The Dreams and the Shepard Breathing Scene

OK, so I discussed this particular topic before on the BSN, where it met with a bit of a mixed response, but for me it's something which leads me to strongly favour the Indoctrination Theory.

We're all aware of the "Shepard Lives" scene that follows the Destroy ending - the sequence which requires the highest levle of EMS out of all the possible endings. This "awakening" is often seen as the moment Shepard breaks the Reaper's indoctrination attempt. That the scene also appears to take place on Earth - amongst the London rubble and rebar, with possibly even an overturned Mako in the background, is interesting for a number of reasons.

Not least (in my opinion), in that this scene has been mirrored no less than THREE TIMES earlier in the game.

I'm talking, of course, about the often-discussed dream sequences.

The dream sequences have been interpreted in different ways since the game came out. PTSD. Shepard's resolve and fears. Potential signs of indoctrination (the whispering, the air of menace, the ghostly, "oily shadows" and much more). But what I'm interested in is not the dreams themselves, but what happens right after they end.

Shepard gasps for breath. Just as in the High EMS Destroy ending, Shepard wakes with a start.

Take a look.

Dream Sequence 1

Dream Sequence 2

Dream Sequence 3

The Breath Scene

Conclusive? Absolutely not. But I'm going to tentatively draw a correlation here - Shepard wakes from a nightmare three times during the course of the game, each time with an audible gasp for breath. And following the Destroy ending, we see the image of what we assume to be Shepard lying in a pile of rubble... once again waking with an audible gasp for breath.

A hint that once again, Shepard has been caught up in a nightmare? Let me know what you think.

I completely agree with you.

Also:

Anderson: I'm sitting in London, staring at rubble.

Just for the record, my opinion on the dreams is pretty straightforward: they're meant to make you feel guilty about the people you weren't able to save.

Voices of dead squad mates, the boy who, no matter how hard to try, always burns in front of your eyes.

It's all preparing you for the ending where the Reapers try to manipulate you into not wanting to destroy them by telling you that your friends will die if that is what you want.

Also, that moment when Shepard says "I owe you one..." and Anderson goes "...more than one." seems significant. For some reason it always makes me feel like Anderson will be the one to pull Shepard out of the rubble.

DoomsdayDevice wrote:I completely agree with you.

Also:

Anderson: I'm sitting in London, staring at rubble.

Just for the record, my opinion on the dreams is pretty straightforward: they're meant to make you feel guilty about the people you weren't able to save.

Voices of dead squad mates, the boy who, no matter how hard to try, always burns in front of your eyes.

It's all preparing you for the ending where the Reapers try to manipulate you into not wanting to destroy them by telling you that your friends will die if that is what you want.

Also, that moment when Shepard says "I owe you one..." and Anderson goes "...more than one." seems significant. For some reason it always makes me feel like Anderson will be the one to pull Shepard out of the rubble.

That line always struck me, when has Anderson really saved my ass before? Strange thing to say, but I like where your going with it.

And OP, agree with everything.

solidsnake78 wrote:

That line always struck me, when has Anderson really saved my ass before?

Could be a reference to all the strings he pulled to get the Alliance to ease up on Shepard after the Alpha Relay incident, or helping to keep the council friendly despite working with Cerberus during ME2. Or maybe even giving up his ship to Shepard in ME1, and helping to get it out of lockdown when Udina grounds the Normandy.

DoomsdayDevice wrote:I completely agree with you.
Voices of dead squad mates, the boy who, no matter how hard to try, always burns in front of your eyes.
It's all preparing you for the ending where the Reapers try to manipulate you into not wanting to destroy them by telling you that your friends will die if that is what you want.

I wonder if there might be something else to that.

The child burning is always followed by Shepard immediately waking up with a gasp. The Destroy ending is followed by Shepard waking up with a gasp. And of course the Catalyst - the Reaper overlord - takes on the form of the child...

A subtle message that choose Destroy, and you'll wake up?

Just airing random thoughts now!

The same gasp is used when waking from leviathan induced visions too.

RavenEyry wrote:The same gasp is used when waking from leviathan induced visions too.

#ITconfirmed

CoolioThane wrote:#ITconfirmed

for gods sake dont post that on BSN,

seival and his large sweaty chums will be after your blood.

dork wrote:

RavenEyry wrote:The same gasp is used when waking from leviathan induced visions too.

I shall hunt down the video clips from Leviathan later, and add them to the topic!

Also, I know we're all well aware of it by now, but it's probably worth mentioning the "fade to white" dream to reality sequence transitions in this thread as well. End of every dream sequence, after being hit by Habringer's blast, after walking into the beam, after Shepard collapses and the platform rises to the decision chamber...

dork wrote:heres one

One comment on that is yet another person who thought the kid wasn't real in the demo but now thinks they must be real because nothing directly tells you otherwise.

ElSuperGecko wrote:
The child burning is always followed by Shepard immediately waking up with a gasp. The Destroy ending is followed by Shepard waking up with a gasp. And of course the Catalyst - the Reaper overlord - takes on the form of the child...

A subtle message that choose Destroy, and you'll wake up?!

Child: "When fire burns, is it at war?"

They added that in EC.

When Shepard burns, is Shepard at war?