do I want to be? Someone
4:49:57who speaks up or someone who contributes
4:50:00to harm.
4:50:02And to those who felt stirred by Anna's
4:50:05experience, there is a life beyond the
4:50:09oppressive steel walls of someone else's
4:50:12reality.
4:50:14If these hours trapped in the Tulpar
4:50:17have taught us anything, it's that out
4:50:20here we still have a voice.
4:50:25Thank you so much for watching.
4:50:33[laughter]
4:50:33>> 3 2 1
4:50:36>> Oh, wait. Are we actually recording?
4:50:38>> Yeah, we're recording.
4:50:39>> I thought we were practicing.
4:50:40>> No, [laughter]
4:50:41>> you're like, we're just doing this for
4:50:43fun. Take just a little bit of this, not
4:50:45too [music] much. And a little bit of
4:50:46this. And I'll hold it up.
4:50:49Grab it close to the [music] camera and
4:50:51like this. So it just kind of falls
4:50:53down.
4:50:53>> Mhm. And like there. And then Yeah. I'll
4:50:57come and do my jump again.
4:51:09[laughter]
4:51:09>> I think I don't know if I started
4:51:11laughing. I think I managed fine if you
4:51:13did.
4:51:13>> I think I managed to keep busy long
4:51:15enough. That was so funny. Okay. [music]
4:51:18All right. [laughter]
4:51:21>> Nice. Oh, now I look really short.
4:51:24>> What?
4:51:25>> Okay, that's [music] fine.
4:51:29>> I even made this cone.
4:51:31It's like secured with fragile tape. And
4:51:35I got the red light going. And [music]
4:51:37I'm all dressed for a party as well. Um,
4:51:41so we're really getting in the mood.
4:51:43Clinging [music] to the corporate bones.
4:51:48That is so good.
4:51:52The only sound you'll be hearing is the
4:51:55crump
4:51:56crumpet. Now your face hole is fire
4:51:59fresh. Let's remember
4:52:03suited. Suited and booted. [music] For a
4:52:06few of these, it's a prolonged shot. So
4:52:09we need to just kid.
4:52:21[clears throat]
4:52:23[laughter]
4:52:24That was stupid.

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