When I think about SH2, the moment that comes to mind s the scene when James is standing on the porch of (what we're assuming is) the director's house, reading this incredibly uncomfortable yet strangely paternal note from Laurence. It's nighttime, there's no music, barely any sound, no monsters, no people, just us, James, a normal looking house, and a note. We as players are mentally exhausted from the events in Brookhaven and from running the entire length of the town to get to this point, and here we are in a moment of rest and reflection, being remotely told by an authority figure that he knows what's happening and can point us in a direction. It's both hopeful and hopeless - my favorite moment of the entire series.
So you have completely got me intrested in symbolism videos that I've seen every symbolism video you've made AT LEAST 3 times each. If I may make a suggestion, you may find some interest doing symbolism videos for dark souls, there's alot to work with to keep your symbolism videos going strong for awhile.
Great video as usual! :) Never knew about Joseph and his connection to those letters and the letters have always been one of my favorite aspects of SH2. One small point of contention... Due to the sentence structure, I don't believe at all he is referring to the hospital as a "demon shelter", awesome as that phrase is. From what I know of semantics and grammar, I would read the paragraph as follows: "I know it: the secret. I'll give them something to deal with this demon. Shelter is of no use anymore. He is my instrument; he must follow my orders. Yes, the box is useless."
All of them are different versions of the mental state ofJames. All the names of the patients start with J. The ring in the basement represents how James hide his vows to his wife when he thinks about sex. In sickness and in health, remember? The paranoia (Joshua), would be James being conscious that probably the cops are looking for him, after all, he killed his wife. He is both the violent and the suicidal. Remember that the In Water ending is most probably the canon one. And the doctor's letter adressed directly to James at the end... At least is what I think!
Soooo I like that theory but I wouldn’t say James is violent at all, at many times in the game he even folds to others yelling at him/ goading him instead of even so much as sticking up for himself. As a matter of fact the ONLY time he ever is seen inflicting harm on another person (other than flashbacks of his wife) is after Eddie starts shooting at him. I think the paranoid about the police and paranoia is also kind of a weak point because James’ wife was terminally ill and due to die any day so I don’t think he’d be worried about any police investigation. And while the director did say that’s HIS canon ending; he says it’s up to player interpretation. So I definitely think each letter represents the different characters because no matter what ending you achieve Eddie is always violent and Angela is always suicidal
The creators have said there is no canon ending, its all dependent on the player and what they think. If the in water ending is canon to you, its your canon. If the Maria ending is canon to someone else, it's canon. One of the many great things about this game
This was awesome, and makes me want to see another Silent Hill game with this director as an included and seen character. Of course I am being stuck in the past when there was still hope and possibility for future Silent Hill games, however I am not looking for the truth, I am looking for tranquility. :)
@@blingsing5383 what is gacha btw? Heard it a lot, don't actually know what it refers to. I'm too aware of the series by now to expect something good. Always to hope, but never to expect. It's entirely possible, but it's also entirely unlikely.
@@Torthrodhel instead of playing a game as a character it’s playing a game as a worthless character but after several hours or gems diamonds super gold etc you get to play a lottery for (pieces) of a character so you might potentially get to play the game past the 3rd level It’s as dog shit as it sounds Tldr every phone game you lost interest in after your bus arrived
@@blingsing5383 ah I see. Monetization based gatekeeping mechanics, whale targeting design mentality, that sort of thing. I haven't had a new mobile phone for over a decade until I only just got one recently so I mostly missed out on phone games entirely and... honestly won't be getting any for my new one once I have it set up either, lol. By the sounds of them they are not a good idea. They already made a Silent Hill pachinko machine so y'know, nothing's 'sacred' as it were.
Seeing your videos pushes me to play the games again. When I first played them I only saw the surface and the lore but never dug deeper until I found your videos. Love them. Always look forward to them.
Very detailed and congruent analysis. I am impressed by your skills connecting dots, details and background inside and outside the game. Let me say, 4 years later, good work and congratulations.
I want to know who the voice on the radio is that's hosting the game show and mentions James by his first and last name when you're in the elevator with Maria before you go to the room to enter your answers to the questions and get the prizes from the chest
All of that leads me to believe that the director was James's personal therapist - in a spiritual way as per the circumstances. As he tries to understand James, pull him out of his lie and guide him back to the reality of his crime, he is instead pushed into James's madness himself. The same way Maria is, according to Director's (hah) Cut version of the game. While Maria might have been involved somewhat involuntarily, the director wasn't just assigned to James, but rather, as per his notes, he willingly reached out to him, having been familiar with the risks all along. Now, I might be rambling, but I do believe that what this tells us is that helping those who can't help themselves only leaves us in need of help ourselves. See how each character shares in the guilt of another - each character that either tries to help or screams for it, - and they all wind up dead... The reason Laura remains alive and stands a contrast to them, as she wasn't really in need, but rather self-consciously and selfishly following her desire to meet Mary again. The director, to me at least, decided on his own to know and aid James, but was destroyed instead. Be careful who you reach out to, because the sins of one may weigh down another.
I never actually thought about these notes when I played the game. I always thought they were just there, to addd to the atmosphere. This was quit interesting.
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this video! I feel like these notes have not been analyzed in this particular way and it's very refreshing to see this new point of view!
Hey gaming Muse! Ive been following your content for some time now and I love your indepth analysis on SH2. It has helped me be more aware of the things Ive completely missed. Here is a hint I want to drop concerning the director: Play the "Born from the Wish Scenario" and you'll begin to piece together and you might find your answers.
So Joshua is the character that they created for the original SH3, about a patient of Brookhaven of SH2, and this will be the SH5, after put Heather as SH3. Make sense, you should do a video about the original SH5 plans by KCET.
I think that just implied what we all knows years later after all these games, that everyone sees different things in Silent Hill and everyone has a monster thats on the same personal level that James has Pyramid Head. Playing the game originally before the games after came out I assumed the director was talking about the painting of Pyramid Head, not Pyramid Head in physical form right in front of him
The Nietzsche abyss metaphor is used more than once and in a couple different ways, although the famous one from "Beyond Good and Evil" about gazing long into an abyss is probably more relevant. There's another aphorism that speaks of balancing a line over an abyss and not looking down, as in focusing on the pitfall will hinder you from reaching the other side.
Well, silent hill main characters need guidance, in sh1 dahlia told harry where to go several times, in sh2 we have Monorer, in sh3 there's valtiel and the evil woman (forgot her name lol),because she's the one who triggered the feelings that brought heather to silent hill, whether this guidance is to the main characters' own good or to serve the antagonists, it's still necessary for progress throughout the journey, or at least that's how I see things, I'm yet to explore the rest of the games :) anyways, have a nice day y'all :D
Here's a crazy idea, james IS joseph. Think about it, joseph hints at other names, they have the same issues, they both are somewhat amnesiac. I think the director is there along with james. James is FROM Silent hills, he never left. He was sent to the asylum after killing his wife. And only at the end of the game does he ever leave after he kills her.
I really like some of the connection's you've made in this, you say a lot of things in your videos that are fun to ponder about, lol. The director in the Historical Society being named Laurence Monneret doesn't make sense since that would be the name of the current director, no?
Hi! I just discovered your videos and I loved them, you really do a great job, great analysis and great edition. I’d like to watch a video about the symbolism of the Labyrinth. Greetings from Mexico City. :3
I'm still thinking about that other secret name for Joseph, is it James? All I could find was things like Jo, Yosef, etc. Pepe is also shorthand version of Joseph but that doesn't link to anything.
I have a suggestion for a video. I’m not sure if you’ve considered it, but I’d love to hear your insight on the fog of Silent Hill. On its own, it’s a character itself.
great sybolism video i loved it i have a question when will you stream the rest of your silent hill marathon and do you have plans to stream KH3 i just curious and how hyped are you for DMC5
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it :D. I will continue the Silent Hill streams soon, but my capture card is damaged and I'm having to save up to repair it. I have streamed the first few hours of KH3, and I plan to stream more in the future. And I'm super hyped for DMC5!!
@@thegamingmuse oh i'm sorry about your damaged capture card and i did watch your first few hours of KH3. and i am also hyped for DMC5. just to tell you i already beat my KH3 game so if you need help when you stream it again i can help you spoiler free (Hopefully) I hope you can get a new capture card when you can i really enjoy your streams especially when you have Mars there with you. you guys play off each other perfectly
I've tried to analyse these back in the pre-internet days, but they left me confused. Maybe just blaming it on "the town" is the most sensible explanation
This is awesome. Great analysis. Played this game many times but never put all these pieces together. I'm always trying to gtfo out Brookhaven. I love it and hate it.
I have a bit of research there, but that's being saved for part two of "I Got A Letter", my SH2 deep dive. I had to pick and choose what to have in either series. :D
This was a good one. I never thought about all those letters being connected. Good one girl!
When I think about SH2, the moment that comes to mind s the scene when James is standing on the porch of (what we're assuming is) the director's house, reading this incredibly uncomfortable yet strangely paternal note from Laurence. It's nighttime, there's no music, barely any sound, no monsters, no people, just us, James, a normal looking house, and a note. We as players are mentally exhausted from the events in Brookhaven and from running the entire length of the town to get to this point, and here we are in a moment of rest and reflection, being remotely told by an authority figure that he knows what's happening and can point us in a direction. It's both hopeful and hopeless - my favorite moment of the entire series.
So you have completely got me intrested in symbolism videos that I've seen every symbolism video you've made AT LEAST 3 times each. If I may make a suggestion, you may find some interest doing symbolism videos for dark souls, there's alot to work with to keep your symbolism videos going strong for awhile.
Of course after you are finished with silent hill and resident evil
Great video as usual! :) Never knew about Joseph and his connection to those letters and the letters have always been one of my favorite aspects of SH2.
One small point of contention... Due to the sentence structure, I don't believe at all he is referring to the hospital as a "demon shelter", awesome as that phrase is. From what I know of semantics and grammar, I would read the paragraph as follows:
"I know it: the secret. I'll give them something to deal with this demon. Shelter is of no use anymore. He is my instrument; he must follow my orders. Yes, the box is useless."
I might be 8months late, but I thought the same :)
All of them are different versions of the mental state ofJames. All the names of the patients start with J.
The ring in the basement represents how James hide his vows to his wife when he thinks about sex. In sickness and in health, remember?
The paranoia (Joshua), would be James being conscious that probably the cops are looking for him, after all, he killed his wife.
He is both the violent and the suicidal.
Remember that the In Water ending is most probably the canon one.
And the doctor's letter adressed directly to James at the end...
At least is what I think!
BlackDeathViral03 you’re comment is probably true
The three patients described in the doctor's note represent James, Eddie and Angela. Joseph represents James.
Soooo I like that theory but I wouldn’t say James is violent at all, at many times in the game he even folds to others yelling at him/ goading him instead of even so much as sticking up for himself. As a matter of fact the ONLY time he ever is seen inflicting harm on another person (other than flashbacks of his wife) is after Eddie starts shooting at him. I think the paranoid about the police and paranoia is also kind of a weak point because James’ wife was terminally ill and due to die any day so I don’t think he’d be worried about any police investigation. And while the director did say that’s HIS canon ending; he says it’s up to player interpretation. So I definitely think each letter represents the different characters because no matter what ending you achieve Eddie is always violent and Angela is always suicidal
The creators have said there is no canon ending, its all dependent on the player and what they think. If the in water ending is canon to you, its your canon. If the Maria ending is canon to someone else, it's canon. One of the many great things about this game
Damn this actually blew my mind. After following everything that has been put out on this channel I didn’t think things could get deeper
Love your videos, I like how you dig deep into things I missed the first time.
This was awesome, and makes me want to see another Silent Hill game with this director as an included and seen character. Of course I am being stuck in the past when there was still hope and possibility for future Silent Hill games, however I am not looking for the truth, I am looking for tranquility. :)
Badass vid. Keep em coming bcuz I miss all of the sh theory convos of the early 2000s
Don’t worry I’m sure we will get an auto play gacha game with a lazy silent hill skin on the App Store any day now
@@blingsing5383 what is gacha btw? Heard it a lot, don't actually know what it refers to.
I'm too aware of the series by now to expect something good. Always to hope, but never to expect. It's entirely possible, but it's also entirely unlikely.
@@Torthrodhel instead of playing a game as a character it’s playing a game as a worthless character but after several hours or gems diamonds super gold etc you get to play a lottery for (pieces) of a character so you might potentially get to play the game past the 3rd level
It’s as dog shit as it sounds
Tldr every phone game you lost interest in after your bus arrived
@@blingsing5383 ah I see. Monetization based gatekeeping mechanics, whale targeting design mentality, that sort of thing. I haven't had a new mobile phone for over a decade until I only just got one recently so I mostly missed out on phone games entirely and... honestly won't be getting any for my new one once I have it set up either, lol. By the sounds of them they are not a good idea.
They already made a Silent Hill pachinko machine so y'know, nothing's 'sacred' as it were.
This was outright wonderful! I rarely focused on the notes yet your detail and analysis gets me every time!
Seeing your videos pushes me to play the games again. When I first played them I only saw the surface and the lore but never dug deeper until I found your videos. Love them. Always look forward to them.
I think Joseph, Jack and Joshua weren't real and were stories created by Laurence to reflect, James, Angela and Eddie's mental states
YES! Can't get enough of these videos!
Cant get enough of these videos
Your videos Muse, inspired me. Now, when i see a movie, a serie or play a video game, i always try to find their symbolisms.
Nietzsche is pronounced [knee-cha].
But man, this is a good video. Nice work.
You're awesome .. I've learnt so many new things about Silent Hill franchise from you.. Keep up the great work..
Very detailed and congruent analysis. I am impressed by your skills connecting dots, details and background inside and outside the game.
Let me say, 4 years later, good work and congratulations.
I want to know who the voice on the radio is that's hosting the game show and mentions James by his first and last name when you're in the elevator with Maria before you go to the room to enter your answers to the questions and get the prizes from the chest
Me too..
I fricking love this video! Second time watching. Silent Hill 2 has so many layers and mysteries
Very deep stuff here. I am discovering so much because of your videos. Great job!
All of that leads me to believe that the director was James's personal therapist - in a spiritual way as per the circumstances. As he tries to understand James, pull him out of his lie and guide him back to the reality of his crime, he is instead pushed into James's madness himself. The same way Maria is, according to Director's (hah) Cut version of the game. While Maria might have been involved somewhat involuntarily, the director wasn't just assigned to James, but rather, as per his notes, he willingly reached out to him, having been familiar with the risks all along. Now, I might be rambling, but I do believe that what this tells us is that helping those who can't help themselves only leaves us in need of help ourselves. See how each character shares in the guilt of another - each character that either tries to help or screams for it, - and they all wind up dead... The reason Laura remains alive and stands a contrast to them, as she wasn't really in need, but rather self-consciously and selfishly following her desire to meet Mary again.
The director, to me at least, decided on his own to know and aid James, but was destroyed instead. Be careful who you reach out to, because the sins of one may weigh down another.
I never actually thought about these notes when I played the game. I always thought they were just there, to addd to the atmosphere. This was quit interesting.
Have you considered writing a book about Silent Hill 2? I for one would love to read it.
I always enjoy and look forward to your videos, thank you!
Love your videos! These remind me of Ernest Baldwin, the guy Maria meets in “born from a wish”.. be great if you could do a video on that? 🙂👏👏👏
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this video! I feel like these notes have not been analyzed in this particular way and it's very refreshing to see this new point of view!
Amazing, im without words to describe how awesome your videos are! just thank you Muse.
This so good and creepy I love it cheers muse
These just keep getting better. Please continue the exceptional work you do.
Hey gaming Muse! Ive been following your content for some time now and I love your indepth analysis on SH2. It has helped me be more aware of the things Ive completely missed.
Here is a hint I want to drop concerning the director: Play the "Born from the Wish Scenario" and you'll begin to piece together and you might find your answers.
The director was Ernest Baldwin, with his daughter being an analog for Louise? Wasn’t his daughter name Amy?
So Joshua is the character that they created for the original SH3, about a patient of Brookhaven of SH2, and this will be the SH5, after put Heather as SH3. Make sense, you should do a video about the original SH5 plans by KCET.
Its amazing how after years and years of listening to theorys about this game there are still some to discover. Great video.
I'm not real knowledgeable on psychology but I feel like the "he" Joseph was talking about was himself. A sort of disassociation.
Lawrence Monoere ill try to remember that name cheers and thankyou muse for the precious silent hill symbolisms
Nothing has helped me understand some of the subtle details of this series better than your videos. You do amazing work. 👍
I love your narrating and lore you do for horror games.
This is amazing! Thanks so much
Wondering now if there were legitimacy to Alex(sh:homecoming) seeing pyramid head besides being cameo. Since this doctor also saw the "thing".
I think SH: Homecoming just butchered the SH2 symbolism to please... Not fans, of course.
I think that just implied what we all knows years later after all these games, that everyone sees different things in Silent Hill and everyone has a monster thats on the same personal level that James has Pyramid Head. Playing the game originally before the games after came out I assumed the director was talking about the painting of Pyramid Head, not Pyramid Head in physical form right in front of him
Tern tern tern the numbers, better not forget them. A guy backed up into a fan, killed him, damn near rectum!
The Nietzsche abyss metaphor is used more than once and in a couple different ways, although the famous one from "Beyond Good and Evil" about gazing long into an abyss is probably more relevant. There's another aphorism that speaks of balancing a line over an abyss and not looking down, as in focusing on the pitfall will hinder you from reaching the other side.
Well, silent hill main characters need guidance, in sh1 dahlia told harry where to go several times, in sh2 we have Monorer, in sh3 there's valtiel and the evil woman (forgot her name lol),because she's the one who triggered the feelings that brought heather to silent hill, whether this guidance is to the main characters' own good or to serve the antagonists, it's still necessary for progress throughout the journey, or at least that's how I see things, I'm yet to explore the rest of the games :) anyways, have a nice day y'all :D
Here's a crazy idea, james IS joseph. Think about it, joseph hints at other names, they have the same issues, they both are somewhat amnesiac. I think the director is there along with james. James is FROM Silent hills, he never left. He was sent to the asylum after killing his wife. And only at the end of the game does he ever leave after he kills her.
would love to see some .hack// G.U. symbolism video
i love this videos, keep it up
Hey, what's the name of the background music for this video?
Finaaaally!!!!!.. Muse! Miss you so much!!
All these videos about SH symbolism are just amazing
I really like some of the connection's you've made in this, you say a lot of things in your videos that are fun to ponder about, lol. The director in the Historical Society being named Laurence Monneret doesn't make sense since that would be the name of the current director, no?
I've always seen the roof note as one left by Mary.
Hi! I just discovered your videos and I loved them, you really do a great job, great analysis and great edition. I’d like to watch a video about the symbolism of the Labyrinth. Greetings from Mexico City. :3
I'm still thinking about that other secret name for Joseph, is it James?
All I could find was things like Jo, Yosef, etc. Pepe is also shorthand version of Joseph but that doesn't link to anything.
I have a suggestion for a video. I’m not sure if you’ve considered it, but I’d love to hear your insight on the fog of Silent Hill. On its own, it’s a character itself.
Great job.
The notes of Blookhaven Hospital.
Awesome work!
great sybolism video i loved it i have a question when will you stream the rest of your silent hill marathon and do you have plans to stream KH3 i just curious and how hyped are you for DMC5
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it :D. I will continue the Silent Hill streams soon, but my capture card is damaged and I'm having to save up to repair it. I have streamed the first few hours of KH3, and I plan to stream more in the future. And I'm super hyped for DMC5!!
@@thegamingmuse oh i'm sorry about your damaged capture card and i did watch your first few hours of KH3. and i am also hyped for DMC5. just to tell you i already beat my KH3 game so if you need help when you stream it again i can help you spoiler free (Hopefully) I hope you can get a new capture card when you can i really enjoy your streams especially when you have Mars there with you. you guys play off each other perfectly
I don't think its actually the director writing notes directed at james
I think it's just the town itself
I've tried to analyse these back in the pre-internet days, but they left me confused. Maybe just blaming it on "the town" is the most sensible explanation
Laurence Monneret, AKA
Old Gregg
What's in the boxxxxxx?!!!!
-Brad Pitt.
TheJurnalyst it’s a hole in the head! Haha
Could you possibly do some other more lesser characters? Dr. Kaufman, Anne Cunningham, Travis Grady, Curtis Akers
I love your Silent Hill videos, ever thought of creating an Instagram account to promote your channel?
You think you can do Robbie the Rabbit for a future video whenever you can? Just a suggestion
Definitely possible one day! Though if you'd like to request it, you can always do so over on patreon.com/thegamingmuse :D
thegamingmuse np I love your Silent Hill videos who knew the games are so deep
Elinora Rose sorry I’ve never played any of the games before
Really good video in a good series.
This is awesome. Great analysis. Played this game many times but never put all these pieces together. I'm always trying to gtfo out Brookhaven. I love it and hate it.
Silent Hill games gimmicks were symbolism
I wanna ask where do you get these games and do they work on windows 10 i have a terrible time finding the series
Angela Blanc SH 3 still runs fine on Xbox. I don’t think they’re on Steam but it’s worth a try
Yaaaaaz!
What philosopher?
Very interesting.
Not a big fan of how inconclusive this one seemed to be toward the end.
Woah. Brookhaven is really fucked up in 2 :()
Any name symbolism? Laurence Monnert? Joshua? Etc
I have a bit of research there, but that's being saved for part two of "I Got A Letter", my SH2 deep dive. I had to pick and choose what to have in either series. :D
Isn’t the director the dog?
This is probably just a tin foil hat assumption, James, Angela, Eddy, Laura =Jael the woman in the book of judges.
Could Lawrence become the PH?
nitchke xdddddd
Did you get your Adsense working again?
Yes I did! It took a good few days and it was stressful, but so far we seem to be up and running with no more warnings! Whew!
0:17
"Nietzsche is pronounced Neet•schee" just trying to help.
Nee-chuh, not Neech-kah :)
....damn
Wow
1 minute ago
I love your videos.