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A Needlessly Long and Heavily Biased Analysis of Todd Kennington in Eyes Wide Shut (From WDY, Aftermath:2)

this is really lengthy. It’s pretty long for a character with less than 10 minutes of screen time in total. I don’t have a lot to go off of…

Please read this before expanding this post. thank you! Sorry for the lack of images in the first section. I know people do not like reading. There may be some grammar mistakes! Made by me, or the writers! Also, This post is not compatible with screen readers, I apologize sincerely.

keep in mind! The video depicts yelling, violence/force, manipulation, and conflict! As well as (crudely drawn) blood, murder, and a blurred out corpse. If I include the rest of the series, it mentions drugging, Alcohol, torture, self harm, abuse, bullying, and mental illness. It’s not done well but I can’t really say anything about it since it’s… kind of… a decade old… kind of… It’s surprisingly outdated and inaccurate is what I’m saying. If you are not in a good headspace, I suggest you don’t watch this. Take breaks! Or just, stop reading entirely if you start to feel unwell. this, of course, means my analysis will cover a very small fraction of these topics. Some won’t be as in depth, but I must provide a content warning for the rest of the series since I cannot pick and choose. Do not censor shit like “tw g0r3”, I will fucking get you

Right now most of my followers (Less than 100, give or take >20 people who actually care about my current stuff) haven’t been in this fandom, nonetheless, have they heard anything about it. I’m honestly glad they haven’t. Still, I’d rather be safe than sorry, since I’ve made these mistakes before. I have gone through and seen some of this stuff myself! Not pleasant.

first of all, this is an analysis of WDY aftermath’s depiction of Todd Kennington only, because his debut appearance and purpose in the plot is Nothing. (I’m telling you right now. It is nothing. He looks like the rest of the bowling-pin-esque employees with the word BOSS plastered onto his face. I made a cosplay based off of this.) So, I will be ignoring everything he says/does in Origins. Unfortunately.

Despite the fact I am not the type who deeply relates to or analyzes characters, I got inspired by a very special, certain and smiley person ! And also a hint of madness. And The Burning In My Heart That Scars My Insides Every Waking Moment . Anyway, You deserve many great things and more. Thanks to everyone who voted!

I made a transcript and I have provided embedded links with their respective timestamps for anybody who needs it! I’m going to use this transcript and the voice actress’(?) line delivery to dissect his character. I was partway through adding timestamps next to each line but the ‘chat’ text breaks when I add something like… 2:37, because of the colon. and it looked gross. And It’s Also Because I Don’t Hate Myself.

Please watch each embedded video first and stop at the timestamp marked below for the best experience! (I think)

*For example, when it says “This segment ends at 8:42”, stop it at 8:42 before scrolling down to my notes. The transcript of the segment will be right before my notes, if needed. **Todd’s VA is a bit quiet compared to the background music and Mike… I think it’s a mixing issue or something to do with my speakers (doubt), so if you have problems processing audio and speech like I do, (+Todd’s VA has a slight lisp, so it might be difficult for some) you can follow along with the transcript or read it after watching the clip.

I am not a professional psychologist and I am absolutely not an expert when it comes to body language, these are drawings that stay on screen for ~9-20 seconds at a time and they don’t convey actions well. I said this in my tags before on my second blog, but the writing is… barely comprehensible.

So, I will make lapses in my judgment! I could be wrong and I probably will be! These are assumptions based off of what I know. I would say I would like to hear other people’s input but nobody cares. Like, shit man. Whatever. and I unfortunately hate the 3 people who have talked about his character EVER as of late. So God Help Me

I am only discussing Todd’s dialogue, so when I use ‘He’ only in a paragraph, I am referring to Todd. Only Him. I’m so sorry if this gets confusing later on. Nobody knows this guy and I doubt I will be anybody’s introduction to this character or the series itself. But if I do I hope it’s through Todd and like. 5 things from it. That’s never gonna happen. I am so sorry if you end up hating this strange series because of me.

also, DO NOT TAKE THIS AS GOSPEL!!!! I am far from a preacher!! As if anybody would actually reads this!! if you can tolerate ten thousand unexplained plotholes and abysmal writing simultaneously, watch the full thing yourself! if you want! I suggest you don’t do that actually! BUT THE WAY I VIEW HIM IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO INTERPRET HIS CHARACTER despite what my mind says I DON’T KNOW WHY I WAS BORN THIS WAY!! I KEEP CHANGING AT A PACE I CANNOT CATCH UP WITH!!!

Anyway, I’ve broken this down to 2 sections:

1: The Transcript + Embedded Segments of the Full Video

I’m also going occasionally add my notes from significant parts of the transcript! Self explanatory. Transcribing this manually all by myself was time consuming and I was usually really tired while doing this, so I am sorry if any lines are inaccurate.

2: Inferences and Final Thoughts/Summary

This is me bullshitting my way to making any of this make sense. This will be based off of external illustrations, specific lines from the animatic, and maybe some psychological things. Or more accurately, Contort The Character I Like To The Version Of Them I Have In My Head And Deny Everything Else Anyone Has Ever Said About Them. (Sarcastic. I Hope.) I will summarize everything in my notes into a few paragraphs and condense his personality into a pointlessly wordy description. Which will also probably be heavily biased. Somehow. Maybe I’m just saying this for the hell of it. Oh. And maybe some other stuff, like comments about this episode’s writing and the series as a whole. ( It’s mostly criticism )

I know that a lot of people aren’t interested in unnecessary and extensive text posts, so If you’ve read this far, thank you! I am so sorry.

The Transcript + Embedded Segments of the Full Video

(This segment ends at 3:07.)

MIKE SLAMS THE DOOR OPEN. HE TAKES A MOMENT TO CATCH HIS BREATH.

TODD SPINS IN HIS OFFICE CHAIR AROUND (*WITH HIS ARMS CROSSED) TO FACE MIKE. (**HE OPENS HIS EYES AFTER.)

TODD: Ah, Mike! Thank goodness you showed up, I- need you for a brief moment. Take a seat.

MIKE: …yeah boss?

TODD: I recently have been… Well, quite worried about your coworker Austin, I haven’t seen him since earlier this morning. TODD: Is… everything alright?

MIKE: Ah… Austin… Mr. sanders- …yeah, about him- I… I think something really bad happened.

Okay so look I know I broke one of the first things I said about this analysis but TRUST ME IT’S NECESSARY. I THINK. Mike is constantly sweating in this entire exchange, his eyebrows are almost always furrowed/pressed. He’s clearly worried, panicked and extremely uneasy when he speaks. He stutters, drags on his speech and does that nervous thing when you close your throat up before talking. I don’t know the word for it. (I mean. As he should, he saw his coworker’s corpse) the pressure he’s under a lot right now! as the average man would if they had to tell their manager that they saw a dead body! Of his friend(?) no less! *I wanted to point out Todd’s pose when I talk about his body language and his attitude later. His facial expressions… Are a challenge for me ** I don’t know why he had his eyes closed in the first place. Maybe this is just amateur execution… or something to do with… anime influence… Or something. But for the sake of my own sanity, I’m going to assume he was deep in thought or thinking about something. The upper half of his face is cropped off when he’s revealed so I have no fucking clue (This is so minor, but I’m glad they synced up the OST they were using the moment Todd’s full design is revealed. incidentally or not. It’s like he has his own little tune. Or leitmotif. It’s not though.)

(This segment ends at 4:41.)

TODD: I have a suspicion. TODD PULLS THE SECURITY ROOM KEYS FROM… SOMEWHERE??? AND JINGLES THEM IN FRONT OF MIKE. TODD: In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve got full access to the Security System. TODD: With these, I’ve been watching over the entirety of the view within these walls, TODD: making sure that no one is running into any trouble. TODD: Our camera’s quality is not the best visually, so I’m at a disadvantage. TODD: But… I think I noticed something earlier today near the server room specifically- TODD: Something that… doesn’t sit right with me.

A FLASHBACK SEQUENCE FROM TODD’S POINT OF VIEW PLAYS. (THE SCREEN HAS A NEGATIVE, WHITE VIGNETTE AROUND THE SCREEN AND AN EXTREMELY UGLY PULSATING FILTER ON IT.) IT SHOWS FOOTAGE OF THE MURDER AND THE BODY AFTERWARDS. IT APPALLS HIM.

MIKE HESITATES. MIKE: …Todd- th-there’s something that I should really- no… I really need to tell you this. MIKE: …It’s- it’s about what I saw. TODD: hm? MIKE: I… saw something that I… I wish I didn’t. MIKE STANDS UP FROM HIS CHAIR AND PUTS HIS HANDS ON TODD’S DESK. MIKE: It would drive me… insane, if I kept this to myself, So I really- just… MIKE: Have to tell you… now. *TODD PUTS HIS HAND ON MIKE’S SHOULDER. *TODD: Well, then- just… spit it out, Mike. *TODD: You’re worrying me. MIKE: I saw Austin’s body! TODD FREEZES DUE TO HIS SURPRISE. HE SITS BACK DOWN AND LOOKS CONCERNEDLY TO THE SIDE, BREAKING EYE CONTACT WITH MIKE. MIKE WIPES HIS TEARS AND TURNS HIS HEAD AWAY.

*There are a few lines that really speak out to me in his dialogue. Most notably, “Just spit it out”. I’m sure at least… 2 people have known this since it came out, but it absolutely feels like his true nature is seeping into his words in this moment. This is direct, almost confrontational. Before this, he speaks in an almost casual manner. He holds himself back sometimes as if he’s thinking about what he should say. I think. There’s a hint of worry in his voice, a hint of worry. I cannot for the life of me tell if this is him being genuinely concerned or if this is the same thing one would use for small talk. *Surprisingly, he uses physical contact to assure Mike for some reason. Maybe to ease him into saying what’s on his mind? it seems contradictory but I imagine (keyword imagine…) that this was done on purpose. I’ll elaborate on this idea soon enough. This is complicated for me to put together. The flashback sequence from Todd’s perspective threw me off a bit… ”entirety of the view”… this is so awkward. I’m assuming this is just an error made by the writer(s) but I cannot wrap my head around this at all. I tried to make as little edits to the script as I could. this hurts my brain so badly. I based this transcript off of the VAs’ delivery so I apologize if this is entirely on my end Because I do not have the original script given to them. It… sometimes sounds like the tiktok text-to-speech… also if you were wondering why the eyebrow thing happens so often I DONT KNOW!!!!! it’s the only way a LOT of people convey confusion don’t ask me

(This segment ends at 5:37.)

TODD: There isn’t a need to fret, Mike. TODD: I know this situation has been dreading the both of us, equally. TODD: I-… I don’t even think I have the words to describe any of this correctly.

TODD: You aren’t in trouble.

TODD: …Because I know that you wouldn’t tell anyone about what you saw, right?

MIKE’S EYES WIDEN IN SHOCK.

MIKE: …w-wait, what are you talking about- TODD: You know exactly what I mean- TODD: We won’t be releasing any vital details about this incident from here on out. TODD: Is that correct, Mike?

MIKE: Oh! Well… of course not! I would never let out so severe like this… to anyone! MIKE: Besides, What I saw…

Okay But Seriously I want to focus on his vocabulary and how he thinks in my final analysis. From “…Dreading the both of us, Equally.” To “You aren’t in trouble.” and “I know that you wouldn’t tell anyone about what you saw, Right?” (It’s all in the span of 12 seconds and it’s a lot to process for me personally.) I would describe this as his empathetic, almost sympathetic persona taking the back pedal, so his more authoritative, controlling nature can take the wheel. He uses stronger words and his sentences become seamless. I’m not sure what for! Because the writing has always been super unclear and I can’t link these traits back to his childhood or whatever because he doesn’t have one! Only… 4 characters have some kind backstory! FUCK!!!!! anyway. he’s a very confidential man from what I can gather. He values trust a lot. I wouldn’t say secretive or two-faced necessarily, but it seems like he puts up this façade frequently, even in private one-to-one conversations. Stillll… he looks unsure of the situation, because there’s now a witness other than himself. His tone shifts, he speaks like he is ordering Mike, he acts intimidates him to make sure he stays shut about the whole thing. He does this to secure the situation as soon as he can. He opts out from helping his own employees in favour of The Company™, because he relies on stability, he thrives in controlled environments. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep things in place and he’s willing to cut his losses if something even remotely threatens the system he has so deeply integrated himself into. This, too, is going to be talked about later because this part is getting WAY TOO LONG!!!!

(This segment ends at 6:24.)

MIKE: -Is something that no one should ever have to retell. MIKE: What I found inside of the server room would be something that could easily shake up anyone. MIKE: …I wouldn’t want to put such a… horrific image, like that into someone’s head. TODD: Hm… TODD GETS UP FROM HIS CHAIR AND WALKS BEHIND MIKE’S. HE PLACES HIS HAND ON THE HEADREST.

TODD: Is that so…?

TODD: Because I do not think that you understand why we are trying to prevent anyone,

TODD: From finding out about what you saw.

MIKE: …huh? What are you implying, sir?

TODD: You still won’t catch on, huh? TODD LAUGHS.

TODD: You really do make me laugh sometimes, Mike. You’re so clueless, TODD: It’s pathetic.

MIKE: Pardon?

Okay so let me go on a side tangent please. did you hear that. That shit was so fucking good. Divine acting. Perfection. Amazing delivery from Kipkeyno Trust Me On This Uhm. Back to what I was supposed to do. He stops holding back completely dude. He goes all out on this One Guy. I don’t know how fast this devolved but in the span of under 4 minutes he just starts insulting Mike. But, it’s very insightful and it gives me a good peek inside his brain. He feels the most comfortable when people are oblivious(?) & when they’re unaware of their place in the world. (he laughs!!! I mean it’s more like a superiority thing rather than a genuine, jovial chuckle but I think you know that already.) He leads people to where he needs them to be without retaliation. He focuses so much on the bigger picture and doesn’t even bother to look at the finer details. He cares so much more about the greater good over anything else. He thinks big!! He considers human needs and human nature to be trivial to success! He’s an extremely devoted asshole who’s first instinct to change things is to do it by force! I think. Am I using the right words

(This segment ends at 7:41.)

TODD: Do you think I could care less about your fellow workers’ fragile little minds? TODD: The reason this cannot get out to anyone isn’t because we’re trying to spare someone else’s comfortability, TODD: I could not give a damn if it causes a disturbance. TODD: What truly matters here, is that our company’s reputation is on the line. MIKE: …I- …I don’t understand, MIKE: You have to realize that what I saw in there- could have permanently traumatized anyone, MIKE: And… I… I even think it’s starting to get into my head a bit here, sir.

MIKE: …I don’t want any of my friends to get hurt, who knows… someone in here-… MIKE: C-could be potentially the one who kille- TODD CUTS MIKE OFF, HE AND LAUGHS. HE WALKS AROUND AND GRABS MIKE BY HIS SHOULDERS. HE GLARES AT MIKE THREATENINGLY. TODD: God, as if you couldn’t get anymore dense. TODD: Listen up- you tell anyone what you saw in that room, our company is done for! TODD: After all these decades, all of our hard work, TODD: It would all go to waste. TODD: We have built a Legacy for ourselves, TODD: -And god damn it! We could strike it rich with our next title!

TODD: If the word gets out to anyone else, someone could rat us out, and our name will be slandered.

He doesn’t give a shit. He doesn’t care about his employees’ wellbeing or health in this moment. He only cares if the cogs in the machine keep going, and their personal needs mean nothing to him at all!!! He’s a little like real CEOs in a way. They do the bare minimum so their employees can tolerate their working circumstances while giving them as little as they possibly can to profit off of them. Nobody knows of the dead body besides… 3? 4??? People in the entire building, which includes himself, the Murderer, and as he just learned a few minutes ago, Mike as well. “ …as if you couldn’t get anymore dense.” !!!!!! AAGGHHHHHH!!!! He completely disregards Mike here. I continue talking about this in the next segment and I’ve got much more meaningful stuff to say there.

(This segment ends at 9:02.)

TODD: -And with your little sob story, it can cause damage to us, Permanent damage! TODD: And you would be the sole reason that every single one of our jobs, our work, our efforts, and years of trying to set something for ourselves, falls to absolutely nothing! TODD: Without our company, all of us here would mean nothing in society. TODD: We all would not have any left worth to us, if what we worked so hard for, was taken from us. TODD: Everything that we lived up for would’ve been ruined for us and it would be all because of you. Your fault, and your fault alone. Do you want that? MIKE: I… I-… TODD: And while I am at it, TODD GRABS MIKE BY HIS SHIRT COLLAR AND PULLS HIM OUT OF HIS CHAIR AND SPEAKS DIRECTLY INTO HIS FACE. TODD: Do you think Austin, would’ve wanted this? MIKE: No- He… he wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have either, Todd. TODD RAISES HIS EYEBROW. (AGAIN.) HE LETS GO OF MIKE, BACKS UP, AND LAUGHS. TODD: Good, good. You’re a fast listener, Kid. I knew I could depend on you.

MIKE: Mhm… You can always rely on me boss… I won’t tell a soul about this incident from here on out.

Theres more awkward writing here, but please ignore that. I’m sure you noticed that already but it isn’t actively bad compared to… the rest of the series HE GUILT TRIPS HIM!! SO BADLY!! AAAAGHHH!!!! HES SO FUCKING EVIL!! He uses even stronger words when he begins to command Mike. “I knew I could depend on you.”, “…it would be all because of you. Your fault, and your fault alone. Do you want that?” He makes it sound so deep and personal! AAAUUGHHHHH!!! he uses ‘Us’, ‘We’, and ‘Our’ a lot in this conversation. it becomes this giant burden for Mike to carry, since it affects everyone he knows! He makes it something detrimental, something utterly catastrophic, that he would be the sole reason everyone gets laid off! That the company he has been working for collapses entirely! That the hypothetical that these things that matter a lot to the people he cares for (which, Mike isn’t even responsible for in the first place) would fall apart instantly if word got out, and that it would be HIS FAULT!! HE’S THREATENING HIM!!! AAAAGHHHHHH *Todd refers to Mike as “Kid”. He says this as if he is above Mike, that he is far more powerful than him in every way possible. And he is! He knows a lot. He has control over a lot of things in this scene. He uses this to his advantage and establishes himself as someone who cannot be rebelled against, and he reinforces it through manipulation tactics. That if he even so much as dared to go against his wishes, he would face major consequences. He uses emotional blackmail too! He takes this tragedy and uses it against Mike, as well as Mike’s personal(?) connection to the victim. It’s super fucked up!! He’s fucked up!! HE IS SO FUCKED UP *now look, conveniently, only 4 characters have confirmed ages throughout the story. (they are also the only ones who have backstories at all. Crazy coincidence) So, it is not confirmed if either of them is younger or older than the other. And also because it is impossible to tell their age from these illustrations. If I were to show you an image of the Teenage Boy next to the 29 year old dipshit, you would not be able to tell their ages since their faces look the exact same. COUGH. *Clears throat loudly* anyway, there’s only… two more segment left until I analyze Todd’s character completely. I hope going through this entire thing hasn’t been too bad. I deeply apologize if it is.

(This segments ends at 9:51.)

TODD FLIPS OUT HIS PHONE. HE TUCKS HIS ARM IN AND TURNS HIS BACK TOWARDS MIKE AND ONLY GLANCES AT HIM FROM THE SIDE. TODD: Excellent. Well, now that that’s over, I have to warn you in advance- TODD: -The police are arriving here shortly — for an investigation around the scene. TODD: And they would like to speak to as many people as possible, including you. TODD: You know what this means, correct? MIKE: Yes sir, I’ll keep quiet. TODD CLOSES HIS PHONE (???) AND TUCKS HIS OTHER ARM BEHIND HIS BACK. HE TURNS HIS HEAD TO FACE THE WALL. TODD: Good, I’m trusting you on this. With my life, Mike. Don’t fail me. MIKE: I wouldn’t want that for the world, boss. TODD: And I knew I couldn’t doubt you. MIKE CLOSES THE DOOR BEHIND HIM, AND LEAVES TODD’S OFFICE. TODD KEEPS HIS EYES OPEN, STARING AT THE WALL WITH A PENSIVE, HOLLOW EXPRESSION. THE CAMERA SLOWLY PANS OVER AND ZOOMS CLOSER TODD’S FACE BEFORE CUTTING TO BLACK.

I am so sorry if I am overusing italics and bold text. I personally find it so annoying and I hope I’m not doing that here. Anyway He constantly asks Mike questions, to make sure he absolutely understands what he wants and what he should and shouldn’t do according to his orders. He already knows the outcome, (at least I think…) but he wants a clear and direct answer from Mike so he knows he got his way. He does this so much. He does this 5 separate times and I didn’t even count the ominous, indirect statements he says to Mike. HE SAYS HE TRUSTS MIKE TO KEEP QUIET. WITH HIS LIFE!! “Don’t fail me”, “…I knew I couldn’t doubt you” AAGHHHHHHH!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH@‘§][[&%))2($HH_{^€* GOD HE SICKENS ME SO Look I don’t know why he just. Looks at the wall. And why he opened his phone, did nothing with it(?), and closed it. I don’t know why he rattles Mike around like a rag. His role in the company is never specified but I have just assumed he was a manager of sorts since Mike calls him ‘boss’, and he says “your fellow workers’”, implying he’s in a higher position in the company. I don’t know where or how high up… REGARDLESS he is absolutely manipulating him.

This segment begins right after the police interrogation and some other stuff that’s not necessary for my character analysis, so it’s a huge skip in time. But, all of the context you need has already been written. If you would likeee… watch the full thing. Only if you’re okay with the topics I mentioned at the top. Thanks! Do not talk about the murderer around me.

(This segment ends at 12:19, but if you want, watch the rest of the episode past the fakeout credits. You may need some context from the rest of the series but it’s worth it! … I hope)

-MIKE WALKS OUT OF THE TEMPORARY INTERROGATION ROOM. TODD STANDS OUTSIDE, WAITING FOR MIKE(?) TODD SIGHS. and loses his eyebrows for ≈8.52 seconds. TODD: I have a feeling I know what you’re gonna ask. If it’s good with you, starting tomorrow, I’m moving you to the Software Development Department.

TODD: -You don’t need to touch the servers again for a while.

MIKE: …Yeah. t-… thanks.

MIKE CROSSES HIS ARMS AND DROOPS HIS HEAD DOWN TO HIS LEFT WITH A HEAVY-HEARTED LOOK BEFORE WALKING AWAY.

TODD STAYS, MONITORING THE ROOM WITH HIS BACK TURNED AWAY FROM MIKE. HE KEEPS HIS EYES ON MIKE AS HE LEAVES WITH A CLIPBOARD IN HIS RIGHT HAND. HIS LEFT HAND IS IN A LOOSE FIST. HIS EYEBROWS ARE SLIGHTLY FURROWED.

Inferences + Final Thoughts/Summary

FINALLY!! Now that that’s all said and done, I am going to delve into his body language, his manner of speech, and his attire in that order. I absolutely could be looking too deep into this but let me have this please.

I’ll try not to include my… head-cannons? or whatever? in this section. Again, these notes are from this video only. because. because… well… this is the only semi-affiliated-to-the-canon piece of work that portrays him as a character, and not as a literary device.

Heres a directory! Well… more like a list. 1: Body Language

self explanatory! I’ll use some screenshots directly from the animatic and some other images. this will be based off of what I do myself, and things I notice in other people. Maybe some stuff from a few psychology articles. that sounds weirder than I wanted it to.

2: Speech/Vocabulary

This is also self explanatory! I will dissect the way he speaks (his tone of voice), the words he uses; which ones he emphasizes, and the meaning of it.

3: Attire/Presentation

These last two aren’t extremely relevant to my analysis, and they are probably going to repeat things I have already said. But, I will look at how he dresses and how he presents himself in the office. Since there is only… 1 colored reference image of him, and the illustrations are vague and messy, I might be wrong.

Bonus! 3.1: Interior

I will… attempt, to analyze his office interior and how he designed it. Or. Maybe he didn’t decorate it himself whatsoever. Plus, the background art… is really shitty and unclear. So this is going to be a struggle for me. I must with what I have available to me right now, even if they are vague scribbles that might resemble something like office supplies. Take this section with a pound of salt

1: Body Language

Todd expresses his emotions through physical contact more than anything. He’s very tactile, It’s a little much to be honest… His emotions are shown subtly in his facial expressions, but they’re much stronger in his body language his voice. I imagine he has to conceal what he’s truly thinking and what he wants to say on a daily basis! But. But, He displays some of his genuine emotions before and during the shakedown, and it’s most noticeable in his tone, choice of words, and his body language.

This was all in the span of 7 minutes!!! It starts off with his hand gently placed on Mike’s shoulder, and then he yanks him out of the chair!! He didn’t need to do all of that! It’s harsh! It’s terrifying!! Look, some of the illustrations and compositions are awkward/hard to read at times, but I read this as his grip tightening as the tension increases. (About the composition thing, it’s a lot better than some things I’ve seen… so I have to give it that.)

He has his hand balled into a fist in the last one. He does this a few times actually! Here’s every instance of him doing this in chronological order.

There are some frames where I suspect he is doing this, but his hands are either concealed or hidden under something so I can’t be sure. But, it’s enough for me to work with.

Now, Most people don’t use physical contact this much, At least I think so… maybe it’s because I don’t like physical touch. but, Back on topic. I don’t know if he shakes down people like this on a regular basis, but… I think… he is relatively normal. So No. I believe he only does this when it is absolutely necessary, to him at least. When I looked this up, the writer made it sound really… praise-y?? it had… some relevant things. He balls his fists with His fingers are clenched, and his thumb rests over his middle finger (bent at a sharp 90° angle).

Erm… The only things I took away from the article was that he prioritizes respect over emotions, and (very obviously,) is closed off in every way. It’s also obvious that he’s a leader because… well… he’s in a management position in the company and is responsible for multiple employees (implied through his dialogue)

Now,

I don’t know why he does any of these gestures. These are the only frames with his hands visible where he isn’t holding anything. I’m struggling a lot with the third one because what the fuck am I supposed to do with this. They took his eyes too. Can’t have shit

He has his left hand up in the first one, and his right hand up in the last. He also holds his phone with his left hand as well. He also (usually) tucks his left arm inside and protects it with his right. This isn’t all too relevant but I felt the need to mention it.

yes the characters only have four fingers and it freaks me out a little, but ignoring that. These images are a great way for me to transition segments!

He leans over him and makes direct eye contact constantly. During conversation, He only looks away once, and it was because of something he didn’t predict. He was honestly surprised! This was unexpected for him. (at least I think it is. LOOK THIS THING IS REALLY CONFUSING CUT ME SOME SLACK)

Maybe he does this on purpose… or maybe it’s something he does subconsciously. UM. ANYWAY. In the two moments when he isn’t towering over Mike, he’s reclined back into his seat. Near the end, he leans backwards, and stands up straight with his arms tucked behind his back near the end.

Also, I want to note the fact he crosses his arms frequently. When he isn’t, he is holding onto something or leaning into the conversation. He listens veryyy intently. also… If you were to lean forward with your arms crossed, it would be very stiff and uncomfortable, so he has his arms directly next to the sides of his body. (or, he is holding onto the armrests of his chair. I can’t tell.) So, it’s why in some frames they aren’t crossed. I think.

The first thing that comes into my mind is that he’s cold. Maybe in multiple ways, I have no fucking clue. but. He’s reserved, he’s set in his ways, and he’s extremely authoritative. I cross my arms a lot, maybe not for ALL of the same reasons, but it correlates a lot with his personality.

There was a post somewhere about how he is left-handed based off of the frame of him holding the clipboard, I unfortunately forgot who it was by, but I can confirm pretty confidently that he is! if not, he is at least ambidextrous. I don’t know how relevant this is but I will include it anyway.

His left arm is over his right in this frame. both of his hands are tucked in.

The camera spins around 180 degrees. But, now his left arm is over his right. His hands are still tucked in though. I don’t think the arms flipping positions was on purpose… but anyway, I said it earlier when he balls his hands into fists, but he is closed off. Very much so. It’s not tense, but it isn’t loose either. He tucks his hands between his arms and he doesn’t rest one over the other when he does this. I think this reflects himself to a good extent! Especially if you consider how he talks what he does. speaking of which

2: Speech / Vocabulary

For someone in his position, he sounds… casual. He isn’t, but it’s close. I said this before earlier but I want to expand on this idea! It could be because there is a pre-established relationship, or some type of bond between Todd and Mike, and I think it’s wholly possible. I think it’s implied… maybe. Just in the slightest, minimum. but… I have no idea if this is ever confirmed anywhere, and if it was, it’s probably gone now. So that may be the reason he speaks this way, in the beginning and the end at least. His choice of words began to fascinate me when I was making this, but I found it normal because… I use these words myself. But, he uses much more complicated words! Compared to Mike. At least. He has some peculiar phrases. Some of the wording is a little janky but I will continue to assume those are just writing issues. (I find some of them a little silly and appealing…) anyway. He doesn’t emphasize anything in the beginning. But, his voice becomes do much louder in the middle, he’s speaking with his full chest! straight from the heart!! And as it slowly dies down, he just. Punches Mike straight in the gut. He thinks highly of himself, and he reinforces himself as this indestructible figure of authority, something completely intangible. Mike is scared and reasonably so!

“Thank goodness you showed up…”, “I recently have been… Well, quite worried about your coworker…” “In case you’ve forgotten…”, “making sure that no one is running into any trouble”, and “There isn’t a need to fret…” he sounds like he can have fun. Just a little. These are all before Todd confronts Mike though.

I’ve already said so much about what Todd says in my notes, and I’m a little tired… but I will try to summarize all of them in this paragraph. He shouts! He yells! Yes, he’s angry, but he is also panicked! of course for different reasons, still, he is panicking!! The way he reacts is polar opposite of how Mike does, he wants to secure the situation as soon as he possibly can, through any means necessary. He needs to! all of his employees could lose their jobs, and so could he! I said before that he thrives in controlled environments, especially if he can control it himself. He’s responsible for… a lot, it seems.

He’s also worried, also for different reasons. Cleary so. Despite it all, he does care! He asks about his workers and he listens to them! Even if he was being disingenuous!! ( I THINK. ) He moves Mike to a different department in a short timespan. Unless this is another writing mistake, he would’ve had immediate contact to higher-ups, and he would have to do some paperwork to do this! Just For Mike! (Unless he’s just. THE higher-up and can do whatever he wants. I doubt that… maybe the amount of paperwork was extremely short and fair compared to what I’ve seen. But then again he could’ve just… done some other paperwork to keep Mike quiet.) So, to him, his employees’ wellbeing does matter! EVEN IF IT’S JUST A BIT!! “I have a feeling I know what you’re gonna ask. If it’s good with you, starting tomorrow, I’m moving you to the Software Development Department.” “-You don’t need to touch the servers again for a while.”

This makes my heart . It just. OUGGHHHHHH. I can’t describe it

Now, It’s a bit hard for me to put this together… and I am most likely wrong with this, but, it seems like he had made the backup plan when he first saw the security tape recording, before Mike even walked into his office. I suspect this because of his role as a… manager (of sorts…??), he has to have a lot of things prepared, and he had watched this footage earlier that same day.

So, I’m assuming he has to predict a lot of things and make sure he always has something saved in his back-pocket if the situation calls for it. So he would prepare for… basically everything!! he had an emergency plan and he enforces them. (Even if the methods he uses to do so are morally wrong.)

(I’m assuming this meeting happens in the afternoon, since Todd says he hadn’t seen Austin since this morning, and that the police were coming later that day, supposedly in the evening. For… some reason. I don’t know if I missed any clocks… or any indicators of what time this scene took place, so this is only an assumption.)

I also based this off of this line: “I have a feeling I know what you’re gonna ask.” He assumes what Mike is going to say. Mike doesn’t say it directly, but he agrees! well. It’s more like he complies with it, as Todd makes him do… but anyway. Doing this doesn’t benefit Todd. Not in a meaningful way. He did this for Mike’s sake.

I don’t have a good way to transition this part to the next so uhm

3: Attire/Presentation

YAY!!! I get to talk about his design!!!

I’m going to use this image as a reference. Unfortunately, the ONLY place with a higher quality image is a now deleted twitter account so I am sorry this picture is littered with artifacts and crunch.

This image is the official reference for the Animatic’s design of Todd. He is drawn different here than in the animatics, but I’ll try to mention the discrepancies between them as little as I can, but if it’s super noticeable I’ll list it below.

I’m going to talk about his clothes first from the bottom to the top. His shoes… shoes? they look like socks -look like pure white dress shoes. Like these:

( Strange choice! But I’m glad they aren’t some split gray/silver hybrid if those aren’t shadows in the drawing. )

Though, it is a bit vague and the heel is throwing me in a loop, because they look adjacent to the ones on boots. I don’t know why he would wear pure white boots in his workplace. But, maybe this is just a unique fashion thing, it… kind of makes sense, since he does act a little arrogant near the end. Or maybe not.

Of course, I cannot compare this to the animatic since they do not ever show his shoes! Not once! And also because they are all colored… white.

Anyway!

From what I can see, he’s wearing black dress pants that are Hemmed/cuffed at the bottom. Or maybe he rolled them up. I don’t know why he would do that. Spare me… these drawings… aren’t clear at all. I am not completely versed in men’s fashion, but the length and style seem pretty standard. NOW. It’s going to get a little complicated. So, according to what I see… the upper half of his outfit consists of this, layered in the same order: A Belt(?), a white turtleneck, a white dress shirt, a red tie, and a black three-button single-breasted suit jacket with a (heavily exaggerated) notched white lapel collar. It’s missing the chest pocket, side pockets, and chest darts but that’s fine since this illustration simple. Aaaas long as you ignore his head. (I’ve just noticed this, he randomly gains his chest pocket in one frame! ON THE WRONG SIDE!!! AAGGHGGGH)

I am not finding images for all of these things! But, I want to show some other examples and pictures that are similar to his outfit and maybe get a grasp on his personal style. Look, I cannot find ANY images that resemble his outfit in the slightest. But,

This is the closest to the reference technically. Not “closest, technically” as in ‘by technicality’ I mean in the way he physically layers these clothes and how he wears them. Um. I… don’t know if I like this.

(LOOK. at least… in the animatic… I cannot make out if he is wearing a turtleneck at all or if he is wearing something else entirely. It’s just his tie sometimes… or maybe some strange collar. Sometimes it looks like he’s wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt underneath the suit and nothing else. I physically cannot discern what he is wearing underneath the suit in the animatic.)

Now, personally speaking as somebody who has cosplayed as him, this… is miserable to wear. It’s tight. it’s stuffy. unbearably hot.

Needless to say wearing this is painful! Even when I took the other aspects of my cosplay off, like my giant head prop and two layers of gloves, it was awful. Maybe this is just because my temperature balancing is off, or maybe it was the season I was wearing it in, but this is not good for ventilation. Yeah, it could be a fashion statement. I don’t see why he would do this though… but it could be.

Everywhere I fucking looked, it was all tuxedos. It took a while for me to understand the differences between a sport coat, a blazer, a tuxedo and a suit jacket and how the definitions of each of them are associated with fabric type(s) used… and the buttons… and the pants as well. But, Tuxedos are reserved for black-tie events (parties and formal meetings), and even if a tuxedo resembles his suit the most, it isn’t. Maybe.

The buttons on his suit match the fabric on the rest of his suit. Unfortunately, I cannot tell if there is supposed to be a pattern or if the texture of the lapel is different because these are all flat colors. But, this means this that is in fact, a suit jacket, since the color of the pants matches his suit as well.

He’s a manager of… something. And apparently that’s pretty high up in the company hierarchy or whatever. so I would suspect he would wear something that is completely formal, and if not, he could wear a blazer or sports coat when he is not required to be as formal. I’ll never know if he does this, but it makes sense… maybe. Considering that the police are investigating the building of the company he works for. As a manager.

Now, I don’t know why he has all three of his buttons done on his suit. Or so I’ve heard, the rule is to never do the bottom button. If there are three, like this one, the top one depends, and the middle one is always buttoned unless you are sitting down. This, is… incredibly strict and I do not understand it. But… all of his suit buttons are done, even when he is sitting down, so maybe he just isn’t doesn’t give a fuck about hyper-specific menswear rules and ettiequte. I don’t know about his sleeves though, sometimes his dress shirt is hidden underneath his suit’s sleeve at the right length, but other times it pops out of it and it just… fluctuates between the two. am I looking too deep into this? YES!!! BUT I’M TOO FAR GONE TO GO BACK. LET ME TALK

As for his tie, it looks like a slightly desaturated, plain and flat red tie. I cannot tell what type of knot it is, but I am going to assume that it is a full Windsor knot. Why? How? I don’t know. Look, the results I got when I searched for this were mixed, but for someone in his position, it’s fine for him to wear this, and maybe he wears this tie for his own reasons, but it’s more common to wear flat blue/gray/black ties and muted pattern ties in formal settings, and it’s a bit strange considering the fact he is wearing a suit jacket.

Oh, and the white dress shirt is just fine. It’s normal. I don’t have anything to say about it other than the collar in the reference picture is a bit tacky. I can’t say anything for the animatic’s design because everything consists of one color.

I’ve got a fact! I don’t know if it’s fun, but here:

Todd Kennington’s design was based off of a doodle made by the writer’s friend early on in the series’ development(?). His eye color is less blinding and his hair color is different! I don’t have any other details, because again, the twitter account is gone. anyway,

This is a beta design made by the animatic artist. As you can see, this one was not used. But, I feel like the final design used in the animatic is a fusion of the two. It leans more on the writer’s design, but the turtleneck, piercings, his strange middle tuft, and mole/beauty mark(?) are missing. His hair remains… kind of strange and messy in all of them. The buttons are a maybe since they’re initially there, but then they disappear around the mid-way point of the video.

Did you notice that? I don’t blame you. god it’s so inconsistent. Hey, speaking of, again,

3.1: Interior

Here’s every unique instance that shows his office excluding Those Door Ones Because I Ran Out Of Images I Could Use In This Post And They Aren’t Useful. Things in office stretch and shift a position In every screenshot. By… a lot.

(I included some extra screenshots where some props just disappear before reappearing again! Like the papers on his desk, the desk itself, his computer and monitor, his chairs, and literally everything else in his office.)

I tried to (roughly) recreate his office space with an app. Some items and things don’t exactly match, and there are just… vague shapes scattered everywhere. They’re more like lines really… that last one has a really tiny corner peaking out from the top and I have no idea what that’s supposed to be.

So, I added some things in place of them. I know I’m missing some wires, some cables… and decorations… and outlets… and lighting fixtures… and a bunch of other office supplies… and as a result, it looks strangely barren.

If you wonder why it looks so empty and surreal, that’s why! it’s because a lot of little but important/quality of life things are missing. but cut me some slack. It’s really hard to model off of these pictures and all of the colors I used are solely me inferencing them. This app has quite a few restrictions on what I can do and there were literally no other images I could reference for this. Zero.

( I lied. I had one more image left. but it was at a cost. Conveniently, I didn’t scale the Man Model at all! it just fit in there! It’s a good scale guide. Apparently, the model is named ‘Man Sebastian 01’. Neat! But, Making the stacks of paper, the monitor, the keyboard and the mouse was a bit of a struggle...)

Note, the only things I can confirm are… things, without a reasonable doubt, are:

the door, chairs, table, computer (somewhere. I don’t know where he put it), the potted plant, some shelf of sorts against the wall, and three scattered sheets of paper.

About those scattered sheets of paper on his desk, … why? Now, his hair is… complicated, so to speak, and in the reference image, his hair looks quite scruffy. Plus, the papers were already on the table in that placement before Mike sat down. I interpret this as him being slightly disorganized!

(I don’t know what those marks on the bottom of his eyes are, but he looks unwell. Or maybe all of this just a stylistic choice. It probably is.)

Because there’s literally nothing on the papers, I’m going to have to assume it’s even more paperwork given the current circumstances. Either way, he doesn’t have them stacked into a nice and clean pile next to him. He’s got some weight on his shoulders too, it seems! If the shouting and yelling wasn’t enough to tell you that he’s a little unstable.

this part is assuming that he was the one who decorated and planned out his room.

his office is empty. unnaturally so. He has… one potted plant for decoration and it probably isn’t real.

(If it was real though, I would really like to think he’s taking care of it and tending to it lovingly. I can only dream…)

back on topic. He shows very little of his personality in his room, from what I can make out. There aren’t any trinkets or doodads in sight!! Not a single one!! Not even like. A drinking bird! Or one of those Newton Cradle models! There is nothing on display. I think this reflects his personality… again! Crazy!

(No, the framed photos of my cat aren’t related to this. They’re just placeholders and I thought it would be funny. So just imagine she’s like… a landscape painting. Or something.)

He hides everything else about him under this plai and uniform shell, like a sheath. Now, I don’t know if his office is locked, or maybe… somewhere high up, isolated in the building for sure, but I am going to assume it is. Because there is no frame on his door. Or a lock. it’s just a doorknob.

(It’s confusing because Mike just. Leaves! was the door unlocked the whole time?? is it… only locked on the outside? Todd never locks the door in the animatic. Does it lock automatically?? When I start to think about these little things I feel like I’m losing myself a little)

ANYWAY!!! It’s very rectangular. There aren’t any other shape motifs here other than… maybe his doorknob and the chairs. It’s incredibly minimalistic! Extremely so! It’s fuckin brutal! His monitor looks like a 2004-2006 model, and that would be pretty recent in the timeline. So were fliphones! I don’t know where he stores the damn thing or where he plugs it in, but it makes sense for someone in his position to have at the time. …maybe.

FINAL SUMMARY

Todd Kennington is a manager who is responsible for multiple departments and employees in the company he works for. He dresses formally and styles himself as such, and his job is of utmost importance. He takes charge frequently and leads with an iron fist. He’s authoritative, he does best in predictable situations and when he’s the most in control.

There are times when he drops this character, and may speak in a sympathetic and light manner when he feels like it, But, only for brief moments. In any other situation, He makes himself appear as someone formal, put-together, and dignified in nature through his attire. He covers up his flaws and potential weaknesses constantly by asserting himself, concealing parts of himself entirely under several layers. He’s observant, he listens to everything, and he makes sure he’s always two steps ahead of everything. He prepares for every situation he could possibly think of, and plans it all out ahead of time! he’s incredibly considerate.

But, he only thinks about the bigger picture, the ultimate goal. Fine details mean nothing to him, unless they are absolutely required for the greater good. To him, he needs to maintain the control he has over so many people’s lives, and will use any means necessary to keep it that way. Without it, he’s nothing. His life would be meaningless! He would be meaningless.

Though he doesn’t show it to others at or above his level, he thinks highly of himself. He knows his place, what he’s capable of, and what his value is in the world. He knows a lot of things, very well in fact, and he will use everything he has to his advantage. He has tailored everything in his environment to suit to his taste. To his ideals, to his needs. It’s only when he feels truly threatened that he breaks. He makes himself loud. He shouts, he yells, he insults and degrades them, and he lashes out. He results to physically shaking the threat down if it remotely threatens his livelihood. He manipulates people via intimidation, guilt-tripping, and blackmail. Negotiation isn’t an option to him, not in the slightest. He’s set in his ways, and it abhors him when others don’t fall into his mindset, regardless of the circumstances they are in. He reinforces his authority by asking confirmatory statements constantly, even if he (usually) already knows what he wants to hear from them. He has to secure the situation as soon as possible, with all of his power, and he’s going to have it his way.

truth be told, he can be disorganized at times. Being orderly is his only source of emotional stability, and when things get out of line, or something happens unexpectedly, he loses his grip on himself and externalizes it. He closes himself off from the world, constantly. He’s reserved, he stays quiet, and trust matters more to him than anything. He prefers to be candid with people! He’s blunt, and extremely direct with his words. When he speaks, he does it with intent. He’s thoughtful, he structures his sentences in his head before he says anything, and has to hold himself back during casual conversation. Despite all of this, he does care for his employees. He does care for people, slightly, bare minimum. He’s complicated, just like any other. He is a man, Nothing more and nothing less.

FINAL THOUGHTS

YAYYYYY!!!! AGHHHH this was so painful. Anyway!

Look, Todd is my Favorite Ever. Right now at least.

If you have EVER said or done ANYTHING hateful about/with Todd I Hate You. I know this mindset holds me back from befriending people and it is not healthy, but let me have this. I’ve been in an uphill battle fighting for my fucking life for this guy and I don’t want to hear SHIT right now.

do not take this as me saying you cannot criticize his writing, his purpose in the story, or his morals. That’s a human. With a personality and morals. as long as you take it seriously I’m fine with it. I probably won’t like it regardless if you show or tell me anything about it, but that’s only because I’m incredibly biased even if I know better than that.

(+ I advise you do this actually! If this guy was real I would not support him. at all. Ever. But, he is fictional, and yet, he is extremely real at the same time. It’s a good exercise for me to analyze characters I do not personally relate to, especially if I do not agree with their choices. So go ahead, even if you know nothing about this series)

HOWEVER. I HAVE SEEN HIM GET CONSISTENTLY WHITEWASHED, HAVE HIS FEATURES ERASED, PORTRAYED/DESCRIBED AS A STONER AND/OR DRUG DEALER, AND SEXUALIZED FOR HIS VOICE AND RACE ONLY. I’VE HAD ENOUGH

But, to end this thing on a good note,

I fucking love this guy. If you don’t, that’s… probably fine too. I might add some extra stuff on my side account! If I do, you can check it in the reblogs. You can also ask me questions but I am nervous as shit. Still, I would appreciate it. I REALLY wanna talk about this guy.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, even if it was just me rambling. Thank you!

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