The FULL Binding of Isaac (w/ Repentance) & The Legend of Bum-Bo Story Explained

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• REPENTANCE IS HERE!! -...
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This is a theory I started crafting at the end of 2019. Around that time The Binding of Isaac Repentance was first being teased as coming "Soon". I help off, wanting to await the full story. Shockingly, almost all of the details were already present in game! A few small reveals and connective tissue help make this a more comprehensive video - but it's wild to see how well Ed has hidden these details through the game for a decade!!
This video is quite obviously FULL spoilers for all iterations of The Binding of Isaac, as well as The Legend of Bum-bo.
0:00:00 Intro
0:06:01 Who Am I?
0:08:14 The Maggy Theory
0:13:36 Enter, Bum-Bo
0:17:33 Unfettered Imagination
0:22:09 The Divorce
0:29:15 A Household Divided
0:33:01 The Bum-Bos
0:35:33 Dad's Ideology
0:42:19 Mom's Belief
0:46:52 Greed
0:54:55 A Proposed Story
------------------
Let's Play channel ► / 2leftthumbs

[@2leftthumbs]

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[@SmellyRio]

Pogchamp

[@totallynotarobot8607]

Pogchamp

[@Someone72663]

Maggie could also have another meaning of sorts we know by now that Isaac's mom is actually called Magdalene O. Moriah and there are also items like Plan C and such it is possible that Isaac's mom wanted a girl. but instead got a boy you can look at the plan C wiki for more info, and also the fact that Isaac got a wig as a present in one of the between-floors cutscenes , ill let someone else piece this together for anyone who wants to start some theory talk over here

[@doctorsam9200]

Tried out the demo, seemed fun. Do you have an idea on how much it'll cost?

[@ajax9644]

Something I found out on my own is that issac's mother might have actually stabbed him as the repentance trailer actually shows the book actually missing and hitting the floor meaning this actually happened, also the new title screen has the knife stabbed through it. And this event would make sense as to what dads note is, it might be a warning to reach out to him an ask for help at this breaking point.

[@SrPelo]

since Isaac died, I think the true ending is THE FATHER and not his father, the only voice to guide him in his life has become the one in heaven.

[@chickennugget9852]

Damn

[@1Hol1Tiger]

An Eternal Reward for a 3D Game or something

[@alierk542]

Daamn

[@jaguarndr]

Bro you could make an isaac animation, didnt know you played this

[@Deltater]

Oh hi sr pelo didnt know you were here

[@bedrockboy2194]

Eden is what Issac' thinks his mother wants him to be. But Eden is always different because he doesn't know what his mother wants him to be.

[@ChargeQM]

Eden is random flailing about to try and be someone, ANYONE, other than himself. The other characters are more specific aspects.

[@Lmask13]

I really like this idea

[@Insanity5163]

That would make sense too, as humanity was cast out of the Garden of Eden after accepting sin into their lives, thus robbing them of eternal life and comfort. Eden is a place humanity strives to achieve again, but it cannot as long as it holds sin within itself.

[@adeadman6433]

I think eden is what issac thinks is a perfect person but he’s always different cuz he has no idea what a perfect person is

[@patrickarana4470]

And he always suck

[@frozenzenberry4101]

The screaming out of mom after defeating her heart being a metaphor for her broken heart upon finding him dead is bone chilling. I'll never hear it the same way again.

[@exzisd]

I just felt that. I never thought of it as more than just a boss victory death howl but this is way heavier.

[@InternetBiPerson]

“Issac” she said calmly

[@bstink8772]

Aswell as the story of a son killing his mother and when realising this wants to commit suicide however his mother's heart (That's mom's heart) tells him not to because "if you kill yourself then you will have killed me again."

[@5UH9VQLVE5]

the problem with that theory is that fundies don't have empathy

[@coltenbystrom9973]

I agree, I’m scarred.

[@abbe1255]

To think that “Isaac and his parents, lived in a small house in top of a hill” could be the hardest hitting sentence in a video game

[@ZaChemas]

I mean, the whole ascension secuence started to break my heart, i got super focused on the battle against dogma and beast, then i fking cried a river on the beast ending

[@jinbe_of_the_sea4577]

peppa pig

[@GustavoPizza]

@@jinbe_of_the_sea4577 shut up

[@ChromiumSud]

i feel like the very end where his father is talking to him about "the story" and ending it on “Isaac and his parents, lived in a small house in top of a hill” could also be a representation of purgatory where hes stuck in a loop forced to do the same things over and over again

[@LunNightMoonLight]

My child is completely fine Your child’s favorite game is the binding of Isaac

[@Thorbrine]

me

[@LunNightMoonLight]

@@Thorbrine same

[@olrafiki8393]

its ok right? big boi fan

[@ceoofshark1229]

@@olrafiki8393 this means the child has seen some shit, that’s why the child is not completely fine

[@crypticult4148]

@@ceoofshark1229 lol

[@strayorion2031]

I just realized that Mom's screams were her searching for Isaac while he was in the chest, first angry because she thinks he is hiding from her and then she starts to panic wondering where Isaac went

[@cyanideytandcuriousseadogg4160]

Same here.

[@krasistefanovlol]

then she puts down missing posters which is why you have the missing poster as a trinket to unlock the forgotten because isaac (in his mind) gets out of the chest and sees a missing poster

[@demon-spawnanimations5230]

@@krasistefanovlol you mean the lost? Forgotten is unlocked by digging the skeleton in the void.

[@NikoJr.]

@@demon-spawnanimations5230 *Dark Room

[@demon-spawnanimations5230]

@@NikoJr. sorry lol

[@Shroomiest]

I really like that the angels all lack faces, even when you become one as isaac. On the other hand, all demons have faces. It creates a dissonance that shows how far isaac believes he is a demon/damned to hell.

[@sirduggins]

It also shows the effect religion had on how he views the world. God/Angels are by nature so perfect that you can't even perceive them normally. Demons on the other hand are very human. In fact they are embodiments of our most human features. To be good is to strive for something impossible, while simply following your nature leads you to sin. Lots of guilt stems from the constant failure to be perfect and godly in normal religious people, but moreso for Isaac since he's so young (also the homelife) and these ideas of good/evil are his only way of measuring his value.

[@timestate9718]

@@sirduggins great analysis

[@whatyouwannado9834]

It also shows that he doesn't have any noticeable angel like figures in his life. No one to be a model for anything similar so he himself can't imagine how they would look.

[@silk128b4]

I think this idea of angels having no face ties in with Isaac's struggle of who he wants to be. Throughout the story we know that he views himself as evil, so much so that he wears his mom's wig in an attempt to be someone new. In Isaac's mind, to be yourself is sinful, while to be someone else is the only way to be good. After all, he believes his life is falling apart because of him. By believing this way, he unknowingly wishes he was removed from his own life, which is why in the game, the seraphim transformation removes his face. The lack of faces with the angels, then, are a metaphor for Isaac wishing he was someone else. Now I'd like to bring up Eden, who is the only "angelic" character in the game. Since playing every character represents Isaac dealing with an aspect of his personality, why would Isaac feel the need to tackle with his perfect form? Well, Eden isn't exactly perfect; some of his unlocks include representation of glitches and bugs, unintended effects. This imperfection is more present when playing as Tainted Eden, as he is completely broken, corrupted by sin, you could say. Isaac, viewing these glitches as bad, decides that he needs to tackle his own perfection in order to conquer his demons.

[@Mr.Skeletoing]

I always imagined the "are you getting sleepy yet" at the end of the final dialogue as Isaac finally coming to terms with his demons, and dying peacefully, or his father / God re-assuring him that everything would be okay post-death, and he could finally write his own happy ending.

[@druiz5032]

Damn this games depressing

[@lavdrop474]

Personally, I thought that line was his dad was just telling a story or having fun with Isaac before he had went to bed.

[@Samuel-qc7kg]

@@lavdrop474 At first glance I thought that too, but Isaac clearly dies at the end of that secuence. So Dad was probably not around, so it being Dad telling a story before bedtime would be impossible.

[@ilayda6024]

@@Samuel-qc7kg couldn't it be dad helping him pass and them telling a nicer story in heaven?

[@Samuel-qc7kg]

@@ilayda6024 That soundo interesting. Do you say that Dad is dead too and they went together to heaven or that Isaac is imagining his dad doing this?

[@1TheRealGoldenFrog1]

I feel like Isaac finally came to peace with himself in the final ending and was able to finally go to heaven and to be truly at peace. Also, maybe in this heaven he was with his dad, but not literally just a heavenly projection of whatever you want to call it. He was able to overcome all the bad memories in his life and imagine a better story with a better livelihood.

[@Ragnaroswar]

I'd like to think that, no matter what the end means, Isaac has his happy ending, wether all of this has been in his head all this time, or wether he died in that chest and got to make a better story than his own, he is in heaven, and forever able to live the life he never could, or never had problems, and gets to live in a calm, quet life with his parents. It's always happy for him, but not for his parents, sadly.

[@2leftthumbs]

I think that's a lovely interpretation :)

[@goinbonkers5719]

I thought it was a battle of custody After the secret ending I thought that that is where the game starts in his mind Scared in the closet

[@BlitzkriegOmega]

I believe it less as Isaac going to heaven, but rather God giving Isaac a second Chance. God has never been the truly forgiving sort if you've ever read the bible. he does believe in repentance and second chances, though. Isaac's Ascent and escape from a Hell of his own creation (The sin of Suicide and all of the perceived sins he has to conqueror in the Basement and beyond) simply leads to God, interpreted by Isaac as an idealized version of his Father, a chance to try again. it won't be a perfect life, but it will be better than last time. It's up to Isaac to make sure it's a life without Sin.

[@1TheRealGoldenFrog1]

@@BlitzkriegOmega Actually, that's even better than what I thought of.

[@StripedVideos]

I would just like to point out that the sobriety coin depicted as Dad's Lost Coin is a silver one. Typically, silver coins are given to those who remain sober for a mere 24 hours, and is by far the shortest span of time these coins are given out for (the following coin is for a full 1 month sober). It seems as though any attempts for Dad to have quit drinking were rather short lived, even more so that the item is described as a "lost" coin (Dad didn't hold onto it for long). I'd also hazard a guess that, since Repentance never elaborates on what it is, that Dad's Note is potentially, in part, the message included in Bum-bo's final ending. Obviously not word-for-word, since it shifts from Bum-bo talking in that same cutscene, but the message as a whole is well spoken and clearly has some sentimental value, and I could totally see that message being the final thing Dad leaves Isaac with before leaving his life entirely. Those words help truly cement why Dad would continue to be the narrator in Isaac's world, and better put into perspective Repentance's final ending.

[@2leftthumbs]

I didn't know how to reconcile the 24 hour tolken, with the fact that Maggy seems surprised that he's drunk. If the best he had managed before was 24 hours, him coming home drunk would have been commonplace. So those two pieces didn't quite line up for me. I like the idea of that final speech of his dad always being there with Isaac, in the world they created being the message of that final note :)

[@defordumbas9302]

@@2leftthumbs it doesn't have to be just one day, it could be up to several weeks. Said coming home drunk could be from the gambling time when his problems came back with the coins origins as an attempt from M.O.M. to help him back on track along with her Devotion.

[@ChargeQM]

Also, there are TWO coins. The bent one and the clean, fresh one. Seems like he tried to get sober once long ago and the coin is old and warped now, while the lost coin is less handled and cleaner.

[@defordumbas9302]

@@ChargeQM one from his first time which succeded and the 2nd one for the gambling time

[@PedanticPig]

@@2leftthumbs She doesn't really seem surprised he's drunk to me, so much as wearied by it. "You're drunk again aren't you?" sounds like this has happened too many times and she's had enough.

[@darthalpha1525]

One thing I think needs mentioning is that the legend of bumbo might have started as a game of Dungeons and Dragons between Isaac and his Father. The presence of different dice sizes, the fact that Isaac's starting item is the D6, and the satanic panic that was caused by Dungeons and Dragons in the late 70s seem to lend credence to this idea. This may have been one of the many things that caused Isaac to believe that he had the devil inside of him.

[@gamingyoshi2280]

yeah isaac atleast has seen dnd dices , he might have been a bit to young to play dnd but he def saw the dices

[@Lokiv2]

Big time. I've made really basic mock up D&D games with my kids when they were little using their Lego sets.

[@The_WhitePencil]

Based on the Beast Ending, Guppy was not just a reference to Edmund's cat but also actually Isaac's cat, who based on the reverse-telling of the events of his life as Isaac ascends dies just before the divorce. Considering how young Isaac is and the instability of his parents, Guppy probably died from neglect. So as if everything else wasn't enough Isaac also lost his pet, which probably contributed to the trauma that led him to fall so deep into his own mind. It could also potentially explain how he knows so much about what rotting corpses look like.

[@megacaptcha5894]

I think guppy actually dies in the chest next to isaac, you can see his hand in one of the endings

[@Jokervision744]

Or Isaac heard their parents talk about the pets like that, and was mortified by the idea. Still I think he was just able to hide so well, so that he still continues being the hand that orchestrates these stories. With the sounds of the ending of the game they seem to have found solution for themselves.

[@jessiegeerdes5572]

@@megacaptcha5894yep in deliriums ending

[@c4nvm]

yo that run was on crack lmao

[@TheTurtleMelon]

yeah it really was an amazing one! but honestly its not even the craziest one ive had in repentance!

[@Horrorsfire]

@@TheTurtleMelon you really have a bright talent at dodging stuff in Isaac, bro. It is obvious it's your first or second run to the Beast (you didn't seem to know how to dodge obvoius stuff), but nevertheless you've adapted rather quickly. Good job on that run buddy! :)

[@TheTurtleMelon]

@@Horrorsfire thanks! I had about 800 hours in isaac before repentance. I think this was my second ever beast kill and it was such a fun run

[@surgeseraphim7741]

Yeah, that was god rng man

[@TheTurtleMelon]

@@surgeseraphim7741 thanks, was a great run!

[@theGabeson_]

I always thought of Eden as being the literal personification of Isaac's lack of identity. Each time he's something, someone different, it's this aspect of not fitting in anywhere.

[@captnbassbeard3222]

I think its more Isaac's potential as a creative and how he is so diverse and different

[@Frugthereal]

Woah that makes sense

[@FinnishArsonist]

@@captnbassbeard3222 comment is definitely old, but I think the lack identity theory is more accurate. The Garden of Eden is a biblical place that is essentially paradise - so the ideal of who he should be - eden - is never stable.

[@ashamefulgamer1578]

I love Ed's mentality of "Ask and you shall receive." He answers question directly without any unimportant details or whatever and tells what people need to know when asked for it. We love Ed.

[@zoneri]

With the thought of the post the beast scene being Isaac's last moment really makes me cry because that would mean when Isaac's memory of his fathers voice asks "are you getting sleepy yet?" is Isaac feeling the on set of passing out due to asphyxiation and the way he gets comfort is that to him it is just him going to sleep listing to his father telling him a story and I can barely stop myself from crying.

[@robloxarchiver]

TEARS UP!

[@tuckeredout2887]

Something you may have missed is that the boss "Mom's Heart" has symbolic meaning. As Isaac continues to think of his mom as a monster, he believes that he caused his mom hate him. He *litterally* break's his mom's heart, and leaves himself to suffocate to death by jumping into the toy chest.

[@cyanideytandcuriousseadogg4160]

That does explain why it’s there.

[@towelsus7680]

ok but what about it lives

[@TheNewFanny]

@@towelsus7680 he literally explains that it lives is a fetus version of Isaac and when you kill it lives it's a symbolic meaning of Isaac wishing to have never been born and there's literally a boss that is literally Isaac and when you defeat him you get the chest and the boss of the chest is blue baby a suffocated isaac edit: here's the part where he explains it lives 7:53

[@pellunderscore]

They didn't miss that, I know it was a long video so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but the video says this outright nearish the end?

[@TomoLamp]

The true ending made me cry, poor little isaac.

[@Kyumifun]

Same. It almost made me cry

[@scottcollins7198]

Saaaaame the first time I played it I was in tears 😭

[@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028]

*SOY MILK* *DMG down + Tears way up*

[@WobblesandBean]

@Levi Worland Well....no. Ed came from an abusive home, and all of his games reflect that. Even if Isaac didn't die (which I think he did), he'll never be ok. Trauma does things to you. It doesn't just go away. Ed's games all have a melancholic tinge to them, and often have a motif of imagination as an escape from reality. Even now, all these decades later, he's still trying to purge the demons from his mind through his art.

[@Augusto5843]

Me too. I feel like my mind pulled together the Isaac story and Ed story. And both are terrible, but at least he manifested it in a game. I feel relified in some way even I never getting any close to a situation like this.

[@Nyoomster]

I might personally add, as someone, who came from a rather abusive childhood with BOTH parents being alcoholics, mother with solo-custody(now 2 n a half years sober!), that Isaacs dad to me reads much more like how my mother was towards me. Often emotionally absent however never abusive towards their child. I personally believe he was an alcoholic that drank to push sorrow and problems under the rug but TRIED to be there for Isaac as best as possible. So much he even took time out of his day to make entire cardboard figures just for his son because he truly loved him and wanted to offer him something cool, something like all of the other kids his age would play with. However his terrible gambling and alcohol addiction are the curse that tainted the person he could have been. Its such an unfortunate and sad story and the entire ascent gets me near tears every goddamn time because it hits so close to home minus the religion.

[@fnw21gamer73]

It's all the more tragic if you believe 2 Left Thumbs' theory that the reason that Isaac's father started gambling in the 1st place was so he could potentially earn money to pull his family out of poverty and stay off his debts, signifying that from the start he always had his family put 1st in mind.

[@seanmcloughlin5983]

Also with the belt I think he was in some way physically abusive while drunk, but I think Isaac still saw his dad in a more comforting and positive light because good times can make people forget about the bad. That the dad at least tried to be comforting for Isaac, tried to teach him about science and the world in addition to the games they played together, while moms hyper religious teachings made Isaac resent her even more, because I don’t think Isaac had all that positive a view of his moms beliefs with how even a lot of the things that are supposed to be holy still hurting him.

[@xeldrine66]

@Nyoomster Thank you for your addition. I hope everything is going well with your mother. As someone who's very close to her mom but has some trauma because of unintentional actions, I hope you're able to still have a strong bond with her without negliging what happened in the past. I hope the best for both of you ❤.

[@OccuredJakub12]

I like how the progression of the stages helps tell the story too. The Basement is Isaac simply escaping into his imaginary world, running away into his toybox. It's possible that all the poops represent him actually defacating while trapped inside, and the torches are a little light that he gives to himself while inside. The Caves and Depths, then, are his imagination slowly progressing towards thoughts of death. The skulls littered around, the enemies no longer being just flies, poops and spiders and instead becoming bones, maggots and undead terrors, this all culminated in the fight with Mom, which represents Isaac hearing his own mom call out to him, yet never make a noise and simply avoid her. The moment you win the boss fight, Mom gives up the initial search/finds out he is dead in the box. The Womb/Utero, then, can have multiple different meanings. But I think, it is Isaac's thoughts lingering on his birth, and maybe even the thoughts of never wanting to be born. It may also be him desiring to crawl back into his mother's belly and escape the terrors of his life, the same as the box did for him. The Cathedral and Sheol, then, is his mind fighting the inner battle over his soul, whether it deserves to go to heaven or is condemned to hell. The Chest, then, is the reality of the situation. Isaac fights ???, the thoughts that he will simply die inside of the box. The Dark Room is his mind going to thoughts of the picture of himself and his family happy, as well as the void of nothingness standing before him, though Mcmillan said that it's meant to represent the closet Isaac was locked in by his mom.

[@bumblesnorf4475]

And the void being a manifestation of his broken mind and delirium being his merging thoughts

[@karaluchyiworsuchy]

The void could also represent the atheist/his dad's version of death. No heaven or hell, angels or demons, just hazy memories and images, then a final fight with the delirium leading to death, complete nothingness

[@Plooper3]

Watching the end cutscene and hearing issac’s dad say “Isaac and his PARENTS lived on top of a hill” gave me shivers the first time I saw the cutscene

[@mol_2017]

I think, maybe im hearing it wrong, but i think he says "Isaac and his PARENTS lived in a small house on a TOWN", because you can kinda hear him say something with a T and not H, but maybe its just me

[@StilettoMC]

I don’t know man, the first time I heard that after trying to beat the beast multiple tries with Isaac, I stopped and cried for about 20 minuets

[@maxil8988]

@@mol_2017 he says on the top of a hill

[@heckobo670]

@@maxil8988 No it’s definitely town

[@drip5308]

@@heckobo670 No that is definity Hill

[@steamymuffin7820]

Dad was confirmed to be a handyman by Edmund himself.

[@2leftthumbs]

Interesting! I missed this one. Blows a hole in a portion of the theorizing, that's for sure. But luckily the more important elements still prop the larger story up twitter.com/edmundmcmillen/status/1217899733005455361

[@steamymuffin7820]

Eh, I don’t think it changes that much. Great video!

[@flaco3462]

His job is pretty much blown outta the water but I think the man of science thing still fits Isaac's Dad.

[@chuckwagon9973]

@@2leftthumbs It doesn’t change much, he goes from a well payed engineer/researcher to a tinkerer and handyman which fits well. Both are jobs thay require a great amount of ingenuity

[@2leftthumbs]

@@chuckwagon9973 As someone who has worked in research, the pay is typically not good... It'll depend on the kind of research for sure. But my assumption was that he was working one of the lower rung jobs. So the family being impoverished doesn't change. The main thing is that it would have less reason for the Dad to be aware of so many pieces of tech. Although that could be more of a hobby of his or something

[@shalad5889]

I always thought of Maggie as Isaac dressing up as the daughter that his mother always wanted. You could see in his dreams that mother looks happy when Isaac is wearing the wig and so is Isaac, I don't necessarily think it's a sister but rather he dressing up as what his mother wants or wanted. I think brother Bobby and sister Maggie items are more linked to the church family if they even had one or were that close to the church

[@scrittle]

I've always thought this was the case. Isaac cross-dressed at school, wore mom's items (lipstick, heels, eye varnish +), posed in a wig w/ mom in photos.

[@hebonky]

I also really like how thematically appropriate Dad's Lost Coin is. It's literally a second chance

[@bloodifang]

During the ascent sequence at arround 24:06 you hear the dad apologize twice, however, the second apology is directed to isaac and lacks the echo-y filter that the rest of the flashback has. It really made me think that for a second, the father was apologizing to issac WHILE issac was making his story, like he needed to step up and apologize, he really felt sorry for what he caused.

[@Humaricslastcall]

Ontop of that, it's using the filter that the Flash Binding of Isaac used for it's intro.

[@chr0matic556]

this is an incredible theory

[@MichaelCortez-zj3yq]

wait bumbo grabs coins in game. And dad stole the moms money.

[@SmellyRio]

Omg it’s all connected

[@TeeV479]

No it was confirmed already bumbo is his dad

[@DitzyBear]

It’s probably linked to his gambling issues

[@bring2ashes121]

i bet bobby is just another nickname for bumbo, and that him momthought of and called him a bum

[@GrahamBurgers]

And Bumbino literally beats up Isaac (perhaps a stand-in for Magdalene in this case) and steals his money...

[@RexusBlade]

I think the fact that there's so much poop, pea, spiders, and flies, is because isaac had no where else to relieve himself while trapped inside the chest. He not only suffocated, but spent his last moments in his own filth, and only had his imagination to deal with it.

[@yourfathersinferioritycomplex]

God poor dude suffered so much

[@nechdaught3412]

And then there’s Tainted Unknown/???/“Blue Baby” Whose implications I do not want to think about.

[@true_living7848]

​@@nechdaught3412elaborate

[@RexusBlade]

@@nechdaught3412 Isaac's stage of asphyxiation, turning blue without air.

[@nechdaught3412]

@@RexusBlade yes obviously that. That’s not what I was referring to. I’m referring to the fact that there’s poop in his mouth, and I would really rather not think about how it got there.

[@Femaiden]

27:28 The "belt" may have been used by the father, but the wooden spoon was the Mom's tool of choice. My own mother used to take the wooden spoon to me and my siblings as well. both items giving a "speed up" bonus, because when a kid sees their parent coming at them with one of these, you know that kid is gonna run fast

[@starlite5154]

r u ok

[@Femaiden]

@@starlite5154 r u? my dad wasn't around, so he never had a chance to take his belt to us, not that he would have. and my mother never really hurt us with the spoon and it's funny because one say she took it to my brother and it broke and she never did it again. anyway, i suspect Edmund has some issues though that he was working through when he made this game.

[@badatlosingvideogames1130]

The games main currency is cents, implying that isaac was mostly exposed to cents instead of dollars or quarters. This means that they lived in poverty

[@2leftthumbs]

I really like that interpretation!!

[@mantasa0000]

@@2leftthumbs It's very likely the case, since a lot of the money based items in game seem so rare and powerful to isaac, Visually Isaac becomes very happy when he picks up a 3 dollar bill, Like it's a huge amount of money.

[@rubytank_0907]

It’s also why I assume that Isaac takes place in the US

[@mantasa0000]

@@rubytank_0907 Yeah pretty sure that is correct. It's also supposedly happening in 1990s-2000s, most items in game is stuff isaac is somewhat familiar with from that time period and then there's some that came with time that are just refrences to memes and pop culture (Poke go) and aren't canon.

[@rubytank_0907]

@@mantasa0000 yeah that would make sense

[@jackal327]

If you think the father left by suicide (the handed man), it kinda change some perspectives in the story and why isaac talks with him when he reaches heaven

[@anon380]

his dad hanging himself goes along with my theory of dad being Ultra Greed

[@half-death8095]

@@anon380 maybe if we pitch up the greed noices it could be the dad voice actor

[@chop3334]

it also explains what dads note could be, a suicide note, his last letter to the world

[@chop3334]

@Siper yeah

[@jackal327]

@@anon380 I haven't tought about that, but makes sense

[@Kyrrinx]

I legit felt like crying when you explained her calling out to Isaac was her just being annoyed and then finding him 😢

[@abcbca5155]

Isaac's father might have been a doctor - strong connection with science, and the explanation for why Isaac knew so much about many severe illnesses and gore (perhaps he has found and read medical books in his house).

[@carna-9501]

Thats more than possible, I remember reading my mother's anatomy textbooks when she was getting her mortuary science degree. Thanatology was an interesting word to come across as a 7 year old

[@bumblesnorf4475]

Because how he know what a compound fracture is

[@pure_edan3972]

Also the bookworm transformation

[@koenyboy500]

Isaac acquiring PHD! here xD

[@mysterymastermind175]

If Issac;s father was a doctor how come the family was so poor

[@loganmartin1443]

If it helps at all, the item that actually GIVES Isaac the wings, and actually helps battle the Beast/Mother of Harlots is in the game, named “Dogma”. Maybe Isaac, himself, is trying to combat the stigma of the dogma? Or maybe, a more darker side of the story... he is falling to the same thing his mother fell to.

[@2leftthumbs]

That was the point I was trying to drive at, and maybe it was lost a little? He only enters Hell AFTER being consumed by the Dogma. Before then, Hell didn't exist. It was only after it had been drilled into Isaac's mind - that fear of Hell - that it became real *to him*.

[@loganmartin1443]

@@2leftthumbs Ohhhhhh, sorry about that...! I have like... a tiny brain.

[@2leftthumbs]

@@loganmartin1443 Hey, if a point doesn't translate well, it's usually the fault of the teacher not the listener! I'm happy to help guide my intent and aid in comprehension :)

[@jeremycocciolone9223]

Yes, you can also obtain Dogma in non Dogma runs by using the spindown die on the purgatory item that spawns cracks on the ground to summon ghosts apparently.

[@nautilume7114]

Another thing I noticed is the transition from TV boss to non tv boss. I think that represents the ideas seeping into the household that would now persist even if the tv broke.

[@saphy9805]

when BOI fans explain to you that the lore behind the game isn't "Isaac and his Isaac lived alone in a small Isaac..."

[@fartinggravas34]

isaac and his isaac

[@TheGerkuman]

And it's not 'I will become back my money' either.

[@The_Sludgest]

"on a issac"

[@sloft-70]

@@TheGerkuman "You've made a shit of piss"

[@WobblesandBean]

"...That sat at the end of a cul-de-isaac"

[@itzlinquwlinquw7373]

the best part for me is how the game makes you think how BAD mom is, but at the end, both parents are equally bad in some way, but when you finally understand the root of isaac's problems isn't his parents, but their addictions and the dogma, you can understand the rest of this dark lore, impressive work

[@abluerat7087]

My interpretention on the items brother bobby/sister maggy is simple. They could represent isaac's desire to have a sibling, not a literal reprisentation of a dead sibling..

[@xitcix8360]

I mean, it's pretty clear that it's Isaac's mom and uncle

[@abluerat7087]

@@xitcix8360i should have said the baby items in general

[@abluerat7087]

@@xitcix8360 you know the familars

[@Dovetears]

to add to that theory, i wonder if Jacob and Esau are meant to be projections of that? Isaac fantasizing having someone close to him to share his imaginative adventures with because of his loneliness and longing for familial comfort as he slowly suffocates, but since he has no idea of what having a sibling (or a friend for that matter) is like, Jacob and Esau end up being played out as pretty much a singular unit of one another in almost everything they do as we see in game.

[@abluerat7087]

@@Dovetears you sir have quite the good argument

[@PurpleColonel]

I think Lazarus's focus on rebirth and gaining through pain are just more signs of Isaac's warped idea of how he could possibly fix himself.

[@maligulant4396]

theres also the general theme of suicide in the game, with lazarus simply being a lesser isaac before dying once. maybe its isaac trying to believe that he will be stronger in death? something to lighten the pain from his desire to die? idk

[@murpheus7176]

And also Items like Judas Shadow, The Ankh, etc. making it possible for Isaac to be reborn as someone else

[@cyanideytandcuriousseadogg4160]

Kinda dark but makes sense

[@auraemerald8434]

I’m baffled that you can make these long, high quality videos in such a short amount of time.

[@2leftthumbs]

It helps that this was all researched scripted before I ever even made this channel! I just had to polish it and add a few things from Repentance

[@totallynotarobot8607]

@@2leftthumbs Still tho you make so many videos that are really high quality for how they're spaced out. It baffles me that you manage to consistently have great videos to watch and it's what makes you such a great youtuber in my eyes.

[@PurpleColonel]

The sheer speed it must take to edit these things is what really gets me

[@yesinc7431]

I mean he has two left thumbs what do you think

[@pixadragon46]

I'm more baffled as to why this man has so little subs , someone of this calliber should have 500k

[@drakewahl7609]

I just realized the scream when you kill mom or mom's heart sounds a lot more sad then angry. I always thought it was angry.

[@goblinsludge2878]

I'm not going to lie the proposed story section made me nauseous due to not only how real it was but also the amount I can relate. Amazing video.

[@aecwcw1039]

The death certificate being the final unlock of repentance suggests that isaac's death is the end of the story

[@KatitaKate]

i want to point out also that the death certificate floor is a darked version of the home floor, which i think implies that mom moved out of that house and that same house is abandoned with all of isaac's toys and belongings

[@unlimited8410]

@@KatitaKate oof that's kind of dark, being dead and still abandoned like that.

[@KatitaKate]

@@unlimited8410 its understandable that mom would leave tho she finds the skeleton of her son inside a chest, her husband left her and also the whole poverty situation

[@fgyjtingenieroeuropeo56]

Is just Isaacs imagination. It is not real.

[@joanam.mcmillanfox9883]

Fun fact: The "Hush" boss is a gaint ??? (Blue baby) beneath the floor pushing from the other side trying to get get to isaac. Hush also represents Isaac's slow imminent death approaching towards him as he suffocates in the chest.

[@blank6957]

well actually giant ???

[@handyes42]

@@blank6957 this comment was made 1 year ago

[@blank6957]

idc you cant stop me from reading comments

[@handyes42]

@@blank6957 i meant that nobody cares anymore and you are just annoying people

[@hazzesanimations8212]

@@blank6957 exactly what do people get out of saying the comment's old it doesn't stop people from replying

[@nickgriffin3500]

I think Azazel is only mentioned once in the old testament. People were told to bring two goats, kill one for god and send the other off into the woods for Azazel. The one for Azazel was supposed to bear their sins, making it a scape goat. So Azazel might be a way for Issac to just blame everything on the "evil" inside him instead of accepting that his life is just shitty

[@rushbiskit]

I believe that isaac is aware of his uncle Bob, who may even be deceased due to alcoholism (supported by the fact that Bob appears dead, rotten, and sick)

[@alexxans1154]

When during the final ending cutscene it says that he felt pain in his stomach during the sleepless night that could either symbolize abuse or impoverishment. Either his stomach hurts because he was hurt or because he has not eaten in a while. Just wanted to add that.

[@jackteam54]

Its confirmed by Edmund that Isaac has IBS, its the reason why there is so much poop related imagery and items in the game, and likely the cause of the pain in his stomach during that scene

[@alexxans1154]

@@jackteam54 could you please explain what IBS is. I genuinely do not know

[@jackteam54]

@@alexxans1154 Its a tad gross but sure. Its Irritable Bowel Syndrome, basically a disorder with the intestines that causes stomach pain, digestion issues, and other things id rather not type out relating to the whole digestion process.

[@alexxans1154]

@@jackteam54 oh I see. Thanks

[@marunomi]

The noun of impoverished is poverty.

[@arthurpotter9092]

Samson's sin wasn't violence, his strength and the fighting he did were god ordained. His sin was disobeying god's order to tell no-one about the source of his strength; his long hair.

[@BadDrag12]

I feel like we need more theories or analyses on the tainted characters. I feel like we should talk a lot more about the imagery and also why they appear in the first place.

[@hecksnekinc.2750]

Sampson was supposed to live the Nazarite vow for his whole life, but he failed in every way, the final transgression was the cutting of his hair. God had been merciful to him up to that point. When he earlier ate honey out of the dead lion, did he touched a dead animal, which was unclean, on top of which it was a lion, a predatory animal and therfore double unclean, and then he ate honey out of it, likely eating a small amount of lion's flesh with it by accident, triple unclean. He also drank wine, which one is not supposed to do under the Nazareth vow. Outside the vow, Sampson had a liking for foreign women, explicitly forbbiden in the old testament. Sampson's sin was not violence, agreed, that was commanded of him, but he disobeyed in every other way imaginable. Whether Issac feels like this or not I don't know, as Sampson felt no wrong in his disobeying and Issac feels a great deal of self loathing. Yet, just as He did Sampson, God still delivered him in His own way, at the end.

[@maximusfattus4363]

@@hecksnekinc.2750 violence was basically the one thing he did right lol

[@ariajacobs5719]

@@BadDrag12 I agree. Namely, what's up with Azazel's wings?

[@cavalcade117]

@@ariajacobs5719You mean how his wings and horns are torn off? If I were to guess, it’s because in Judaism historically, two goats were sacrificed during Yom Kippur. One for God and one “for Azazel”. Christian’s typically interpret this as a demon, but the Jewish people likely interpreted it more as a symbolic offering to cleanse sin. A “scapegoat” if you will. They’d allegedly take this goat up a mountain and then toss it off, where it would break its limbs as it fell. Thus you get the broken horns and wings of T. Azazel. Also maybe the Hemoptysis. Spewing blood out your nose and mouth would definitely happen as a result of internal bleeding. The bleeding horns could also reference that the horns of the sacrificial goat were supposedly tied with red string. Initially in Rabbinical Judaism they claim the strings would turn white, indicating their sins were forgiven, but that shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple, they stopped changing, indicating a lack of forgiveness. So Azazel could be the scapegoat and T. Azazel the scapegoat rejected. Essentially I think he’s mean to be the Christian visual identification of this fallen Angel, with references to his origins in Judaism. So Azazel would be Isaac maybe offering himself as a sacrifice, and then his sacrifice being rejected?

[@Onemanjim]

I love this video. Regarding Azazel. Azazel became associated with Satan as a fallen Angel in later Christianity, but the origin of Azazel goes back to ancient Judaism and beyond. There’s a place called Azazel and a ritual named after the place. In the ritual, a goat would be sacrificed to atone for the sins of humanity. It’s a pretty perfect name for a character in Isaac both in the terms that you described it and in that the name basically means “scapegoat”

[@manuledanile9333]

This may sound sound stupid but I feel that Lilith represents how Isaac is blindly blaming himself without knowing what truly is happening.

[@GippyHappy]

I really appreciate the nuance in this and that there's more to the story than just "mom bad, dad good, religion bad".

[@isaiahgoplayz9537]

To me it looks more like mom misleaded dad is bad but not seen as it and religion was not taken the right way

[@yurifairy2969]

One of the coolest things Repentance adds story-wise is some nuance to its anti-religious themes. Dogma shows us that corrupting influence in Maggy's mind wasn't religion itself, she was being taken advantage of by scummy televangelists. When Isaac talks to God in the final ending, he takes the form of his father and soothes him into the afterlife. The game doesn't take this opportunity to vilify him.

[@stormwind417]

Why? In almost every story addicts are given a bad light even though they are victims to and in most games and media the dad is always the bad parent where the mother is good. It's a unique story and I still think the dad is a hurt individual and the mother is a religious Psychopath who tore her family apart whith her Charlton beliefs and who pushed her husband out.

[@GippyHappy]

@@stormwind417 Are you asking why it's good for stories to have nuance?

[@stormwind417]

@@GippyHappy no I'm asking why the story can't have a linear outline with nuance the the way its told. The father is the tragic story of a shitty relationship that hurts everyone more if he stayed than if he left and the mother is directly responsible for the decline of the family

[@TheTurtleMelon]

Awesome video! thanks for the shoutout and using my gameplay!

[@2leftthumbs]

Thanks for providing some awesome footage to choose from! I loved how aggressive you were in this Blue Baby run. You were skipping pick ups left and right, and it didn't remotely matter. My super timid gameplay sensibilities were screaming in protest, yet you absolutely SMOKED it!!

[@TheTurtleMelon]

@@2leftthumbs ive always loved playing fast paced! And i tend to have a pretty good gauge of my power and if i really need that 14th key, so on a run this strong i was able to leave a lot behind with little impact. There are certainly times though where the slow and min max approach are needed to get a win

[@genericname108]

Ayy! I know that guy

[@TheTurtleMelon]

@@genericname108 it me

[@wildseabass7991]

Nice content from the both of you

[@fitzroymurray3202]

With the beast ending I like to imagine that Isaacs dad cleaned up his act and gained full custody of Isaac. Isaac never died and His father reading his stories suggesting it should end happier is evidence to me that Isaac is with his father who has faced down his own demons and will raise Isaac in a proper manner.

[@scoopstacey3112]

Edmund confirmed that the true ending is isaac dying in the chest. The game is Isaac's imagination running wild, while slowly dying in the toy chest. I believe whenever we hear the narrator, that is Issac seeking comfort in his final moments by pretending that his father is telling him another bed time story. Only, this is a warped story because it is a product of Isaac's corrupted imagination. In the end, when he asks Issac "are you getting sleepy yet" Issac replies with "yes". This being a solid metaphor for Issac starting to succumb to the lack of air. There's also a point at the end where "dad" starts to tell his version of the story, but it gets cut off abruptly. That could be the point in which Issac passes away. Or it could also be that because this is a story playing out in Isaac's imagination, he has no idea how to craft a story like his father did, therefore the rest can't play out.

[@ariajacobs5719]

@@scoopstacey3112 Well yeah, but also happy endings are nice. :)

[@reddodeado301]

@@ariajacobs5719 Happy endings are nice, but this story doesn't seem to have one

[@creechieuihana]

I did too until I watched this video. Now I use an AU to let that ending shine, a sequal I call Isaac and The Dice of Fate. It used to have a small fandom until we slowly drifted away, but it’s ideas will always be referenced in my own works forevermore. 😔

[@Ender11037]

Well screw what Edmund said, I accept this ending, and he can't take it from me! Hmph!

[@plattytheperrypus5701]

I want to go into the game, open the chest, and give isaac the hug he so dearly needs

[@scrittle]

You'll be covered in shit but the sentiment is noted

[@Jakey726]

issac was literally swimming in his own filth inside the chest which is why the game has so much filth and maggots and flies and defecation. I dont think giving a shit covered corpse baby a hug is a good idea youd probably get a disease

[@therealrobster]

@@Jakey726 ok hater

[@ILuvMudkip]

Whenever I see the still frame of Isaac with guppy and the narrator says 'his one true companion' I tear up a little.

[@slobgoblin]

Same here. Got this ending shortly after losing my cat and that shit had me cryn

[@Erspel]

Damn, Isaac's story is super sad, no wonder he cries so hard that it hurts others

[@JaxontheOkay]

my theory on bob/sloth is that it WAS isaac's uncle, perhaps with an alcoholic addiction so crippling that he succumbed to it. maybe it was described to isaac in such a way that this is how he viewed it, maybe they said "bob is sick right now, he can't see you" to put it lightly, which brings up imagery of vomit and connection to pestilence, a boss that looks basically just like sloth on a horse.

[@asilva5021]

The story makes me more emotional than any other game I've played in so long, probably from how real it feels, the arguing of the parents, the trauma with feeling like an outcast and not understanding and believing that you yourself are at fault for family troubles.

[@yth592]

I see the true ending as Isaac's father actually adopting his son (hence the adoption papers trinket being unlocked by beating mother as a tainted character, as mother's ending is the one that actually shows abuse happening), and the reason the runs get so bizarre and weirdly twisted for a naptime story is because Isaac finally opens up about his insecurities, tells his dad about all the bad things he's experienced/thought about, and his father helps him cope by turning it into a phantasy-esque story. And as to why McMillen keeps insisting that Isaac is dead, it looks to me like clever phrasing and that he means Isaac the naptime story character is dead (which, he absolutely is, the boy goes to heaven after all), not Isaac the actual, well, Isaac.

[@KingPeuche]

Well, "Who am I?" implies an identity. Perhaps the Isaac in the imagined world isn't actually Isaac the baby, but Isaac dressed as Isaac from the actual biblical story. In the imagined world that the baby is telling (which is the narrative of the video game we're playing), Isaac (who is an imagined character) actually dies, but the baby doesn't. So maybe it's possible that the actual baby did not die and was adopted by his father. But, that's also all speculation. Who knows

[@novo2648]

You are completely wrong. The reason ed LITERALLY SAID that isaac is dead, is because he is dead. He crawled into his chest and dies. The beast ending was just a way for ed to implement the roguelite element of isaac.

[@yth592]

@@novo2648 the whole point of the beast ending is to make people toy around with the plot more, there is no true correct answer unless Edmund himself literally goes up to someone and says "nope, you're full of crap and this is what actually happened", which, knowing the man, he never would, and that's a good thing. You don't want **the** answer, it's the logical path to coming up with it that's the fun part, it doesn't matter if you're "wrong" or "right", what matters is that you find it fun and don't needlessly propogate unconfirmed information because muh objectivity

[@anhilo9716]

@@novo2648 ed also said to shut the fuck up, fun fact

[@Dreigonix]

@@novo2648 If Edmund had intended for Isaac to die no matter what, he would not have made the Beast ending. You’re not a high-IQ galaxy-brain for trying to stop people from enjoying the game.

[@johnc._9822]

Fun fact, that thing around The Beast's "Neck" Looks eerily similar to MOM's dress. This leads into my personal headcanon that the Dogma ending is the "true" final ending, and as isaac confronts the truth and accepting that its not his fault for his parent's falling out (although that is achieved by him Actually Demonising MOM as The Beast) he is ascending into "Heaven" he is reunited with his father in "Heaven".

[@thestalost8486]

Well... you can make an alternative timeline to this, using the Divorce Paper as as basis. What if Isaac finally confronted his mother, aka fighting The Beast and her dogma after reading his father's notes. Which reassured Isaac his father still loved and wanted him, and revealed to an official court his mother's abuse during their marriage? Which made her lost her custody and given Isaac's dad that the opportunity to successfully adopt Isaac. And Isaac's Dad, now as a single father tries to play with his child to put him to bed (hunch the "are you sleepy yet commentary in the ending), but when Isaac wants to make his story about fighting the evil mother and ascending to Heaven, he instead tries to step in. Suggesting a more happy story, where they could have been a happy family, maybe showcasing how he plans to maybe return to his old life.

[@Depressed_Spider]

Perhaps the Mother had one of her tantrums where she chased Isaac across the house, reflecting in the beast fight.

[@rice_frying_shrimp]

sir, that fact was not very fun

[@scottcollins7198]

@@thestalost8486 It's a nice thought, but, unfortunately, it is confirmed that Isaac is dead, and most of the events of the game wouldn't make sense if Isaac were in his father's custody before or during the time of his death.

[@thestalost8486]

@@scottcollins7198 Yeah, I know. This is why I call it an alternative timelime. Because in the main one, Isaac dies in the toy chest and is not found until years later.

[@Crynn]

the section where isaac's parents are fighting brought back my own flashbacks, even after 7 years. god damn. games and their storytelling are a powerful thing.

[@ZaChemas]

Dude, same, i literally broke at that part but, tainted characters weret gonna unlock themselves, and dogma theme is a banger

[@yurasdrake7915]

So something i haven't heard very much about is the inclusion of the astrology portion into the game. To me it's strange that isaac has a deep understanding of the subject (or well deep enough to draw conclusions on how they are interpreted in personality manifesting in "powers" from them). As well as the tarot cards. Usually catholisism and astrology are pitted against one another, at least in media. I wonder who would've taught Isaac about such things and why they would have been so well developed into the stories he tells with his dad. My only theory is that either he learned about them from the christian programs as they would've probably labeled them as all evil. But part of me thinks that maybe Isaacs father taught him about astrology out of spite. Maybe i missed something or im not intrrpreting it correctly, but its just not talked about really and they play a big part item wise.

[@jorgegon301]

This may be a little late, but astrology, tarot readings, and any other form of "divination" are all anti-christian. This is taught in Sunday schools, or at least briefly mentioned, as anything we don't know already, we don't need to know as part of God's plan, and any method of learning the future before it happens is a direct path to Satan, or at least some sort of demonic connection. I always thought these items were added as more flavorful satanic imagery, since the devil hides In the most unassuming of places, and they add some good diversity to the item pool to boot.

[@campbellthesmug6590]

@@LeKain08 well you don’t gotta be an ass about it

[@shentium_522]

Telescope lens is an item of tboi. It makes sense that dad and Isaac used to look to the planets (planetarium) and stars

[@xitcix8360]

@@LeKain08 That's a far less likely conclusion lmao, you're being an idiot

[@DoctorBones1]

i think its that they were all portrayed as witchcraft in the christian tv programs his mom watched, it lines up with isaac thinking he has many sins and that believing in these spiritual things is just another one

[@babassoonist557]

I can’t help but notice that the Beast is depicted as female, visualy similar to Mom, it’s called the “Mother of Harlets”. Following Isaac’s defeat of the Beast there’s a crack in the sky that Isaac ascends to. Maybe the crack is someone opening the toy chest before Isaac suffocates, and the near manslaughter by mom would certainly be enough for dad to win custody in court. Maybe the new beginning of a story at the very end is Isaac living with his father and a step-mother, in a loving home and all of the stories are helping Isaac to rationalize that what happened isn’t his fault.

[@gatorademilk9236]

Even if this could be wrong, I’ll believe it, it’s the only good ending, for instance, Isaac survives.

[@seraph3244]

This made my heart go 🥺🥺

[@literalstickman7044]

It has been specifically said that isaac died.

[@TheFolkMaster]

Ya there was a tweet by Edmund that confirms Issac is dead.

[@anhilo9716]

@@literalstickman7044 and why would i care?

[@flashywastaken1379]

FINALLY! I HAVENT SEEN A VIDEO ABOUT THE STORY OF TBOI SINCE MATPATS OLD VIDEO WHEN REBIRTH FIRST CAME OUT, AND NOW MATPATS VID HAS BEEN DEBUNKED!

[@kendellscott7182]

How?

[@bluerious5475]

@@kendellscott7182 A lot of things said in his video has ended up being inaccurate to the story of the game, especially now.

[@kendellscott7182]

@@bluerious5475 I see.

[@Musewhisperer]

@@bluerious5475 Edmund commented on MattPat's video back then, saying it was a pretty accurate interpretation.

[@gloriousbeard9054]

Probably cause a lot of it checks out, it’s just the ending isn’t accurate.

[@destroyergodkamo906]

The fact that Isaac is found decayed is sadder than anything truly

[@BoogerFart956]

Issacs story is so well done, the way that you will originally find a character to be a villain, but later you find to be as much as a victim as everyone is such mastery of storytelling. The game would be really weird and unbelievable form looking at the game on first glance, but knowing everything it feels like something that could have happened. Edmund did a good job.

[@2011supergamer]

There's a bonus song on Rebirth's soundtrack called "He's the number one" where singing is heard along side demonic voices in the background. I think this fits as a song Isaac's dad might have sung to him back when he was a devout Christian, presumably before the drinking and everything. The singer is Matthias, who is also the voice actor for Isaac's dad, aka the narrator. The demonic voices represent Isaac's current feelings, and hearing the song in retrospect only gives him demonic thoughts, knowing the person who sang it to him no longer believes those things, with his aforementioned black-and-white viewpoint.

[@woobgamer5210]

There's another way to view the final ending. Isaac's father is overseeing Isaac's story, simply being that, a story. Him having sole custody of Isaac, after getting the adoption of his own biological son passed, after noticing the state of Isaac, the beatings his mother gives him, the torment and trauma she's laid out onto him after his father left, he fought against her for child abuse, wins, and her mother found guilty and arrested. The ties to jail being the challenge rooms, Samson's chains, and of course, Tainted Jacob's main active ability, Anima Sola. After Dad and Isaac make the story of Isaac dying, fighting his own mother, himself and the true form of Satan, the Mother of Harlots, he reminds him that his story doesn't need to be so depressing, trying to help his son on the road to mental recovery, once again being able to make a fun fictional world, he starts Isaac of with 'Isaac and his parents live together on a small house on a hill...'

[@ttracs]

Too bad that simply isn’t possible, as Isaac is confirmed to have died.

[@unionjack0638]

@@ttracs ignoring canon is based tbh

[@saranorah228]

This is 2 years old... I still remember when it came out

[@michaelachapman2192]

I think that dad voice as the narrator, especially as Issac is going to heaven, is God trying to console Issac in heaven and help him work through the pain he suffered. God took on the form of Dad because Isaac felt safe with his dad and the stories he and Dad made

[@michaeladams6124]

"The cans of dog food could represent abuse or poverty" Or, you know, the SEVERAL DEAD PETS, guppy, Tammy, cricket, max

[@m3g4l0s3r]

Yeah but.. it’s *dog food*

[@anwd8646]

@@m3g4l0s3r Max was a dog. He was replaced with Tammy in rebirth due to reasons of wanting the dead pets to be based off of his own cats, guppy, Tammy, and cricket. Max was a dog he almost had as a kid, but never got. So there is slight logic behind the dog food.

[@maligulant4396]

@@anwd8646 yes, but the dog food is also titled "dessert"/"dinner" (depending on whether you mean the bagged or canned food), which implies isaac was the one to eat it. it's also included in the binge eater item, alongside spoiled milk, moldy bread, a dog treat, dubiously spoiled meat, and *actually* rotten meat.

[@madgamer7013]

@@maligulant4396 I think this is what Isaac could find to feed himself while his mother was to busy on Christian Tv and Pills

[@Yummywifi]

Guppy is the creator's cat that passed away

[@SlayXc2]

Sorry for being reeeaaaallly late with this, but thank you very much for the mention in the description of this awesome video!

[@2leftthumbs]

It's the least I could do! Your videos on all things Repentance so shortly after release really helped in tying the new game into all this :) Keep doing what you're doing over there!!

[@masterzoroark6664]

Well, Isaac and his Dad talking at the end, breaking the narrative might imply that both of them are dead and more or less are expiriancing the purgatory together, or at least the escape from purgatory.

[@NoForksGiven]

I was hoping you talked more about the Tainted versions of the characters. They all appear as hurt in some way when you unlock them, which you do by opening a secret in Home. I think Mom finds Isaac dressed up as one of the characters while he's playing with the cardboard toys. When she locks him in the room, Isaac desperately tries to remove the outfit, going so far as to either rip/shave the hair out of the wigs. Maybe as away to appease Mom? Saying he won't play dress up anymore? Maybe taking his frustrations out the only way he knows how. Many of the Tainted characters look hurt as well. Did Mom beat Isaac before locking him away. The cutscene doesn't show it but every character is an alternate telling of Isaac's story and the cutscenes never mention his other personas that come out as characters we play as. I find it interesting how normal Samson gets angrier and stronger when he's hurt, unlike the others. Could this be a side of Isaac who wants to lash back out at his abusive parents? Tainted Samson full on snaps and goes Berserk instead of just getting angrier. Is this the colmination of Samson's story? His parents push to the point of violence, not just brooding anger? Tainted Maggie also snaps but as Maggie's character is one trying to appease Mom by being more like her. Tainted Maggie uses overwhelming kindness instead of intense anger to resolve issues. It's not uncommon for abuse victims to think they can fix their abuser if they just love them hard enough.

[@bumblesnorf4475]

Ed was originally going to call them abused instead of tainted

[@chrisbealonis4655]

@@bumblesnorf4475 well that just conforms it, doesnt it?

[@bumblesnorf4475]

@@chrisbealonis4655 basically

[@TalixZen]

If Maggie's brother (Bob) was an alcoholic then she would have an even stronger reaction to her husbands drinking. Makes sense to me.

[@Miju001]

Bob was the dad's brother, not the mom's

[@AaronTorres92]

You think it's a reference to the NOFX song?

[@aran4241]

Man, this brings me back to when flash Isaac was the only game , and the only thoery (that I was personally aware of at the time) came from a steam guide that's still up to this day, its quite unreal how far we've come from then and now..

[@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028]

What was the theory

[@GIRru11]

The thing I appreciate most about this story, is that it's both simple and not at the same time. On the simple side, it's about a kid with a big imagination who's family fell apart and now he blames himself for it. But on the complex side, we learn so much about his parents and his relationship with them and each other. That final ending with Isaac's dad narration is so sad since it can easily be seen as Isaac's final moments before death, using the voice of his father for comfort as it all ends

[@doodoo2065]

Im surprised that nobody mentioned that Dad's note could also be implying suicide. When someone ends their own life, it's pretty common for them to leave with a note, or some kind of message for the ppl that find them and stuff.

[@isaaccook1890]

My idea is that somewhere along the abuse, his dad comes back and rescues him. As a way of coping with it with his father, he tells stories of what happened, always telling it as he dies in the end. In the final ending, we hear his dad telling him that his stories don't have to end that way.

[@De_La_Evo]

what I thought, but ed straight up says "Isaac dies" so even if you want to put it this way, it's just not true, it's not an actual interpretation of the story, when I thought of the story this way, I legit got emotional, but now I'm just bitter, not because my theory was disproved, it's more because I think that Isaac dying and going to happy-place heaven is a way worse ending

[@honque2490]

But he never said when he dies now does he? Of course he would die but when?

[@De_La_Evo]

@@honque2490 he said that he suffocated in the chest or whatever, great interpretation, and as much as I want to believe this story says something more, it does not

[@Floobsie]

@@honque2490 pretty sure it's confirmed that isaac suffocated in the chest, and the dogma ending is theorized to be isaac's version of heaven

[@RatRatRattyRatRat]

See that's what I think too. The custody papers not being signed by the dad, meaning the dad didn't hand over custody willingly, Isaac finding dad's key and possibly using it to escape as it opens all doors, the final ending being with the dad in heaven, or outside, after beating the beast / mom, along with the last couple lines of the final ending, it all points to Isaac having got out of there with the dad, and not the other way around. Though, as _EVO_ inachair_ stated, the creator says this theory is wrong. Which is just... Boring, to be frank. Makes the entire game into a pointless made up story, instead of a story that can be retold in it's own setting, which gives a story much more power. Missed opportunity, in my opinion.

[@SomeCameo]

I personaly want to believe that the ending implies isaacs dad won the custody and the playthroughs are just his father helping him deal with all the trauma he has. Mostly because that sounds like a happier ending to me. Of course there is also the very real posibility that isaac really did die in that chest. The ending would still be happy in a sense but also very grim and bittersweet... Like TBOI's tone in general.

[@its_heeho]

Nice pfp hee ho

[@complete-and-utter-fool]

@Rotom Channel Makarakarn was in effect! -39hp

[@agent_albert]

I've never believed that he died, to be honest, but not because of wanting a better ending but rather because I always thought that Isaac was imagining what would happen if he would die: with all the different consequences and results, including his mother being sad and showing him love again. Imagine a kid telling his parent something like "and I was dead and mom was sad and she was looking for me but when she found me it was too late!".

[@Trakesh]

I can't come to terms with the idea of a child suffocating to death in a wooden chest. Its clearly not airtight for one. I can come to terms with him being stuck in the chest until he passes out and his mother, or the police finds him, taking him to the hospital and then the mother loses custody.

[@ExplosivePine]

Guys I don't mean to ruin the fun but Isaac is confirmed dead :(

[@gferrol118]

"It doesn't mean these were the literal events he lived" Really? I was so sure Ed killed him mom, went into her womb and destroyed her heart, and then killed the dead version of himself

[@litapd311]

you're telling me that edmund can't shoot blood lasers out of his eyes?

[@mitch_meap7761]

The meanings of some of the newer characters are not concrete, but I'll share my ideas Laz: "rebirth" seems pretty concrete, Isaac is scared of death and the eternal damnation that he thinks is his fate after life Eden: Eden may be Isaac trying to be someone- anyone, other than him(?) Lilith: I got no clue, but I think he may see himself as the cause of his sins and problems(?) Apollyon: being "the destroyer" in its unlock name, this may be Isaac feeling that he is the source and reason of destroying his parents' happy marriage Beth: Beth in character design seems much like an "angel" oriented character as opposed to judas, I think Beth may be Isaac trying to be a religious zealot like his mother J+E: maybe J+E is Isaac feeling like his life's terrible circumstances are his fault, much like Jacob in the duo

[@DoctorBones1]

Wait, eden was added in repentance?

[@alexkuteshevskiy2915]

@@DoctorBones1 in rebirth

[@Elsuya_Milo]

So, I'm guessing, Mom's laugh when she hits Issac during their fight is also something that Issac distorted in his mind?

[@laraschroeder5195]

It could be sobbing. Loud crying can sound similar to laughter

[@derpymunchmunch782]

@@laraschroeder5195 very much so

[@DBG-fh7io]

I honestly interpreted the ending as Isaac’s father finally adopting him and helping Isaac recover from his abuse. Isaac probably assumed he was going to die and his dad is trying to help him realize that his story could have a better ending instead of dying in a chest.

[@CatchingHail]

That's very true, because if the ending is truly to believe as shown, like the true ending explains issac sees everything from his life, then why have his dad still voice as the narrator why not issac? As like a talk with himself since he's dead, also him being adopted by his dad explains the replayability of the game and the ending just restarting from the beginning. Maybe like you said isaacs dad is trying to help him recover a broken issac who's fallen to the religious beliefs his mom fell to which explains why he ends his story so horribly with his death and the view of hate and sin still towards himself.

[@literallybread6583]

Ed confirmed isaac is dead

[@CatchingHail]

@@literallybread6583 well then this ending is just confusing then as it basically leads up to a neverending story over and over issac retells the story different everytime while his dad narrates also while he's dead why? I think it's a bit confusing the characters dead but the character knows he's dead and tells his dead story over and over again . . . Also last thing Ed says he doesn't want to give or lead people to the answer expect have it their to let people figure it out but if you just as kindly he'll give you major story details.

[@CatchingHail]

@@literallybread6583 I love the series no doubt it's amazing just something's are a bit confusing it's like looking at a blurry picture you know what your seeing but at the same time you don't know truly until it clears up.

[@lianaverwood9810]

@LiterallyBread: As far as I remember, Ed gave that response before the announcement of Repentance. This could mean that Isaac suffocating inside the Chest _was_ the intended True Ending, but since then he's decided to give players the chance to pursue a 'Happier Ending' - by finding a Note within the Chest, written by his Father, confessing his problems and transgressions, as well as his undying love for Isaac and his Mother. With the Truth revealed to him, Isaac now has his doubts and fears of his part in the family's destruction removed, allowing him to confront his Mother and help her forgive her husband. The two remember the happier moments of their lives together, as a loving family, and Mother Magdalene allows Isaac's Father back into their lives. Thus with Isaac's Family reunited, Isaac tries to tell the story to his Daddy from his own perspective. This ends with the Narration of the 'Happier Ending' that allows Isaac to seek 'Repentance' for the Divorce...

[@misterman6590]

Personal headcanon, (I know Edmund tweeted but still) Isaac 'dies' in the chest, or, his perception of death, after waking up, and getting out of the chest, while his mom is away putting up fliers for the entire day. In her drugged stupor she obviously doesn't think about looking in the chest. while Isaac sleeps in her bed, hoping for a glimpse of love and care in the comfort of it. thinking of the house as a form of purgatory, Isaac goes to the one thing he has, religion, in which he faints from the overwhelming emotions. the (now imaginary) house falls apart as he succumbs to Dogma. Whilst fighting The Beast Magdaline gets home and sees Isaac, unconscious, rushing him to the hospital with his dad, if Isaac loses to beast he dies in the hospital bed, defeating it he sees his dad and his mom together. His fear falls apart, and the dad tells the new story with their mom, rekindling the love they once had and giving his childhood back. I know this is confirmed to not be the case but god damn I need Isaac to have a happy story.

[@Odd_Bin]

So at the end of the day the villain is actually televangelists. As they always are.

[@spinyjustspiny3289]

I would argue that whether or not it was intended, Isaac fearing that he'll fall most immediately to Greed is strongly supported by how the game plays out. Kids who have things taken away from them as punishment, particularly without even having those things be related to why they're being punished, tend to develop very close-knit attachments to their belongings growing up. It can be seen as why Isaac conceptualizes leaving a will with all his cool stuff, why so many of the mechanics revolve around that stuff, and most importantly, one of the reasons why he feels he's guilty. He seems to have an association in his head where wanting nearly ANYTHING is sinful, because of the religious indoctrination he underwent under Magdelene's wing as well as seeing his father, the man who encouraged him to want more from life, outright stealing from her to fulfil his own addictive personality. Greed and all his permutations represent his father's own greed. Selling your things off for money, getting angry if his desires aren't met, and stealing from you every chance he gets, but at the same time continuing later on to act as if nothing happened if encountered after a fight with him. The Keeper, meanwhile, feels like Isaac psychologically flogging himself for wanting more than the bare minimum to get by, but seeing on some level that people often CAN'T get by with the bare minimum, and fearing what he'll become as an adult because of his mom shouting "You're just like your father" or "He'll be just like you when he grows up". A sickly husk relying on a game of chance to scrape by via the Wooden Nickel. Ultra Greed seems to be a mix of both of them; Between his grandiose demeanor, unlocking doors as a major mechanic of his fight similar to Dad's Key, yet throwing a childish tantrum and implied motive of just want to keep everything here for himself, it could be the ultimate summation of one of Isaac's fears; That the desire to have something for himself, and the frustration of having things taken from him, will turn him into a monster. And in a similar, but different ending to the one achieved by defeating Mega Satan, he does become one; He becomes the next Keeper; an offshoot of Greed. And the ARG that surrounded The Keeper and Greed Mode may have a final piece that unifies them. The thing that Greed wanted most, and the thing that told Edmund that the ARG had been solved, is by giving Greed a voice by logging into his twitter account and posting something. Isaac and his Dad both show signs of just wanting a voice that would be heard by others, the dad because he's had a struggle with alcoholism that he's begun to lose, and Isaac because his mother just will not listen to him when he tries to explain himself and his imagined games. Neither of them WANT to hate Magdelene, but she refuses to believe otherwise because it honestly is kinda hard to come to grips with the idea of a husband who steals from you and a son who seemingly portrays you as hideous monsters while both claiming they love you. (That being said, I feel like Isaac has a far better reason for having that kind of dissonance.) As for Sloth, it could be that he has secondary prominence next to Greed and is portrayed as poisonous because he was a bad influence. Perhaps a major reason why Isaac's dad fell off the wagon. This is is purely hypothetical with no in-game context, but what might have happened was that the brother kept offering him drinks or drinking while he visited to cool off from an argument with his wife, completely ignorant to the dad's struggles to escape that, and potentially offered him one at a particularly weak moment like after a bad fight.

[@bonaquador]

Well written, I like your thoughts on what the Keeper is and symbolizes. Greed mode in general definitely relates to Isaac's father and himself, yet Ed confirming that Isaac is battling all sins, and isn't directly tied to greed sours the conclusion. I think that Greed is actually the sin of the player themselves, portrayed through Isaac. Considering that you are forced to spend money to win, yet your ultimate goal in greed mode is to donate to unlock the Keeper. The less you spend, the more you need to play if you lose, yet the more you spend, the more you have to play if you win. It's a dilemma

[@nicholasali3566]

@@bonaquador didn’t Ed also confirm that Isaac’s greatest sin is Greed though?

[@ildathet]

so "victory lap" is just his mother taking away his belongings one by one despite him defeating satan over and over again

[@Frugthereal]

Perfect, just prefect. You are so fucking right. For things like this i want to learn psychology.

[@2011supergamer]

I personally like the theory that Bob is Isaac's uncle more. Maybe one Isaac's only ever seen a few times, a brother that Maggy shelters Isaac from entirely, possibly due to a bad experience Isaac had with him. Perhaps he babysat for Isaac one night and ended up getting him sick, causing Maggy to never trust him again.

[@morayeel344]

to back it up, the bob tranformation may have formed as an image of his uncle caused by nausea, isaac linking his illness and him

[@captnbassbeard3222]

I think Bob is a representation of his father while he was drunk, bobs brain is how when you drink its rots your brain, bobs curse and bobs rotten head is his explosive and toxic behavior. Ippecac is what he needed to take to void his stomach due to alcohol poisoning and this lines up with dad lost coin as its a silver rehab coin insinuating he was clean for a while, but went back to alcohol and gambling.

[@magiciansmagicmayhem5813]

@@captnbassbeard3222 in Isaac, Bob’s your uncle.

[@smokeypit]

This genuinely makes me cry, I grew up in a dysfunctional household and this just hits different

[@Meowsler]

Thinking about it now, items that change Isaac's expression like Sauage are what makes him happy, more luxury items in their poor household, while eating stuff like dog food keeps him the same anguish. It's a reflection of their poverty and what Isaac interprets as rich, or poor. He was basically taught the value of a dollar at an extremely young age, which is why the money cap is 99 until they get deep pockets to reach 999.

[@creechieuihana]

Sausage makes Isaac smile because it’s probably a penis joke. Edmund being Edmund, hehe.

[@alarmy5211]

he must be really happy when he pees then

[@florianricquart4114]

My headcannon for what Apollyon represents is some kind of statue representing Isaac for when he'll be buried in a cemetery. Don't really have any proof, but I like it

[@2leftthumbs]

That's a fun idea

[@Pleasestoptalkingthanks]

Apollyon also goes by Abaddon, who is essentially the angel of Death that watches over the Pit.

[@xTOPGx]

when he says "Isaac and his PARENTS..." i can't stop the tears (no tears UP jokes pls)

[@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028]

(sorry, buddy) YOU JUST DRANK SOME SOY MILK Damage down tears way up

[@xTOPGx]

Fucking hell you made laugh! Take your like and leave 😂

[@Humaricslastcall]

*good horse pill sound* TEARRS UP!

[@Awesome084]

I know I am certainly not the first yet not the last. Thank you, Edmund Mcmillen. Thank you, all who worked on this game at any point. Thank you to anyone who bought this game Thank you to those who posted content about this game. Thank you to those in the community. Thank you to those who aided in the ARG. Thank you to everyone who reads this. Thank you to... you. For reading this far. I hope you have a better day after reading this.

[@GooberDragon]

Here’s a thought: Maybe Isaac is alive at the end. Hear me out; my two reasons for thinking this: 1. With the exception of “joke” items from the devs having a laugh, all the items are something Isaac has seen/experiences to a degree. The fact that the adoption papers exist at all indicates that Isaac is either aware of such an item existing, or at least of the current custody situation, rather than it being obscured as the video suggests. 2. It follows that, with the precedent set by TLoB, isaac’s father helped Isaac work through his emotions and problems through creative storytelling and games. My thought is thus: TBoI is Isaac and his father working through the events after Father left. I reckon that Isaac did not die (at least not literally) in the chest (but came very close); even in such a skewed custodial legal system, I imagine that it would not be hard for a father to gain custody of his child if the mother allowed the near-death of the child. After such trauma, what better way for Isaac to work through it all than the same way he did with his Father before the Drama began? Maybe the near-death experience of their child was enough to bring a husband and wife back together (though this might be stretching this a bit too far). I might be biased towards happy endings where kids don’t die, but the explanation of the game being a story that Isaac and his Father are using to work through trauma makes sense to me

[@thepaperempire7954]

yooo its the D20

[@jevilwithayoutubeaccount955]

When we hear his father asking him if he wants the story to end with him dying is his father asking if he wants to start a new story One that isn't *Tainted* by his minds interpretation of his childhood one wherein he is able to see the events of TBOI but in an un-affected perspective

[@tescosmealdeal3103]

Edmund did fully confirm that Isaac did cannonically die

[@neisvestno2444]

High on delusionium and ignorium, i see.

[@ramgutz]

Even if it's confirmed that Isaac died, I do not care and I would like to hope for this specifically. I just want Isaac to be happy, homies. Tell me he died and it will not change anything at all, Isaac is alive and happy and working through his trauma in my mind.

[@deadlydingus1138]

Azazel's name means scapegoat. It represents him coming to the conclusion that his mother is projecting her own sins onto him. Lilith is the mother of demons who's sin was refusing to lay beneath Adam. This could represent a number of things. 1. It's another case of Isaac believing that he's a bad person. 2. It represents how he feels about his own mother (there is actually an in game transformation where Isaac becomes his mother after collecting certain collectables) 3. It represents him standing up to his mother and finally seeing that he deserves better. Apollyon is an angel of destruction, but also a dark pit in Hell. He leads an army of locusts,(spoilers) hence his tainted version. Again, he probably represents how Isaac antagonizes himself.

[@2leftthumbs]

Nice! I especially like the Azazel interpretation :)

[@deadlydingus1138]

@@2leftthumbs Thank you. The whole concept of Isaac's dad being a man of science is also supported by the new planetariums which sometimes spawn if the proper conditions are met.

[@ChargeQM]

@@deadlydingus1138 you also only get planetariums if you skip item rooms. This has a tenuous connection with greed, and therefore Issac's dad: When his dad succumbs to his greed, he drinks and gambles, but when he resists, he comes home and teaches Isaac about all sorts of things, probably including the stars and space, since they live alone on a hill. Great spot to see the heavens. Also, it correlates to Isaac thinking about Heaven all the time. His dad tries to teach him what's physically up there.

[@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028]

so Apollyon is kinda like tartarus?

[@deadlydingus1138]

@@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028 and Hades.

[@seraphvineyard5425]

I personally think Maggie one of the sides Isaac thinks of her mother, the other side being Eve. Maggie is all of the nice things Isaac saw in her, while Eve is the abuse Isaac dealt with her. Here's why. In the Mom boss fight, her name is specifically drawn with a heart near it. Now you'd think that be with Maggie, as it would make sense. But no, dying as Eve shows a heart as next to her name in Issac's Last Will. Also consider that Mom's name has Maggie in it, which should tie up the threads right? *Not yet* If we look at the items of the two, they are pretty straightforward. Maggie's items (Yum Heart, full health pill) are neutral. They don't pose any threat, other than support that Issac's mom was in pill abuse. Eve's items are the contrary. Razor blade, an item that potentially poses threat, and Whore of Babylon, an item which *makes* her feel like a dangerous person, and someone who can sour other people (12:02) With these points looked at. Isaac could clearly see what his mom is to him as said in here (13:13)

[@riverjoy5658]

The perfect video to show my poor sister who saw me playing and wanted to know about the Binding of Issac

[@justinhunt1714]

Omg, thank you so so much for this. I just started playing this game 2 months ago and I've been captured by it and the snippets of story it tells through the prologue and ending scenes. Not gonna lie, a few of them almost made me tear up. Having the bigger picture now really hits me in the feels big time. This is such a heavy story.

[@diananer]

Bob sloth: sinful, probably uses vulgar language and probably a jerk... Bob ross: Gods gift to humanity, very calm in language and super nice.

[@pyrosfolly5698]

Bob Ross is also one of the 4 Horsemen of Wholesomeness

[@MineSlimeTV]

@@pyrosfolly5698 what of the other three?

[@JamUsagi]

Bob Ross actually used to be a sergeant, so he did a lot of screaming, (possibly) cursing and being a jerk. That’s why he never raised his voice afterwards.

[@magiciansmagicmayhem5813]

@@JamUsagi so he vented out almost all negativity (as in no negativity except some grief because... you might know why)?

[@JamUsagi]

@@magiciansmagicmayhem5813 He hated that he had to act like that in the Air Force, so he vowed to never raise his voice again when he left.

[@oceanlilly8447]

You know, when I clicked this video, I expected a timeline of events, some secrets explained, and so on so forth. What I didn’t expect was the story to be so sad to the point it makes my cry towards the end. Good job!

[@DenSporetrix]

"These aren't the literal events that (Edmund) lived" **Thinks about Isaac dying in a toy chest** Hmmm, I think you might be right on that one...