This is it: with this issue, we’ll be all caught up on discussing the series. I won’t know advance elements anymore, I won’t offer up purposefully misleading information — it’s all just straight up hypotheses and theories from here on out.
Join me, won’t you?
Jo the Psychic and Dane the Attacker
As with every issue, the cast changes a bit. Jo is now listed as “psychic?”, Dane as “attacker?” and the young girl from the last issue is now identified as Katie Lawrence, with the description as “Brain dead, needs Elle.” Even Father of the Year Lonnie Miller has now joined that of the mentionable, as “Dane’s father, Dane’s accuser,” which certainly makes him likable in an alternate universe where jerks are likable.
It’s always important to note little changes like this, because honestly, with a book steeped up to the waist with hidden easter eggs and tiny but telling details, you never quite know what is going to be an important thing to note and what is just us reading into things a bit much. Let’s just be thankful Jim and Rodin haven’t started hiding books in the backgrounds that we need to then read like they did on LOST
(Note: Jim, Rodin, please don’t get any ideas.)
Accused
As last issue closed, Dane’s father claimed that Dane called and confessed the attack of Elle to him in a very curious and suspect admission of guilt. Additional evidence accompanied with the way the dialogue plays out, it would seem that Dane is attempting to take advantage of Elle for her wealth and that he was mentally unstable. It basically makes him out to be a bit like James “Sawyer” Ford from the aforementioned television show, albeit a bit more likable and less roguish.
The over-emphasis placed on all of this, however, would seem to show that he’s not the attacker. As we said in the write-up for issue #4, this could certainly be just a red-herring; Dane is the obvious choice for the attacker, but cast enough doubt on him and maybe he can still get away with it. You’ll have to judge him for yourself throughout the issue, where we get to learn all about Dane’s past.
Then again, there is a panel-worth of silence from Dane after the phone call recording ends. That could be just as telling as anything else. Is he trying to figure out what happened? Is it an accidental admission of guilt? Is he trying to think of something clever? Why the pause?
There’s one additional detail to point out:
The Rape Test
This scene raised an eyebrow the first time I read it. The initial reaction was that Elle might have an additional lover, which could open up a new angle for the potential attacker. Heck, maybe Frankie — who I’ve had a lot of odd comments about — knew her more closely than any of us suspected.
Easy clarification here: later in the issue, Dane receives a new phone in a bag from a “mystery person” while laying in a post-coitus moment with Elle. I only bring it up as a point of clarification just because when it is originally delivered in the issue, it comes off as a bit strange. The rape test angle, while noted as being procedural, does raise a bit of an eyebrow, but it all does clear up.
The History of Dane
The rest of the issue is largely devoted to the exploration of Dane’s backstory, illustrated by the immensely talented Adrian Alphona. Dane’s history is that of a conflicted young man: it’s 2002 (also noted as ten years ago in a separate panel), he lives with his abusive father in a community that seems relatively lower class, his job is at a fast food chain and his mother left when he was little to the point that he can’t remember her face anymore. When his father destroys what mementos he has, he runs away to the city, where he accidentally collides with younger Elle. The two fall in love — her the rich girl from the city, him the poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks. It’s all very classic love story, almost Romeo and Juliet-esque given the tragedy that soon befalls. Eventually he meets her parents, but they clearly don’t approve too much of him, and it’s there the problems begin.
Continued belowBut before we go any further,
Like That Other Book
See what they did there? Because Adrian Alphona illustrated — … you get it.
The Plot Thickens
This issue shows us a few details that were previously not confirmed. Specifically, it shows us that Dane’s father, who has “evidence” against him, was sent a letter by an unknown person in order to help set-up Dane for a crime that was soon to be committed. Dane gets the aforementioned secondary phone, has an argument with his father that is recorded and edited, and Dane gets the wrap for a series of events he is having trouble explaining. Why? I’m not quite sure. It actually seems like it might be quite easy to point out a few details, even if they would be immediately rebutted. At least if he tried to defend himself, he might not get hauled off and knocked out.
From the opening of the issue (and the previous issues, of course), Dane seems to be carrying some element of guilt to him. In fact, most of the characters outside of Jo all seem to have something to them that makes them untrustworthy. Yet as we get a look into Dane’s history, things get predictably murky. It’s hard to look at him as any form of stereotypical villain if only because now there are enough things in play to say the opposite. While a later moment in the issue might shine some light onto his inclusion in all of this, it would stand to reason that poor Dane is just a patsy.
But that just sounds too simple, doesn’t it?
So what do you think? Is Dane misunderstood and unjustly accused? Or is there still more than meets the eye to him? Either way, his story — and his father’s — are far from moment.
Then There’s The Twist
One of the two finale’s that the issue has includes the assumed reveal of the Big Bad. By all accounts, every scene we’ve had of the mysterious attacking Hoodie has shown him talking to whoever is in charge, and this issue features Hoodie approaching Min, Elle’s mother. It would appear that she is the mastermind behind all of it, and while we can’t pin-point why several elements line-up: we’ve seen her talking with Hammond in the background of photos from Elle’s past, she’s remarkably detached from the entire incident and it’s quite easy to see a filthy rich woman set-up a young and untrustworthy man who happens to be dating her daughter.
The question is why. What’s her motive? She states that “A daughter will always need a mother,” but putting her daughter into a coma seems a bit extreme if she was trying to win her affection. We’ve had theories that the real key to whatever is going on deals with Elle’s ability to traverse this dreamscape, so it might be safe to assume that her mother — a woman of clearly defined wealth — is taking advantage of Elle in quite dark extremes. We’re clearly not supposed to have all the answers this early in the game, but that one line is really perplexing.
Whatever the reason is, it’s probably safe to say it’s not for Elle’s benefit.
Then again, it’s only issue #5. She may just be a pawn in a bigger scheme yet. Never daw a conclusion too early.
The Wrap-Up
Ok, yesterday I offered up a wild theory about new character Katie Lawrence being the same as Bobby and Frankie, who I’ve theorized are the same as well. At the time of writing that, I knew that wasn’t inherently the case, but I figured it wouldn’t be fun if I didn’t offer up a few crackpot theories, right? It’s fun to speculate.
Yet, here we stand: Elle has inhabited Katie Lawrence’s body and contacted Jo. Elle’s mother has apparently put her in a coma. Elle’s boyfriend has been arrested due to incriminating but falsified evidence provided by his father to the police. We still have no motivation behind the attack, but we’re beginning to see the how of it all — which, honestly, just makes things that much more difficult.
We have lots of pieces to the puzzle and an image is slightly taking shape, but I’m happy to admit I’m still just as puzzled about what’s going on as I was before the series began. McCann and Esquejo are not making it easy to figure out much.
