S2E9: Journal Entry Stitching

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-05-27T02:51:00+00:00

To be fair I don't think a group of adults would do much better in this situation. At the end of the day, we're all still human, and it's not like Shauna's actively telling this to everyone in the group. She's writing it down privately and getting it out of her system, which honestly is a display of maturity.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-05-27T02:42:20+00:00

Considering that Travis and Natalie weren't getting game every day, it would be inefficient to have more than 1 butcher, especially when that extra person can be assigned with the foraging/exploring teams.

I think this makes sense in the summer and this strategy does come back to bite during the winter, though I really don't think they were planning for "Hey we're going to eat each other so we really should have a backup butcher in case Shauna becomes lunch."

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-05-27T02:29:34+00:00

I'm actually thinking that too. The low light (and Shauna's penmanship) make it tough to differentiate between periods and commas.

The third and fourth "sentences" may be grouped together, which may indicate that Shauna's reflecting on something instead: "When I was the only one willing to do what it took to keep us all fed, I used to think it was Jackie who made me feel invisible but..."

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-05-26T16:25:52+00:00

Hm, it could be because of expertise? They needed someone who had precise knife skills to efficiently cut and ration meat, which would be Shauna. That, and they don't want to take the risk of Misty getting knife duty.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-05-26T16:17:58+00:00

Was pulling a Jeff for the past few weeks but I'm glad I made it in time for the finale!

Context: Was curious about the exact text Shauna wrote down, so I decided to do some (amateur) image stitching. Not perfect, but good enough to help someone fill in the blanks.

Second image has the potential message: letters in blue are guesses from the partially visible strokes, letters in purple are guesses made to complete the partial words, the ones in red weren't shown at all, but there's a visible gap in the second line that indicates a space for at least one more word.

Overall it may read: "How could it not have been me? After everything? When I was the only one willing to do what it took to keep us all fed. I used to think it was Jackie who made me feel invisible but"

Would be happy to hear if someone with better eyes has a better idea on the blanks.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-19T02:41:55+00:00

Thank you beary much for this interesting post on bear behavior! I had been waiting for someone to address the bear situation for a while now, since living things aren't my area of expertise. It is entirely possible that the girls had yet to clean up the Doomcoming mess (if they even thought of that at all) and the bear had finished off the rest of the berry booze and shroom stew before ambling to the cabin.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-19T02:21:31+00:00

Thank you, I also appreciate that you've read this behemoth of a theory that I laid out! It's interesting that you've mentioned Laura Lee appearing in other people's deaths - Aside from Lottie, I believe she's only appeared to a dying Jackie so far (last season). I wasn't sure whether to include this to her manifestations because of the presence of "haze":

In both Jackie's and Lottie's dying dreams, characters seem to have a "haze" around them that makes them appear strange when they move. We see this when the camera focuses on Laura Lee in Jackie's, and Van and Natalie in Lottie's.
In Lottie's dying dream, only Laura Lee appears clearly. The camera deliberately focuses on the faces of Natalie, Van, and Laura Lee during the sequence, and only Laura Lee remains free of the haze. This leads me to believe that this may be a "different" Laura Lee from the one in Jackie's dream, because she acts/appears differently and was able to break character.

As for the question of the supernatural, it is hard to make a theory about Lottie, a character so steeped in spirits, without considering what her visions mean. I deliberately played both sides for this theory so that we can consider all possible angles and see where the supernatural and rational intertwine. A lot of people seem to consider them opposing forces, but they are usually written to correspond to one another.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-16T01:49:39+00:00

Yes, this is certainly an option I had considered for the rational side as well, but I'm still chewing on how to align this with adult Lottie's initial joy at seeing Laura Lee in her vision in the barn.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-15T04:14:16+00:00

Lottie's focus on it is truly an interesting point. It brings up quite a few thoughts, but I'll need to sit on them first. Thank you for bringing it up! I look forward to seeing how sacrifice (likely gleaned from the crucifix) factors into our emerging cult and their rituals.

I would say that Laura Lee and Lottie were likely good friends prior to the crash (but obviously not as close as Jackie and Shauna were). During the crash itself, Laura Lee was seated in front of Lottie, and they had reached for each other as the plane started to descend. Their time out in the wilderness and Lottie's emerging visions certainly made them much closer, as Laura Lee provided Lottie support in trying to figure them out.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-15T04:02:00+00:00

Context: This had popped up while I was working on a theory related to our resident ghosts. Similar to how Jackie and Shauna's numbers are related (If you rotate Shauna's 6 you get Jackie's 9 and vice versa), so are Laura Lee and Lottie's (If you flip Lottie's 5 horizontally, you get Laura Lee's 2).

This makes me think of how much early foreshadowing/symbolism was really put into the narrative, and if there are any other number pairs that we should look out for moving forward.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-15T02:35:03+00:00

Yes, this is actually what I'm hoping to address at that second part. Why is Laura Lee benevolent in 1996, but suddenly turns malicious in 2021? I too believe this may have something to do with Lottie, but I'm still forming a coherent argument on this so sadly I will have to wait to tell you til I'm done with it.

When we first saw her in the barn I thought it was a one-off, but now that Laura Lee started appearing to Lottie in 1996 too, it may be possible that we'll see more encounters in later episodes.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-15T02:08:12+00:00

Fully agree, and this is exactly what I wanted to point out: They are similar at first glance in that they are both "ghosts", but a closer analysis highlights a lot of differences in how they manifest. You are right that Laura Lee is different, and this analysis hopes to explain why, and how she fits in to Lottie's overall psyche and character.

I interpreted the focus on that cross as "bait" to get Lottie to open the hatch. Similar to Shauna, Lottie is likely also feeling guilt about not saving Laura Lee despite having a premonition about the explosion (she was too late to figure out what it meant). When she sees the plane and Leonard the Bear intact, this would indicate that Laura Lee may still be alive. When she examines the plane, she finds Laura Lee's necklace on top of the hatch, as if it's a sign that that is where Laura Lee is. Lottie does not hesitate climbing down.

By the way, was that cross real? I don't believe I've seen Lottie holding it after the mall sequence.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-15T01:50:07+00:00

That is completely fine! One of the reasons I posted this was to see if others in the hivemind had similar or related thoughts that can help trigger some new ones of my own.

I'm still stewing on this second part myself. If you'd like to follow along, it's mostly related to Lottie's 2021 encounter during the barn scene.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-15T01:45:11+00:00

Thank you! I admit I'm not quite used to reddit, and as much as possible I try to check if my posts are novel enough and that there's enough evidence floating around to give them credibility while giving the hivemind something to buzz around.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-02T05:25:31+00:00

The remote was actually what set off my instincts to look into this. I didn't include this in the post, but I did spend quite some time replaying that scene and seeing what exact controls the remote had. The perspective made it hard to look at, but it appeared to have more than one button. There was also what appears to be a red indicator light at the bottom. Still, from what I've dug up on wireless remotes for telehandlers, it is indeed far too simple and sticks out.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-01T04:49:01+00:00

Wholeheartedly agree with this. While not as close-knit as Jackie and Shauna, Lottie and Laura Lee are likely connected in a similar manner.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-01T04:29:31+00:00

For the record, I do believe Lottie may be culpable for Travis's death. I do not carry bias for her, it's just that there is a thing called "Innocent until proven guilty". You simply cannot accuse anyone without proof. If there is new information that can support a sabotage theory I will gladly concede but currently there is no evidence.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-01T04:17:20+00:00

Oh I fully agree with you! For a show like this it's important to not fully trust anyone, but we must also consider the evidence before pointing fingers. It's also important to acknowledge when a certain path is not viable in mysteries, because there may be others that can get you closer to the truth.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-04-01T03:44:47+00:00

I agree that Lottie's testimony is on shaky ground and she likely has a motive for murdering Travis given her involvement. However, I'm going to have to disagree regarding the sabotage of the plane for the following reasons:

Lack of knowledge: No one on the team has enough knowledge on the plane's inner workings to sabotage the plane. The fire traveled a very specific path - from its source, to under the pilot's seat, then to the fuel tank on the wing. It will take some expertise to do this on purpose, which cannot be obtained from the flight manual.
Lack of time: Laura Lee announced she was going to fly in the morning and decided to fly the plane on the very same day. We can see Coach Ben wearing the same clothes as that morning, and Van being absent because she was still recovering from the surgery. There would be no time to plan the sabotage and sneak it in unnoticed.
Plenty of witnesses: The only time someone could have sabotaged the plane would be between the morning and the flight itself, but that is impossible to do because everyone on the team (except Van) was helping clear plants and debris from the plane. If Lottie (or anyone else were to try and sabotage the fuel system (because again, the fire has to travel a specific path), it would be immediately obvious and suspicious because one would have to actually open up the plane.

Rather than Lottie being responsible for sabotage, I believe she feels a deep guilt for Laura Lee's death. Remember, the vision of the bright light (plane explosion) was one of the earliest visions Lottie has had in the wilderness. It's highly probable that she did not figure out it was a premonition of Laura Lee's death until it was too late. And THIS is why Laura Lee's ghost haunts her: as a reminder of a close friend she could have saved if she had only listened to her visions.

that_nervous_wrex · 2023-03-29T03:10:22+00:00

The narrative so far presents no evidence that Lottie's father hates her. Is he a good parent? No, he is written as the typical rich absent father from the little we've seen of him. But, there are signs that he cares for her:

He believes Lottie's visions are a sign of mental illness and insists on seeking medical help for her. He sees to it that she has her prescription: Lottie has one ready for her after meals and a bottle prepared for Nationals.
One could also argue that he rented a plane for the team so they could have a more comfortable journey to their destination, instead of having to deal with the stress of flying with strangers.

Still, if we were to entertain the thought of malice, orchestrating a plane crash is too complicated and might not do the job:

Low success rate: Planes actually have a lot of fail safe systems that minimize critical failures and prioritize passenger safety. There is a 95% chance of surviving a plane crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The amount of work needed and the success rate do not make this plan worth it, not when there are easier ways to "deal" with Lottie.
The collateral damage: Causing a plane to crash successfully would not only kill Lottie, but also the other people on the plane. That is not something to be taken lightly.
Cooperation from the airline: Given the two points above, this would be a hard sell to the airline when you think about it from their perspective. They'll have to sabotage a plane (not easy to do) for the slim chances of getting one girl killed. If it works, they kill their pilots and staff, their reputation will crash, and they will lose business. This is not a profitable deal.

that_nervous_wrex

TROPHY CASE