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pandorasboxoftreasures · 1 year

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Ok I know I’m not just overthinking this so hear me out : RECOM QUARITCH SPLIT-BRAIN THEORY

(aka “Colonel Sméagol”)

Avatar has its eye symbolism, right? “I see you?” Waking up from dreams, etc...

But has anybody else noticed this? It’s been bothering me since my first watch.

It’s to do with Recom Quaritch’s eyes and how they are highlighted from scene to scene and character perspective to character perspective and what that implies for which Quaritch has primary or dominant control at each given moment, the implanted one (Human) or the innate one (Na’vi).

Ritch when following the programming from his implanted memories (mostly noticeable when he has his PTSD moments, repeats routines that the human Ritch did like drinking coffee and squad briefings, observes things of interest to the implanted personality and goes berserker or highly emotional), left eye in clear light and/or focus, right eye in shadow or hidden.

Ritch when deviating from his programming and thinking individually (Mostly noticeable when he’s interacting with Spider or contemplating his next moves or observing and interacting with his environment through Na’vi enhanced senses/technically new eyes), right eye in clear light and/or focus, left eye in shadow or hidden.

They have full damn control over the lighting and it doesn’t fully follow the lighting directions from the same scenes or sometimes even shots and in many ways the opposite eye is considerably darker than ambient lighting without additional stylistic control would have it be. There’s no way these are accidental. Same goes for the composition.

There’s a symbolism here. There has to be. Maybe highlighting that there’s two people or halves of them in his head fighting for equilibrium or supremacy and they can each have turns taking over as well as working together as one (which is when we see barely any difference in how the eyes are lit or shown or they match the ambient lighting accurately the other exceptions being from the perspectives of characters who are unaware or couldn’t care less about which Quaritch is which). But also indicating that he may have a sort of split-brain but for personality. Two consciousnesses sharing one brain. One in each cerebral hemisphere.

Interestingly the main key behavioural differences between Recom Ritch and Human Ritch most noticeable so far when you watch them closely, are in aspects of the brain (regulation and comprehension of speech and language, working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition, abstract reasoning, selecting specific actions in a list of possible actions, mediation of decision making, reorienting of attention, collecting and processing environmental information among many demonstrated) that belong to the left hemisphere that controls the right side of the body and therefore the right eye.

It gets better...

WHICH SIDE OF THE BRAIN GOT DAMAGED WHEN HUMAN RITCH GOT WRECKED BY THAT VIPERWOLF SO BAD IT WENT THROUGH THE GODDAMN BONE?!

THE RIGHT SIDE THAT CONTROLS THE LEFT EYE!!!

EYWA, YOU NEON MACHIEVELLIAN CHAD DID YOU SEND THAT DOGGO AFTER MILES QUARITCH SENIOR FOR A TARGETED LOBOTOMY KNOWING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?!

Now, with this hypothesis in mind, what can we do with it?

Look at each scene to determine who is who when, of course. If that left eye is like a street light take note that you’re likely dealing with the implant. If the right eye has it, it’s probably the innate, if it’s both, neither or barely noticeable, you’re looking at them in equilibrium or near enough.

Taking all that into consideration (again it is just a theory for now I will have to take notes next time I watch from beginning to end like I have every time since I started getting suspicious of this but now I have even more research and possible context behind it), who has Kiri by the throat, who has a gun to Lo’ak’s head, who is telling Jake Neteyam “didn’t have to die”, and who lets Kiri go to save Spider?

It also opens up the possibility if this is a hint towards future events (unlikely but again who knows) THAT THERE’S TECHNICALLY WAYS TO ERASE THOSE IMPLANTED MEMORIES AND PERSONALITY AND GIVE FULL CONTROL TO THE INNATE OR THE IMPLANT because people can still function mostly if not completely normally with a lot of parts of their brains removed or disabled.

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BONUS: Another interesting thing to see that I’m following up with and taking notes on is whether Ritch is left or right handed or a combination of both. Because that is very difficult to actually determine and also has additional possible implications.

Stephen Lang can deliberately play a left-handed character. James Cameron is left-handed. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that it could be a deliberate choice and I need to check through both movies again to see any signs of it.

I’ll keep putting examples and further delvings and discussions under #quaritch split brain theory if people want to go deeper into this with me or follow along.

I might even make some memes with it, who knows?

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