* SPOILERS FOR JRWI UNWITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM EMPTY GRAVES (and trigger warning for gore)*
~Just some ramblings i have from watching episode 2 of empty graves~
So, when i first watched episode one, i theorized that Mr Abrams was trying to bring back his son but accidentally brought other dead back to life too in the process, then i thought he was trying to bring back his wife and son because they both died. I settled on the idea that Mr abrams was using the reanimated bodies to make more bodies, testing to see if he could bring back his wife and son. I thought that Isaac would be hung from a tree the way Odin is in the myth of gaining power and knowledge, and that he would be bled and his blood would feed the soil that held bodies beneath it.
I have to say, watching episode two, i got pretty dang close. So, now here are some of the things i noticed or found fascinating in episode two.
1. when William went into the basement and saw Mrs abrams body hung up in the tub, i thought of two things: 1, Jesus crucified on the cross. Both of the "seasons" of UPP have a lot of religious conantations, so my mind instantly jumped to this at the imagery. Secondly, when bizly began to describe her blood filling the tub, i then thoguht of the Bible verse Luke 22:20-22 (the verse often used in communion ceremonies) "In the same way, after the super he took the cup, saying 'this cup is the new covenant of my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray you is with mine on the table. The son of man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to the man who betrays him."
The concept of bleeding the person you are bound to in both marriage and through offspring to bring back said offspring hold such power, and it feels like Mr abrams is using her blood due to the connection to their son, almost as a way to 'feed' him and bring him back.
2. Mr abrams seems to be targeting mainly children in an attempt to return his own, like a trade. Though we see later in the woods, he used mainly animals before taking Isaac. I wonder if this is because he believes that if he shows enough faith his son will come back to him, just like how Abraham believed god would stay his hand in the story of Abraham and Isaac, that god would restore the life to his son.
3. Mr abrams becoming deeply fascinated and consumed by the occult almost feels like an attempt to replace god. Like, he says he talked to him, but i wonder if this is a form of religious psychosis turned incredibly deadly, because he now believes the power he wields was given to him by god while making himself powerful enough to bring back the dead. He is almost replacing god in his mind and doesn't question it because he either believes god granted him this power, or that god was not powerful enough, in turn gifting Mr abrams the ability.
4. The shaking trees are fascinating to me, because it feels almost as if they shake the moment they are alive. We've seen a lot of blood magic and the power of names in this series, so i wonder if the reason the trees shake is because they have been fed enough blood to wake the literal earth. This felt even more confirmed to me when bizly said the ground in the alter area looked as though it had been "tilled", like the blood was sown into the soil to grow new life, or wake what shouldn't be alive.
5. As i said above, ive noticed a lot of biblical ties in this series, and through the Empty Graves series specifically. The moment that struck me the hardest was when all of the kids find Isaac with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Abrams, and how Mr. Abrams lies the body of his son in the center of the alter made in the ground. Mr brooks lays Isaac down beside his son on a slab of stone, and i realized this is quite literally the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac.
The long trek up the mountain with the animal sacrifice in the Bible becomes a car ride deep in the woods. Mr brook binds Isaac just as Abraham binds his son of the same name on that mountain, but this time, Mr abrams isnt praying to god to stay his hand from the impending sacrifice. Mr abrams now is god, or a prophet of god as he most likely believes, and he will get his son back no matter what it costs. A son for a son.
Also, using the revived body of the man who killed your son to sacrifice his son so your own can come back is very metal and i love it.
* side note* the horror setting for this? The occult and set dressing, the prop knife and fake blood, oh, bizly you outdid yourself this is amazing. Im obsessed. I need more ASAP never stop.
pixelskylines
snowghoul
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
titsay
