In the third episode of Serial Experiments Lain, Lain’s life gets weirder and weirder as the show does, too. TOO MANY LEVELS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Serial Experiments Lain.Â
What is this show??? What is it?
I have to believe that a lot of the recurring motifs, themes, and imagery found within “Psyche†are part of something larger. It helps me piece together this puzzle in that sense, but I also worry that I’m assigning meaning to things that are meant to be random. I CAN’T ACTUALLY TELL. But it’s easy to assume that there’s a reason why Mika’s and Lain’s mother is so distant. It cannot be an accident at this point! This is the third time that we’ve seen her interact without any real interest in her daughters, and it seemed so strange to me that she cared about Lain getting to school late, but otherwise, she didn’t express anything else. Nothing! It made me wonder how she even knew her daughter’s schedule. Of course, I also have no real explanation for her behavior. At least there’s some more depth to Lain’s father, but even he is distant or non-existent for most of his time on the show. Why this? Is this meant to be commenting on something of the time period?
The same goes for the recurring image of someone following Lain. The last episode, they remained in the shadows, and it frightened Lain. Now, someone (WEARING  WEIRD HEADGEAR, I DON’T GET IT) is sitting outside her house, and at one point, they wait for Lain to arrive. Why??? What could they possibly want with her? I can guess that it has something to do with the Wired, but here’s the problem: I CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE WIRED IS. Yet again, Serial Experiments Lain is deliberately keeping the truth away from me. I’m wondering if that is the point. Am I supposed to feel so helpless? Because that’s kind of a fascinating storytelling technique, since most stories aren’t so openly confusing like this one.
But let’s talk about this further because THIS WIRED THING IS RIDICULOUS. I really do wonder if Lain is an unreliable narrator, because I don’t remember her joining the Wired. She doesn’t use her Nav beyond anything superficial, but what if she has? What if the woman the shooter saw in the last episode really is her? What if everyone else saw her, too? Why is this other personality the polar opposite of her? I found this all intriguing because it reminded me of how the Internet has allowed people to become other people, both in an empowering sense and a frightening one. I like the idea that the Wired has made Lain into something she wants to be, but it’s still in a fucked up way. It’s not exactly celebratory, is it? She’s hearing voices, except… hell, what if those voices are actually there? She’s gotten subliminal messages before, so it’s not out of the question. How can the people in The Wired contact others? I’m right back to the idea that Chisa wasn’t lying, that the Wired really provides a way for people to live on outside of their bodies.
So did Lain join the Wired yet or not? Oh god, this is so weird, and I really need to know more.
The video for “Psyche†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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