Theories on what's to come!

[Damar]

I think that Graham will end up having the reincarnated soul of the head Silver Cloak which explains Shadrack's words during the fight.  Graham is an avatar and when he accepts this and the power in him he will embrace his destiny which is still my original theory that Graham will enter the zodia stone, sacrificing himself to seal Shadrack away for all time.

[Numbers]

...and after Graham disappears forever, King's Quest fanboys everywhere will mourn their loss.

I'm worried about the backlash that POS would receive if they actually got rid of the main character in such a beloved and long-running series.

[fluxmaster]

Well, the episode ends with

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Graham entering Rosella's dream about being sacrificed to the three-headed dragon.  (I assume that that was Rosella's dream, not Alexander's, since that was Alexander proving his manhood, and I don't think he would want any assistance in that instance.)

So I take it that Episode 5 will contain scenes of Graham revisiting events from previous games in dream form, but as far as what he will do there, there are a couple of possibilities.  One is that he will change past events so that they will not have happened.  In that case, he could, for example, prevent Alexander's kidnapping from taking place.  However, that would be such a drastic change that I think it is highly unlikely.  Another possibility is that he will simply comfort his children in their dreams.  However, that seems too lame to be a real possibility.  In between those two extremes, what could he do that would be dramatic enough to end the series without totally changing it?  I guess we have to stay tuned.

A question:  Was the final scene

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

in Cloudland

produced with the new engine and imported into this episode as a video resource?  The quality looked very good.

[Neonivek]

I personally think his Children are being used as props in this game. It may be unfortunate but this is Graham's story and no one is allowed to have character resolution but him! NO ONE!

Which is a shame because I think Alexander and Rosella represent two different facets on this Darkness versus Light and their worlds symbolise this greatly. Not to mention several characters.

Alexander's world is a dark one devoid of life. His greatest fear is that darkness will overtake everything and he is willing to go to the depths and back to protect everyone. He would wish for a safe world where he could settle down (his current hair style baffles me honestly. Given that he is always so proper. But I suspect they wanted him to look better in this game's role)

Rosella's world is shining and bright full of life but frozen and still. Her greatest fear is that everything will stand still and her life will become stagnant and boring. It is why her world is a Frozen bright wonder. It is darkness that has kept her life interesting, that has lead her to Edgar, and why all her greatest fears are settling down.
-Extra: While she is often compared to Graham as the "female graham" there are rather large differences. Graham was adventerous but only so far that he was willing to go out of his way to help others. While Rosella certainly shares the family altruism, she however has wonderlust and Graham had a deep sense of duty. As well Rosella doesn't have as much of a desire to "get herself dirty" as Graham, nor the physical conditioning.

Also I think that Graham will turn out to be Shandrack so to speak. It would make sense if Graham was ultimately the villain in some way.

I also DO hope Valanece gets herself out of that tower. I can just picture the scene in my head. The Old Valanece speaking to the Young about their experiences. The Young one speaking about the futility of her situation and how she needs to be saved, but the Older Valanece talking about her experiences.

In otherwords Valanece coming to grips with her past and how she is a much stronger person now and that she is needed far too much to sit still. Then other stuff, but that gets into how I view her role over the other characters.

[GrahamRocks!]

Also I think that Graham will turn out to be Shandrack so to speak. It would make sense if Graham was ultimately the villain in some way.

No. Just... no. Why? Why?! Why would he attack his own children? Why would he try to kill himself by zapping himself with lightning and magic? We've known for YEARS that Graham is NOT a magic user like Alexander! He fell asleep in his Magic class at school.

Why would he torment his own wife? He loves her!

Y'know, everything else you've said up to this point, I've agreed with or thought at least, "Huh. That's interesting!" but that?!

No. Just... no. I don't see how that would be possible.

[Neonivek]

He may not have actually had a choice. As well remember, it is Graham... he "Cannot lose"

[GrahamRocks!]

Okay, if he doesn't have a choice, then who made him do it?

I would have bought that, if we'd ever seen any Darkness in Graham before.

But, we haven't, and I think it would be simply awful if the hero of King's Quest for three games, the kindest, most just and fair King of Daventry that the land has ever known, the one who started the whole Adventure game genre in the first place... turns out to be a bad guy.

I'm sorry Neonivek, but for once I can't agree with your theory.

[Neonivek]

It isn't so much that he is dirrectly the bad guy but that he more or less is the cause of everything that happened.

For example what if he made a wish for a life of adventure.

Though another possibility is simple.

The Black Cloaks were all imprisoned. That hasn't changed. Valanese is a daughter of the Pandora bloodline (the only remaining blackcloaks in existance)

All the current Black Cloaks are actually Ex-Silvercloaks who were corrupted by their own power and Graham is in fact not evil because he purposely relinquished his magic and chose to live the rest of his life as a peasant (Erasing his old memories). The Remaining "good" Silvercloak who helps him is actually Edgar who knows what he knows because he learned it from his Aunt (another Blackcloak who is an ex-silvercloak). Edgar being a character who has always remained good, just easily fooled.

Or... possible the current Black Cloaks are in fact what remains after each gave themselves up to seal the old black cloaks and Graham is the villain because he got afraid and retreated into his own fairytale. Thus over time the Whitecloaks became corrupted and seek to free the Blackcloaks and Graham needs to remember who he is and complete the seal. (But that wouldn't work because it would eliminate Graham's choice)

So many possibilities.

I just think the reveal may not be glamourous. This is a fairytale land. Perhaps Graham created it.

I do think Graham will have to make a choice between Light and Darkness... and that somehow neither of those choices will be the right one.

I somehow suspect that the Silver cloaks will not be as "Angelic" as they seemed in Fairytale.

[GrahamRocks!]

...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Oh man, that... would one of the worst endings to a series ever, to find out that everything we've known about the world, about Graham, about the lore Pheonix Online has thought up over the past few years, and everything they've worked so hard for... was all a lie.

Perhap an alternate ending would be good for that, but the actual concrete ending for King's Quest? No. Just no.

[KatieHal]

Nah, it's actually going to turn out that this was all an Inception-style scheme pulled on King Edward to persuade him to name Graham his heir.

[Neonivek]

I am going to forgo the "No I mean this" several times until I explain myself well and just to "fine whatever" and then leave in a huff.

[snabbott]

Nah, it's actually going to turn out that this was all an Inception-style scheme pulled on King Edward to persuade him to name Graham his heir.

Katie! You're not supposed to give away the plot!

[Numbers]

For some reason, I now have this image in my mind of Shadrack dramatically announcing "WE NEED TO GO DEEPER!" while lightning crackles in the background. And this image strikes me as being very funny, possibly because I'm very sleep-deprived right now.

[Neonivek]

I don't know if I'd laugh or cry out of patheticness if the develops make that a joke ending.

It REALLY isn't... what I meant.... UUUUUUGH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[crayauchtin]

I also DO hope Valanece gets herself out of that tower. I can just picture the scene in my head. The Old Valanece speaking to the Young about their experiences. The Young one speaking about the futility of her situation and how she needs to be saved, but the Older Valanece talking about her experiences.

So even though I don't agree with your theory, I did kind of see some merit to it.... but this part confused me.

The tower's a flashback. If Valanice gets herself out of the tower, she never meets Graham. She never marries Graham. Alexander and Rosella cease to exist. Edgar is never freed from Lolotte. Cassima is never freed from Mordack. Manannan is still human. Abdul Alhazred rules the Land of the Green Isles. Etheria is destroyed. Oh, and Daventry may have been destroyed by a three-headed dragon.

I mean, yes, it'd be nice to see some of the heroic streak we know Valanice has in her. It'd be nice to see her overcome her own demons in episode 5 -- which I think(?) is what you meant?
I don't think we really want her to free herself from the tower though.

[Neonivek]

I think the tower is more of a metaphor and is also a memory.

I also don't think her escaping herself as a change to her never meeting Graham but rather of her becoming the type of person able to define and shape her own destiny and reality instead of having it dictated to her.

It'd be nice to see her overcome her own demons in episode 5 -- which I think(?) is what you meant?

Well yeah, which is what I picture the symbol of her escaping the tower represents. She didn't free herself nor did she try to save herself back then.

She breaks herself out of the tower in order to save Graham. Meeting him across the trials he himself had to traverse.

I don't think we really want her to free herself from the tower though

I actually think it couldn't happen anyother way really. It is the ultimate symbol of how much of a pawn she was turned into and how complacent she was with whatever destiny thrown her way... with how hopeless and alone she was but at the same time doing nothing to change things herself.

This is not about her escaping the tower herself and never seeing Graham. This is about her escaping the tower and meeting Graham on equal footing so to speak. I fully believe if Valanece escaped that tower herself she would have still met Graham (and with a LOT less murderous danger for poor Graham)

[GrahamRocks!]

Awww!

[crayauchtin]

I get what you're saying now, and I like it... but I also think that might make it Valanice's story, rather than Graham's. That said, we've already had the opportunity to play as Valanice once.

[Neonivek]

I get what you're saying now, and I like it... but I also think that might make it Valanice's story, rather than Graham's. That said, we've already had the opportunity to play as Valanice once.

Ultimately Graham's story is tied up with his family.

I don't think Valanice becoming a better person from all her experiences and being together with Graham would detract from the story but in fact make it strong. Especially with how Graham talks, at the start, about how their experiences made them stronger as a family.

It is why I somehow suspect that Graham's role in the dreams of his children won't be to save them but to find ways for them to save themselves.

[GrahamRocks!]

It is why I somehow suspect that Graham's role in the dreams of his children won't be to save them but to find ways for them to save themselves.

See?! THAT makes a lot more sense than what you said earlier! When you mentioned earlier that Graham the only one who would get character resolution, I feared you were suggesting the worst...