The history channel needs to do a three-part miniseries on this last episode of Big O.
I'll watch all three, and I still won't have a clue.
I'll watch all three, and I still won't have a clue.
Episode 26 Discussion: "The Show Must Go On"
Well,
I've been following some other people's theories for months now, its nice to see where things were spot on, as well as where they went WAY off
-all part of the fun i suppose.
Reality TV at its Finest (and thus we participate in the production)
I believe what we see is more accurately represented by an entity such as The Truman Show, perhaps with the actors interfacing in a much more matrix-like context. The religious overtones also offer some intriguing aspects, as I had already come to the conclusion that Norman was akin to John the Baptist.
but back towards the final episode- I am currently entertaining thoughts that angel fell in love with one of the actors, and perhaps some of the players are modeled after people in the "real world." They have incentive to bring in the ratings, lets say, and thus someone like Norman excites a certain element amongst the coconspirators as well as those who aren't in on it. Thus it would seem perfectly reasonable that people are genetically engineered to be extras with no prior knowledge of say, the outside world. Reality is what they live in- the here and now.
Angel seems to be the producer of this entire production, perhaps even "diving into" the play to interact with the participants/ check on the progress /illicit some sort of response to stimuli in order to propel the plot.
the other revelation is that the world consists of nothing more than holograms leading me to believe that even big venus and big o are nothing more than a physical manifestation of a mental state. well, at least it makes sense in the context of roger and angel. Matrix tie ins follow nicely as well, since I have the distinct impression that this season's "Roger, the negotiator" has made an exciting decision contrary to the normal ebbe and flow of events- his self-actualization is on some level different from the choices of his predecessors...and thus angel comes into the show, and his life, to grasp what may be taking place. Now I cannot say with any certainty whether or not she has an actress that portrays her on the inside or, as I suspect, she dives into the holo-world (which could be 13th floor style- all in a computer).
Perhaps this is the difference- angel falls in love with this Roger, he's certainly not the same as the last iterations, and therefore the finale is sad in a way- Haven't we all been sad to see a show end, a character killed off, had a crush or a fondness for a character in say, (i'm throwing stuff out here) ER, or the Real World. We follow these shows (such as Big O) and come to identify with a certain character- perhaps living vicariously through such events, or becoming attached to a certain character based on any number of illogical factors. I have, over the course of the year, watched many forum goers here root for angel and dorothy for roger's significant other.
Roger and dorothy would logically be explained then as protagonists, possibly even production assistants. They interact with the other players but these guys know the whole script- until Roger starts to write his own! And so Norman makes a statement as they attempt to repair the big-o prop again, perhaps longing for a second season within the current continuity...but this is not to be, the show must start fresh every season.
merchandising is everything- and as a side note, I enjoyed seeing the little dorothy' doll, which means that this show has reached a certain level of popularity among the viewing public. It seems almost reflexive, perhaps a bit of self-deprecation, but Big O certainly is a reality TV show, taken to extreme measures. And like any good show, touching on religious themes as well as cultural artifacts serves to pique the audience interest and draw them into suture through an unconscious association with said symbols.
people getting genetically engineered as extras, a gigantic holographic set complete with robots, a beautifully crafted back story spread by those "in the know" and elevated to the status of myth by the pawns. I would submit this show is pretty much what it seems on the surface, digging to deeply will likely produce nothing of substance, but my one timid interpretation does go like this:
this is a social commentary on the state of reality TV, perhaps with some sci-fi thrown in. It is indeed dark an sinister as the producers possibly have little value on human life. In other words, the fail-safes that protect people in the holo-stage have been turned off allowing for injury and even death.
this means that all the tomatoes (which in itself is no more significant a term of description than that of the 'pawn') are expendable. perhaps bred for such an evil purpose. So we could conclude by logical extension that the show caters to the lowest aspects of humanity and brings the worst out in people. (evidence of this would be the megalomaniacal Rosewater, and the willingness of the producers to exploit death and misery for ratings).
Such an evil show must have a foil, hence Roger, who offers some redeeming sort of value while still allowing the viewer to participate in the seedier aspects of the show without guilt. (think cops or joe millionaire).
Perhaps this is where we're headed? A society in which human life is of very little value, ratings are paramount, and the machinations of a heroic figure are glossed over in light of the new season. Would the show be so popular ending on a high note? Would principled characters draw a compelling story? My feeling is no; without drama and perhaps the seemly side of life, this show wouldn't be nearly as popular or have dorothy dolls. <hehe>.
At times the reality shows that we watch now invoke a certain amount of horror and repulsion. I can see that the shows bring out the best and worst in the human spirit, often at the same time. But we soon become desensitized to mental abuse and lust for "a bit of the old ultra-violence." I would not be in the least surprised if we were to see human executions and other ghastly acts televised in a few years- possibly even held as 'normal.' Sure we cringe at this now, but consider the travesty that is "When animals attack" and "World's scariest police Chases." Both of these scrape the proverbial bottom of the barrel- and yet we watch them, perhaps placated into a false sense of security by some redeeming element (such as Roger in the case of the Paradigm City Show, or the bad guys getting arrested on COPS). The fact that we slowly grow to accept these things as normal is disturbing.
and this is my only attempt at interpretation, because I feel that reaching any deeper would be a stretch or an over-interpretation. My own thoughts to this end could be on the fringe of acceptable translation so I shall entertain other thoughts and discussion to this end. Is it a comment culturally? I think so.
Coming back home though, I believe my impressions of the show are accurate, with players involved that are ignorant alongside those with intimate knowledge of the whole script. Roger made a decision that had not been planned on that brought everyone in the production cast to appreciate this season a bit more (think Neo choosing Trinity over the lives of those in the matrix). PLEASE NOTE: his decision was probably not outside of the scope for the show. The world and its occupants consist of people from outside as well as those genetically engineered for the specific purpose of populating the world (unless my next point bears out in a third season). The construction of the world is engineered via a holographic set, possibly aided by androids/ cyborgs. CERTAIN People could possibly be holograms too- explaining why the "ghost in the machine" becomes self aware and questions it's identity (i.e. angel being a memory of the producer). Makes sense. The Bigs and all objects are also holograms, but perhaps akin to Gene Rodenberry's interpretation and execution on the enterprise holo-deck: Capable of causing harm should the safeties be removed. Possibly controlled by a computer who gives computer based life forms the ability to be self aware. The only question is what is real? I personally think even the bigs are a manifestation of their pilots, perhaps some extension of deep-seated desires, possibly the Id. almost everything is a hologram. So we see that Dorothy can love, and perhaps other holo-beings yearn for life- despite the fact that they are expendable- which Roger comes to realize?! the more I think about it, the more this explanation makes sense.
memories are thus, a tool by which everyone measures their humanity and their quest for the answer to that all important question. The scope of the show seems deceptively simple, but we come to understand and recognize the human condition subconsciously. The show couldn't realistically support another season as it stands now since we know that in the end, it will all reset again. Perhaps a spinoff in which alternate choices/ universes are explored would be more appropriate, and I understand that a manga explores these ideas. is this correct? I am perfectly fine with the ending, im sure to the chagrin of many on the board here- I couldn't imagine what is left to do that would require another thirteen episodes. -but hey thats me.
Roger negotiates, er, asks for an extension, but "the show must go on."
-Quenton
I've been following some other people's theories for months now, its nice to see where things were spot on, as well as where they went WAY off
-all part of the fun i suppose.Reality TV at its Finest (and thus we participate in the production)
I believe what we see is more accurately represented by an entity such as The Truman Show, perhaps with the actors interfacing in a much more matrix-like context. The religious overtones also offer some intriguing aspects, as I had already come to the conclusion that Norman was akin to John the Baptist.
but back towards the final episode- I am currently entertaining thoughts that angel fell in love with one of the actors, and perhaps some of the players are modeled after people in the "real world." They have incentive to bring in the ratings, lets say, and thus someone like Norman excites a certain element amongst the coconspirators as well as those who aren't in on it. Thus it would seem perfectly reasonable that people are genetically engineered to be extras with no prior knowledge of say, the outside world. Reality is what they live in- the here and now.
Angel seems to be the producer of this entire production, perhaps even "diving into" the play to interact with the participants/ check on the progress /illicit some sort of response to stimuli in order to propel the plot.
the other revelation is that the world consists of nothing more than holograms leading me to believe that even big venus and big o are nothing more than a physical manifestation of a mental state. well, at least it makes sense in the context of roger and angel. Matrix tie ins follow nicely as well, since I have the distinct impression that this season's "Roger, the negotiator" has made an exciting decision contrary to the normal ebbe and flow of events- his self-actualization is on some level different from the choices of his predecessors...and thus angel comes into the show, and his life, to grasp what may be taking place. Now I cannot say with any certainty whether or not she has an actress that portrays her on the inside or, as I suspect, she dives into the holo-world (which could be 13th floor style- all in a computer).
Perhaps this is the difference- angel falls in love with this Roger, he's certainly not the same as the last iterations, and therefore the finale is sad in a way- Haven't we all been sad to see a show end, a character killed off, had a crush or a fondness for a character in say, (i'm throwing stuff out here) ER, or the Real World. We follow these shows (such as Big O) and come to identify with a certain character- perhaps living vicariously through such events, or becoming attached to a certain character based on any number of illogical factors. I have, over the course of the year, watched many forum goers here root for angel and dorothy for roger's significant other.
Roger and dorothy would logically be explained then as protagonists, possibly even production assistants. They interact with the other players but these guys know the whole script- until Roger starts to write his own! And so Norman makes a statement as they attempt to repair the big-o prop again, perhaps longing for a second season within the current continuity...but this is not to be, the show must start fresh every season.
merchandising is everything- and as a side note, I enjoyed seeing the little dorothy' doll, which means that this show has reached a certain level of popularity among the viewing public. It seems almost reflexive, perhaps a bit of self-deprecation, but Big O certainly is a reality TV show, taken to extreme measures. And like any good show, touching on religious themes as well as cultural artifacts serves to pique the audience interest and draw them into suture through an unconscious association with said symbols.
people getting genetically engineered as extras, a gigantic holographic set complete with robots, a beautifully crafted back story spread by those "in the know" and elevated to the status of myth by the pawns. I would submit this show is pretty much what it seems on the surface, digging to deeply will likely produce nothing of substance, but my one timid interpretation does go like this:
this is a social commentary on the state of reality TV, perhaps with some sci-fi thrown in. It is indeed dark an sinister as the producers possibly have little value on human life. In other words, the fail-safes that protect people in the holo-stage have been turned off allowing for injury and even death.
this means that all the tomatoes (which in itself is no more significant a term of description than that of the 'pawn') are expendable. perhaps bred for such an evil purpose. So we could conclude by logical extension that the show caters to the lowest aspects of humanity and brings the worst out in people. (evidence of this would be the megalomaniacal Rosewater, and the willingness of the producers to exploit death and misery for ratings).
Such an evil show must have a foil, hence Roger, who offers some redeeming sort of value while still allowing the viewer to participate in the seedier aspects of the show without guilt. (think cops or joe millionaire).
Perhaps this is where we're headed? A society in which human life is of very little value, ratings are paramount, and the machinations of a heroic figure are glossed over in light of the new season. Would the show be so popular ending on a high note? Would principled characters draw a compelling story? My feeling is no; without drama and perhaps the seemly side of life, this show wouldn't be nearly as popular or have dorothy dolls. <hehe>.
At times the reality shows that we watch now invoke a certain amount of horror and repulsion. I can see that the shows bring out the best and worst in the human spirit, often at the same time. But we soon become desensitized to mental abuse and lust for "a bit of the old ultra-violence." I would not be in the least surprised if we were to see human executions and other ghastly acts televised in a few years- possibly even held as 'normal.' Sure we cringe at this now, but consider the travesty that is "When animals attack" and "World's scariest police Chases." Both of these scrape the proverbial bottom of the barrel- and yet we watch them, perhaps placated into a false sense of security by some redeeming element (such as Roger in the case of the Paradigm City Show, or the bad guys getting arrested on COPS). The fact that we slowly grow to accept these things as normal is disturbing.
and this is my only attempt at interpretation, because I feel that reaching any deeper would be a stretch or an over-interpretation. My own thoughts to this end could be on the fringe of acceptable translation so I shall entertain other thoughts and discussion to this end. Is it a comment culturally? I think so.
Coming back home though, I believe my impressions of the show are accurate, with players involved that are ignorant alongside those with intimate knowledge of the whole script. Roger made a decision that had not been planned on that brought everyone in the production cast to appreciate this season a bit more (think Neo choosing Trinity over the lives of those in the matrix). PLEASE NOTE: his decision was probably not outside of the scope for the show. The world and its occupants consist of people from outside as well as those genetically engineered for the specific purpose of populating the world (unless my next point bears out in a third season). The construction of the world is engineered via a holographic set, possibly aided by androids/ cyborgs. CERTAIN People could possibly be holograms too- explaining why the "ghost in the machine" becomes self aware and questions it's identity (i.e. angel being a memory of the producer). Makes sense. The Bigs and all objects are also holograms, but perhaps akin to Gene Rodenberry's interpretation and execution on the enterprise holo-deck: Capable of causing harm should the safeties be removed. Possibly controlled by a computer who gives computer based life forms the ability to be self aware. The only question is what is real? I personally think even the bigs are a manifestation of their pilots, perhaps some extension of deep-seated desires, possibly the Id. almost everything is a hologram. So we see that Dorothy can love, and perhaps other holo-beings yearn for life- despite the fact that they are expendable- which Roger comes to realize?! the more I think about it, the more this explanation makes sense.
memories are thus, a tool by which everyone measures their humanity and their quest for the answer to that all important question. The scope of the show seems deceptively simple, but we come to understand and recognize the human condition subconsciously. The show couldn't realistically support another season as it stands now since we know that in the end, it will all reset again. Perhaps a spinoff in which alternate choices/ universes are explored would be more appropriate, and I understand that a manga explores these ideas. is this correct? I am perfectly fine with the ending, im sure to the chagrin of many on the board here- I couldn't imagine what is left to do that would require another thirteen episodes. -but hey thats me.
Roger negotiates, er, asks for an extension, but "the show must go on."
-Quenton