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2007-11-05, 03:28 PM
I figure lots of people here have played Half-Life 1 and 2 as well as the episodes. I just finished episode 2 myself, and I got back to wondering something I've been wondering since the original HL.
Who the hell is the G-man?
In case you don't know exactly who I mean by G-man, he's the creepy, pale, suit-weating fellow who dosn't seem to know how to speak correctly and tends to manipulate space and time.
I've heard some people say he was Gordon Freeman from the future, but Gordon has red hair, G-man's is grayish black. I've heard other people say he was a government agent, but after the Seven Hour War, all the governments collapsed. I'm all for a good conspiracy, but don't you think that if the US or Russia or whatever had an agent with powers like G-man, they would've used them against the Combine?
In light of the new evidence presented in episode 2, I think we'll have to reconsider some things about G-man. I'll go over a few things we know about him, some of it may be conjecture, though:
1. He's got a connection to the 'vortessence'. Whatever it is, the things the vortigaunts use to communicate and sense one another through their apparent hive mind. Notice how vortigaunts don't seem to call themselves "I", but rather "this one". They also call humans "The Eli Vance" ect. G-man apparently trapped Gordon in the vortessence at the end of HL1, and since the gaunts were recently freed and didn't know who Gordon was, they didn't know to try and rescue him.
2. He isn't all powerful. The vortigaunts rescued Gordon Freeman from the G-man at the start of episode 1. I think this is worth noticing, because at least once I've heard someone say G-man is god, and I doubt god could be foiled by a few gaunts high on bug eggs.
3. He has apparently been through a rough time, similar to the Black Mesa incident. In Opposing Force he tell Adrian Shepard that he finds the ability to adapt and survive good traits, and that Shepard reminds him of himself.
4. He apparently kills/otherwise removes opposition when he can. He says this pretty much verbatim to Gordon during episode 2 when Alex is being healed. He references how some people didn't want him to save Alex from Black Mesa, which brings up two other interesting points.
5. He has superiors. He mentions them more than once during his conversations with Gordon, although he calls him 'employers' so he may be a mercenary of some sort, especially in light of what he says to Gordon at the end of HL2 about getting intruiguing offers. Breen also makes what could be a reference to G-man (and by proxy Gordon) being for hire, saying that Gordon's services are "Avaliable to the highest bidder".
6. He saved not only Gordon from Black Mesa, but also Alex and Adrian Shepard. I don't know about Barney, since I've never played Blue Shift. He apparently had some contact with Eli Vance before or soon after he saved Alex. Eli may have known more about what G-man wanted or planned, and I think it's concieveable this may have been why the Advisor ate Eli's brain first, maybe it wanted to know more about G-man as well? In any case, its interesting to note that G-man saved Alex from BM, but apparently decided she had served her purpose at the end of HL2, since the gaunts saved her and G-man seemed happy to let her die.
So, here's what I don't think G-man is:
I don't think he's Gordon fromthe future. Unless Gordon is a sadistic bastard, he'd have no reason to toy with himself and his friends as much as G-man does. I realize its a bit hard to say Gordon isn't sadistic, since he never speaks, but the other characters react to him as if he is a likeable, nice guy.
I don't think he's a government agent. I did think this aftr HL1, but since all the governments are gone in HL2, and since he uses tecnology thats more like magic (it may be magic for all we know, the vortigaunts don't explain much) it seems unlikely that the president and congress is chilling in a bunker somewhere telling him what to do.
I don't think he's working for the Combine. Everything about the Combine, from Breen to the Overwatch to the Advisors seems dead set on killing or capturing or maybe turning Gordon. If G-man was trying to help the Combine it seems as if he'd be turning Gordon against the rebels rather than sending him into situations where he'll want to help them. I suppose it could be some very Machevellian scheme, but I doubt it.
I don't think he's human. Ignoring the obvious clues like the ability to stop time, walk through walls, teleport, transport people across planets and space, and not being seen by anyone he dosn't want to (exept maybe vortigaunts), the G-man dosn't seem to act like a human. His speech patterns are weird, he breaths in the middle of words and has akward pauses. He's also very pale, and dosn't seem to move very natrually, everything about him is jerky and strange. Also, his eyes are a very unusual color green. They sort of fade into bluish black as they go outward from the iris.
Anyway, just thought it might be fun to hear what other people think about the G-man. Let me know your theories, or counters to what I've concluded.
Who the hell is the G-man?
In case you don't know exactly who I mean by G-man, he's the creepy, pale, suit-weating fellow who dosn't seem to know how to speak correctly and tends to manipulate space and time.
I've heard some people say he was Gordon Freeman from the future, but Gordon has red hair, G-man's is grayish black. I've heard other people say he was a government agent, but after the Seven Hour War, all the governments collapsed. I'm all for a good conspiracy, but don't you think that if the US or Russia or whatever had an agent with powers like G-man, they would've used them against the Combine?
In light of the new evidence presented in episode 2, I think we'll have to reconsider some things about G-man. I'll go over a few things we know about him, some of it may be conjecture, though:
1. He's got a connection to the 'vortessence'. Whatever it is, the things the vortigaunts use to communicate and sense one another through their apparent hive mind. Notice how vortigaunts don't seem to call themselves "I", but rather "this one". They also call humans "The Eli Vance" ect. G-man apparently trapped Gordon in the vortessence at the end of HL1, and since the gaunts were recently freed and didn't know who Gordon was, they didn't know to try and rescue him.
2. He isn't all powerful. The vortigaunts rescued Gordon Freeman from the G-man at the start of episode 1. I think this is worth noticing, because at least once I've heard someone say G-man is god, and I doubt god could be foiled by a few gaunts high on bug eggs.
3. He has apparently been through a rough time, similar to the Black Mesa incident. In Opposing Force he tell Adrian Shepard that he finds the ability to adapt and survive good traits, and that Shepard reminds him of himself.
4. He apparently kills/otherwise removes opposition when he can. He says this pretty much verbatim to Gordon during episode 2 when Alex is being healed. He references how some people didn't want him to save Alex from Black Mesa, which brings up two other interesting points.
5. He has superiors. He mentions them more than once during his conversations with Gordon, although he calls him 'employers' so he may be a mercenary of some sort, especially in light of what he says to Gordon at the end of HL2 about getting intruiguing offers. Breen also makes what could be a reference to G-man (and by proxy Gordon) being for hire, saying that Gordon's services are "Avaliable to the highest bidder".
6. He saved not only Gordon from Black Mesa, but also Alex and Adrian Shepard. I don't know about Barney, since I've never played Blue Shift. He apparently had some contact with Eli Vance before or soon after he saved Alex. Eli may have known more about what G-man wanted or planned, and I think it's concieveable this may have been why the Advisor ate Eli's brain first, maybe it wanted to know more about G-man as well? In any case, its interesting to note that G-man saved Alex from BM, but apparently decided she had served her purpose at the end of HL2, since the gaunts saved her and G-man seemed happy to let her die.
So, here's what I don't think G-man is:
I don't think he's Gordon fromthe future. Unless Gordon is a sadistic bastard, he'd have no reason to toy with himself and his friends as much as G-man does. I realize its a bit hard to say Gordon isn't sadistic, since he never speaks, but the other characters react to him as if he is a likeable, nice guy.
I don't think he's a government agent. I did think this aftr HL1, but since all the governments are gone in HL2, and since he uses tecnology thats more like magic (it may be magic for all we know, the vortigaunts don't explain much) it seems unlikely that the president and congress is chilling in a bunker somewhere telling him what to do.
I don't think he's working for the Combine. Everything about the Combine, from Breen to the Overwatch to the Advisors seems dead set on killing or capturing or maybe turning Gordon. If G-man was trying to help the Combine it seems as if he'd be turning Gordon against the rebels rather than sending him into situations where he'll want to help them. I suppose it could be some very Machevellian scheme, but I doubt it.
I don't think he's human. Ignoring the obvious clues like the ability to stop time, walk through walls, teleport, transport people across planets and space, and not being seen by anyone he dosn't want to (exept maybe vortigaunts), the G-man dosn't seem to act like a human. His speech patterns are weird, he breaths in the middle of words and has akward pauses. He's also very pale, and dosn't seem to move very natrually, everything about him is jerky and strange. Also, his eyes are a very unusual color green. They sort of fade into bluish black as they go outward from the iris.
Anyway, just thought it might be fun to hear what other people think about the G-man. Let me know your theories, or counters to what I've concluded.