I've seen a lot of (really cool) analysis predicated on the assumption that the whole UPP gang knows about Isaac's dad and can't tell any of their adults about it, but... I think they might not know.
Obviously they know Isaac's parents are strict, and that Isaac is always in trouble and doesn't have a good relationship with his dad, but I'm willing to bet that they have no idea just how bad it is.
Because Isaac didn't tell them.
Because some kids don't tell anyone.
I think they always assumed that at least when Isaac is locked up and out of commission, he's safe. They don't have to worry about him when he's not around. They assume he's overreacting to things like dropped food and missed curfews.
And he lets them. Maybe because he's embarrassed, or because he knows they can't do anything about it and he wants to leave it behind when he's with them, I don't know. But I don't think Isaac's friends know that he lives in an abusive home.
would you be down to yap about some of the songs you put into the Norah playlist and what your thoughts about them were?
i love the playlist i think it’s absolutely brilliant. whenever Free Treasure by Adrianne Lenker starts playing i get hurt /pos. “do you wanna go to the river” MILOMUMBLES AUAUUHGG:(((
ahhh id love 2...
UNWITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM SPOILERS AHEAD!!! BEWARE!!!!
usually when i build character playlists im doing it with two goals in mind - choosing music that they would listen to, and lyrical significance
with norah in particular, despite her being a flautist and generally meek, quiet and non confrontational, she has desires and needs that aren't being met that are best represented through grungy rock and slow paced, meticulous melody; especially through acoustic picking. most of this playlist is very guitar forward, and often have a blown out, crunchy sound, or a disconnected floaty ambience that feel very deadwood to me. there's also influence from genres that i think the other characters would have introduced to her.
equally important to me, the lyrics have to represent the character in mind. obviously not every song will be 100% perfect, but there's often very obvious calls to her. ill give a few examples:
ANYONE CAN PLAY GUITAR - RADIOHEAD
I want to be in a band when I get to heaven
And anyone can play guitar and they won't be a nothing anymore
i've always associated this with her attempt + how unfulfilled she feels on her academic track. there's a lot of songs in this playlist that reference suicide, but i think this one is most representative of her escapist fantasy of joining a band and dropping the perfect student persona
DAGGER - SLOWDIVE
The world is full of noise yeah
I hear it all the time
And me I am your dagger
You know I am your wound
I thought I heard you whisper
It happens all the time
specifically i associate this with her and william. mostly to do with the words noise + whisper, but also her tendency to be at the head of physical danger because of her difficulty with communication
entire songs sometimes completely align with her or the entire UPP team, for example:
Gnaw - Alex G: descriptions of childhood, occult, and communal secrecy (especially from adults)
Mass Anesthesia - Mediavolo: this is how i imagine UPP feels about the general population of deadwood's lack of awareness to the horrors they've encountered
Music Box - Leith Ross: despite this song's exterior being a calming lullaby, the lyrics stuck with me and have always been twisted into a creepily-calm recounting of mysteries they've solved
Free Treasure - Adrianne Lenker: yes, do you want to go to the river is maybe the most brutal way to start this song and a large part of why it was an immediate choice, but it also captures the calm and good of norah's life and interests- the love and care she found in her only group of friends and the importance of community, when otherwise occupied with unhelpful thoughts and feelings
15 Step - Radiohead: i mean man. what can i say. the pressures of being a perfect student and overachiever combined with depression, anxiety, late diagnosed autism and self doubt. being suddenly hit with every roadblock imaginable and going "what happened to the old me, where did i go wrong?"
there's some music on this playlist that i added recently that i cant even explain the meaning behind because the episodes arent out yet - but this was fun to write and i hope it gave some fun insight into her character and how i play her :)
god. william asking if they should let Mr. Abrahams bring his son back to life and Lui saying no because it wouldn't really be his son. but the thing coming back to life has his body, his memories, and completely believes he is the kid who died. the whole plot being people dying and coming back wrong, and how insistent the others are that these people who died and came back as something inhuman cannot be considered the people they once were. and him saying in season two that william wisp fell off that cliff and died, and he isnt sure what he is now, but he puts a separation between himself and the kid who died. Godd there's no way things went well after he died I wanna see it so baddd
