It’s been a long wait, but as usual the “Mind the Gap” team has delivered an issue you can really sink your teeth into. There are a lot of ideas up in the air right now, and more than ever, mulling over the events of the issue is enough to make your head hurt. At least Elle is safe and sound for the moment – probably, possibly.
Not Special
As Elle wakes up, our new Daughter of Jairus introduces herself as Regan. Apparently, she went through the same process as Elle, as a child – being put into and awakened from experimental comas. But for whatever reason, she wasn’t “special” the way Elle was; somehow, Elle was a better candidate for the whole Jairus process.
The simplest way to read this is that Regan is related to the Peterssen line, and therefore liable to inherit the same condition Elle did, the one that made her die at birth. But she didn’t inherit it, or at least not in the same way, and so was not chosen as the final test subject. But “special” is kind of an ambiguous word, and has the capacity to carry some resentment. There may be a number of unknown factors at play here.
Taking her at her word, Regan seems trustworthy enough; she’s had the same weird childhood as Elle and would have grounds to sympathize with her. But then, she could be lying about being a Daughter of Jairus in the first place – there are plenty of angles to exploit here for somebody not directly implicated, particularly when you consider the top-secret work being done by Edward’s company. There’s just no knowing for now.
I gotta say, even the name “Regan” might be cause for concern. Between Shakespeare and The Exorcist, it hasn’t got much to recommend it.
Regan/Crenshaw
Elle passes out for a second, and sees Crenshaw in Regan’s place. This isn’t the first time this has happened – back in the first arc, the same crossfade effect seemed to draw a connection between Frankie and Bobby. Any connection there hasn’t been referred to as of yet, and I guess you could write off both these instances as visually interesting ways to blend Elle’s world with the real one. But the emphasis here – the way Elle gets confused afterwards, and wonders why Regan uses the pronoun “us” – seems to indicate that we should at least be thinking about Crenshaw in relation to Regan. At any rate, if Regan went through a similar childhood ordeal as Elle, she might have had her own encounters with the guy.
Missing
Left to herself for a second, Elle has a bit of a breakdown. The way this panel bleeds off the edge of the page makes it stand out as unusual, and we’re left with quite a few questions here. Has the Jairus process vitally altered or hurt Elle in some way? The way her spirit was fractured and sent every which way about the hospital does seem like the kind of phenomenon that would leave you confused. Regan seems to identify, though – maybe dissociation is a known side-effect of the serum. It is interesting that Elle now claims to see things in a “new” way.
A Text Conversation
The first half of this text conversation paints Regan in a dire light. She informs Somebody Wearing Gloves that Elle is okay, and Gloves says to go ahead with Phase Two. For a bleak second, it’s easy to see the bunker Elle is in as the Facility that she was going to be taken to all along, and Gloves as an ultimate agent of Jairus.
But then we’ve got the matter of the picture sent to Edward and Min (and presumably Erik). Erik was significantly upset by the news last issue, and Edward wanted to act on it quickly. Min dismissed it all as “histrionics” and seemed to think Jairus could handle it. Looking at these reactions on their own, it would seem that Min engineered the situation in order to throw the Hoodies off the trail, all the while keeping Edward and Erik in the dark.
Continued belowHowever, the texts to Edward and to Min are worded differently from one another. Edward receives “proof of life” only; Min receives an outright threat. Could this mean that Gloves is acting in Edward’s interests, or even against Jairus?
For some reason, I want to read Gloves as Constance (though I suppose we should leave Morgue Guy, Miles, and even Frankie open as possibilities). Constance has got ties to both Edward and Erik, and would seem the optimal double agent. Plus, in issue #16, the way Constance is standing right there when Edward threatens to “burn” whoever sent him the message – it just feels like the kind of ironic moment that this series often makes use of. But really, this mystery is very much up in the air.
Guilty
An interesting moment between Dane and Eddie, as they settle in for the night at Elle’s place. It’s worth remembering that Eddie could still betray the Hoodies – if he’s acting as a double agent in their interests, the relationship could just as easily go the other way. It’s nice to believe that his love for his sister is keeping his intentions on the level, but who knows?
A Visit From Min
Eddie sneaks out and back to his place – presumably to meet Miles, although he was already out the door before he noticed all the missed calls from him. In any case, finding his mother there is a surprise, and – for Min, anyway – she looks pretty distraught. Is this her trying to get to the bottom of who sent the picture, without Edward finding out she’s not in control after all? Or has she got another bone to pick here?
Recap
The only thing we’ve learned (and even then, not for sure) is that Regan is playing Jairus. For the moment, though, I really do think Min is unaware of the whereabouts of her daughter – she’s been in near-absolute control for so long that this would be the most interesting turn for the story to take.
What do you guys think? Hit me up in the comments!
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