Taking another look the Chapters 3 + 4 Soundtrack, and Iāve been thinking about the piano plink that usually plays when you try and make Kris play the Piano being included and labeled
As a āConcert for Youā.
And I have to wonder, does that mean āYouā as in āyou, the playerā, as in "us", as inā¦
Before, a lot of people interpreted Kris āplinkingā as then being unable to play the Piano properly due to our clumsy control. Like, as long as we're driving their body along neither they or us have the fine motor skills needed for Piano playing, much to their assumed frustration. But after the events of Chapter 4, and then also the name of this "track"ā¦ I wonder if it's more of a matter of Kris not wanting to play the Piano when we're controlling them.
Playing the piano is obviously very emotionally important for Kris. When operating freely during the opening of Chapter 4, when they think no one is watching, this is one of the few things they do not because of the Plan or the orders of Ominous Phone Voice Probably Carol, but for themself (that and the Underage Drinking). Noelle has also reminisced about how they'd never let her watch them play.
"a concert just for me" also feels like a deliberate contrast to the "Concert For You". While Kris is too emotionally distant to let Noelle watch them play, as long as she keeps the boundary of staying in the other room, Kris can play beautiful music for her. But we're both the Amoral Time Demon that has taken control of their body and a patsy for Kris and Ominous Phone Voice Probably Carol's scheme. Kris hates us, so they just refuse to play the Piano when they know we're around and are angry we're even trying to make them do it.
That "Plink..." is probably the chronologically-earliest example of Kris' rebelling against our control via Malicious Complaisance. Like when we try and take a look as Asriel's room in Cyber World, for exampleā¦
We tell them to peek inside this room and violate their brother's privacy and so they 'peek' with their eyes closed. We tell them to 'play the piano' so they play one singular shitty note on the piano and technically fulfilled our command. The only way we could make them play anything else is with stuff like Chapter 4's Piano Puzzles when we're directing every single note and step.
So that makes that moment in Chapter 4 where they take control and show off their Piano Skills on their own even more powerful.
Becauseā¦. I think Kris still hates us, but this is clearly a moment done as a gesture of emotional vulnerability for Susie and Ralsei. This is Kris basically deciding that their hatred of us is not more important than their love for their friends. So they allow Susie and Ralsei to hear them play, even if that means also letting us hear them as well. For their friends, it's worth it.
But make no mistake, this is still the Concert for You.
