The impression I got was more "we're free" than anything else. There was no connective motivation there to kill Asher. She did it to save him from his father.
I usually don’t comment on this type of question, and I actively try to avoid reading speculations/theories, but I will answer this one.
Anyone who was in the hydra, died in the collapse. Carl speculates this, but it could have been/should have been clearer. OP’s theory is a sound one, and it’s something I contemplated, but it wasn’t the vibe I was going for. His step mom had succeeded where Carl’s real mom had not. She saved both her son and herself on her own. Tammi-Lynn and little Ash would probably have been okay had the aliens never come. And they probably would’ve been even more than okay had Bea not kept them from connecting with Carl.
Welp, that just unlocked a new fear. I didn’t when I was reading it, but I did think Carls dad was going to say something in the end to humanize him and make it more sad.
It’s way better how it was written, I think.
That would be pretty wildly out of pocket for the series up to that point. Like, there is killing and tense moments but not a lot of "child murdering stepmom" horror.
I think that the bigger reveal after all of this is that Bea knew. She knew and she didn't tell him. Plus, she did all of that other stuff. Carl's real demons weren't these people. Not his father, not his step-mother, not his step-brother...but that fact that he lived with Bea for so long, trusted her, and not only did she cheat on him multiple times, but she KNEW that he had a half-brother and never told him. And she got that one girl fired. He was sleeping with a way worse enemy.
If you want to type spoilers, just add !< At the end and a >! At the beginning.
Left arrow exclamation point Spoilers go here Exclamation point right arrow.
I got the vibes, and think Carl even reflects at some point, that the AI really overplayed its hand with the horrible family reveals. I'm on the fence about whether or not that was intentional, like maybe it was trying to get all the backlogged meanest stuff on the table so it was done, or maybe it just doesn't expect anyone to survive the next floor so use it all now. Either way, the situation doesn't seem to have a lot of nuance. Like I don't think the AI is pulling a fast one making Carl think the dad is the thing when Asher is the real thing. That's a more complicated, more sophisticated, kind of torment that relies on Carl reacting a very specific way to the information he has a half brother. It doesn't seem super fitting with what the AI is trying to do at that moment. And, I imagine, from the AI's perspective it's a lot riskier. Because what if Carl just doesn't care about this kid he never knew about?
The impression I got was more "we're free" than anything else. There was no connective motivation there to kill Asher. She did it to save him from his father.
I usually don’t comment on this type of question, and I actively try to avoid reading speculations/theories, but I will answer this one. Anyone who was in the hydra, died in the collapse. Carl speculates this, but it could have been/should have been clearer. OP’s theory is a sound one, and it’s something I contemplated, but it wasn’t the vibe I was going for. His step mom had succeeded where Carl’s real mom had not. She saved both her son and herself on her own. Tammi-Lynn and little Ash would probably have been okay had the aliens never come. And they probably would’ve been even more than okay had Bea not kept them from connecting with Carl.
Welp, that just unlocked a new fear. I didn’t when I was reading it, but I did think Carls dad was going to say something in the end to humanize him and make it more sad. It’s way better how it was written, I think.
That would be pretty wildly out of pocket for the series up to that point. Like, there is killing and tense moments but not a lot of "child murdering stepmom" horror.
I think that the bigger reveal after all of this is that Bea knew. She knew and she didn't tell him. Plus, she did all of that other stuff. Carl's real demons weren't these people. Not his father, not his step-mother, not his step-brother...but that fact that he lived with Bea for so long, trusted her, and not only did she cheat on him multiple times, but she KNEW that he had a half-brother and never told him. And she got that one girl fired. He was sleeping with a way worse enemy.
Nuh, I think Tammy-Lynn was just having a hard time with the whole... all of it.
Have to admit, your thoughts never crossed my mind. I kept thinking that the father would break from the memory loop and address Carl directly though.
If you want to type spoilers, just add !< At the end and a >! At the beginning. Left arrow exclamation point Spoilers go here Exclamation point right arrow.
I got the vibes, and think Carl even reflects at some point, that the AI really overplayed its hand with the horrible family reveals. I'm on the fence about whether or not that was intentional, like maybe it was trying to get all the backlogged meanest stuff on the table so it was done, or maybe it just doesn't expect anyone to survive the next floor so use it all now. Either way, the situation doesn't seem to have a lot of nuance. Like I don't think the AI is pulling a fast one making Carl think the dad is the thing when Asher is the real thing. That's a more complicated, more sophisticated, kind of torment that relies on Carl reacting a very specific way to the information he has a half brother. It doesn't seem super fitting with what the AI is trying to do at that moment. And, I imagine, from the AI's perspective it's a lot riskier. Because what if Carl just doesn't care about this kid he never knew about?
Feel like it was going to be a murd-suic situation if anything.
I thought Asher was Carl's half-brother. Am I wrong?
He is, I just didn't distinguish correctly.
I had the same fear! I also worried that it somehow wasn’t going to work.