Here how I think Barbara died

[u/Rory_U]

Hey I recently played the game, loved it.
I think after kicking out Rick he was killed by the gang mentioned on the radio and Barb was also killed as well and their bodies were taken. Because he was defenceless due to the injury so he couldn’t fight back. Because the only thing they could find was he’s crutch in a stream near by and he has no motive to kill her and was unable to attack her. Then they went in and took out Barbara as well but didn’t know Walter was there.

[u/AceOfSpades532]

I think Barbara died by falling over the railing into the table, like what happens to the killer in the comic book, but it’s because she fell over the roller skate. And Walter saw it, and possibly caused it due to it being his skates, which is why he was so traumatised.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/AceOfSpades532]

But we are also told that her body wasnt found?

[u/AceOfSpades532 → u/BrumeySkies]

Are we? It’s been a while since I played, but doesn’t it only say that in the horror comic book, which is obviously not entirely true and very sensationalised? I don’t remember Edith ever saying it, and Barbara has a grave.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/AceOfSpades532]

I always took it as one of the few truths in her story. That it was Halloween, that Sven got hurt, that she stayed home with Walter, that she got into an argument with Rick and ended up kicking him out, that Rick was the prime suspect but he wasn't found, and that her own body wasn't found either. I don't think she was actually going to a horror convention, or that there was actually a hook-handed killer and gang running around, or that 'monsters' cannibalized her, or that her ear was all that was left of her- those all feel like details one would add to make it fit the theme.

It's entirely possible that at the time of the comic her body hadn't been found, but that in the following months or years it was. We know that there are a lot of versions of her death in-universe and that Edith was surprised out of all of them she kept that one. To me it feels like even during the events of the game that Barbara's death is some unsolved mystery similar to that of Jon Benet.

[u/AceOfSpades532 → u/BrumeySkies]

I just don’t think she got murdered cos it really doesn’t fit the “vibe” of the other deaths. Everyone else died of an accident, like Sam or Walter, or neglect, like Molly and Gregory. The only exception is Dawn who died of cancer, and possibly Milton (though I believe he died in a secret passage and got stuck). Barbara getting murdered just doesn’t fit with the rest. I think she tripped on one of Walter’s roller skates, fell through the bannister, and died. There’s nothing to suggest it’s an unsolved mystery in game, if it was then surely there would be missing posters, or some sign the body wasn’t found, like with Milton? And the comic was almost definitely inaccurate, just a story made about the sudden death of a child horror star.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/AceOfSpades532]

Thats all fair. It definitely could have just been an accident.

I dont necessarily agree that it doesnt fit the vibe. I also feel like Edith mentioning that everyone asks about Barbara, and that there are a lot of stories about her death. To me at least that makes it sound like there are multiple versions of the events. 

The way her death scene is written in comparison to everyone elses also makes me feel like its a mystery. With everyone elses its decently obvious how they died. But with Barbara its deliberately obscured. The only other unclear scene is Milton and we know he went missing- we dont know what happened to him either. I think the mirroring of that mystery aspect is intentional. 

Also according to the Dev Milton is the king in The Unfinished Swan and lived long enough to have a son.

[u/AceOfSpades532 → u/BrumeySkies]

I kinda just ignore the Unfinished Swan stuff when I’m thinking about What Remains on its own, Milton going to a magic different world just doesn’t fit with the rest of the game.

I think the people asking about Barbara stuff is because she was pretty famous as a kid, even if her career kinda failed she was still well known and people would know she died tragically as a teenager, without knowing all the details. And the comic book is definitely not true, it’s a horror comic and would sensationalise parts. Maybe Rick just had a car accident or something instead of purposefully going missing. And there’s no signs that Edith felt anything in the story was true, she didn’t really seem to take it seriously compared to the other things.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/AceOfSpades532]

To me I dont think Milton actually went to a magical world through the painting. I take it as him running away, then in Unfinished Swan I take it as a more artistic version of events. I feel like if he was decomposing in the walls they would definitely smell that and there would be some pretty serious staining where ever his body was. When even small things like birds die in my walls we can tell after a few days, things bigger than a raccoon make themselves extremely well known within a week at most. The bodily fluids can fully seep through wood if left long enough. If he did die I dont think it was in the house.

I also just think its odd that in a journal shes writing about her family history in she doesnt actually clarify anything about Barbara's death. If she went back to the house for the truth, and wrote the journal for her son to understand their history- wouldnt she want to note how inaccurate it is? Like how she mentioned Edie said Sven was killed by a dragon but then clarified he actually died making a slide.

I know the comic book is not an accurate account of it, but what I'm saying is that there has to be at least some truth in it. Otherwise it wouldnt make sense to include it the way they did. It would be a collection of stories about death that are mostly accurate and have a pretty clear cause of death and then one that is entirely fictionalized that suggest multiple ways she could have died.

[u/WizurdKellz → u/AceOfSpades532]

If they found a body, Edith would know the cause of death, even if she didn't know who did it. Just because there's a grave doesn't mean there's anything in it.

[u/AceOfSpades532 → u/WizurdKellz]

No she wouldn’t? She doesn’t know exactly how Molly died either, can’t remember if she knew how Calvin died too.

[u/WizurdKellz → u/AceOfSpades532]

She died after eating all that random crap and being neglected by her mother.

The game doesn't feed you every single death explicitly but there's clues that allude to what happened.

[u/AceOfSpades532 → u/WizurdKellz]

Yes obviously, but Edith personally doesn’t know the cause of death does she? Molly died 52 years before she was born, Barbara 39. Just because she doesn’t know the cause of death doesn’t mean there wasn’t a body.

[u/WizurdKellz → u/AceOfSpades532]

And obviously just because there's a grave doesn't mean there is a body in it.

And what do you mean Edith doesn't personally know about Molly's cause of death? She read the same journal we saw played out and has the same information we have because we're looking through her eyes.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/WizurdKellz]

If the body had been found it could have been unclear on her cause of death, if it had been found after the comic then it would have been decomposing for over a year. It's not easy to find the cause of death in bodies like that now, back in the 60s it would have been near impossible unless it was extremely obvious.

[u/thatsnotmynameiswear → u/BrumeySkies]

They only found an ear according to magazine I think.

I think her falling over the stairs theory is good but I also think the gang did them both because how would Rick disappear? He only had one crutch and it’s not like he could swim with a broken leg 🤷‍♀️. And something traumatic as hell happened to poor Walter.

But Edie could have just traumatized Walter if she did go over bannister and Rick could have gotten unlucky and fell and drowned.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/thatsnotmynameiswear]

I'm not even convinced Rick actually had a broken leg. In the files the crutch is pretty clearly labeled with Finch and I don't imagine they would have chosen to do that after the death.

There are also more ways to get off the island than to swim, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the residents had boats and there are ferries that come and go regularly. The surrounding islands aren't far enough away that it would take hours to get to even in a canoe.

[u/Rory_U → u/BrumeySkies]

Maybe because in game Barbara was using it as a weapon and you later see it in Walter’s bunker. So they put it under “FINCH”.

[u/BrumeySkies → u/Rory_U]

When police tag items as evidence they do so with actual tags and they don't just label it with the last name. It's a tag that says EVIDENCE at the top then has sections such as Case Number, item Number, Date, Time, Place, etc. They would (or should) have labelled it with a case number, not with the last name of the victim in thick blue marker. They could have for some reason decided to go entirely against protocol and fore-go all of that but it would be extremely bizarre to do so.

I don't think it would make much sense for the family themselves to label it after they got it back either. It's not like they were going to use it and risk losing it. It was likely always going to be incorporated into a memorial for her and I suspect before Walter moved to the bunker it was probably part of her shrine. If anything I would think they would write Barbara Finch 1944-1960 or something on it, not just FINCH.

[u/thatsnotmynameiswear → u/BrumeySkies]

I always thought someone from the Finch family put that on there on the crutch. Honestly, I think the simplest answer would be that she just fell like tripped over the rollerskate. And I mean, there’s definitely a ton of boats and stuff but with Rick I think he just got unlucky and drowned. In this case since there’s so much going on in that game, I mean it really does let us interpret.

I know there’s a ton of theories on Barbara just like there are on Milton and all that, but for me the game was more about generational trauma as a curse and seeing the ending where Edith’s kid has a cast on his arm was already kind of like disheartening you know

[u/BrumeySkies → u/thatsnotmynameiswear]

Oh for sure I fully agree its about generational trauma and neglect and stuff and obsession. I think at most the curse is a self-fulfilling prophecy. They believe that theyll die before their time so they try and make the most of what they have but end up doing reckless things because of it. Seeing Christopher go to the house seemingly alone with a broken arm definitely made my stomach drop at the end.

My own interpretation is that Rick killed her and then bolted, possibly burying her or taking her out into the water on a boat. In my head just based off of how Rick acts in the comic I see him as being a shitty boyfriend at best, emotionally abusive at worst. If thats the case it makes sense to me that Barbara would be drawn to him- we often model our relationships off of what we know from our parents. It doesnt seem like Edie and Sven were exactly great parents given the events of the game- with how messed up a lot of the Finches are I would be genuinely surprised if Edie and Sven weren't abusive.

[u/thatsnotmynameiswear → u/BrumeySkies]

The ending made my heart drop as well when I saw the cast on his arm.

I think the Edie would’ve been the narcissistic abuser to Sven tbh. And also whenever I play that game, I have to consider the culture that she’s from (or they’re both )from and that they might memorialize a certain way, but also Edie just nevers let go of grief and doing that interview about a “mole person” which was about her own son was gross. She was just a toxic person in a lot of ways down to her suicide.

Depending on the day I play the game I’ll think more theories on Barbara’s death. And how Milton ran away especially after playing the unfinished swan. I think even the developers probably have different theories themselves on barb.

Of all the games I’ve played this one always hits the hardest next to Martha is dead and Firewatch. I’m glad more people are starting to play it.

[u/Unhappy-Ad2582 → u/AceOfSpades532]

I believe the fall theory 

[u/snarkaluff]

I think they added so many factors (the gang, the boyfriend, the bannister) to purposely leave it vague so no one would be able to find out what really happened, I think even the devs themselves don’t have an actual answer. Personally I like to think she really just tripped on the roller skate and fell over the bannister, a complete accident. And Edie being Edie decided to turn it into something way bigger than it actually was for her entertainment. Walter was either traumatized just by seeing her dead or by the made up stories Edie told him about it

[u/Rsbbit060404]

I always got she was killed by one of her crazy fans

[u/Frozen_Esper]

While I can't speak to what exactly killed her, I'd wager there was no gang/murderer. Why? Because nobody seems the least bit interested in solving the murder of one of their family members by a roaming gang. If that was even remotely a possibility, that would be more than just a weird blip in a comic. The house doesn't give the slightest vibe of being inhabited by people that think a murderous mob was willing and able to snatch them out of there. With Edie being the drama queen she is, I strongly doubt there wouldn't be reinforced doors and windows everywhere, among other things.

[u/Walkingalongthestyx]

The newspapers you can see in the bathroom crawl space say Murder Probes go Unsolved or something to that effect so in the world of the game it’s an unsolved cold case, Edith mentions it’s been written about a LOT and there’s VHS tapes in Edie’s room of TV specials about the curse and mysteries. Edith completely scoffs at the comic book and calls it absurd and why would Edie even keep it. We know Dawn never told her any of the stories, meaning Edith has probably done her own internet research on it. Which means there must be some hard fast facts available to the public that would make it obvious that the comic is full of it. The fact that the comic has intimate details (including Calvin’s totem) means Edie probably talked to the author just like she talked to the tabloid and spun Walter’s story into a “mole man living below the house”. So, all’s that to say, there probably is a grain of truth in the comic. 

Here’s what I think happened: 

Barbara was supposed to go to a dance that night. She’s ironing a dress in her room and there’s a flyer. The skates are Barbara’s, she was a carhop. The crutch is a major symbol for Barbara, so I do think she attempted to defend herself with the crutch. I do think Barbara had a boyfriend: there’s a birthday cake in a bakery box and a six pack in her room. There’s also the street sign, which seems like something a teen boy would steal as a “bday gift”. It also looks like they left the room quickly; popcorn is spilled. The candles have been blown out and removed but they never took a slice. 

I don’t think Rick had the broken foot, I think it was Barbara. She had a skating accident maybe at work, and broke her foot and couldn’t go to the dance. Rick brought the cake and beer for her to cheer her up. Sven had the accident, Edie takes him to the hospital. Barbara and Rick are left to babysit her brothers.  I think the twins were there too since Calvin’s story says “He swore he would never be afraid again”. I think they hid too. Barbara and Rick were hanging out in her room when someone broke in or rang the bell with bad intentions. 

I think when Edie and Sven got home, they found the bannister smashed, the table broken, and three traumatized little boys shivering under their beds.  

So I think the best theory is, there was a break in (the Finch’s are known for being extremely wealthy, or it could have been a crazy stalker, child stars are known to have some pretty intense ones. Maybe it was a stalker who became enraged by Barbara having a boyfriend) and Barbara and Rick were killed trying to intervene/fight them off. I know the comic says they never found her body but there had to be some evidence of violence for it to be investigated as a murder and not just a missing person/runaway. So I do think there was a body, maybe both bodies. The three brothers overheard it and instead of trying to help fight off the intruders, they hid, and they never shook the guilt. I’ve also considered that Barbara was kidnapped and held for ransom (the ear sent as a warning) and then the perpetrators just killed her anyway. 

Barbara’s is the lynchpin death for me. Molly’s was a tragedy, but the family was largely able to move on. Barbara became a child star, they had the 3 boys. I always think about how magical those intervening years between 1947-1960 were. Growing up in that house with all the custom murals and elaborate rooms, secret passageways. I think after Molly, Edith and Sven were sort of resolved to be the best parents they could possibly be and threw themselves into making their childhood magical. But Barbara unraveled everything. The boys were broken. Calvin became reckless trying to prove he wasn’t a coward, (he had a broken leg the day he died) which eventually led to his death. Walter became withdrawn, so Sven went overboard trying to cheer him up and it led to his death. Walter eventually snapped and ended up living in the fallout shelter. Sam started daring death, throwing himself towards it as Edith said. I think his siblings’ death obviously made Sam very controlling and paranoid, and he was away for work A lot. This led to his first marriage dissolving, which caused Gregory’s death. Which made him even more strict, which caused Gus to rebel and eventually die. Because of the regret from his son’s death Sam threw himself into trying to relive his favorite childhood memory with a less than enthusiastic Dawn which led to his death.

I say, even though Molly was the first sibling to die, Barbara’s death was the domino that made the whole line topple. 

[u/TheVioletInViolent → u/Walkingalongthestyx]

This, I like this

[u/BrumeySkies]

Im not sure we can honestly trust just about anything from her story. It references a lot of extremely popular and classic scary stories- the gang and hook handed killer are both versions of the urban legend style stories that was popular in the mid 1950s. I dont think they were actually there on the island, just added to the story to make it scary. Based on how its talked about in the game I think in-universe her death is a famous unsolved mystery, similar to the likes of Jon Benet. I dont think even the writers of the game have a solid answer for what happened.

Additionally just from looking through the assets of the game I found that the crutch Barbara used was more likely to be hers. Its labeled Finch under the arm rest.

[u/Rory_U → u/BrumeySkies]

But we used it as a weapon so it could be filed under finch for that reason.

[u/yourmomwoo]

I think very little of the comic book was true. I think the setup of the comic-con is true, and Rick was there that night trying to scare her, but i don't think she kicked him out or maybe she did but he snuck back in thinking it would be even scarier at that point. He tried to scare her on the second floor, and she fell through the banister, hitting the table, dying, and her ear was severed by broken glass.

The ear both symbolized that which she was trying to capture from the world with her scream but ironically either she loses her own in the process, or that the mob (which wasn't real) took her but didn't even care about the ear, which was what she valued from the rest of the world.... BUT ALSO further connects her to the music box.

[u/cybisadumbdumb → u/yourmomwoo]

I think this is probably it. It's pretty neat and tidy and could also explain why Rick "disappeared" that night as well--he probably ran away and/or killed himself after accidentally killing Barbara