Lisa Garland: Nothing To See Here (Unmarked Spoilers Within)

Truck drivin' Travis detours into Silent Hill. Tree Top Tall & Wall-to-Wall, Good Buddy.

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Droo
Moderator
Posts: 13359
Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Gender: Male
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Lisa Garland: Nothing To See Here (Unmarked Spoilers Within)

Post by Droo »

....humph.

That's really all I can say regarding Lisa's role in Origins, such as it is.

What did we learn, after all the hooplah?

Lisa was a trainee nurse, allowing for her age in Silent Hill 1 after caring for Alessa for seven years. We know that Kaufmann was also most likely sexually abusing her, as the scene in the Rose Room strongly implies. We also now know for sure she was on White Claudia, not that there was much doubt before.

And....that's it?

Lisa was featured to prominently for the first half of the game, and showed some odd knowledge about Travis when she accuses him of knowing about Helen in the Sanatarium. Travis almost seemed to be following her from location to location, right up until the Motel.

It's like her story was half-written and then forgotten about. After the Rose Room, she vanishes, never to be seen again. We learn nothing about the circumstances surrounding her coerced attending to Alessa, despite the widely circulated promotional image of Lisa carrying the surgical tray.

Why did Kaufmann demand to see Lisa at the Sanitarium? Why did she go to the theatre? What was she doing there?

I didn't want to nitpick about Lisa in Origins. Really, I didn't. Before I played it, I told myself to just relax and have fun with the game. However, Lisa's role in the game, and the lack of new knowledge about her, irritates me to vocalize it. I would have been happier with a short cameo rather than the extended tease her presense in Origins was. Why did they spend so much time with Lisa only to have it contribute nothing?

I'm also going to take a moment to discuss her personality as depicted in Origins. Did anyone else notice she acted more like Maria than Lisa? In Silent Hill 1, she was introverted, soft-spoken, and lovable. In Origins, she just seemed....odd. Now, I know there's seven years of forced, illegal, supernatural care (with presumably little professional medical training) that would contribute to a dramatic personality change, but I saw little of the Lisa I love in her. The theatre sequence in particular bothered me. What was that all about? Was she smashed on White Claudia or why was she acting so bizarre? Was she in Foggy Silent Hill at this point in time? If so, why didn't she comment on everyone being gone? Was she in our world, interacting with a Travis that the rest of Silent Hill couldn't see?

I view Lisa's role in Origins very similar to Rebecca Chambers' role in the Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles: as poorly developed fan service. In both cases, we get to see them again, but we learn nothing new.

Discuss?
"Oh yeah, I've been here before
I can see it with eyes closed
Shadows that look like blood
Dead as far as the mind goes
Fear that comes from my head
Lives in the mirror"
User avatar
AuraTwilight
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 11390
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Location: I'm here, and waiting for you
Contact:

Post by AuraTwilight »

In other words. "Um...let's do this, it looks cool. They can figure it out for us."
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
thesaurus_rex
Just Passing Through
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Sep 2006

Post by thesaurus_rex »

I completely agree, Drewfus. She seemed to be building towards an important element of the storyline, however, after the interaction at the motel she is never seen again. Also, at the hotel, she seemed furious with Travis, as if she had always hated him...strange. And yeah, once again, she seems like a Maria figure (if the game wasn't trying to copy Silent Hill 2 enough...). The scene in the theater pointed towards Maria figure anyways (a great scene, btw, but again, it didn't go anywhere later).
User avatar
King Crimson
Brookhaven Receptionist
Posts: 959
Joined: 30 May 2007
Location: a dead cloverfeild...

Post by King Crimson »

I beleive she may have been trieing to get Travis to leave town as if Kauffmen had told her to. She was potentiolly the closest one to him. In the theature she acts as if nothing is wrong. she tells Travis Alessa is dead. she does everything she can to act as if nothing is wrong. That could explain the hostillity in the rose room, she had expected him to leave by now. But he suddenly apears from the hole in the bathroom cieling. Hell im sure Kauffmen expected him to leave town by now.
Now, I know there's seven years of forced, illegal, supernatural care (with presumably little professional medical training) that would contribute to a dramatic personality change,
Im sure years of sexual abuse and drug use didnt help either.
Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon.
User avatar
Mr.FLOOT
Brookhaven Receptionist
Posts: 879
Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Gender: Male
Location: Edinburgh, UK
Contact:

Post by Mr.FLOOT »

I agree here. I didnt' really like Lisa in this game. She didnt serve much of a purpose... Her story needed to be developed alot more
User avatar
Krysta
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1096
Joined: 29 May 2006
Gender: Male
Location: Mormons HQ
Contact:

Post by Krysta »

Whats the problem here? It appeared that Lisa wasn't a good girl afterall, we knew her as a good nurse taking care of poor Alessa and in result she was killed for that. In Origins we finally discovering her true nature. Keep in mind she was drug addict, and a young sexy woman as well - great opportunity for a bastard like Kaufmann. Her odd behavior is preety clear if you realise that she was high throughout the game. That's preety much her life story, and it's a lot more rich story than Rebeca Chambers allright.

And as for Travis, he surely wasn't stranger in Silent Hill town. His familly must have become misfamous after the motel ruckus
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

>despite the widely circulated promotional image of Lisa carrying the surgical tray.
There was a "widely circulated promotional image" of Heather being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse, but that never happened.

>the lack of new knowledge about her
You sure about that?

It proved she was always alive while tending to Alessa; it proved she wasn't always Alessa's caretaker and that she didn't even know Alessa was alive when she was hospitalized; it indicated that she had been on PTV for years. I suspect the reason she was more flirtatious is because she's a) sixteen, b) an aspiring actress, and c) a recent drug-addict. Her personality is different from Silent Hill 1 because it's been seven years: seven years of drug abuse and seven years of sexual abuse (remember the note about the hospital party: nurse trainees go fast! Who knows how many other doctors have fucked her).

So, ultimately, I don't find her character out-of-place or "wrong" given what we know from Silent Hill 1. She changed. It's been seven years. I've changed a lot in the past seven years too. Everyone has, I would hope.

"The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, & breeds reptiles of the mind." -William Blake

The change is unfortunate in that she's undergone such a miserable transformation, but I don't believe the developers were wrong in doing so.
This post is the property of its author and is not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from the author.

. . . AND THAT'S THAT.
User avatar
Droo
Moderator
Posts: 13359
Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Gender: Male
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Post by Droo »

I doesn't necessarily prove she was alive the entire time between the burning and the return of Cheryl, as by the time Origins ends Lisa hasn't even begun to look after Alessa. She could still die any time between the end of Origins and SH1.

I still don't think we know anything new of any importance about Lisa from Origins that we couldn't extrapolate already.
"Oh yeah, I've been here before
I can see it with eyes closed
Shadows that look like blood
Dead as far as the mind goes
Fear that comes from my head
Lives in the mirror"
User avatar
Krysta
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1096
Joined: 29 May 2006
Gender: Male
Location: Mormons HQ
Contact:

Post by Krysta »

Drewfus wrote: She could still die any time between the end of Origins and SH1.
No need to speculate here. Lost Memories states she was 23. She was killed, most likely, short before SH1 events
User avatar
Lostkitsune
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1196
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Location: Night Springs

Post by Lostkitsune »

I actually like the way Lisa was handled story wise up to her strange absence after the motel.....
Image
User avatar
Droo
Moderator
Posts: 13359
Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Gender: Male
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Post by Droo »

Oh, I was on board until the motel as well. It's the fact that it just stops after that. It was like hitting a brick wall. What was the point?
"Oh yeah, I've been here before
I can see it with eyes closed
Shadows that look like blood
Dead as far as the mind goes
Fear that comes from my head
Lives in the mirror"
User avatar
Lostkitsune
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1196
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Location: Night Springs

Post by Lostkitsune »

Drewfus wrote:Oh, I was on board until the motel as well. It's the fact that it just stops after that. It was like hitting a brick wall. What was the point?
The only excuse I can think of are adding more "Mystery" to her character between 0rigins and SH1. Still, she should have at LEAST shown up during the ending sequences.
Image
David01
Brookhaven Receptionist
Posts: 916
Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Location: Zanesville Ohio

Post by David01 »

First of all, we all know that Origins takes place at least 7 years before Origins.. But during the game. 7 Years does not pass.. hell it looked like only one day passed.. So it stands to reason.. that what we saw in origins. Is only a piece of the overall puzzle.. in otherwords I smell a possible sequal.. or seuals before Sh1 's storyline.. perhaps a sequal to origins staring Lisa herself? Whos to say.. I thought Lisa was fairly well portrayed in Origins.. and I do agree that they should have at least explained what happened to her after you see her in the Hotel. But at the same time, I found it rather interesting that they left that part open.. it left a good amount of mystery to the story... which is both a good thing and a bad thing. A bad thing.. because it gives the appearance of being lackluster... and a good thing because it causes a discussion to take place of the games story... thus getting more people curious about this game. Hell when I went to get this game it was almost sold out.. and sold out of 5 other stores.. so I was lucky to get the copy that I got. ... I think this game was an excellent installment to the series.. However.. I dont think it's the last prequal we're going to see of the events before Sh1.. I look for another SH origins type game to come out sometime in the near future. It'll be similar to half life 2.. where you had half life 2 episode 1 and episode 2 or whatever. Anyway in closing.. I believe that lisa was high on drugs.. and not in her right frame of mind during the theater scene. I also believe that.. the reason why she snapped at Travis.. about his mother.. Was perhaps the influence of the town.. screwing with lisa's mind.. like it does with everyone else's minds that enter the town. :roll:
The only way for evil to continue, is for good men to do nothing!!!!
User avatar
Lostkitsune
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1196
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Location: Night Springs

Post by Lostkitsune »

I agree that there is room for another game between 0rigins and SH1 but I doubt Lisa was high during the theater scene. She is just a flirt, and probably psychologically damaged and tense, due to drugs and sexual abused leading to her snapping at Travis. Also, did it seem to anyone else like Lisa was reflecting on herself while thinking about her dreams of becoming an actress while she was sitting in the theater?
Image
User avatar
Droo
Moderator
Posts: 13359
Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Gender: Male
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Post by Droo »

The Artaud Theatre is not going to exactly be employing famous actors and drawing huge crowds. We see that its production of "The Tempest" was canceled. Is it not possible that Lisa, an aspiring actress, either wanted to be in the play or even was cast in the local production before it was canceled? There also seems to be some character parallels between Miranda and Lisa. Just a thought.
"Oh yeah, I've been here before
I can see it with eyes closed
Shadows that look like blood
Dead as far as the mind goes
Fear that comes from my head
Lives in the mirror"
User avatar
Lostkitsune
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1196
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Location: Night Springs

Post by Lostkitsune »

Drewfus wrote:The Artaud Theatre is not going to exactly be employing famous actors and drawing huge crowds. We see that its production of "The Tempest" was canceled. Is it not possible that Lisa, an aspiring actress, either wanted to be in the play or even was cast in the local production before it was canceled? Just a thought.
Good observation! This lead me to think that maybe one of the plays at the theater or excitement to be in "The Tempest" itself lead her to want to be an actor?
Image
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

>Is it not possible that Lisa, an aspiring actress, either wanted to be in the play
I thought it was implied by this:
Tuesday: Strange day. Girl snuck into theater today. Playing hooky no doubt! Took pity, let her sit and watch the run through. Very useful feedback -- terrified by Caliban (good job costume dept!)! Seemed to dislike Prospero intensely. Proceedings brought to premature end by poor Tony getting a shocking nosebleed during Act 1, Scene 2. Will continue tomorrow!
The "girl" was Lisa.
This post is the property of its author and is not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from the author.

. . . AND THAT'S THAT.
User avatar
Lostkitsune
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1196
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Location: Night Springs

Post by Lostkitsune »

Oh I forgot that! I suppose that makes since..
Image
User avatar
Droo
Moderator
Posts: 13359
Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Gender: Male
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Post by Droo »

I don't recall reading that memo.

A note, then: All of the grey-screen audio flashbacks sequences in the game are personally relevant to Travis. In the theatre, Travis has one when he walks on stage about Tony and his nosebleed. Why is Travis hearing this? How is this personally relevant? Was Travis also present during this? When? Was it when he was a child? Were Travis and Lisa both present at this rehearsal years ago?

If this is the case, then why is The Tempest still advertised at Artaud years later? Is the theatre shut down since then? Or is Silent Hill as we see it frozen when Travis was young?
"Oh yeah, I've been here before
I can see it with eyes closed
Shadows that look like blood
Dead as far as the mind goes
Fear that comes from my head
Lives in the mirror"
User avatar
therednurse
Just Passing Through
Posts: 93
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Gender: Female
Location: WV

Post by therednurse »

"There was a 'widely circulated promotional image' of Heather being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse, but that never happened. "
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
Except that that image was supposed to hint that Heather was actually Alessa, which hey, we discover is true in the game
The promotional image of Lisa said, "Hey, all of you Lisa fans, woohoo, you are gonna LOVE this game. Buy it. Play it. Mainly buy it."

And like a lot of the people in this thread saying that there's room for another sequel between Origins and SH1, except that Origins was supposed to fill in the gaps in the story of the events leading up to SH1, and it totally didn't, which was Drewfus' point in his original post. So why would the game developers want to add "mystery" when this game was supposed to be (and promoted as) answering questions.

"No need to speculate here. Lost Memories states she was 23. She was killed, most likely, short before SH1 events"

Speaking of speculation, show me any official documentation that states Lisa was "killed". The nature and time of Lisa's death has always been speculation, and Origins didn't do much to answer to that (original point). Unless you count the "died of an overdose" polaroid in the motel, which I and some others consider as a little hint.
Post Reply