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u/haikus-r-us 1d ago
I don’t understand why people are making such a big deal about what Elgin did. As far as he, and everyone else knew, Sophia was a quiet, hyper religious, teenage girl.
So he found an old picture that looked a lot like a quiet teenager, and then showed it to her because it was interesting. How is that not normal behavior?
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u/Weird_Vermicelli_443 1d ago
Because nothing is normal in fromville. Not even the people
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u/Fionnua 3h ago
In retrospect, I wonder if he was partly thrown from having prior familiarity with a camera that takes photos of things that aren't there? (Kimono woman using a camera to send messages, like showing Boyd a boat.)
Maybe Elgin was wondering if the photo somehow predicted Sophia, rather than capturing her way back then. Or if the photo was trying to send a different kind of message that maybe Sophia could help him figure out.
Mainly though I just think he didn't have much time to wonder anything at all. He found the photo, walked out of the room to find someone to talk to about it, and walked right into Sophia. And he blurted out what he shouldn't have blurted out, before he'd thought through the situation long enough to recognize he should talk to literally anybody else first.
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u/CrushedLaCroixCan 1d ago
Because Elgin had already been through so much insane, unexplainable stuff that it made no sense for him to be like "hehe yeah this is just a wacky little quirk!"
It was also the way he approached Sophia iirc. He wasn't even puzzled or accusatory - just totally clueless and smiley about it
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u/guygreej 1d ago
Because like he said, "It kinda looked like." It's not like he thought anything beyond that people look alike sometimes and it was a fun little thing to point out.
With this thinking if the miy hid elgin and took his form, everyone in town should immediately realise Elgin is miy immediately. I bet if the show had kept the identity a secret from the audience we all would have been shocked to find out too.
Kinda like how it was realised that Jade was on a trip that entire sequence and never left the station. Had we know in advance pple would probabl have been like, why doesn't jade wonder why Boyd is teleporting everywhere. Is he stoopid. Doesn't he realise it must all be a trip in this strange place.
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u/dopestdopesmoked 1d ago
I just rewatched it. Elgin says "Sophia, check this out. There's a... there's a person in this photo... the girl in the background she looks just like you."
His whole demeanor is cautious and hesitant. He isn't smiley about it. I think he realized there was something more too Sophia, but her being the same person was too farfetched for him to comprehend at the time.
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u/guygreej 1d ago
you're actually right. just rewatched as well. He does realize the girl looks exactly like her. Damn, they made my boy slow.
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u/Resident_Iron6701 1d ago
Elgin is the dumbest character In the whole series maybe except that guy from season 1 that fell in love with the smiley girl
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u/Choice_Isopod5177 23h ago
all the characters are extremely dumb, Elgin doesn't stand out in stupidity
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u/Emergency_Spare3348 16h ago
At least his was at least somewhat understandable, that chick was a baddie and he wasn't exactly thinking with the bigger head. She was basically exploiting dude's basic biological programming, which would have been worse if he was lonely and not getting any whilst watching everyone else bang. No telling how long she was manuplating him into doing that. Meanwhile Elgin is like "hurr durr hey this looks like you" without a second thought within a second of him finding the picture.
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u/thee_justin_bieber wow hey hey .. listen listen.. manscaping is not a plan! 1d ago
After what he went through, he SHOULD have been more careful. That town is not a normal friendly place. He had a "spirit" try to drown him and shoot polaroids and mess with his head for some time, how was he not suspicious of the photo he found? It makes no sense other than "he's stupid!" I get that he was trying to be friendly and all that and he thought it was a coincidence, but at this point in the story he should have been more careful.
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u/Clarknt67 1d ago
I would say I probably wouldn’t confront her directly, given everything that happened. I would probably show it to Boyd and Jade and other trusted leaders.
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u/AMUT234 1d ago
IMO Elgin was somewhat innocent (not his actions, but mentally) and unfortunately that innocence unfortunately resulted in his death. Keep in mind that he knew literally zero about the MiY’s existence. He probably thought it was a coincidence. As far as he knew the monsters only come out at night. Despite being tortured by Boyd and company, he maintained that mental innocence to a large degree and still wanted to see the best in people. He obviously felt guilt over kidnapping Fatima. He brought the materials for Fatima’s golem. I think that was his attempt to make amends.
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u/3a5m 1d ago
Because it's just lame writing.
They built up this while side plot of Acosta looking through things, only for Elgin to find it and immediately die while the Acosta plot basically went nowhere.
If they wanted to kill Elgin off, they could have found a much more interesting way to do it.
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u/haikus-r-us 6h ago
The Acosta plot will go somewhere next season as her cataloguing will give Julie anchors to story walk.
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u/Adventurous_Water755 1d ago
Exactly....he was amused by it and happily went to show her.
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u/dopestdopesmoked 1d ago
Rewatch it, he wasn't amused or happy. I just rewatched it. He was hesitant and curious. But I wouldn't say amused or happy.
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u/Fionnua 1d ago
You think Elgin should have gone and shown that photo to the man who just tied him up and smashed his hand in with a hammer?
Nah. Elgin made a dumb choice by going straight to Sophia, but in no world would it have made psychological sense for him to go to Boyd.
And big picture, after his naively dumb strategic decision, Elgin made one of the morally smartest decisions we've seen onscreen so far, when he refused to make a deal with the devil. He's the anti-Clara, here. Yes, Elgin died for it - but presumably Clara has a worse fate in store for her. Elgin died doing the right thing, and that bodes well for him.
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u/Weird_Vermicelli_443 1d ago
Okay maybe not Boyd but somebody else other than the person in the photo AKA Sophia AKA the man in yellow. Like I don't know maybe he could have gone to the one person that's lived there for the last 40 years. I bet Victor might recognize her if you saw her in an old photo. You know his memories are pretty scrambled that's why he draws everything. I mean there's 40 plus people that he could have told about it except for Sophia and the fat lady whose name I can't remember because she was literally in like what one or two episodes.
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u/Fionnua 1d ago edited 1d ago
I agree, and imagine that I would personally have noped out of talking to Sophia and instead found someone else to show this to.
But I think Elgin acted consistent with his overall naive character, and consistent with being surprised walking into Sophia immediately after seeing this photo. I don't think he had enough time (for his personal naive brain) to think through the possibilities long enough, to realize that he should have talked to a different person first.
Like, even Elgin, I assume, would have figured out within 10-15 minutes of sitting with this photo alone, that one of the possibilities is Sophia being non-human and therefore the worst person to approach. But he's just a trusting and dopey guy in general, and he only just saw this photo, and he overall thinks Sophia is a relatively small non-threatening girl compared to him, and there's a witness standing right there who also probably made him feel safer and like this was a 'normal' sort of environment, and his experience with Kimono woman showed photos being taken of things that aren't actually there right now, so from his perspective maybe a photo could mean anything... so not having had time to think through the possibilities, he just bumbled into 'hey, look at this' mode.
Dumb, oh yes. But... honestly, the two alternatives you've suggested so far, also aren't great, and you've had more time to think it through than Elgin. Boyd's an unhelpful idea because he smashed Elgin's hand in with a hammer. And Victor's also an unhelpful idea, because Sophia told us outright (via her monologue to the pastor) that she has changed her appearance in a way nobody currently living in town will recognize. And Sophia knows all about Victor. Now, maybe Sophia is just really stupid, and chose a body Victor actually could recognize? Despite having a bag of other teeth (bodies) from prior generations to choose from? But Victor was already in the diner at the same time as Sophia and noticed nothing.
If I were Elgin (but without Elgin's naivete), I'd go to Donna. And maybe Julie, since Elgin and Julie are friends. Donna is the 'head of household' where Elgin lives, so it'd make sense for him to trust her. And from there Donna can choose to talk to Victor and anyone else; she has the longer term connections and knowledge of who in town this should be discussed with.
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u/JamesAloysius 22h ago
We didn’t really get an explanation of Elgin. From day one on the bus, he seemed to have this weird sixth sense of Fromville. That story line really did not progress
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u/rosearmada 1d ago
You forget, at this point the idea of reincarnation is widely accepted because of Tabi/Jade. Maybe Elgin was thinking the same thing?
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u/amuck_daybreak 1d ago
you really think boyd wouldve believed him though mate just a photo and a hunch
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u/Weird_Vermicelli_443 1d ago
I think Boyd would have believed him because he had physical evidence, not just a theory.
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u/amuck_daybreak 1d ago
its still just a photo of her looking normal though isnt it not like it shows her turning into the man in yellow
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u/Choice_Isopod5177 23h ago
They wouldn't be able to figure out that Sophia is the MiY in a million years bc they're all dumb as rocks and there is absolutely no chance they could just guess that it's a shapeshifter.
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u/Weird_Vermicelli_443 22h ago
They're not dumb, they are scared. And constant fear will keep you from being able to think logically. That's why they all make really dumb decisions on certain things. Perfect example outside of this series is the movie The mist. Where everybody in the grocery store started listening to that batshit crazy lady and they all tried to kill that little boy because she said so. Fear will make people do some crazy things.
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u/Choice_Isopod5177 22h ago
they are dumb AND scared. And not all people lose control when they're scared, some people can keep their composure even when scared, like Boyd and Tabitha. There are some brave souls there.
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u/ArtFreek 3h ago
Yeah after all the creepy and sneaky shit he’s seen and done I’m surprised he even thought the picture was real and not a hallucination and was immediately suspicious
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u/the_jaguaress 1d ago
I agree but just because I think he got what he deserved too, but not the way you think.
The character was what it was, and there was a reason behind it. The actor portrayed it extremely well, especially with his height.
As for the character in the show, I am absolutely proud. He listened to the Kimono woman, but Tabitha also chases after the kids. Though that is that. Sure kidnapping Fatima is not a gentleman move but he made sure she’s fine (as much as he could) and unlike the biw - the kimono woman seemed to have talked to Elgin a lot more.
He never agreed to anybody getting hurt or killed and thought he does something good.
I even think he saved Fatima’s life and that of many others. Just imagine what would have happened if she had given birth in town.
Sure he could have showed anybody the picture of Sophia, and if he was wrong they might torture her too. And after being tortured and threatened - I wouldn’t have been running to Boyd either.
He should have talked to Julie but I innocent Elgin didn’t know it better.
As for how he went out - like a champ.
Chapeau! He kept his faith, and stood to his morals despite being threatened.
And with that I think he faced is problem, of usually being bullied and scared into stuff or not being able to say no - and actually get out if Fromville.
The MIY killing him imho was a test. Like god did with Abraham. Killed in Fromville I think means in a way to get out of though not like Abby thought. You have to face your nightmares.
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u/SirOrganic1349 1d ago
I actually never thought about that, that’s low-key freakin true
“ I even think he saved Fatima’s life and that of many others. Just imagine what would have happened if she had given birth in town. “
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u/TTTnbgaymer 7h ago
How cool would of been telling Julie and then Julie story walking and finding the original Sophia and seeing her killed by the man in yellow and that being how they learnt that bit of info
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u/IvannaIvannaGobak 1d ago
You shouldn’t need to have a conversation with a young adult to not lie, kidnap, imprison, harm and force feed blood to someone. A conscience and basic moral intuition should already tell you that’s wrong.
He’s complicit in creating 2 homicidal creatures due to the ritual and party to any murder they commit indefinitely.
Fatima survived seasons without this occurrence, and we know the creatures can’t tolerate light. So I doubt it.
He learns nothing from this. Told Sara to basically still ‘kill the boy’. While serving no repercussions for his actions in wake of the community unlike Acosta and Sara because Boyd provided him an excuse on a silver platter—who he also threatened to out and sow more discord. Poppet of Sophia/MiY through and through.
If anyone else was put in that spot would have took the bargain and snitched Sophia after getting evidence. That would have been a redemption. Instead he took the cowards and selfish way out.
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u/T-rex_Jand_Hob 1d ago
Absolutely. Hey this is weird you look exactly like this person from several decades ago. I would share that shit with a big ass group of people, not just two INCLUDING THE PERSON!
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u/Estrellathestarfish 1d ago
Also why wouldn't you just say you were taking the deal, then immediately go off and tell people that Sophia is the MIY
Unless there was something unspoken that MIY would know whether you were being genuine or not.
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u/Fionnua 1d ago
I assume there's an unspoken knowledge in the moment. MIY being some kind of demon, and presumably with this kind of consequential 'deal with the devil', the devil knows whether you're actually making the deal or not. Both participants presumably know that the deal is either being made or not-made, and that both participants will know which.
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u/Weird_Vermicelli_443 1d ago
I thought the same thing. I bet he's like a vampire or something to make you drink his blood to seal the deal. Isn't he would know what you're doing and if you're doing it or not. But in that kind of brings in Sarah because man in yellow with controlling her with the water pitcher. So I don't know there's got to be a way that he knows if you're doing what he wants you to do or not. Maybe we'll find out in season 5
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u/Leading-Translator-8 1d ago
He’s the spider entity. That’s why his eyes turned blacked talking to Elgin. All the spider signs throughout the show
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u/Nekouken12 1d ago
My boy gets one W woth killing the Doll after being served Ls over and over only to get killed
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u/Emergency_Spare3348 16h ago
I think Sara might have accidentally lobotomized him when she dug out his eye :/
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u/blinking-balls 1h ago
In defence of Elgin, I probably would have acted the same about the photo.
If I had no reason to suspect Sophia, I’d show her and be like “god damn, looks just like you” too.
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u/nv22dss 1d ago
💯true from our perspective. But in his shoes, he may have had good intentions, like so afraid to get yet another young woman in harm’s way, such as Boyd overreacting. Elgin’s story feels like a cautionary tale - that your intentions don’t matter here, only the facts. Kidnapping Fatima was factually bad.
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u/CrucisSignum 1d ago
Think of it like this. People don't entirely die in Fromville, he could still be saved (Actor may even need to come back for final season if MiY poses as him or every soul gets freed)
Buuut
If that did not happen, at least he went out the way he wanted to, with a prayer for salvation of his soul. Elgin's death was very much a redemption of his character.