really leaning hard into the cosmic horror and I fuckin love it

  • Egon [they/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    I really like it too. The dialogue is kinda wack at times, and I'm struggling with wether it actually is bad dialogue or I'm just wearing nostalgia-glasses for season 1 (the Tinder/"I listen" convo was so bad it made me laugh).

    The plot is fucking great tho, I love the supernatural elements coming in and one of the dead people has the same name as one of my ex's parents, which is very funny. Hadn't thought about them in years, but shot them a quick text and we laughed about it together.

    I love the indigenous representation. I love the mystery. I love that the original showrunner is salty that someone else is doing the show and they're doing the thing people wanted him to do, but he never did (leaned into the cosmic horror stuff).

    Do you have any theories?
    I think

    • the crab lady with missing fingers might have killed some of the people. She's missing her fingers, just like that local legend.
    • The scientists found some weird bacteria or chemical that causes hallucinations, and now the mining company has drilled into the place where that thing is, and it is seeping into the water causing mass hallucinations.
    • The first Nations cop has a split personality. She has a lot in common with the legend of (I think) Sedna - including dating a guy called Qavvik.
    • take_five_seconds [he/him, any]
      ·
      5 months ago

      The scientists found some weird bacteria or chemical that causes hallucinations, and now the mining company has drilled into the place where that thing is, and it is seeping into the water causing mass hallucinations.

      that's my guess. my partner is like "NOOO IT'S MAGIC STOP NOOO"

      • Egon [they/them]
        ·
        5 months ago

        I have real beef with the people that take issue with the supernatural elements, when there's (as of yet) plausible explanations for all of it.
        "How come rust cohles ghost dad showed them the way to the corpses?"
        Gee I don't know, THATS THE FUCKING MYSTERY. Imagine watching a detective show and being mad that not everything is explained immediately.

        • take_five_seconds [he/him, any]
          ·
          edit-2
          5 months ago

          if it is hallucinations they're going to affect people in different ways! rose sees her dead husband, the native women hear the voices of their ancestors out on the ice, like people's given religious/spiritual beliefs will actively affect what they see when they hallucinate. i haven't watched ep 4 yet (i know what happens) but i'm really excited for the last two!

    • Quimps [he/him]
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      5 months ago

      She's not sedna. If she's sedna then they needed to ask any of the Inuits on set what was up. At best her treatment of her sister is an analogue to the way the angakkoq cares for the ocean goddess and washes away the filth left by others.

      • Egon [they/them]
        ·
        5 months ago

        I'm not super well-versed in Inuit folklore, so thanks!
        Id just looked into it a bit some time ago, and then the crablady with the missing fingers made me think of Sedna and my mind got spinning from there - Cut off by an abusive father, married a dog (Qavvik cares for dogs and his name is similar to the Inuit kavik for wolverine, a stretch I know), she's a loner, she has a weird thing with yhat boat in episode 3...

        I see now that It sounds dumb when I write it out

        • Quimps [he/him]
          ·
          5 months ago

          The missing fingers definitely says ocean goddess. But the main character has a caring role in which she quite literally grooms (Not in the negative meaning) her sister as a response to outside influence. Which screams angakkoq if we're looking at ocean goddess imagery. She herself isn't mutilated, nor does she provide for the town materially.

          The dog connection is clever, but I don't know if she marries a dog in the inupiat version of the tale. Tbh my only knowledge of the tale is as Arnaqquassaaq.

          • Egon [they/them]
            ·
            5 months ago

            Hey thanks so much for the response! It's all very interesting. What do you make of her not knowing her own name?