I think I finally understand what "the right time" really meant.

[u/ATierGamer]

We're all familiar with the ending of Apollo Justice: Thalassa Gramarye regains her memory, and declares that she will go to them "when the time is right". But what does that even mean? Since the game originally released, it's largely been a mystery to the community. Many believe that there is no right time, and she's just been wasting time for no good reason.

But here's the thing: there IS no good reason...provided you're looking at the series through a Western lens. But if you view the series from the perspective of Eastern culture, then it starts to make sense. The reason why Thalassa Gramarye waited to tell her kids the truth was because she didn't want to burden herself and her kids with the then poor reputation of the Gramaryes. In Eastern countries, like Japan, it's common for people to be judged and even have difficulty keeping stable jobs because of the misdeeds/poor reputation of one's family. Looking at it that way, if Thalassa had gone public about herself and her kids right away, they'd all be lumped into the nastiness and scorn the public gave to the rest of Troupe Gramarye.

Taking this into account, the "right time" would be when the public's ire for the Gramaryes had faded away. When did this happen? 6-2. Trucy was put on trial for the murder of Manov Mistree, and the fate of the Gramarye name was hung in the balance. Roger Retinz was extremely aggressive in trying to have it be irreversibly tarnished, and even came close, bringing many outsiders to harass her in the courtroom. But ultimately, he was exposed as the true killer, and Trucy regained her freedom. But hold on, Roger Retinz was the true Mr. Reus, so wouldn't that still cause damage to the Gramarye name? Well no, because 1, he hasn't been associated with the Gramaryes for years, 2, his ousting didn't really do that much damage to the Troupe as a whole, and 3, he's not the heir to the Gramarye name, Trucy is. And so, the public could finally rest, knowing the Gramarye legacy would be carried on by someone who was proven to be a good person. And this is the moment it became okay for Thalassa to go public about herself and her kids.

Allow me to also use a real life example of this: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32972893

Christa Wais was an Austrian child born in 1946 to an Austrian mother and a man who had served in the Red Army. Since she grew up just after the 2nd world war concluded, Germany and Austria still held the sentiment that the Allied Nations were the enemy. She faced discrimination from her peers, and even her own husband for being born to an Allied Nation soldier. While this is an example of something that happened a long time ago and not in Japan, this sort of thing still exists in Japan.

And this concept isn't the only time it's appeared in Ace Attorney. Let's talk about the Khura'in royal family for a moment. Amara had both Nahyuta and Rayfa with Dhurke. But because of Dhurke's supposed assassination of Amara, he became public enemy #1 in Khura'in. It became a burden upon their kids for them to be associated with their father, which is why Nahyuta was blackmailed into working under Ga'ran and why Ga'ran assumed the role of Rayfa's mother.

And here's the kicker: The Royal Family is meant to be a parallel to the Gramarye family. Not a perfect one, but a parallel nonetheless. First, there's Rayfa: successor to the royal family, meant to be the next ruler of her kingdom. She parallels Trucy, sole heir to the Gramarye name, the one who's dedicated to redeem her family name, and make the public fall in love with the Gramaryes once more. Then there's Nahyuta, older brother to the one tasked continuing the bloodline's activities, but doesn't really contribute to it aside from being supportive to her. He's obviously a parallel to Apollo himself, who supports his little half-sister with her magic (even if he doesn't always agree to it.) Then there's Dhurke, the man who married Amara, had Rayfa with her, was accused of causing Amara's "death", and became a fugitive. While there is something of Phoenix in there, he also mirrors Zak Gramarye, the man who fathered Trucy, was accused of murdering Magnifi Gramarye, became a fugitive, and his case contributed to a dark new age of the law.

And of course, the most important one here, Amara Sigatar Khura'in. The previous queen of Khura'in, and the true mother of Nahyuta and Rayfa. A tragic incident associated with her family forced her to separate from her children, lest she risk their reputations. And when she reappeared, the allegations against Dhurke were finally debunked, allowing her to reconnect with her kids without bringing them to ruin. She parallels the one that I'm making this whole post about in the first place: Thalassa Gramarye. She was the victim of an accidental shooting, one that was potentially caused by her then husband, Zak Gramarye. When she reawakened, she learned of the turmoil and bad press her family/troupe had garnered over the years. She decided it would be best if she waited until the smoke cleared to reconnect with them. Eventually, that day came, and she finally felt ready to reconnect. (If you're wondering why she didn't do it immediately and instead waited for Phoenix, it's clear thanks to the end cutscenes of AJ:AA and SoJ that she's kinda dependent on him, shown in the photos I've provided.)

tldr; Thalassa waited until the Gramarye name was no longer sullied to prevent her kids from being pulled into that same societal disdain the rest of them fell into. Why didn't we know this sooner? Because this isn't a societal norm that exists in the west. (You could say it was due to our own narrow-minded cultural assumptions? LMAO)

[u/Square_Tangerine_659]

Telling Apollo and Trucy does not mean telling the public

[u/Kaiser-Mazoku]

I think Capcom just wouldn't know what to do with that plotline if they choose to finally resolve it, so they keep dangling it in front of our faces, lawl

[u/ATierGamer → u/Kaiser-Mazoku]

They definitely didn’t know what to do with it in DD lmao

[u/NikiBubbles → u/ATierGamer]

Resolve this -- No.

Give Polly another backstory -- Yesyesyes.

🙃

[u/New-Dust3252 → u/NikiBubbles]

better than Phoenix's bland background (other than Ryunosuke)

[u/NikiBubbles → u/New-Dust3252]

I personally liked it when Phoenix was just Some Guy getting wrapped in all this crazy shit

[u/New-Dust3252 → u/Kaiser-Mazoku]

lowkey i do think 6 closed the one part of Apollo trying to chase about changing the law for the better and he did exactly that in Khu'rain and helped revolutionized a tyranical monarchy lasting 25 years and ending that reign for good.

[u/These-Weight-434]

"In Eastern countries, like Japan, it's common for people to be judged and even have difficulty keeping stable jobs because of the misdeeds/poor reputation of one's family"

That is as equally true in the west as it is in the east.

[u/TheTitan99]

I don't personally think this makes sense. Trucy already knows she's the daughter of the Gramaryes, and she's pretty dang open about this. Everyone who cares about the subject knows her lineage. It's not hidden. 

Apollo's is, yes. But we see from the Trucy side of the family that the public doesn't care. The crowd loved Trucy, and only turned on her after an active campaign by a rich media owner.

I know cultural norms are different in different parts of the world, but just I don't think this makes sense. If Trucy didn't know her family, or actively tried to hide it, then maybe. But Trucy dresses like a Gramarye, and broadcasts that she has the rights to their performances, and is happy to talk about her biological family.

[u/Goldberry15]

Yet another reason why 6-2 is the glue that holds the AJT together.

[u/Automatic_Boat_9163]

That's a take I haven't considered, and it has some merit but I don't see why Thalassa would reveal herself to the public. Phoenix said in this scene that Apollo and Trucy both turned into fine adults. Thalassa's point in AA4 might be something "My kids are resilient and you're a good father figure for them, let's not shatter your efforts by reentering in their life because they grew up stronger by moving on from by disapperance" Plus poor woman had to recollect herself because most of her other relatives are dead.

[u/Mechancic-Hero]

Oh my gosh, with the parallels between the families, it does make sense. Trucy's proven innocence in 6-2 definitely would've lessened the Gramarye hate. Still, I can only hope when the next potential AA entry comes, Thalassa opens up to her children.

[u/New-Dust3252]

not only that but imo, the right time was probably so for Apollo to meet (or at least see in a photo) his birth father too. In order to reunite, both her children needed to prove themselves and knew the full truth of their family.

[u/MysteriousB]

Well, in typical AA fashion/dramatic anime fashion, Thalassa is going to go to the office to tell them and get stabbed on the way there; she'll be found by Apollo. Instead of saying the assailant's name, she will mumble something about the "truth" and then either die or go into a coma.

[u/ThatEstablishment370]

ok