ERGO PROXY EPISODE 22: PLOT AND EXPLANATION

EPISODE 22 (BIND / BILBUL)

---SPOILER AHEAD---

   

Proxy One manages to stop the FP effect by ripping his right arm. He grows a new one in seconds. Raul nervously flees. One leaves Re-l and goes to his chamber. Kristeva goes to look for Raul to protect him. Like Iggy, Kristeva is still loyal to her master even after she caught Cogito.

Real enters the Regent chamber. She greets Re-l as her other self. Re-l thinks that she is another proxy trick like Ophelia proxy. Real declares herself as Monad and Re-l reminds Vincent of herself. She wants to save Vincent from his burden as a creator.

Daedalus comes to find Real. Real tells him that he wants to see Vincent, then runs away. Daedalus is surprised she is obsessed with Vincent just like Re-l. He bursts out because those two only care to Vincent, not him. He leaves Re-l to find Real.

The Collective explains that it was Ergo who built Romdeau including the dome, the city, the pseudo human and wombsys. Re-l concludes that each dome out there is built by a proxy. The Collective only knows Ergo/Vincent who built the dome because they never met proxy One before. It was Ergo/Vincent who gave Donov the charge over Romdeau. Ergo/Vincent left Romdeau in despair because her creation is imperfect (sterile).

Real finds Raul is looking for FP bullets in Daedalus office. Raul notices the red string in her hand. He cannot believe that Real grows at flash speed. Daedalus enters his office following the red string. He says that he throws all the FP bullets away. Raul is offended by Daedalus saying that he is not needed anymore. A gunshot is heard. Real deflects Raul’s bullet because he threatens to kill Vincent. Daedalus is disappointed knowing this reason.

Pino draws pictures in her old house while listening to piano melody. The riot approaches the house. Pino leaves to avoid it. Pino goes to the mall looking for Raul. Pino tells she learnt many kinds of feelings and she misses Raul. Wounded Raul goes back to his house. He finds Pino’s drawings. He takes the last drawing which directs him to the mall. He wishes to see Pino for the last time and forgets his ambition. Raul dies in the mall without seeing Pino.

Kristeva cannot find for Raul in his office. She finds the traces of blood and follows it. Kristeva finds Raul dead body in the mall. She sees his tears and Pino’s drawing. Kristeva interprets it as Raul’s wish to see Pino.

Pino’s drawings tell her story from the moment before she was not infected, met Vincent and took the journey, her friendship with Vincent and how she loves Re-l because Vincent loves her. The last drawing is her imagination to play with Raul again in the mall.

Re-l understands that Vincent erases his Ergo side to forget his despair. But she cannot comprehend why Vincent plans the Romdeau downfall. She weeps thinking how she is so drawn into Vincent and Vincent plans her to get him killed. He cries remembering the people around her, leave her. The Collective reminds her about her raison d’etre, to find the truth, no matter what other people say. She needs to find her own truth; the truth comes that from herself. The Collective shuts themselves because they fail their raison d’etre: to preserve Romdeau.

Ergo/Vincent walks around the city. He does not care his city is crumbling. Some citizens shoot him. He ignores them and walks away. Vincent comes to Donov chamber. He is confused that the Collective are silent. He is surprised to see Donov is dead.

Re-l points the FP gun to Ergo/Vincent. She asks why he comes back to the chamber again. Vincent surrenders and lets Re-l kill him. But Re-l figures that there is someone manipulating them. She can feel the difference of Vincent and One characteristic from Vincent’s answer. Re-l chooses not to use the last FP bullet. She shouts asking the manipulator to show himself. Proxy One laughs. He seems satisfied with Re-l’s work. He opens the way to his throne. Both Re-l and Vincent are surprised he looks exactly like Vincent/Ergo.

The throne behind a throne. The man behind a man. Literally and figuratively. The God above the leader. ‘The stairway to heaven’ where the ‘God’ is at.

Details and Easter Eggs:

• From the way proxy One rips his arm off and grows a new one, it was probably not a big deal for him to create his other self, Ergo/Vincent. The difficult thing is to make sure his other self carries out the duties he does not want to do.

• Real has the soul and memory of Monad, because she is Monad’s perfect clone. She feels Monad’s love for Vincent. She recognizes Re-l as her other self. Real also acts like Re-l, perceptive, nosy and curious related to proxy matter. This is something Daedalus did not predict to happen. He actually just needs her to be a Re-l who cares only to himself.

• Kristeva is similar to Pino. She can choose what purpose she will follow after losing her raison d’etre. She does not fall into confusion and seems to be able to hold on herself.

• The Collective and the Regent are sworn not to tell anyone about the proxy matter. That is why they always remain silent when Re-l and Raul ask about proxy. After Donov’s death, the Collective is freed from the oath and able to tell the Ergo history freely.

• Daedalus throws all the FP bullets to keep Real safe. He knows that Real is a proxy.

• Daedalus creates Real to fulfill his raison d’etre back. Real is Re-l’s substitute and Monad proxy, killing two birds in with one stone. He then suffers mental breakdown when Real also leaves him.

• Pino’s artistic ability has improved compared the time she met Timothy. She now can draw based on her memories and imagination. This is what makes her drawing an art. She does one of human characteristics, making art.

• Pino tells that she learned a lot of kinds of feelings and she misses Raul. Then the screen switches to Re-l. The journey also teaches Re-l a lot of kinds of feelings: sadness, happiness and love. She learns that her interest in Vincent grows larger. She realizes that she is in love with Vincent.

• Re-l’s truth is that she is a clone of Monad. She knows after talking to Real. She now understands why she is helplessly drawn into Vincent. She cannot run from her own feeling. Since she loves Vincent, she can tell the difference of Vincent and One. Therefore, she can tell that it is not Vincent who kills her grandfather. 

• Proxy One does not have any intention to harm Re-l. Instead, he uses her as a tool to lead Vincent to reality. That is why One is so pleased when Re-l calls his existence in the chamber. Remember the end of bookstore episode? The old man ends Vincent’s dream and shows Re-l’s face as the solution because Vincent lost his way. In the final episode, we will know that One actually plans to let Vincent and Re-l live after Romdeau downfall.

• Raul’s disbelief expression after seeing teenage Real tells that rapid growth is not something ordinary in Romdeau. It is probably the first time he sees the case.

• It is difficult to draw a conclusion about the concept of age, especially when it comes to proxies and their clones. Real becomes an adult not more than a month. Did Re-l grow in that way too, even though she is a human? How old is Donov Mayer actually? In Vincent’s citizen information, he is identified as 24 year old. Did Romdeau officials write 21 years old when they accepted Vincent in Romdeau? How long is the duration since Mosk attack to the main event? Is it 19 years, because Re-l is born after Monad was brought to Romdeau? Nobody suspects anything when Vincent does not get old for 19 years, even Vincent himself? Vincent is in denial after all. But Vincent serves in Disposal Unit only for 3+ years. Is Re-l age in citizen info a lie and she grows like Real? If so, Re-l is incredible to have a job in Intelligence Bureau in her short span of age. Another fact, Vincent first met Re-l when she is already a grown up. How long did it take for Vincent to arrive to Romdeau after the Mosk attack? The most possible explanation is Re-l grows normally. She first met Vincent when she was 16. Those 16 years are spent by Vincent to immigrate to Romdeau and lives without a job. The 16 years are also enough to make Donov becomes as old as the current state compared to when he was appointed by Ergo/Vincent. The second most possible explanation is Re-l also grows in flash speed. She can do the job thanks to maximum perceptiveness programming. Re-l is considered 19 years old because her knowledge and body structure are equal to 19 year old human. Re-l’s original age is 3+ years plus the duration Vincent journey immigrated to Romdeau (the duration can be 16 years but it seems impossible). Her childhood is the Vincent’s immigration journey duration. If Re-l also grows in flash speed, she also was designed, produced and groomed by Daedalus. There are facts that strengthen or weaken both possibilities. Probably there is something I missed or I just discover a plot hole.