Theories: as of Episode 2
This is a thread for posting your theories on what's currently going on behind the scenes in the TFTB universe and what you expect to happen in future episodes.
Some of my theories include
- Rhys, Fiona, & Co. got rich off something other than Gortys/The Vault and were just like "Screw it! We don't need a vault anymore." and they left Pandora and were enjoying their Happily Ever Afters before the start of this game.
I have this theory because in the very beginning of Episode 1, Fiona and Rhys are wearing fancy, expensive-looking, new clothes, Rhy has a fancy, expensive-looking, new arm, and Rhys says he's on the ground floor of some property on Eden. Also, it would explain why Fiona is so mad at Rhys if he purposely or accidentally caused them to end up back on Pandora after Fiona finally got off the planet. Also, I used to think Rhys and Fiona actually did find the Vault, but then I realized that the final episode is called The Vault of the Traveler and that seems to be what the Stranger is leading them towards. So, since I expect the story to catch up to the "future" scenes by the start of Episode 5, it seems that they'll only get to the Vault in the last episode.
- AI Jack is...not dead, but gone to some degree, by the time the future scenes occur (but he will reappear in the last episode or so, cuz he's way too important a character to not have in the final episode).
I used to think that Jack was still in Rhys's head and was at least partially in control. I thought this because of Rhys's yellow eye in his future scenes. As we've seen, Rhys's eye turns yellow while Jack is enhancing its abilities. However, I no longer think Jack is in control of Rhys during the future scenes because I remembered that, during Rhys's introduction in Episode 1, he introduces himself as "one of the bad guys of this story," which is not something Jack would ever, ever say of himself. Also, in Ep 2, when the Stranger asks "What about Jack?" Rhys sounds -- I dunno -- a little sad when he replied, "Oh, yeah. Jack." That could mean anything, but if Jack is gone at that point, it would explain why we haven't seen him at all in the future scenes. It would NOT explain Rhys's yellow eye, however...so....I dunno. It's just a theory.
So, what are some of your favorite theories and evidence for them? 
Comments
It might just be me but in the modern parts of the story, Rhys' eye looks a bit more orange/ dark yellow than the bright yellow it is when Jack's in control. It could mean that Jack has left permanent damage to Rhys' augmentations but is out of the system.
I don't know if Rhys looks rich nessacarily he does seem to be dressed more like a pandoran however.
What if Jack starts demanding Rhys that jack himself to be placed into a robot body. Its age of ultron all over again.
Yeah, maybe. It's just the all black and silver outfit screams sophistication to me, and sophistication sorta means wealth to me....Oh, and he got a "nice haircut"! That takes money, trust me. lol
But, you're right, it could just be a change of outfit for any number of reasons.
Yeah, I see what you're saying. That could definitely be it. It might also explain why Rhys got a new arm. However, if he got a new arm because Jack damaged Rhys's augmentations (meaning his arm AND eye), he could have also gotten a new eye. But then, maybe, Jack damaged the eye after Rhys got a new arm, and Rhys just got a new arm because he wanted a nice new arm. Or maybe, Rhys just wanted a nice new eye too, and he decided that this one should be yellow, in honor of his role model, Jack. But then, why would Rhys not make his new arm yellow, too? And I actually kinda hope Jack is not still Rhys's role model after all this. I mean, Jack is awesome in that he's an extremely interesting character. But he's definitely not role model material. So maybe, Rhys decided to get a yellow eye to disguise the transitions between his normal state and the one in which Jack is in control. Oooh, that would be interesting....So, anyway, I'm just spit-balling. I like your theory.
Oh, yeah! Hahaha what if it was Loader Bot's body that Jack took....over....oh no! Loader bot!!!!
Nah. That wouldn't happen. But maybe Jack could take over Helios in his AI form. And who knows where he could go from there? They have the internet in outer space, right?
Well it's quite obvious that Rhys is more advanced/ looks richer in the future so maybe he did get higher up in Hyperion. He could've just bought his new arm to fit his new life at a higher Hyperion rank.
My guess would be another planet.
I agree, in general his outfit does seem richer to me too. Like, he has a fancy vest now with glowing buttons. Glowing buttons! And, although we haven't really gotten a good look at the whole thing, his arm looks fancier like it's an upgrade and not just a replacement. Or, at least, it's shinier, and it looks less "standard Hyperion machinery" aesthetically.
That's true. I keep forgetting that Rhys's dream is not to sail off into the sunset but to run a business. Well, if he does achieve that dream, I hope he runs Hyperion better than Jack did.
Seems like he's kind of obsessed with Pandora though. Maybe he wouldn't go anywhere. Maybe he would just quietly plan his next attempt to destroy Pandora, or at least most of it.
Oh, yeah! The glowing buttons! They're mesmerizing 0.o And, yeah, the new arm does look a lot less Hyperion...
Well consider the following...What if Rhys only got back up in Hyperion because he delivered Holo Jack back to Hyperion and Holo Jack controls the system still using Rhys as his minion. Maybe that's a bit much but who knows what will happen (Except Telltale. :P).
Maybe Rhys just wanted an eye that'd be closer to his natural color, and used his sick piles of cash to get a new one.
Dude, I dunno. That fancy chrome arm looks like it costs more than his old one.
I agree with the theory that they haven't found the Vault yet in the present setting of the story. So something must have happened that ended the whole adventure prematurely and made Fiona and Rhys insanely antagonistic towards each other.
It's basically confirmed that they can't find the vault unless they work together because of the whole imprinting thing. (the fact that the stranger needs them both is a big hint) so I'm thinking one of them found another way to make it big and ditched the other before the vault was found.
Also Fionas outfit is not new, you can see it inside the caravan and you kinda get the feeling she made it herself. So her clothes don't really reveal if she managed to get her big score or not.
my own theory is both of them got what they wanted in the present (money and power) but at a cost that basically made their life worse. We don't see Sasha in the present, and Fiona doesn't act like shes dead (it's only been a year, and she talks about her sister pretty casually) but she sure doesn't seem to happy. Same with Rhys and Vaughn being missing.
It's always awkward to make theories when the story changes depending on your actions but
I think Fiona will be given the option to make a deal with Vallory instead of continuing to look for the vault. If you accept Sasha probably goes against your choice (either because she doesn't trust the people August works for, or because she generally likes Rhys and Vaughn now). Which in turn breaks the sisters up. So Fi has all the money and protection she needs, but shes now stuck working for Pandoran mobsters and her sister left her on bad terms.
Basically the same will happen for Rhys with Hyperion, only he'll have the Jack A.I to bargain with. I noticed there's a lot of 'remember that' choices that seem to depend on how you treat Vaughn in the first two games, which might decide if Vaughn will object if Rhys wants to leave the girls behind. One thing I find interesting is Rhys seems just as bitter towards Fiona as she is towards him. He even says she ruined his life. That's kind of a weird thing for someone who's wearing more expensive clothes, has a shinny new robot arm, and apparently owns property on an Eden planet to say.
either way if one decides on the deal the other will be more 'pushed' into taking their alternative option, making them more sympathetic.
Episode 4's image is Loader Bot fighting a different Loader. So maybe that happened.
Hey, maybe Felicity can come to her senses for a bit and punch Jack AI across the face.
What if the loader bot is jack? :0 Like borderlands likes to give clues every now and then...
Cool theories.
I'm really happy that we have 2 playable characters in this game and I would love the idea that you (player) could choose which one of them is more "evil" one. I always tend to play Rhys as this awkward nice guy whereas Fiona is more sassy and mean to others.
That is a possibility, I agree. But only Telltale knows.
Ooh, interesting idea. I mean, I think it would be really interesting if he changed his eye color purely out of vanity, 'cause Jack is kinda vain too, and that would be one more similarity between Rhys and Jack.
Oh, sweet! Maybe it did happen. I'm a genius!
But, seriously, if it is Jack in one of those bots (Jack in a Bot, hahaha!), then I really hope it's not Loader Bot. I don't want him to get taken over by Jack.
Jack is going to rise to power once again.
The war that is approaching on Pandora is going to have to do with the Travelers Vault.
That Hyperion Moonbase is going down in an episode, it has to. They hinted at it in the Tiny Tina's Dragon Keep expansion pack for Borderlands 2.
The masked man from both episodes is going to become a vault hunter in a later game?
These ARE cool theories. Very specific.
I especially like the idea that Rhys and Fiona made it big, but at too large a cost. And that's why they're so upset with each other. It would explain why Rhys is just as mad at Fiona as she is at him.
I mean, in my theory, Rhys accidentally (unless it's a choice moment, and he could also do it on purpose) got him and Fiona stranded on Pandora, and that's why Fiona's so mad at him, but Rhys is only mad at Fiona because he's spent most of the story (at least, so far) being berated for being Hyperion.... by people who are just as bad as Hyperion (for instance, a couple of con artists we know and love at this point). And Rhys is angry as hell, and he's not gonna take it anymore! The hypocrisy! So, he points out that Fiona ruined his life by trying to sell a fake vault key, which was the start of this whole escapade.
However, I think it would be a stronger reason for Rhys's anger if his life just before the start of this game was actually shit despite him becoming rich and powerful. If that was the case in Fiona's life as well, it would be a good reason for her anger too. And it would actually be a good teaching moment. See, kids? Money and power won't make you happy.
Oh, plus! Another theory I have stems from the narrator's line at the beginning of Ep 1: "History will remember those pirates like Handsome Jack, but forget those adventurers who risk it all for less...obvious treasures." Could he mean the treasures of friendship and love????? Is that the lesson Rhys and Fiona have to learn to finally unlock the vault? Money and power are nothing without love, Rhys and Fiona!!!! When will you learn?! LOL, I know I'm in the minority with this, but I think the cheesier the ending of TFTB, the better.
And I have seen the pictures, somewhere on this forum, of Fiona's red and black outfit in her caravan, but if I remember correctly, the mannequin the outfit was on fell out of the caravan when they used their boost to get away from the moonshots, but it didn't have the outfit on it. So, either Fiona took the outfit off the mannequin before they whole moonshots thing, or the animators forgot to animate the outfit onto the mannequin as it fell out. In the latter case, either Fiona searched the desert for it or she bought/made a whole new outfit that just looked like that outfit.... It's a mystery.
The thing I'm wondering is, though, if as Rhys or Fiona, there's a choice between ditching or not ditching Rhys/Fiona, I would totally pick "Don't ditch." I think most other people would too. So, if they don't ditch each other, there's still got to be some reason for Rhys and Fiona to each be mad at each other.
Oh, cool. Yeah, most people seem to think the masked man is a vault hunter from an earlier game or someone from this game, but maybe he's a new playable character for future Borderlands games. That'd be neat.
Some things I've noticed about the stranger while replaying the two episodes.
Fiona (the savvy Pandoran) keeps calling him out on stuff that should be pretty obvious for some Vault hunter or mercenary type.
1) She points out that he could have heard her side of the story 'hours ago' but instead left her in the ruins of prosperity junction while he went to kidnap Rhys.
2) She tells him not to waste bullets when he shoots off a round to wake them up at the start of episode 2. (He even seems to realize yeah that's a good idea.)
3) While looking for a car she suggests they let the bandit finish changing the wheel when the stranger was about to snipe him. (if you choose to go to Hollow Point he irritatingly agrees until Fiona and Rhys starts fighting, then shoots the bandit out of annoyance before telling one of them to change the tire. If you choose to go to Haven he shoots the bandit because he misunderstands what Fiona meant and thought she was telling him to let Rhys finish telling his story. (he actually seems pretty awkward about it when he realizes what happened)
I don't know, I find it interesting that this imposing dude who looks like he belongs on Pandora is making a lot of weird little mistakes.
Very astute observations! I just wrote those scenes off as comedic, but using comedy to hide the fact that the Stranger is not a Pandoran is just the sort of brilliance I'd expect from Telltale. Very cool.
Yeah but even the bandits in the death race stuff were pretty immature dont you think ?
I dont get two things:
1) At start of ep1 Rhys is shown tracking something & when beep gets louder he calls out for Fiona. What was he searching & why did he think Fiona had it ? If Fiona had it why did she steal it ?
2) In the ending where the guys go to the Hollow Point ie where scooter is th Fiona tells us Loader Bot disposed off Athena but the Stranger points out that the loader bots cant do that. If we accept the Stranger's opinion that means Fiona is hiding something. Which begs the question idid Fiona & Sasha struck a deal with Athena ? What exactly happened there ?
That is a good point. There seem to be a lot of Pandorans who have no idea how (or no desire maybe) to survive on Pandora...They're kinda dumb. So, if it turns out that the Stranger is in fact a Pandoran, I could swallow that too.
Oooh, what DID happen with Athena? Good question. I just assumed Loader Bot did fight her off, just in a less cool way than Fiona made it seem. But, it is still technically a mystery at this point. I wonder if it will come into play later on down the line.
And, yeah, I noticed the tracker Rhys was using, too. Also, it started beeping really loud when the Stranger showed up, right? So maybe the Stranger stole whatever Fiona had that Rhys was tracking.
I didnt get why the loader bot went in to save Fiona & Sasha ? So far we have seen loader bottake orders from Rhys but here he was unaware the girls were in danger. If he did get loader bot to get the girls so they can convince Scooter how did he track the girls anyways ? Remember it has not shown any ability to track even Rhys without Yvette guiding it.
It could be a trivial but the incosistency really confuses me.
In case of the first episode maybe the Stranger confiscated the item from Fiona. So the tracker lead him to the Stranger not Fiona.
I don't think he had to track Fiona and Sasha. I think he probably just flew around until he spotted them. He did come back with them, and Rhys is a witness to that, so Loader Bot must have met up with the girls at some point. Also, Loader Bot is actually apparently sentient. He can tell when people are in danger and need his help. He's done a lot of good things without direct orders from Rhys.
LB helping anyone other than Rhys was an exception. He may sense danger but only instance he was aggressive was when tells him to Attack ie first when they arrive on Pandora vs the bandits & vs Vasquez in the Gorteys Project facility in Old Haven that too when Rhys orders him to do so & not when they were being taken hostages. So him to attack a random stranger without being asked to do so stands out as an exception.
Also nobody sees thegirls arrive at Scooter's. Infact the guys are having an argument with Scooter. When Fiona walks a fewpaces towards the workshop only then they notice her.
Yes, it does seem like he has only been violent when directly ordered to be. But he's rescued people lots of times without direct orders. He lifted Rhys and Vaughn over the gate without being asked, got all four members out of the Gortys facility in the arena without being asked, and flew Rhys and Vaughn away from Vasquez in the desert without being asked. Also, by the end of that first battle with the bandits, it seemed like Loader Bot was doing all the fighting on his own without being controlled by Rhys, but that could just be because he had been ordered at least once to fight the bandits.
So, since Loader bot does not seem to be a violent robot, maybe he didn't fight off Athena. Maybe he just flew the girls away like he did with Rhys and Vaughn.
But Loader bot WAS there when the gang left Scooter's garage just about a minute after Fiona got there. And Rhys HAD sent Loader bot to find the girls (or otherwise, Rhys would have corrected that part of Fiona's story). So either Loader Bot came back with the girls or just happened to decide to check back in at the same time they arrived at Scooter's. I honestly don't think Fiona's story is ever more than a little untrue. (I mean, it sucks to enjoy a story that turns out to be totally/mostly a lie, and I'm sure Telltale knows that.) So I think Loader bot must have found the girls and brought them back, just probably without hurling Athena across town.
But nobody saw LB carrying the girls back to Scooter's. Rhys cant comment whether it actually happened or not. Maybe LB didnt find the girls at all & returned at the time the gang was leaving or it did go to save the girls but was defeated by Athena by a universal remote or something.
Also in Athena's wiki page it says she retired from her job as a bounty hunter after she met Janey Springs. But came out of retirement when she couldnt pay her share of rent on Janey's appartment. She pursues Fi as Fi has a bounty on her head.
In the Old Haven ending we see the girls meeting Janey & they tell her about Athena pursuing them. After that Athena gives up the pursuit when Janey says Athena has given up her old life to be with her.
In the Hollow Point ending at the Gortys facility we see a horde of crimson guards killed by whom ? Yes Athena . Notice the dead guards aren't there in the Old Haven ending.
Imo here's a possibility of what could have gone down in the Hollow pt ending :
Athena attacks Fiona in pursuit of the bounty. They try to escape but are cornered by Athena. Fi tells her of the Gorteys Project . She tells Athena that she wouldnt have to work ever again if she helps Fi in her pursuit of the GP. Athena spares her life in return for a share in the profits. Athena then follows them to the facility, slips in to get get rid of any booby traps to protect her investment i.e. Fiona. Instead she finds dozens of crimson guards. She kills them & gets out before the gang goes in. The gang after rambling about prestine Atlas architecture eventually goes in & thus finds a bunch of dead crimson guards.
Imo this theory explains the both the dead crimson guards & also satisfies the Stranger's doubt about LB vs Athena fight.
Sorry for the grammatical errors there. I'm typing on a mobile.
Yeah, I completely agree with this and mentioned a bit about it somewhere when the episode first came out. We already know that both Rhys and Fiona are unreliable narrators, but for The Stranger to straight-up call her out for something seems to be Telltale's way of reminding you of that fact and getting you to rethink the entire scene. Especially because it involves a character that some players are familiar with and who know that she doesn't normally have red eyes/talks like a robot.
I always thought that Fiona made a deal with Athena which we're not privy to. And she promised that she would not reveal the nature of that deal so she made up the highly embellished story of this terrifying ex-Lance assassin with glowing red eyes and a metallic voice that they just managed to escape from...
At first I thought it was because she may have saved them from Finch and Kroger and found out their story/realised they weren't bad people and let them go, then when I did the Old Haven ending I thought it might have something to do with Fiona making a deal to not tell Janey in return for their safety (which happens off screen because we don't get to see that part if we don't choose Hollowpoint) - but making a deal regarding Gortys is another possibility that definitely explains the dead guards.
It's difficult though because there's enough tricky stuff in the Hollowpoint ending that suggests Athena's appearance/sound could be more than Fiona's embellishments (like she's being influenced or possessed by her aspis/the Gortys project itself has awakened something programmed inside her and she's a sleeper agent etc.)
Oh, ok. Fun theory.
I could see Loader Bot finding Fiona and Sasha after they already got rid of Athena perhaps, yeah. 
I just think this was an interesting piece of information. He doesn't seem to be interested in Gortys anymore.
Could his dispute with Fiona be over money? Gah, I don't know. Analysers, analyse away.