Some Questions and Theories (Spoilers)

I've made a thread of similar titles on the two previous Saw films, so to read more into them, go check them out. I'm re-watching the movies, and I took down any questions/notes I observed. Some of them have been answered in the next four movies, but I haven't seen them in a while so I asked them anyways. Anyhow, some of them might make for good discussion, so I don't feel too guilty.


1) The death of Jeff and Lynn’s son took place three years before the events of this movie. Three years prior, I’m pretty sure that John would not have been operating as Jigsaw (I can’t say for sure, but I doubt he’s been doing this for three years). Why did he pick this one specific case? Did he remember it being on the news when he was ‘normal’ and healthy? It just seems odd that he picked these specific people.

2) Was the intention of John to just let Mathews rot, or did he want Amanda to kill him? Either way, it doesn't work out as Mathews escaped, but that also makes me wonder if John ever thought about the possibility of Eric getting out. I’m sure he didn't know about toilet lid being within reach of him (and obviously Amanda didn't catch it), so did John disregard this possibility altogether, or did he have some contingency plan set up (another role for Eric following this ordeal) in case Mathews happened to escape?

3) How much time was it between the time that Gordon (followed minutes later by John) left the bathroom to Amanda going in to kill Adam? I’d say maybe an hour (because as John didn't plan for Amanda to go kill Adam, Amanda had to make sure John and Gordon were okay before she could find the time to escape), but would Adam still be alive an hour and five minutes after getting shot as he did?

4) When John is talking to Lynn, he uses the phrase “dead on the inside,” the same phrase that was used in the tape that Kerry listened to instructing her of her game (as unfair as it was). My question is did John authorize the abduction and murder of Kerry (and did he make the tape for Kerry – and Troy, for that matter – or did someone else, that person being either Hoffman or Amanda)? He obviously, if involved, would not condone the murder, but if he believed that Amanda would give Kerry a chance to survive, he might have told Amanda to get Kerry. That aside, I saw no proof in this movie that John knew Kerry had been murdered (not that I believe he pays close attention to the investigation on him, as Hoffman could probably tell him anything he needs to know), so maybe Amanda was working with Hoffman without John’s knowledge to knock Kerry off (remember, Hoffman was in the room when Kerry pointed out that something was strange about the traps, so Hoffman knew Kerry was getting close). Even if this is completely disproved in an upcoming film, it’s still a decent theory.

5) The abduction of Lynn from the hospital – that was quite a feat (not one doctor was around to notice anything?), and I’m wondering how it’s possible. The more interesting question about that, however, is did Amanda abduct Lynn or did Hoffman? Sure, Lynn’s a depressed woman and she probably couldn't effectively fight back against Amanda, but why risk sending Amanda to do the job? Just because she proved her worth when abducting Adam? Hoffman, in my eyes, if he had the time to do so, would be a much safer bet.

6) This is an off-the-wall theory (with no support from the movies), but is it possible that Gordon cheated on his wife with Lynn? They worked in the same hospital, and after the death of her son, maybe Gordon comforted here. Either that, or the man at the beginning with Lynn (Chris, I believe his name was) already had something going on with Lynn prior to the death of her son, but I find that unlikely.

7) Was the Rack trap for Timothy escapable? Jeff eventually got the key, but he didn't seem to be able to get Timothy out of the trap (though it is fair to point out that both arms and legs had already been mangled, so maybe Jeff didn't see the use anymore). Did Amanda set up the trap so that Timothy couldn't have been saved anyways?

8) After failing to save the woman from freezing to death, Jeff moves on without much trauma, but not the same can be said for Amanda. In fact, Amanda enters the room teary-eyed and claims “He made it through the freezer room. He tried to save her.” Why is Amanda so emotional over the death of this woman, or does it more have to do with the stress she is under at the moment? It just seemed rather odd to me that Amanda would lose her cool at that moment, and it made me wonder if there was a relation.

9) Not as related to this movie, but the question popped up in my head when watching. When John ordered that Hoffman get Gordon’s pen-light, was he already preparing to bring Gordon into the fold? Sure, he didn't know that Gordon would end up amputating his foot, but after he did (while John was in the room), was it at that moment that John decided to bring Gordon onto his side, or was it always his ambition/goal to do so?

10) Who kidnapped Jeff and his daughter? This probably happened around the same time as the abduction of Lynn occurred (maybe a few hours earlier, but not much more than that), so I’d have to say that Hoffman took on this task. I don’t see Amanda having the strength, nor do I get the impression that she ever actually had contact with Jeff (as she hardly knew a thing about him).

11) I always wondered about this – what was John’s connection to Obi before any of this (the cancer, the games, etc.) ever happened, assuming that is Obi in the flashback walking up to him and his wife. I know that Jill ran a clinic, but I forget Obi’s role (if he was ever patience, etc.). Still, even if he went there, I don’t see why Obi would ever interact with John the way he appeared to in the flashback.

12) John Kramer liked to see the games play out before him (as clearly stated and observed in the first movie), but do any of his accomplices share that same desire? Sure, Amanda was in the house in the second film, but it didn't seem that she particularly enjoyed it, even on a deep, philosophical level. Hoffman I’m not sure about (as I've only observed his actions recently in this one movie, and all he did was hide some evidence), but I recall him watching subjects on monitors in later movies. This however seemed to me to just be surveillance (making sure things were going on as they should be), and not about the ‘enjoyment’ that John got out of it.