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caprisunr · 4 months ago

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WHICH COULD MEAN NOTHING (theory post)

was titled I was assigned with a severe case of insanity at birth.

I rewatched season eight for the second time (third time for some chapters), and I gathered a couple of notes that I found interesting approaching season b (8x09-8x10, since between 8x10 and 8x11 there's a time jump we know nothing about and can speculate very minimally) with what we currently know.

First and foremost I apologize for how much of a reach and crazy these are about to be. But, walk with me on this...

THEORY 1: THELMA AND LOUISE

Starting the house by the roof. The person referred to as a 'serial killer' I don't think has yet been introduced. They could be making an appearance throughout 8x09 subtly, taking by surprise because their introductory role would be minimal at most but their connection to one of the earliest plots completely unexpected. I think they're going to play with the shock factor. During this theory, I maintain that it isn't a one person act, but a couple. My main thoughts on the matter are that it is two women operating, and they're going to be targeting people who were involved in the trafficking ring of Maxwell Felton (the s3x trafficking broker). Since usually the M.O. of serial killers who happen to be women is based more on either profit or revenge.

Usually with couple killers one is the brains and the other the force, and usually the brains is the evil manipulator-mastermind whilst the force (though evil still) is more naive and susceptible, hence why they fall into the brain's operations and idealistic world where they can seek revenge to pay tribute to themselves.

I want to talk about Athena mentioning Thelma and Louise, instead of any other man-woman couples who used to go on killing sprees whilst she made the fake attorney go into the back of his truck. Even though she's with Jenkins, who is a man. Thelma and Louise is an interesting mention that caught my attention. Thelma (sheltered wife) and Louise (waitress) are friends who are on the run. If you have not seen the movie: They are running away from murder. Louise is the protective older sister archetype you'd usually find in conventional cinema, and Thelma is that younger sister in need of protection and guidelines. Louise saves Thelma from getting raped by shooting the man in a parking lot. Thelma was also raped in Texas but nobody would believe her, and she always avoids talking about it. And so they become fugitives trying to escape to Mexico. The story continues, they meet a thief who ends up rattling them to the police after stealing their money, a truck driver whom they blow up the truck of, and a state trooper who begs them for his life.

State Trooper : [sobbing] Please! I have a wife and kids. Please!

Thelma : You do? Well, you're lucky. You be sweet to 'em, especially your wife. My husband wasn't sweet to me. Look how I turned out.

And yeah, I know it's thinking too deeply into it. But I can't help and imagine Chimney being purposefully put out as a target to save Maddie. The idea of Maddie AND Jeeyun being kidnapped together. There are a lot of instances where the children aid the parents in episodes during the season, and that could allude to Jeeyun trying her best to help Maddie in some capacity.

In this Thelma and Louise theory, Buck does not get kidnapped. Buck has been notorious for having a hard time following orders and he tends to make decisions without consulting. Tim has mentioned Buck's spiral, and I think this is what will push Eddie and Chim to work together as a team more than Chim and Buck. Buck will be so inside his world losing his head over Maddie being taken and Eddie leaving, that he will try to work on his own, desperate to get Maddie and Jeeyun back. He will not care about his safety because to him he will not have anything left to lose; its either saving them or nothing.

THEORY 2 : SAVE THE CHILDREN

In the trailer we see Maddie being smothered by the serial killer, and the mismatched voice-over of Athena saying her name. But we never see Chim, or Buck, or even Eddie, or Hen, or even Karen and any of the children. Only Maddie, Josh, Athena, and Bobby.

I think there's a reason for it aside from being the first b promo and not wanting to give much away. Being where and who they're with which could potentially show how things are going to develop. Why? Because in this theory Jee is the one being taken and not Maddie. Maddie is only being smothered so she can't interfere in the killer's plan. Not only do I think Jee is being taken, but also are (potentially) the other 118's children. And that's how we end up with Buck also being potentially kidnapped, or extremely injured/incapacitated.

Hen - Mara and Denny

Chim - Jee

Bobby - Buck (closest there is. May and Harry are away so they're out of the danger zone.)

Eddie - Chris (who is in Texas, out of the danger zone.)

Buck - ? (childless for all she knows)

I argue that Chris is coming home before Eddie gets the chance to step foot on a plane, though. He comes back because Eddie ends up telling him what his plans were before something (kidnapping) happened and he has to delay it to stick around and help. Not to mention, Chris having the L. A police department tap open in the last episode tells me he's been keeping an eye on Eddie so he already knows what has been going on.

But, why their children? I'm putting Miss. Ortiz in the center. She wanted to punish Hen who 'let' her son die, and ended up losing her job because of the 118 as a whole. So she is going to make them suffer.

Maddie potentially having complications induced by stress or other factors, despite not being the main target. She could be hospitalized partially or be very sick and out of dispatch (a way she could end up working even closer with Athena.) Her willingly putting herself in danger isn't out of the picture especially because of this dialogues with Chim during the last two episodes. And, hear me out, this might be the biggest reach here; a parallel to 'careful what you wish for' (2x17) is plausible (which aired May 6th). Where Maddie is rethinking whether she should stay at dispatch or leave the job permanently. I'm being taken back to Josh's and Maddie's conversation during the Halloween episode:

"I'm almost looking forward to the chaos"

"careful what you wish for."

(And then Denny ends up getting crushed between a house and a vehicle, and almost loses his life to it.)

During 'Careful What You Wish For'(2x17) Maddie faces Gloria again, asking her if it's enough; if it makes a difference to just be there for the people who call. Gloria goes on by saying "It's not. Until it's your emergency. And then you realize that the middle is the scariest part. Because you don't just need help; you need hope." In the next episode (2x18), Buck gets crushed by the fire engine.

It's also the episode where Shannon tells Eddie that she might be pregnant and later on dies in a fatal accident involving a car. And then Chimney who feels guilty confesses to Hen that he regrets not administrating medical aid (incubation) to her, basically speeding the process.

Why I think Jee being the target and not maddie is one of the possibilities? Same reason, because of conversations and mentions of Jee.

"I don't want to imagine my life without my little girl in it. I don't want to imagine it without her mother either." - - "If you're ever sad or overwhelmed you come tell me. And you don't get to leave or try and manage this all on your own."

Eddie to Chim during the Halloween episode: "Enjoy Jee while you still can."

Potentially related to how Buck and Denny are also going to be taken:

"He wasn't trying to be a hero, he was just being a brother" - Talking about the boy in the well. And while this episode is about Chim concluding that he does want a kid, it stood out to me.

"Next time a buzz saw is coming for me, I hope you're close by." Chim to Buck after he tackles Gerard to the ground. Plus "Jee, take care of your uncle Buck" which could mean nothing, of course.

Buck mentioning how he crossed Billy Boils. Buck's speech at Billy Boil's gave: "isn't much of a curse as it is a cry for help. Your pose abandoned you when you needed them most. I can't imagine what that must've felt like for you. I can't imagine anything more painful than going through life alone. Except maybe one thing; going through death alone." Buck feeling dreadful and completely out of himself if something happens to Maddie or Jee, or being stuck in a situation where he can't seem to reach out for anyone.

Ultimately it will be Athena that figures it out.

"He didn't factor in one thing--your wife."

"And that... Is where they always go wrong."

Which could be leading to something bigger for her facing the rest of 8b. Especially since she pulled her hamstring and saw how much it relented her. Maybe they're playing with the idea of her working in the same field in a different department with more of a 'detective' outlook.

Hen to Athena "Whatever you lose in speed and power, you gain in wisdom and instinct"

Other theories I haven't developed:

1. A ruled out rookie being the one orchestrating the killings as revenge towards Athena.

2. Unknown killer who is not related to any previous storyline or appears in the episode until they're caught or later on and attacks at random. Seeing her activities jeopardised by the dispatch center, that's how Maddie ends up on the crossfire.

3. Someone related to 8x08 case about IRA (Lawrence Smith, convicted criminal for violent assaults who presented as a defenseless old man.)

4. Buckley sibling's joint kidnapping.

Other notes:

Eddie in a white button up at a police office (the same one we see in the trailer with Bobby and Athena.) + All of Eddie's NDEs are mentioned. And yes, I am including the lightning because he got hit by it too, he was on the ladder.

Karen trying to reach for Hen the night of Halloween when Denny gets hurt while trick or treating. - Athena trying to reach out for Bobby but going to voicemail because he has his phone silenced as he was on the set of Hotshots.

- There could be a potential parallel during the kidnapping storyline with Chim trying to reach Maddie or Eddie trying to reach for Buck. But getting no response.

"You have someone you trust?"

"Yeah, just haven't been able to get a hold of him yet"

DIY aid. Not only during the plane crash where they were giving people instructions on how to treat the injured without equipment. But throughout the season there's been a lot of moments of using instinct or making with what was at reach.

Eddie's : "Your son almost died and you weren't there." to the father who later does show up to the hospital to see his son when he's discharged:

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get there."

"You're here now."

Eddie talking about how his parents were a little too willing to take care of Chris on his behalf.

Chris mentions the Chess tournament in the same episode where we see the LA police department window open in his room back in Texas.

Chim mentions how Jee has been having trouble sleeping and Jee is the one to give away that they were there to Chim on the Halloween episode when he realizes it's Denny whose injured.

a lot of mentions of:

1. Leg injuries.

2. Drowning.

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