I have Many Thoughts and just finished watching episode 4 a little while ago, but I don't think I've seen anyone mention this directly just yet. . .
I think what they may be going for w/ Essek Watsonian-wise in how he balked pretty quick (Doylist-wise, like many aspects of the campaign so far, they're condensing things down + I doubt this will be *all* that happens to Essek/his character in even just Season 1) is that the Bad Stuff™ was happening IN FRONT of him.
Now earlier, when he was like 'Hey BQ if we go to war our peeps will be dead for good', my thoughts were that he was mirroring the General-Guy and didn't *actually* give as much of a shit, and that may still be true! But when speed-reading posts earlier I saw someone mention (I forgot who it was, if I find it again I'll add their name in!) that he mighta ACTUALLY been a bit shocked she'd go so far so quick or so, and that may also be part of it.
Either way, while he likely DID decide before screentime that this (Beacon Theft) was worth it and the consequences didn't matter as much as his own goals and that's a huge Ass Move™, I wonder if it was an. . easier decision to make, because it was so distant.
He knows a few people in the Aurora Watch (the General guy (likely not ACTUALLY friends, at least not from Essek's side) and his Bro, if Verin remains unchanged from campaign canon's short depictions), but not many - He feels distant and isolated from the people of his country, why should any of *them* matter more than his Mother, than Dunamancy itself? Everyone is an idiot anyway, following what is clearly not some sort of 'benevolent' god. They walked into the army for this cpuntey, this religion, by their own choice, it doesn't matter.
But then the Bright Queen wants to go to war in days. Not in the near future, not a few weeks, days. A couple of days, literally. And that's her holding back. Even if he didn't care much then, I can see him still being thrown a bit off.
But it's business as usual, then off to the Empire. Off to look into the spoils with Trent.
I've seen a few posts talk about how Essek wouldn't tell him anything. . . (Well, 1, I wonder if while he's still rather close-to-the-vest now, he becomes even MORE so after this fucked-up interaction and any additional bullshit life and his own actions are gonna put him through, Lololllll - and 2) It's like they DID have a talk or multiple before - I dunno if they'll cut Ludinus outta his narrative all-together, if Trent will be the one who worked and convinced him to join in or if he was just part of it, but (Unless I remember wrong XD) Trent brought it up as something Essek mentioned before. While Essek likely didn't IMMEDIATELY blab about his Ma, it's likely this relationship has been building up for months at least if not years. Whether as Essek's main handler, or just a collaborator of the Martinet's, this is Not his first meeting with Trent and Essek likely would have had to feel comfortable enough to be part of the heist.
Until now, that is.
Trent doesn't need him, anymore. Maybe they need him to not blab to the big BQ, but that's held enough in check by Essek not wanting *his* head separated from his neck any time soon. It woulda been nice if Essek was on board w/ all this. . . But he has outlived his use.
But back to my point, Essek was comfortable. He knew of and had at least met Ickithon a few times in the past. He was ready to dive into the Beacon w/ a like-minded ally.
And then the guy gets wheeled in.
This random guy, neither we nor Essek are given any explanation. Essek was ready to collaborate on theory - Ickithon wants to jump right to recreating the 'fluke' of a soul getting sucked in. And that requires a soul.
Essek looks uncomfortable immediately, but ultimately succumbs to pressure (both external and internal - He wouldn't have been picked by the CA for this if any morals would ultimately win out so quickly) and conducts the experiment w/ Ickithon. Continues to experiment, even.
But it's that moment there at the start that is telling, I think. He was Ok w/ the idea, the distant idea, of war. Of soldiers dying. Of there being some sacrifice. But it wouldn't have happened in front of him. He wouldn't have to be the one holding the knife.
I wonder if the Essek we know from the campaign, the 'Shadowhand' we know, was at least partly a front, a mask, and he was hiding how much the consequences of his actions affected him (before his only friends got caught up in it and it became too much) or if. . If over the course of the show, we'll see him harden. Harden further. Double-Down and run away from his actions long before he breaks down in front of the Nein in episode 97.
We see in this episode he is uncomfortable w/ holding the knife himself, he is uncomfortable with seeing the consequences of his actions and working with the people he is working with directly in front of his face. . . We even see him attempt to stand up against Ickithon's madness, subsequently prove he is no longer of use and is indeed an obstruction, and be kicked out from this initial experiment.
We see him uncomfortable with the General finding out about his mother's Typhros, something that only happened cause he left his Mother long enough that the guy came to visit and Essek couldn't intercept. Partly cause Essek wasn't there to prevent it (a consequence of his actions) and cause of the impending war (another consequence of his actions). While the noose isn't tightening *all* the way just yet, and he'll likely be dodging and weaving and lying his ass off to cover it for seasons to come, he IS getting a heaping serving of direct, unavoidable consequences of his actions now, and I suspect his regret (and the consequences) will only grow from here.
Man, just wait until he gets a REAL taste of war.
My guys(gender neutral), I think the real interesting parts are gonna be how he reacts, what he does to cope with something he clearly isn't ready for mentally, emotionally, or morally, and who he becomes more before the Nein even show up in the picture.
Im offended at the video essay guy asserting amuro is an audience stand-in otaku character and fully setting him aside in favour of discussing char's gayness exclusively. amu is like, the Only default protag lookin guy who stands out as exactly not-that to me... so much so that i thought it was funny. he's characterized a lot in the space between moments (or in the bending to/rejection of societal expectations) which i understand might look like a lack but is personally more compelling to me than the alternative
Sweets recced the Goblin Emperor and I finished it in like a day (obviously, since everyone’s seen me reblogging bits of fandom from it for the subsequent day.)
As a result my (incredibly patient, long-suffering) good bro @bittersweet-sss has been getting physically grabbed by the shoulders and shaken by my unhinged self going “Am I crazy or is Ceredin fantastically autistic?”
