MovieChat Forums > Inside No. 9 (2014) Discussion > 'Ian''s motivation (spoilers)

'Ian''s motivation (spoilers)

posted 11 years ago by AK-16
6 replies | jump to latest

Why would he also kill other victims of the father? Smelly John and it seemed the son were also abused.

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For the panther may love the ape, yet despite their efforts they will not produce issue.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 11 years ago

I assumed that Smelly John and the two children were complicit in the father's abuse, and that the nanny may have been aware of the abuse too. Almost all the other characters in the wardrobe were all quite repellent and rude to 'Ian' for one reason or another that he probably thought they deserved to die along with his abusers.

[–] AK-16 11 years ago

The nanny was one of those stock naive characters but you may be right about the other 2 kids. I thought Smelly John had a phobia of carbolic soap because he was also abused. Out of all of them I felt like he didn't deserve to die.

Sounds like I'm being critical but I really enjoyed it; Reece was fantastically caustic and shined in his scenes/bits of cupboard, also great to see Pembleton in something that's not Benidorm.
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For the panther may love the ape, yet despite their efforts they will not produce issue.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 11 years ago

I thought the interplay between all the actors was fantastic but I particularly loved Shearsmith as soon as he came into the room doing his 'Child Catcher' impression and I thought Katherine Parkinson did an especially great job as the rather snooty, up-tight fiancé.

I agree with you about Smelly John too. None of them deserved to die of course but since John was a fellow 'victim' his death seemed particularly 'unfair'. Maybe 'Ian' felt so much shame for his past he wanted to 'erase' his fellow victims.

[–] CharteredStreets 11 years ago

I think he was just mental now.

If I have to tell you again, we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like!

[–] richie_patrese 11 years ago

Smelly John (who is scared of ALL soap it would seem) didn't deserve to die...but Pip was hardly going to open up the wardrobe, grab John out and then close it, lock it and set fire to it...

[–] maxx8uk 11 years ago

Perhaps if smelly John and Carl had come forward and had spoken out when Pip (Ian) did then he might of been more inclined to spare them. Both were obviously victims as well.
With Smelly John avoiding washing and a fear of the smell of the soap used in that house in particular and Carl's disliking of being touched we can probable surmise that the father used the pretense of washing the young boys to touch them sexually.