Silent Hill 2: The Interpretation of Nightmares

[@GredGlintstone]

There is some very tough subject matter in this video. Take care of yourselves. When you boot up Silent Hill 2, you are greeted with a link to assist in seeking mental health support. I'll post it here in case something comes up for anyone watching and you feel like you need someone to talk to. www.konami.com/games/silenthill/help/ Never be afraid to ask for help. It's not a sign of weakness. Life can be cruel but you don't have to go it alone. Be well, Gred

[@Demigod_3scrub]

A very authentic video essay my brother.. Absolutely Amazing! Have you seen the KZbinr Blind/Drunk SH video essay yet.. I think you will find it very interesting as well.

[@gio2]

stop hating on my boy james

[@GredGlintstone]

@ Your boy did a bad thing.

[@EtherealOmni]

​@GredGlintstone I heard your voice saying this and it's killing me "Your BOY did a bad THING."

[@apollorainer1991]

Bro first drops a deconstruction of bad faith critiques, mentions what he would change, changes it and drops one of the most interesting, personal and profound pieces of media commentary of the year. Chapeau

[@kuturu]

At this point, I've watched a billion silent hill 2 essays and "breakdowns". Seeing someone with their own interpretation is so refreshing, loved how you connected all the inspirations behind it as well, can't wait to see more of your stuff

[@kuturu]

I think you also touching on femicide is so important, its insane to me how I can be so empathetic towards victims of gendered violence and not see the parallels to the story of SH2

[@tuckerdelay9656]

Me too

[@stephenpedersen1346]

I personally think that James kills Mary because of many different reasons, some of which he doesn't fully understand. We can clearly see that James is not just sad, but DEPRESSED in the leave ending and all the endings where he commits suicide. He starts crying in the "stillness" ending; and when he tells Mary that he killed her because he wanted her out of the way, Mary asks why he looks so sad when he says he just wanted Mary "out of the way". He clearly is incredibly upset about the whole experience and feels deep guilt due the pyramid heads existence. He loved her and did everything he could to care for her (like paying expensive hospital bills, buying flowers, visiting frequently, Mary saying in the letter to Laura that James is actually quite a sweet guy). Due to the contradiction between the emotions he feels in "leave" and what he says with the tone of his voice, it sounds as though it's a rationalization that he hastily threw together in order to have Mary bombard him with insults like she did right before the final boss fight; but she doesn't. He no longer wants to be punished by himself or some higher authority after the pyramid head boss fight, but being punished by Mary? That's not exactly off the table. He sounds distressed whilst confessing that he wanted Mary "out of the way", not deadpan. If he truly wasn't sorry or thought it was justified by the end or if he even had a sliver of him that thought it was justifiable he would sound dead inside but he doesn't. In the moment, he probably thought that killing her would make him feel less pain than the unbearable amounts of pain he felt before he killed her but obviously that isn't the case due many of the events that take place in the game. If anything, he feels worse. I mean most of the events of Silent Hill 2 are set up literally as a way for him to COPE with what he's done. If James killed her but still loved her, then it suggests that he would be doing so as a weird act of love and mercy. He saw her suffering and living in her own personal hell and couldn't take it anymore, so he euthanized her. Perhaps part of him did actually want her out of the way, but that is UNDOUBTABLY not the only reason why. If he wanted her out of the way, It could be due to the selfish reason of him just wanting to move on with his life, but it could also be due to him not being able to emotionally handle the intense angst, stress, and overall emotions that the situation brought. It could be due to him not wanting Mary to feel as awful as she had been ever since she contracted her disease. James is a very complicated person. The characters in Silent Hill 2 have a surprising amount of depth for their time. I don't know if you guys don't remember but most characters back in 2001 were extremely black and white in video games. Silent Hill 2 was one of the first games to give characters an immense amount of depth. So is it unrealistic to say that they would give James, the game's main character, the most amount of depth? Absolutely not. Angela and Eddie are very complicated people with their own complex emotions, motives, and backstories. Who's to say James isn't the same?

[@stephenpedersen1346]

I really just wrote all this shit for probably like one person to read it, huh

[@SanchezS1998]

@@stephenpedersen1346 For what it is worth, I appreciated it. I really enjoyed the video until it became too black and white for my tastes at the end. I don’t think James was justified, but I can understand how someone under duress could come to the conclusion he came to, and I’ve always viewed SH2 as an extreme example of the importance and necessity of forgiving one’s self, which is something that I’m still learning to do (albeit again, not to that extreme).

[@kuturu]

Trust me, I read it. Beautiful stuff, love your analysis. This is why this game is beautiful and has lasted the test of time 20+ years later

[@a_panda_on_yt]

@@stephenpedersen1346 lmao it’s okay you really cooked with this comment 😭

[@Artesian_mirage]

A lot of people have liked your comment since you first wrote it, and we agree with you, totally. You have shown more understanding of James than the video upolader, who started off so good but went off the deep end by the end of his video and completely contradicted his earlier sentiments. Thsnk you for restoring balance and perspective with your comment

[@totessugoi3017]

I don't remember the exact phrase but I heard something like: "Genuinely kind people understand how cruel they truly are" I don't think it matters whether or not we can be forgiven. Our actions will always be seen and justified and rationalized differently by different people, just like James's story. We are guilty like James. If we aren't careful, we can let our guilt consume us and trap us like Angela, or ignore it and perpetuate the cycle of inflicting pain like Eddie. But we can't forget that our experiences are not in isolation. Mary's death isn't defined solely by James. Laura is also trying to come to terms with her loss and shares that with James. Maybe Laura isn't absolving James in the good ending so much as she is accepting his inclusion in her own loss. Try not to get lost in your own self reflections that you blind yourself to others. You are never truly alone. The best ending is not necessarily our happy end. Sometimes the good ending means we spared someone from being trapped in our cycle.

[@GabeJenkins7777]

Do you know where you heard that phrase? I can't find anything online but I really want to know the context of it.

[@zedc6072]

part of me is kicking myself that I never made the connection that if Maria was this manifestation, then the Mary that you see in Leave was also a manifestation, and was James making *another* idealized Mary that would forgive him for killing her.

[@famenpamendetsroy]

Not necessarily, the bliss ending kinda shows james becoming a memory within silent hill. I think Mary is more so a memory of the place so she lives on as a sort of force. A lot of it is hallucination but I like the cope idea that it actually was Mary

[@famenpamendetsroy]

Also I'm almost certain the other games go more in depth with what I was talking about

[@zedc6072]

@@famenpamendetsroy I can see that; I know theres the interpretation that Leave is the ending where James finally comes to terms with it and gets to move on but a part of me still thinks that it feels too "and everything worked out! James got redeemed and his wife and Laura forgive him" is way too simple compared to how the game handles everything else it does with its narrative

[@famenpamendetsroy]

@@zedc6072 We can only hope but I also think leave was just a convenience for him and he never truly came to terms with it. The fact that he created an image of his wife to forgive him just shows that he's still ultimately seeking some sort of judgement. Leave is the most intricate and my personal favourite, but its not a good ending unless you like to cope like me

[@famenpamendetsroy]

@@zedc6072 Absolution is probably a better word

[@RichardBlaziken]

You’ve irrevocably changed how I think about SH2, and perhaps art in general over the course of this. Thank you.

[@GredGlintstone]

Wow! I hope for the better, haha.

[@GrahfGames]

At the risk of sounding like I'm extremely up my own ass here; maybe whether or not the player can forgive James is part of the point. On a meta-textual level James is never truly free, because even after achieving the good ending, the player can choose to take it away from him, force him to experience everything in Silent Hill again. He can be guided to make better or worse decisions, but whether he has served a penance isn't for him, or Mary, or anyone else besides the player to decide. James' journey, whether for good or ill, is never over until the player decides it is. Even if the player themselves never picks up the game again, if they have decided that James' sins are unforgivable, and that he is in a circuitous hell of his own design, then that is where he remains. I don't really know how to better summarize it without it coming off as pretentious as it did; but part of that is just, really viscerally raw, isn't it?

[@GredGlintstone]

I think that is definitely the journey they want you to go on. James is presented as sympathetic (even meek) until he's really really not. And I think that's why the endings are decided on your actions. The player is determining who James is.

[@AvantHorizon]

Congratulations.... From someone who has watched what I believe 'literally' every single essay about SH2, played the games religiously, and have had my thoughts on it evolve and mutate almost daily, you have produced something truly unique and beautiful here. Informative, wise, and very well done. Thanks for the thoughts.

[@HermeneuticallySealed]

Thank you for making this. As someone who adores Lynch’s works and has been getting bogged down by never ending online discussions about canon, this was a tonic. You managed to push back against that enough to leave space for me to dream again. Or more accurately, get lost in nightmares. I know you were questioning your intent in making this, and I know that I can’t speak for you on that. But this was akin to ripping the bandaid off for me-through the negative, positive. I really want to show this to my friends but I’ll need to have them watch Jacob’s Ladder and Lost Highway first! Determined to not rob them of those experiences. Thank you again!

[@GredGlintstone]

I don't think I've ever agreed with any Twin Peaks Explained video I've seen. Fun to see how people piece things together but, yes, really don't like it when people assert they have the "correct" answer.

[@Geospasmic]

You put it very well. I feel less of a burden to interpret "correctly" now and more freedom to try to understand myself better through how I view art.

[@SmileTOBY]

I love how philosophy evolved to video game analysis. you are literally descriping “interpretation ≠ solution” The art of thinking and understanding

[@amilex5805]

Cant believe im witnessing a man's descent into being a essay youtuber😢. Jk

[@GredGlintstone]

what have i become..

[@amilex5805]

@GredGlintstone 1 question ☝️, why do u choose this topic to talk about?

[@GredGlintstone]

I wanted to talk about interpretation and Silent Hill 2 coincidentally came out at around the same time. But I didn't really know what I wanted to say about it until I played it through a couple times. The main thesis came from how differently I saw the game as an adult than I did when the game first came out. Everything else kinda came from there.

[@amilex5805]

@@GredGlintstone gotcha, thanks for replying my goat

[@GredGlintstone]

@@amilex5805 anytime, my guy.

[@AlexSoLu01]

This is probably one of the most profound and incredibly articulate exploration of a game I’ve seen, keep it up man

[@Vas1]

This wasn't only a great video about Silent Hill 2, but also a brilliant take on The Shining. Especially Wendy obtaining the Shining through Jack's actions, hence her seeing the blood pouring out of the elevator, is somehow eye-opening to me. As much as I like that movie, some parts always appeared as too strange or illogical to me. This gives this supernatural stuff some more logic. Thank you for making this video!

[@MayanGodofTacos]

You're quickly becoming one of my favorite voices in games criticism. Great video!

[@asteinpro]

Dropping in to say thanks for taking all the time and painstaking effort to make this video. I took a lot of psychology classes back in film school and even studied dream logic in Lynch’s films. Playing Silent Hill 2 took me back to those same ideas that I had studied and wrote about. Your analysis of this game is one of the best I’ve seen. Also, understanding that this game cannot be explained away by a single theory and is meant to derive different theories and explanations was a breath of fresh air. It’s opened me up to really take a closer look as I play through the remake again. I also need to go watch Eraserhead again immediately. Keep up the great work!!

[@oopsiedaisy77]

I’m not usually one to comment on videos but I just gotta say… incredible work, here. I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts. As someone new to Silent Hill 2 I have been spending a lot of time trying to understand the intent and meaning behind it, but this is the first time after watching a video about SH2 that I’ve simply wanted to replay the game and experience it for myself again, to see if I could find it in myself to forgive James (I was very conflicted about it the first time and ultimately wasn’t sure). You also made me want to rewatch the Shining, for the same reason, as well as other works of horror like the Haunting of Hill House. Thank you for the work and care you put into making this video, I think I’ll be coming back to it sooner rather than later.

[@MoreLoreThenThereSeems]

I love when you get into etymology actually! CLEAR DEFINITION, clarity of speech, these things are needed to drastically in video essays more than ever, it’s a fresh breath to say the least

[@Clara-bh7lp]

absolutely adored this video. i feel like almost the reverse of you, as a fan of david i immediately connected the game to lost highway after playing it, later the shining of course. i think horror about things like domestic violence is truly effective on a level that no monster could match

[@alexandernilssonmusic]

I got to say, you have VERY quickly become one of my favorite KZbinrs, perhaps ever. You have the ability to observe media from a bird's eye view few people can. At the same time everything you say feels 100% honest, personal, astoundingly thought out and well researched. It doesn't hurt that we share the same fascination with Lynch, Kubrick, Silent Hill and Elden Ring and many other things either. It's almost like your videos are personally made for me, haha. Just wanted to say: thank you for doing this 🙂

[@GredGlintstone]

Really appreciate that dude!

[@sundayparam]

absolutely agree with you, it’s been a while since i’ve watched video type essays THIS good.

[@leapsoup]

I… went into this video with no clear expectations, especially when compared to the many other discussions of Silent Hill 2 scattered across KZbin and the broader internet. Not only was I deeply moved by your interpretation, but it has also reignited my curiosity for seriously analysing/thinking about media, art, and literature, etc - a spark I haven’t felt since studying at university, along with the sense of personal agency that came with it. I’m not entirely sure why I lost that feeling in the first place, but your video seems to have brought it back. Thank you.

[@DarlingMissDarling]

That opening whispering had me ripping out my earbud and tossing it like it was full'o bees. 💁🏽‍♀️✨️🐝 10/10 no notes

[@GredGlintstone]

Hehe, gotchaaaa

[@pwnership3292]

By far the greatest silent hill related video I've ever seen and likely the greatest video essay I've ever seen (although I've seen many). Loved your work, man. Phenomenal job.

[@deltaprime6526]

Just finished watching the vid. It was so phenomenal I think I'll watch it again back to back. Thank you Gred

[@GredGlintstone]

The highest compliment.

[@YikesMb]

Thank you for making this, I found your video talking about video game critique yesterday and it really resonated with me. It's relieving and warms me to see and hear and feel someone else trying to make sense of the world. Thanks again

[@BecauseItIsMyHeart]

Best breakdown on KZbin. Thank you so much.

[@dominokos]

I really liked The Shining but you've made me realize just how shallow my interpretation for this film is. It's scaring me how deep that rabbit hole goes. Admittedly, I've only watched it once. I might have to watch it a couple more times, because I honestly got goosebumps listening to the interpretation you've presented. I wish I had this realization on my own. Thank you very much for making this video!!

[@GredGlintstone]

Important to know that that doesn't devalue your experience with it, of course! Things can be enjoyed on multiple levels. The Shining is a really successful and enjoyable movie about a haunted hotel. Even if you don't see anything in it beyond that.

[@Saint_Kaiser]

I just finished your last 2 hour video… CHILL ❤

[@GredGlintstone]

Sorry!

[@dc8836]

I'm absolutely floored at how damn good your work is. A lot of my favorite essayists seemingly took time to find their footing - you can go back to look at their earlier works and see a clear improvement as they stumbled around and eventually hit their stride. But your work is already at that quality. It's absolutely wild! Your writing, pacing, diction, and even recording quality are all what you'd expect from someone that's been doing this for years. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. It's a genuine pleasure to watch your videos - and I even got a few movies to check out now! I'd already seen Jacob's Ladder and all of Kubrick's work but I never did really get around to Lynch's stuff aside from Twin Peaks. I have some homework to do over the holiday weekend now!

[@zb5902]

absolutely incredible banger of a video, I've already seen it twice and I will no doubt watch it again. Thank you for this groundbreaking work that has genuinely made me reconsider so many things.

[@Cyborganna]

I kinda love how you've made me feel like we are all Silent Hill and James is running through us all in cycles looking for punishment, attornment and forgiveness. Remarkable video💝

[@marcruth4531]

This reminds me of an encounter in a comment section for a Silent Hill 3 video where someone kept insisting that you aren't allowed to assign meaning to something outside of what the creator explicitly states it has... Dude would have a conniption fit over hearing "even Ito's interpretation is incorrect" 😂

[@SharinganClouds]

I just finished this last night after never having played the original, and Christ I'm so mad at myself for not waiting in the hallway that bit longer, completely changed how I see James, and there was so much I couldn't articulate about how the game made me feel. I really needed this video, outstanding work.

[@volpe2077]

I truly hope this blows up. Wonderfully written, edited, and paced. Very fresh perpectives and talking points for a 20-year-old story, I'm very impressed! Great job!!

[@caelum6369]

Thank you sincerely for making this. Lynch has a lot to say about Abstraction. I forget the quote but I watched an interview where he talks about the logic of abstractions. And that just because something is abstract doesn’t mean it’s not rational, it’s just another way to rationalize and process information. “Life is filled with abstractions, and the only way we make heads or tails of it is through intuition”. I think when analyzing media and art at large it can be so easy to slip into this desire for clear answers. “What does the woman say at the end of the film Martyrs.” Or “in Pans Labyrinth is Ofelia just making it all up?”. I think your video helped me organize why this discourse has been bothering me. We’re not supposed to understand, we’re supposed to intuit.

[@Yeeorgo]

I didn’t think I’d ever cry on a video essay. This was quite unexpected. Thank you for teaching me something about myself

[@LeatherWizard]

Not so often does one find a channel with just a couple of videos but with such quality that I actually believed you have been in YT for years. Respect, man. I will be proud to have found this channel early when it becomes way bigger, I now it will. Take care.

[@brinsk7151]

Really happy I found this channel. Beyond just finding your videos interesting and thought provoking, they're also somewhat inspiring in that they make me start to reconsider how I go about forming my opinions on things. Also think that these are just generally well structured and well argued, and that these videos are something worth learning from.

[@Spearced]

annnnnnnnd between this and the critique video you have now become one of my favourite KZbinrs. A discussion of Jacob's Ladder in relation to Silent Hill 2 was not on my bingo card, like, ever. This kind of shit gives me life, bravo.

[@boyshinboiv6662]

you have almost instantly become my favorite video essayist. you are INCREDIBLY insightful

[@GredGlintstone]

Wow, thank you!

[@Afternunes]

Beautifully spoken... I really appreciate your perspective

[@jacobholt6347]

This is one of the best videos I have ever watched. Kudos to you man, this shit fire.

[@MrIcecolddd]

Bravo - This is quite possible the best analysis video of SH that I’ve ever seen. You bring interesting concepts to the table, you question ideas and theories, you don’t regurgitate what’s already been stated countless times, you bring a fresh perspective. It’s also a very well made video too, with the inserts of movie/tv scenes - The music, ambience and jazz. Seriously, the best video I’ve seen on KZbin this year.

[@bunnysnaggle]

have loved silent hill, especially 2, since i was a preteen over a decade ago and this is honestly the best silent hill video ive seen, and one of the best videos ive seen point blank

[@AmyRose0451]

I've watched this video 3 times now. Absolutely brilliant examination of one of my favourite games ever. You've really inspired me to start streaming. I'll be giving you a huge shout out in my first stream.

[@GredGlintstone]

Wow thanks so much!!! Good luck with the stream!

[@randy5301]

Watching this was a tremendously emotional and cathartic experience for me. Thank you very much for making it. It was a very VERY well made video that you clearly put a lot of thought and effort into. I especially appreciate your integrity with the "emotional" part of art critique, and how vulnerable you were here. Fears are definitely hard to even admit to, much less talk about in detail. A big part of the reason I found it so cathartic was that you and I seem to have a lot in common as far as those conflicting feelings of...Am I actually a cynical person? I pride myself on looking at things from different angles and believing in people being better and moving forward, and I "present myself" that way like you mentioned, but I also struggle with those conflicting feelings of also Really Detesting James Sunderland and what he represents in general (societally speaking) and to myself, and not "forgiving" him for what he did. It makes me feel sick to think about how scared Mary was and how much she trusted him. And we share that common fear of wondering if we ourselves are unforgivable, and having guilt of things we've done in the past, and, as you mentioned, problems that you could categorize as "moral injury". I simultaneously want to see James burn in hell forever, while also wanting him to move forward and nobody else to suffer things like Mary did, which creates a bit of cognitive dissonance. I also think we came to a lot of the same conclusions about SH2/Silent Hill/the people inside of it and James specifically, though you made me think about a lot of it from different angles, especially with the analysis of it via the lens of a lot of the movies you brought up. I'm not a huge movie person, though I've been wanting to get into engaging more with them, as I have a similar view of art's value in teaching you things about yourself and the world, so I think it's important for me to do so. I for one will definitely be giving Lynch's works a shot. I'd heard of Eraserhead and Twin Peaks (and even watched/enjoyed a few episodes of it as well as its soundtrack) and such before now given how culturally relevant they have been, but I've never sat down and really engaged with his stuff. I'm a huge fan of kind of surreal and psychological art experiences, and interpreting things from different angles rather than being bogged down by "canon" and "the author says this is true so it must be" sort of things, so I think his stuff will really interest me. You also made me have a renewed interest in The Shining via your interpretation and how you put all those feelings into words! So thank you! I watched it at one point but I felt like I didn't really Understand what I was feeling, or the horror of it necessarily. I definitely felt uncomfortable, but I couldn't exactly say why. I don't think I was ready to Understand at that time, but you also helped me think about it from a different angle. Either way, watching this made me think about a lot of this sort of thing again, and it's so nice to see those kinds of things reflected back to me from someone else. In a way, this video is its own piece of art, and it IS teaching me things about myself. I'd say this is probably one of my favorite videos I have ever watched. (I also really enjoyed your other longer videos. You making your video on gamer rage genuinely helped me to try and become more patient with my own shortcomings/allowing myself to both fail and improve at video games. When I have the money to, I'll definitely be supporting you/your channel and looking forward to more of your stuff.)

[@GredGlintstone]

Really appreciate the thoughtful comment. Glad you connected with the vid.

[@BruceWTippette]

This was a wonderfully in depth analysis, and one that I agree with. I had my own personal gripes with James being “forgiven” by Mary, essentially absolving him for reasons that I felt were poor reasons, at best… you’re spot on, and I appreciate you for this video!

[@jasonbadower]

Gred, I've never played Silent Hill 2 and I'm not sure I ever will. Never having had a console, I feel like I always missed the SH2 conversation and the remake seemed aimed at a conversation with those who had already played the original. While most people feel like a game movie is the best way to experience the re-caping of a game, I feel complete through your interpretation and struggles on the game's ambiguity, theme and narrative. I was able to stew in its ideas without enduring a journey I'm not sure I would mechanically enjoy. And god, I love how moved you are by what you've written. It's both confronting, sometimes uncomfortable (in a good way) and engaging. The true introspective fear of existential horror of the self. Thank you so much. Cheers mate.

[@GredGlintstone]

Thanks mate! Glad it was engaging for you even if you've never played the game.

[@jasonbadower]

@@GredGlintstone Yeah man. I love your examination and establishment of context. You define your sandpit and then you make some pretty great castles.

[@GrievyRZ]

I'm writing this to hopefully boost you in the youtube algorithm. Because, your youtube video has made me cry. No other youtube video has made me cry. Damn you, but mainly, thank you.

[@GredGlintstone]

Sorry, but thank you 🙏

[@Zeidcats]

Amazing video. As I was playing SH2 I was repeatedly reminded of the shining, and you put the two together so well in your analysis.

[@H3rmon861]

Holy shit that was really, really well-written. I’m so used to mediocre video essay that don’t really say anything meaningful and barely try to explore talking points that haven’t been talked to death. The entire structure felt so masterful too. Most of the time, it feels like long essay pad out their runtime by giving somewhat unnecessary context but here, I liked how every points you made ended up contributing perfectly to the next one (even when they seem like tangents). All that to end in a very uncomfortable argument most people would immediately reject (James good ending is actually another of his delusion) but was set up well enough I ended up agreeing mostly with what you said. Great job! I’ll be looking forward to what you do next

[@JuanMartinez-fi7jh]

Awesome work, thank you for your distinctive perspective, I’m about to replay the game all over again to explore this ideas of yours.

[@HexDeckTD]

this hit close to home. thanks for making it, it helped me think through stuff and i think that's rare and cool.

[@GredGlintstone]

Glad to hear it

[@sundayparam]

my god this video is phenomenal. You’re really good man, like crazy good. Keep up the hard work and you’re gonna blow up!!

[@DaysieRose]

This was fantastic! It's very thought-provoking; you're very talented. I always thought it was BS that Mary's reluctance to enjoy dying was construed as verbal abuse. I love the detail they included in the remake at the end, after James watches the tape, when the monsters collapse or recoil from James. Ugh, that's such a great addition. I love this game. Also, unrelated, I was pleasantly surprised at the difference between the book and the movie versions of The Shining. I only recently read the novel and while I picked up certain moments from the movie, it was so different I had no idea what to expect. (Dr Sleep was a banger too!)

[@homelessmonke5631]

really great video :) made me view my interpretation of sh2 differently or gave me another way to view the game. on your what you said about the “you’ve been here for two decades” i initially thought that was about the time loop of james but then i thought it was actually referring to the player or the fans of sh2 we’ve been here for two decades rumouring and theorising since the game came out two decades ago. in some sense we the fans are apart of the that loop too.

[@GredGlintstone]

I think that's definitely part of it. There is a meta-aspect. Twin Peaks did a similar thing with the new season.

[@DrRESHES]

Strongly agree.

[@martinmrnka2572]

I think the key word here is "responsibility". James never takes responsibility for what he has done and all endings are essentially him avoiding it, be it in the suicide ending, Maria ending, or the "good" ending. Admitting is one thing, taking responsibility is another. The only good ending would be if James ended up in jail. You know...for murder. Great video btw, very introspective and made me think about Silent hill in a way I never did.

[@DavidParfitt-o2z]

You are one smart guy my friend, the essayist who has made me think most about games since Noah Caldwell Gervais. Excellent stuff, I wish I had the...I dunno focus (?) to think about these things as deeply as you do. Thanks for the feast for thought.

[@CapitanTrmon]

I admit I haven't seen *that* many sh2 video essays, but I firmly believe this is the best one I've ever seen

[@QuantumTelephone]

It's the best. I've seen them all

[@CapitanTrmon]

@QuantumTelephone thank you, mysterious internet person

[@thescrub7682]

This video has consumed me whole. I thought i was the only one that had a completely different perspective on the game from its priginal to the remake. I cant thank you enough for this, as its also helped me realize that i didnt need an answer to its ending and that it really is down to how i see it.

[@MishaVoltaire]

incredible video! its very refreshing to see a video about personal meaning and not "what actually is happening" in silent hill games, like i enjoy that a lot too i really like the explanations of it all but its so validating to see someone with their own interpretation instead of just going after the "canon" the developers made or talk about for me silent hill 2 hits very differently because i dont think of it in the terms of a story about a man who killed his wife, the triangle of james-mary-maria reminds me of my own feelings about myself, as a person who struggles with mentall illness, it makes me think of how i treated and still treat myself, seeing myself in these characters, so its a very personal interpretation and i find that very interesting, it makes me confront myself, i think its neat thank you so much for your video

[@DrRESHES]

Forgot to mention. Great video, very good analysis, I enjoyed it very much till the end. Finally it's Not the same old same old video about "Me and my needs as James is Literally me". And really good critique on consumtion of art, that was really pointy at these posers.

[@strikeaposefilms]

This was great and thorough work. Thanks for expressing your personal feelings about James. I think that made a new impression on me in terms of this story, and many others.

[@bardofhighrenown]

The idea that every narrator is unreliable is very interesting as a hermeneutic lens. Every character and every person is projecting a reality; not only through their conscious, subjective observation but also their unconscious desires, fears and fascinations. Then understanding that narrative through not objectivity, as there is none, but through authentic emotional reaction. It's such a wildly cool idea that I think has genuine utility as a basis for understanding art.

[@jsgValentine]

one of the best videos that i have ever seen, your points about art, artists and the Interpretation each one of us give about the same thing are awesome! i really enjoyed what you said about the idea that analyzing art tells more about ourselves than about the artist and his art. Is the kind of stuff that ends lot of silly debates on the objective meaning of some art piece. at the end of the day, each one of us thinks and comes up whit a different interpretation of the same thing, and thats the beauty of it. thanks for the brillant video and have a nice day!

[@idguy4rainbowpheonix]

This video has made me think, consider, and learn in new ways. It is commendable and successful for that reason.

[@GredGlintstone]

That's great to hear. Glad it did that for you.

[@krysc96]

This was a wonderful interpretation of the game. Really thoughtful AND thought-provoking at the same time. I had to skip past a couple sections cause I wanna solve the photos on my own and experiences all the endings also on my own, tho. This is one of the most well produced videos on SH2r I've seen. Congratulations on such a job well done! You genuinely deserve way more than 7k subscribers.

[@waeljoher9977]

What a fantastic video. congratulations mate you have one of the most interesting takes that I've seen about this game.

[@Zoombeanie132]

SH2 will always be the GOAT of arthouse videogames.

[@violetslit]

how you tied together the themes of Lost Highway, The Shining, & Silent Hill 2 was so masterful... the cuts between Shelley on set & Mary's death made me sob 😭💔

[@Chapsticko]

I have watched so many videos on KZbin over more than 10 years, but none has impacted me to the same extent as this, jesus christ well done my beloved gred glinstone

[@GredGlintstone]

Thanks dude. Glad you connected with it.

[@billjaru6170]

This rabbit hole is bottomless. good analytic sir.

[@SplendifirusWordUp]

From beginning to end, this was beautiful and had some profound moments I'll be thinking about for a while

[@professorhuggins5418]

I really enjoyed your video and hearing your thoughts. I thought this was a logical follow-up to your examination of modern criticism and i subscribed because i wanted to see more of what you had to say. Congratulations!

[@stargazer6556]

Phenomenal video. Can't wait to see what you cook up next.

[@carolyoung2831]

You are very simply my favourite You Tuber. Love your insights .

[@shinyb4ts]

This is such a well crafted video and a fascinating, though sometimes emotionally uncomfy watch. Which is exactly the kind of stuff Silent Hill (and everything that inspired it) should inspire! It's funny because I somehow had the exact inverse reaction than yours - fifteen years ago when I first played SH2 and in every subsequent playthrough over the years I truly had no empathy for James, only Mary. Your point about the leave ending letter was my original gut feeling and I never strayed too far from it; the tragedy of forgiving the flaws of the man you love, while being clueless to the level of betrayal he was still capable of. The horror of a man finding absolution on that. Oh boy. I was the most staunch James hater out there, almost to the point of blindness. Life experiences happened and the remake happened and I felt honestly a little grossed out by how much more sympathetic I felt toward James this time around. The idea that this version of James is just a better (worse) unreliable narrator, a more manipulative person, and a better liar this time around has crossed my mind though, so even if I don't always agree with your takes I do find them really interesting to think about. Funny how we shock ourselves with either a lack or an overflow of empathy when it comes to Silent Hill characters. Too much explanations of canon truly ruin Silent Hill for me. Thank you for not going too far into that and instead just sharing your feelings & interpretations.

[@marcmcewan-rice3495]

Really powerful video dude, you've got yourself another sub from me!

[@tofermartinez4114]

I love that this sort of broke my brain from this whole narrative I had in my head. I played the original beginning with thinking James was a hero trying to save his wife. After beating it, I had a warped view of him, he murdered someone who loved him so much that she let herself be vulnerable with him, coming back home to possibly pass away with him near, share her last moments with. Many years later I went into the remake with the same thoughts and feelings of James being an irredeemable character. I started the game knowing that he wasn’t going to be redeemed in my mind. But through the game with the facial acting and VA choices, my perception began to change and I started to see him as someone who was deeply flawed and dealing with his own demons that he didn’t have the mental capacity to help or deal with Mary’s. The new game showed me that there is compassion to him, in the way the actor plays him. And I don’t know now, if that’s because he truly is a compassionate human who mercy killed his wife, or if he is showing me a made version of himself that pretends to care and empathize with people around him. Am I reading too much into it? I mean who cares, right? It’s that feeling of “am I being deceived” that makes me come back to this game. In water, but specifically Stillness ending, will forever be my favorite end to a man who was deeply overwhelmed with what life had for him, and how he chose to handle it. He killed his wife, brought her body to Silent Hill to kill himself in a spot where he was last happy and things were simpler for him. To me, this all happens without the events of the game. He doesn’t go through the game and continue the loop, he ends it the moment he comes to the town. “I can only leave, by not leaving”

[@TwoBs]

“You are not entitled to kill someone because they are too sick to fck you.” The fact that even has to be said, even if talking about a mere video-game’s story, speaks volumes about the mentality of those even trying to justify what he did. People don’t seem to understand that just because you play as a character in a game and grow an attachment towards them due to the time spent hearing their story and moving them about through the game’s world, it doesn’t mean you have to stand by and justify everything they did or continue to do when we all know very well that his actions would not be acceptable in our own world as there is never an excuse to take another’s life … Incredibly fckd.

[@themoongateofficial]

You won’t find that kind of opinion anywhere offline the only people justifying him are online trolls, there is sympathy though , but you can have sympathy for a monster without excusing their actions, IE someone who was abused growing up ends up abusing or killing someone else, it’s absolutely not valid to extend that trauma to anyone at all, but we can feel bad that these people had to go through it in the first place , everyone was a child at some point it’s the world that corrupts us ☹️

[@Inkylotuss]

I enjoyed this video through and through. And in the first 5 minutes I knew this was going to be one of the videos that will have a great impact on my perspective not only on Silent Hill 2, but art and perhaps life in general. Thank you for making this video and sharing your interpretation.

[@thegammelier]

Excellent essay, thank you for your insight. I was reluctant to watch another SH2 video but I’m glad I did

[@theknowncitizennctl]

Been hyped for this. Didn't disappoint 🙏

[@pseudonympending]

This might seem weird but you've quickly become one of my favorite channels, and your work genuinely helps so many, even if it probably seems small to you. Keep being a cool person ♥︎

[@Restinsofa]

@GredGlinstone Excellent work, another banger of a video🎉... I'm glad I waited until I had a bit of time to watch it and devote my full attention to it, as soon as I saw it published I saved it, shame I couldn't comment when it came out, life always gets in the way 😅. I wanted to share a different perspective on James though, dunno if other ppl have commented on it. One thing that's fascinating about Silent Hill 2 is how it captures caregiver trauma through its horror elements. The endless fog, the isolation, the way familiar places like hospitals become nightmarish - these mirror what medical research tells us about caregiver PTSD, which affects a surprisingly high number of long-term caregivers. The way you analyzed James's manifestations was brilliant, but I wonder if there's another layer there - how the town reflects psychological breakdown through its environment. When someone is caring for a terminally ill person, their world changes completely. The game shows this through how time gets distorted and places transform, similar to how severe trauma affects perception. Don't get me wrong - your moral analysis of James is super thoughtful and I totally get where you're coming from. It's just fascinating how the game also explores how ordinary people can crack under the weight of constant trauma and isolation. Those multiple endings hit different when you think about them as different ways people process trauma and try to find healing. Thanks for making such a thought-provoking video! It really got me thinking about both the game and how we interpret art in general.

[@tyretear1263]

I absolutely loved that you strongly defended the subjectivity of not only Silent Hill 2, not only videogames, but just art and media in general, no one is same with another and everyone experience same stuff differently, and filling the blanks with ideas of our own is part of the art itself. (t.w. suicide, death) Spesificly to Silent Hill 2, it was definetly interesting to shift the perspective on James through how morally faul he was, although I always thought that what he did was a kind of euthanasia that both sides agreed on, I cannot recall if it was on the original or not but on the remake there are moments that *indirectly* implied that Mary's condition was beyond saving and she was gonna die either way, and iirc both Mary and James knew about this, so it was more of a relieving Mary out of her pain thing. You might ask, why she was screaming and trying to fight back when James suffocated her with a pillow, and it just makes me think of basic survival instinct, even in most cases of suicides, people try to fight back instinctively *despite* they choose to die (i.e. trying to gasp for air whilst hanging, screaming whilst jumping from high etc.). So what I thought out of the game was James second guessing himself on *why* he did it, having reasons not as important as relieving a loved one out of her pain, and not being able to think and recall things clearly becouse of the sheer impact of what he did. I think James really loved Mary and he did what he did out of love. Maybe I am terribly wrong and I just interpretted the game wrong, maybe I'm naive enough that no one is able do such a terrible thing, maybe I just have some level of empathy for James. I still somehow think water ending feels like the rightest of one though.

[@TheForkU]

My perception of the game has changed due to this video thank you GredGe

[@obi7841]

one of the most important features about the remake for me is the voice actor for james. in the leave ending his admission of guilt and marys reply feel sincere in a way that actually made me very emotional. what i keep asking myself is why did james not leave mary? if he truly hated her and wanted his life back what made him feel like the best option he had was to kill her? both are unforgivable but surely leaving her is the easier way out? the best answer i have is that he wanted the good without the bad, to keep his happy memories undefiled by mary's disease. but a part of me likes to believe that this shows that he did truly love her and killed her out of a twisted sense of mercy. maybe i am still being deceived, after all i am here now trying to explain away the murder of a person. i certainly did not believe this when i played the original where james, in the same bedroom scene, sounded completely insincere, back then i thought james got off much too easy in the leave ending. while playing the remake tho i found myself having a tendency to accept the leave ending as what james deserves. maybe i want to feel empathy for james because i dont have the strength to deny it from him after seeing his display of honesty, or maybe it speaks more to how i have tried to work through guilt in my life by trying to forgive myself which makes me want to let james have absolution. either way your video really set my thoughts on the game in motion again, thx for putting this out there. also this is the third video i rly enjoyed from you, keeping my eye out for whatever ur cheffing up next !!

[@BongThaRipper]

wake up babe, new GredGlintstone analysis video dropped

[@loopine]

Hell yea, Hereditary and Beau is Afraid are some of my favorite movies of the last 10 years. Speaking of that, Folding Ideas has an unbelievable video about Annhilation called Decoding Metaphor and its reads like toyr points about people trying to mansplain art and how trying to solve it only robs it of its capacity to carry meaning. Also never played Silent Hill btw but it looks sick lol

[@JoseViktor4099]

Completely recommended man, SH2 was a banger for me. Surprised that a game with worse gameplay than RE has enough subtance to still be as engaging.

[@GredGlintstone]

Beau is Underrated fr. Seen that vid! Tried to avoid the same talking points but, yeah, he's great.

[@qniquu]

Beau specifically, I'm kind of disappointed that people didn't like it as much as i did, really wish every director has that kind of film.

[@evilfungas]

New Gred kino just dropped.

[@thoma_se]

This is the best thing I’ve ever seen

[@ohnowayyoudoyoutube]

What a great video. This needs more views.

[@mettlemesh]

This video comes out right as I finished the remake and made my brother play through it so I could experience it for the first time again vicariously through him. Good stuff!

[@idontcare9661]

DOSTOEVSKY REFERENCE!!! 🗣️🗣️🗣️ WHAT THE FUCK IS A GOOD EPILOGUE

[@GredGlintstone]

Strap in. Whole lotta references in this one.

[@raphicoco]

This video made me think a lot. I always had my opinion and interpretation of Silent Hill 2 for a long time which has changed multiple times throughout the years, but not a lot. Because I already made my mind on it, only small parts or details changed but I didn’t take the time to truly reflect on all of it. This video helped me realize something about me and reconstruct the way I feel about this story. I don’t forgive James and never did, but it wasn’t the conclusion for me. SH2 was about the introspective of a horrible man that has done monstrous things that try to find a way to reconstruct his actions and choose his fate. That is if he owns up to it and tries to help another life instead, to end his life and remove another person from this world, or to deny and repeat the same life mistakes. It’s not forgiveness but what you do afterward. But I guess this speaks more about me than James. I hate myself, I have done things in my life which of course would never be in the same realm or severity as killing, but it doesn’t matter emotionally. I can't forgive myself for those that trusted me and that I have hurt. Others tell me that it isn’t as bad as I make it out to be and that there are plenty of reasons why I did those actions. It doesn’t matter to me, as much as those around me forgive, including those that I wrong, I am unable to do so myself. The question then remains what I do afterward and how I can make a better life for me and especially for others, which is what I will do. I can't forgive myself, repent is an illusion, but I should move forward for those that love me because I don’t want them to suffer. I am not important, but I need to do my best for them. That is how I feel now, but I have recently been prescribed medications for major depressive disorder and been seeing a therapist to help me through. Maybe one day, I will see myself as what others describe me to be and not what I believe to be. Thank you for this video.

[@Furious_Zen]

You expanded my media literacy quite a bit with this. Your video was more meaningful to me than any other of its kind I've come across. I'm not a young man, and I like this kind of long-form content. This is not novel to me anymore, so... make of that what you will, and thank you. I see myself in the Overlook as well, for reasons not quite as extreme as James' reason. But I've come to the understanding that I have to believe people are ultimately redeemable, no matter what they've done, as long as they can recognize that evil in themselves. I have to. I have to empathize with James, not because I don't see what he is as you do, but because if I don't I'd have to judge myself just as harshly. Also, as a side note, I fully agree with everything you've said about Ito's twitter takes. Honestly I find them grating, but in truth I think it bares remembering he is effectively a monster designer, and not the game's director. Even if we approach SH2 from the lens of a canon being possible, Masahiro Ito is not the only person involved, or even the most important one involved in lending ideas to the game. He is simply an involved celebrity, essentially, who's credentials have some sort of meaning that might be inflated due to his stellar work in the original. He has a similar role to an important actor, only he's embodying all of the non-human actors at once.

[@SkittyBitty60]

Wow man. This is a look at this piece of art that really reflects how I've felt when I interpret it. I think this game acts almost like the town itself, where in people will interpret this a lot differently depending on their own life experiences and how one interprets guilt. Thanks for this.

[@morganryan7344]

My bf and I recently streamed the remake on Twitch. We were both really familiar with the original. At the end, I had a rant about how the actions of James are not justified, and I don't believe he's redeemed. My bf just got me to watch this video because you are perfectly explaining almost exactly what I was trying to say, but way better! Plus teaching me even more. Thank you.

[@morganryan7344]

I guess I can share the clip of what I said - this was in the moment so obviously not as eloquent! I also have not listened back soooo hopefully makes sense. www.twitch.tv/pixlmancy/v/2298128358?sr=a&t=4637s My bf plays retro games when I'm not joining him for horror games so feel free to follow him if you're interested in that stuff!

[@DrRESHES]

I still have hard time forgetting this video. I salvaged it out of the clutches of the shaky foundation that is u2b. I guess I'll start now watching it for the third time.