Though The Board and Former are definitely really creepy entities, they have some of the most interesting interactions in the game. Like that time talking to Former and it just pauses before saying "No". Or The Board getting mad about Jesse taking the other power but then basically saying okay we'll let it slide this time. Whatever they are is probably beyond our comprehension but they seem kinda childish and petty most of the time.
Personally I kind of like the fact they are petty entities. One of the reasons I enjoyed Greek Mythology so much is because the gods behaved so human. They would start wars on earth for petty reasons and were emotional and chaotic.
@@GamingUniversityUoG interesting to see how the polytheistic greek religion features gods who act as cautionary tales (dont act as foolish as this god did) while in christianity God is beyond human judgment and the cautionary tales involve humans and supernatural beings not following HIS WiLL instead of being the subject of caution himself. Pretty interesting.
@@alexterieur8813 I'd say it's a difference in terms of the entity or God you are referring to. I've always had a fascination with different religions, maybe because I'm Christian myself, but there's an interesting thread we could look at here. In all mythologies or religions, we're looking at beings who can cross dimensions or exist inside and outside of them. If we apply this idea to Control, we could argue that the "gods" (the Board) are those entities. The closer they are to the human plane, the more similar they become or perhaps share traits with us. Aka, the Greek gods could be seen as petty and act like children who wield an incredible amount of power. They can become corrupted by it. Then you look at Fomer who is an inbetween because he/she/it is an entity that has trouble communicating with Jesse, but seems clearly on a different plane entirely. Then if you look at Judeo-Christianity, there are different levels of angels where the ones furthest from humans (like the Ophanim, wheels with eyes all over) don't resemble anything human at all. That entity would be incomprehensible to us or the humans in Control. Ie. Therefore Yahweh is the same in that, unlike the Greeks, He's very different so hard to relate to a Being existing outside of time and within it at all different points in time at once. Where Jesse is involved, the Board seems to try to come across as somewhat relatable, but the mask slips and we see they are something of a management team what isn't doing the best job. They've lost sight of how to serve and only serve themselves. Ahti, on the other hand, whom humans interpret as a Finnish god, is an entity that instead becomes the most important. He isn't just cleaning the foundation and universe: he's keeping it running. All those tasks he sends Jesse on are really training for the important stuff and teaching her how to serve others instead of herself. I like the theme that just because something seems menial, doesn't mean it isn't a crucial task.
Loved this theory! The whole thing about the board creating the cave paintings to deceive about it’s history is really creepy. I also loved the editing of the video, it adds a lot of atmosphere.
That bit about the cave paintings took me a while to piece together. But considering we have seen Northmoor alter official documents to remove mention of the foundation, using these paintings to alter history makes sense too. And thanks! It seemed like a fun idea. A community member Yellow Bat helped me with the extra editing. Turned out good!
During my playthrough, I thought the cave paintings were drawn by Bureau agents shortly after arriving due to compulsion from the Board or Northmoor, and that it was covered up by Northmoor because of his strong belief / worship of the Board. But it makes more sense that the Board put them there (likely through those automatons) to cultivate more "food" from the new arrivals like you said.
Another thing worth mentioning is that it's heavily hinted that the board can control astral spikes, like in the foundation, one of which damages Marshall's protective vest which gets her infected by the hiss. Another astral spike can be found in the records department in the panopticon, destroying bureau documents. I feel like the board is trying to erase a time when the bureau operated without them. Also there's a file in the foundation that outright says that the house's lay lines (like from the control points) all lead down to the nail. And the nail is sucking up energy from the house. I'm also really curious about the locks/keys you have to undo in the foundation. Which are stone slabs with the symbol of yggdrasil carved onto them, which is also used to symbolize the house. Once you destroy all 4 slabs, the former makes it's way into our plane. Makes me wonder if either the former or the board are good for the house. Also what about the fallen department in the foundation? The game says that the foundation doesn't shift like the house does, which makes me feel like the department was brought down intentionally by the board.
But wasnt the nail protecting the oldest house by interfering with the astral plane leaking into the oldest house/our dimension? Wouldnt that make the Oldest House and the Board a symbiotic relationship rather than a parasitic one? Or maybe the Astral plane leaking into the Oldest House is actually a good thing/the way it’s supposed to be?
My thought was that the Oldest House shifted them the department there to remove the nail, guiding them to it by growing crystals on the incorrect paths. I doubt the Former would have the power to affect crystal growth. On the other hand, the Board was actively killing the agents with ID/spikes. Maybe a shift like that just uses too much energy for the House, or it would keep doing this if not for the control points.
the former, board and the house relationship is just like humans with mother nature i think. the former and the current resident of the board is just like 2 opposing humans, they both are destroying the house, they are the parasite. none of them is good this actually makes a great point for a next game, maybe the humans is the next parasite, destroying both the former and the board, and sucking all the energy from the house for themself. the house (mother nature) will become unstable and broken, and that will lead to the actual armageddon that has been mentioned in a lot of religions
Controls lore is insane. I love how deep it goes and the world it builds if you read the collectables. Reminds me of Elder scrolls, Fallout, Assassins screed or Dishonored/Arcane games. Where the Devs built a whole universe that is well thought out and makes sense. Remedy definitely did a great job with Control.
This makes me rethink the role of the Hiss a lot. Sure, they wanted absolute dominance, but they didn't require worship, they simply conquered like Ghengis Khan and forced obedience. The Board are far more insidious and makes me wonder if they are the root of all the problems in the Remedy-verse. I also wonder about Polaris. Is she really her own entity that Jesse can trust implicitly, or just another insidious agent of the Board. Perhaps she is a Board member herself?
Dylan definitely implies that Polaris may have her own ulterior motives. But I wonder if he is referring to Polaris or Hedron. And yeah the Hiss acts more like a Virus then anything. No thought in their head. Just infect and spread. The Board being a conscious and thinking group of entities that manipulate and plan. Heartless mentality versus Xehanort mentality if you catch the Kingdom Hearts reference.
I don't think that Polaris is an actual being, more like a power which is passed from an entity to others. Max Derrat thught it could be a representation of the jungian Self (just like the Dark Presence is the jungian Shadow): check his video about it. I think it is more a force that leads living beings towards elinghtement and self-enhancement. This power can give knowledge to humans ("The resonance showed me things"-Darling), and Jesse created a persona, "Polaris", as a way to better interact with this knowledge. Polaris was actually Jesse all along, as she appears in the Motel. The problem is that now the Board could have the power of this resonance/magic sound of creation too.
The fact that they former is enshrouded in darkness and uses a light type eye to see intrigues me especially given the fact Foundation immediately precedes AWE. The pyramid being black doesn't feel coincedental, especially not when you consider the resurgence of Alan Wake and Mr. Scratch. Remedy has an interesting focus on light and dark. I hope we will at least get easter eggs to control on Alan Wake 2.
I think the Board is afraid that humans will become as powerful as them. They keep up the illusion that they are all knowing, but if the collective consciousness can feed them and give power to objects through a focal point, then humans can gain that power too. It's probably why Jesse is so strong, the whole bureau worships her as a savior. One day, Jesse will be as strong as a Board member.
Ooh interesting! You do become able to increase her powers after completing feats/missions/objectives, which boasts her popularity/fame/adoration from the Bureau.
I had a thought kinda parallel to this a while ago now. I don't remember the details anymore, but I remember picking up on something while playing Control. It just kept bugging me until I realized that it was the Oldest House itself- It's alive, it has a personality and it talks to you. It just only speaks through "body language." Like I said, I don't remember exactly how I got the idea anymore but I do remember I just started realizing the House was reacting to things instead of just changing randomly. After a while I kinda got a feel for the House's "personality" to a point where I could tell when it was "pleased" or "stressed" and it was always, obviously, stressed around The Hiss. All this time I thought that's where it ended- Just a really deep detail that doesn't mean much but makes the world feel that much more real. But now after watching this and thinking about it again, I'm suddenly realizing that the Oldest House doesn't like the Board either. As a matter of fact, it hates them.
Interesting. That is a cool theory. This reminds me of the Fears from The Magnus Archives. Basically, human's fear was nourishment for these entities/gods. By creating encounters with these Fears... humans are feed to them often by formerly human Avatars. The Fears are basically parasites but they lack the slight foresight of the Board. So, they are often just as vulnerable to their Avatars shims as their need to feed. I was fascinated by the World building in the The Magnus Archives but it is a tragedy podcast so I eventually decided it was better for my health to just let it go... but I think you would find it fascinating GU!
Never heard of it before. I'd definitely take a look at it. Definitely reminds me of aspects of Gnostic tradition with the Archontic Sect. These beings that feed off human misery. If you are interested in The Fears in that podcast I'd recommend checking out some parts of Gnosticism.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I have in fact looked into Gnosticism! But I hadn't looked into that particular sect. I will take a peek. And the Magnus Archives have all their seasons up on playlists here on youtube
@@GamingUniversityUoG the podcast actually touches on Gnosticism quite a bit in connection with the fear called the Flesh. I definitely believe you would enjoy the podcast, especially the final two seasons
when you talk to Ahti about 'the janitor's assistant' position he mentions that the House has a 'vermin problem.' at the time we assume he meant the Hiss, but what if he also meant the Board as well? on another topic: the board's demands for loyalty and Director Trench. He had a family once, and then 'he brought his work home' and his daughter sickened from a paranatural ailment. what if that was given to her deliberately by the Board to sever his link to anything outside of the Bureau and Them?
I definitely think there is a lot of vermin in the house that needs to be taken care of. Paranatural and human. I don't see evidence that trenches daughter was harmed by the board through. Could be any number of things.
Thought-provoking and interesting! Control, and several other games, interacts with and creatively incorporates many psychological concepts that gets the mental gears turning. I always appreciate the ways in which you elaborate on them in detail! Keep it up!
Quality content, as usual. I wonder if the Board somehow drove Trench to his end, seeing as unlike Northmoor he was reticent to be bonded with OoPs and therefore represented a potential hindrance to their position. One might wonder why drive Trench to unleashing the Hiss, a similar entity that relies upon worship and a repeated mantra for power, but I think the Board might have thought itself powerful enough to oust the Hiss without issue. Of course that proved to be incorrect, especially as perhaps Hedron was also working its own angle, perhaps in cahoots with Ahti and the OH. So lots of things to explore in CONTROL 2 (should that ever be a thing...) I wonder if Former was bonded with the Fridge and the Flamingo far earlier than you thought. Especially as the Fridge probably made its home building collapse when contact was broken, leading to its connection being deepened by the traumatic focussed worship, and the Flamingo seemed to alter the weather...
I'm pretty sure the Hiss is what drove Trench to open the floodgates for them. I'm still not sure on if The Board executed Trench for this or if his sense of guilt let him to a self inflicted act. The only reason my hypothesis has the Former linking to the Fridge and Flamingo within the last few weeks is because in the 'Altered Item Behavioral Changes' document it is mentioned that these two had changes to their altered effect a few weeks past. The fridge didn't require it before and the flamingo only controlled the weather. Somehow they did me things and I presume this lined up with the former taking them over.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I suppose. It's just that the Fridge was stared at with such intensity by its grieving owner. And what with the Former being intrinsically linked with eyes, watching and intense focus it all seems too directed for it to not be connected. Unless, perhaps the Fridge becoming altered perhaps led to Former's creation, like in Black and White where the player character god is created through prayer. If so it would answer the question where the Board come from and why they're linked to the OpPs...
Heyyy, incredible theory!!! The oldest house it's always besn strange, especially the foundation. The oldest house has always been on earth while hidden from everyone and seems to be "closer" to the astral plane. I love to think it as the umbilical scar of the planet, tho it's mostly headcanon.
Thanks a bunch! One tin foil that theory of mine is the dark depths beneath the Foundation lead to the Dark Place. Jesse mentions this place seems older than the House and asks, "What's older than oldest?" Well the state before creation which the Dark Place encompasses. We have seen it used by Zane to create baby universes.
I think one of the most mysterious facets of Control thus far is humanity’s understanding of anomalous items BEFORE discovering the Oldest House and by extension, The Board. The FBC has gained knowledge from this contact for certain, but how directed has that knowledge been, and how useful was the knowledge they already had before making the Oldest House their HQ?
We know they had acquired s few Altered Items and reported it before the oldest house. First we see is the third Item logged which was found 10 years before that found the house. Most likely they worked out of a standard government building. One lite building thing I noticed though is how many previous directors there were. If there have been three in the last 70 years we see portraits for about 25-30 ones before that. Must be going back a long way. Possibly they changed every 2-4 years with political changes. After the House they retained the position much longer.
100% agree. What I think would be cool is have an in universe book come out about the Ordinary AWE. Kind of like how Clay Steward wrote the Alan Wake files which expanded the Alan Wake game. Jesse mentioned in post game how only she knows what really happened in Ordinary and thought about writing it all down after the Hiss situation was done. That would be a perfect meta universe way to do it.
Man, it all feels correct! Makes me feel like I’m spoiled for the next game. Now I wonder what the role of Hiss is in these events. Can it be a tool for Board or Former to make people worship them since it possesses their minds? Not sure...
The hiss is always posed as something unexpected and dangerous to the board, but it also implies that the hiss might make its way to the astral plane. The board calls the anstral plane a "switchboard" from wich the hiss might spread. Its likely that the board have some elements rhat link them and the hiss, but i sont expect the hiss to be an agent under something elses control, more a rogue element
I think it is heavily implied that Alan unleashed the Hiss in order to give Jesse a crisis to deal with. One that with initiated her and brought her closer to him. One big mystery is why did the board allow the hiss to infect the Nail. It caused Jesse to use Polaris resonance on the Nail. But what did this achieve for them?
@@GamingUniversityUoG perhaps the hiss and polaris, being creations of alan, was beyond the boards control or understanding, and forcing polaris to interract offered the board the oportunity to study and perhaps in future replicate such powers. also marshall blowing up the nail was somewhat unexpected i beleive, but might also have been part of a more elaborate plan to experience both hiss and polaris
@@GamingUniversityUoG: I'd think that either the Hiss is a direct threat to The Board and could directly consume them, or is an indirect threat to The Board and to The Former because they render humans incapable of giving astral entities the attention they need to feed on and sustain themselves.
I really liked this theory. Kinda blows what i had in mind out of the water. My theory was the borad is either old directors or those "former" entities. (Or both) Emily did ask a great question in the beginning of the game. "How does the borad retire a director and how is that determined." I think emily was onto something when she brought it up, with the idea of the collective thought, the voices you hear over the speakers in the game could be the evidence of emilys collective thought idea and the borad having a subconscious mind or multiple minds. That the voices your hearing are individuals/old directors who ascended to the borad but clearly some of them became corrupted by the hiss. Showing more evidence the borad itself is corrupted by hiss but at the same time shows evidence maybe theres more than one mind channeling through the borad. I think the borad is literally connected to the oldest house in the sense it binds our reality. For example, the black pyramid represents our reality of which we know, but the red pyramid shows an alternative dimension or reality that conflicts with our dimension. (This is also slightly brought up in ash's files when maybe he brings up mabel.) That we dont want our black pyramid to turn upside down or red. But that's the problem and possibly why theres still a lockdown, the borad could be good and just trying to tell us its sick because a couple of individual's messed up the ritual. (I'll explain that theory in a minute) or the formers are parasites sucking on the borad but someone or an old director locked them up. Only to have some dumbass come along and unlock the parasites. I think that dumbass was ash. Jr. I think ash jr made friends with 13 parasites and let them out of whatever prison they were in. Hence why the borad all of the sudden wanted to get in touch with noorthmore and hand him a gun. The borad probably asked noorthmore to stop ash jr from breaking out parasites, maybe he was successful but at the cost of getting infected himself before ascending to the borad. Or Then the idea on the formers, I believe the formers were two directors who maybe cheated there way into becoming director. (Super theory on trench and why there was an investigation on him. I believe trench was scared of the tennsey report because it had evidence he fraudulent scammed his way into becoming director.) That trench and darling were under investigation because trench was having darling install things that helped keep that sercet hidden or the method hidden. Hence like the furnace or containment center. (But then I think of what mr. Bones says in threshold kids "everyone wants the chair meg!" Someone on the team who knew of trench's cheat were probably planning on using the same method to over throw him.) Darling seemed game for the whole thing until he got his report from unhill on the mold/parasites eggs) Darling probably made the connection between the formers and the borad, which made noorthmores crazy ranting not crazy anymore. Maybe northmoor broke a deal off with the borad to be reincarnated as dylan faden because he foresaw the lockdown but someone was hoping to shut him up prementantly. (Hence the threshold kids episode on special minds. Maybe northmoor had the power to take over the mind and bodies of individuals) long story short on this one, I think darling was the betrayer trench was talking about, but trench had already given darling to much borrowed power. But clearly darling messed up the method and ended up somewhere and unhill disappointed she wont be head of research. This is where the borad could be evil, and a liar, maybe they only want those that think like them or are on the same wavelength. That the borad found a way to bring altered items into our world to manipulate the the "smaller minds" into delivering them those special minds.
One thing i like about the board. In the beginning the board speaks in the terms on probably how they spoke to trench. And when they further progress into the game. The board changes their tone with jeese
Just bought American Gods a week ago, and cool to see how these types of media tie together through parallel concepts. Hopefully we get a few glimpses at the Boards influences outside of the oldest house in Alan Wake 2. I’m sure the FBC will be somewhat involved, even if just passingly for the plot.
I'm sure the FBC will show up in some capacity. Agent Estevez being the most likely since she runs the monitoring station at cauldron lake. How are you enjoying the book? I actually read The Anansi Boys first. It is somewhat of a spinoff to American Gods
@@GamingUniversityUoG Haven't started reading yet, it's a little deep in my reading backlog (maybe I'll move it up though). I didn't know there was another spinoff, so I'll check that out if I like it!
I think the key to learning more about The Board is learning more about The Oldest House. What exactly is The Oldest House? We know that it’s alive, Dr. Ash confirms this. It’s said that the House called in the FBC for help but the FBC did nothing. Meaning the house is incapable of defending itself. This brings up another question, why does the house need defending? Why did the board latch itself to the house to begin with? There’s various questions that pops up that we just don’t have the answer to. The house is some sort of entity, that much is clear but what purpose it serves is unknown. So are the boards true intentions. We know for sure that The House and Board are not one, they oppose each other. Meaning the house at the very least is neutral. It doesn’t desire chaos or worship. The board itself does and is a threat, along with the Hiss and yet The Board and The Hiss don’t seem to be connected/on the same side. It all goes back to what exactly is the house and what it’s purpose is.
As far as I can tell the House is a modern representation of the Yggsrasil. That's why it can easily create thresholds to other places because it literally exists in all realities.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Yeah I literally watched your video ‘What Is The Oldest House’ after I commented this. I felt so stupid lol. I don’t know much about Yggdrasil but I just may look into it
The editing was so good! I love this game, its characters, its atmosphere, its mysteries, its lore, and I love this channel, thank you so much for these videos! The Former is the most interesting character to me, I can't wait for Control 2
Egregors and Ritualistic Forms of Worship - absolutely. You are very cleaver for noticing these concepts in the game, for they were not mentioned anywhere. This is why Remedy writers and developers are so incredible. They place such deep and serious concepts into their work of art. It is a pleasure to analyze the world they created. Thank you!
@@GamingUniversityUoG in AWE there a lot of content saying about the Blessed(then suddenly they disapear, not telling if they are dissolved), may me think if they are trying to find where oldest house is, and if eventually they find and put everything at risk again, would be insane playing this
The Hiss broke a lot of the rules of the Control universe, exposing the Board as fallible and their control over the Director as imperfect and I think that they are currently in a state of panic over their inability to absolutely control Jesse. They have created a smart, independently immune lifeform with the powers that could make or break their connection with the mundane world if she so chooses. I suspect that Control 2 will be about Jesse's final ascent to the top of the pyramid and commanding the collective unconsciousness herself. The next step up the ziggurat being, of course Chair of the Board. Given her distrust of authority and her anger at what the Board did to Marshall, it is difficult to imagine what Jesse would do with those levers to influence minds memetically on that level.
Maybe something/someone attracted The Board to the Oldest House using its "power" as bait and trap them, forcing them to feed on it instead of something else.
Mannn. I moved on from control like 6 months ago. Found your videos again last night and was stoked to see you had more theory videos. I just lowered through the last 4 in no time
This is brilliant man but also consider that the board allowed itself to be attacked by the hiss in order to get access to the Polaris power and not be dependent on Jessie. Also the use of the word Abalone by the Former both refers to a creature that finds a shell to live in but also a type of board game perhaps symbolic of the boards plan (also a pun on the word board!)
You mentioned how the new behavior of the Artctic Queen provides constant worship for the Former, but I just realized you can say the same with the Pink Flamingo as well. Having the item constantly teleport people away from it means to cleanse it, Jesse has to ‘chase’ it, making it the sole focus of attention for the duration of the chase.
I generally agree with what you say here. It seems like whatever the Oldest House truly is doesn't like the Board. I'm curious as to whether or not it tolerates Former. In a future Control game I'd love to see The Board bringing back Northmoor in a challenge to, in their eyes, the rogue Jesse.
Honestly one of my Hope's for the sequel is that it involves Northmoor, the board, and the Blessed Organization. It seems like they have to be connected in some way.
@@GamingUniversityUoG BTW, I've been thinking about how gods might work in the Remedy shared universe. Do you think Ahti was a human that became a god/whatever he is, or did he spring into our realm and assume a human form? Because if humans can get elevated to godhood, perhaps that's what Northmoor has become. He's 'Neos Helios' - the new sun.
I had very similar thoughts about the Board after replaying the Foundation dlc. I'm glad to see we had very similar ideas. I'm a fan of Neil Gaiman myself and I made too a similar connection. I would like to discuss a few things: Everything was okay during Northmoor years, he was basically the High Prophet of the Board, but Trench was a problem, he didn't trust them. Actually he didn't like mentioning them. Many information about the Board were censored and hidden. This must have made them angry. I too believe that Chester Bless is working for them, by creating new altered items and starting a cult about the Board (=feeding them). I believe he could be "the Son" mentioned by former. He could be some sort of avatar created by them, maybe by using the little nail. I would like to point out one more thing: during the events of the Foundation DLC, the Nail (and so the Board) were invested with Polaris resonance. Emily said that the Nail should have been immune to the Hiss, and yet Jesse had to purify it. Maybe they let the Hiss infect the Nail on purpose, in order to have some access to the Hedron/Polaris/Jesse resonance and become more powerful.
I feel like Chester Bless is either a Parautilitarian like the Directors of the FBC/Alan Wake/Jesse and Dylan or possibly an Entity like Mr. Scratch. An agent working for these higher powers, to increase their influence and control of the world.
I mean, nothing comes for free. if the board did their stuff out of the goodness of their heart I wouldn't trust them, but giving and taking is in my opinion perfectly fair. considering the superpowers, the oldest house, the Oops, the BlackRock, none of them belong to us and our realm but we still take them and use them, it's only fair to give something back(a form of collective psychic energy for the board). Director Northmoor said something in one of his letters to Ash "we are guests in their home, we should carry ourselves accordingly" and I kinda agree with that, I know we're humans and we always HAVE to be the aggressors, and dominant and take over cuz "we always know better than anyone", but this was kinda refreshing, even though Northmoor was brainwashed! clearly, the blind obedience of the last two directors was wrong, but the pure distrust and borderline hatred of Marshal towards the board were just as wrong. plus what's the alternative? cut them off, and go back to the pre-board era? it was self-serving for them for sure, but you can't deny how much the board has done for the bureau! you can't destroy the nail cuz it'll leak the astral world into our world. you can't starve the board of their worship, cuz they have the power to create and affect objects of power and if they work together they might even be able to cause altered world events, so they'll get their psychic energy feeding one way or another. but the way things are right now, at least they help and guide the bureau in their way. but the alternative is that when we cut them off they will become a force like the Hiss or the darkness or the mold that will invade our world to feed and we'll have to actively fight off, except we won't have all the superpowers, knowledge, tools, and objects of power that an astral plane ally(the board) provides. wouldn't it make sense to have them as a self-serving ally who provides power, than an outright enemy which we have no way of killing at all, especially when those are the only two options? (look at what the former has become, he's straight up supercharging altered items and killing people to be able to feed.) I mean in this world they are already constantly fighting off supernatural crises one after the other and barely saving the world(think about how absolute the hiss is and how miraculously lucky they were to be able to stop it, the same with the mold or darkness), why add another threat to the mix, especially since this one has easy access to our world from Astral plane. Keep your friends close and your mysterious astral plane entities closer!
Good analysis, but I have a question. If the Board and Former are parasites on the House, their actions are likely weakening or harming the House. Since Ahti is the custodian who protects the House from harmful invaders and threats (like the Clog and those spore zombies), then why didn't He try to expel the Board / Former? Why did he leave them alone like the harmless humans from the Bureau? And why didn't he direct Jesse to do the same if they were such threats?
That is a very good question. Honestly I'd have to think on that. I know that the House itself reached out to Dr. Ash in some form or another. How exactly this happened or the details are a mystery. Other than that I'll have to meditate on that further.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Could be Ahti was to tired at this point to deal with them and maybe he is connected to the House so is weaknening or severing the parasite is dangerous for the House as now they are connected.
From what I have seen the only way they can accomplish this is through the ID. The Board was pissed Ash stayed down there so long. But the only action taken was being chased by the ID or having Northmoor strong arm him. Whether the Board didn't take any direct action or COULDN'T take any direct action. Putting on a front that they are more powerful than they really are.
I was rewatching the gameplay of control, now free of this thought about the hiss being an evil, I can see truly that the hiss like Hedron/Polaris has his nature purposes and are not the bad after all, my theory is that, the hiss was trying to get rid the Board but for do that it was necessary eliminate everyone who believes in it (note that Dylan was the one who against the Bureau and was not affected totally changed like the others), who knows what they would do if the board join more and more objects of power and/or altered itens. To stop this menace the hiss finds a portal through one the slides projectors and do all this mess. Maybe control 2 after Alan wake 2 is this trip against the board and maybe Jess listening his brother to fight back them
@@GamingUniversityUoG I'd argue that both the Hiss and Polaris have shown intent and purpose, just inscrutable methodology and reasoning. Both conspired to spread in their own ways, much as the Board has spread its symbol. Perhaps the reason you see them as "instinctual" is that they're the only entities that communicate without subtitles - Jesse converses with Polaris, and receives fractal spiral responses, but we don't know the content. The Board is explicitly vulnerable to Resonance entities - as demonstrated by Dylan and the Hiss, and are also not capable of making use of Polaris' protection: If they could have, they wouldn't have been vulnerable with Jesse as Director. This also means that Jesse, as well as the Hedron and HRA's, represent the same threat to the Board that Dylan did.
When Ahti lets you into the Oldest House he says "If they don't hire you ... There'll be work for the axe. Take them behind the sauna ..." This indicates to me that Ahti works WITH the board, but is not a part of it. Ahti is the caretaker of the Oldest House, and tolerates the presence of the Board, so long as they don't cause him problems. If they become a problem, he can, and will, break out the roach spray. One potential problem with this theory is the Cassette Player. Who are Ahti's Friends, who gave it to him, that it can let anybody bypass the directorial restriction on the Ashtray Maze?
I just finished the game, had a blast throughout the story. Really makes me feel like I'm playing through an SCP tv show, with all the sidemission and character interaction. Also this is a cool concept for a videogame analysis video, making it like a university course of talking more about it. Made me subscribe. Can you do on the topic of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and all the related human and machine evolution of humanity in the next semester, professor?
I'll need to play that game first and probably do a one off on it. I'm always looking for new games to check out for the channel. And yeah Control is basically SCP the game. I'd love to see it get expanded on.
Amorphous entity that can't fully communicate directly with the player characters (the guardians). We can't fully say what they are or what they want. But they've guided the guardians towards events and outcomes. A big question around them is whether or not they've always existed, or if they're something that exists because we've made them exist. Very much like egregore you've mentioned in relation of Controls Altered Items OOPs and various entities. Egregore itself is also very prevalent in Destiny's ongoing light verse dark saga, which isn't even fully 100% light vs dark
My playthrough, I began to suspect The Board. Their authority became very condescending and passive-aggressive, their manner of giving vague allusions to information without actually giving anything concrete didn't seem to fit with the idea that they are trying to help or guide. Or rather, they're trying to guide, but only in a very specific direction, and only with as much information as they feel comfortable giving. My line of thinking? They're not as powerful nor omniscient as we're led to believe. They behave in a manner far too petty, far too *human*.
I was always under impression that The Board means The Board of *Directors*. Past and possibly future as well. The activity of The Former, as well as its speech pattern, coincide with Zachariah Trench and the disjointed visions of him that bring Jesse vital information, as if communicating with her, while in reality monologuing about something entirely different. It would make sense for Trench to be expunged because he would have brought the Hiss resonance into the collective. This wouldn't make sense in a conventional timeline, but who's to say that time in the Astral Plane flows linearly or follows internal causality.
What I certainly know is that everything that the Board or the Former does/did/will-do does not pose a sufficiently high threat to warrant a certain 'friendly face' to call us out and say: "Ah, Saatana Perkele, The neighbors dog that drinks from your bowl is fine until the bowl is empty and you are thirsty" (I'm just trying to do an Ahti phrase here, don't judge :P )
Great video and interesting theory. Your channel is the top source for Control and remedy verse lore. The Board are definitely some shady dudes. In that regard we have to question, how and why they allowed so strong and uncontrollable person as Jesse to become the director? Were they so desperate under attack by the hiss? And second - are they aware of Polaris and their connection with Jesse? If they are then what are their plans for it? Are there clues in the game that they kinda have taken a sample of Polaris’ resonance during the Foundation DLC, as some people in the comments are saying? As for the parasite and leech part in regards to both the Oldest House and the Bureau - I totally agree, the clues are plenty, especially in the Foundation. And I always wondered: did the Board killed Trench? Do they have the power to terminate anyone appointed to position of Director? Or they can only manipulate by the promise of power..?
One thing I've been thinking ever since I saw the Nail is that the Black Pyramid looks like it could be the tip of the Nail. Maybe THAT'S the significance of the Black Pyramid; it's a physical part of the thing binding them to the Oldest House.
No Gods, No Kings, Only Ahti. Perhaps Ahti's chosen role of Janitor / Caretaker / Arborist for the Oldest House / Yggdrasil Tree is to rid it of the parasite (The Board) feeding up on it -- like a literal tree infected by a parasite. Question regarding Alan Wake: Do you think Alan "reset" the area of Bright Falls at the end of Alan Wake? At the end of end of Alan Wake it shows the people of Bright Falls celebrating Deer Fest like everything is normal, which leads me to think the area was reset. My reasoning for this is what sane person (or town) would celebrate Deer Fest when dozens (maybe hundreds) of locals disappeared or died (including 5 Sheriff's Deputies) and many millions in property damage occurred during the events of Alan Wake (e.g. the town and surrounding areas of Bright Falls, the Anderson Farm, the Lover's Peak center, the local hydro electric dam, etc.). To say the lore of the RCU is confusing is an understatement, and according to the Alan Wake Remastered commentary, Sam Lake is loathe to outright clarify what's going on.
Funnily enough I remember playing through the DLC I don’t remember finding any real media implying that the board were parasites only that they were not entirely trust whether given Jesse’s on responses. maybe my memory is faulty,( it very well may be) or maybe you truly are a valuable/observant educator. Maybe I am just blind, or perhaps I am just misremembering. Maybe all of these
More likely you missed some of the collectibles. They designed the game so if you miss one of the documents or Ash tapes you are missing necessary info to figure it out.
just a theory i mentioned in your other videos i think that the hiss is part of what the former/dr ash may get a help in disconnecting the bond of the board and the oldest house it might be that the hiss is one of those other dimensional entities that the oldest house plead for help
Assuming beings like Former and current members of the Board require quantic observation (attention) like we do food and water, they're going about it in quite the roundabout way so I don't think that's quite it. Along those lines, I believe as of DLC2 the Former is still the better of two options not on account of their credibility, but due to how they are more willing to sitdown on the negotiations table. With the board it's all dictates and trying to cover up the truth and whatnot... Wouldn't surprise me if the Former got kicked out over something like that either.
Loved The Board in Control. For me they are the most fascinating entity Remedy have made; more interesting than The Hiss, more flavourful than The Darkness and less trustworthy than Polaris.
I have some points, and your video corroborates some of them, and some would like to raise. The fact that Marshall was hurt by the Board with spikes after blowing up the nail, suggests that the Board didn't want to get out of control of the House and lose its source of nutrition. At the end of the dlc, Pope tells us that the Board deliberately allowed Hiss to corrupt the nail, that the nail itself was protected by a magnetic field. The Board block Jesse from closing the nail. I can explain part of it. First, we need to be clear about why both the Former and the Board wanted to help Jesse. The former mentioned "void, nothing, escape ...... end ...... endure". After completing the 4 rituals, the A.P. collapsed, and the final result was that the former escaped from the A.P. and reach the foundation, which is its ultimate purpose - to escape. And when the A.P collapsed, if we looked upward, the pyramid was also collapsing. I think the Board deliberately let the nails lose protection and let the A.P bleed, which is its ultimate purpose - to escape.
Great review of everything we know so far about The Board. By the way, fantastic editing, especially the surprise at the end. I loved it! The Board clues throughout the video seemed subtle and well thought out, although I thought you could use less for more impact. Still, they are a beautiful addition to Control videos. Well done, as always.
If you look into the Annihilation book series, there are A LOT of similarities, and the game creators said they took inspiration from it. And if they continue down that path I think I have an idea who the board/one eyed monster thing is.
Great content once again. And I believe you just solved very important puzzle about chester bliss. He must have a ex agent/scientist because his understanding is too deep. The fact he already knows how to evade the Bureau kind a speaks volumes . I thought it was werid he left the power board like he knew it was dangerous and better to be left with fbc. Yeah you also made me realize how ahti must be working with them because he doesn't clash with them. Which means older house has something special beacuse ahti appearance only come when they started gaining more control of the fbc. The board and ahti need something that only humans can do because the oldest house only been responding to what humans do because even the hiss had to use Dylan who was still sound of mind and body when he acted to take over the board .
It Is more that Polaris knew it was only a matter of time before the Hiss got into the Hedron chamber and destroyed the conduit. Once that happened the bureau would be lost and the Hiss would leak out into the world. It was an act of survival
Is it possible Ash created The Board? When Ash found the Id and named some of them, could that have been the moment the Board was created? And Maggie the brave one, when she died, maybe the Former was created? Maybe she was seen as too brazen for attacking the Rangers outright.
This does explain why the Board is so intent on helping Director Faden to put a stop to the HISS. If they require the (at least subconcious) 'worship' of people to survive, the fact that the HISS pushes all that out of the influenced minds is pretty much a death knell to them. I am somewhat reminded of the Eikons from FF9 and Ozma in particular. A summoned being so dangerous it was locked away and so old nobody remembers what it really was. And as such without any actual belief and knowledge in it has devolved into simply a mass of chaotic and deadly energy. And that is what it is when finally encountered. In the Oldest House, the Board might be a group of entities that came over to feed off of our reality like parasites. But by being nailed to the House and being made its ephemeral 'Board of Directors' it is both tied to it for survival and trapped at the same time. Because the people of the FBC believe in it as the Board of Directors, it gets nourishment. But because so many people also believe it to BE the Board of Directors for the FBC, it cannot be anything else but that. So it can't go and parasitize anything else.
The Board is trying to cover their ass! I knew the Board was untrustworthy, but this just made it all click. They trying make sure that Jesse is on their side, they know how powerful she is, and are getting scared of her knowing their true motive. They are plying the “Don’t worry Jesse, the Former is lying to you and we’re gonna beat him up.” Card. 😂😂Seeing The Former in the distance at the end, made me realize he is PHYSICALLY in our reality! MEANING THE BOARD MEMBERS COULD BE TOO! That’s probably why the devs showed him, in Control 2, we will probably be facing The Board and as The Director… it’s time for a performance review!
Just a very tiny small detail that I don't seem to find in none of your other videos, is the Board Room right on the Executive Center where you talk to Pope during the game (Pardon me if I missed something). This "Board room" is very close to the main Black Pyramid on the main Control Point of the Executive center. And we have seen that the use of the term "Board" is never unintentional on this game. If you go to the very back of this room the wall is full of pictures of men, which at first I thought to be previous Directors, but Jesse is only the 4th Director of the Bureau right? The last frame in the uppermost part, is blank with a yellow cloth-ish thing covering it. Just like Jesse's picture is everywhere on the Bureau after she got the Service Weapon, even she has never posed for one, I was thinking the pictures of those old guys on the Board Room could be representing the men that are now the collective consciousness called The Board.... Blablabla they wanted to be gods and live forever and turned into a single thing, yay! Since the The Former got expelled out (either from the Board or from being the first Parasite on the Oldest House) his picture could be the one that was covered 🤔 Anyways... Great video and thanks for making this theory, that actually makes lots of sense and in a cronological way! I was felling kinda lost and confused when I was playing the Foundation DLC because of all those lies and contradictions everywhere. So this helps a lot!
@@GamingUniversityUoG Oh that actually makes sense. I always get confused on this part of the FBC history. And thanks so much for answering my comment even if it was a silly question! I'm so happy hehehe 😚✨!
To continue the hypothesis of entropy and the space helmets, would it be too farfetched if the Other is a sort of bigger threshold, instead of just being another part of the closed system overseen by Ahti touching base with the local reality, what if it's an entirely different closed system, that was pulled close enough for parts to be able to overlap. If for example the place the Board comes from is another system where their janitor failed, that would mean entropy is in the process of consolidating it's victory, turning that entire system into a soup of energy in equilibrium. Everywhere would be the same temperature, and you could basically not use any of it to do anything. If this was the case, the Board could be refugees from this other place, and their only way to use all that energy to do something on their side would be to shunt it over to our side, since our universe still has areas of lower energy density. In that case the Altered Items and materials would basically be dumping sites for the energy they use after it's done whatever work they put it to. They could still be using them to create worship if that's what they feed on as well. But if that is the case then they may be pulling the universes closer together with every new connection made, which results in new threshold events. I guess in that case the paranatural energy is basically extradimensional pollution, increasing the entropy of whatever universe the Board latches on to.
So, I'm just going out on a limb and say that if we go by Mr. Gaiman's logic, would the board essentially be a new god of beuracracy? Essentially just being like an eldritch form of the archetype exemplified by characters like the vogons from"Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy? Because while I haven't played the game, watching this video just makes me think of some sort of Eldritch rat King that saw human governments/conspiracy theories about shadow governments and said to themselves "ooohh...free lunch!"
Plus they called themselves The Board. This is a modern idea not some ancient one. I'd recommend looking into Gnosticism and their idea of Archontics. Originally meaning 'ruler' and used for those who held political office. It feels very similar to the entities that comprise the Board.
the former can be dr ash too..specially we know about northmoor....in foundation the former was the one help jesse to get rid of hiss there by help her to get necessary new power.... we know ahti is god and high lvl ID love him so much and they enjoy watch him when fix and cleaning messes...maybe ahti give dr ash the powers to balance everything in oldest house same power as something the board already have and stop the board being the one set all rules there and damage oldest roots of house the potf song last phrase was i contorl means maybe jesse must control ...everything... as ahti did in oldest house ( thats why she is janitor assistant ) ....polaris hisss the board all have same problems wants have more power control each others and fight but the keeper god ( ocean god ) let them fight each other till they messed up badly then joined and punished both side at same time dark light must be in universe at same time ( looks like us we kill each other and do soo many mad stuff but somethimes something like death can stop chain wars for a bit ( like a politician wants start huge war then he died suddenly bcz heart attack ) your theory could be true a bit and im agree but sam lake is sam lake you know xd
the board calls the service weapon a gun/sword/intentionally left blank, and there is later a document that talks about how it might be the archetypal weapon, mjølnir, gungnir, etc. so the board might just be a collection of old gods.
2:27 after all these years this part has having i thought that i will use to connect the dots and figure out who or what The Board realy is and where the inspiration/origins of The Board cane from im gonna rught a Reddit page snd ill get back to this video but the answer might be simpler than we thought with remedy's history and ingane facts to back it up.
Last we heard he eventually went back up to the main part of the House in order to help preserve the place against Northmoor's craziness. I'm presuming he left in the early 90s when Northmoor was removed. Darling assumed the role shortly after.
Even before The Foundation dlc came out, I was suspicious of The Board. But after reading/listening to all of what Dr. Ash discovered, I especially don't trust them. But one of the many questions I have, is given Ahti's relationship with/to The Oldest House, what does he plan on doing?
I had some reservation with them after the two Former hotline calls when they get super defensive and threaten you. For Ahti I see him as the Caretaker of the House. He kind of comes along as a package deal.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Given the pest control errands he tasks Jesse with and how closely linked (almost integral) he appears to The Oldest House and all of its secrets, I always expected him to be as sensitive to the same "call for help" that Dr. Ash states The Oldest House is seemingly putting out. I wonder if his possible aeons-long stewardship of The Oldest House will place him in conflict with The Board.
Though The Board and Former are definitely really creepy entities, they have some of the most interesting interactions in the game. Like that time talking to Former and it just pauses before saying "No". Or The Board getting mad about Jesse taking the other power but then basically saying okay we'll let it slide this time. Whatever they are is probably beyond our comprehension but they seem kinda childish and petty most of the time.
Personally I kind of like the fact they are petty entities. One of the reasons I enjoyed Greek Mythology so much is because the gods behaved so human. They would start wars on earth for petty reasons and were emotional and chaotic.
@@GamingUniversityUoG interesting to see how the polytheistic greek religion features gods who act as cautionary tales (dont act as foolish as this god did) while in christianity God is beyond human judgment and the cautionary tales involve humans and supernatural beings not following HIS WiLL instead of being the subject of caution himself. Pretty interesting.
@@alexterieur8813 Christianity's god has a better PR management team
To be fair it has been 2000 years since the Christian god has given agency to Jesus ruled out the heaven and Earth.
@@alexterieur8813 I'd say it's a difference in terms of the entity or God you are referring to. I've always had a fascination with different religions, maybe because I'm Christian myself, but there's an interesting thread we could look at here. In all mythologies or religions, we're looking at beings who can cross dimensions or exist inside and outside of them.
If we apply this idea to Control, we could argue that the "gods" (the Board) are those entities. The closer they are to the human plane, the more similar they become or perhaps share traits with us. Aka, the Greek gods could be seen as petty and act like children who wield an incredible amount of power. They can become corrupted by it. Then you look at Fomer who is an inbetween because he/she/it is an entity that has trouble communicating with Jesse, but seems clearly on a different plane entirely. Then if you look at Judeo-Christianity, there are different levels of angels where the ones furthest from humans (like the Ophanim, wheels with eyes all over) don't resemble anything human at all. That entity would be incomprehensible to us or the humans in Control. Ie. Therefore Yahweh is the same in that, unlike the Greeks, He's very different so hard to relate to a Being existing outside of time and within it at all different points in time at once.
Where Jesse is involved, the Board seems to try to come across as somewhat relatable, but the mask slips and we see they are something of a management team what isn't doing the best job. They've lost sight of how to serve and only serve themselves. Ahti, on the other hand, whom humans interpret as a Finnish god, is an entity that instead becomes the most important. He isn't just cleaning the foundation and universe: he's keeping it running. All those tasks he sends Jesse on are really training for the important stuff and teaching her how to serve others instead of herself. I like the theme that just because something seems menial, doesn't mean it isn't a crucial task.
Loved this theory! The whole thing about the board creating the cave paintings to deceive about it’s history is really creepy. I also loved the editing of the video, it adds a lot of atmosphere.
That bit about the cave paintings took me a while to piece together. But considering we have seen Northmoor alter official documents to remove mention of the foundation, using these paintings to alter history makes sense too.
And thanks! It seemed like a fun idea. A community member Yellow Bat helped me with the extra editing. Turned out good!
During my playthrough, I thought the cave paintings were drawn by Bureau agents shortly after arriving due to compulsion from the Board or Northmoor, and that it was covered up by Northmoor because of his strong belief / worship of the Board. But it makes more sense that the Board put them there (likely through those automatons) to cultivate more "food" from the new arrivals like you said.
Another thing worth mentioning is that it's heavily hinted that the board can control astral spikes, like in the foundation, one of which damages Marshall's protective vest which gets her infected by the hiss.
Another astral spike can be found in the records department in the panopticon, destroying bureau documents. I feel like the board is trying to erase a time when the bureau operated without them.
Also there's a file in the foundation that outright says that the house's lay lines (like from the control points) all lead down to the nail. And the nail is sucking up energy from the house.
I'm also really curious about the locks/keys you have to undo in the foundation. Which are stone slabs with the symbol of yggdrasil carved onto them, which is also used to symbolize the house. Once you destroy all 4 slabs, the former makes it's way into our plane. Makes me wonder if either the former or the board are good for the house.
Also what about the fallen department in the foundation? The game says that the foundation doesn't shift like the house does, which makes me feel like the department was brought down intentionally by the board.
These are all amazingly great points
My idea for the house shift that moved the department was caused by the former, to try to expose the board.
But wasnt the nail protecting the oldest house by interfering with the astral plane leaking into the oldest house/our dimension? Wouldnt that make the Oldest House and the Board a symbiotic relationship rather than a parasitic one? Or maybe the Astral plane leaking into the Oldest House is actually a good thing/the way it’s supposed to be?
My thought was that the Oldest House shifted them the department there to remove the nail, guiding them to it by growing crystals on the incorrect paths. I doubt the Former would have the power to affect crystal growth. On the other hand, the Board was actively killing the agents with ID/spikes. Maybe a shift like that just uses too much energy for the House, or it would keep doing this if not for the control points.
the former, board and the house relationship is just like humans with mother nature i think.
the former and the current resident of the board is just like 2 opposing humans, they both are destroying the house, they are the parasite. none of them is good
this actually makes a great point for a next game, maybe the humans is the next parasite, destroying both the former and the board, and sucking all the energy from the house for themself.
the house (mother nature) will become unstable and broken, and that will lead to the actual armageddon that has been mentioned in a lot of religions
the board is Níðhöggr from norse mythology
serpent who gnaws at a root of the world tree
I've come to a similar conclusion. I love all the mythology parallels.
Controls lore is insane. I love how deep it goes and the world it builds if you read the collectables. Reminds me of Elder scrolls, Fallout, Assassins screed or Dishonored/Arcane games. Where the Devs built a whole universe that is well thought out and makes sense. Remedy definitely did a great job with Control.
This makes me rethink the role of the Hiss a lot. Sure, they wanted absolute dominance, but they didn't require worship, they simply conquered like Ghengis Khan and forced obedience. The Board are far more insidious and makes me wonder if they are the root of all the problems in the Remedy-verse. I also wonder about Polaris. Is she really her own entity that Jesse can trust implicitly, or just another insidious agent of the Board. Perhaps she is a Board member herself?
Interesting thought…
Dylan definitely implies that Polaris may have her own ulterior motives. But I wonder if he is referring to Polaris or Hedron.
And yeah the Hiss acts more like a Virus then anything. No thought in their head. Just infect and spread. The Board being a conscious and thinking group of entities that manipulate and plan. Heartless mentality versus Xehanort mentality if you catch the Kingdom Hearts reference.
@MysteryRomanticGames I had the exact same idea. Now the Board could have the power of Polaris/Hedron's/Jesse's resonance.
I don't think that Polaris is an actual being, more like a power which is passed from an entity to others. Max Derrat thught it could be a representation of the jungian Self (just like the Dark Presence is the jungian Shadow): check his video about it.
I think it is more a force that leads living beings towards elinghtement and self-enhancement. This power can give knowledge to humans ("The resonance showed me things"-Darling), and Jesse created a persona, "Polaris", as a way to better interact with this knowledge.
Polaris was actually Jesse all along, as she appears in the Motel.
The problem is that now the Board could have the power of this resonance/magic sound of creation too.
The fact that they former is enshrouded in darkness and uses a light type eye to see intrigues me especially given the fact Foundation immediately precedes AWE. The pyramid being black doesn't feel coincedental, especially not when you consider the resurgence of Alan Wake and Mr. Scratch.
Remedy has an interesting focus on light and dark. I hope we will at least get easter eggs to control on Alan Wake 2.
I think the Board is afraid that humans will become as powerful as them. They keep up the illusion that they are all knowing, but if the collective consciousness can feed them and give power to objects through a focal point, then humans can gain that power too. It's probably why Jesse is so strong, the whole bureau worships her as a savior. One day, Jesse will be as strong as a Board member.
Ooh interesting! You do become able to increase her powers after completing feats/missions/objectives, which boasts her popularity/fame/adoration from the Bureau.
I had a thought kinda parallel to this a while ago now. I don't remember the details anymore, but I remember picking up on something while playing Control. It just kept bugging me until I realized that it was the Oldest House itself- It's alive, it has a personality and it talks to you. It just only speaks through "body language."
Like I said, I don't remember exactly how I got the idea anymore but I do remember I just started realizing the House was reacting to things instead of just changing randomly. After a while I kinda got a feel for the House's "personality" to a point where I could tell when it was "pleased" or "stressed" and it was always, obviously, stressed around The Hiss.
All this time I thought that's where it ended- Just a really deep detail that doesn't mean much but makes the world feel that much more real. But now after watching this and thinking about it again, I'm suddenly realizing that the Oldest House doesn't like the Board either. As a matter of fact, it hates them.
Interesting. That is a cool theory.
This reminds me of the Fears from The Magnus Archives. Basically, human's fear was nourishment for these entities/gods. By creating encounters with these Fears... humans are feed to them often by formerly human Avatars. The Fears are basically parasites but they lack the slight foresight of the Board. So, they are often just as vulnerable to their Avatars shims as their need to feed. I was fascinated by the World building in the The Magnus Archives but it is a tragedy podcast so I eventually decided it was better for my health to just let it go... but I think you would find it fascinating GU!
Never heard of it before. I'd definitely take a look at it. Definitely reminds me of aspects of Gnostic tradition with the Archontic Sect. These beings that feed off human misery. If you are interested in The Fears in that podcast I'd recommend checking out some parts of Gnosticism.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I have in fact looked into Gnosticism! But I hadn't looked into that particular sect. I will take a peek. And the Magnus Archives have all their seasons up on playlists here on youtube
Absolutely. The Board also grants abilities and pseudo immortality, just as the Fears do
@@GamingUniversityUoG the podcast actually touches on Gnosticism quite a bit in connection with the fear called the Flesh. I definitely believe you would enjoy the podcast, especially the final two seasons
Dude it blew my mind when you said the Former was weak and that's why it needed constant worship through the refrigerator. Great video as always!
It would only make sense all things considered. Before the Former linked to it the Fridge did NOT need to be watched. After it did
when you talk to Ahti about 'the janitor's assistant' position he mentions that the House has a 'vermin problem.' at the time we assume he meant the Hiss, but what if he also meant the Board as well?
on another topic: the board's demands for loyalty and Director Trench. He had a family once, and then 'he brought his work home' and his daughter sickened from a paranatural ailment. what if that was given to her deliberately by the Board to sever his link to anything outside of the Bureau and Them?
I definitely think there is a lot of vermin in the house that needs to be taken care of. Paranatural and human. I don't see evidence that trenches daughter was harmed by the board through. Could be any number of things.
Thought-provoking and interesting!
Control, and several other games, interacts with and creatively incorporates many psychological concepts that gets the mental gears turning. I always appreciate the ways in which you elaborate on them in detail! Keep it up!
It is a lot of fun to try and dissect these game stories and get to the root of what is going on with them. I'm glad you enjoy these!
Quality content, as usual.
I wonder if the Board somehow drove Trench to his end, seeing as unlike Northmoor he was reticent to be bonded with OoPs and therefore represented a potential hindrance to their position. One might wonder why drive Trench to unleashing the Hiss, a similar entity that relies upon worship and a repeated mantra for power, but I think the Board might have thought itself powerful enough to oust the Hiss without issue. Of course that proved to be incorrect, especially as perhaps Hedron was also working its own angle, perhaps in cahoots with Ahti and the OH. So lots of things to explore in CONTROL 2 (should that ever be a thing...)
I wonder if Former was bonded with the Fridge and the Flamingo far earlier than you thought. Especially as the Fridge probably made its home building collapse when contact was broken, leading to its connection being deepened by the traumatic focussed worship, and the Flamingo seemed to alter the weather...
I'm pretty sure the Hiss is what drove Trench to open the floodgates for them. I'm still not sure on if The Board executed Trench for this or if his sense of guilt let him to a self inflicted act.
The only reason my hypothesis has the Former linking to the Fridge and Flamingo within the last few weeks is because in the 'Altered Item Behavioral Changes' document it is mentioned that these two had changes to their altered effect a few weeks past.
The fridge didn't require it before and the flamingo only controlled the weather. Somehow they did me things and I presume this lined up with the former taking them over.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I suppose.
It's just that the Fridge was stared at with such intensity by its grieving owner. And what with the Former being intrinsically linked with eyes, watching and intense focus it all seems too directed for it to not be connected.
Unless, perhaps the Fridge becoming altered perhaps led to Former's creation, like in Black and White where the player character god is created through prayer.
If so it would answer the question where the Board come from and why they're linked to the OpPs...
Heyyy, incredible theory!!!
The oldest house it's always besn strange, especially the foundation.
The oldest house has always been on earth while hidden from everyone and seems to be "closer" to the astral plane.
I love to think it as the umbilical scar of the planet, tho it's mostly headcanon.
Thanks a bunch!
One tin foil that theory of mine is the dark depths beneath the Foundation lead to the Dark Place. Jesse mentions this place seems older than the House and asks, "What's older than oldest?" Well the state before creation which the Dark Place encompasses. We have seen it used by Zane to create baby universes.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Daaaamn.
Well, who knows....... the new game might prove you right ;)
I think one of the most mysterious facets of Control thus far is humanity’s understanding of anomalous items BEFORE discovering the Oldest House and by extension, The Board. The FBC has gained knowledge from this contact for certain, but how directed has that knowledge been, and how useful was the knowledge they already had before making the Oldest House their HQ?
We know they had acquired s few Altered Items and reported it before the oldest house. First we see is the third Item logged which was found 10 years before that found the house.
Most likely they worked out of a standard government building. One lite building thing I noticed though is how many previous directors there were. If there have been three in the last 70 years we see portraits for about 25-30 ones before that. Must be going back a long way. Possibly they changed every 2-4 years with political changes. After the House they retained the position much longer.
This was fantastic. Only thing I'm missing is why the Former helps you fight Marshall if he wanted the nail destroyed though.
Don't see evidence that Former wants the Nail destroyed. Either way though preventing the Hiss from corrupting the nail is in everyone's best interest
This is BOARD-ER line insanely exciting to see.
Respect and keep up the epic work.
I absolutely will buddy!
Control needs novels asap
100% agree. What I think would be cool is have an in universe book come out about the Ordinary AWE. Kind of like how Clay Steward wrote the Alan Wake files which expanded the Alan Wake game.
Jesse mentioned in post game how only she knows what really happened in Ordinary and thought about writing it all down after the Hiss situation was done. That would be a perfect meta universe way to do it.
Man, it all feels correct! Makes me feel like I’m spoiled for the next game.
Now I wonder what the role of Hiss is in these events. Can it be a tool for Board or Former to make people worship them since it possesses their minds? Not sure...
The hiss is always posed as something unexpected and dangerous to the board, but it also implies that the hiss might make its way to the astral plane. The board calls the anstral plane a "switchboard" from wich the hiss might spread.
Its likely that the board have some elements rhat link them and the hiss, but i sont expect the hiss to be an agent under something elses control, more a rogue element
I think it is heavily implied that Alan unleashed the Hiss in order to give Jesse a crisis to deal with. One that with initiated her and brought her closer to him.
One big mystery is why did the board allow the hiss to infect the Nail. It caused Jesse to use Polaris resonance on the Nail. But what did this achieve for them?
@@GamingUniversityUoG perhaps the hiss and polaris, being creations of alan, was beyond the boards control or understanding, and forcing polaris to interract offered the board the oportunity to study and perhaps in future replicate such powers.
also marshall blowing up the nail was somewhat unexpected i beleive, but might also have been part of a more elaborate plan to experience both hiss and polaris
@@GamingUniversityUoG: I'd think that either the Hiss is a direct threat to The Board and could directly consume them, or is an indirect threat to The Board and to The Former because they render humans incapable of giving astral entities the attention they need to feed on and sustain themselves.
I really liked this theory. Kinda blows what i had in mind out of the water.
My theory was the borad is either old directors or those "former" entities. (Or both) Emily did ask a great question in the beginning of the game. "How does the borad retire a director and how is that determined." I think emily was onto something when she brought it up, with the idea of the collective thought, the voices you hear over the speakers in the game could be the evidence of emilys collective thought idea and the borad having a subconscious mind or multiple minds. That the voices your hearing are individuals/old directors who ascended to the borad but clearly some of them became corrupted by the hiss. Showing more evidence the borad itself is corrupted by hiss but at the same time shows evidence maybe theres more than one mind channeling through the borad. I think the borad is literally connected to the oldest house in the sense it binds our reality. For example, the black pyramid represents our reality of which we know, but the red pyramid shows an alternative dimension or reality that conflicts with our dimension. (This is also slightly brought up in ash's files when maybe he brings up mabel.) That we dont want our black pyramid to turn upside down or red. But that's the problem and possibly why theres still a lockdown, the borad could be good and just trying to tell us its sick because a couple of individual's messed up the ritual. (I'll explain that theory in a minute) or the formers are parasites sucking on the borad but someone or an old director locked them up. Only to have some dumbass come along and unlock the parasites. I think that dumbass was ash. Jr. I think ash jr made friends with 13 parasites and let them out of whatever prison they were in. Hence why the borad all of the sudden wanted to get in touch with noorthmore and hand him a gun. The borad probably asked noorthmore to stop ash jr from breaking out parasites, maybe he was successful but at the cost of getting infected himself before ascending to the borad.
Or
Then the idea on the formers, I believe the formers were two directors who maybe cheated there way into becoming director. (Super theory on trench and why there was an investigation on him. I believe trench was scared of the tennsey report because it had evidence he fraudulent scammed his way into becoming director.) That trench and darling were under investigation because trench was having darling install things that helped keep that sercet hidden or the method hidden. Hence like the furnace or containment center. (But then I think of what mr. Bones says in threshold kids "everyone wants the chair meg!" Someone on the team who knew of trench's cheat were probably planning on using the same method to over throw him.) Darling seemed game for the whole thing until he got his report from unhill on the mold/parasites eggs) Darling probably made the connection between the formers and the borad, which made noorthmores crazy ranting not crazy anymore. Maybe northmoor broke a deal off with the borad to be reincarnated as dylan faden because he foresaw the lockdown but someone was hoping to shut him up prementantly. (Hence the threshold kids episode on special minds. Maybe northmoor had the power to take over the mind and bodies of individuals) long story short on this one, I think darling was the betrayer trench was talking about, but trench had already given darling to much borrowed power. But clearly darling messed up the method and ended up somewhere and unhill disappointed she wont be head of research. This is where the borad could be evil, and a liar, maybe they only want those that think like them or are on the same wavelength. That the borad found a way to bring altered items into our world to manipulate the the "smaller minds" into delivering them those special minds.
One thing i like about the board. In the beginning the board speaks in the terms on probably how they spoke to trench. And when they further progress into the game. The board changes their tone with jeese
Please stop jumpscaring me with a picture of the board every minute
Just bought American Gods a week ago, and cool to see how these types of media tie together through parallel concepts.
Hopefully we get a few glimpses at the Boards influences outside of the oldest house in Alan Wake 2. I’m sure the FBC will be somewhat involved, even if just passingly for the plot.
I'm sure the FBC will show up in some capacity. Agent Estevez being the most likely since she runs the monitoring station at cauldron lake.
How are you enjoying the book? I actually read The Anansi Boys first. It is somewhat of a spinoff to American Gods
@@GamingUniversityUoG Haven't started reading yet, it's a little deep in my reading backlog (maybe I'll move it up though). I didn't know there was another spinoff, so I'll check that out if I like it!
I think the key to learning more about The Board is learning more about The Oldest House. What exactly is The Oldest House? We know that it’s alive, Dr. Ash confirms this. It’s said that the House called in the FBC for help but the FBC did nothing. Meaning the house is incapable of defending itself. This brings up another question, why does the house need defending? Why did the board latch itself to the house to begin with? There’s various questions that pops up that we just don’t have the answer to. The house is some sort of entity, that much is clear but what purpose it serves is unknown. So are the boards true intentions. We know for sure that The House and Board are not one, they oppose each other. Meaning the house at the very least is neutral. It doesn’t desire chaos or worship. The board itself does and is a threat, along with the Hiss and yet The Board and The Hiss don’t seem to be connected/on the same side. It all goes back to what exactly is the house and what it’s purpose is.
As far as I can tell the House is a modern representation of the Yggsrasil. That's why it can easily create thresholds to other places because it literally exists in all realities.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Yeah I literally watched your video ‘What Is The Oldest House’ after I commented this. I felt so stupid lol. I don’t know much about Yggdrasil but I just may look into it
Awesome video. I had such a good time playing this game but the lore that you highlight makes me want a sequel now.
It will be a party when we finally get a sequel!
And then there’s the most important word Former spoke to Jesse, Panini.
Because we all love Spaceman Panini's
The editing was so good! I love this game, its characters, its atmosphere, its mysteries, its lore, and I love this channel, thank you so much for these videos! The Former is the most interesting character to me, I can't wait for Control 2
Thank you so much! A friend of mine helped with the random Board edits and it turned out really cool!
Egregors and Ritualistic Forms of Worship - absolutely. You are very cleaver for noticing these concepts in the game, for they were not mentioned anywhere. This is why Remedy writers and developers are so incredible. They place such deep and serious concepts into their work of art. It is a pleasure to analyze the world they created.
Thank you!
If the oldest house was Yggdrasil, then the board is definately Nidhogg. Maybe the house was grooming Ash to become a sort of Ratatoskr
I think in the sequel jesse will turn completely against the board she doesn’t need them because she have polaris
My hypothesis is the sequel will involve the board and paracriminal organizations.
@@GamingUniversityUoG yeah maybe we can go outside it will be interesting especially after alan wake 2
@@GamingUniversityUoG in AWE there a lot of content saying about the Blessed(then suddenly they disapear, not telling if they are dissolved), may me think if they are trying to find where oldest house is, and if eventually they find and put everything at risk again, would be insane playing this
Idk whats worse, that the former is stealing from realms or the board lying to realms
This has me so pumped for Control 2, I really hope they expand on these hints!
Same here!
The Hiss broke a lot of the rules of the Control universe, exposing the Board as fallible and their control over the Director as imperfect and I think that they are currently in a state of panic over their inability to absolutely control Jesse. They have created a smart, independently immune lifeform with the powers that could make or break their connection with the mundane world if she so chooses.
I suspect that Control 2 will be about Jesse's final ascent to the top of the pyramid and
commanding the collective unconsciousness herself. The next step up the ziggurat being, of course Chair of the Board. Given her distrust of authority and her anger at what the Board did to Marshall, it is difficult to imagine what Jesse would do with those levers to influence minds memetically on that level.
Maybe something/someone attracted The Board to the Oldest House using its "power" as bait and trap them, forcing them to feed on it instead of something else.
This is why we need a sequel. So much info and backstory we need!
Mannn. I moved on from control like 6 months ago. Found your videos again last night and was stoked to see you had more theory videos. I just lowered through the last 4 in no time
Nice! Welcome back. Got another one in the works too.
@@GamingUniversityUoG can't wait!
And yet the most pertinent mystery remains unsolved: 🥪Panini?! 🥪
Does it have salami or Turkey on that panini? These are the deep questions.
Very nice production value ser!
And you have rekindled my desire for Control 2.
Control 2: Resistance 😁
Thanks! I thought this would be a fun thing to add into this topic.
Same here I need the sequel now!
This is brilliant man but also consider that the board allowed itself to be attacked by the hiss in order to get access to the Polaris power and not be dependent on Jessie. Also the use of the word Abalone by the Former both refers to a creature that finds a shell to live in but also a type of board game perhaps symbolic of the boards plan (also a pun on the word board!)
Honestly out of all of your theories I feel like this is the most likely one ngl. It just makes sense
Since the foundation dlcs I've spent over a year thinking about this one. I'm glad you enjoy the results.
The presentation is absolutely amazing, fantastic work!
Thank you so much!
You mentioned how the new behavior of the Artctic Queen provides constant worship for the Former, but I just realized you can say the same with the Pink Flamingo as well. Having the item constantly teleport people away from it means to cleanse it, Jesse has to ‘chase’ it, making it the sole focus of attention for the duration of the chase.
Incredible video, the narrative and the editing are outstanding 🔻
Haha thanks. We were having fun with this one
@@GamingUniversityUoG I noticed it! Love the little flashes with The Board.
I generally agree with what you say here. It seems like whatever the Oldest House truly is doesn't like the Board. I'm curious as to whether or not it tolerates Former. In a future Control game I'd love to see The Board bringing back Northmoor in a challenge to, in their eyes, the rogue Jesse.
Honestly one of my Hope's for the sequel is that it involves Northmoor, the board, and the Blessed Organization. It seems like they have to be connected in some way.
@@GamingUniversityUoG BTW, I've been thinking about how gods might work in the Remedy shared universe. Do you think Ahti was a human that became a god/whatever he is, or did he spring into our realm and assume a human form?
Because if humans can get elevated to godhood, perhaps that's what Northmoor has become. He's 'Neos Helios' - the new sun.
I had very similar thoughts about the Board after replaying the Foundation dlc.
I'm glad to see we had very similar ideas. I'm a fan of Neil Gaiman myself and I made too a similar connection.
I would like to discuss a few things:
Everything was okay during Northmoor years, he was basically the High Prophet of the Board, but Trench was a problem, he didn't trust them. Actually he didn't like mentioning them. Many information about the Board were censored and hidden.
This must have made them angry.
I too believe that Chester Bless is working for them, by creating new altered items and starting a cult about the Board (=feeding them).
I believe he could be "the Son" mentioned by former. He could be some sort of avatar created by them, maybe by using the little nail.
I would like to point out one more thing: during the events of the Foundation DLC, the Nail (and so the Board) were invested with Polaris resonance. Emily said that the Nail should have been immune to the Hiss, and yet Jesse had to purify it. Maybe they let the Hiss infect the Nail on purpose, in order to have some access to the Hedron/Polaris/Jesse resonance and become more powerful.
I feel like Chester Bless is either a Parautilitarian like the Directors of the FBC/Alan Wake/Jesse and Dylan or possibly an Entity like Mr. Scratch. An agent working for these higher powers, to increase their influence and control of the world.
Interesting theory GU.
Thanks a bunch. Been mulling this one over for s while.
lol I just realized the nail and board fit together
Two parts of the same thing in different realities
I mean, nothing comes for free. if the board did their stuff out of the goodness of their heart I wouldn't trust them, but giving and taking is in my opinion perfectly fair. considering the superpowers, the oldest house, the Oops, the BlackRock, none of them belong to us and our realm but we still take them and use them, it's only fair to give something back(a form of collective psychic energy for the board). Director Northmoor said something in one of his letters to Ash "we are guests in their home, we should carry ourselves accordingly" and I kinda agree with that, I know we're humans and we always HAVE to be the aggressors, and dominant and take over cuz "we always know better than anyone", but this was kinda refreshing, even though Northmoor was brainwashed!
clearly, the blind obedience of the last two directors was wrong, but the pure distrust and borderline hatred of Marshal towards the board were just as wrong.
plus what's the alternative? cut them off, and go back to the pre-board era? it was self-serving for them for sure, but you can't deny how much the board has done for the bureau!
you can't destroy the nail cuz it'll leak the astral world into our world.
you can't starve the board of their worship, cuz they have the power to create and affect objects of power and if they work together they might even be able to cause altered world events, so they'll get their psychic energy feeding one way or another.
but the way things are right now, at least they help and guide the bureau in their way.
but the alternative is that when we cut them off they will become a force like the Hiss or the darkness or the mold that will invade our world to feed and we'll have to actively fight off, except we won't have all the superpowers, knowledge, tools, and objects of power that an astral plane ally(the board) provides.
wouldn't it make sense to have them as a self-serving ally who provides power, than an outright enemy which we have no way of killing at all, especially when those are the only two options? (look at what the former has become, he's straight up supercharging altered items and killing people to be able to feed.) I mean in this world they are already constantly fighting off supernatural crises one after the other and barely saving the world(think about how absolute the hiss is and how miraculously lucky they were to be able to stop it, the same with the mold or darkness), why add another threat to the mix, especially since this one has easy access to our world from Astral plane.
Keep your friends close and your mysterious astral plane entities closer!
Good analysis, but I have a question. If the Board and Former are parasites on the House, their actions are likely weakening or harming the House. Since Ahti is the custodian who protects the House from harmful invaders and threats (like the Clog and those spore zombies), then why didn't He try to expel the Board / Former? Why did he leave them alone like the harmless humans from the Bureau? And why didn't he direct Jesse to do the same if they were such threats?
That is a very good question. Honestly I'd have to think on that. I know that the House itself reached out to Dr. Ash in some form or another. How exactly this happened or the details are a mystery.
Other than that I'll have to meditate on that further.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Could be Ahti was to tired at this point to deal with them and maybe he is connected to the House so is weaknening or severing the parasite is dangerous for the House as now they are connected.
Ahti and the board are on friendly terms
The board are definitely gonna try and kill Emily next
From what I have seen the only way they can accomplish this is through the ID. The Board was pissed Ash stayed down there so long. But the only action taken was being chased by the ID or having Northmoor strong arm him.
Whether the Board didn't take any direct action or COULDN'T take any direct action. Putting on a front that they are more powerful than they really are.
hmmm the ambiguous Heathen Dean part kinda interests me
Yeah we decided to play around with this one. The Board really didn't like me talking smack.
I was rewatching the gameplay of control, now free of this thought about the hiss being an evil, I can see truly that the hiss like Hedron/Polaris has his nature purposes and are not the bad after all, my theory is that, the hiss was trying to get rid the Board but for do that it was necessary eliminate everyone who believes in it (note that Dylan was the one who against the Bureau and was not affected totally changed like the others), who knows what they would do if the board join more and more objects of power and/or altered itens. To stop this menace the hiss finds a portal through one the slides projectors and do all this mess. Maybe control 2 after Alan wake 2 is this trip against the board and maybe Jess listening his brother to fight back them
How I look at the hiss is they wre just like a wild animal or virus. No good or evil involved with them. Just carrying out instinctual actions.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I'd argue that both the Hiss and Polaris have shown intent and purpose, just inscrutable methodology and reasoning. Both conspired to spread in their own ways, much as the Board has spread its symbol. Perhaps the reason you see them as "instinctual" is that they're the only entities that communicate without subtitles - Jesse converses with Polaris, and receives fractal spiral responses, but we don't know the content.
The Board is explicitly vulnerable to Resonance entities - as demonstrated by Dylan and the Hiss, and are also not capable of making use of Polaris' protection: If they could have, they wouldn't have been vulnerable with Jesse as Director.
This also means that Jesse, as well as the Hedron and HRA's, represent the same threat to the Board that Dylan did.
When Ahti lets you into the Oldest House he says "If they don't hire you ... There'll be work for the axe. Take them behind the sauna ..."
This indicates to me that Ahti works WITH the board, but is not a part of it. Ahti is the caretaker of the Oldest House, and tolerates the presence of the Board, so long as they don't cause him problems.
If they become a problem, he can, and will, break out the roach spray.
One potential problem with this theory is the Cassette Player. Who are Ahti's Friends, who gave it to him, that it can let anybody bypass the directorial restriction on the Ashtray Maze?
I just finished the game, had a blast throughout the story. Really makes me feel like I'm playing through an SCP tv show, with all the sidemission and character interaction. Also this is a cool concept for a videogame analysis video, making it like a university
course of talking more about it. Made me subscribe. Can you do on the topic of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and all the related human and machine evolution of humanity in the next semester, professor?
I'll need to play that game first and probably do a one off on it. I'm always looking for new games to check out for the channel.
And yeah Control is basically SCP the game. I'd love to see it get expanded on.
The Board reminds me so much of the The Nine in Destiny
I never played Destiny. How does The Nine work in that setting?
Amorphous entity that can't fully communicate directly with the player characters (the guardians). We can't fully say what they are or what they want. But they've guided the guardians towards events and outcomes.
A big question around them is whether or not they've always existed, or if they're something that exists because we've made them exist. Very much like egregore you've mentioned in relation of Controls Altered Items OOPs and various entities.
Egregore itself is also very prevalent in Destiny's ongoing light verse dark saga, which isn't even fully 100% light vs dark
I'm not the greatest destiny lore wizard out there so I might missing some things/over simplifying
My playthrough, I began to suspect The Board. Their authority became very condescending and passive-aggressive, their manner of giving vague allusions to information without actually giving anything concrete didn't seem to fit with the idea that they are trying to help or guide.
Or rather, they're trying to guide, but only in a very specific direction, and only with as much information as they feel comfortable giving.
My line of thinking? They're not as powerful nor omniscient as we're led to believe. They behave in a manner far too petty, far too *human*.
Keep up with these great videos man!
I absolutely will! These are a lot of fun to make.
The ending of this video was perfect 👏🏽
Haha thanks. Love messing around like this sometimes.
I was always under impression that The Board means The Board of *Directors*. Past and possibly future as well.
The activity of The Former, as well as its speech pattern, coincide with Zachariah Trench and the disjointed visions of him that bring Jesse vital information, as if communicating with her, while in reality monologuing about something entirely different. It would make sense for Trench to be expunged because he would have brought the Hiss resonance into the collective.
This wouldn't make sense in a conventional timeline, but who's to say that time in the Astral Plane flows linearly or follows internal causality.
I suggest you find somewhere to hide/hidden from the Board. Or Id/servant come/chase you
I have a safe room I can hide in. Hopefully they can't see me there.
Another awesome video, I love the theories you got always thought provoking
Thanks a bunch!
I'm glad the board showed up at the end. It put my mind at ease 😄
I always trust the Board. No discent I promise 🤫
What I certainly know is that everything that the Board or the Former does/did/will-do does not pose a sufficiently high threat to warrant a certain 'friendly face' to call us out and say: "Ah, Saatana Perkele, The neighbors dog that drinks from your bowl is fine until the bowl is empty and you are thirsty" (I'm just trying to do an Ahti phrase here, don't judge :P )
This game is real life, the board is THEMMM, the Illuminati !!
Haha. Once we learn the patterns we see them everywhere.
Great video and interesting theory. Your channel is the top source for Control and remedy verse lore.
The Board are definitely some shady dudes. In that regard we have to question, how and why they allowed so strong and uncontrollable person as Jesse to become the director? Were they so desperate under attack by the hiss? And second - are they aware of Polaris and their connection with Jesse? If they are then what are their plans for it? Are there clues in the game that they kinda have taken a sample of Polaris’ resonance during the Foundation DLC, as some people in the comments are saying?
As for the parasite and leech part in regards to both the Oldest House and the Bureau - I totally agree, the clues are plenty, especially in the Foundation.
And I always wondered: did the Board killed Trench? Do they have the power to terminate anyone appointed to position of Director? Or they can only manipulate by the promise of power..?
I think Former is a title; the one you fight in the boss fight is not the one who just wanted to chat with you.
One thing I've been thinking ever since I saw the Nail is that the Black Pyramid looks like it could be the tip of the Nail. Maybe THAT'S the significance of the Black Pyramid; it's a physical part of the thing binding them to the Oldest House.
No Gods, No Kings, Only Ahti.
Perhaps Ahti's chosen role of Janitor / Caretaker / Arborist for the Oldest House / Yggdrasil Tree is to rid it of the parasite (The Board) feeding up on it -- like a literal tree infected by a parasite.
Question regarding Alan Wake: Do you think Alan "reset" the area of Bright Falls at the end of Alan Wake?
At the end of end of Alan Wake it shows the people of Bright Falls celebrating Deer Fest like everything is normal, which leads me to think the area was reset. My reasoning for this is what sane person (or town) would celebrate Deer Fest when dozens (maybe hundreds) of locals disappeared or died (including 5 Sheriff's Deputies) and many millions in property damage occurred during the events of Alan Wake (e.g. the town and surrounding areas of Bright Falls, the Anderson Farm, the Lover's Peak center, the local hydro electric dam, etc.).
To say the lore of the RCU is confusing is an understatement, and according to the Alan Wake Remastered commentary, Sam Lake is loathe to outright clarify what's going on.
Funnily enough I remember playing through the DLC I don’t remember finding any real media implying that the board were parasites only that they were not entirely trust whether given Jesse’s on responses. maybe my memory is faulty,( it very well may be) or maybe you truly are a valuable/observant educator. Maybe I am just blind, or perhaps I am just misremembering. Maybe all of these
More likely you missed some of the collectibles. They designed the game so if you miss one of the documents or Ash tapes you are missing necessary info to figure it out.
So, the board is Nidhogg.
Those thoughts hit me as well
just a theory i mentioned in your other videos
i think that the hiss is part of what the former/dr ash may get a help in disconnecting the bond of the board and the oldest house
it might be that the hiss is one of those other dimensional entities that the oldest house plead for help
love your videos theories 😘
I'm glad you get a kick out of them!
Assuming beings like Former and current members of the Board require quantic observation (attention) like we do food and water, they're going about it in quite the roundabout way so I don't think that's quite it.
Along those lines, I believe as of DLC2 the Former is still the better of two options not on account of their credibility, but due to how they are more willing to sitdown on the negotiations table. With the board it's all dictates and trying to cover up the truth and whatnot...
Wouldn't surprise me if the Former got kicked out over something like that either.
Loved The Board in Control.
For me they are the most fascinating entity Remedy have made; more interesting than The Hiss, more flavourful than The Darkness and less trustworthy than Polaris.
I have some points, and your video corroborates some of them, and some would like to raise.
The fact that Marshall was hurt by the Board with spikes after blowing up the nail, suggests that the Board didn't want to get out of control of the House and lose its source of nutrition.
At the end of the dlc, Pope tells us that the Board deliberately allowed Hiss to corrupt the nail, that the nail itself was protected by a magnetic field. The Board block Jesse from closing the nail. I can explain part of it.
First, we need to be clear about why both the Former and the Board wanted to help Jesse.
The former mentioned "void, nothing, escape ...... end ...... endure". After completing the 4 rituals, the A.P. collapsed, and the final result was that the former escaped from the A.P. and reach the foundation, which is its ultimate purpose - to escape.
And when the A.P collapsed, if we looked upward, the pyramid was also collapsing. I think the Board deliberately let the nails lose protection and let the A.P bleed, which is its ultimate purpose - to escape.
Every new Control upload just makes my day! I cannot wait to get into this one. Thank you, friend, for your awesome work!
Great review of everything we know so far about The Board. By the way, fantastic editing, especially the surprise at the end. I loved it! The Board clues throughout the video seemed subtle and well thought out, although I thought you could use less for more impact. Still, they are a beautiful addition to Control videos. Well done, as always.
Glad you enjoyed it dude! Considering the topic this little editing changed felt appropriate and fun to include.
If you look into the Annihilation book series, there are A LOT of similarities, and the game creators said they took inspiration from it. And if they continue down that path I think I have an idea who the board/one eyed monster thing is.
Great content once again. And I believe you just solved very important puzzle about chester bliss. He must have a ex agent/scientist because his understanding is too deep. The fact he already knows how to evade the Bureau kind a speaks volumes . I thought it was werid he left the power board like he knew it was dangerous and better to be left with fbc.
Yeah you also made me realize how ahti must be working with them because he doesn't clash with them. Which means older house has something special beacuse ahti appearance only come when they started gaining more control of the fbc. The board and ahti need something that only humans can do because the oldest house only been responding to what humans do because even the hiss had to use Dylan who was still sound of mind and body when he acted to take over the board .
If the board choses the directors and Jesse is guided to the FBC building by Polaris, does it mean Polaris is part of the board?
It Is more that Polaris knew it was only a matter of time before the Hiss got into the Hedron chamber and destroyed the conduit. Once that happened the bureau would be lost and the Hiss would leak out into the world. It was an act of survival
Thoughts and prayers for my homey Former. There is nothing explicitly wrong with him, he is just powered / nourished by worship.
Control 2 confirmed !
Is it possible Ash created The Board? When Ash found the Id and named some of them, could that have been the moment the Board was created? And Maggie the brave one, when she died, maybe the Former was created? Maybe she was seen as too brazen for attacking the Rangers outright.
This does explain why the Board is so intent on helping Director Faden to put a stop to the HISS.
If they require the (at least subconcious) 'worship' of people to survive, the fact that the HISS pushes all that out of the influenced minds is pretty much a death knell to them.
I am somewhat reminded of the Eikons from FF9 and Ozma in particular. A summoned being so dangerous it was locked away and so old nobody remembers what it really was. And as such without any actual belief and knowledge in it has devolved into simply a mass of chaotic and deadly energy. And that is what it is when finally encountered.
In the Oldest House, the Board might be a group of entities that came over to feed off of our reality like parasites. But by being nailed to the House and being made its ephemeral 'Board of Directors' it is both tied to it for survival and trapped at the same time. Because the people of the FBC believe in it as the Board of Directors, it gets nourishment. But because so many people also believe it to BE the Board of Directors for the FBC, it cannot be anything else but that. So it can't go and parasitize anything else.
Thanks for the video.
You got it!
Hiss: Nidhogg
Board: The Great Eagle of Yggdrasil
Former: Ratatoskr
Hope you have a great day & Safe Travels!
The Board is trying to cover their ass! I knew the Board was untrustworthy, but this just made it all click. They trying make sure that Jesse is on their side, they know how powerful she is, and are getting scared of her knowing their true motive. They are plying the “Don’t worry Jesse, the Former is lying to you and we’re gonna beat him up.” Card. 😂😂Seeing The Former in the distance at the end, made me realize he is PHYSICALLY in our reality! MEANING THE BOARD MEMBERS COULD BE TOO! That’s probably why the devs showed him, in Control 2, we will probably be facing The Board and as The Director… it’s time for a performance review!
Just a very tiny small detail that I don't seem to find in none of your other videos, is the Board Room right on the Executive Center where you talk to Pope during the game (Pardon me if I missed something). This "Board room" is very close to the main Black Pyramid on the main Control Point of the Executive center. And we have seen that the use of the term "Board" is never unintentional on this game.
If you go to the very back of this room the wall is full of pictures of men, which at first I thought to be previous Directors, but Jesse is only the 4th Director of the Bureau right? The last frame in the uppermost part, is blank with a yellow cloth-ish thing covering it.
Just like Jesse's picture is everywhere on the Bureau after she got the Service Weapon, even she has never posed for one, I was thinking the pictures of those old guys on the Board Room could be representing the men that are now the collective consciousness called The Board.... Blablabla they wanted to be gods and live forever and turned into a single thing, yay!
Since the The Former got expelled out (either from the Board or from being the first Parasite on the Oldest House) his picture could be the one that was covered 🤔
Anyways... Great video and thanks for making this theory, that actually makes lots of sense and in a cronological way! I was felling kinda lost and confused when I was playing the Foundation DLC because of all those lies and contradictions everywhere. So this helps a lot!
Jesse is only the third director since the FBC discovered and set up shop in the Oldest House. However, there were dozens of directors before her.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Oh that actually makes sense. I always get confused on this part of the FBC history.
And thanks so much for answering my comment even if it was a silly question! I'm so happy hehehe 😚✨!
Another great video.
I'm gosd you enjoyed it!
To continue the hypothesis of entropy and the space helmets, would it be too farfetched if the Other is a sort of bigger threshold, instead of just being another part of the closed system overseen by Ahti touching base with the local reality, what if it's an entirely different closed system, that was pulled close enough for parts to be able to overlap. If for example the place the Board comes from is another system where their janitor failed, that would mean entropy is in the process of consolidating it's victory, turning that entire system into a soup of energy in equilibrium. Everywhere would be the same temperature, and you could basically not use any of it to do anything. If this was the case, the Board could be refugees from this other place, and their only way to use all that energy to do something on their side would be to shunt it over to our side, since our universe still has areas of lower energy density. In that case the Altered Items and materials would basically be dumping sites for the energy they use after it's done whatever work they put it to. They could still be using them to create worship if that's what they feed on as well.
But if that is the case then they may be pulling the universes closer together with every new connection made, which results in new threshold events.
I guess in that case the paranatural energy is basically extradimensional pollution, increasing the entropy of whatever universe the Board latches on to.
So, I'm just going out on a limb and say that if we go by Mr. Gaiman's logic, would the board essentially be a new god of beuracracy? Essentially just being like an eldritch form of the archetype exemplified by characters like the vogons from"Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy? Because while I haven't played the game, watching this video just makes me think of some sort of Eldritch rat King that saw human governments/conspiracy theories about shadow governments and said to themselves "ooohh...free lunch!"
Plus they called themselves The Board. This is a modern idea not some ancient one. I'd recommend looking into Gnosticism and their idea of Archontics. Originally meaning 'ruler' and used for those who held political office. It feels very similar to the entities that comprise the Board.
Love finding real occultism in a game about real occultism disguised as fiction ❤
Nice! Good video!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed
Wait you can help the former? I missed this my first play through
Yeah in the foundation you can either attack or talk to him
the former can be dr ash too..specially we know about northmoor....in foundation the former was the one help jesse to get rid of hiss there by help her to get necessary new power.... we know ahti is god and high lvl ID love him so much and they enjoy watch him when fix and cleaning messes...maybe ahti give dr ash the powers to balance everything in oldest house same power as something the board already have and stop the board being the one set all rules there and damage oldest roots of house the potf song last phrase was i contorl means maybe jesse must control ...everything... as ahti did in oldest house ( thats why she is janitor assistant ) ....polaris hisss the board all have same problems wants have more power control each others and fight but the keeper god ( ocean god ) let them fight each other till they messed up badly then joined and punished both side at same time dark light must be in universe at same time ( looks like us we kill each other and do soo many mad stuff but somethimes something like death can stop chain wars for a bit ( like a politician wants start huge war then he died suddenly bcz heart attack ) your theory could be true a bit and im agree but sam lake is sam lake you know xd
the board calls the service weapon a gun/sword/intentionally left blank, and there is later a document that talks about how it might be the archetypal weapon, mjølnir, gungnir, etc. so the board might just be a collection of old gods.
What about the astral plane leaking in or something when nail gets destroyed?
Maybe The Boad made the Hiss and the whole building being clensed is jusy its way of a game to see if the Diector or the people cant conquer it.
2:27 after all these years this part has having i thought that i will use to connect the dots and figure out who or what The Board realy is and where the inspiration/origins of The Board cane from im gonna rught a Reddit page snd ill get back to this video but the answer might be simpler than we thought with remedy's history and ingane facts to back it up.
Do we know what happened to Dr. Ash?
Last we heard he eventually went back up to the main part of the House in order to help preserve the place against Northmoor's craziness. I'm presuming he left in the early 90s when Northmoor was removed. Darling assumed the role shortly after.
@@GamingUniversityUoG but we don't know for sure, do we :)
Even before The Foundation dlc came out, I was suspicious of The Board. But after reading/listening to all of what Dr. Ash discovered, I especially don't trust them.
But one of the many questions I have, is given Ahti's relationship with/to The Oldest House, what does he plan on doing?
I had some reservation with them after the two Former hotline calls when they get super defensive and threaten you.
For Ahti I see him as the Caretaker of the House. He kind of comes along as a package deal.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Given the pest control errands he tasks Jesse with and how closely linked (almost integral) he appears to The Oldest House and all of its secrets, I always expected him to be as sensitive to the same "call for help" that Dr. Ash states The Oldest House is seemingly putting out. I wonder if his possible aeons-long stewardship of The Oldest House will place him in conflict with The Board.