Ending Theories
A popular theory right now is that it was actually Nerissa you meet in Episode 1. Which means she glamoured herself as the already late Faith then dropped Faith's real head on Bigby's doorstep to attract the attention of Bigby to the case. This means that we never actually meet Faith in the series at all. To me, it also seems that Ep1's "Faith" has very similar body movements and talks in a similar way to Nerissa. That, along with what "Faith" and Nerissa say to Bigby as they walk away is exactly the same.
Basically, it's saying that Wolf Among Us's storyline occurs because of her involvement. At the end, when she is leaving, it's almost as if the story is "ending" because she managed to get Bigby to solve the murders and her "work" there is done, officially wrapping up the mystery and game. And the scenes in Ep1 an Ep5 mirror eachother almost perfectly.
So, in a sense, the story begins and ends with Nerissa.
Give your input on this theory below!!!
Comments
It was Nerissa all along. Faith was already dead when the game started.
I agree. My thoughts exactly.
It makes a lot of sense, but why did she go with the woodsman glamoured as Faith in the 1st place?
My guess is she came with the intent of causing a ruckus so Bigby would be notified and come. This would trigger Bigby meeting up with "Faith", so when Nerissa dropped the real Faith's head off in the doorstep, it made it "personal" for Bigby, causing him to put all focus on the murder case.
I think I'm wrong about this (because honestly, I forgot the timeline of the first two episodes), but:
Lily wanted Faith to cover her shift (the note in the Puddin' & Pie from Lily to Faith). Nerissa is talking to Georgie when Faith walks in and Georgie kills her. Nerissa ends up glamouring herself as Faith to cover Lily's shift at the Woodsman's place. She meets Bigby and decides she wants to take down the Crooked Man for ordering Faith to be killed and all that, has Bigby get close to Faith and then goes back to the Puddin' & Pie for Faith's head (and to unglamour herself so she's in the jeans and all that) to place it on the steps. And then everything else happens. But I'm really not sure about this? I do love the idea that the game could possibly start and end with Nerissa.
That makes a lot of sense! Good point.
Everything you guys are saying makes a lot of sense, but i just don't get why she needed to glamour herself as Faith, did the job specifically asked for Faith? If so why the woodsman was expecting Lily instead of Faith? Was her plan all along to get beat by the woodsman just to get Bigby's attention? This theory is great and it makes sense, but some things doesn't add up.
I remember in episode 2, Lily asked Faith to cover her shift for her (with the Woodsman). "Faith" shows up and Woodsman gets pissed because he didn't ask for Faith, he was Lily's regular. I'm honestly confused too about all this, but I guess that was Telltale's intention
I read a theory that says that the one we never meet is Nerissa and not Faith. Faith used a donkeyskin coat to hide her beauty in the past so it isn't far fetched to think that she is doing that right now with a Nerissa glamour. This theory has its flaws too, Why she didn't tell Lawrence that she's still alive and why would she hide from everyone now that the Crooked man is dead? Man i really need S2 of this awesome game.
I think the Faith-was-actually-Nerissa theory is as plausible as the other way around, mostly because of the hints given during Bigby's realization in the last few seconds (Bufkin mentioning Faith hiding her beauty, all the parallels between Nerissa and Faith...). This could be an awesome season 2 plot: Bigby wondering why Faith left town and her husband (who is alive in my playthrough, poor Lawrence got ditched if that's really Faith!) and finding something darker beneath all this.
That theory is a very popular one as well. The two big-hitters at the moment are
1.) Nerissa is Faith
2.) Faith is Nerissa
Kind of confusing at first, lol
Nice purse. Must be popular.
Haha yeah Lawrence is alive in mine too. I agree with you, both theories are plausible at this point but both had holes in it that kinda makes them not so convincing. Can't wait to see what the actual theory is right.
I know TTG kinda screwed our heads with that last part of Ep5 lol
Simple. Nerssia wanted to redeem herself after what she's done, Then she was glamored as Faith and Georgie killed her instead.
So basically, Nerissa is Faith.
I think it is Faith the whole time...
Because when we ask the mirror to show faith, it says it can't, due to the spell...
IMO, that means Faith is still alive wearing the ribbon.
That's a good point. If Faith were dead either we would get a dead body or be told she was dead so there was nothing to say. The Mirror said "These lips are sealed" indicating that the spell of discretion was still in effect.
Also one thing I noticed. Be received all of this background on Faith but not one little bit on Nerissa. I mean sure, she was the little mermaid but that's it. It was her word and that had the least weight to believe.
Exactly. Even though Vivian was still alive, wouldn't the spell disappear when the ribbon was removed? This is actually one of the most convincing points in the Faith is alive theory.
I think it's the point that shines brightest. Pretty much this whole time it was Faith. She took Nerissa's head and glamoured it and left it for Bigby to get him involved. She wanted the Crooked Man to believe she was dead the whole time to stay off of his radar. I'm convinced at this point. It was brilliant.
I see the points, and this theory makes a lot of sense
but there are some holes in each theory.
"It was Faith the whole time"
1.) Why did she suddenly change personalities for the future episodes?
2.) Why would she be leaving Fabletown at the end if she still has her apartment and (determinant) her husband?
3.) How is she glamoured so long as Nerissa?
4.) If the Faith head we see it at the doorstep is Nerissa, why is it glamoured, and if so wouldn't it have worn off?
"It was Nerissa the whole time"
1.) Why exactly was she at the Woodsmans? Did she know Bigby would come?
2.) Why would the quote "she used her beauty to escape the kingdom" be used at the end if it was Nerissa leaving?
3.) There are pictures if Faith and Nerissa together that look recent. How long ago did Faith die? Why would Nerissa have the head?
1.) Why did she suddenly change personalities for the future episodes?
It's Faith, she's the Donkeyskin, a master of trickery through disguises for escaping kingdoms.
Only she's Mermaidskin now, and the kingdom is Crookie's Illegal Empire :v
It's kinda morbid, actually. In her original tale, she had to use the skin of a prized donkey in order to escape the kingdom.
And now she's wearing the skin of a prized friend in order to escape a different kingdom.
" Once again she was frightened and once again her godmother came to her assistance. "Pretend," she said, "to give in to the king. Promise him anything he wishes, but, at the same time, prepare to escape to some far country. "
I think Faith had been planning her escape for a long time. In the epilogue she's holding a travel bag right? She's going to flee to a distant place now. Similar to her original fable.
2.) Why would she be leaving Fabletown at the end if she still has her apartment and (determinant) her husband?
It's just like how she had to sacrifice her past life to start a new life after she had become Donkeyskin. The point where she says goodbye to Bigby is the first half of the story, now she's going to flee to a far away place ,start a new life and find another "prince" to marry.
3.) How is she glamoured so long as Nerissa?
It wasn't actually that long, the episodes actually take place over the course of a few days. I don't think it's even been a week.
4.)If the Faith head we see it at the doorstep is Nerissa, why is it glamoured, and if so wouldn't it have worn off?
Glamours wear off when they're dispelled manually, or when the time limit runs out. I assume Faith hid Nerissa's glamour artifact. Swineheart noticed something was off so he didn't get back to Snow yet about the body. He must be waiting for something to happen , since he can't undo the spell manually.
Again, it's only been a few days, so the glamour didn't run out of time just yet. This also coincides with the fact that she's going to a far away place at the epilogue of EP5 : she knows it's a matter of time before the glamour runs out and Swineheart finds out the truth. She will start a new life somewhere else, just like in her original tale.
The villains know they have killed Faith. If Faith appears after her apparent death this would be highly suspicious. Now add the fact that you have someone working for the Crookedman who is surreptitiously taking pictures of her after her supposed death (we see these pictures on the bulletin board at the foundry).
I don’t see how Nerrisa could have lived if she did this.
The photos were taken before her supposed death.
I apologize if I didn’t express my point clearly (I was trying to express why I didn’t believe Nerissa was disguised as Faith when we arrive at the Woodsman).
Are you saying in your statement that Nerissa wasn’t Faith in that scene, or perhaps Nerissa was disguised as Faith even before Faith was killed?
Thanks.
I'm on the Faith is alive bandwagon.
I agree, and that's why I won't buy the "it was Nerissa all along theory", even though it's really well tied up. There are many questions left unanswered about how Faith could have pulled it all out.
1) Georgie thinks he killed Faith. If it was in fact Nerissa glamoured as her, then how did Faith get her to do it?
2) We found a head glamoured as Faith's. Did the glamour perfectly reproduced the bruises left by the fight with Woody? (Could it have been just lazy work by Telltale?)
3) If it was Georgie who killed Lily too, then how did Faith get Lily's head to leave it at the Woodlands?
Something that is bugging me is the whole Lily story... I mean, who made that thing at the Open Arms?
Who threw her body into the river and said "stop laughing at me"?
I don't know, I might have missed something...
If you guys could help me out...
Also, that stain at Faith's appartament ?
Another one is the donkeyskin coat... Why would she leave it at Woodsman's?
1) Remember how Faith had just been beaten up badly by Woody? We know from Lily's death that the girls had a habit of glamouring and covering for one another when the other is sick, so maybe Faith asked Nerissa to cover for her for the rest of the night, stating that she was still hurting physically or emotionally from Woody's treatment, or something.
I imagine Nerissa was a sweetheart, and accepted her friend's request.
2)I think mimicking glamours reproduces another Fable's appearance exactly as the target appears at the moment the glamour is being made. Bigby comments that since Lily's glamour was black market and poor quality, the drug-syringe wounds of her original body carried over to her Snow white glamour. Bigby notes that this shouldn't have happened if the glamour had been done properly : it should have mimicked the other person's every little detail.
So when Nerissa took Faith's appearance that night, she appeared bruised, and when Faith took Nerissa's appearance, she appeared flawless.
3) That's the only mystery. He left the heads behind and only tried to dispose of the bodies for some reason.Faith would have known where she was killed since Lily had talked to Faith about covering for one another shortly before, evidenced by the note from Lily to Faith he finds at the club. She'd know where to look for the head, but I still don't get why Georgie left both heads behind.
Lily told Faith where she was going for the night. It was Faith whom she had secretly asked to go to Woody's apartment while she serviced Crane. The note proves that this was an arrangement between the two.
So how the hell would Nerissa have known exactly where to look for to get the head to deliver it to Bigby's doorstep, BEFORE Bigby told her about room 207 and Mr. Smith? That's because the Nerissa who got the head to him was already Faith disguised.
If Faith was really glamoured to look like Nerissa the whole time, then it would have been Nerissa that was killed with Lily and not Faith, but niether the Crooked Man or his goons ever disputed Bigby when he asked what happened to "Faith and Lily." I don't know. This Series has more twists than a bag of Twizzlers, and I'm more confused than ever. Seriously hoping TTG makes a Season 2 and cleans up some of the loose ends.
oh and this is off topic but, I just wish Snow and Bigby just come out and admit they love each other.
Open Arms rooms was all set up by Crane's for his sexual fantasies - then Georgie (knowing that Lily would be at the Open Arms) could have removed her ribbon then, killing her and leaving all that blood.
Throwing her body in the river - heavily implied to be Georgie and Jersey, given that if you eavesdrop on them through the Crooked Man's door, Georgie tells Jersey something like "I told you before, stop laughing"
The blood stain...you mean the one with the outline of the pull out bed? Not sure, and it seems strange that Lawrence has a line about things being fuzzy about his recollection about shooting himself.
Donkeyskin coat....no idea. Why bring it with you while turning tricks? If left as a clue for Bigby, why not leave it with the head?
Another thing I noticed now, which is supported by Donkeyskin's original tale :
Here's a paragraph:
" ‘Take heart,’ she said, ‘all will now go well! Wrap yourself in this skin, and leave the palace and go as far as you can. I will look after you. Your dresses and your jewels shall follow you underground in a magic chest, and if you strike the earth whenever you need anything, you will have it at once. "
That's one gift the fairy gives her as soon as Faith assumes her new Donkeyskin persona. All of her most prized belongings vanish into that one chest that only Faith herself can summon at will.
Now, what did we see when we got to the Pudding and Pie and took a look at Faith's belongings? Everything was gone. Her jewel box was completely empty, and Telltale makes sure we pay attention to that. We never found anything that directly belonged to Faith. This is a symbolism that Faith had already assumed a new persona, her Nerissa one. She probably did the same thing as in the tale and hid all of her prized belongings within her secret chest as soon as she assumed a new identity.
I think for the 'it was Faith all along' theory to work, Nerissa had to have been glamoured as Faith at the moment she was killed, so Crooked & Co. would believe Faith was dead.
As for why - possibly Nerissa really did rat out Faith and Lily, then found out Lily was killed/going to be killed and Faith was next, so warned Faith, and agreed to take the hit for her out of guilt. Faith posing as Nerissa, with amnesty from Georgie, can then take down Crooked Man's empire from the inside.
The how? Either theory requires at least one of Faith/Lily to have a glamour of the other. Perhaps they often covered for each other and so had spare glamours of themselves, or maybe some of them rely permanently on glamours for their normal appearance - we know Lily for example must have had a supply of glamours for her human appearance.
OT: and yes, they really do need to get it on. But tbh their relationship in the game already seems more tender than it was at the start of the comics, so something has to give for canon to resume.
You guys remember the letter Faith left for Lawrence? On the letter she said she was sorry. Now, i don't know what she was sorry about but maybe she was sorry that she would be leaving behind Lawrence to start a new life somewhere else and the letter would be delivered to him by some of Faith's friends after she was gone.
oh no... if the story is done... that means my excitement for season 2 is gone.. cri
Good point! I'd forgotten about that. It seems that she planted her Donkeyskin outfit on Woody's apartment because she was sure somebody was going to find it soon after her supposed "death" [Toad found it right?],since it was the last place Bigby had seen her alive and would certainly come to investigate.
That way, the letter of apology could be given quickly to Lawrence.She probably knew he was going to be devastated over her fake death and do something stupid, so she left the coat with the note to be found quickly. The coat wasn't even of interest to Dee and Dum, who refused to accept it from Toad because it was so ugly. She was quite smart to hide her letter in that cloak. Only someone who had a real reason to take the cloak would bother inspecting it [Bigby] and taking the letter to the right person.
This proves she already knew something was going to happen to her before she took Nerissa's identity! She was prepared.
Yeah, Toad found the coat on the Woodsman's apt. i believe and yes i agree that this proves that she knew something bad was about to happen.
Didn't you find it strange how she seemed to be provoking drunk Woody and egging him on to beat her up? She just stood there taking it instead of running away or doing anything else. Woody is famous for having a temper.
How could she not have known who Woody was, if Lily had directly told her about him when she asked Faith to go see him in her place.It's in Lily's letter to Faith in the club.
They were friends, I'm sure Lily would have at least told her Woody's name and warned about his temper.
I think Faith was deliberately taunting Woody into beating her, so she could use the beating later as an excuse to get Nerissa to cover for her for the rest of the night.As we know, Faith already knew something bad was going to happen to her later that night, by how she planted the Donkeyskin at Woody's apt.
When Faith came back to the club all bruised up, her friend Nerissa probably agreed to cover for her for the rest of the night.
That's when the real Nerissa gets killed, and Faith steals her identity.
Holy crap that sounds really possible man, maybe thats why she feel so guilty for "Faiths" death and not because she told Georgie about the photos of Lily and Crane.
Another thing i found odd during the first encounter with her is that Bigby kinda feels like he has meet Faith before, why would that be?
Telltale was leaving all the hints for us to put the points together and deduce that Nerissa is Faith.
When Bigby wonders if they've met before, she gets quite agitated and says a bit frantically : "My name is NERISSA. I was known as the little mermaid NERISSA." This is also one of the specific phrases Bigby recalls at the end of EP5 when he's piecing everything together.
Hints we've noticed so far:
Her provocation of Woody by telling him she didn't know him when Lily had actually told her about him
The coat and the letter suggesting she already knew what was going to happen,
Her jewelry being all gone after she assumes a new identity just like the original fable,
"Nerissa's" unexplained knowledge of where to immediately look for Lily's head ,when Lily had only told Faith about her whereabouts, since they had that arrangement to trade places for the night, evidenced by Lily's note to Faith
Even though she knew where to look for the head and had to go there to pick it up, she acts like it was her first time hearing about it when Bigby inquires her about Mr. Smith.
Her nervousism when Bigby wonders if they've met before
Her repeated phrases and and mannerisms identical to Faith
How Swineheart never got back to Snow about the head, since he found something was off about it and wanted to run some more tests on it. He's probably waiting for the glamour to run out of time since Faith must have hidden the artifact to undo it manually [or George unitentionaly got rid of it along with the lower half of the body]
How she's moving far away from Fabletown in order to start a new life at end of EP5 , just like what happens at the original fable.
The overall similarities between the plot of the original fable and what happens in the game : using most prized donkey's Donkeyskin to disguise herself [her prized friend's skin , Nerissa], in order to escape a kingdom which she's bound to [Crooked Man's illegal empire], so that in the end she can run away and start a new life far away from that kingdom as a new person [she's moving far away from Fabletown to start a new life at the end]
Another hint could be that Swineheart found something odd with Faith's head and that he wanted to run more test because of it.