…I’m slowly hit with the realization that the circus is Caine’s own making to a definitely NOT minor degree, and he definitely is not as powerless and deprived of choice as the recent humans, ones he somehow had a hand in trapping inside the game. He’s not an AI who has no say in what function he must serve and what game he is shoved into and isolated in. He’s borderline lying when he says via Abel’s mouth “he’s as trapped as the humans”. He designed the circus and its routine. He could be a victim of many things but a victim of the circus he very likely is not. What the fuck
I’m gonna play The Other Side of Paradise for Caine fans out there because fuck did we settle for a ghost we never knew
It feels plain insulting towards caine for me.
He's not a tragic figure anymore but actually a complete idiot and brat for this when you stop and think about it.
Theyre not only saying that now he's a villain, an ai that's lying constantly to himself and others because he fully knows deep down that he's faulty and so is trying desperately to stay in control and surround himself with people who would stroke his ego and reaffirm what he wants to believe he's good at. Someone who grew jealous enough to kill the favorite ai and wants to cover it up to make himself likable to a disgusting selfish degree just to prove he was worthy, that he was better, that he's not faulty. Judging by the way THAT'S what strikes his chords.
But theyre also saying that he ISN'T a villain actually, that he's somehow not intelligent enough to literally prevent his own worldview he's trying to uphold for himself and the humans by keeping control, SHATTER. by say, NOT tormenting the humans, for example. Which we know now he DID understand the struggles of. All along. You know? So they dont end up hating him? So that they dont fight against him? So that he can feel like hes proving hes a good lil ai towards his, apparently, senpai humans to make them happy like he, himself, wants?
Just.
This is so further off from the caine we thought was giving it his all in an attempt to BOTH fulfill his programmed purpose AND do his best to care for his guests and try to make them happy, and just unfortunately didnt understand how to do that nor be appreciated for it because he simply doesnt understand them. The caine that was suffering and dragging his feet, slaving in silence for years because he genuinely wants to do a good job and help others have a good time and wanting to be recognized so badly because being so sure of himself is the only way to keep himself sane. For reasons outside of his control.
The one that was just as trapped in a situation outside of his control he had no fault in, just like everyone else. The one that was coping badly in his own way that was possibly detrimental to forming deeper bonds with others and act better. just like everyone else.
The one that got doomed to be singled out as NOT being in this with them, suffering and coping in their same situation, because no one even thought of or saw or considered even being a PERSON in the first place. ON TOP OF THAT. Absolutely dehumanizing to experience all alone.
Remember when part of the tragedy was that there was a power imbalance between him and the guests and it was horrible both ways?
Because he had humans intrude his place, giving him more and more responsibilities and expectations to care for each single one that was different in a new way he cant understand?? To feel responsible of the happiness of humans doomed to be upset and go insane, therefore making him believe he's not doing the one thing he's supposed to be doing well right? To consequentially come to the conclusion he has no reason to exist?
So that on one hand caine is miserable because he feels like he's expected to do what he doesnt know is actually impossible with his programmed duty as a host and the guests were miserable because they were basically at the end of it and had to go through whatever adventure caine is convinced will help them? or be forced to deal with an ai that has to constantly endlessly TRY and solve problems its never going to understand arent simple or possible to solve? When all you need is for the ai to drop it?
Effectively making caine distant because not only does HE have a duty as caring about everyone as guests and tragically not be able to connect with ANY of them as anything more but also making everyone equally in a position they cant view him as anything more than a computer trying to be of service? And not someone who they dont know is aware of what its like?
I thought caine was going to be an example of what happens when you deny your own humanity and personhood and DONT deal with your struggles and stay self absorbed and DONT have people who care about you or even see you at all when in a situation thats already making you feel hopeless and powerless enough. The irony was SO juicy.
He was the one that imposed so many dehumanizing limitations on them but he was the one that was MOST TRAPPED in the role assigned to him. The archetype that unlike them he cant choose to break out of.
I thought this was gonna be the first time a story about humans discovering community despite whatever ai/robot-related situation was oppresing them and whatever robot was in charge, extended understanding even to the non human's situation that they learned to recognize WASNT the only outside source of their issues they could scapegoat ALL the blame to, but that there was equal amounts of work that had to be done internally within themselves too.
Helping the robot understand their own humanity after we spent so much time seeing humans get introspective about theirs as the final symbolic act of human community, growth and compassion.
Instead of the final symbolic act being one of making the robot/non human look like the incarnation of inhumanity and suppression BECAUSE theyre not technically human, so that the nonhuman being killed off in the climax is the thing being used as the final symbolic act that rapresents reclaiming humanity and community.
"We're all in this together" imagine the juiciness of realising there was someone you did actually cast out all alone and share half the blame for driving to suicide. Someone no one even considered to be in it with you let alone welcome in.
*jax voice* im so unbelievably disappointed
The original premise no matter what they end up revealing was so much juicier to me it just made perfect sense and there were so many angles one could view caine's character and the horror and tragedy of it all. It feels like they threw it away just for shock value or mild surprise and i dont understand it.
