Of Pre-Meditation, Or Of Passion? (OPEN MASSIVE SPOILERS)

James got a letter. From a dead person. Oh dear.

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emptimass
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Of Pre-Meditation, Or Of Passion? (OPEN MASSIVE SPOILERS)

Post by emptimass »

READ NO FURTHER IF YOU KNOW NOT THE SECRETS OF THE GAME.....

The purpose here is to discuss and find out whether the "Secret Of The Game" was Pre-meditated or a crime of passion. Let's go over the famous dialogue.

"That's why I did it, honey. I just couldn't watch you suffer."

This quote from James indicates that it was done out of pity. To end suffering. This, however is closely followed with a contradiction. Pre-meditated.

"No! That's not true... You also said that you didn't want to die."

It would seem that Mary did want to live, however at the same time was tired of the suffering and wanted it to end. With this in mind, a conlflict would arise in James' mind. "Yes" and "No" have been stated. Confusion may lead to a last second decision. Equel parts Passion and pre-meditated.

"The truth is I hated you. I wanted you out of the way. I wanted my life back...."

This statement made by James also makes both pre-meditated and passion possible.

What we see in the video is Mary laying in a bed. James approaches Mary and(I think) kisses Mary on the forehead. The video is mute therefore we do not know the conversation that took place between the two.

Pre-meditated: James has planned it out. Whether he was tired of her or tired of watching Mary suffer, he has come to her bedside to end the pain. The pain either being his, hers, or both.

Passion: James has dealt with the illness and has been there for Mary. Confused, angry, saddened, tired, depressed and loathing, James still comes before her. After all that has happened he feels on the edge. Mary has an insane outburst as demonstrated below...

"Well what are you looking at? Get the hell out of here. Leave me alone already! I'm no use to
anyone. I'll be dead soon anyway. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow...It's be easier if they'd just kill me."


These words would drive most caring people mad to hear coming from loved ones. There is a mention of them just killing her.

"But I guess the hospital is making a nice profit off me, they want to keep me alive...."

Even with insurance the treatment and hospitalizations would cost and arm, leg and first-born. Financial stress can drive even the sanest person towards hasty and criminal decisions.

She then goes from.....

"I told you to go! Are you deaf?! Don't come back!"

to.....

"James.... Wait.... Please don't go.... Stay with me. Don't leave me alone. I didn't mean what I said. Please James.... Tell me I'll be okay. Tell me I'm not going to die. Help me..."

What a total mind fuck!!! To be pulled in so many directions with raw emotion. Years of depression, and sleepless nights. Sorrow and despair. In a moment of all of this coming together at once in James' mind, could it have incited a crime of passion? Very sad for both of them.

I lean towards an act of Passion. More than likely, James was being hit with I love you; fuck off's and snapped. Please, tell me you opinons!

Was it pre-meditated or a crime of passion?
Last edited by emptimass on 02 Jun 2008, edited 1 time in total.
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Silent Smiffy
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Post by Silent Smiffy »

a bit of both. nice theory you came up with and i believe he did it for her through passion but at the same time, he was looking at the selfish positives from ending her life
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Post by The Adversary »

>James approaches Mary and(I think) kisses Mary on the forehead.
He does.

>The video is mute
The video is mute in the game. However, there was audio for it, just removed. It's also fucking intense.

Angela's murder of Thomas Orosco was a crime of passion. Eddie's was, too. I have no reason to believe James' wasn't. I believe he may even have been slightly drunk at the time, too.
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emptimass
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Post by emptimass »

>a bit of both. nice theory you came up with

I do not view this as topic involving a theory. I see it as a topic that involves in-game quotes and facts for purpose of finding peoples theories and opinions on the matter.
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Post by Silent Smiffy »

sorry having a shit day, theory is not the word
Snake. We're not tools of the government, or anyone else. Fighting was the only thing... the only thing I was good at. But... at least I always fought for what I believed in.
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emptimass
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Post by emptimass »

>I believe he may even have been slightly drunk at the time, too.

I have considered that possibility in the past. I do lean towards it being true. Thanks for the input Thomas!
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Post by Silent Smiffy »

wel i remember somewhere in heavens night if you search something he talks about how he was a drunk?
Snake. We're not tools of the government, or anyone else. Fighting was the only thing... the only thing I was good at. But... at least I always fought for what I believed in.
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Post by BarbwireEmbrace »

Yeah, you make James examine the crates of bottles and he mentions that he used to drink, but quit. That he didn't need to anymore. Something like that anyway.
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Post by paladin181 »

The complete video with sound is also posted on youtube...

And yes, it is pretty intense.
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Post by Loveless_Dogg »

I would say Both, James Passionately preplanned killing her. QFT :D

....Besides, look at the tape James was in the room for a good while just before he smothers Mary.
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Post by Oddish »

He didn't say that he quit drinking, he said that "I drink a lot". But he decided that it wasn't a good time to be drunk, and that makes sense. When I'm fighting for my life against grotesque monsters, I'd prefer to be sober.

As for passion vs. premeditation, it's hard to say for sure, but I think that James was probably drunk, and had been building up his courage for a long time. Given that taking life was so contrary to his nature, it seems unlikely that he was able to just do it at random. But there's no way to know for sure.
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Post by paladin181 »

He wanted to kill her for a long time. She wanted to die, and expressed this to him. He wanted her to stop suffering, and wanted to let go of this emotional burden. She was slowly killing him with her disease (not literally the disease, but the energy spent worrying and caring for her), and he wanted to go back to how things were (hence the appearance of Maria in the Game) so when she came home, he finally snapped when actually physically caring for her again, and smothered her on the spot.

It wasn't planned, no matter how much he wanted to kill her, or at least wanted her to stop burdening him, he loved her far too much to go through with it. She was away, and his life was starting to get back to normal after she practically banished him, and he stopped visiting as often. He was able to breathe a little again. And then he got the call to go pick her up, and he did, and brought her home.

The reality was, she would die very soon. His stress levels would then skyrocket again, after being seemingly free of her for a while, and starting to emotionally recover, here she was ,to drag him back under with her: for good. James enters her bedroom, and sits watching her sleep, not knowing what to do about her. He kisses her forehead, and she opens her eyes to smile at him, feeling that he does love her. Without thinking he grabs her pillow and thrusts it into her face, because he can't stand the thought of losing her to this disease, and he can't bear to watch her waste away any longer. Nor can he take her bearing on him for personal care, the shell of the woman he once loved. He wasn't killing Mary, he was killing her disease, since that's all Mary really was to him at that point.

Gone was the youthful, exuberant woman who had brought joy into his life. She had been consumed by this needy disgusting monster that just sat there, wanting more and needing more care. And to rub it in, she came back in her final days to say "Look at what I have become. You loved me once".

It wasn't premeditated. He wanted her to be gone, to just GO... AWAY. She was back in his life to fetter him down again. I could see where he'd just snap one time and it would cause a mental meltdown that leads us into Silent Hill 2.
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Oddish
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Post by Oddish »

Perhaps that's one of the problems with being human. If your dog is sick and dying and in agony, you take him to the vet, and the vet sees him out of it, quick and peaceful. If a person you love is sick, you have to sit back and watch while they die an excruciating death. James had been watching the woman he loved deteriorate for years, and he finally snapped. Whether his actions were good or evil is perhaps questionable. But right or wrong, sudden or premeditated, I understand why he did what he did.
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Post by Chinchillazilla »

Oddish wrote:But right or wrong, sudden or premeditated, I understand why he did what he did.
I think that's at least partly why the game is so effective; you don't exactly want to sympathize with him over it, but you can't help it. The "crazy" guy seems almost sane.

Maria's weird fits of rage also make it harder to sympathize with Mary (until you get the two of them completely sorted out, anyway).
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Post by Chris Sunderland »

It was probably in the back of his mind, and the thought grew, though mabe he never thought he'd actually do it until he did.
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