mysticdoodles:

Okay but you know what I find interesting about the finale?

Stanley’s mindscape was blank.

Completely empty.

Before, we’ve seen that Stan’s mindscape was black and white and drained of color in most places, but it was still full of objects, memories, facsimiles of himself and his family and friends as manifestations of said memories and fears.

But this time? Nothing. Just a single room, with a single door in and out, in a vast, vacant expanse. I don’t think it’s possible for someone to just compress all of their own mind and being into a single mindscape room – that would probably drive someone insane.

I think Ford erased most of his memory beforehand, so Bill wouldn’t recognize the mindscape the second he entered and be able to jump ship. They needed to trap him, to keep him from suspecting until it was too late. The only memories he left intact were those of his own person, and the kids, which Stanford erased once Bill was inside his mind and vulnerable.

…I can’t even imagine how devastating that must have been for Ford. No wonder he was so upset when it came down to the wire, and he had to wipe out that last little piece of his brother. He had already been forced to remove his own brother’s life from his mind, multiple times, piece by piece – given how the memory gun works, it can’t just cover all memories at once; it’s selective.

And before people get up in arms, no. I don’t blame Ford. It was Stan’s plan. The only one who could come up with a scheme so harebrained it would work had to be Stanley. Stanley wanted this.

Ford watched his own twin fade away right in front of him.

Interesting theory, but I doubt it.

Bill didn’t really think it was strange, he seemed to think it was just a sign of a well organized mind.

I think it might just have been that Ford warned Stan that he needed to keep his mind blank and focused, so Bill didn’t immediately recognize it, until Bill was trapped.

Which implies that mindscapes are a lot easier to manipulate than we had reason to suspect…