#running (from hell) lead edwin to the attic. to the lantern. to charles

[minnaeatsbread]

Since I've talked about Edwin's death scene and how much I like it, I thought oh yeah why not do one for charles. This is a post about me thinking too hard about things.

I actually had a little difficulty with this. Some of the best qualities of Edwin's death were how they used the medium of a show to present us with an older, bleak version of reality. Charles' death scene doesn't really have that. Why? Well, after Edwin's death, he was sent to hell, he didn't really "live" until he met Charles. This is why the scene doesn't seem as old - it is a beginning rather than an end.

Also, colour-coding. This is where we have to differentiate between two parts of the scene: the one before Edwin comes in (the lake, running from the lake...) and the one after (Edwin and Charles get to know each other). In the first part, they use cold colours like green, blue and black. This is not only to make it look unwelcoming and cold, and the colours are also reminiscient of the colours of hell. More specifically, Edwin's hell. And that makes sense: this is Charles' hell. He is alone, dying, afraid, betrayed. No one is caring for him.

This is where that damn lantern comes in. The light of the lantern is the first warm things we get to see. And what, gentle readers, does it illuminate first? Edwin. Of course it's Edwin, because that is the crucial difference between their deaths; Edwin died alone, but Charles doesn't have to. That is the very nature of their relationship in one lantern. I'm not even talking about the parallels with the scenes in hell. I would also like it noted that Edwin is wearing neutral colours in this scene. He is not the light, but he brings it. In opposition to that, Charles wears warm colours in hell, because he is Edwin's light (its a bit hard to see but i'm assuming that he didn't change his outfit before going to hell and i would argue that its red).

Since I went a little crazy about the music in Edwin's death scene, I'd just like to touch on it (featuring me doing mental gymnastics) The song is "Under the Milky Way" by The Church, which is already fun because that song was released in 1988 which means that Charles could have listened to it (or that it is possibly diegetic and actually playing in the background). Now, one particular line stood out to me especially "And it's something quite peculiar/Something shimmering and white/Leads you here, despite your destination" This is a bit of a stretch, but based on comic lore, Edwin's bones are on the attic at St Hilarions. Bones are famously shimmering and white. This could be what brought him there. And his destination? Well, I'm not sure coming back to your place of death/potential bone storage is super great at not alerting forces in the afterlife. Specifically hell.

In conclusion: Charles death is much more light-hearted and warm than Edwin's death. This is achieved through colour-coding with warm and cool colours representing different things, extensive lantern symbolism and a much calmer, less foreboding background music. I am slowly going insane but I always write straight A's when I have to interpret stuff.

[paintedwingz]

something something, their lantern being left in hell symbolising that this is the last time either of them will be left in the dark with no hope of making it out. something something maybe this symbolises the end of the pain and suffering that comes with dying