My husband isn't dying, thankfully (knock on wood), but he does have a number of chronic illnesses that prevent him from getting out of bed most days, and he's always in pain; I could see him writing a letter like that to his parents. People really underestimate how incredibly taxing being the sole caregiver of an infirm loved one is, and I can see how wanting to help his wife twisted in James's mind as he struggled to cope with the stress of caring for her on top of the looming specter of her impending death. I could never, ever do what James did, even if my husband asked me to, but I understand the fear and dread that comes with never knowing if your partner will be alive the next time you come home from work.
that's the power of James character to me, I totally understand why he did what he did, and it's still wrong, but so understandable. it's a really human tragedy
My wife has extreme OCD. For 20 years it was always hard to live with, but when COVID hit, she had a complete breakdown. I saw my wife crumble away quickly in-front of my eyes. It was very painful and very difficult. It took her 3 years to get back to where she was before COVID. No one can understand how taxing and mentally damaging something like that can be on a spouse or loved ones until they live through it. When James says "its been a long three years"... believe me, I understand what he means. Knowing your spouse is going to die and living with that for three years... I can't even imagine. That's why this game hits everyone so hard. Its a horrible situation for both James and Mary.
That’s what I love about SH2 characters. They’re very nuanced. It’s clear that James did what he didn’t want Mary to suffer. He didn’t want to suffer seeing her suffer. It’s weird how relationships work. I do genuinely think James loved Mary, but I think during that love, it was somewhat twisted and intermingled with hate. Hatred at caring for a person who would never get better and rotting away. Hatred for a prospect of a future without a loved one. Hatred for feelings that would never be met(I’m referring to James’s sexual frustration by this). It must’ve been the same for Mary as well. It’s revealed that Mary wasn’t so innocent in this as well. She would often lash out at James. I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had to take care of a loved one who was afflicted with a severe mental illness but I’ve had times where I’ve lashed out at family members/friends and vice versa. Those moments of regret are sometimes too hard to bear. These are people who raised you or who’ve put their trust in you and you hurt them. I think the reason why James and Mary’s relationship is so compelling is because it’s so realistic(maybe besides him taking her life part). There are definitely people out there who have gone through eerily similar situations. I think the whole spill was handled in a pretty competent and mature manner. P.S. I hope your loved ones get better!
@@TerryRed OCD is such a crippling, debilitating condition, I'm sure it's been awful trying to find real support for the both of you. People like to minimize it as "quirky", so I know it can be hard to get folks to take it as the serious disorder it is. I'm glad she's managed to take steps to get back to level of normalcy, and I hope you two continue to heal.
@@OldEnemy1 I agree, it's incredibly realistic! Both of their perspectives are represented well, and the tragedy is that neither of them ever intended for things to end up as they did. I'm sure James never considered, in a million years, that he would ever murder his wife, and that's why he's in such denial. Mary never thought, in a million years, that she'd be dying and helpless, and her lashing out is part of her grieving process. Neither action is good, but it's all so understandable. This is more directed at anyone reading comments (hello, reader!), but I know a lot of people struggle to understand why a sick person would be so cruel to someone taking care of them. Psychologically, it generally comes down to a lack of agency causing frustration; the early stages of dementia exhibit this kind of behavior really well. My grandmother went from a sweet old lady to always angry for two or three years, but once the dementia progressed to a certain point, she was much calmer. She was in denial about her condition for a long time, but after a point, she couldn't convince herself that she was okay anymore. PS. Thank you for the well-wishes! He's working hard to get stronger, and I'll be happy to tell him that a stranger in the comments of a SH2 breakdown video wished him well, lol.
The ending hit so hard. The terminally ill are still very much alive. I know you've talked about your own experiences with sitting at the bedside of a dying loved on. For me, my mom was terminally ill for most of my life, passing 8 years ago. I can only imagine, based on my own experience, how hard some of these final lines were for you to write but I am so glad you're out here challenging some of the ideas people have put forth. May we both continue on a healing journey.
48:05 - 48:14 Fun fact, James actually CAN take not one, but two items down the elevator with him if the player chooses to leave them in his inventory: Mary's photograph, and the envelope containing the imaginary letter. The player, as James, can leave one item behind in favor of another, or take both of them at once. I happened to discover this by accident a few years ago during one of my replays of the game when getting to this particular segment when I felt like screwing around with the elevator for fun. The elevator has a sign inside of it that tells the player that the weight limit for said elevator only allows "one person", yet it's possible for James to bring Mary, in a symbolic sense via the photograph, down the elevator with him if he leaves everything else he has behind. As for the letter, besides the fact that the letter itself doesn't actually exist, the only reason I can think of that it was also given an exception by the elevator is that, despite the letter itself being a fiction created by James' mind, the words it contains are based on a partial reading of the REAL letter Mary actually wrote to James, which are ultimately the culmination of the truth that the town has been guiding him towards aince first setting foot in Silent Hill... so therefore, the fake letter is exempted because it is ultimately a fragment of the truth that the town itself wants James to uncover, and if he chooses to hold onto it while going down the elevator then what reason does the town/elevator have to stop him? Anyway, my personal interpretations and theories aside, I definitely don't think that this was an accident by the developers, and is likely very intentional.
All of your video essays on Silent Hill are incredibly well done. I like that you took a little of all of them and summarized them into this video as a reminder of the themes just before the remake is set to come out.
This game meant a lot to me as a kid. Seeing a young guy fighting through madness to get to someone that isn’t there. Oof it hit hard. Anyways I could beat it in around 48 minutes after I played it so much.
we relate to the people in Silent Hill, James loneliness and confusion/desire to escape and eventual redemption appeals to us due to our desires and fears. We all want a silent heaven.
I have read and watched SH content for years now and never have i encountered an analysis of 2 that is that clear and concise. Its pro level for sure! Looking forward binging this channel 😗
I never thought of it that way. I always assumed that Laura was lying about meeting Mary last year when it was James lying about her dying 3 years ago. Man that one flew by me
I know the “Leave” ending is the “good” ending, and makes sense with how James rises to face the two Pyramid Heads and states he doesn’t need them anymore, but I always thought the “In Water” ending makes a lot of sense, too, with James taking his own life as both punishment for what he has done but also being unable to move on from the death of his wife. Not that suicide is ever the answer, but both endings I feel work.
Clearly the Dog ending is making the most sense! Only a dog could make this up! Jokes aside but that's the beautiful thing about Silent Hill 2,you can imagine and interpret the endings at your own will and decide which you find canon. No one has to tell you that. You yourself decide.
@mywifesboyfriend5558 no. This is not true for any Silent Hill. You're wrong. Example: if you get the UFO ending in SH2 that means Silent Hill 3 doesn't happen because Mason isn't there to die. It's not canon. Same goes with the bad ending in the original SH. That is not canon because he needs to be in SH3. In SH4 James Sunderlands father mentions that James disappeared in SH, meaning he probably didn't make it out alive. Obviously Silent Hill doesn't blow up because SH is mentioned in SH4 as being around, so one of SH3 endings is non canon. So no not all endings are canon. Use your brain and use context clues around you in future games to eliminate which endings are non canon.
The way you opened the video, not only works as a perfect description of the intro to silent Hill to but suddenly made me realize how many similarities silent hill to has with the David Lynch movie lost Highway from 1997. I wonder now if by chance the movie was an inspiration after all the original silent Hill has a reference to the Dario Argento movie demons, well Dario Argento produced that movie
I periodically check youtube for Silent Hill retrospectives and I conveniently have been on another kick recently because I'm trophy hunting the HD collection on ps3. This was right at the top of my feed this morning and it's perfect because i drive for work and these deep and long analysis videos are perfect to listen to on long trips. Very excited for this upload. You've already earned a like
There’s nothing like holding hands with dad across moms body, each of us holding one of her hands, watching the heart monitor numbers drop lower. They couldn’t give her meds for blood pressure and heart rate at the same time, so…the nurse turned the sound off
Masahiro Ito said, regarding the hole graffiti, that to him it represented James' alcoholism. He used to crawl into the bottom of a bottle to hide from his problems but now, in Silent Hill, that hole is gone and he has nowhere left to hide.
After all these years since Silent Hill 2 came out, my opinion on James is this. No matter what walk of life you come from, people can be worn down by their circumstances and do terrible things. I believe James did what he did partially for selfish reasons and the other as a mercy. Living with a chronically ill person is a constant drain on your empathy well. You never want to complain because what you're experiencing pales in comparison. For some, chronic pain can be so awful that death would be a welcome release.
36:40 - which also follows with the comment of the open fridge giving off a bad smell. Decay prehaps, maybe due to the ring representing a corpses face.
Excellent analysis. Loved the first one, of course, and got excited to see an upload of this. Takes a lot of love to do so much homework to put these videos together. These are quite a treat. Thank you! Looking forward to your analysis on Silent Hill 3. ❤❤❤
It’s never been confirmed that he did it recently and her body is in the car, but there’s definitely evidence towards it. Since the remake came out there’s a definite sway towards that theory as you can see what seems like a body under a sheet on the back seat with the free camera.
This whole analysis is amazing .. I think you did a wonderful job covering almost everything. However, I wish you covered a few points. One is when the game started, and in the bathroom, you can see posters of "Heaven's Night" with Maria's face on them. That always was interesting to me. Another thing is about the real face of Pyramid Head: him having James head under the pyramid mask. Ofc, we live this story from James's perspective, but I've always wondered what the story would be if we were to live SH through Eddie's or Angela's lenses. Having a different main character would mostly shape SH differently, and I wonder then if we will ever see James as part of their stories.
Mary didn't actually die three years ago... She was dead to him. Everything she was, everything she meant to him... Who she was died when she got sick, and was in the hospital. She got sick three years ago. She actually died not that long ago.
@51:44 James didn't neccessarily force it on her. In the "Leave" ending, it is VERY strongly implied that Mary wanted him to do it. James tries to cop out and say that he hated her, to which she replies to him "If that were true, why are you so sad?" Very likely Mary asked him to do this, and he did. He couldn't watch her suffer, she wanted her suffering to end. That he also felt anger, betrayal himself (remember, she did push him and everyone else away), sexual frustration, guilt for those thoughts as well....all of that culminating with the fact that the person he loves is suffering and wants him to end it. I think you completely missed that angle; now if this was purposefully missed or not, idk. But I'm quite surprised you completely ignored this angle entirely. What you said there: "it wasn't his choice to make." No it wasn't. And ending depending, he didn't make it. Again, I feel like you're willfully ignoring this aspect to fit with modern trends of shifting blame of everything onto men. While you don't get this context without the leave ending, the events that happened, happened. That the game doesn't show you this unless you get a specific ending, is to encourage you to replay the game to get the full context of the story, like with Nier Automata. So I turn the question back. Is it evil, to do what your suffering loved one asks of you? Is it immoral? What if one of YOUR loved ones asked you to end their suffering? The law tells us it is illegal, but law is not an arbiter of what is moral and just. It is a series of rules that is meant to make us a civil society. You condemn James for doing what he was asked, then try to say that Mary was betrayed. How can both be true?
I don't think Mary specifically wanted James to kill her. That she wanted to die so her pain ends, that is true. She also says she doesn't really want to die, that she wants to get better, but she knows that she won't. She says so in the conversation we hear on the hallway scene. Everyone who is in pain, who is terminally ill have moments like this when they just wish they already died, or they hope they will really get better by some sort of a miracle, but deep down they know it won't happen. I know this as I have unfortunately experienced it. My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. And when he woke up after a long, difficult surgery, he told me he wished he died at the operating table. Because he was in pain, he was sad, everything that was normal now is not, that there was the hospital bill that was getting bigger and bigger each day, etc. Other days he would be optimistic, and he would want to recover quickly so we could go home, and he could maybe go back to his job. Other days he would talk about the euthanasia scene in the film "Soylent Green". How he wished there was really something like that for terminally ill people, where they would just lie down and watch a movie or documentary they like and slowly fall asleep never to wake up again. My dad didn't really want to die, he just wanted the pain to end. He was always fit and active. When he was diagnosed, my sister and I were only in our early 20s. He had a lot to look forward to. The next year would have been my parents' 25th wedding anniversary and he wanted to celebrate it, even if it would just be a simple party. He was looking forward to retirement and growing a small farm with vegetables, fruit trees, and some small animals. He never would have wanted the pain to end by asking my mom, me, or my sister to kill him in his sleep. He might have wished it would have already happened, before the pain got too unbearable, but never by our hands. He told us once he thought of jumping off a tall building after he was diagnosed, but then we would have found out that way, and it wouldn't be fair. I too think of death sometimes and wish there was an easy way, like that scene in Soylent Green he once told us about. I would prefer it to be like that, or an accident, but never to be killed by people that I love. And I think that was the same of Mary. She had moments where she wanted to live, and then she wanted to die, but she didn't want to get killed by James. She went home because that would have been her last time, her last chance to be back home. She didn't come home so that James could kill her.
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 Based on what we see from watching the videotape and James' reaction to it, Mary didn't ask him to kill her. Additionally, both OG and remake SH2 also has this line from Mary, coming from the radio when James first picks it up, "Why did you kill me?"
This entire video is just an unbroken chain of the most refreshing perspectives I've ever seen for Silent Hill. I love your attention to detail, and hearing the things you take away from those details
Interesting point about the dead body in the chair in the apartment, I saw an interview with the devs where they said that dead body is James' 3D model... but they didn't say whether that was supposed to mean something, or just some subtle asset reuse? 🤔
Yes. All the dead bodies ( Except for the ones near Eddie) are James. James is in a time loop. Doing the same things over and over again with slight variations. The rememberences of the original point to this. The notes and maps looking old and bloodstained, and many other clues show this. The photos in particular kinda prove the whole thing. Some say this is a message for the fans,but I don't believe so. Spoiler: YOU HAVE BEEN HERE FOR TWO DECADES. Different versions of James have been coming here, dying, or making it to different places. The James we play as here is not the same as the PS2 version. The "Leave " ending shows James breaking the cycle, and leaving with Laura. The others, where James gives in, and ends his life. All endings are canon.
Muse, your stuff is the best. Seriously, stellar work on this one. I’ve been working through some of your back catalogue and the amount of in-depth, understandable and genuinely insightful information that you give in pretty much all of your videos is fantastic. Really looking forward to your future projects!
I actually never made the connection between James' dad and the apartments and him having this connection to the place! Even though it is more of an afterthought being possible by the Room existing.
you can see the awful night an day difference between the original and the reboot. its more of a silent hill homecoming type of game rather than the original SH2 game. it's awfully butchered for whatever reason bloober also didn't understand a single horror or unnerving original's game aspects or mechanics.
I lrft silent hill 2 og and remake wondering a lot and this helped patch up a lot. Appreciate the video and def will be atching more of your stuff in the future❤
Why? She's literally a manifestation of the same demon as Pyramid Head. The only difference is the symbolic meaning she holds for James. She's still something the Demon conjured up to torture James though.
Have you ever read the SilentPyramid plot analysis of the Silent Hill games? I never see anyone talking about it really but in my mind it's the best document for unpacking everything in there, even if it's unfinished.
That's just a rumour due to a publication back in the day. Considering the timeline it never made sense, but it kept being repeated due to it... sounding cool and bizarre i guess?
@@makoto4341 With the "in water" ending is possible to interpret that James took Mary's body to the car with him due to the violents movements that can be heard. And Laura's age points that Mary didn't die that long ago. Also, "My wife died three years ago" could be related to the beginning of her sickness. Just trying to explain that point of view because that was my impression without reading any analisys of the game yet.
Its always funny when people actually think that James did nothing wrong. Its like they didnt understand the game at all. You are supposed to be surprised and feel disgust with having played a killer all along, but a lot of people seem to be like "no! It cant be!". Silent hill forces you to think about things you dont want to think about: its absolutely beautiful
My personal theory: running off the whole Christian themed, Maria's sacrifice as Jesus kind of thing, eggs are connected to Easter, and in the modern day is a holiday celebrating Jesus's resurrection after the crucifixion. The two eggs - one described more pleasantly than the other - could represent the two paths James' "resurrection" will take: a good ending or a bad one.
OMG woman... i freakin LOVE you and your content! lmao SH 1/2/3 are my all time favorite games and the way you cover them always uncovers more of the things that I love about them... thank you for all of your hard work in doing these deep dives and narratives. they are amazing!
Silent Hill 2 has the most unique story telling about characters facing their inner most trauma and guilt. It's like the town itself is putting them on a trial of facing the crimes they've committed, and must seek redemption. Angela is the most tragic of all characters, and what she'd gone through is indeed the type of pain she could never escape nor she could ever be healed from that trauma. When she walks slowly towards the fire, was her way to get away from the pain, and as for Eddie. We all know there wasn't no redeeming of his own crimes, nor he feels guilty of what he's done. It's cool that we as a player can decide James' fate in the game, weather or not we can redeem his guilt or not. It still makes me very curious about the remake, and how they gonna change the aspect of the original game, cause it's obvious that Blooper Team aren't gonna go through with the risky themes that Team Silent did with the original.
I really am curious to see if Muse will do a review and comparison of the forthcoming remake when that drops in Early October. I’ve had my doubts about the remake and Bloober Team’s ability to capture the magic of the original title. They’ve clearly made some substantial changes to the look and design of the characters and environments. I’m genuinely interested to see if Muse likes the remake or not, and how she feels it stacks up.
U did a wonderfull job, as usually. But the video is little bit dark, I mean the brightness or gamma can be a little up next time. Keep up the good work!
a lot of this is from older videos or my written works, it's a redo to create a new vid to bring in people just checking out sh2 content now that the remake is coming. so if you've been watching the channel a whil you prolly recognize it. thanks for watching it anyway!
i read that the original artwork had baby faces on those nurses. Maybe that softness of the nurses faces is what one "could" interpret the way muse did.
I am going to play this game again because of your videos. it would be my 2nd time since I first played a decade plus ago. The soundtrack is eerie and It never left my playlist ever since.
After beating Remake, I wanted to watch a SH2 Remake Story explained but every video is just people recaping what happens beat by beat like it's explaining to somebody who hasn't played the game lol. I'm only 2 minutes into this video but it seems this is actually what I was looking for.
The story is self-explanatory and simple, the thing about the game is depth throught symbolism not complexity of the narrative so muct deep dive will be about that.
As someone who has lived with chronic, once terminal, illness, I feel incredibly seen and empathized with. Thank you so much. Some of my ex friends described Mary as an abusive bitch. I…couldn’t believe it. Amazing and beautiful analysis. If I could give an award or money for this, I absolutely would.
I can't believe that they had said that about Mary, she isn't abusive, she's just angry and frustrated for being stuck in an awful situation that she can't be cured of and has to wait to die while being in pain!
Loved the video, thank you for putting this together and shedding light on this deep story. Where can I find the music? Looked it up but I can't find it. Would love to listen to those ambient tracks.
Fantastic video. Extremely well written, narrorated, and edited. This was a pleasure to watch. Can't thank you enough for posting. Edit: Please do Silent Hill 3. 😂
You are a treasure for going through all this effort to bring us this outstanding analysis. So grateful for you and your unwavering dedication and expertise ❤️
I don't think it does; but it brings it to mind for me (playing it again after having learned her story) and I could never shake the connection. I don't think her designer would have chosen red without some consideration on it.
I believe Maria was a real person but only one James new on surface level. Lady Maria was a stripper that reminded him of his wife but only because of her name and maybe her similar looks. As most likely James would visit the strip joint right down the block after visiting Mary. And perhaps in a way his Maria entity encompasses the negative aspects of Mary that he wanted to forget.
I believe that all characters have multiple layers. For instance, Angela serves as a mentor to James, but she also embodies blinded justice, representing shame and self-destruction, as well as the destructive aspect of femininity through the archetype of Medea. Pyramid Head, on the other hand, represents the lower self of masculine desire; he is violent and brutal and he represnted strenght. His dragging of the sword symbolizes guilt, as he carries the shadow self of James. He acts as both executioner and punisher, while his spear represents sexual desire, leaving us to question what James truly wants. James no longer needs the divine femininity of Maria, who embodies both Eve and Lilith. Instead, he is left with the guilt of betrayal. The fusion of Pyramid Head’s sacrifice with James signifies a reconciliation of his primal masculinity and his own self, indicating that he is no longer in conflict with it. Maria attempts to embody Mary as James progresses through his anima, representing the pure and angelic aspect of femininity associated with Saint Mary. However, this ideal was shattered when Mary lashed out at James. Maria claims she will be better than Mary and not react in the same way, but James ultimately rejects this exaggerated praise of Saint Mary. He sees the darker aspects of femininity represented by Angela as Medea, which creates a balance. As a result, he no longer desires a perfect Mary, rendering Maria's manipulation ineffective.
I never played this game on the PS2 and it looks amazing. If Gods will I will see Muse playing Sillent Hill 2 Remake and then I will buy it on PC to play it too and complete it till 100%. Have a nice day to you Muse and your subscribers 🙂❤️
first played this in 2020 after my friend recommended it, no experience has matched sh2+3 (other than the xbox ninja gaiden trilogy) pet peeves so far 1. the endings are ambiguous i somewhat dislike the firm narrative you seem to be taking 2. 6:16 plant life is life, the most true form of life there is
The endings are ambiguous, but they are built on a pretty solid narrative. A lot of things remain constant, what changes is how you interpret James' behavior, and the way he decides to go in the end.
My husband isn't dying, thankfully (knock on wood), but he does have a number of chronic illnesses that prevent him from getting out of bed most days, and he's always in pain; I could see him writing a letter like that to his parents. People really underestimate how incredibly taxing being the sole caregiver of an infirm loved one is, and I can see how wanting to help his wife twisted in James's mind as he struggled to cope with the stress of caring for her on top of the looming specter of her impending death.
I could never, ever do what James did, even if my husband asked me to, but I understand the fear and dread that comes with never knowing if your partner will be alive the next time you come home from work.
that's the power of James character to me, I totally understand why he did what he did, and it's still wrong, but so understandable. it's a really human tragedy
My wife has extreme OCD. For 20 years it was always hard to live with, but when COVID hit, she had a complete breakdown. I saw my wife crumble away quickly in-front of my eyes. It was very painful and very difficult. It took her 3 years to get back to where she was before COVID. No one can understand how taxing and mentally damaging something like that can be on a spouse or loved ones until they live through it. When James says "its been a long three years"... believe me, I understand what he means. Knowing your spouse is going to die and living with that for three years... I can't even imagine. That's why this game hits everyone so hard. Its a horrible situation for both James and Mary.
That’s what I love about SH2 characters. They’re very nuanced. It’s clear that James did what he didn’t want Mary to suffer. He didn’t want to suffer seeing her suffer. It’s weird how relationships work. I do genuinely think James loved Mary, but I think during that love, it was somewhat twisted and intermingled with hate. Hatred at caring for a person who would never get better and rotting away. Hatred for a prospect of a future without a loved one. Hatred for feelings that would never be met(I’m referring to James’s sexual frustration by this). It must’ve been the same for Mary as well. It’s revealed that Mary wasn’t so innocent in this as well. She would often lash out at James. I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had to take care of a loved one who was afflicted with a severe mental illness but I’ve had times where I’ve lashed out at family members/friends and vice versa. Those moments of regret are sometimes too hard to bear. These are people who raised you or who’ve put their trust in you and you hurt them. I think the reason why James and Mary’s relationship is so compelling is because it’s so realistic(maybe besides him taking her life part). There are definitely people out there who have gone through eerily similar situations. I think the whole spill was handled in a pretty competent and mature manner.
P.S. I hope your loved ones get better!
@@TerryRed OCD is such a crippling, debilitating condition, I'm sure it's been awful trying to find real support for the both of you. People like to minimize it as "quirky", so I know it can be hard to get folks to take it as the serious disorder it is. I'm glad she's managed to take steps to get back to level of normalcy, and I hope you two continue to heal.
@@OldEnemy1 I agree, it's incredibly realistic! Both of their perspectives are represented well, and the tragedy is that neither of them ever intended for things to end up as they did. I'm sure James never considered, in a million years, that he would ever murder his wife, and that's why he's in such denial. Mary never thought, in a million years, that she'd be dying and helpless, and her lashing out is part of her grieving process. Neither action is good, but it's all so understandable.
This is more directed at anyone reading comments (hello, reader!), but I know a lot of people struggle to understand why a sick person would be so cruel to someone taking care of them. Psychologically, it generally comes down to a lack of agency causing frustration; the early stages of dementia exhibit this kind of behavior really well. My grandmother went from a sweet old lady to always angry for two or three years, but once the dementia progressed to a certain point, she was much calmer. She was in denial about her condition for a long time, but after a point, she couldn't convince herself that she was okay anymore.
PS. Thank you for the well-wishes! He's working hard to get stronger, and I'll be happy to tell him that a stranger in the comments of a SH2 breakdown video wished him well, lol.
The ending hit so hard. The terminally ill are still very much alive. I know you've talked about your own experiences with sitting at the bedside of a dying loved on. For me, my mom was terminally ill for most of my life, passing 8 years ago. I can only imagine, based on my own experience, how hard some of these final lines were for you to write but I am so glad you're out here challenging some of the ideas people have put forth. May we both continue on a healing journey.
Also I still can't read/hear the letter without tearing up. I'm not ready for the movie or to replay the game and yet, I am.
I never tire of hearing the lore of Silent Hill 2
48:05 - 48:14
Fun fact, James actually CAN take not one, but two items down the elevator with him if the player chooses to leave them in his inventory: Mary's photograph, and the envelope containing the imaginary letter. The player, as James, can leave one item behind in favor of another, or take both of them at once. I happened to discover this by accident a few years ago during one of my replays of the game when getting to this particular segment when I felt like screwing around with the elevator for fun.
The elevator has a sign inside of it that tells the player that the weight limit for said elevator only allows "one person", yet it's possible for James to bring Mary, in a symbolic sense via the photograph, down the elevator with him if he leaves everything else he has behind. As for the letter, besides the fact that the letter itself doesn't actually exist, the only reason I can think of that it was also given an exception by the elevator is that, despite the letter itself being a fiction created by James' mind, the words it contains are based on a partial reading of the REAL letter Mary actually wrote to James, which are ultimately the culmination of the truth that the town has been guiding him towards aince first setting foot in Silent Hill... so therefore, the fake letter is exempted because it is ultimately a fragment of the truth that the town itself wants James to uncover, and if he chooses to hold onto it while going down the elevator then what reason does the town/elevator have to stop him?
Anyway, my personal interpretations and theories aside, I definitely don't think that this was an accident by the developers, and is likely very intentional.
All of your video essays on Silent Hill are incredibly well done. I like that you took a little of all of them and summarized them into this video as a reminder of the themes just before the remake is set to come out.
I just can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the remake there’s an overwhelming about of new tiny details and mysteries and endings
What is beautiful, is knowing there is a fan of the game. Person who is inspired. Thank you.
Thank you for watching!
@@thegamingmuse so nice to to able to watch your videos.
lmao, it's the most popular Silent Hill game, have you been living under a rock?
@@lainiwakura1776 ua-cam.com/video/ZCBJ3Relo54/v-deo.html guess
@lainiwakura1776
Same thought. There are millions of fans. But I do appreciate the positive attitude, and good vibes, so what the hell right?
This game meant a lot to me as a kid. Seeing a young guy fighting through madness to get to someone that isn’t there. Oof it hit hard.
Anyways I could beat it in around 48 minutes after I played it so much.
I think my best is about three hours, but I get lost a lot. This game means so much to so many people. I'm glad it's still being talked about today.
Why is this, a horror game so comforting to me?
Great watch while I enjoy my tea and prepare for bed
we relate to the people in Silent Hill, James loneliness and confusion/desire to escape and eventual redemption appeals to us due to our desires and fears. We all want a silent heaven.
I know it's a horror game, and it's good at horror, but it succeeds even further as a tragedy, in my opinion.
"Man decays like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten."
I have read and watched SH content for years now and never have i encountered an analysis of 2 that is that clear and concise. Its pro level for sure! Looking forward binging this channel 😗
I never thought of it that way. I always assumed that Laura was lying about meeting Mary last year when it was James lying about her dying 3 years ago. Man that one flew by me
I know the “Leave” ending is the “good” ending, and makes sense with how James rises to face the two Pyramid Heads and states he doesn’t need them anymore, but I always thought the “In Water” ending makes a lot of sense, too, with James taking his own life as both punishment for what he has done but also being unable to move on from the death of his wife.
Not that suicide is ever the answer, but both endings I feel work.
Clearly the Dog ending is making the most sense! Only a dog could make this up!
Jokes aside but that's the beautiful thing about Silent Hill 2,you can imagine and interpret the endings at your own will and decide which you find canon. No one has to tell you that. You yourself decide.
The "In Water" is largely considered to be the canon ending in the game by fans. It's also hinted at by Masahiro Ito.
Maria ending is my favorite.
@@lukaszzylik4437Incorrect. All the endings are canon.
Do more research, son.
No replies will be seen or read
@mywifesboyfriend5558 no. This is not true for any Silent Hill. You're wrong. Example: if you get the UFO ending in SH2 that means Silent Hill 3 doesn't happen because Mason isn't there to die. It's not canon. Same goes with the bad ending in the original SH. That is not canon because he needs to be in SH3.
In SH4 James Sunderlands father mentions that James disappeared in SH, meaning he probably didn't make it out alive. Obviously Silent Hill doesn't blow up because SH is mentioned in SH4 as being around, so one of SH3 endings is non canon.
So no not all endings are canon. Use your brain and use context clues around you in future games to eliminate which endings are non canon.
The way you opened the video, not only works as a perfect description of the intro to silent Hill to but suddenly made me realize how many similarities silent hill to has with the David Lynch movie lost Highway from 1997. I wonder now if by chance the movie was an inspiration after all the original silent Hill has a reference to the Dario Argento movie demons, well Dario Argento produced that movie
it was! a lot of David Lynch is in sh but this game in particular was influenced by lost highway.
I periodically check youtube for Silent Hill retrospectives and I conveniently have been on another kick recently because I'm trophy hunting the HD collection on ps3. This was right at the top of my feed this morning and it's perfect because i drive for work and these deep and long analysis videos are perfect to listen to on long trips. Very excited for this upload. You've already earned a like
There’s nothing like holding hands with dad across moms body, each of us holding one of her hands, watching the heart monitor numbers drop lower. They couldn’t give her meds for blood pressure and heart rate at the same time, so…the nurse turned the sound off
Masahiro Ito said, regarding the hole graffiti, that to him it represented James' alcoholism.
He used to crawl into the bottom of a bottle to hide from his problems but now, in Silent Hill, that hole is gone and he has nowhere left to hide.
Ok, this is my favorite channel now !
After all these years since Silent Hill 2 came out, my opinion on James is this.
No matter what walk of life you come from, people can be worn down by their circumstances and do terrible things. I believe James did what he did partially for selfish reasons and the other as a mercy. Living with a chronically ill person is a constant drain on your empathy well. You never want to complain because what you're experiencing pales in comparison. For some, chronic pain can be so awful that death would be a welcome release.
36:40 - which also follows with the comment of the open fridge giving off a bad smell. Decay prehaps, maybe due to the ring representing a corpses face.
Decay is definitely a big part of the game. Everything feels aged and gone off.
Excellent analysis. Loved the first one, of course, and got excited to see an upload of this. Takes a lot of love to do so much homework to put these videos together. These are quite a treat. Thank you! Looking forward to your analysis on Silent Hill 3. ❤❤❤
Your videos are gold as always! I wish you could make a video analyzing the endings
It’s never been confirmed that he did it recently and her body is in the car, but there’s definitely evidence towards it. Since the remake came out there’s a definite sway towards that theory as you can see what seems like a body under a sheet on the back seat with the free camera.
This whole analysis is amazing .. I think you did a wonderful job covering almost everything. However, I wish you covered a few points. One is when the game started, and in the bathroom, you can see posters of "Heaven's Night" with Maria's face on them. That always was interesting to me. Another thing is about the real face of Pyramid Head: him having James head under the pyramid mask. Ofc, we live this story from James's perspective, but I've always wondered what the story would be if we were to live SH through Eddie's or Angela's lenses. Having a different main character would mostly shape SH differently, and I wonder then if we will ever see James as part of their stories.
a lot is cut out to keep this concise, but I have a lot more in depth vids that cover topics like these c:
Mary didn't actually die three years ago...
She was dead to him. Everything she was, everything she meant to him... Who she was died when she got sick, and was in the hospital.
She got sick three years ago. She actually died not that long ago.
SOme even say she is in the trunk of that car parked at the beginning of the game
@@Pinhead101The body was inside the car
Its been 7 yrs sub here great content silent hill reviews
@51:44 James didn't neccessarily force it on her. In the "Leave" ending, it is VERY strongly implied that Mary wanted him to do it. James tries to cop out and say that he hated her, to which she replies to him "If that were true, why are you so sad?"
Very likely Mary asked him to do this, and he did. He couldn't watch her suffer, she wanted her suffering to end. That he also felt anger, betrayal himself (remember, she did push him and everyone else away), sexual frustration, guilt for those thoughts as well....all of that culminating with the fact that the person he loves is suffering and wants him to end it.
I think you completely missed that angle; now if this was purposefully missed or not, idk. But I'm quite surprised you completely ignored this angle entirely. What you said there: "it wasn't his choice to make." No it wasn't. And ending depending, he didn't make it. Again, I feel like you're willfully ignoring this aspect to fit with modern trends of shifting blame of everything onto men.
While you don't get this context without the leave ending, the events that happened, happened. That the game doesn't show you this unless you get a specific ending, is to encourage you to replay the game to get the full context of the story, like with Nier Automata.
So I turn the question back. Is it evil, to do what your suffering loved one asks of you? Is it immoral? What if one of YOUR loved ones asked you to end their suffering? The law tells us it is illegal, but law is not an arbiter of what is moral and just. It is a series of rules that is meant to make us a civil society. You condemn James for doing what he was asked, then try to say that Mary was betrayed. How can both be true?
I don't think Mary specifically wanted James to kill her. That she wanted to die so her pain ends, that is true. She also says she doesn't really want to die, that she wants to get better, but she knows that she won't. She says so in the conversation we hear on the hallway scene. Everyone who is in pain, who is terminally ill have moments like this when they just wish they already died, or they hope they will really get better by some sort of a miracle, but deep down they know it won't happen.
I know this as I have unfortunately experienced it. My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. And when he woke up after a long, difficult surgery, he told me he wished he died at the operating table. Because he was in pain, he was sad, everything that was normal now is not, that there was the hospital bill that was getting bigger and bigger each day, etc. Other days he would be optimistic, and he would want to recover quickly so we could go home, and he could maybe go back to his job. Other days he would talk about the euthanasia scene in the film "Soylent Green". How he wished there was really something like that for terminally ill people, where they would just lie down and watch a movie or documentary they like and slowly fall asleep never to wake up again. My dad didn't really want to die, he just wanted the pain to end. He was always fit and active. When he was diagnosed, my sister and I were only in our early 20s. He had a lot to look forward to. The next year would have been my parents' 25th wedding anniversary and he wanted to celebrate it, even if it would just be a simple party. He was looking forward to retirement and growing a small farm with vegetables, fruit trees, and some small animals.
He never would have wanted the pain to end by asking my mom, me, or my sister to kill him in his sleep. He might have wished it would have already happened, before the pain got too unbearable, but never by our hands. He told us once he thought of jumping off a tall building after he was diagnosed, but then we would have found out that way, and it wouldn't be fair. I too think of death sometimes and wish there was an easy way, like that scene in Soylent Green he once told us about. I would prefer it to be like that, or an accident, but never to be killed by people that I love.
And I think that was the same of Mary. She had moments where she wanted to live, and then she wanted to die, but she didn't want to get killed by James. She went home because that would have been her last time, her last chance to be back home. She didn't come home so that James could kill her.
@@woolflower8316Or maybe she did. We'll never know.
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 Based on what we see from watching the videotape and James' reaction to it, Mary didn't ask him to kill her.
Additionally, both OG and remake SH2 also has this line from Mary, coming from the radio when James first picks it up, "Why did you kill me?"
Crazy detail in the remake she bites the shit outta her nails
Mary: James, you made me happy.
TT.TT
21:46 I always saw that as James looking into a mirror.
Carnival of Souls & Jacobs ladder are very influential to this game. I would love for you to break down both of those movies
How was it inspired from Carnival of Souls?
Don't forget Twin Peaks.
I mean it straight up stole most of its narrative and themes from Lost Highway
@@Smonkus_
Never saw Lost Highway but I am familiar with the soundtrack, being a NIN fan. 🤘
@@Yuzoboy I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone, but all I could say is the 'otherworld" is pretty prevalent among other things
This entire video is just an unbroken chain of the most refreshing perspectives I've ever seen for Silent Hill. I love your attention to detail, and hearing the things you take away from those details
Interesting point about the dead body in the chair in the apartment, I saw an interview with the devs where they said that dead body is James' 3D model... but they didn't say whether that was supposed to mean something, or just some subtle asset reuse? 🤔
Yes. All the dead bodies ( Except for the ones near Eddie) are James.
James is in a time loop. Doing the same things over and over again with slight variations.
The rememberences of the original point to this. The notes and maps looking old and bloodstained, and many other clues show this.
The photos in particular kinda prove the whole thing. Some say this is a message for the fans,but I don't believe so.
Spoiler:
YOU HAVE BEEN HERE FOR TWO DECADES.
Different versions of James have been coming here, dying, or making it to different places. The James we play as here is not the same as the PS2 version.
The "Leave " ending shows James breaking the cycle, and leaving with Laura. The others, where James gives in, and ends his life.
All endings are canon.
Muse, your stuff is the best. Seriously, stellar work on this one. I’ve been working through some of your back catalogue and the amount of in-depth, understandable and genuinely insightful information that you give in pretty much all of your videos is fantastic. Really looking forward to your future projects!
“In my restless dreams, I see that town”
That is something Cormac McCarthy would write. God I love Silent Hill 2 so, so very much.
Doesn’t matter how many videos about silent hill 2 I watch, I can always watch more
I actually never made the connection between James' dad and the apartments and him having this connection to the place! Even though it is more of an afterthought being possible by the Room existing.
Hope the remake can make me feel even 25 percent as immersed as the original
I'm excited, however it turns out, it's so neat that SH2 is relevant again.
you can see the awful night an day difference between the original and the reboot.
its more of a silent hill homecoming type of game rather than the original SH2 game. it's awfully butchered for whatever reason bloober also didn't understand a single horror or unnerving original's game aspects or mechanics.
Im fucking obssesed
I lrft silent hill 2 og and remake wondering a lot and this helped patch up a lot. Appreciate the video and def will be atching more of your stuff in the future❤
As long as the remake approaches the topics of guilt and abuse with the same subtlety that the original does, I think it'll be just fine :)
I always felt so bad for Maria
It’s okay. She’s not people.
Why? She's literally a manifestation of the same demon as Pyramid Head. The only difference is the symbolic meaning she holds for James. She's still something the Demon conjured up to torture James though.
I feel bad for her too, she has some level of personhood but cannot go against her 'programing' so to speak to truly gain her own personhood.
Thank you, this video felt healing.
Love me some Silent Hill 2!
Have you ever read the SilentPyramid plot analysis of the Silent Hill games? I never see anyone talking about it really but in my mind it's the best document for unpacking everything in there, even if it's unfinished.
The bumping bass sound in the background of this video sounds like a car playing music really loud with its windows rolled up 2 blocks away.
woah woah, mary is in the car trunk?! i had no idea! thats darrrrk.
Not in the trunk... In the back seat.
That's just a rumour due to a publication back in the day. Considering the timeline it never made sense, but it kept being repeated due to it... sounding cool and bizarre i guess?
@@makoto4341
With the "in water" ending is possible to interpret that James took Mary's body to the car with him due to the violents movements that can be heard.
And Laura's age points that Mary didn't die that long ago.
Also, "My wife died three years ago" could be related to the beginning of her sickness.
Just trying to explain that point of view because that was my impression without reading any analisys of the game yet.
@@makoto4341Not a rumor. Cold hard fact. You can look in the backseat and see Mary there.
@mywifesboyfriend5558 in the remake? Yes, it's one of the reasons why I don't like it that much, lol.
Its always funny when people actually think that James did nothing wrong. Its like they didnt understand the game at all. You are supposed to be surprised and feel disgust with having played a killer all along, but a lot of people seem to be like "no! It cant be!". Silent hill forces you to think about things you dont want to think about: its absolutely beautiful
What do the eggs that open the two doors after defeating Pyramid Head symbolize?
My personal theory: running off the whole Christian themed, Maria's sacrifice as Jesus kind of thing, eggs are connected to Easter, and in the modern day is a holiday celebrating Jesus's resurrection after the crucifixion. The two eggs - one described more pleasantly than the other - could represent the two paths James' "resurrection" will take: a good ending or a bad one.
OMG woman... i freakin LOVE you and your content! lmao
SH 1/2/3 are my all time favorite games and the way you cover them always uncovers more of the things that I love about them...
thank you for all of your hard work in doing these deep dives and narratives. they are amazing!
Silent Hill 2 has the most unique story telling about characters facing their inner most trauma and guilt. It's like the town itself is putting them on a trial of facing the crimes they've committed, and must seek redemption. Angela is the most tragic of all characters, and what she'd gone through is indeed the type of pain she could never escape nor she could ever be healed from that trauma. When she walks slowly towards the fire, was her way to get away from the pain, and as for Eddie. We all know there wasn't no redeeming of his own crimes, nor he feels guilty of what he's done. It's cool that we as a player can decide James' fate in the game, weather or not we can redeem his guilt or not. It still makes me very curious about the remake, and how they gonna change the aspect of the original game, cause it's obvious that Blooper Team aren't gonna go through with the risky themes that Team Silent did with the original.
Happy to say the remake doesn't mess with the story and themes at all.
Wait a minute, his dead wife was in the car when he arrived? Enlighten me!!
It’s one of those old rumors that gained steam but never confirmed.
@@playnicegamesWrong. She's in the backseat. You can see it clear as day.
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 yes it had been confirmed you can clearly see it in the remake but prior you had not clear view of her
Beautifully written!
Thank you!
Just finished watching this video, and I have to say your video essays are always so well made. It's a blessing to have a SH fan like you. ❤
Plus, the scene at 54:59 is epic. The lighting, the framing, the atmosphere...
I really am curious to see if Muse will do a review and comparison of the forthcoming remake when that drops in Early October. I’ve had my doubts about the remake and Bloober Team’s ability to capture the magic of the original title. They’ve clearly made some substantial changes to the look and design of the characters and environments. I’m genuinely interested to see if Muse likes the remake or not, and how she feels it stacks up.
I definitely will!
beautiful work, muse!!
YESSSSS!!! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL
i will love the remake ❤childhood memories ❤️
Your videos are always a delight for me to listen to while working. Thank you ❤
thank you! I'm glad u like them
Excellent analysis and video essay. Kudos. 😊
Really brilliant analysis, nice work!
Fabulous analysis! A+
Fantastic video and I finally got to learn a little bit more about Eddie since I didn't see you make much on him
I'm actually working on a vid on him rn!
U did a wonderfull job, as usually. But the video is little bit dark, I mean the brightness or gamma can be a little up next time.
Keep up the good work!
You know, I never realized the symbolism of Angela's wardrobe. And that's just the start of this video.
Am I losing my mind or is this video a reupload?
a lot of this is from older videos or my written works, it's a redo to create a new vid to bring in people just checking out sh2 content now that the remake is coming. so if you've been watching the channel a whil you prolly recognize it. thanks for watching it anyway!
I deeply enjoy content like this. You go into great depth in this analysis, thanks a lot for your effort.
Thanks Muse, for this nice reminder before october 8.
You're welcome!
33:25 Am I missing something here? I’ve never had that impression of the nurses
i read that the original artwork had baby faces on those nurses. Maybe that softness of the nurses faces is what one "could" interpret the way muse did.
Who delivers pizza in Silent Hill?
dominos silent hill
I am going to play this game again because of your videos. it would be my 2nd time since I first played a decade plus ago. The soundtrack is eerie and It never left my playlist ever since.
I'm glad my work inspired you! It's a game I replay often.
After beating Remake, I wanted to watch a SH2 Remake Story explained but every video is just people recaping what happens beat by beat like it's explaining to somebody who hasn't played the game lol. I'm only 2 minutes into this video but it seems this is actually what I was looking for.
The story is self-explanatory and simple, the thing about the game is depth throught symbolism not complexity of the narrative so muct deep dive will be about that.
tysm. i would love to see your thoughts on the dlc part, born from a wish
Muse can you do Resident Evil 4 Spanish culture symbolism ? Also Resident Evil 5 symbolism ?
I can see only the Water ending for James. I don't believe he can come back from this crime. He is done.
Rebirth might be a viable choice too.
All endings are canon. James is in a time loop.
"LEAVE" is the only one where he breaks the cycle
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 I don't think so m8.
I absolutely love your videos covering SH and the high level of dedication to the subject. Keep up the good work.
thank you sm!
As someone who has lived with chronic, once terminal, illness, I feel incredibly seen and empathized with. Thank you so much. Some of my ex friends described Mary as an abusive bitch. I…couldn’t believe it.
Amazing and beautiful analysis. If I could give an award or money for this, I absolutely would.
I can't believe that they had said that about Mary, she isn't abusive, she's just angry and frustrated for being stuck in an awful situation that she can't be cured of and has to wait to die while being in pain!
Loved the video, thank you for putting this together and shedding light on this deep story. Where can I find the music? Looked it up but I can't find it. Would love to listen to those ambient tracks.
check just happy burgers yt channel!
@thegamingmuse thank you so much! There's a typo on your description that's why I had trouble finding it at that time
Great video! And I’ve seen lots.
One thing, Ito said that Pyramid head is not abusing the mannequins at any moment.
All evidence to the contrary.
This was amazing! Thank you !
hey muse, any interest on discussing suda51 games? would love to hear some kickass writing from you about them! great video btw
Now do Silent Hill 3
Fantastic video. Extremely well written, narrorated, and edited.
This was a pleasure to watch. Can't thank you enough for posting.
Edit: Please do Silent Hill 3. 😂
You are a treasure for going through all this effort to bring us this outstanding analysis. So grateful for you and your unwavering dedication and expertise ❤️
Thank you!
More more more 🥳
AMAZING VIDEO ❤
A NEW THEGAMINGMUSE SILENT HILL VIDEO?????? AND ITS AN HOUR LONG????? YES!!!!!!!!
Great analysis. Sometimes I think this game is over-analyzed though. Saying Angela’s red pants represent bleeding is quite a stretch.
I don't think it does; but it brings it to mind for me (playing it again after having learned her story) and I could never shake the connection. I don't think her designer would have chosen red without some consideration on it.
amazing analysis. 🙂
thank you!
Great deep dive into SH2!
Thank you!
@@thegamingmuseyou’re welcome!
Thanks muse!
I believe Maria was a real person but only one James new on surface level. Lady Maria was a stripper that reminded him of his wife but only because of her name and maybe her similar looks. As most likely James would visit the strip joint right down the block after visiting Mary. And perhaps in a way his Maria entity encompasses the negative aspects of Mary that he wanted to forget.
❤❤❤❤ thanks for this great video
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D
I believe that all characters have multiple layers. For instance, Angela serves as a mentor to James, but she also embodies blinded justice, representing shame and self-destruction, as well as the destructive aspect of femininity through the archetype of Medea. Pyramid Head, on the other hand, represents the lower self of masculine desire; he is violent and brutal and he represnted strenght. His dragging of the sword symbolizes guilt, as he carries the shadow self of James. He acts as both executioner and punisher, while his spear represents sexual desire, leaving us to question what James truly wants.
James no longer needs the divine femininity of Maria, who embodies both Eve and Lilith. Instead, he is left with the guilt of betrayal. The fusion of Pyramid Head’s sacrifice with James signifies a reconciliation of his primal masculinity and his own self, indicating that he is no longer in conflict with it.
Maria attempts to embody Mary as James progresses through his anima, representing the pure and angelic aspect of femininity associated with Saint Mary. However, this ideal was shattered when Mary lashed out at James. Maria claims she will be better than Mary and not react in the same way, but James ultimately rejects this exaggerated praise of Saint Mary. He sees the darker aspects of femininity represented by Angela as Medea, which creates a balance. As a result, he no longer desires a perfect Mary, rendering Maria's manipulation ineffective.
I never played this game on the PS2 and it looks amazing.
If Gods will I will see Muse playing Sillent Hill 2 Remake and then I will buy it on PC to play it too and complete it till 100%.
Have a nice day to you Muse and your subscribers 🙂❤️
this is my fifth analysis of sh2 now
Does anybody else think Mary being in the backseat makes the "Leave" ending pretty awkward? Sorry, just a bad joke but now you're thinking about it.
Not really. James could've buried Mary there. She loved Silent Hill, and it's likely she wanted to be there forever.
an hour long video where not every part of the game is analyzed, but only briefly discussed is crazy.
this is a brief overview to cover the highlights, but I have over 115 videos on the series if you'd like more in depth vids
Here after finishing the remake
first played this in 2020 after my friend recommended it, no experience has matched sh2+3 (other than the xbox ninja gaiden trilogy)
pet peeves so far
1. the endings are ambiguous i somewhat dislike the firm narrative you seem to be taking
2. 6:16 plant life is life, the most true form of life there is
The endings are ambiguous, but they are built on a pretty solid narrative. A lot of things remain constant, what changes is how you interpret James' behavior, and the way he decides to go in the end.