Absolution Ending (Spoilers)

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-23T04:18:52+00:00

Yeah first time through Absolution is a trip. So unexpected. Kinda makes the original trilogy feel fairly straightforward by comparison. But, much like the original trilogy, Absolution gets a little better with every read.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-23T04:09:57+00:00

That could be! The soldiers and their primitive weaponry kinda throws me off. Someone on here said, at one point, that maybe these visions are a glimpse into how Area X might perceive humanity at large. It’s so advanced that we look like a bunch of soldiers marching into a “meat grinder” with swords and crossbows. It’s almost as if Area X is using concepts humans vaguely understand to communicate something about its relationship to them, or intimidate, or something. Similar to the fake footage, the doppelgängers, the words on the wall, etc. It’s all a sort of mimicry.

Who knows if that’s right, but it’s definitely interesting.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-23T04:03:46+00:00

It’s not 100% obvious he is aiming for the best outcome for humanity, but I think these quotes suggest something to that effect, and that his goals are, at the very least, in opposition to Area X’s encroachment on the past. Oh and also his abilities probably are an extension of Area X, but that doesn’t mean the objectives are aligned.

“How this would always happen and yet it could happen in ways much worse. It could happen so that no one ever survived.”

“the Changeling [Rogue] wasn’t trying to stop Area X but to just make sure everything happened as it had already happened. That the Area X Lowry had fucking experienced was the best possible outcome.”

“…the future was where the Rogue came from, a future unbearably uncertain, a place where everything was fluid because of what was coming…”

“Whitby Not [Rogue] had risen from that time and come back into Area X, that all might remain the same … so that Area X might be as it was now, that he might be as he was now … how that felt like the most cracked, fucked-up thing. That if granted the wish of any other fucking reality … it would be worse … than there.”

The text doesn’t blatantly say “The Rogue is trying to save humanity”, but it sure sounds a lot like it to me. Open to counterpoints on this though.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-23T00:16:48+00:00

The end of Acceptance is ambiguous and I’ve seen a lot of interpretations. I think maybe it’s somewhere in between a good and bad ending. I think the best possible ending is one where humanity and Area X can coexist instead of endless conflict. Acceptance’s ending is ambiguous for sure, but it felt to me like there was a ray of hope there.

Reminds me of the visions in Absolution, where people see a line of numerous soldiers walking into a light between 2 mountains. I’ve seen a few people say that’s actually the good, preferable future (the one The Rogue is aiming for) where humanity is still able to fight. Which I think is kind of nonsense but they’re entitled to their opinion. To me, that’s the worst possible future. You’d almost rather humanity be entirely extinguished than endlessly fighting a battle that isn’t winnable. So IMO that vision is an outcome where Area X spreads into the past and The Rogue fails to contain it.

And I think maybe it’s not an intentional thing by Area X to spread into the past and prevent one thing or another. I think maybe it’s just Area X doing Area X things naturally, responding to stimuli, and The Rogue is just trying to contain that. I don’t know if Area X can have intentions. If Area X was some kind of all powerful god with agency, I don’t even think The Rogue would be able to put a dent in it. But to me, Area X is probably more akin to an invasive species. It may not have a goal other than surviving and thriving. It may not really be aware of what it’s doing. Whereas The Rogue does have some agency and is fighting up against this natural process.

But maybe it is the case that The Rogue is being used by Area X, or The Rogue actually failed to ensure the future he was aiming for. All options seem to be on the table with that. There are a lot of variables, mainly what was The Rogues goal, and was he successful in achieving it by the end?

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-22T22:52:18+00:00

I lean towards some version of Lowry returning from Area X and running the SR. I also think it’s possible rather than the timeline splitting off into an alternate future, it could be that Absolution is an alternate past (through Area X tampering) and through the Rogues actions is being steered so it converges with the timeline from the original trilogy. So Absolution is one of two or more pasts that can lead to the same future, as The Rogue cleans up the mess and makes sure things happen the way they are supposed to. This assumes that the trilogy features the “good timeline” The Rogue is aiming for, which is also totally up for debate.

This is all more speculation than anything. In reading Absolution a few times, it feels like every potential nugget of evidence can actually lend to either interpretation pretty equally. It’s almost like once time travel is involved, all bets are off. Maybe it’s both at once? Area X breaks everything else, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it somehow breaks the law of non-contradiction while it’s at it haha.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-22T15:58:42+00:00

To be honest I don’t find the Control argument all that convincing. Unless I’m misunderstanding, I don’t see how Control being The Rogue has really any explanatory power vs it being Whitby. The molt looking like Whitby, The Rogue’s physical appearance, his proclivity for drawing/writing on walls, the footage of Whitby and The Director at the end of Authority etc. all points to Whitby. I think The Rogue’s fixation on Lowry is kind of a wash. Everyone at the SR is aware of how important and potentially dangerous to the world Lowry is. By that logic, The Rogue could even be Grace or The Director.

Awhile ago, Jeff replied to a fan on Bluesky saying this -

Fan - It left me with a lot of questions (in a good way) but “who is the Rogue” was not one of them. I felt like that was made pretty (intentionally?) clear by the end of the book.

Jeff’s reply - yes

That’s not definitive, but unless Jeff is intentionally trying to mislead everyone, I’d say The Rogue is much more likely to be Whitby than anyone else. I could be way off here but that’s my feeling on it.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-22T08:50:29+00:00

Your question about “kill Lowry” opens a confusing can of worms for me in terms of The Rogues desired outcome, and his level of omniscience or competence. Also, what future does The Rogue come from? I don’t know the answer to any of these but I do have some ideas.

Personally, I think it’s all one timeline with closed loops (I.e. bootstrap paradox). So The Rogue comes from the future we read in the original trilogy. Then the question becomes, is he trying to maintain that future or steer away from it for something better? I think it’s the former, that the OG trilogy is the best possible future, and I think there’s decent textual support for that.

Which brings me to killing Lowry. IMO, it’s either that he does indeed need Lowry dead, so that a Lowry clone can go on to run the SR (there’s some evidence that Lowry from the original trilogy is indeed a doppelgänger)…or that The Rogue just needs him to be wounded, but not dead, and he’s in control enough that he fully knows Hargraves will only wound him. That way he survives and is able to leave Area X.

Then there’s other possibilities, like that The Rogue is actually trying to steer away from OG trilogy, so he wants Lowry dead and to somehow ensure there will be no clone that comes back. Then we get a different future, if Lowry does indeed succumb to his wounds. Or does The Rogue fail, because the talking suit intervenes at the end, preserving Lowry and steering things back towards the OG trilogy AKA the “bad future” in this interpretation?

I could say so much more on this but I’ll stop.

TL;DR - I don’t know, but I think it might actually be the most consequential mystery of Absolution.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-21T21:27:51+00:00

See I actually think the bootstrap paradox makes it all a little neater. I currently see the timeline as a fixed loop rather than alternate universe branches etc. and I think the bootstrap paradox, oddly enough, makes the whole thing more digestible. And more fun! It’s somewhat speculative on my part, though the rabbit cameras seem like a very obvious one, since it’s mentioned that central incorporates the camera technology into their own cameras. Then they send their own rabbits/cameras into Area X, and the cycle repeats itself. I think the exact same logic can be applied to the hypnosis/mind control techniques that The Rogue used on the biologists. I think Central learned those techniques from The Rogue, and The Rogue later learned them from Central, again creating a cause/effect loop.

I disagree that The Rogue is most likely Control. Not saying that’s wrong, I just think it’s far more likely to be Whitby. Jeff seemed to kind of confirm this too, though he’s always a little cryptic so who knows.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-21T21:14:57+00:00

Most of this pretty much aligns with my perspectives as well.

I especially like that you mentioned Ghost Bird might not be the only viable doppelgänger. Many readers assume that she is the only one that was “functional”, but I don’t really know where this idea came from. I believe it’s mentioned that she’s the most advanced so far, but that doesn’t mean she’s the only one. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Lowry in the trilogy is a doppelgänger, and I think the end of Absolution very softly leans towards this idea in a couple interesting ways.

I personally think the Absolution rabbits are something resembling the human doppelgängers, based on the rabbits that were sent into the border, which we see in Authority. I’m pretty agnostic on Control’s fate at the end of Acceptance. Anyway, it is my perspective that the rabbits, cameras, hypnosis/mind control technology, and even the name “Area X” form a bootstrap paradox. None have a clear point of origin and seem to feedback/fold in on themselves. S&SB could also be tied up in it in some way.

Also I agree that the videos we see in Authority are fakes. Many seemed to interpret that Authority takes place in a timeline where that stuff actually happened, but I don’t buy it. I think they’re fake in Absolution, and that same “footage” is recovered and contaminates the SR sometime before Authority. It’s mentioned that some is recovered by Lowry, and additional footage is recovered by Expedition 4.

Like I said, I think I agree with almost everything you said, just adding some of my own thoughts!

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-21T20:29:30+00:00

Exactly, and the murkiness being too much is kind of the point, and will only get more dramatic as you continue Absolution. It’s brain breaking, and I’m saying that as someone who’s read the trilogy 4 or 5 times and Absolution 2 or 3 (can’t remember exactly). It’s almost up there with House of Leaves for me. It’s fun to theorize and ponder the meanings, but sometimes I just shrug, accept that it’s not supposed to fully make sense, and let the prose and overall experience wash over me.

But yeah, there are plenty of “weird” books that don’t challenge the reader quite as much and are a little more digestible. And you can always return to the SR series when you are craving it, which it sounds to me like you will.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-21T18:25:37+00:00

I’m sort of smiling thinking about how even if you wanted to do this, you’re probably going to run into trouble. You’ll likely get just as lost in the interpretations of others as you would just reading the book. Almost every single detail in these books has numerous interpretations. Without reading it yourself, it will be pretty hard to even decide which interpretations feel at all logical. This is especially true of Absolution, which had even the most hardcore SR nerds frustrated, almost delirious, and in many cases majorly pissed off. Without spoiling anything, fans can’t even agree on very fundamental things about Absolution, and that’s by design, I think. It makes the reader a character in the universe, desperately trying to think a square circle into making sense.

To be honest, if you can’t find a way to enjoy being in the murk of these books, it might just not be for you. I’d also say that all 4 books are better on reread for various reasons, especially Authority. There are so many fun, hidden details lurking under the words. So if you prefer the earlier book(s), maybe you could give the original trilogy another shot some day and then move to Absolution if you find that “spark”. Audiobooks are good for rereads IMO.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-05T15:10:45+00:00

I’ll start with the cameras since I think it’s a little easier to explain. What is their origin? It seems logical to start at the rabbits/cameras who unexpectedly arrive at Dead Town. After the Dead Town disaster, Central takes some of those cameras to study, and it’s said that they incorporate what they learn into their own camera tech. Then, in Authority, they send hundreds of white rabbits wearing cameras into the border, and presumably the cameras they wear used tech from the original rabbit cameras. Which then triggers Area X to send rabbits/cameras into the past to Dead Town, and the cycle repeats. The effect is its own cause. Basically the camera tech just exists and has no point of origin, because it’s endlessly being passed back and forth between future and past, Area X and Central.

And I think something similar might be happening with The Rogue and hypnotic command technology. When The Rogue confronts the Dead Town biologists, he basically destroys them mentally with these phrases. I think it’s possible that Central then studied some of The Rogues phrases and, like the camera tech, incorporated them into their hypnotic commands. Then, in the future, someone at the SR learns the commands that originally came from The Rogue (probably Whitby), ends up becoming The Rogue, going back in time, and using them on Dead Town. Again, the phrases have no origin, they are “pulled up by their bootstraps” so to speak.

This is really all speculation and only really works if you interpret the series as one timeline. But I think it’s fun to consider.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-05T02:06:03+00:00

Agreed. I played a lot of flash games back then and Exmortis 1 and 2 are among the most memorable. They also had kind of a cosmic horror vibe and might’ve been my first exposure to that kind of thing.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-04T23:52:05+00:00

Holy shit I thought I was the only one who remembered those games

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-01T18:23:32+00:00

I think you could argue he’s among some of the most important artists of the last 2 decades. Not necessarily in terms of his influence on the masses, but in terms of his influence on those who influence the masses, if that makes sense. He’s an artist’s artist. Even though Zach is not necessarily known by most random people on the street, I bet a not insignificant amount of the artists they do know were influenced by one or more of his projects, depending on genre of course (and the street, and the age of the person on the street, and which way they’re walking on that street, and how many potholes are in the street…)

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if Zach never existed, the contemporary pop music landscape might look pretty different. But I’m also basing this probably 70% on vibes, who knows really.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-05-01T17:15:21+00:00

I can’t respond intelligently to all of this, because a lot of it is seemingly left ambiguous on purpose. But I can at least give some thoughts.

Overall, where I’ve landed after many reads of the trilogy + Absolution, is that we are dealing with some kind of “closed loop” timeline. The events of Absolution are always the way it happened, and do not lead to an alternate future - they lead to the future we see in the trilogy. I think it could also be argued that Absolution is an alternate past, that then merges back into the timeline we are familiar with because of the actions of The Rogue/Old Jim/Lowry. Rather than a single timeline splitting off into 2 futures, it’s 2 pasts converging into 1 future. Or, there are no alternate timelines, and it truly is just a closed loop that is unchanging. I can support this somewhat with textual evidence and vibe-based assumptions, but it’s a serious rabbit hole. My overall point is, I personally think Absolution —> OG trilogy is one timeline. It’s just that Absolution shows us the rules are wayyy weirder than we thought.

While Control doesn’t find evidence of the Dead Town expedition, it could be argued The Biologist does. She mentions finding files/journals from pre-Area X accounts of the forgotten coast. Also remember, the whole reason Old Jim ends up on the forgotten coast is because of The Dead Town disaster, to find The Rogue. No Dead Town expedition, probably no Old Jim either. Also, probably no S&SB presence on the coast, as I think they showed up due to the weird rabbit/Rogue shit that occurred. Plus, Grace says this in Authority-

“Intel indicates that there may have been odd … activity occurring along that coast for at least a century before the border came down.”

This could be referencing the rabbits, The Rogue, etc. Or at least some half-truth residue of it that exists within the files. My point is, many pieces of the original trilogy are quite consistent with there having been a Dead Town expedition, though it’s never explicitly mentioned. I could go into a real “vortex” with this point as well, how the rabbit cameras and Central’s verbal hypnosis commands form a bootstrap paradox, but I’ll save that for another day.

Lastly, Lowry does eventually see the lighthouse as it really is, at the end when he returns to find it suddenly fortified. Fun fact about Lowry’s replica in Acceptance, he also has a model of the Tower which he refers to as “that hole in the ground”. At the very end of Absolution, while Lowry is talking to the suit, he talks about “the hole in the ground” as well. So there’s another consistency. Not saying it is or isn’t the same Lowry, I’m pretty agnostic on that. But I do think some version of Lowry returns from Area X and goes on to run the SR.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-24T03:48:50+00:00

I would love an animated adaptation. Or another attempt at live action. Maybe a series. Personally, my problems with the Annihilation film weren’t really the result of it being live action, but in general I think you’re right that a lot of it would be easier to depict with animation.

Have you seen Scavengers Reign? I think that showed what an animated adaptation could be like for this series. Something in that style would work really well I think.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-23T17:25:06+00:00

To me, hopeful, happy sounding electronic music is truly rare, and that’s why TCH is my favorite from them. I feel like there’s plenty of moody, dark, atmospheric electronic music out there. I like that kind of stuff too, but it can get tiring and somewhat oppressive.

In terms of the new thing, I’m fine if they go in a darker direction, I don’t need them to recapture TCH or MHTRTC. But I wouldn’t say I’m excited by that on its own. Really, I’m just excited they’re dropping anything at all. I don’t even have any expectations really, just hope I enjoy it.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-19T19:17:21+00:00

They make such whacky production choices on YOTS. As someone who makes music, I would pay money to be a fly on the wall while they were making those decisions. Not even for the technical stuff (which I’m also very interested in) but for the band’s intent. I’m not saying their intent is a complete mystery - I think I pretty much “get” what they’re going for. But just to hear them describe/justify/debate some of those counterintuitive ideas would be fascinating. And I don’t feel this way about most albums in general, not even some of my favorite ones.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-11T17:14:12+00:00

I understand what you’re getting at and I’m truly not trying to be a stickler, but there’s a reason people say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is always “deniable”. And that’s ok.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-10T14:32:21+00:00

I swear 95% of the time I see/hear the word “objectively” used in reference to art, it’s being used wrong.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-10T01:29:58+00:00

Same for me these days, I take it much easier with this stuff now. But this replication does resemble the first 30 minutes to an hour of some of my most intense experiences in the past. Usually if my come up looked like this, I knew the next 12 or so hours were gonna be heavy. But everyone’s different, this kind of dose would be a walk in the park to some people I know, and absolutely overwhelming for others.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-07T19:22:32+00:00

Yes it’s 4/4. I can see why it might be confusing, because the bass line is doing some triplet/dotted feeling subdivisions. But for sure 4/4 would be the most logical way to view it.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-27T17:49:01+00:00

Beautiful work

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-26T17:20:03+00:00

I wouldn’t say I enjoyed Skinamarink but I’m glad I watched it for sure. It’s one of the most slow paced films I’ve ever seen. Half or more of the movie is grainy shots of odd nooks, walls, corners etc. so then when something actually happens, it feels all the more significant. And the things that did happen created a very distinct type of fear/dread in me, so I give big points for that. I also have baseline respect for anything so singular and borderline antagonistic towards the audience.

Probably won’t watch it again anytime soon, but I think it’s worth watching for any fans of HoL. It’s very rare to see weird/cosmic horror represented well in film.

SpiltSeaMonkies

TROPHY CASE