Cogito Ergo Proxy simulwatch [RS] (29/11 - 21/12)

[Neil.T]

Episode 7

@Lordhippos:

I read your various bits of speculation. You really are good at this.

I've seen this all already, obviously, and...
"It's too late now. Once you know the truth, there's no escaping it."


I'll come back to your previous point about Daedalus's episode 6 line as soon as time allows, for @D1tchd1gger as well.

 

[João Gomes]

So, should we start calling her Re-i?

I just skimmed through the last posts, punish me if that joke's been done

Also I'm lagging behind

 

[Lordhippos]

And lastly for episode 6, to an observer, Hoody met a sad demise, but he really didn't see it that way himself

I think Hoody saw it as a victory, he got back into the Dome and for him that was the most important thing, not like there was much to live for outside of the Dome judging by circumstances. It was his homecoming, however briefly he got to enjoy it

I read your various bits of speculation. You really are good at this.

Thankyou sir, I enjoy a good bit of speculation, for me a good show with a good mystery is fun as I can try and work things out as I go along. I can be wrong sometimes but it's good to hit the nail on the head from time to time!

Also I'm lagging behind

Slacker! I'll send Pino to sort you out!

 

[HWR]

Episodes 6-7 Not much to add that hasn’t already been said but it’s very difficult not to binge when each episode is as engaging as it has been so far.

 

[João Gomes]

@Lordhippos please do, I'm sure my daughter would appreciate the company ahah

I'll be back later but I just got into the second half of Clannad Another Story and I'm guessing you had the same experience as me: I can't let go of that thing, I am ALL in. All in. Between that and Real Life ™ ®, I can't find the time

But I'll catch up today, it's my day off

 

[Lordhippos]

I'm praying for you @João Gomes

 

[Neil.T]

why offer information when you don't need to do so, but at the same time, we saw Daedalus immediately go off and mention the other passenger, so they weren't asked about that but said it anyway!

Good line, but then goes on to mention a passenger which the chief dude immediately deduces is Vincent! Of course both turn out to be wrong in their belief due to the plan, but why mention a passenger at all if you want to keep a card up your sleeve?

So, yes, I promised to come back to this.

I think the answer lies simply in Vincent's status as a man wanted for treason. The passenger has already (falsely, we later learn) identified himself from inside the craft as being Vincent Law, and Daedalus likely figures that if he weren't to at least make mention of this second occupant, he could later find himself accused by Raul of trying to shelter a criminal (and thus of treason as well), such are the harsh ways of Romdeau's officialdom. So, he tries to make a casual mention of the other passenger before immediately cutting the comms link with Raul.

What Daedalus perhaps didn't expect, though, after Raul dithered for so long in giving clearance to open the plug vent, was that the Security Bureau chief would take such swift and decisive action.

That's my read on it, anyway.

 

[Lordhippos]

Episode 8

Our intrepid explorers immediately find themselves in the middle of a war zone. Pino uses her "being cute" act to disarm them and get a few questions in, the most important of which: "Why are you fighting the autoreivs?" - answered by misdirection. Why do I get the feeling these soldiers don't even know why they're fighting anymore?

It seems both sides have the means to create more soldiers, and that is what they are doing. More human clones to fight more autoreivs, repeated for who knows how long at this point?

As much as he doesn't mean to, it seems Vincent brings trouble with him wherever he goes. First in Romdeau, then in the commune, and now here. A trail of well intentioned destruction follows in his wake.

The two proxies fighting was interesting again, so far we've had two in close proximity twice, and both times it seems to head lead to a fight to the death. The proxies do not seem to get along with each other at all.

Pino asking the same question as me, "who are you?". First time we've seen the blonde chap. He seems at ease despite seeing the rather dead looking Proxy which must be an unusual sight for anyone who was not familiar with what a proxy is.

 

[Lordhippos]

Daedalus likely figures that if he weren't to at least make mention of this second occupant, he could later find himself accused by Raul of trying to shelter a criminal (and thus of treason as well)

I meant to add this to the end of my post just above but woops, hit send before I could stop myself

I think this could explain it, just without knowing this is the reason it looked like Daedalus did the opposite of what he'd just said not to do

 

[WMD]

Playing catch up from the weekend. Hopefully get back on track tomorrow.

Episode 6
It's so sad to see Pino still looking for Timothy and at the end she starts to understand sadness and grief and pain.

With the way they were under attack I'm surprised more of them didnt die!

With Vincent off and Re-l sick but back in Romdeau it feels like we've reached the climax of act one of this story!

Episode 7
What a dark opening this episode has. Their journey sure ain't easy!

The birthing pods have such and alien feel to them. No wonder Re-l was disturbed by it. It also must mean people are sterile in the dome right?

And some answers about the Proxies. A grim truth of dependencies. On the flip side Vincent is loses those around him. And becomes so much sterner in his loneliness.

Re-l just cant catch a break. Just as she gets better she comes under attack. The slow motion shot of her head turning as the autoreiv came for her was a real stand out moment this episode!

Also she looks way better in her emo make up lol!

 

[Dai]

Episode 8
If the first few episodes hid the scope of the story by making Romdo seem like its be-all-and-end-all (like looking at an elephant through a microscope), and Vincent's encounter with the Commune showed us there was more to that world, then episode 8 is where the show really starts to take shape. Episode 1 made us think we were watching a primarily event-focused story about the mysteries of Romdo, but the growing travelogue aspect of Vincent's story shows as much interest in milieu, ie. showing us different places in this world and how they work (or don't).

We're briefly introduced to another proxy, the "agent of moonlight", only for her to be quickly dispatched in a brutal fight. We also see that she looks human behind her monstrous mask. The other proxy appears to absorb energy from her, but to what purpose?

Vincent also makes the important discovery that Pino is better company than humans.

 

[Lordhippos]

It also must mean people are sterile in the dome right?

It would make sense as to why the outside is bad news for them, in addition to it also being quite a toxic environment potentially.

Vince having suffered the same kind of illness outside also adds weight to the idea that his memory of where he came from is likely part of his being cloned as well, and that his home is probably very different to how his memories remember it to be.

We also see that she looks human behind her monstrous mask. The other proxy appears to absorb energy from her, but to what purpose?

Maybe it's to become a super proxy, like Highlander, "There can be only ONE!"

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Heheh loving the jokes guys. I've just binged a whole bunch to catch up and to kind of make up for the next two days I'm very likely to miss, so I think I'm on episode 10 now? I will try to keep my trap shut on specifics so as to not inadvertently spoil anything. Very easy to get sucked in as I'm sure everyone agrees.

Really enjoying this series and exactly as @Dai mentioned, I've really liked how from episode 4 onwards the scope of the story has been exponentially expanding. A great bit of misdirection at it just being about Romdo at the start but heck no, it's become a very different beast now and I am certainly feeling @Neil.T's reference to Casshern Sins and also Wolf's Rain (definitely getting a similar fantasy sci-fi vibe now) with a very dead/dying world outside.

The Alien birthing wombs imagery/feel comment was spot on, but thankfully no facehuggers in sight. Poor Re-i (yeah I'm sticking with this now (until I get bored in the next five minutes...) and it's all your fault @João Gomes or whoever mentioned it heh) can't catch a break - unleash your vectors dammit! Oh wait we did have vectors with the agent of moonlight though didn't we? Does grandpa ever talk directly or do his Seele statue proxies (geddit?) do the talking for him - are they his personality split into the Magi supercomputers four AIs? Ugh I'm just talking rubbish so I'll stop now. Alright just one last thing as got to have a Pino mention: she's got some serious sand-surfing/skiing skills! And also some handy proxy-particle detectors.

 

[Lordhippos]

Think you're mixing up your anime into one jumbled mess @Geriatric hedgehog

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Think you're mixing up your anime into one jumbled mess @Geriatric hedgehog

It's either sleep deprivation or early onset dementia or Megatron (or whatever the latest variant now is)... Think it's the first on that list so I'll try and fix that and go to sleep now... okay maybe after just a bit more anime! Must stay awaaa zzzzzzzz

 

[Dai]

Episode 9
So now we know that Vincent is the titular Ergo Proxy, the agent of death, though it hasn't yet been made clear exactly what that means. We see that two proxies ruled over the ruins of a dead city, and that curiously Senex in the previous episode had no qualms about murdering the people in her half of the city. The proxies increasingly come across like cruel and capricious Greek gods, operating by strange, inhuman agendas and bringing death on a whim.

 

[WMD]

Episode 8

Must confess I'd completely forgotten this episode existed. It was very good.

Don't know how Vincemt can fall so far into depression when Pinos around! I like how this attitude is flipped when hes finally with people and he realises he's now closer to Pino.

Stumbling into a warzone really grows the world in a big way. Like there could be anything going on out there now. The attacking autoreivs remind me of old style Cylons from Battlestar Galactica.

And the Proxy showdown sure is something to behold. It feels powerful without all that much happening. I think the slow mo of the helicopter falling and the girls narration over it really help sell it and this grand world altering event that no one is even aware is happening!

Episode 9

My god this is a fantastic episode. Some answers, some action, some philosophising, some existential trauma and some counting rabbits.

Pino sat quietly at the start adds an eeriness to the sitiation. She knows somethings up and all too soon Vincent will as well. Hes finally confronted by his true self even if he doesn't have all the answers yet- he is at least now aware he is indeed a proxy.

Seeing the city seemingly alive and then the ugly dead truth sure was something. It really added to the hopelessness the Proxies all seem to be feeling. Also the tilting camera work when Pino was begging Vince to leave was really effective at building that dead and tension before events unravelled.

 

[HWR]

Episodes 8-9 It’s interesting to see how these episodes expand the lore and just where Vincent ties into it.

 

[Lordhippos]

Episode 9

Definitely got a slightly creepy vibe off blondie, and Pino who I highly respect as a good judge of character, was clearly not a fan. Why even bother with the glass when you're going to neck the wine back like that? may as well just drink straight from the bottle. Seems like he'd run out of stock at that pace even with a warehouse full of wine.

This was the most telling episode so far we've had in relation to the Proxies. It seems that Vincent does indeed turn into one, and is the namesake of the show to boot, Ergo Proxy, the agent of death. What reason I wonder for Vincent to wipe his own memories? Must have been something bad indeed to make him want to forget the past and begin anew. Like Re-l said in an earlier episode, you can't ignore the truth.

Once again we have a Proxy showdown, this makes 3 encounters for 3 deaths, definitely giving me Highlander vibes

Pino, ever the good judge of character, is happy to trust Vincent, so we by extension as viewers trust him too, even though we don't know his motives or reason either.

One interesting side note is that Vincent no longer seems interested in eating much, he didn't touch his food at the table, nor could he keep the food down he ate last episode. Perhaps his Proxy half means he doesn't need to eat much if at all, which will be convenient out in this wasteland as Pino doesn't need food.

 

[João Gomes]

Finally up to date and actually up to meditatio 10! Raul reminds me of Kiritsugu, I wonder where he'll end up going.

Things got much more interesting outside of the dome than I could've ever had expected, in fact it seems most of the answers I'm interested in will be found in the wasteland. The dome keeps the intrigue of its inner workings and politics but that's not as interesting, for now at least.

I'm happy Iggy is back in the game and free of the council of creepy statues' control. These last few episodes have been really great; lots of interesting things happening, things of consequence.

Daedalus having a moment with the thing inside the glass tube was certainly a thing that happened. Oh my.

Back to Clannad!