My brain hurts, can someone explain the ending?
I read many theories about the ending, but it's just too hard for me to understand this ending!
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I read many theories about the ending, but it's just too hard for me to understand this ending!
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I don't really understand it either. I gathered from that "revelation" thingy at the end, that Nerissa is actually Faith, and Faith was Nerissa.
Here's my problem:
The person who died was the person Bigby spoke to, this is connected by the bruise the woodsman gave her.
The person Bigby spoke to would have to be the same person at the end right?
I bet Telltales just duping us and it was a coincidence.
Oh, you make an excellent point about the bruise. I don't if anyone else has pointed that out. My take on the ending is this: Telltale is implying that the woman we are talking to at the end is the same woman that Bigby was talking to at the beginning. Where it gets vague is on the question of WHO that woman is, WHEN her appearance changed, and WHY it happened. I've seen 2 theories bandied about in several different threads: (1) Bigby never met Nerissa. Faith faked her death (possibly it was Nerissa who died, glamoured as Faith), and Faith has been masquerading as Nerissa the whole time, or (2) Bigby never met Faith. Faith was actually murdered before the story begins. Nerissa glamoured herself as Faith and enacted this whole plan to put Bigby on the right trail, and the Faith we see in Ep1 is actually a glamoured Nerissa. Both of these theories have some serious continuity problems or unexplained plot holes, though, which people have already pointed out in other threads.
I have a third theory: Everything happened exactly as it appeared to, until the end. Faith was somehow restored to life, but didn't want the world to know, so she got glamoured as Nerissa in order to have that final meeting with Bigby at the end. Unfortunately, this theory also has problems--also addressed in another thread.
The bruise that you point out can easily be taken as evidence against Theory 1. If I were you I'd find those other threads where people are talking about this and point it out there, too.
Can someone clarify something for me: Georgie is convinced he killed Faith, isn't he? So if the girl at the end is really Faith disguised as Nerissa, that implies Georgie killed Nerissa while she was glamoured as Faith. It's plausible that Nerissa was glamoured as Faith to meet the Woodsman (because real Faith couldn't make that appointment) and was still glamoured when Georgie killed her.
That could've all been part of Faith's plan (effectively her plan was to 'fake her death' by asking Nerissa to cover her shift knowing Georgie was going to kill her and then steal Nerissa's identity). That kinda fits with the Donkeyskin thing.
The only problem I see with this is it means Bigby has no reason to note that the Nerissa at the end is similar to the Faith he met at the start, as they would be different people.
I thought it was that Faith was already dead by the time the game starts, and that its Nerissa glamoured as Faith that Bigby saves from the Woodsman. I thought she did this so Bigby would grow close to "Faith" and when Nerissa put the real Faith's head on the doorstep, Bigby would feel personally involved and continue the mystery to would lead back to the Crooked Man.
After pondering a little bit, Bigby realized close similarities between Faith & Nerissa and could confront Nerissa about it for answers or just leave her be.
It's likely that the Faith he met in Episode 1 was actually Nerissa glamoured and the real Faith was already murdered. She started a conflict to get Bigby's attention and get him attracted to Faith so that when she later placed the real Faith's head on the doorsteps to find, he'd take it personally and solve the murder by all means. It could also be a reason for confronting Nerissa too. Bigby could be mad that she manipulated his feelings, sent him through a wild murder case that could've killed him many times, and is now just leaving.
Also to note, the final statistics at the end of game confirms that Faith is indeed "Deceased", so any theory involving Faith being alive has got to be null and void.
James--yeah, you're pointing out one of the flaws in the theories. Shubba and leather--there are problems with that theory as well. For one thing, the "Faith" head has the bruises and injuries on it that Bigby saw earlier, as the OP pointed out. It also defeats the whole purpose of Faith's story, which is one where she disguises herself--a story referenced during Bigby's revelatory moment. Leather--I wouldn't read too much into that. What we're seeing are official-looking files. Officially, Faith IS dead, regardless of which theory is correct. We even saw Bufkin stamp her file "deceased" with a stamp that looks just like the one at the end. It doesn't mean she's really dead.
Both of the prevailing theories have problems, like I said. So does mine, for that matter.
Don't know for sure whether bruises can be recreated by (more expensive) glamours - if not covered - which, then, cosmetics might achieve :-)..
So, let's check the Conspiracy Settings.
1. "Faith" talking in EP1 = Faith. She dies, the head is hers.
The "non-glamour-conspiracy" version (yet, one might add, it does NOT necessarily imply "Nerrissa"=Nerrissa). There's no problem with the bruises.
Interpretation
What's behind "Faith" asking "Do you like my ribbon?" in EP1? Either it's a coincidence and Bigby is overinterpreting it (see above). Or we have more conspiracy: She was told (by Nerissa) to give Bigby a lead - but where to? Was it a first attempt to escape with Bigby's help? Back to the official line: Nerissa, Faith and Lilly had a conspiracy going on, as Nerissa (and Georgie, not necessarily knowing about Nerissas involvent) tell. Nerissa later reluctantly admits that she sold out Faith and Lilly (one possible dialogue in the final scene).
The sub-text to Bigby is that she was dragged against the wall, then led Bigby on the right track for revenge. But we don't know whether the group split because of the photo-story (as EP-5"Nerissa" is telling) and if she really wanted to fix things with Georgie and Crooked Man, whether "Nerissa" WANTED them dead at some point (as they became a risk) or whether she wanted them dead in the fist place. AAAAALL of them. :-) What we also don't know: Whether Nerrisas ribbon ever was magic, and whether it still is (in SOME way). It also might be covering something.
2. "Faith" talking in EP1 = Faith. But: She's alive. The head's not hers.
So there's a bruise problem. "Faith" talking in EP1 has a bruise, and so does the fake head. It can be resolved, of course, the easiest solutions being that she glamoured the victim after she returned from Woody ("as bruised"); or: She bruised herself or the victim to make the bruises match. Problem remaining: Does the glamour cover her bruise? (Or do cosmetics? :-)).
Interpretation
...we expect that Faith now happens to be glamoured as Nerissa. But why? Faking your own death makes a good escape plan. Yet glamouring as Nerissa doesn't make for an escape. Disguised Faith must thus follow other plans, as she wants Bigby to get involved. Pudding'n'Pie team conspiracy thing as open as in any setting. Of course, then, (in any setting, too) she'll want the power of the ribbon gone, and thus: Vivian.
Most important as well: How come that Georgie (obviously) killed... Nerissa-glamoured-as-Faith (or sth. like that)?
3. "Faith" talking in EP1 = Nerissa. The head is Faith's.
One of the hottest conspiracy theories. But when did the real Faith die, then - in order to get it right with the bruise? Faith must have been bruised already when Nerissa made a glamour of her. Or there's cosmetics again.
Interpretation
A cold hearted plan of Nerissa to kill everyone. Again. :-)
4. "Faith" talking in EP1 = Nerissa. And the head is Nerissa's, too (the weird one)
There's no bruise problem.
Interpretation
Nerissa is convinced to do Faith's shift (double shift-change... or else), Faith is glamoured as Nerissa and convinces to Georgie that Faith has to go; Nerissa, still glamoured, is coming back to the Pudding & Pie. "I'll kill you." - "I'm not..." - (He pulls her ribbon.)
More open questions
Finally: My Favourite New Conspiracy
Crooked man did not order to "solve the problem", but someone else ("Nerissa") glamoured as him did...
I think ep1 Faith = Faith
Faith goes to meet Lily (found from ep2 locker-room note) before going to the woodsmans apartment.
Nerissa comes clean to Georgie, Georgie goes to tell the Crooked Man
Nerissa feels guilty, breaks into Faiths jewellery/makeup boxes for personal effects for a glamour (Faith's lockboxes are broken open in ep2) (Nerissa must know where Aunty Greenleaf is, Lily does, and I'm pretty sure Snow wasn't the first to be illegally glamoured, don't have dialogue though)
Faith goes to Woodsman's appointment and meets Bigby
Lily goes to room 207 in Open Arms and is murdered there (is she murdered there)
Nerissa glamoured as Faith gets killed by Georgie. (Faith getting glamoured as Nerissa is a hole though, maybe that's what Lily wanted to talk about)
Problems
Questions