Dealing in Secrets

[zombeh-kitteh]

I'm on my third listen of WA, and I've been thinking (probably too much, lol) about certain things. Mainly about all the secrets that many characters seem to keep. I know that many of you have already touched on some of this stuff, so please forgive me for reiterating (and I'm not trying to steal ideas!).

1. Michael

A. His past. Michael is one of the most tight-lipped about his past. We know that he's an only child, that his parents died in a car accident while he was overseas, and that he did not come home for the funeral. He seems to avoid emotional ties (excepting Pegs) although that seems to be changing after the outbreak (he grabs hold of Saul once he returns safe from following the Mallers). We only know this much about him because Riley makes him crack. In the very beginning, when asked about if he has any family in the area, he hesitantly replies "yeah, uh..sort of...my parents live in San Luis Obispo." There's two ways to look at this, either he still has family out there, or he was saying that to move the conversation along. But...that brings me to my next point:

B. Randy. We have no idea who Randy is, except that he probably helped rescue Michael from the Water Pumping Station...but what if he's someone from Michael's past...like a friend...or maybe an uncle or cousin? Maybe that's what Michael meant by "yeah, sort of" when asked about family. (Shot in the dark? Maybe...) Randy is still a big mystery but he IS one of the secrets that Michael is keeping.

C. His escape from the water pumping station. Everyone wants to know!!! HOW?!

2. Riley

A. Orientation. While most of us are leaning towards her affinity to Lizzie taking to mean she swings the other way, she also seems to have a soft spot for Angel. I think that the journey through the hospital indicates that she may have feelings for him. Also, when going to the Arena, Riley states that she was "kicking herself for volunteering, although deep down I know why I did." Some think that this maybe meant that she may be the rat, but perhaps it just meant that she went to spend time with Angel? I'm now leaning more towards her being Bi. After all, Europeans are more sexually liberated than us repressed Amercians (no slight, we can't help our Puritan beginnings!).

3. Pegs

A. Why she refused at first to pick up/use a gun. Michael speculates on the reason, which is a good guess, but no one knows why for sure. I think it's because something happened to her father. Pegs has only ever mentioned her father (am I wrong? If I am, let me know!), and when Kalani is teaching her on the helicopter, she mentions that some of the guages look familar, but that she "Only ever flew little Cessna's with her father, and that was three years ago..." Pegs seems like the type of person who would stay close to her parents, so then why would she have not taken more flying lessons with her father in those three years? My only guess is that something happened to him. Although I'm not crazy about Pegs, I do have to admit that she's surprised me a couple of times (Killing Latch, for example...that really threw me!). I guess she really was telling the truth when she says that she was "watching and learning."

4. Angel

A. Shady past involving (if no one else) Scratch. What's bugging me the most is how Scratch is toying with him about it. I knew something was up the moment he suggested killing them, and was assured when he said to take the name tape off their uniforms. He smoothly glossed over that with "it's one less thing they'll know." He was also upset with Michael, one of the first things out of this mouth when Scratch and Latch leave is "You used my name." Not as if that would have changed anything, since Scratch had already recognized him before any names were even uttered.

B. Hot-wiring? Really? I found it funny when Kalani asked if that was part of this military training. We still have no idea why or how he knows how to do it, but I'll bet serious cash that Scratch knows why.

5. Scratch

A. Involvement with Durai: Durai himself is a bit of a mystery, but at first when we weet Latch, Scratch and Co., she seems to "admire" Durai, wanting to prove herself to him yet at the same time, afraid to report their failure of repossessing the tanker that Saul, Burt, and Lizzie took. I wonder if she had some kind of Bellatrix-Voldemort relationship with Durai???

B. Involvement with Angel: see 4.A.

C. Lizzie. Now, I'm sure that Scratch doesn't feel sorry for her, but it's pretty odd that she treated Lizzie differently once she realized that Lizzie was "sick." When she says it, "You're sick...aren't you?" she almost sounds like she's in awe or something. I don't think she's being "gentle" with Lizzie because she feels bad for her, I think she's making sure that her hostage(s?) are safe and sound.

D. Latch(John) and Pegs: This is the most human we've ever seen Scratch, is involving her brother and Pegs. First, no matter who you are, it must be the most difficult thing to experience the death of a sibling or parent. Scratch doesn't seem to be fond of anyone but her brother, and now that he's dead, she wants revenge. Revenge is a deadly motivator, both for the victim and the killer. Pegs, as we know, is devastated that she took a human life. She feels a bit better after Angel did that "favor" for her, but I'm sure his death still bothers her, but not so much as it bothers Scratch. I think if it comes down to it, Scratch is going to kick the bucket right over if she tries to kill Pegs. That, and after the whole last debacle with the Tower, she's either going to have to cut ties with Durai (because she was moving on her own, and not under his orders) or bring Burt(?) and Angel(?) as peace offerings (aka hostages).


6. Kalani

A. Involvement with the Mallers. My theory is simply this: They crash land @ LAX, they are attacked by zombies, the Mallers come to their "rescue." Kalani, Hannah, and whoever else gets taken as slaves, they try to escape, as punishment, Kalani is sent out to be a rat for the Mallers under the threat that they will kill Hannah, so he complies (to a point). Instead of finding the Tower, he finds the other tower, and it's overrun. He gets dragged to the Arena, where he's rescued by the people who he was looking for in the first place. Albeit reluctantly, he goes with the original plan, so that Hannah won't be killed. We know that he didn't tell Scratch everything, because she had no idea that they had helicopters. Perhaps Kalani really was the one who killed Pippin, too.

B. Journals: We have never heard the first-person narrative of Kalani yet. We hear him through others' journals and narrations, but never from Kalani himself. I think this is the definitive clue as to who exactly the rat was. However, we may have to wait a long time before we hear his narrative, as Angel, the one he entrusted his journal to, is MIA and his journal's in the almost-blind-girl's backpack. With a puggle. Let's hope Lady doesn't get bored and start chewing.

This is all I got for right now, but just in amazment as to the hefty weight of secrets the people in this show carry! I can't wait to find out the answers! What do you guys think?

[usmcludwig]

Very interesting theory on Kalani...I have my doubts- but I hadn't seen it like that before.

Same with Randy- I am going to stand by you on that one 100%- it would fit in perfectly the way you say.

Now- we wait!

[7oddisdead]

The things your saying here about kalani are things I've been saying for a while now...i got your back for sure on that one..

And as for the rest of them....yes it seems most everyone has some sort of secret they want to keep from the community at large..I think the fun experiment to draw from that would be how could each persons secret relate to someone within the story, the most obvious being the relation between angel and scratch.....but I have a small tick in the back of my mind that says there's more to it than that....of course, that same tick keeps telling me kalani was the only rat...so I don't know how much I can trust it

[Zombiphobe]

I think the secrets are part of the draw. They may not be as big as the ground zero mystery but we can't help listening in hoping to learn more.

I also agree with how you laid out Kalani's journey to the Tower. It's very similar to how I mapped it in my head.

[Hollomandious]

6. Kalani

A. Involvement with the Mallers. My theory is simply this: They crash land @ LAX, they are attacked by zombies, the Mallers come to their "rescue." Kalani, Hannah, and whoever else gets taken as slaves, they try to escape, as punishment, Kalani is sent out to be a rat for the Mallers under the threat that they will kill Hannah, so he complies (to a point). Instead of finding the Tower, he finds the other tower, and it's overrun. He gets dragged to the Arena, where he's rescued by the people who he was looking for in the first place. Albeit reluctantly, he goes with the original plan, so that Hannah won't be killed. We know that he didn't tell Scratch everything, because she had no idea that they had helicopters. Perhaps Kalani really was the one who killed Pippin, too.

This was my theory about Kalani as well. Tho, much much much more well written.