Ergo Proxy - 5: Recall/Twilight

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Recall

So Vincent has now joined a new society, and has begun to integrate himself. The others turn suspicious and angry at Vincent, blaming him instead of welcoming him the way they did at first. They seem so unstable. First childish and silly, then irritable and protective. It's hard for me to take them seriously, but I think that, while the show does not delve into it deeply, it hints at some very, very dark undertones here.

Hoody tells such flagrant lies, and the rest of the commune comically believes him. Vincent is far from the hero-warrior-rebel character Hoody paints him as, which is ironically most obvious by the fact that Vincent can't work up the courage to correct him.Vincent has gone back to closing his eyes and being submissive.

Hoody says that they narrowly avoided a mob, and I don't doubt that was true. The commune, though much more human and peaceable and familiar to us has it's own problems. While they seem friendly and harmless, they have deep anger and hunger for what they have been locked out of. They are old men and women, but still they have a sort of bullied psychology that is quick to take advantage. They threatened Pino. They talk behind Quinn's back, then Hoody's, then Quinn's. They hate Romdeau, but claim they could go back (if they wanted.) They switch sides to whomever promises them the greatest reward, and gang up on weaklings.

The are willing to buy into the most fantastic stories and fairy tales just for the hope that it gives them. Hoody, a little drunk with his power, obliges and makes up great yarns to feed them. The problem is, well, he is playing with their hopes and that is about the only thing they have left. It's symbolized fairly clearly by the lumps of dough on the fire. After hearing Hoody reassure them, the dough rises. After being faced with Quinn's realism, the dough rises and bursts. The type of hope Hoody offers does some good, but it is false hope and false good. Despite the commune's jejune nature, they seem to have a hidden desperate side to them, right beneath the surface, ready to snap. Maybe it could continue rising, but at some point, reality steps in, and their bubble will bursts uncontrollably.

Timothy is Quinn's son.
Someone was killed by the patrols, and Quinn observes, "Well, that's it for this place." I think they were scouted and have to move their commune. At first it seemed like that couldn't have happened with the commune still being by the lake, but Quinn calls it a "sea" and the dome itself is so very vast, that there is probably a large area that the commune can move around in and build settlements in, year after year.

Quinn is perceptive and realizes Hoody's lies. She does not confront him, but undermines his authority with her questions and independence. Her comments are important - "I want no part of this" which I think is direct communication with Hoody. "I could care less about the revolution or the future of Romdeau," which is both true literally, as well as figuratively for Hoody's story. "What the hell is the point of freedom if you have to die to get it." This can be taken both literally, since Quinn is by her nature extremely pragmatic, as well as symbolically - what is the point of hope if you have to lie to get it? Again, the basic question if values are important for their own sake, or are a means to an end, both for freedom and death, as well as for hope and lies, happiness and mind.

Hoody tells Vincent that the entire commune is dependent upon him, which is true, but only because he made it that way. As a leader he does not teach them to be independent and find their own hopes and goals, but feeds them promises and hints at greater things. Quinn is right to say that he wants to keep his companions hostage so he doesn't lose them. He concocted a story about an escape vehicle, called it the 400 Rabbits, (Centzon Totochtinn) and says that it is hidden away unused because the world is too dangerous to leave the commune. In the end, he is a whipped bully too.

Centzon Totochtin is from Aztec mythology. They are notable for partying and being the god of drunkenness, perhaps similar to Bacchus.

"The whole thing scares me. Lies beget lies. And at some point soon, there won't be any turning back. For being human seems like such a tragic state, for every one of us."
Quinn again has a lot to say in a short statement. She refers directly to the commune and the current situation - they are all repressed and tragic figures, struggling to survive in a world that seems dead, miserable, hopeless, and meaningless. The lies they have been told will drive them to eventually break, if Hoody doesn't quell the damage he has done. But more abstractly, when you believe lies, and then believe more and more, at some point you lose yourself and become the lie. She posits humans are weak and easily damaged physically, mentally, emotionally. They can only deal with so much, and they can fall prey to so many things in life so easily. And yet, she used the word "seems" because, it does not have to always be that way. It can be, if we let ourselves, but we can also be greater than our selves.

The dough is shown once again. Burned and shriveled. The hope they had is dying, their disillusionment growing, but they still cling to what they have been told.

We've been following Vincent so long that we no longer know what Re-L has been up to or why she managed to make it out so far with such equipment supposedly to "retrieve Vincent."

The book that Timothy has colored and is using as a mask to make Pino laugh has a reference to From Caligari to Hitler by Kracauer. This book is apparently an analysis of German film post World War I. How it began escapist and apolitical, and how it is related to the rise of totalitarianism. This was a time period of great innovation, chaos, arts and creativity, but it led to the notorious regime of Hitler. There is also a picture of a snake wrapped around a cross. All I can find on this symbol is it being a reference to fertility, or my own guess that it might be a relation of the snake of knowledge and the devil paired with the cross of religion and god. Both of these seem far from pertinent, so I'll give up on understanding if there is any relevance.

A bunch of things happen - Daedalus is aware of Re-L's activities, helped her get outside, knows about the outside people, and is trying to keep her from knowing any thing more. Re-L won't have any of it, and asks Hoody about the proxy. He rambles, saying they are not monsters but magicians with awesome powers. They can disappear, take control of people's minds, control lightening and summon meteors. There are many, common across the land he says. His tales seem so clearly wild and attempts to get Re-L to listen to him, but she is not willing to believe anything she is told like the rest. Disgusted with him, she turns to leave demanding Vincent come along.

Many things go on in the one scene. Hoody's demands and Re-L's responses match up as she speaks to Daedalus and finds out about the report that was delivered to his office moments ago. "Of course in return I'll be expecting a little quid pro quo, alright?" - Yes, what? "First you recognize our right to autonomy. ... hostiles." - That's exactly what I was planning to do. "Second you establish friendly relations immediately." - Yes I have. "And we demand the right to return to Romdeau." - I understand. And, most interestingly, as a friend pointed out to me: "Are soldiers really on their way? What are they going to do to us?! What about me?! What should I do?!" - Let go!

Hoody falls into his own trap, believing he can get away with lying to Re-L after getting away with it so long. Drunk with his own power he sends Timothy and Pino away to their deaths, thinking he deserves respect and is actually living out his lies. Then Re-L announces that the commune is going to be wiped out. He is still so wrapped up in his own myth that he can barely fathom it.

Vincent is confronted by Re-L, the girl he cares about and symbolizes the best of Romdeau to him, and Hoody, the broken man cast out by Romdeau. Neither are very appealing, but he is forced to face the choice now.

Pino and Timothy play together, Pino once again being both robot and child at once. She draws, but always copies. She doesn't eat, but likes to play. She jumps into the lake and is swimming there looking around when then tragedy strikes. The commune has been fooled so thoroughly (it is soup boiling in cans on the fire this time) that they watch the patrol flight come, and abandon all caution. They are shot at as Hoody watches in horror. Timothy is killed.

Vincent struggles with himself, trying to find a better way. He ultimately gives up hope that he can live here or back in Romdeau. Not because he thinks both are death, but instead because he knows too much to go back to forgetting and lying. Re-L offers no explanation other than he doesn't have another option. Vincent says that he could return to the Mosk dome, where he came from.

Before the conversation can continue, Vincent fears for Re-L's life, and in trying to protect her nearly falls off the cliff. Re-L tries to shield him, blocking the view of the patrol craft and getting shot at non-lethally. Vincent falls, seeing Re-L collapse moments later the proxy appears. It destroys the patrols in the area, leaving Re-L alone and Vincent floating in the water at the base of the cliff, unconscious.

Re-L, unable to move, removes her mask despite Daeudalus's warnings that "Stop, you'll die if you come in contact with the atmosphere!" After he distinctly non "fellow citizen" behavior and the sight of the proxy, she is now even more obsessed with Vincent. His refusal to return, his reasons, his life outside the dome, his connection with the proxy... all of it is driving her towards him. She rescues him, but exhausts herself as the atmosphere eats away at her health and she faints.

Quinn discovers Timothy's body.

[VIEW SPOILERS]

Twilight

Interestingly, Timothy can't be Quinn's son, because no one reproduces sexually. Along the same lines, he is as much her son as anyone possibly can be in this world, so it is a moot point.

There is a fair chance that Timothy is Jiminy and Pino is of course a Pinocchio reference.

Timothy is referring to the Centzon Totochtin, or 400 Rabbits in his drawing. First he draws it with him riding it alone. The last one he ever makes includes Pino in it. Quinn must have seen it, and protects Pino in the coming retaliation. Timothy also makes an effort to teach Pino to be human and is closely connected to her. Then in a later episode Pino calls Quinn her Papa and Quinn says in response, "Hey, you must mean your Mama, right?"

"I could care less about the revolution or the future of Romdeau" is what Quinn said. That very clearly proves the massive shift in personality she undergoes. She becomes the revolution and desires the demise of Romdeau.

As the final scene is shown, over the tower he was playing in with Pino when he was shot, a shape can be seen in the water. It is the Centzon that Pino saw when swimming, submerged beneath the lake. Conveniently Pino is underwater when the attack hits, so Raul cannot have her killed. At this point he likely wouldn't anyway.

The music player "radio" play's Pino's music through the end scenes.

Hoody is portrayed with his toy soldier in many situations, particularly as he watches the commune attack. He jealously says that Vincent cannot return. Maybe it is because he wants to use it as a bargaining tool, but probably because he wants to return so badly. "Once a citizen leaves, he cannot return, why just him?"

Hoody's descriptions of proxies are all true. (Not monsters but powerful magicians. There are many out there. Change their appearance - Ophelia proxy. Disappear - Ergo. Take control of peoples minds - Swan/WillBGood. Control lightening - whenever they fight. Summon meteors - maybe Proxy One's Rapture, but this one is much more tenuous.) He may have traveled when he is younger, or it could just be convenient coincidence by the authors of the show. I'm going to go with the latter.

The Ergo Proxy acts when he sees Re-L in trouble, protecting them both. He then goes dormant again.

Whether it is poison or virus, Re-L fades fast. However she, like Vincent, has a better ability to survive with her Proxy-genetics aiding her.

Re-L's argument with Vincent is fairly accurately an argument with herself. If she isn't actually having it now, then she begins to question it and agree with his logic not much later.

Vincent has more than a few reasons to think Re-L has feelings for him. She comes to fetch him. She listens to his reasons, though is still derisive as always. She promises to testify for him. She tries to protect him when he is in danger. Then she takes him from the lake and he wakes up to see her demanding to know who he is before fainting.

////////Personal Reaction

To be composed later, if at all. Topics - Hoody as a character. (next ep?) Hoody versus Quinn. (next ep?) Vincent lessons and maturation from this.(basically already stated) Re-L's denial. Re-L's objectives.(self evident and explained) Freedom and Enslavement. (Romdeau versus the commune... asked already) Friends and Appearances. (simple and not spoken of) Leadership. (Hopefully I can talk about it in comparison to Raul and Donov )

Essentially, Donov is a holy leader of a theocracy. Everyone is subject to him and he is the one true word of law. Thus he can create a world that is entirely consistent and perfect, but also entirely dependent upon him and his subjective choices of right and wrong. According to Hobbes, this is the best we can hope for. There is no freedom in this society, but one has perfect freedom and the rest can be given everything in exchange for their freedom being removed...
Raul preaches a different sort. He demands an anarchy where everyone fights for themselves and there is the survival of the fittest. He would hasten destruction so that some may survive on the bodies of the fallen. This society then, forces everyone to be free, even if paradoxically they would choose to be a follower.
Hoody is leadership by democracy. Another word for that is mob rule. He is chosen by the mob with his political promises and lies and he is thrown out by the mob for just as flimsy reasoning. His model is a sort of social communism that is unstable and weak and functional but undesirable. His people cooperate on no projects and just get by by doing the least amount of work to support themselves. They lead empty lives with no greater good. But, at least they have the option to be free, even if they do not realize it.
Quinn is not exactly a leader, but she believes that people ought to be selfish and service themselves, achieving their own goals independent of each other, and by that they can accomplish much. She symbolizes Ayn Rand to me. She even says that she "doesn't plan on being a parasite" in her first encounter with Vincent. That then changes and she takes up reigns to lead the others, but that was after Timothy died. She was a sort of war-time leader for that time.

[/SPOILERS]

All Episodes: Ergo Proxy Companion Viewing Guide
Previous: Episode 4:Signs of Future, Hades of Future/Futu-Risk
Next:Episode 6:Return Home/Homecoming