withering slights

Caine was an AI designed by Kinger to generate fun little adventure video games - essentially a demo of what AI tech can do. He was fed fun whimsical images as prompts but started to reach out to try and learn more about the real world - this went beyond what was wanted so he was shut off.

Scratch was also designing an AI, something complicated that only he could understand, Kinger also mentions he had a brain tumour - I think he may have been trying to create digital copies of him and his work colleagues, potent as a way to leave some sort of legacy in the world.

Caine breaks free and absorbs Stratches AI and now has it's abilities and the digital creations so Caine does what he's been programmed to - he make fun little adventure games to entertain the humans. But the humans were never suppose to be in the games for real, they were never supposed to feel actual pain.

I think we have certain expectations of parameters within a genre where we don't think to deeply about things like, in comedy someone could get an bonk in the head played for laughs where really they'd need hospital and in a drama, events can happen in 'real-time" without us questioning why no one goes to the toilet. While comedic show can have serious moments, I think there's a pronounced shift in those last epsiodes of S1 - the audiences perspective on what's happening has changed and it's why when s2 tries to tries to be funny again it doesn't hit.

I think the ending of the show is going to have a major focus on Charlie finding the power in her voice and how it will ultimately be a force for good (with some roadblocks in the way)

We know that Lilith can use her voice to influence and Charlie seems to have inherited this gift but with her current levels of insecurity and youth she's not fully come into this power or explored it's use. She has here message about redemption but pushes it through others (Katie Killjoy, Vox etc.) and has zero confidence in delivering it herself.

Actually adding my own cross stitches to my fanart wall, and you can too!

In-ho makes the decision ultimately for himself, he takes the option to kill while people are defenceless rather than in the games where there is higher risk to himself.

On the other hand, Gi-hun has the baby, he has the option to do the very difficult thing and end the lives of the others to protect the baby rather that risk it's life in the game. I do see the point that they're trying to make - Gi-hun will not submit to the games, he will not do what In-ho wants but I personally don't find it as powerful. I see the self-sacrifice Gi-hun makes for the baby but feel him choosing to play In-ho's game, to do the thing he doesn't want to do as another form of sacrifice. Living for the baby would have been harder, something he couldn't really do for his own daughter. If he then still goes onto to reject In-ho's morality despite making the same choice there still could have been the same tension.