Monsters
"Ya know my doctor used to say the word monster is not a noun...that to be a monster you gotta do something monstrous."
-David, S1:EP3
That line really came into play by the end of the episode for me after Melanie flips through that most cheery of children's books. If you think about what David said and follow it you can trace through all the things he may have done before we meet him on the show.
So far, I think there are hints at him doing the following....
- killing his dog
- killing his mom
- hurting or possibly killing Dr. Poole
- maaaybe killing Philly, even? I've seen some make the case for this, though I think it's the most tenuous of them so far since we've seen her the least. I mean, she's not even had any lines. I can get the implication though, so I'll include it.
- all culminating in the biggest one of all....did David set Red Hook ablaze and kill/injure most of its residents?
The drawing Melanie saw definitely made it seem that way, when you consider the Angry Boy is a proxy (or personality if you'd prefer) for David. It also seems like TDWYE is perhaps the grown up version of the Angry Boy? They seemed linked somehow...maybe as David grew so did he, into, well this massive monster.
On a more realistic level, I think it could be a good representation of mental illness in general as well. Something that starts out somewhat small inside of you, not understood as a young person and as you repress it or mistreat it as you get older and older it can grow and amass itself into something even worse or uglier.
Back to my main point. David said you have to do monstrous things to be a monster. He potentially has a fairly substantial laundry list of murders, I believe, unbeknownst to him. It seems to me that outburst in his kitchen was the first time he was fully aware of his abilities, but looking further back into his childhood it seems to have manifested itself without him realizing...and in really scary, darker ways. And I think, those words stuck in his brain about monsters because deep down that's the way David sees himself or wonders about himself.
So, what about you? Do you see him that way? Do you think he's done those things? Has he done more and I just missed something? Don't think he's done any of that, why not? Am I making this all too literal? What observations did you make or take away from all that?
Grades will be handed out at the end...kidding, of course ;) I just like trying to bolstering some discussion! Please, PLEASE feel free to join in.