{"id":137763,"date":"2024-08-02T15:44:47","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T14:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrongeverytime.com\/?p=40203"},"modified":"2024-08-02T15:44:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T14:44:47","slug":"the-big-o-episode-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/02\/the-big-o-episode-21\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big O \u2013 Episode 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I\u2019m eager to return to The Big O, which we last left in a moment of total crisis, as both Roger and Dorothy found themselves under assault by agents of the mysterious \u201cUnion,\u201d the only glimmer of civilization we\u2019ve seen from outside the walls of Paradigm. Living in the ruins of the wider world, they have infiltrated Paradigm on all levels, from Roger\u2019s would-be confidant Angel to Alex Rosewater\u2019s associate Alan Gabriel. And now their agents have gathered, amassing in their chapel to pass judgment on this hedonistic dreamworld.<\/span><\/p>\n

The unveiling of Paradigm\u2019s true peculiarity has been the great work of Big O\u2019s second half, as both Roger and the audience shift from taking his retro-futuristic city for granted to acknowledging it as a strange and unnatural outlier in a world otherwise fallen to ruin. Whatever Gordon Rosewater did, it appears his intent was to create a bubble world much like his tomato garden, a patch of enduring twentieth century excess that would resist the ruin otherwise enveloping the earth. To this end, he likely programmed Roger and others like him to act as this vessel\u2019s antibodies, rooting out threats both internal and external in order to ensure the safety of the harvest. But what can Roger even do with this information? Knowing he is a pawn, would it be better to rebel against his programming and risk all of Paradigm, or remain complicit in Gordon\u2019s project to protect his home? Neither answer seems quite right, which makes me all the more eager to see his own choice. Let\u2019s get to it!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Episode 21<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

No time for an OP, we\u2019re starting with a recap! Witness Angel get rejected by Roger one more time!<\/span><\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s awakening and current mental disarray seems to echo the larger tale of Paradigm, as well as the tale of the Garden of Eden. Both he and Paradigm were relatively content in ignorance, conducting their lives within the unconsidered assumption that this city\u2019s history is presumably much like its present, and that its way of life is in no particular way controversial or unusual. But having eaten the fruit of knowledge (or vegetable of knowledge, in this tomato\u2019s case), Roger can no longer live happily within paradise, knowing too much of its artificial nature and limitations. Of course, in this case, his paradise was not designed by an allegedly benevolent, all-knowing god: it was Gordon Rosewater who engineered this garden, and until Roger has a better grasp of Gordon\u2019s intentions, he can\u2019t possibly come to a peaceful relationship with either his city or himself<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Given that clear religious framing, the show\u2019s other flourishes of religious pageantry make more sense: they are essentially the intrusion of an older rival god, represented through either the lingering embers of Christian doctrine or the self-conscious rituals of the Union. Ultimately, The Big O is a battle for the hearts of humanity conducted by rival would-be gods, each god knowing that he who controls the flow of information controls our very identities. Roger has been an unknowing foot soldier in this battle, a mortal bearing the regalia of the gods, but he has come to understand too much to confidently continue his duties<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Third Big\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the title \u201cmegadeus\u201d was always a clue that this was a war between false deities<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Negotiator? Does this mean that you\u2019re just another one of those rotten tomatoes?\u201d I wonder if Gordon intended Roger to be so curious, if an independent passion for truth and justice was essential to the acolytes he was attempting to create. Perhaps Gordon wasn\u2019t even sure <\/span>what<\/span><\/i> would happen, and was intentionally leaving the future in the hands of his \u201cchildren.\u201d Megadeus-wielding pilots to guide humanity into a new age – I could see his arrogance extending that far<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as Roger admits he\u2019s \u201cnot afraid of memories\u201d that he doesn\u2019t have, Dorothy\u2019s image flashes on the screen. He may not be afraid of discovering the past, but surely he\u2019s afraid of losing his future<\/span><\/p>\n

Dorothy is still unable to determine Alan\u2019s true nature<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re forgetting your duties in recovering memories from this city of vanity.\u201d So it doesn\u2019t seem like the wave of amnesia was also Gordon\u2019s doing – that apparently affected all of humanity, inside and outside the walls. But if so, how was Gordon so prepared to take advantage of it with his \u201ccity of vanity\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBig O\u2026 are you really sure? You can hold out until I get back?\u201d Rather than fighting against the Big O\u2019s choices, Roger chooses to see its silence as a gesture of support – it\u2019s forcing him to get out and save Dorothy, knowing she is more important to him than the conclusion of this battle. A potential sign of him coming to a happier relationship with his assigned role, of finding agency within it<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Angel herself first rushes to Dorothy\u2019s aid, though she frames her support as being in the best interest of the Union. Still, when Dorothy offers her a questioning look, Angel can\u2019t meet her eyes<\/span><\/p>\n

Alan\u2019s design offers another example of Big O\u2019s purposeful, ostentatious shading – no matter which direction he faces, his hat always offers that same degree of shadows obscuring his face. He wears the shadows themselves as a tight-fitting mask<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAngel, what are you doing?\u201d Angel refers to herself in the third person, seemingly questioning her own programming<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hah! Even when his hat\u2019s knocked off, his face is still a black void. His whole design is really an exercise in negative space, shadows given definition by the white lines abutting them. An excellent animated conception of the boogeyman<\/span><\/p>\n

Gorgeous effects animation as the Union megadeus begins to fire arcs of lightning all across the city. I believe this is Hisashi Mori’s work, one of the greatest masters of the craft<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems Roger\u2019s gamble is paying off, as Rosewater himself is now roused to action in defense of the city<\/span><\/p>\n

Hah, love this mournful saxophone riff as Angel exits, the suitably tragic accompaniment to her abandoning her romantic hopes<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a spoiled child, Alex Rosewater, who is stuck in his father\u2019s shadow. Because of your treacherous act when you turned your treaty into scrap paper after you acquired the megadeus <\/span>we<\/span><\/i> discovered, this is the price you pay!\u201d Vera neatly spelling out the finer points of the Union\u2019s current grievance. So presumably Gordon struck some treaty with the Union to prevent their interference in Paradigm, but Alex was too set on acquiring even <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> power to honor it. Benevolent dictatorships rarely outlast their founders; even if one man like Gordon is truly dedicated to creating a peaceful, stable society, his successors will inevitably find their own, likely more near-sighted goals<\/span><\/p>\n

Alan is then called away, drawn back by the collective chanting of the Union agents<\/span><\/p>\n

The link between unconsidered faith and violence seems clear as their chorus greets the destruction wrought by their megadeus<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Exceedingly cute moment between Roger and Dorothy – Dorothy\u2019s too heavy for Roger to also lift his watch transponder to his face, but also refuses to put her down, so Dorothy helpfully holds it up for him. Both equally dedicated to this princess carry<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNext time, you\u2019ll take me home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have the power to protect this city. Only stronger forces that aren\u2019t in our memories can protect it, like the megadeus.\u201d Dastun is getting understandably dispirited regarding the seeming triviality of his role – though he plays the part of this city\u2019s protector, he exists entirely outside the systems of power that actually define this world, more putting on a performance of protector for the crowd than actually keeping the city safe<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Of course, he\u2019s exaggerating, and Roger is kind enough to protest. These two offer a lovely portrait of a hard-won mutual trust<\/span><\/p>\n

Vera\u2019s megadeus is named \u201cBonaparte,\u201d a fitting title for a creature intended to replace Gordon\u2019s static regime with an ostensibly more equal order<\/span><\/p>\n

Rosewater\u2019s megadeus emerges from beneath his own personal Arc de Triomphe<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSooner than I expected. But this too must have been predicted in the memories.\u201d Alex sees the stolen memories as a prophecy designed to guide the future. Even in this era untethered from the past, he can\u2019t see humanity as capable of deciding its own destiny. I wonder what his father would say to that?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Alex Rosewater cheers as he decides that <\/span>he<\/span><\/i> must be this new Big\u2019s core memory, the spark allowing it to move<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is like a stage. And we\u2019re actors who\u2019ve been placed on that stage. Actors who haven\u2019t even been told what the plot is, or what\u2019s gonna happen next.\u201d It\u2019s a tough gig, Dastun<\/span><\/p>\n

And then, with its target defeated, Rosewater\u2019s Big starts to destroy the city altogether. He clearly misinterpreted his role in this production, seeing power and agency where there was only a brief correlation between his own goals and this titan\u2019s intent<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCast in the name of god, ye not.\u201d Though Alex is Gordon\u2019s biological son, it seems this Big does not recognize him as his rightful offspring. So it was Roger\u2019s conditioning that made him \u201cfree of sin,\u201d then?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And in contrast with Alex attempting to bend his megadeus to his will, Roger freely admits that he is now acting in service of the Big O\u2019s own desires. Is complicity in Gordon\u2019s play the only way forward?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my Big! This is my dome! I won\u2019t let you have it.\u201d Remarkably how quickly Rosewater crumbles when he no longer feels in control. It\u2019s an interesting contrast – Roger has essentially pushed forward by surrendering his will to a higher power, whereas Alex\u2019s attempts to control everything have lead to his ruin<\/span><\/p>\n

Roger even describes this new megadeus as \u201ca monster that\u2019s cursed with memories of the past.\u201d So he\u2019s even rejecting his own curiosity, seemingly embracing his position within Gordon\u2019s project<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And Done<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh man, what a strange and illuminating episode! Though we\u2019re moving closer to the Big O\u2019s endgame, it feels like our leads are more lost than ever before, responding to the recognition of their complicity in a plan beyond their understanding with either fatalistic despair or fanatical allegiance. The show\u2019s consistent use of Christian iconography is also getting more pointed and thematically relevant by the episode, emphasizing religious faith as either a compliment or counter to the determinism implied by Gordon\u2019s mental conditioning project. So is humanity doomed to be a species defined by deference, recreating the ignorance of paradise that we may live happily in service to gods of our own making? I\u2019m eager to find out!<\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I\u2019m eager to return to The Big O, which we last left in a moment of total crisis, as both Roger and Dorothy found themselves under assault by agents of \u2026 Continue reading \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[61,122,127,129,124,128,125,132,131,133,126,130,123,66,94,88,97,56,64,65,60,112,40,75,95,104,33,120,105,101,98,115,30,29,41,86,70,69,68,72,71,26,118,108,87,46,55,48,52,54,51,50,83,62,58,57,109,35,59,63,85,79,82,96,80,27,81,114,44,42,43,45,38,39,110,117,100,111,116,73,89,90,92,91,93,84,78,37,102,34,36,77,67,74,99,113,119,28,121,32,47,49,53,103,31,76],"class_list":["post-137763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anime","tag-airpods","tag-anime","tag-anime-characters","tag-anime-cosplay","tag-anime-edits","tag-anime-merchandise","tag-anime-movies","tag-anime-news","tag-anime-recommendations","tag-anime-reviews","tag-anime-series","tag-anime-streaming","tag-animes","tag-app-store","tag-app-store-samsung","tag-appgallery","tag-appgallery-oneplus","tag-apple","tag-apple-music","tag-apple-tv","tag-apple-watch","tag-bbc-sport","tag-best-mobile-games","tag-bixby","tag-bixby-xiaomi","tag-champions-league","tag-cyberpunk","tag-cyberpunk-2077","tag-fantasy-football","tag-fifa","tag-football","tag-formula-1","tag-fortnite","tag-free-fire","tag-free-mobile-games","tag-freebuds-pro","tag-galaxy-a52","tag-galaxy-note-20","tag-galaxy-s21","tag-galaxy-watch-4","tag-galaxy-z-fold-3","tag-game","tag-games","tag-golf","tag-harmonyos","tag-how-to-backup-iphone","tag-how-to-factory-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-restore-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-5","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-6","tag-huawei","tag-ios","tag-ipad","tag-iphone","tag-live-soccer","tag-lol","tag-macbook","tag-macos","tag-mate-40-pro","tag-mi-11-lite","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p-huawei","tag-mi-smart-band-6","tag-minecraft","tag-miui","tag-mlb-scores","tag-mobile-game-design","tag-mobile-game-development","tag-mobile-game-marketing","tag-mobile-game-monetization","tag-mobile-games","tag-mobile-gaming","tag-nba-scores","tag-nba-standings","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-scores","tag-nhl-scores","tag-one-ui","tag-oneplus","tag-oneplus-9-pro","tag-oneplus-buds-pro","tag-oneplus-nord-ce-5g","tag-oxygenos","tag-p40-pro-plus","tag-poco-x3-pro","tag-pokemon","tag-premier-league","tag-pubg","tag-pubg-mobile","tag-redmi-note-10-pro","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-pay","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-steam","tag-steeam","tag-top-10-anime","tag-valorant","tag-when-do-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-does-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-is-the-iphone-7-coming-out","tag-world-cup","tag-xbox-series-x","tag-xiaomi"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137763"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141264,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137763\/revisions\/141264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}