#smoke screen

Based on this tweet by xivering on twitter pointing out the the similaries

[Because I think there are legitimate parallels that can be drawn from this. I don’t think it’s a pure coincidence (ESPECIALLY not in Till’s case which is a literal exact one to one). I’ll explain!!]

Part 1: Till and the grenade

The grenade was a smoke grenade. It acted as a barrier - it produced a smoke screen, allowing Mizi to trick the Alien and act sneakily (To get in)

The grenade shares eyes with Till, Till was also similarly anxious, sweating as his face was gently held in Mizi’s hands, and staring back at her

And then Mizi pulled the trigger on the grenade, forcing a smoke screen that tricks the Alien and conceals what’s actually going on from view. Same with Till! Till’s hand going limp is perhaps a narrative smoke screen!! To trick the aliens, to conceal whats actually going on between them

AFTERALL, we see her tell him something, but we don’t know what. She holds him gently and is perhaps forcing him to action, even a small one, to trick the audience. So that his faintly beating heartbeat goes unnoticed under their increasingly loud cheers.

The louder they’ll cheer in excitement about the finale, the more it shows how much increasingly preoccupied in their bliss they are to properly notice the trickery happening right under their noses (Just like Mizi’s earlier trick)

Part 2: Ivan & the Anakt Garden flowers

The concept of character eyes being similar to alien eyes which then together serve a greater narrative parallel extends to Ivan too. Thus further strengthening the notion that it means SOMETHING!

Ivan was always observing others closely (in particular Till), just like the flowers observe the Anakt children.

[I remember the first time me and my friend were talking about the flowers possibly being for observation we talked about in it alongside Ivan’s eyes, & also his tendency to observe and stare lol, because the flowers’ eyes specifically drawn to be very similar to Ivan’s when they are recording. (And then 2 weeks later we were proven right hahahhaha ahem…)]

(Anyway) And yet from what we know of the information the flowers have gathered on the children, a lot of it is pretty surface level, it's never able to observe or record things like a person's true mindset. It only sees what the children are outwardly showcasing. It will never understand what goes on deep within these children’s minds, their true thoughts and opinions. Just like Ivan was never able to truly observe and gather his impact on Till and what he truly viewed Ivan as in his mind. Ivan thought to Till he wouldn’t matter.

He closely observed Till, but he was never able to fully gather what goes in Till’s mind. He wasnt able to gather Till’s true mindset, his views, his opinions (on Ivan). Till outwardly showcases apprehension at times, so it was easy for Ivan to gather and observe that, but he wasn’t able to see that Till did internally consider eachother “close”, that Ivan will have an impact on him.

And just as the flower was crushed while serving its duty, having observed what it did but never beyond it Ivan too was "crushed" while “”serving his duty”” (saving till), but he never got to observe how much of an effect his death would actually have on Till.

The Fugitive + AO3 tags Part 4

I should draw them morr often