Was Roger Crazy? Big O a Fantasy?

Okay, I watched Episode 1 of season II earlier today, for the first time in literal months.
And as I was half watching, eating a delicious burrito and something hit me.

Is Roger Smith insane?

Now, now, heres my inane view. As Roger wanders the city, alone and as a bum, he encounters people he should know, and has flashbacks to them from the series standard point. Now, Roger sees Big O in a comic in the newspaper and he talks about the military police. Scream about how the bank is his home and etc.

So, was Roger in the military police in 'reality', do something horrible and then suffer a mental blowback from it? He mentioned to uniform clad Angel about 'turning his gun on children'. So I was wondering if he went into an emotional/mental shock after something horrible. Left the MP and then got lost in a fantasy world. One where he was a key figure, where people and ideas from his memories intergrated into a tight fabrication that he led himself to believe was real. He felt as though it was his stage, his highpoint and thus his little act on stage with Norman.

He isn't ruled by his memories because he has pushed them so far back that he created his own little fantasy world. The entire series is a delusion of grandeur.

....Maybe I'm just an idiot or this is supposed to be implied or has been touched upon before. Regardless, I thought it was an interesting thought of mine.

((I apologize for my typing today. I've been fighting a headcold and a migraine.))

hell that ending would've made more sense than the whole world is a stage crap. bad ending to a great series imo (if there's no season 3).

Actually I read another post earlier today discussing Roger's past, or "Reality".

It was explained that this wasn't the first coming of Big Venus, infact it was the third or fourth.
What happened in Season 2, Episode one, was...
Roger was remembering the past resets. He'd remember being a child (Tomato) in his past, then a bum, The Major of the Military Police, then the Negotiator.
Thats how it was explained in that post I read a little while ago.

It was also suggested that Roger never ages, because he was also an android, like Fitzgerald. Hence the quote from Gordon "You aren't the Roger Smith I hired originally, but you are A Roger Smith."

Hence the manufacturing line of robots being turned into "Rogers".

Yes, Dominus. I am aware of that thoery too. >=D And thankyou for posting that image of Rosewater/Smith. I needed to look for that later. b^^

This is just my crackpot shot at an original theory. Because you can see all the references to things, like that film/woman/toy robot episode and etc. So I was thinking maybe Roger had shunned his memories of the real world and lived in one of fantasy. With a Giant robot from his favorite comic, the cute girl being a robot and the annoying bank owner as a thief(which could be a statement of the higher society in general.)

True.
Very good caption of the episode. For that episode alone, I would totally agree with your theroy.

Very good theory.

Kinda reminds me of the first Silent Hill, where it quite possibly all be in his head...

Ah, yes. The old riddle about dreams. A philosopher had a completely realistic dream where he was a butterfly with no recollection of being a human. Upon waking, he remarked, "Am I a philosopher who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly who now dreams of being a philosopher?"

It's all very possible that all of Big O is an hallucination. That's also possible about any TV show or even real life. We could say that all of the The Simpsons, for example, was the dream of Apu. (In fact, I believe it was General Hospital who in the series finale revealed that the entire show had been the dream of a 8-year old boy.) While its possible, its also very bad writing, as it strips the show of any meaning it would have had.

For my part, I think the whole dream sequence in Act 14 was a metaphor. It was about Roger facing his fears and overcoming them -- mainly over his identity. In the end, Roger decides that no matter where he came from, he alone is the master of his identity and destiny. It's much like what in Greek literature is called a "katabasis", or a going-underground. This is a turning point in the story, usually a trip to the underworld, where the hero has to face some fact about themselves and come to an understanding. This is exactly what Roger does, right down to his trip to the "underworld". It's all very well done, in my opinion (Act 14 is one of my favorites).

Dominus, I don't really agree that Roger is an android. He may very well be an engineered human, but he is not an android like R. Dorothy or Roscoe Fitzgerald. This is obvious from the fact that he bleeds (which everyone mentions), and even more to the point, he needs to breathe (am I the only one who has noticed this?).

And BTW-- good observations, BehemothPanzer.

No no, that wasn't my theroy.
It was one I read earlier today.

The way some people read Act 14 was that it was like the Matrix. That all of Paradigm was a lie, thought up by some..........being.....Of emmence power, or knowing.
However BehemothPanzer came up with a wonderful theroy on the episode, that Roger was simply crazy, not hooked up to a machine...

Thank you all for the comments. Much appreciated.

Anywho, I was thinking about this theory after TanookiJoe mentioned it would be bad writing if the entirety was a illusion/dream/whathaveyou. It could be somewhat balanced if the 3rd seaon were actually flashbacks to what caused Roger to live in a dreamworld. I think it would be an odd, but refreshing take on things.

I may accept roger may be out of his mind, but not out of his big. During the course of the city, does anyone actually have "memory attacks" like he does? Think about it.

quote:

Originally posted by BehemothPanzer Thank you all for the comments. Much appreciated. Anywho, I was thinking about this theory after TanookiJoe mentioned it would be bad writing if the entirety was a illusion/dream/whathaveyou. It could be somewhat balanced if the 3rd seaon were actually flashbacks to what caused Roger to live in a dreamworld. I think it would be an odd, but refreshing take on things.

The real problem is that this theory fits Act 14 perfectly, but would render the rest of the series pointless.

I think that the way the episode is written is intentionly made to make us, and Roger himself, think that he is insane. But, like I said, I view the "Roger the Wanderer" sequence to be only a metaphor for Roger's intrapersonal conflict. But we won't really know until we get a season 3.

Alex....
*Shrugs.*
Where Big Fau shows him that he is also a TOMATO!!! (*El-Gasp.*)

quote:

Originally posted by TanookiJoe quote: Originally posted by BehemothPanzer Thank you all for the comments. Much appreciated. Anywho, I was thinking about this theory after TanookiJoe mentioned it would be bad writing if the entirety was a illusion/dream/whathaveyou. It could be somewhat balanced if the 3rd seaon were actually flashbacks to what caused Roger to live in a dreamworld. I think it would be an odd, but refreshing take on things. The real problem is that this theory fits Act 14 perfectly, but would render the rest of the series pointless. I think that the way the episode is written is intentionly made to make us, and Roger himself, think that he is insane. But, like I said, I view the "Roger the Wanderer" sequence to be only a metaphor for Roger's intrapersonal conflict. But we won't really know until we get a season 3.

Good point. It does fit 14, but it would be straining with the other Acts. I would still like to see more episodes like Act 14 however. It really grips you the whole episode and there are various ways to interpret it. Of course, all the Theories and viewpoints are what makes Big O forums so fun.

quote:

Originally posted by BehemothPanzer quote: Originally posted by TanookiJoe quote: Originally posted by BehemothPanzer Thank you all for the comments. Much appreciated. Anywho, I was thinking about this theory after TanookiJoe mentioned it would be bad writing if the entirety was a illusion/dream/whathaveyou. It could be somewhat balanced if the 3rd seaon were actually flashbacks to what caused Roger to live in a dreamworld. I think it would be an odd, but refreshing take on things. The real problem is that this theory fits Act 14 perfectly, but would render the rest of the series pointless. I think that the way the episode is written is intentionly made to make us, and Roger himself, think that he is insane. But, like I said, I view the "Roger the Wanderer" sequence to be only a metaphor for Roger's intrapersonal conflict. But we won't really know until we get a season 3. Good point. It does fit 14, but it would be straining with the other Acts. I would still like to see more episodes like Act 14 however. It really grips you the whole episode and there are various ways to interpret it. Of course, all the Theories and viewpoints are what makes Big O forums so fun.

Agreed. Like I said, Act 14 is one of my faves. I just don't know if I'd like it if the whole series turned out to be in Roger's head.

hmm it's a very original theory that seems to make alot of things make sense to me now...I prefer not to think of the series that way though, but it does make sense.

I sometimes think at times that Roger Smith might have half gone insane at times due to the stress and everything especially towards the end of the seaon II defently I mean in may ways what he does in the last 3 ACT can almost be considered sucideial. But yet our good Old Crow Boy does his job well! ^_^""

I have yet to read anything past this post

quote:

Originally posted by Dominus Actually I read another post earlier today discussing Roger's past, or "Reality". It was explained that this wasn't the first coming of Big Venus, infact it was the third or fourth. What happened in Season 2, Episode one, was... Roger was remembering the past resets. He'd remember being a child (Tomato) in his past, then a bum, The Major of the Military Police, then the Negotiator. Thats how it was explained in that post I read a little while ago. It was also suggested that Roger never ages, because he was also an android, like Fitzgerald. Hence the quote from Gordon "You aren't the Roger Smith I hired originally, but you are A Roger Smith." Hence the manufacturing line of robots being turned into "Rogers".

So that could mean that the images that Roger was seeing at that point were when he was going through a delusional state underwater getting the big picture all at once in the best way tha the could understand.


I have now scrolled up the page

quote:

I may accept roger may be out of his mind, but not out of his big. During the course of the city, does anyone actually have "memory attacks" like he does? Think about it.

Yes, the youths who had the memories of the senators. So, what memory does Roger have, the good news is that Big O is not going to be one of those crazy megadeuces who rampage through the city when you get too close to the truth. (Gad, I sound like Dastun!)

This was a theory I tossed around last year in "Big O," Roger Smith's self-made hell.

Personally, I don't believe that there is any theory (including the several I've created) that accurately reflects what the "Big O" staff wants because I don't think they've decided what it all means for themselves. The fact that everyone on here has advanced so many theories is proof that the guys have left themselves a lot of wiggle room to pick and choose what they want for a third season, if there is one.

I don't reject any theory that doesn't seem patently illogical to me--I do like reading what people come up with. Sure would be nice to see Sunrise come up with something as well

Very interesting. That could be. Imagine if you saw someone when you went into the bank screaming, "get out of my home"... [insert crazy motion here]

ive watched the series on cn a couple of times and tried to grip a "secret meaning" to the cryptic messages the show gives. ive watched the ending at least 3 times and each time thought "wtf? this doesnt go with anything else that i've seen." When I've searched the net, I read things like Angel was a megaduece and that she has the ability to 'reset' the city like a program. Reading this post leades me to believe that people who actually understand the show are basically saying that the show has no conventional plot and that its up to the fan to create it. Is this true or am I just writing nonsense?

Also, if anyone could explain the show in the same manner as you would to someone who had never watched it? it would help a lot. thanx in advance.