UPDATE (2021-04-12): I rewrote this, into a what I think is shorter and easier to understand version. I posted it in my blog: https://j.mp/sypexp. The writing style and format are different and there are some explanations I removed. The original version of my analysis is only located below.
This is very long and it is important to read it all.
To understand Episode 16, we need to understand Episode 15 first:
I also posted the explanations below:
EPISODE 15
Based on the revelations in Episode 15:
1. There is only one timeline.
1.1: Everytime the story repeats, they are traveling back to the exact same timeline.
1.2: Also, the Sispyhus myth was a single man who kept rolling up the stone that returned to the bottom. There never was a new timeline or a location change. Sigma is Sisyphus.
2. The Seo Hae and Tae Sul buried in the future was exactly them in the previous attempt. Same timeline just a different attempt.
2.1: Everytime the story restarts, Seo Hae changes something small that Sigma is not noticing. Seo Hae kept these in her memories as well as diary so when the young Seo Hae finds her diary and ashes (again), she'll have advance knowledge
3. All of them traveled from 2035. Sigma, advance team, and Seo Hae.
3.1: The uploader was first used in 2035. But they set different time destinations for each upload.
3.2: The bomb was uploaded from 2035 and sent to 2020.
3.3: Sigma and the advance team uploaded from 2035 but were sent in 2001 (thanks to W for the update -- https://mydramalist.com/profile/7647047 )
3.4: Seo Hae uploaded from 2035 and was sent to 2020.
3.5: Sigma already gave instructions, before he left, what to do with Seo Hae's father and which time period and location to send his hand and gun (in 2020).
4. Sigma knows the future because they've been writing down reports.
4.1: For every repeat, they update the report to record changes they noticed so the next Sigma can adjust.
4.2: This was why they kept saying "the future can not be changed" because Sigma is controlling the narrative and they can not figure out how to get out of it.
5. The future versions are not literal copies, they are originals too.
5.1: They are being called "copies" because they are in the past.
5.2: The universe of Sisyphus: The Myth is using the theory that there can not be an exact copy of the same thing existing in the same time period. Since they came from the future, they are a "copy" for all intents and purposes. If they ever meet their past versions, it is the "future" version that will disappear. Not because they are a "copy" per se but because they are not supposed to be in the past, not supposed to meet with their past versions.
5.3 This further proves that there is only one timeline (see item #1 above). If they are in a different timeline, the "future" version should not disappear at all because the past version they would have met would be a different timeline version, not their own actual/direct past version.
In this version that we are watching, this will be the first time that they will be able to actually get out of Sigma's narrative and end the time loop. What they really need to do is to prevent Sigma from transporting a future bomb into 2020.
I now have such respect to the writer. Time travel stories retaining a single timeline is not easy to write. There are very few authors who can pull this off (one of them is Christopher L. Bennett of Star Trek and Marvel fame). In Sisyphus: The Myth, as someone mentioned before, they appear to be in a time bubble (similar to the previous drama "TIMES"). For as long as they can not figure out how to escape this time bubble, they will keep on looping. They need to break out from it and it begins with preventing Sigma the ability to send that bomb. Then they'll be able to reset time from that moment (present).
P.S. It's so hard to explain without a diagram. Haha.
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Follow-up comment/analysis after Episode 16 season finale.
--> https://mydramalist.com/43827-sisyphus-the-myth#comment-5802889
EPISODE 16
FAQ:
Q1: Was Han Tae Sul hallucinating like how he was hallucinating his brother talking to him?
Q2: If Han Tae Sul died, how did Kang Seo Hae appeared in the plane with him?
Q3: Did Han Tae San use the blueprint he hid to rebuild the uploader so he can save Han Tae Sul?
Q4: Is Sigma-2020 reformed? Or is he still set down the path of being a world-ending psychopath?
Q5: What is 2035 now?
Q6: Who's notebook was it that 2020-Sigma was reading?
Q7: How come Han Tae Sul kept saying that he already saw the future when in reality, he ended up dying?
Q8: If so, then how come there is another Seo Hae who shot 2035-Sigma when it is yet to happen?
Answers:
Q1. Was Han Tae Sul hallucinating like how he was hallucinating his brother talking to him?
A: This is a very good question. This scene can be taken two ways.
First way/First explanation: Yes, Han Tae Sul was probably hallucinating. There is not much to discuss about this but here's an article about hallucinations --> https://www.healthline.com/health/hallucinations#treatment
I'd like to counter-argument this "first way" but it crumbles whenever hallucination is factored in. For example, he's taking drugs, he's overworked, probably lacks sleep … all a formula for hallucinations. So, if you prefer this explanation, then it ends here … he was just hallucinating a random stranger. He does not know her at all.
Noticed how he never said a thing? He was simply amazed because for the first time he was hallucinating a beautiful woman and not his older brother. If you've been hallucinating your older brother for years, you will definitely welcome a hallucination of a beautiful woman.
Second way/Second explanation: Kang Seo Hae was really there with Han Tae Sul. She traveled back in time for a new mission. She already knew about Han Tae Sul because young Seo Hae eventually found the diary the previous 2035-Seo Hae wrote (the one we watched). Seo Hae being very intelligent knew she must meet this Han Tae Sul. No, she did not found ashes because "our" 2035-Seo Hae disappeared not died. This new 2036-Seo Hae (in the plane scene) does not have any memories from our 2035-Seo Hae. All she has is the diary.
Q2: If Han Tae Sul died, how did Kang Seo Hae appeared in the plane with him?
A: The uploader was still developed. There are two ways this could've happened.
The first way/explanation: Han Tae Sul did leave his code in the laptop but time-locked it. He probably coded that it will only be unlocked or decrypted in 2034. He probably also added another measure wherein it will only be activated if the machine detects Seo Hae in it and she's sent to an earlier 2020 (the plane scene).
The second way/explanation is the next question.
Q3: Did Han Tae San use the blueprint he hid to rebuild the uploader so he can save Han Tae Sul?
A: It's possible. This is the second way/explanation of the previous question.
Han Tae San woke up because the drug that was used on him no longer existed. Everything that came from 2035 disappeared, the people, the things, the suitcases, the drugs, all of it. However, for everyone they interacted with, like Han Tae San receiving the drug, 2020-Sigma (we'll talk about this later), Eddie Kim, 2020-Seo Jin, they all retain their memories.
Follow-up question: "If everyone from 2035 disappeared then does it not mean that time was reset? Should they not retain memories since those never happened?"
A: Not at all. As I explained here: https://mydramalist.com/43827-sisyphus-the-myth#comment-5794471 they are in a time bubble (be sure to read it). What's already in the past is already the past. It is fixed. When the time bubble was popped (because Han Tae Sul killed himself), the past became fixed. However, everything and everyone from 2035 disappeared because they're not supposed to be in the "new Present day". For these 2035 people, their realities were overwritten.
Remember, there is only one timeline in the Sisyphus: The Myth universe.
Going back. This is why Han Tae San woke up. The drug that was used on him disappeared in the Present day. It did not disappear in the past, it still happened, he was injected with the drug, that's the past, it's fixed, it happened and can not be overwritten.
Moving on, Han Tae San probably retrieved the blueprints of the uploader from wherever he hid it. Remember the safe in the early episode everyone were crazy about? The blueprint for the uploader was stored there but Han Tae San got a message from the future and hid it elsewhere.
So, yes, it is possible Han Tae San eventually retrieved it which resulted in the redevelopment of the uploader in 2035.
It could also be both ways/explanations. The time-locked code Han Tae Sul left in the laptop together with the blueprints from Han Tae San, allowed them to create a working uploader in 2035. I am leaning towards this because according to the series, only Han Tae Sul can do it -- in other words, they need the code and the blueprints.
Q4: Is Sigma-2020 reformed? Or is he still set down the path of being a world-ending psychopath?
A: I believe he's reformed. Kang Dong Gi's (Seo Hae's father) intervention clearly made a mark on 2020-Sigma. It was shown all over his face. Also, it was the whole story behind why 2035-Sigma is a psychopath … no one cared for him. When Dong Gi showed his fatherly nature, which reflected in his eyes and face, 2020-Sigma noticed it all and it changed him. His assumption that no one cares about him changed too.
This was proven when he was later shown as freely doing artwork for strangers in a public park. He was no longer suicidal. His hatred towards the world diminished.
He probably hates Han Tae Sul still considering how they tried to shoot him dead. Also, his hatred against Tae Sul runs deep from way back when they were kids. This would explain why he copied Tae Sul's magazine post and look, he formed a plan to get back to Tae Sul.
I have no doubt that he is also curious about everything he witnessed and learned. That was what his diary is about, he is trying to figure things out.
Which brings us to the next question.
Q5: What is 2035 now?
A: In this new 2035 reality, there was no war since there is no Sigma who wants to destroy the world. In this new 2035, 2020-Sigma is probably a billionaire businessman and figured things out.
Yes, it is possible that he funded the redevelopment of the uploader. Maybe he was still the first human who traveled back in the past for it. But this time, he never sent a missile to 2020. Could he have sent a different disaster? Yes, sure. Maybe a virus … like in The 12 Monkeys. Or maybe, Sigma is no longer the enemy but is not exactly an ally either.
In this new 2035, Seo Hae still ended up finding her diary. She read about Han Tae Sul. She searched for him and learned that he was killed by Eddie Kim in the church back in 2020. She continued reading the diary and understood that there is a thing called "uploader".
She eventually searched and found where the "uploader" is and found Han Tae San. It was good timing because the uploader development team realized that the machine will not work unless it was Seo Hae who will first use it. When they were about to search for her, she's standing in front of their doors.
Seo Hae traveled back and appeared in the plane sitting besides Han Tae Sul. Her new mission, to save Han Tae Sul or Han Tae San will come after her and kill her himself.
Everyone … a new time bubble is created. Since there is only one timeline, the creation of a new time bubble effectively put everything in flux once again, everything can be overwritten multiple times for as long as the new time bubble exists.
And that's just the 2035-2020 time bubble. If they send people, information, 2035-objects (like medicines that doesn't exist in the past), farther back in time then that time bubble will expand which effectively increases the chaos.
Q6: Whose notebook was it that 2020-Sigma was reading?
(note: This was asked by my friend via my Facebook post)
A: The notebook was no doubt Seo Hae's father's, it was probably in his jacket.
Remember the scene where he removed things that were in his jacket? He probably forgot about his notebook.
It would also explain why in 2035 he figured out how to save his daughter -- by staying away from Han Tae Sul.
Also noticed how he asked if 2020-Sigma would prevent the war? He was already piecing things together at that point, planning ahead to stop her daughter.
Initially, I understood that the notebook was 2020-Sigma's and he started to piece things together. But after this question was asked and I rewatched those scenes, it is makes more sense that the notebook was not Sigma's, he found it in the jacket he was given.
Q7: How come Han Tae Sul kept saying that he already saw the future when in reality, he ended up dying?
A: Han Tae Sul said that he already saw the future up to the moment when Seo Hae was about to disappear. He also said that he doesn't know what will happen after that.
I think Han Tae Sul lied. There is no possible way he could've seen the future from the his 2035-ashes when that version of him died after Seo Hae was shot during their wedding day. What Han Tae Sul did was he used those "memories" to plan ahead and thwart Sigma's plan. For example, when Han Tae Sul dropped hints, Sigma realized something changed … Seo Hae is not wearing a wedding gown. Then Tae Sul replied that the future is changing.
Follow-up question: Then why did Han Tae Sul said, before he shot himself, that he knew that it is the only way and because he saw the future?
A: Again, he did not see the future because of the 2035-ashes. He did not see himself killing himself. If he killed himself, then the one we watched would not even exist.
The only thing that he saw from his 2035-ashes was how everything happened in their previous attempt up to the moment when Seo Hae was shot during their wedding day. He knew then that he gave the code for the uploader so that Seo Hae can try again. This time however, since he already knew what they did the last time, he planned ahead to change everything. He understood that things must change in a grand scale to win against 2035-Sigma. Which was what exactly he did.
Q8: If so, then how come there is another Seo Hae who shot 2035-Sigma when it is yet to happen?
A: The answer comes from Han Tae Sul … the future is already here, you just don't realize it.
He made sure all of his plans will happen. He calculated the probabilities. Because he planned well, the future that is yet to happen actually happened. It was not because he saw this "particular future" from his 2035-ashes, no, again he saw the previous attempt wherein Seo Hae was killed during their wedding day. He planned well and made sure things will happen according to his plan to ensure that there is another Seo Hae who will kill 2035-Sigma at that very moment.
Meaning, this time he took action and did not leave things to chance. Set it in stone. If he left everything to chance, then they will once again die there and then.
Follow-up question: How about the bullet vest?
A: Same thing. Because he planned well and made sure his plan happens the way he planned it, the future became set in stone. "The future is here already" became possible. Meaning, the result is set in stone. There is no grandfather paradox or chicken-and-egg. There never was a reality wherein Jae Sun actually died. (Of course in Episode 15 we assumed that he did die because we still lack information about Episode 16.)
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Additional realizations:
I'm not sure if I already mentioned this in passing but I think the proof that the uploader was eventually developed lies with what Han Tae Sul said before he shot himself.
Paraphrasing: Find me. No matter what it takes. Find me. No matter when. Find me.
Han Tae Sul is a very intelligent person. He constantly calculates everything in his mind. He is not perfect, he does make mistakes but throughout the series, he is a man who will never choose the world over the Kang Seo Hae. He was very constant with that choice, always Seo Hae.
For him to shoot himself, it means he is very sure that the uploader will be developed and Seo Hae will again time travel.
Follow-up question: Why would he tell Seo Hae to find him when she was dying and going to disappear?
There are two approaches here. Let's discuss the first.
First approach: Seo Hae is dying -- forget about the fact that she disappeared. Tae Sul was talking to her because when she die, she'll be dead. She will be buried. The next future Seo Hae will find her bones or ashes and acquire all her memories. Indirectly, Tae Sul was talking to the next Seo Hae "Find me. No matter what it takes. Find Me. No matter when. Find me."
However, since the writer is amazing, they did not choose the easy path in their story. Instead of Seo Hae simply dying and buried, she disappeared! Without a body, bones, ashes, the next Seo Hae will never have any memories. In other words, she will never know what Tae Sul said.
This is where we come to the second approach.
Second approach: Seo Hae died and then she disappeared. Han Tae Sul told her to find him to give "our" Seo Hae (the one we watched die) to tell her that there is still hope and the next Seo Hae will still use the uploader. It was a comfort for Seo Hae. Even Seo Hae finally understood what he was saying. Obviously, first she finally understood that he's going to kill himself but let's not forget Seo Hae is intelligent too because that is her character, she also understood there is going to be another chance.
What is it about Tae Sul saying he "saw" it up to that point? He did not "see" it literally. He did not "see" it from the ashes of the previous Tae Sul. What he meant was, he calculated (or planned) everything and he knew Eddie Kim will come for them.
Let's go back to that scene wherein they were about to attempt to go back in time, they saw Eddie Kim, remember? When Seo Hae was about to follow him, Tae Sul stopped her and told her that he is probably going to the surface and it will only be a waste of time.
Here's a question, why would it be a waste of time when they have a time machine? They could've stopped Eddie Kim, even kill him. Then come back to the machine and travel back to shoot Sigma. So why did Tae Sul stop her and said it will only be a waste of time?
The answer to that is because Tae Sul already "saw" or to be exact, "calculated" everything. He pre-planned and it is the only way he found to ensure that Seo Hae will always have a chance to go back in time. That was his plan all along.
Remember, he always chooses the girl or Seo Hae.
If they stopped or killed Eddie Kim, then once they killed Sigma, Seo Hae will disappear. Remember that scene? But instead because of Eddie Kim, Seo Hae stopped disappearing. That in itself is a clue. It opened up a possibility wherein Eddie was able to force Tae Sul to give the code to the uploader, this was why Seo Hae stopped disappearing.
Tae Sul need this very moment to do the last and most important piece of his plan. He entered in the code but time locked it and probably included other conditions. Once that was done, it was time to shoot himself.
And we go back to that moment when Tae Sul said to Seo Hae, "Find me. No matter what it takes. Find me. No matter when. Find me." He was telling Seo Hae not to despair because they will meet again. Because the other Seo Hae will have a chance to use the uploader again.
Final question: Why would Seo Hae use the uploader again?
Her diary. Tae Sul planned for her diary to reach the adult Seo Hae. He probably wrote there "Find me. No matter what it takes. Find me. No matter when. Find me."
Even if we remove the possibility that Tae Sul, in any way, planned something for her diary, the diary will still naturally find its way to Seo Hae which would make her curious about the uploader and the man named Han Tae Sul.
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Personally … if ever they will develop a "Season 2", I strongly doubt Sigma is the protagonist again and it will be another Sigma versus Tae Sul / Seo Hae, it will never be another "we need to prevent the war and the only to stop it is for Tae Sul to die". From a writer's and producer's perspective, that is very lame. You need something new. You need a fresh story. Something you haven't tried in Season 1.
If I'm not feeling lazy, I will probably rewrite everything. But for now, it is indeed very long.
Update (2021-04-12): I rewrote the above, into a what I think is shorter and easier to understand version. I posted it in my blog: https://j.mp/sypexp. The writing style and format are different and there are some explanations I removed. The original version of my analysis is only locatedabove.
IM YourOnlyOne:
Shivelight:
becca:
