What is The Unknown? (Over the Garden Wall Theory)

Heaven? Hell? Or something else entirely? Today we celebrate Fall and the coming of Halloween with a video discussing the question of: What is the Unknown from Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall? I will examine all of the hidden clues, symbolism, and Easter eggs that hint to the true meaning and purpose of the Unknown! Hope you enjoy! And Happy Fall!
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[@sparkjolt]

Gregory's burden to bear has to be that he stole that rock from a garden, and he was cursed to wander purgatory forever because he felt guilty about it AND THAT'S A ROCK FACT

[@elenchanted9904]

I think it's that he has to name the frog. At the beginning, the woodsman gives wirt this huge speech about his duty as the older brother and whatnot. But then he just tells Greg to name his frog.

[@Veehartee]

@Top Stolen Same

[@smackyab1452]

sparkjolt That ACTUALLY makes sense 😂

[@carlostheroach4596]

Ya

[@bright_night_garden3740]

I like how the top comment is this and not any other comment

[@introvertedgamer8584]

I also thought that them ending up in the Unknown had something to do with them nearly drowning on Halloween. According to folklore, Halloween is supposed to be when the veil between the living world and the spirit world are the thinnest.

[@justnoob8141]

Alissa D not thin. It open.

[@unky5724]

no, it being halloween didn’t matter, they were in purgatory as they were drowning.

[@imlafonz8047]

@@unky5724 I don’t think you know what purgatory is

[@imlafonz8047]

@@unky5724 The word Purgatory means a place of purgation, it is a place where your sinfulness is purged in order to achieve the purity necessary to enter heaven. It is not an eternal limbo

[@Connected-Soul.s]

@@unky5724 bro do you not know the history of *HALLOWEEN* look it up it makes sense.

[@Girl95szia]

I think that the woodsman's daughter ascended to heaven way earlier than her father. She came out from the house like she was crying for a long time, crying for her father's soul. It seemed like she was waiting for him. Over the Garden was a great show to watch. By the way, great theories. :)

[@tarikhk2]

Unfortunately, the comics( with Patrick McHale as one of the creators) fly in the face of this theory. She was around the whole time, waiting for her father.

[@Scarshadow666]

@Tarik Hyatt-Khan I guess the theory can still kinda work when considering that both the woodsman and his daughter slipped in an ice puddle in the woods, where they both had a fatal freak accident fall that ended up killing both of them. I know it's a major stretch for a theory though (and too much of a convenience), so it may depend on how much someone really loves the afterlife interpretation for the Unknown. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@ScrawnyScrub11]

@@tarikhk2 what if the woodsman became conent with the fact his daughter after his encounter, he was able to ascend to heaven only after he was fine with the fact is daughter was dead.

[@tarikhk2]

@@ScrawnyScrub11 I like the that idea, but I think ruminations on whether it is the afterlife or not miss the bigger point. The whole story is a parable for how we shouldn't let fear ruin our lives. So the woodsman is tricked by the Beast because he's scared of losing his daughter( so terrified, in fact, he never even checks his own house) and the woodsman's daughter is too scared to look for her Dad. The Beast is a metaphor for fear, the thing lying in the darkness, whispering untruths in your ear about how you are stuck in your lot, how "There is no other way: there is only the forest and there is only surrender." This is a structural reinforcement of the main theme. Wirt is a pushover and struggles to show Sara his feelings because his life is controlled by fear. If he had died in the plunge, then he would have never known how good life could be if your trust people and are brave. This leads up to his final choice, when he stands up to The Beast, refuses a life of cowardice and becomes braver and more assertive.

[@tarikhk2]

In fact, even the fact it is called "The Unknown" is very telling, and whether it is the afterlife or not, it is still a metaphor for the world. Everyday we wander out, not knowing what will happen, wander out into the unknown. How we meet that uncertainty defines who we are and shapes our lives.

[@Xilex90]

Actually, in a comic, it's explained that the beast never took the woodsman's daughter. He tricked him into thinking he did in order to gain control over the woodsman. the woodsman never went home and thus never realized that she was never taken at all.

[@krissamei]

Yeah, this part of his theory didn't really make sense, but if we were to go along with what you said, maybe the woodman returned back to life like Wirt and Greg. After choosing the lives of others over the soul of his seemingly dead daughter, he's faced his trial or unfinished business that is seen in everyone and was able to return back to life or back to his timeline where his daughter was waiting for him the whole time. Since time works differently in the unknown, he was probably gone a longer time (maybe a few years) when it was probably decades in the unknown. The woodsman, if he is a woodsman in real life, must've somehow wandered into the unknown unknowingly (lol) looking for wood and from there was tricked by the beast.

[@chevaliermacabre2150]

I think that the woodsman's daughter did die, and that the beast was manipulating the woodsman, even though he had already claimed her spirit. I believe that at the end, he finally comes to terms with his daughters death, and, then, finally "completes" his burden, and is reunited with his loved one in death.

[@teamskater]

Wait, Its explained in the show that the beast had tricked the woodsman and he realised he had been tricked and moved on. How did the woodsman not find out he was tricked in the comic? Were the endings in the comic and the show different?

[@chevaliermacabre2150]

@@teamskater I don't think the comics are canon, I think Pat McHale intended it just to be the ten episode series and nothing more.

[@jamielynn9275]

@@chevaliermacabre2150 No he intended it to be a 3 season series but couldn’t make it work, condensed it to 18 episodes, and then even further to 10 episodes. At some point had also wanted it to be a feature length movie.

[@cazzarooni]

Another reference to how the Unknown might be a symbol for death is for when Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice were on the ferry boat to Adelaide, it had only cost them two cents. In Greek mythology, if one was to venture into the afterlife [Underworld], they would have to travel by boat. And the cost of that boat ride: two cents.

[@helpmeeeaaaa]

I AM SO LATE BUT I WAS JUST THINKING THAT

[@its-ametoad7199]

@@helpmeeeaaaa hey hellooo

[@kalawaki]

The Unknown is very clearly meant to represent Limbo, and is one of the best depictions of it I've seen.

[@_spilled_milk_pro-champion3871]

yeah, everyone unsure and lost. Everyone with regrets. no clear way out. reeking of despair. sounds a lot like limbo to me too.

[@sweawesome5136]

I believe it represents a collective consciousness that all life on earth is connected and all the same, which is why we see animals with human characteristics, to add to that, since the boys got there due to a near death experience, it’s safe to assume the theme of the show is that when we all pass away, we all become one

[@sweawesome5136]

_Spilled_Milk_ Pro-Champion-at-Life I don’t think it’s everyone, there we’re characters who don’t fall into that category

[@schmebulockjizz]

Irs the limbo but more over its the inferno.

[@unky5724]

@@sweawesome5136 bruh the people in this comment section think they’re einstein when they come up with some non sensical theory for what this show is

[@indaya1133]

OH POTATOES AND MOLASSES

[@valiantblues8734]

SO MUCH SWEETER THAN ALGEBRA CLASSES

[@meooowww3672]

IF YOUR STOMACH IS GRUMBLING AND YOUR MOUTH STARTS MUMBLING

[@Kirsten4260]

THERE’S ONLY ONE THING TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN FROM CRUMBLING

[@skullkittii8813]

IF YA WANT SOME FILL YOUR TASK LISTS

[@BygoneAuthor409]

*ah yes, the good ol days*

[@TREYtheExplainer]

For those who are saying: But how did the frog drown and die? The frog probably was knocked unconscious, crushed by Greg, and maybe "killed"when it fell down the cliff. Maybe, It wasn't the drowning that killed it , it was the fall. OR: Its just an over-site made by the creators. You need to remember its animated mini series, I highly doubt Patrick Mchale thought about this in that great of detail.

[@161616spike]

+TREY the Explainer Smaller creatures have lower terminal velocities.

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Spike Poi Its animated mini series, I highly doubt Patrick Mchale thought about this in that great of detail.

[@161616spike]

Fair

[@leviponce7730]

most frogs can drown if underwater for too long so it's not out of the question that it could drown especially if it was knocked out

[@leviponce7730]

+Levi Ponce here is a excerpt from Burke museum.org on a page about frogs "yes, frogs have lungs like we do and if their lungs fill with water, they can drown just like us" if a frog was knocked out it would probably get water in its lungs and drown

[@MelKokiri]

I love this show SO MUCH. It's funny, beautiful and strangely really dark. Greg just stole my heart, he is the cutest kid ever!

[@dBO123]

Also, a frog is a symbol for rebirth, cleansing, and water. Water - Greg and Wirt drowning. Cleansing - like Trey said in the video, the Unknown is a place where people bear with their burden, therefore cleansing. Rebirth - the rebirth is more complicated, because what does it even mean? going to heaven? returning back to life? going back to reality? OTGW's creator had said in an interview that, I'll quote " But maybe it's not only about life and death, maybe it's also about reality versus fantasy, and about dreams versus wakefulness. The Unknown is literally the unknown. There are stories that were once told, and are gone forever. Words that have been spoken and forgotten. Ideas that have been thought, but lost. And there's plenty of stuff mankind has never thought of, and will never think of. The Unknown is all that stuff." And to be honest, the first thought I had when I finished the series was "so everything was in their imagination". The scene which made me think that was the scene in beatrice's house when her family was mocking her "you'll turn us to bluebird like you did before". One of the songs even had a part which said " If dreams can't come true, so why not pretend?" Also, in the intro you can see 2 children playing with the boat which the charecters been to in the frogs episode. All of the above made me think that the Unknown is everything that we can't precive.. our imagination, afterlife, words that we said, stories (which explain the amount of folklore you can see in the show), and basically the unknown. It's a place to bear your burdens, take respobsibility on things you've done, and rebirth as a better person.. It's a place when you probably can only go if you are dead or close to, like what Trey said, and you've got to have faith to "win". I wish I could explain it better, but I've tried my best.

[@valiantblues8734]

You explained it well.

[@calbanar]

I love that interpretation!

[@beatrizgonzaga2694]

Loved the interpretation! But I'm not very familiar with the folklore that you mentioned. Could you explain it?

[@Chloe-vq8zf]

What you’ve said makes a lot of sense, and to support your interpretation, in the “Tome of the Unknown” it’s introduced by saying Greg, Wirt, and Beatrice are looking for a book that contains everything lost or unknown or forgotten (I forget exactly what they say but it’s something along those lines) and you said that this is what the Unknown represents which checks out with this, and even the first narrated part of “Over the Garden Wall” says “Somewhere lost in the clouded annals of history lies a place that few have seen, a mysterious place called the Unknown. Where long forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel (dramatic pause) through the wood.” which again brings that theme that the Unknown represents all that will never be known, or has been forgotten. So I really think you’ve come to great point here and that you have a great theory about the Unknown.

[@camirobinson9237]

the "i wish i had nine lives like that one" is referring to her wishing that she had nine lives *like the one she had with her love interest*

[@elenchanted9904]

Oh my God I just rewatched the first episode and realized Greg's unfinished business and thing that he had to complete in the unknown was naming the frog. What a pure little child.

[@autarchyan5426]

I'm 26 but I actually like shows as Gravity falls. I'll watch this show :) seems that plot, characters, art and ambientation are really cool

[@midiaoudiallo8823]

Actually it is pretty normal. Shows as such may have a TV- y7 rating, but they have many hidden messages and plots that kids don't understand, rather aiming towards teens and adults. So you are fine.

[@autarchyan5426]

+Midiaou Diallo yup, the art also reminds me of the game series "Professor Layton" which is also childish in graphic but for adults as difficulty

[@midiaoudiallo8823]

Agreed

[@zainabzaidi578]

Your a baby joking Sorry if it affended you 😀😥

[@zainabzaidi578]

Your a baby joking Sorry if it affended you 😀😥

[@GameGlitcherYT]

And when it turns all snowy, thats represents them drawing closer to death, instead of life.

[@Lumberjack_king]

Fall is dying winter is dead so yeah your right

[@unky5724]

But they escaped purgatory and came back to the real world, which would make them closest to being alive during the winter than the entire rest of the time they were in the unknown. There’s nothing behind it being winter. It snows in fall sometimes.

[@Corruptions_Chaos]

Never heard Over the Garden wall but honesty, I would going watch it.

[@thefvguy5648]

+Gamer Dash DUDE! YOU JUST GOT SPOILED!

[@Corruptions_Chaos]

+TheFVchannel it doesn't matter to me. BECAUSE IT WAS GREAT CARTOON AND I LOVE BEGIN TO THE END!!!

[@estrellacasias]

Gamer Dash do iiiit

[@maydeneyamisha2784]

Gamer Dash netflix

[@BasilOmoriFan]

And honestly, I like your theories about cartoons more than the paleontology. That's why I've subscribed c:

[@cavemancult1999]

I subbed because of his early work but mainly the dishonored theory

[@loverofreno]

+Gumball same

[@TREYtheExplainer]

I understand! And I will make more movies and stuff explained in the future

[@goombabro1248]

The Unknown (the space in between life and death) takes place in fall. Fall is between Summer (life) and winter (death). As the story progresses and fall turns to winter and becomes a raging snowstorm in the Unknown, this may reflect Greg and Wirt drowning and coming closer and closer to death. Right?

[@indigo8942]

That's what I think.

[@Ari-jk3jl]

Also the big pumpkin in Potsfeild says ''You will join us someday'' when Greg and Wirt left Potsfeild, as if to say that even thought they weren't going to say in the unknown but they would come back someday. Your video had really thoughtful evidence and you explained each and every one them very well!

[@fluffyphoenix8082]

I know I'm extremely late, but I have some thoughts on this. I do like the theory that The Unknown is a sort of in-between place, set right in the middle of life and death. That's basically canon, too, considering The Unknown was originally going to be called The In-Between. But that doesn't explain something - why are Wirt and Greg allowed to return to life? Why are they even in The Unknown at all if they're not truly dead? One of the pumpkin-headed denizens of Pottsfield looks at Wirt and tells him that he is 'too early' to be there. We later discover that all the townsfolk are skeletons; therefore, that girl telling Wirt he was 'too early' means that he isn't dead yet. And why are there even skeletons in The Unknown at all? If _everyone_ there is dead, and it's clear they've been dead for many years based on their clothing styles, why are they not all skeletons? What's so different about the skeletons? Why is their death any different than the others'? Why do they not have flesh on their bones but all the others do? We know for sure that The Unknown _is_ some sort of place where the dead go, based on the fact that we see Quincy Endicott's gravestone, but here's another question - what would happen if someone died in The Unknown? If they're already dead, how would it make sense at all for them to die again? Is The Unknown _truly_ a place where the dead go, or is it something more? Are we missing something here? Sorry for this long ramble. I just find myself really fascinated by this show.

[@thirteenfury]

Bobina Bobson I think I might have an answer for the skeletons. Perhaps Pottsfield is the parallel version of the town graveyard. Like the land itself used to be farmland--the very beginning of the town that became Wirt and Greg's hometown. When the original founders of the town died, the land died with them. The skeletons in Pottsfield are copies of the skeletons in the graveyard. In the real world, skeletons can't come back to life if they're taken out of the ground. But in the Unknown, where anything is possible if you put your mind to it, skeletons can be reanimated and join the other undead.

[@Jpteryx]

Maybe the people of Pottsfield are those who died with no one to remember them, hence their emergence in the Potter's Field, and their lack of recognizable characteristics: that is, flesh. To move on, they need to make new bodies and new lives for themselves, and be recognized by others.

[@notaraven]

I have 2 theories on the show. the first is that Wirt and Gregory are basically going through their own personal trials and tribulations to escape the unknown and the spirits are representations of that. If you pay attention all of the events seem to have some significance for Wirt and Gregory rather it be Wirt's trials to learn to fight against authority, gain self confidence, and love his brother or Gregory learning to understand what is actually going on, to not steal, and to fix the mistakes he made. In this interpretation the pumpkin people are another reflection of Wirt's weakness to submit to authority and Gregory's inability to grasp the situation/ creating problems that need to be solved. my second theory is that the unknown is not the afterlife but Wirt's mind trying to make sense of dying. Throughout the show there is some form of counter part like the grave stone of the rich man or the children playing with the frog steamboat. When Wirt is drowning his mind is throwing memory pieces together to get him to understand what is going on. In this interpretation though Gregory isn't really interacting with Wirt, he is actually Wirts guilt of failing his brother and realizing Gregory was actually saving him then messing up. you can also combine both and see Gregory as an angel that is guiding Wirt to heaven as throughout the show Gregory seems like the only person to have no trouble with any of the problems and seems to know exactly what to do while allowing Wirt to take the lead.

[@samuelcardenas6716]

Alan Hagerty the second one is impossible because Greg has memories of the Unknown when they wake up

[@ilikepie2eat3]

I think the inhabitants of Pottfield are in a sort of cult/comunity. And the price of entry is to give up your identity (hence the name Pottsfield from Potters Field) to fertilize the land. when you've done your penance they dig you up and welcome you to the town

[@y3110wcake]

This totally makes sense! I also noticed that turtles seem to roam around the forest quite often throughout the series. Found out that turtles are known as symbols for this "purgatory," and they can represent God, or the citizens of hell. Seems purty legit to me. This video just made it all click!

[@SkyeBerryJam]

I had no idea this series existed. I have to watch it now. I love little videos like this and I'm really starting to get into some other series you do too.

[@weshansen7892]

I love these "cartoon" videos. A lot if stuff has hidden meanings that people miss or don't understand

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Thank you! They're fun to make!

[@areshseptango9619]

There is a bit more to it things in the unknown are lost, dead or not, or even if they never lived, notice how those in the tavern appear to be simple caricatures, toys even, the simple characters created by a lonely toymaker wirt and greg where lost too, swept away by a river, only to be found as bones swept ashore, if at all, but are found when they complete their journey

[@sspencer4546]

+Aresh Septango or it could be they drowned and there heaven is just that city they live in

[@ekanayakemahesh2060]

I highly doubt that.

[@pedroff_1]

"All that was lost, is revealed"

[@unky5724]

@@sspencer4546 what

[@jackw.479]

OMG this explained everything :). My sister desperately wanted me to watch this. Now I have finished all ten chapters in one day. This wrapped it all in a neat, tight bow. Thanks so much:D

[@cosmiccove1272]

I believe the unknown is purgatory. Not only is it a space between Heaven and hell, It's also a place between life and death. I don't think Wirt and Greg drowned, I think that they would have if they'd become trees. The trees represent death. Some people died with unfinished business and stayed there too. It's kind of multi purpose, being purgatory and gauging weather you live or die.

[@unky5724]

It’s a purgatory for those who are deceased and have unfinished business. They definitely did drown, as they had to have their lives saved. You turn into a tree when you lose all hope.

[@marshallperry4857]

this show is one of my favorite things , be it books, shows or movies, this trumps them all as my favorite. it just gives me a feeling of contentment, but it always left me wondering, and your videos make it even more amazing by showing more of the lore and opening up this story a little more , so thanks! :)

[@dessyboon6637]

I know this was posted three years ago, but that symbol on the headstone is called a winged death’s head. It was used by the Puritans in the early days of the US because they didn’t want to use anything that could be worshipped, such as an angel or something. Quincy is dressed pretty close to how people did during that time period. Just a fun fact.

[@jzsldg-fan2984]

Love this man. Keep up your amazing work

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Thank you!

[@jzsldg-fan2984]

Welcome 8)

[@nyasha2669]

+TREY the Explainer Hey man, AMAZING video, and my stupid self realised your dino is a dipper-saurus! Anyway, do you know if your scientifically accurate alien video was taken down? I've been looking for it and can't find it anymore

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Nyasha Chidume Thanks man! ^^ I had a lot of fun with this video! The aliens video was taken down due to copyright. I will try to re-upload it with out the copyright soon ;)

[@nyasha2669]

TREY the Explainer Thanks a lot for responding! I love watching your videos while I cook or bake alone since your one of the few scientific channels with common sense and no bias!

[@colelevel2654]

This especially makes sense since when you think about it, "Over the Garden Wall," can be seen as a metaphor for death, like being on the other side, and in this case that must be what they meant because the garden wall Greg and Wirt jumped over was the cemetery's garden wall.

[@jackswan3420]

I really hope this blows up in relation to... Recent events.

[@muatafalol]

i half agree with you. it is clear that the unknown is some kind of alternate realm in between life and death, but that is the key. in between. not only dead people can enter the unknown. to make this simple lets refer to the unknown as the limbo, the first circle of hell. in my opinion there are rather 3 ways to enter it: 1. Dying and having unfinished business (lets call that ghost-limbo) 2. Being in a physical near death state (physical limbo) 3. Still being alive and active in the real world but having lost your will to live (spiritual limbo) This is why in the end, quincy isnt there anymore while all the other people greg and wirt helped still are. he was (except for the pumpkinpeople) the only actual dead person / ghost they met. they helped him and he moved on to the next circle. about all the others, we cant be sure whether they are still stuck in limbo or if they actually made it back into real life. me and two friends are currently working on a theory that is supposed to explain it all. literally, including how exactly this representation of limbo works and how each and every character might fit in there

[@hallofries]

so... did you work it out...4 years later

[@muatafalol]

@@hallofries nah we spent a bit more time on it and eventually reached a conclusion that we were overreaching a lot and that although there were a lot of very interesting threads to pull on like connections so all sorts of mythology and a lot of food for philosophical thought, manyof the connections & theories we came up with were very likely never intended by the creators. Nevertheless a nice little exercise

[@hallofries]

@@muatafalol omg i didn't expect you to reply ahah. yeah, this shows really makes you think..

[@unky5724]

No. 3 doesn’t seem to have any support throughout the story but i do agree with the first 2.

[@unky5724]

a vast majority of the characters in the unknown are from timelines generations upon generations before greg and wirt. Pretty obvious they’re dead lol. Quincy was dead. So was the teacher. So was almost every character Greg and Wirt came across. The only other character with evidence of coming back to life was their frog lol.

[@coloradocrustaceans]

Another slight detail involving submitting to the beast in The Unknown, in the track "Come Wayward Souls" Greg sings "And submit, to the fire..." Fits in nicely with Trey's ideas. Trey, absolutely amazing work, love these videos further analyzing my favorite show out there. Thank you.

[@IceFireofVoid]

The last time you made an OTGW video, you said you'd follow up on it. I subscribed to see this. I have been waiting for this moment.

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+SnowScales Good. More OGW videos to come ;)

[@balabanasireti]

+TREY the Explainer yes! i love your videos and i am exited for the ones to my favourite mini series: over the garden wall

[@zainabzaidi578]

+TREY the Explainer when is the worm whole video coming up

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Munzur Baba Thanks!

[@burgerking1865]

+TREY the Explainer can you make a paleo profile on hyneria?

[@PhilipJFryII]

Funny how Dipper says to Mabel: "Are you ready to head into the "unknown" which she responds: "No. But let's do this!" Perhaps Alex Hirsch knew Pat Mchale from the California Art School.

[@thefalcon534]

holy shit. Why didnt anyone like this comment except mine? Oof

[@cassie4373]

I think that the "Unknown" is the decision if a soul is going to Heven,Hell, or back to life.

[@j.k.peacock3466]

Thoroughly explained fan theory with plenty of evidence to back it up. It's heightened my appreciation for the miniseries and the work put into it. Thank you so much for making this video! :D

[@rrammay]

I can't help but imagine the creators watching video theories and thinking "oh well I didn't think of that. That's clever"

[@V1ncenz010]

Bro the music in the start is so great, gives me good memories and it’s so chill

[@ravenr.2086]

In the title cards of the show, the skull with wings is actually symbol for the after life. It was commonly used on gravestones and was very popular in the Victorian era

[@samiral-hayed1656]

4:53 The preceding line of "I remember life with you around." I think indicates that "I wish I had 9 lives like that one", means that Langtree wished she had 9x as long to be with her lover.

[@BasedRedemption]

Nah

[@yeeroy]

Wow, incredibly compelling!! You really helped me understand the show better, and the idea that all the characters are now resting peacefully with their loved ones warms my heart. I also loved the design of the beast, always cloaked in darkness with a pair of antlers - kinda like a wendigo.

[@galmausner2396]

So the woodsman’s daughter was all along in heaven, and the beast tricked him into thinking he has her. But when he stood up to the beast he finished his burden, and got sent to heaven, to reunite with his daughter who was waiting for him there. That’s just so beautiful

[@michaelsalas721]

Sounds like something existentialist philosophy, which is pretty interesting.

[@aarriiaanneezaq1]

Does that mean that greg's unfinished business was to name his frog?

[@TheQuietTyper]

+Marcel Couture While that does sound like the obvious answer, they did get out after the frog had a name, and the woodsman did tell Greg to give the frog a proper name, possibly hinting at Greg's business, like how he tells Wirt to look after his brother, but I think the real thing that Greg wanted all along was for his brother to like him. Greg might be happy go lucky, but I'm pretty sure that he's not blind to his brother's attitude, and in many parts of the show Greg is trying his hardest to prove himself to his brother. In fact, if those clouds that Greg end up in is heaven, then it's not the frog that was keeping him, it was being recognized by his brother and Greg only went into heaven for a bit when he believed that Wirt trusted him by not just keeping him around, but letting him lead. However, seeing his brother in danger creates new business for Greg, so he sold paradise in exchange for his brother's safety. But when Wirt came to save Greg, and showed he really cared by naming the frog, Greg no longer had anything holding him down and could come with Wirt back home.

[@levangiorgadze5842]

Greg's unfinished business was to return the rock he stole from old lady Daniels

[@unky5724]

@@TheQuietTyper Greg was upset that he stole the rock. That was his unfinished business.

[@finnaberjanski4649]

No, Ms. Langtree is referring to the life she had with Jimmy Brown, and she wishes she had nine more like it because she would be able to be with Jimmy brown for a long time- instead of Jimmy getting stuck in a gorilla costume. In no way does she make reference to being dead. Also, it s not always fall- it is winter in the last two/three episodes. Wyrt is expecting to die, and has all but accepted his fate- it is obvious that the brothers never really understand where they are in time or life. It is also very obvious that his daughter never died at all- she got lost in the woods, but found her way home. While searching for her, The Beast told the Woodsman that her soul was in the lantern- when it is his soul inside it instead- The Beast needs someone to be burning the lantern at all times, and since The Woodsman moved to the Grist Mill, he never returned home to find his daughter safe and waiting. Winter is actually more often associated with a time of hunger and death, not heaven or cleansing. The way the show uses winter to represent the loss of hope, like cold or hunger setting in, is very purposeful. This show makes it very clear what winter means, and that ain't it, chief. I agree with most of your interpretations of The Beast's role and motives, but comparing him to the Devil is not at all apt. He would rather keep you in than let you go to hell- he is a shadow who steals hope- he is winter. He uses fear and trickery to keep himself alive, and tries to steal hope so that more Edelwood trees may grow, and his lantern may continue to burn. The Unknown is purgatory. It also has connections to the past, things that are forgotten or, well, unknown! In the pilot, it is described as a place within the clouded anals of history- a place spread across time, but neither in life nor death. It is a place between life and death, but also a place between past and present.

[@luciakarnetova281]

"our bygone burdens, mere echoes of the spring" spring symbolises life, which means "our bygone burdens, mere echoes of our lives before we died"

[@whitelemonade5590]

YAS YOU DID COME BACK TO IT I LOVE YOU

[@MichaelZola]

This was a pretty cool theory for this animation. Thanks a lot for studying this series and sharing your thoughts!

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+Michael Zola No problem! More to come!

[@marshallmiller7133]

I like the science videos, but these ones are really cool too. Keep up the good work :)

[@terromino]

Amazing videos, smooth voice, nice editing, a MatPat reference, I could not have asked for more !

[@raccoon5963]

When he says "I was never any good to him alive either" I believe he knows he used to be no good to him but is changing and is being good to him, not that he thinks or knows hes dead

[@Aengus42]

You don't need to explain yourself Trey. It feels like, over the years, I've grown to know enough about you to value your input on such a multitude of subjects that I'm more than happy to follow you into subjects I might never have looked at on my own. Go for it mate! And stuff the moaners! 😎

[@BeenLittyy]

But then, what is the Beast? I think the Beast is the supernatural being that represents the "burden" or perhaps "death" itself. Greg and Wirt escaped the Beast by overcoming their fears and keeping hope. Remember, the Beast preys on the "lost and the meek", or the hopeless. So, Greg and Wirt, by staying hopeful, and staying strong, defeated the Beast, and won back their young lives. So why didn't the others get reborn? They had excepted their "lot in life", or "burdens", and had stayed in the afterlife as they had submitted to the fear of the Beast. This is seen by how SO many of the characters already know and fear the Beast, and some have even chosen to align with the Beast, like Adelaide and initially the Woodsman. Thus, it can be seen that the Unknown is indeed the afterlife, and the Beast is some form of Demon, or Hell-based being, who feeds off the hopeless souls who haven't made their way to acceptance and Heaven. Anyway, though, AMAZING VIDEO. You have made such a great theory

[@BeenLittyy]

Lol, didn't watch the 2nd part of the video, sorry

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Thanks man!

[@HitByTime]

Didn't hope hold the Woodsman captive? So, how did it help the children? It is clear in the series that the Beast's existence (Burden, Death as you say) depends on keeping the Woodsman's lantern lit (Hope). In this sense, the two concepts (darkness and hope) are intertwined and one cannot exist without the other. Wirt faces a typical coming-of-age situation. He has a gentle and romantic soul, but he tends to overthink things and ultimately cannot deal with his problems in a straightforward manner. So, he comes to a point where he has to face his fears (Beast). The choice given to him is to submit to the darkness of the Unknown with a little shimmer of hope (lantern). That would mean that he knows that the darkness is there, but he just keeps hope on life and that things will eventually work out, as much as the Woodsman does, blindly. However, Wirt decides to reject both concepts: darkness and hope. He realizes that this dual way of thinking will not help him to deal with his problems. He has no interest in consuming his life with existential dilemmas, as they don't affect his immediate well-being. He faces his fears head-on by rejecting their premises. Thus he welcomes Greg's childish/free way of thinking, as it is the one that eventually makes sense when it comes to one's happiness. To me, this is the most astounding fact of the series: that all thoughts tend to consume us as we overthink them. Holding on a single thought or emotion in our minds can trigger their counter products. It is only by freeing our mind from such dualities that we may eventually live a meaningful life.

[@kitty3999]

Doesn't the beast remind anyone of the Cerberus? Three headed dog (though sometimes not always claimed to have three heads) and would stop anyone from entering the underworld that doesn't need to be there yet? And wont let anyone leave? And was probably trying to stop them. And if it wasveil from the real world and spirit world it might make some sense. Just an idea, is all XD

[@cassie4373]

I honestly think that "the Beast" is not death, but the devil because HE TURNS FREAKING PEOPLE INTO TREES ! Then they are in Hell because they lost hope, so DON'T LOSE HOPE ! (If you do go into "the Unknown")

[@stealthpiglet1007]

i love shows like this with secret meanings and cool animation. I've found the whole series online, gonna watch it tonight. thanks for bringing this show to light man.

[@TREYtheExplainer]

No prob ;)

[@necrogem6405]

2022 and counting towards a true Halloween classic.

[@arookiephotographer9930]

I've watched mostly all videos on over the garden wall but this video filled my soul.!!

[@iincandescentt]

i love this series it pulled at my heart strings to the point to where i cried at the very last chapter it was a beautiful master piece with a great story line and a lesson to learn which is to never lose hope.

[@Viva_Cynefin]

You really need to do these again they are really good and entertaining. ^^

[@someonenamedben2837]

Now the only question is why wirt and greg went back to life while everyone else went back to heaven?

[@sowilo1324]

This video did a great job at explaining a theory of what the Unknown really is, thank you TREY the Explainer. Although I agree with most points made, there are two points that i kind of disagree on. One of which is saying that Mrs. Langtree is lamenting after her lover left her, since her to-be husband, Jimmy brown, was only missing for three days before Wirt and Greg find the school. If, however, she is dead with a severe case of heartache, then what task did she have to overcome in order to get to her heaven? Her sadness is healed by Jimmy coming back and explaining his absence. The second point that maybe I'm just being a little picky about but I feel needs mentioning is that when Wirt said that he was "never" good to Greg might just mean that he knows he didnt treat Greg well and intends to change that.

[@MageOfBlood]

The symbol on Quincey's headstone is actually a pretty popular design for a certain time period. Early settlers in the Americas I believe? I could be wrong. There is another KZbinr that goes over that design specifically, as well as the evolution of the design and why it was so popular. "Ask A Mortician" is her channel I believe.

[@nomdeplume8733]

Trey, thank you so much for your videos about OTGW. This is the second video I understood completely (right after your vid 'bout 15 things about OTGW) and it's really cool to me, as English is not my native language. I did it! I feel how my skill increases and you had your role in it. Anyway, this video almost made me cry because I love OGTW as much as you do and you helped me to realize that was actually happen there, in the Unknown. It was kinda sad, but... that's great. Thank you again and sorry for my bad English.

[@WillZill]

AHHHHHHHHH MY FAVORITE SHOW IS 5 YEARS OLD

[@bruhdon4748]

Over the garden wall will always easily be in my top 5 favourite cartoons of all time, it will never drop out of the top five.

[@s.rnohbody3068]

So then is the Cloud Town that Greg "dreamed" of in episode 8 is Heaven and thus the Cloud Queen (or whatever her title was) is God? I think I'm down with that, cool.

[@TREYtheExplainer]

I like your reasoning!

[@phancoom1087]

It was the beast speaking to him in his sleep in my opinion.

[@nikkoa.3639]

Modded T Bruh same

[@phancoom1087]

I'm constantly trying to understand this show, it seems to make alot of sense out of little sense.

[@PeturMag]

An amazing explanation... this show is extrotinery. I was watching the series and this with my kids. 13y and 15y... they were blown away, and so was I. I will be checking out your other content as well... I'm a huge Dino nutter myself so this is a godsend. Thank you so much, and keep up the good work! *subbed

[@satan.2523]

I first saw this show randomly at Legoland, this show made me obsessed with it. I wonder why they don't make it anymore. I love this show and I totally agree with you!

[@isabella3971]

Lacefishu :D It was always going to be a mini-series, since the beggining, because Patrick McHale, the creator, visioned the idea that way. (Sorry for the english)

[@daylight44492]

you have inspired me so much over the past year, i finally know what i know what i want to do with my life, paleontology. thank you so much for the amazing videos, keep it up! :)

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Thank you!

[@KowOneOhTwo]

"Old Scratch" is a named that's been used to describe the devil.

[@valentinfejes]

Thanks for the video! We've waiting for this so long. :-D

[@christosdoesthings]

an evil chocolate maker that lives in the walls.

[@cuu899]

i love the show so much... but when i see this video, i just..... love it even more and more, and i dont want to stop

[@dslylsd]

amazing

[@dumpnutz756]

My friend showed me this show about a week ago and it is by far one of the best shows i have ever watched!

[@spencerlacy1602]

Nice work man. It would be nice if you did more videos on animation more often, though of course science and paleontology are great as well!

[@infectedpotato117]

one thing that a lot of people look over - the last song that plays mentions the 'loveliest lies of all'. i feel that the happy ending never happened. wirt and greg died in that lake. the narrator mentions "so there, you have your story and your happy ending." i think theyre still stuck there, or they moved on to the afterlife. your burdens to bear part i think is spot on. once their burden us lifted, they move on. only thing is that it goes against "the loveliest lies of all". another commenter mentioned that they went into limbo due to Halloween being the "day where spirits and the living are the closest".

[@ddude081]

I just have one question, great theory, but if the unknown is really purgatory how are there antagonistic characters like dog or Adelaide, or even Lorna. Purgatory is a place of waiting it really isn't a place of evil.

[@iresseivanov4100]

Idk, but I don't think they're was antagonist characters. Maybe Adelaide died from cold alone, she seems to be old in the Unknown anyway. And maybe that's why she really needs desperatelly someone to stay with her and that would make sense why is she so afraid of night and cold. The dog it's just an animal who died from starving and that's why he is turbate in the afterlife. After he gets food he's good because maybe that was his unfinished business? Idk about Lorna tho. She's not bad, just something inside her seems to be. Maybe she killed herself because of depression and in the afterlife she fights with that monster inside of her, the one who was there even when she was alive. In afterlife she's trying to be always bussy so she won't think about it. Also it seems she's not really aware about that monster inside of her, about her thoughts, because she's not warnning the two brothers about the danger. So they aren't really antagonists, they just have a bigger burden like fear of abandon, or depression, or the fear of starving to death? Idk, that's just my theory and I'm sorry if this respons it's not very well written but English is not my first language and I'm really trying to do better.

[@melinakorovessi713]

Or maybe the nine lives could also mean she wishes that she had more chances with him

[@brianmcgalem5271]

Amazing 👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻great synopsis my college professor would give you an A

[@TREYtheExplainer]

Thank you!

[@agnel47]

I'm binge watching these.

[@QuinSkew]

They're not dead, they went into a parallel dimension

[@ghost8974]

no they were dying. they went into a parallel dimension that is purgatory

[@mikeylp6832]

Tray makes the best videos I've been waiting for this one especially

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+michael pichardo Thanks man! Me too!

[@dwoll8337]

I really want to watch Over the Garden Wall, but it's never on

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+Nether Lord Dwoll You can buy it on Itunes and Amazon and on DVD.

[@dwoll8337]

I know, but I'm broke

[@revel8683]

Broke but - still has a computer and Internet. Just search on Google and you'll find streaming sites

[@arrowhead5217]

Lol just look it up on KZbin what

[@dwoll8337]

There are no full episodes on KZbin, and if there was they probably would be taken down very quickly.

[@sku111ine]

that small conusive game theory ref was priceless XD good job ^^

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+sku111ine Thank you!

[@anonymousmystery82]

i disagree with this theory... I believe the unknown is what it is named, the unknown. the woodsman told the kids to escape the unknown, but this advice nearly turned them into trees. The woodsman himself carries an lantern, something that gave him knowledge and hope, the knowledge of sight, and the hope of having his daughter back. The woodsman was trying to escape the unknown, by having the sight of it. Everyone Wirt and Greg met had knowledge of some kind of thing. Beatrice had the knowledge of Adelaide being able to cure her family. Lorna had the knowledge of her being a demon. Aunt Whispers had the knowledge of work and the bell could postpone the demon inside Lorna. The Frogs had the knowledge of going somewhere. Wirt and Greg had the knowledge of where to go (Adelaide's home). Adelaide had the knowledge of darkness and The Beast. Etc. When Wirt and Greg fixed their problems, they had no more knowledge left, so they went blindly further into the unknown, leading to their eternal happiness. Even Adelaide was fixed of her knowledge, and while she appeared to be destroyed, i believe she turned into smoke, the embodiment of physical darkness, this was when she learned that the darkness betrayed her, turned her into smoke (it was night outside, yet the darkness let the little sunshine upon her...). The woodsman was cured of his knowledge by having the lantern put out, destroying his hope and knowledge. This lead them to accept fate and the world, and wander without knowledge, wander with nothing, no knowledge of escape, no knowledge of anything, relieving them of all pain, if you accept the world and everything about it no matter what is happening or will happen, you will always be happy... Now it is the land of the dead, and i feel it was both heaven and Hell. They didn't ascend to heaven, they discovered it, by realizing that the knowledge they had held them back from eternal happiness. That when they let go of it, everything changed for the better. The woodsman (under the influence of the lantern) cut down the trees, the trees of life, the trees of nothing. For the knowledge it would keep the lantern lit, unknowingly he was causing the greatest destruction and pain in the unknown, the destruction of the unknown, for knowledge. When that happened, he was destroying souls, painless souls, being brought back to life, to be crushed into the light, the light of eternal knowledge. This is supported by the song "Come Wayward Souls", with the lyrics "sorrow and fear are easily forgotten when you submit to the soil of the earth" this led them to be turned into the knowledge of the forest, painless, yet they are reawakened from their horrific fate, to be eternally with the light of the lantern... Now let's get to the big question, what is The Beast? I do not believe he is the devil, as when you see his true form, he was created by the hopelessness of the unknown, the lantern's light. His soul is the light everyone sees, the illusion of sight. Everyone who ever used the lantern, relied on it to get around everywhere. The Beast is merely the suffering of the knowledge of the lantern, he only wants to live on. He is the embodiment of knowledge in the unknown, which he would use to lure others to use the knowledge, to eventually feel their knowledge will never let them escape, The Beast was able to feed off that hopelessness by turning them to wood, whom the wielders of the lantern gave their souls to the essence of knowledge, light. Knowledge brings despair and hopelessness. Now my biggest question is why didn't The Beast wield the lantern? I believe he can't. The Beast is seen with glowing eyes, so he knows where he is going, so he has the knowledge of sight, plus he is the embodiment of hopelessness, his soul is the opposite. Knowledge brings hopelessness by hope being destroyed, while The Beast literally is hopelessness embodied. So when hopelessness meets hope, it destroys hopelessness, destroying The Beast's physical form... EDIT: The strangest mystery of the entire mini-series was the line "dancing in a swirl of golden memories, the loveliest lies of all". Now this is not the proof the boys are dead, as the lies were "memories" and that would be the present afterlife. So the boys are alive, and i think this line might mean the journey into the unknown. A recurring theme are lies, here are some copied from reddit... The Woocutter's daughter wasn't dead Beatrice was lying about helping the boys (in the beginning) Autnie Whisper's niece wasn't really as sweet as she first appeared the beast was lying to the woodcutter the entire time, and tried to pull the same act on Wirt These are interesting, another thing is the whole fact that the entire trip in the unknown happened, and didn't happen. They retained memories and physical scars (bell in Greg's Frog's belly) but the entire time they were drowning. This brings up a strange mystery that shows the paranormal side of the unknown. These are the lovely lies, as they happened, didn't happened, and never will happen, yet made Wirt a better man, brought him closer to Greg, taught Greg valuable lessons within life (especially deception), and many other things...

[@tylerfish2701]

Wow. Just, wow. That is deep.

[@Iisratty]

Idk how to spell her name but the teachers song when she says “ I wish I had 9 lives like that one” probably means she wants to go back to that time in her life when he was there. Maybe her burden was trying to get back to that live, she wants to be loved again but can’t because her burden was being lonely and without anyone.

[@thejurassicman661]

I love your videos and more. keep up

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+Toy Red Rex (Dinosaur Kingdom) Thanks man!

[@girolamoesposito6131]

I'm glad you decided to use still images this time, it's much more pleasing to the eye.

[@zaheershaikh6879]

+TREY the Explainer Did you just say that your next scientific video is gonna focus on Godzilla?! AWESOME!

[@Formoka]

Great video. Thanks for the Game Theory joke at the end, it cracked me up.

[@candycatthirtyfour2199]

A potter's field: Burial of the Unknown. Unknown? Could this be the link to the series?!

[@tsivtsivtsiv]

Thank you so much for this video! I love over the garden wall so much!

[@realkirby6294]

This reminds me of Angel Beats;-;

[@mikei6605]

lol I was thinking the same thing.

[@netcatfulful]

it's a pleasure to listen to you Trey.

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+Lorenzo Amati Thanks!

[@Mikeanglo]

LIMBO The animated series.

[@Helvedear]

This was real good man, I believe the unknown is hell as well.

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+Wow Elijah Doesn't give a damn ;) That's next video!

[@user-lj2mp9qu8v]

Can you do more of Gravity falls?

[@mymovies9172]

...

[@TREYtheExplainer]

+Steadman Blake Dude, don't be immature. In the video I talk about how I will make a science video THIS WEEK.

[@heresp219]

+Steadman Blake you do realize that trey also is human. not some thing that does one thing and one thing only.

[@mymovies9172]

+pokelanders Cordero I'm aware of that, I've just been waiting for so long. I did try to watching this video, but I quickly got bored of it. No hard feelings. But since you said next week a theory video will come out about dinosaurs, I'll definitely wait for it, and I will take away my dislike on this video.

[@heresp219]

Steadman Blake​ yeah can feel I was waiting for a Dinosaur theory too.

[@backonja7255]

Dude, this is the first video of your's I'm watching aaaaand I learn your regular videos are about Paleontology?! HELL YEAH BRO!!!

[@leviponce7730]

also this episode is a lot like the limbo episode of a show called space dandy I recommended its really good

[@nikkoa.3639]

Levi Ponce Space dandy is about limbo? the explains all the dying

[@persephoneblack888]

I think another big hint is that big pumpkin dude who asks Wirt if he wants to stay in his town. Wirt declines and he says, "well, you'll be here soon at any rate" (I think that was in Potts Field). Also, I think Wirt and Greg are from the 80s to mid 80s. The police car, the costumes, the casette tapes. They all remind me of the 80s.