Theory - I think I figured out TWAU

First of all, ***possibly major spoilers ahead that may affect your experience***.

I'm enjoying the game a lot, and have been through various theories and after replaying the 3 episodes for the third time I woke up today with an insight that made me realize what's possibly the theme of the game. From the begging I believed the titles let on more than they probably should, starting with the series title...

0 - The Wolf Among Us
It's not Fables as in The Walking Dead, Sam & Max, Game of Thrones, Law & Order, Jurassic Park, etc. Does this has to mean something? To me simply that it's not the setting that is the theme. The game isn't about the world of fables, it's about Bibgy, a man in confrontation with the world and his own nature. His past haunts and condemns him, so he's dislocated, feared by everyone, including himself, but he was offered a "fresh start" and he doesn't want to waste it... he wants to change, to find a way fit in and find his "happy ending".

1 - Faith
Like I said, Bibgy is a man in confrontation with the world and his own nature. He's been trying real hard to keep the beast, an inseparable part of him, inside, contained. And the way he's doing it is by accepting responsibility over the community's safety, doing the right thing, the right way whenever he gets the chance.

Note how selfless he's being, having all his powers and choosing to work by the book, even though everyone's giving him shit (some avoid him as a bomb that can go off any minute, others treat him a law dog who's bowing down to a corrupt/unfair system) and he's broke, living alone in a shit hole of an apparent. Plus, as it seems, he as well doesn't trust himself, avoiding confrontation when the situation demands because he, just like every other fable, is afraid of himself, has not enough "faith" in himself.

Morale of Donkeyskin's tale: "it is better to undergo the greatest hardships rather than to fail in one's duty... virtue may sometimes seem ill-fated but will always triumph in the end".
Faith didn't seen scared/worried when being smacked around/threatened by Woody (tough girl!), but as soon as he started chocking Bigby forcing him into transforming ("I know you are in there... You mongrel! Come out, wolf!") things change. She stops Woody from awakening the wolf by running his own axe into his skull, yet her worries are pointed towards Bigby. She immediately calls attention to what "big eyes and big teeth" he has and how he isn't supposed to do that. Further into conversation she seems more worried about Bigby than herself, that she doesn't want him to go after Woddy, that he should get cleaned up, makes fun of how he looks like shit, and before departing she says she needs to tell him something.. that "he is not as bad as everyone says". To me it all could mean that she has *faith* in him, and that he's needed as a good guy, not a scary hardass sheriff. The various other interactions that follow always reinforce that in a way. A good crystal clear example is the whole chat we had with Colin in Bigby's ap.

2 - Smoke and Mirrors
Could they've spelled deception any more clearly? The whole scene at 207 was clearly created for Bigby to find. And to me it wasn't simply to frame Crane (however is behind it can't be stupid enough not to know it wasn't going to work); it has to have been to set Bibgy off, like leaving decapitated heads of people they had a connection with by his doorstep. Snow is (for now) his impossible love and to think that she may be in danger deeply messes with him.

The villain (I'm calling who's behind it that) must have wanted Bigby to after Crane and maybe kill him or just sniff around enough to put his crooked ass out of the game. (That's why BlueBeard is one of my main suspects). All in all, it still worked to piss Bigby off his wacko, as we would see in the next episode's opening.

3 - A Crooked Mile
The same way Crane being a crooked ass deputy doesn't make him the Crooked Man, A Crooked Mile doesn't have to be about the crime boss fable being revealed as the mastermind behind everything. I'd say it could be about Bigby going on a wild chase for Crane, the Crooked Man and his employees getting caught in the crossfire. To me they are, like Dee said during the interrogation, trying to get to the bottom of what's happening thus they went after Crane for the same reason we did.

Furthermore, I think the Crooked Man had Mary sparring us because he thinks killing Bigby would be more trouble than it's worth. Having him sniffing around isn't as bad as killing the sheriff, and a major ass demigod fable for that matter. TCM had the Tweedles coerce Bigby out of the game, but probably instructed them to not kill him or any of his friends, just threaten them/attack them as a warning to make him think twice, be more careful. It all points out for them wanting to clean up this whole mess.

4 - In sheep's clothing
Finally, walking into uncovered territory... As the two previous episodes disappointed me by not really moving the plot, giving out more hints about what's going on but not really revealing what's this all about, I'm guessing episode 4 will do the same.

Like other players said, "In sheep's clothing" may suggest that Bibgy is going under cover or that someone we trust is going to be revealed an enemy/spy whatever. To me it's the first one. Bigby is going after the next lead (ep.1 was Woody, ep.2 Lily, ep.3 Crane) which now is Bloody Mary, and as he got his ass kicked the first time, he's not taking her head on. I mean... he's The Wolf and having him disguising would make the title literally fitting in every sense.

It will probably be as simple as A. Greenleaf glamouring Bibgy (burning her tree might pay some consequence here) or, alternatively, he going for one of the witches at the 13th floor, so he can try and get to Mary by surprise and move on with the plot. (I wish I was hoping for more. I so want to be wrong about this part of my prediction, however facing off against Mary after our fist encounter could be trilling, so I won't complain if they do pull off something like ep.3's ending).

5 - Cry wolf
The final chapter. To me, like other people already said, its title mean that somehow all this mess was a *false alarm*. That's what "to cry wolf" means... not that The Boy who Cryed Wolf (the Cryer) will be revealed as the mastermind behind it, that he wants revenge from Bigby... come on...

"When there's confusion a man who knows what he wants stands a good chance of getting it".
I'm guessing, in the conclusion, whoever is behind what is going on will be revealed that intended to gain something from the all mess. The girls out of the game, Crane being deposed, the Crooked Man being brought into light and Bigby losing his shit. But that won't be the main point of the game.

I think in the end it will sum up to be a story about how Bigby stayed true to his "fresh start" or gave in to his "old ways". After all, it's Bigby the player takes control of. The story style seems to be like TWD (about choices/consequences and morality), TWAU is in no way about "puzzles and fun" like Monkey Island, Sam & Max and other Telltale titles were. Therefore, as so far we haven't seen much consequences for our choices/actions (in TWD we see consequence all the time, most of it hitting immediately), I'm betting the consequences for our action are coming *in weight* in the end. That way our possible descend into darkness would come more as a surprise than if every little thing you did would almost immediately hit you back, discouraging you from "being Big and being Bad". That way more players will become the monster without realizing until it was too late, and I think that it will be an amazing revelation.

...

To conclude, I would like to point out that 'The Complete ep5 achievement' is name "Happly Ever After", so maybe even Faith and Lily will turn out to be alive. I hope Faith at least... Even if she turn out to be a villain (I doubt but I'm not ruling it out) I'll still love her character. And in the end it will be about the Bigby being part of the Happy Ending or continuing dislocated. I think that it would be an amazing way to close the story. I have no idea how it would leave room for a second season but I would sincerely be glad if they ended that arch of the Fables universe which is very rich and then worked in series about other characters.

Well guys, let me know what you think about anything I just wrote. Any thoughts are welcome.

Comments

  • edited May 2014
    What if TWAU is just some crazy dude in an asylum playing out of fantasy, when being entirely guilty of the crime of insanity....... Hence he Cried Wolf, the end.

    Seriously your theory has a few gaps when leaving out the murderer? It would be a shitty game if that is what we are playing, because we haven't solved anything, just watched a video when pretending to have any affect on the outcome? The killer according to you was introduced in episode 3?

    Btw nice chapter summary and grammar. Who can say what really happens in the end.

    The idiot downgrading comments needs to get a life. You either rate or you don't rate. But rather actually submit something to the thread by responding. Putting a thumbs down without any purpose is childish, doing so, should not be certified to be on this forum or playing this game
  • edited May 2014
    Do you think I said Mary is the killer? I didn't say anything about murders or a killer. I specifically called whoever is behind this a "villain" exactly because I'm not sure any murder happened. For all we know, considering Fables' resilience and magic, even Lily could have had head her head and body reunited instead of being dumped down the witching well (I wouldn't be surprised if a troll could grow her head back, or her head grow whole new body.. the mirror can grow missing pieces, and trolls are known for regenerating body parts... in D&D they could only be killed with fire or acid, a game mechanic but still...). I suggested that someone is playing Bigby and shaking up the fables community foundations. My theory implies that our choices/action have a way bigger consequence than solving two murders (and if it was just about it we know we all would in the end, as however a bad detective Bigby can be, leads come to us and the story progresses). I suggested that being an ass, abusing your power to steal money, beat people up mercilessly, and even kill, however justifiable it may have felt could end up having huge unforeseen consequences for Bigby.

    Try reading before commenting the next time.
    Bobit posted: »

    What if TWAU is just some crazy dude in an asylum playing out of fantasy, when being entirely guilty of the crime of insanity....... Hence

  • I think Ep.4 is when Cinderella comes in
  • don't worry bobit jumps onto every topic getting into arguments just ignore it .

    Do you think I said Mary is the killer? I didn't say anything about murders or a killer. I specifically called whoever is behind this a "vil

  • edited May 2014
    What did I say? I even paid you a compliment.

    However the asshole that you are, deserves shit now.

    So now I will get into an argument to keep the other asshole happily assuming my motives.

    I said you haven't named a murderer in your theory, which is exactly what I said. So any chapter progression is of purely hypothetical assumption when summarized in that way. You have stated emphatically to knowing what TWAU is about, but haven't clarified. I had said according to your assumption, you have based the killer coming into play from chapter 3. I didn't name any killer because you haven't. That in the Crooked Mile you have related a massive assumption accordingly to the Crooked Man's schemes. Please read before you insult.

    Sadly like your theory which is full of shit, which you have just proved from trolls regenerating from a beheading. Your nothing but an ass, a stinking blight on anything posted, don't bother regenerating.

    The game is so Linear a fact. Without adversely describing what it lacks repeatedly. Any murder game with a murderer coming into play later in game, as a character we had no prior knowledge of apart from murders. Means effectively this game wasn't solved, it was watched, all we did was go through the motions to discover a story. We may have well have been reading a book, or watching a film. Any sequel after a murder game's entry into it's universe, can't be another murder story can it? What would it be? Some case, of the missing chicken strippers, and the Colenel's secret sauce, shit we already had that story didn't we? According to your ectoplasm they somehow revived in the witching well. Think many would rather go onto Borderlands, GoT would be well with adverse reservations, considering how all other GoT based games have done.

    Some buy everything and vent for pages...

    Do you think I said Mary is the killer? I didn't say anything about murders or a killer. I specifically called whoever is behind this a "vil

  • I think Telltale may have cut her out. She was in the Smoke and Mirrors trailer, and not in the episode. Hopefully not though. She's one of my favourite characters in the comics.
    CornPopper posted: »

    I think Ep.4 is when Cinderella comes in

  • edited May 2014
    I love this thread so intelligent,deep with great depth and of course solid points perfect combination

    How I see it

    Bigby is trying to escape himself deep down he thinks his a monster so serves fabletown trying to save himself and help his conscience of what he really is. He tries to follow the rules but because things are never going right he feelslike a failure as enough though he tries so hard the people he cares about keeps dying making him make rash decisions out of frustration.

    Moral of the story will end with Bigby embracing the monster inside letting what he hates about himself his weaknesses become his strengths and finally accept himself for what he is.
  • Thanks for the compliment! You got what I meant, I just hope that in the end Bigby will necessarily embrace his darkness like you said. I think he will either end up regretting deeply any wrongs that he commit during the course of the game and everyone will be there to remind him of his failure, dislocating him even more, or if he keeps a level head, staying true to what he believes right no matter what, in the end he will feel somewhat redeemed about his past, more confident about himself and hopeful about his future, and everyone he cares about will be really proud of him and will come/let him closer as one of them, not a complete lone wolf.

    Note how Snow is always checking on Bigby, giving us a hard time for abusing the prisoner (even if we chose not to and try to tell her it was Bluebeard), recognizing when we do "better than expected" when dealing with situations like Toad lying, getting info from TJ, etc., or how Holly when drugged recognizes Bigby's effort if we are nice to her and demonstrate sympathy for her sister. On the other hand, note how Bluebitch orgasms if we choose to beat a tied up Woody/Dee mercilessly, how Mary calls Bibgy a pussy if we let Dum live, or how Georgie is always trying to provoke us, bringing up Bigby's tendency for aggression. Simply every character we meet seem to be either scared/worried or excited/interested about Bigby's violent side. Whatever turn the story takes I have no doubt this is its main theme or at least a major one. I can't wait for the next episode! :)
    Markd4547 posted: »

    I love this thread so intelligent,deep with great depth and of course solid points perfect combination How I see it Bigby is tryin

  • edited May 2014
    Yes 100% agree really interesting and cool way you see things really can't wait either more exciting than TWD to me :)

    Thanks for the compliment! You got what I meant, I just hope that in the end Bigby will necessarily embrace his darkness like you said. I th

  • edited May 2014
    [removed]
  • Lol. There is some serious hostility going on in your comments. Why do some people get SO angry when they're on the internet? Does anyone else notice this? The internet just brings out the pent up rage in some people. It's kind of funny. Just an observation. :)

    Bobit posted: »

    What did I say? I even paid you a compliment. However the asshole that you are, deserves shit now. So now I will get into an argum

  • Why would you bump this thread to mention that a banned member said something hostile a month ago?

    Lol. There is some serious hostility going on in your comments. Why do some people get SO angry when they're on the internet? Does anyone el

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