Tower-gate
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, Mar 16th, 2011 at 11:46 PM (37218 Views)
TRAITOR TO THE TOWER
Welcome to the first edition of Tower-Gate. This blog will infrequently update on theories, and issues that are being raised on the forums.
As of late, one of the most heavily debated topics on the forum is the question of who is the traitor within the tower, and it has been chaos. There is confusion among who the suspects are, are and who could have and who couldn’t have done it. The approach that’s been used thus far has been one of pointing fingers, and then backing it up with facts, which has led to some intense debate between the heavy weight theorists of our forum. The end result of which however, has been a jumbled mess of well constructed theories.
So let’s clear up the mess by trying out a different approach. Instead of finding out who did it, and pointing fingers, let’s figure out who didn’t do it. We’ll start by eliminating people who it couldn’t have been, and then create a definite suspect list. We’ll take into consideration what position they served in the tower, how happy they were with the way things were being run, and take a look at what their motivation would have been in contacting the Mallers.
The scale will go from
0% - - Highly Unlikely -- Unlikely -- Possibly -- Probable
I will refrain from pointing fingers as the purpose of this article is to eliminate who didn’t commit the crime, and narrow down the list of subjects, not to pick out who actually committed the crime.
Peggy “ Pegs ” Mitcham-
Of all the people in the tower, Pegs (at the time) was not at all headstrong. She was weak and she was indecisive. Chances are if she hadn’t run into Riley during the initial outbreak, she’d have been dead. Pegs looks to others for leadership. She can’t lie. She can’t deceive. She’s not the mole, and if she was, she wouldn’t have been able to keep a clear conscience, we saw what happened when she killed Latch. If she knew that she was the cause of the entire war, and caused the deaths of so many, she wouldn’t be able to hide it. She is simply not capable of being the traitor, and then hiding it.
Chance of Pegs being the traitor: Literally 0, nada, zilch, the rating of 0 was made exclusively for Pegs.
Michael Cross -
The then leader of the Tower, he is last person who would contact the Mallers. For the sake of argument however let’s take a closer look at Michael. Michael is definitely “capable” of being the mole, he is the man with the plan, highly intelligent, quick on his feet, and overall is a very dangerous individual. But there is overwhelming evidence that he is not the mole. Why? Because he was in the one who figured out there was a traitor to begin with. Michael was in charge of the tower, it was a stressful job, but he had close buddies in Angel and Saul, overall, things were going well for the tower (at least compared to now). Michael of all people was happy with the way things were going.
Chance of Michael being the traitor: Next to 0
Angel Tunudo -
Angel is another intelligent character capable enough to be the mole. However it is unlikely that Angel was behind it. At the time, Angel was Michael’s second in command. He was behind the tactical aspects of the missions, and the overall well being of the tower. He was making headway with Riley, maybe it would lead to a relationship. He was best friends with Saul and Michael. Basically, life was good for Angel. I have heard theories that maybe Angel wanted Michael’s spot as top dog of the tower, there are two problem s with this theory. First of all, calling the Mallers does not help him get that spot. If the Mallers took over the tower, then it is far more likely that he’d lose his position as second in command, if his friends found out, he’d lose them too. Second, there is absolutely no evidence that Angel wanted command, he attempted to take power after Michael quit after the war, but quickly handed power over to Burt. Angel looks up to Michael, and often turns to him for judgment and advice, he wouldn’t attempt to usurp power.
Chance of Angel being the traitor: Next to 0
Saul Tink -
Saul is lovable. Saul is simple. Saul has good friends. Saul is in a relationship with the prettiest girl in the tower. Saul is a happy man. Saul did not commit the crime. It’s also worth mentioning, that the Mallers nearly killed Saul, he isn’t likely to be talking with them. Although it is possible that he could have been taken hostage by the Mallers as he was trying to escape, that theory doesn't hold much water because 1. He's military and is trained against interrogation, and 2. There's no way Saul would or even could hold that secret. He would have told Michael if something like that had happened.
Chance of Saul being the traitor: Next to 0
Tommy Pick -
Tommy, the beloved the “kid” of the Tower. In Burt’s words, he never hurt anyone, and he never thought of himself. Tommy was a good kid. He had an innocence to him. And that’s why his death weighs so heavily on Michael, Burt and the others. He is a constant reminder of the serious consequences of war. Tommy symbolizes the tower residents who died in the war, he wasn’t the only one, but he was the one we, the audience knew. To have him be the traitor would ruin that. It should also be taken into consideration that having a dead character be the mole kills the buildup of tension.
Chance of Tommy being the traitor: Next to 0
Riley LeFevre -
Riley is a leader among the people of the tower. When the soldiers are away, she’s the one left in command. When Pegs dropped the flower vase, and the tower was overrun, she had everyone hide in the rooms and led the defense of the tower. At the time, there was a shortage of weapons, and she was the one holding the only gun in the tower. Riley is also in charge of the “shop” and supplies. Riley is in a position of leadership, she is far too invested in the tower to want a change of government. Riley was one of the original 5, for her, the people in charge are not just figures of authority, they’re her friends. Although she is capable of being the mole, it is unlikely. The only reason I’m not giving her a “next to 0” score, is because she was not at the guard room when Angel, Burt, Michael, Pegs, and Tommy were negotiating with the Mallers.
Chance of Riley being the traitor: Unlikely
Bill Norris-
Bill is a peculiar character. He has one motivation, and concern, and that is his survival, and well being. Even after the tower secured his building, and saved his life from an infected (non-zombie) wound, he never truly joined the tower. Bill is the man who stole food, supplies, weapons and ammunition from the tower. Why? So that he could ensure his own survival even if the tower residents fell upon hard times. Bringing the Mallers into the equation does not help him in any way. In fact, as far as Bill is concerned, he was in the best position that he could have been. He was self sufficient. The tower, in protecting itself, would also provide him with protection, and the tower residents left him alone. Calling in the Mallers would change things for Bill. If the Mallers were in charge, they wouldn’t be nearly as lenient with Bill, it’s far more likely that he’d be killed for resisting them or not following their orders. The other fact that you should take into consideration is that because of Bill’s isolation, he was ignorant of what was going on in the world outside. He was cooped up in the tower, to the best of our knowledge, after the breakout, Bill has never left the tower. He rarely interacted with the tower residents without a weapon in hand, the only time being when he joined the party the night of the war. There is no way he should know of the Mallers’ existence. Something else you should take into consideration when considering if Bill was the traitor is story telling. From a storyteller’s perspective, the mole situation is a source of tension. Which one of our beloved characters betrayed us and their friends? This tension is slowly building up. To have the traitor be someone who is already dead, and can’t suffer the tower’s wrath and judgment would end the tension in a fizzle not a bang. Is Bill capable of betraying the tower? Yes, but he lacks the motive to do so.
Chance of Bill being the traitor: Unlikely
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Fabre -
Lizzy, the only member of the tower to hold a PhD. She is highly intelligent, and very capable. At the time of the war, she was in charge of the water department, she had just started a relationship with Saul, and seemed happy overall. As of chapter 19-3 however we know that she has been kicked out of the tower. Why? We do not know, but theories have popped up saying that she is the mole, that Burt found her out and kicked her. Anything is possible. The argument against this would be that Lizzy was fairly happy before the war, and really had no reason to contact the Mallers. The argument for Lizzy being the mole is that she is often willing to take extreme measures for Saul. Is she the mole? Anything is possible and Kc has been known to throw curveballs every now and again, but up until now she doesn’t seem to have the proper motive. It should also be noted that the Mallers are a group of serial killers, murderers, rapists, and all around bad people. Lizzy is a very pretty blonde girl. Interaction with the Mallers would not be a pleasant experience for her.
Chance of Lizzy being the traitor: Unlikely
Burt Scott -
Before the war Burt was a fairly happy guy. He used to be all alone after his wife died. Now he had a home, friends, and people to tell his stories to. He was part of a team that he cared about deeply. That being said, he was unhappy with the way the “team” was being run. Throughout season 1 he had clashed with Michael multiple times on how things should be done. He’s a very headstrong character that likes things being done his way, however it should be noted that he cares very deeply for his fellow tower residents, including Michael. He was also one of the people negotiating with Durai during the stand off before the attack. Could Burt be the traitor? Possibly but Burt has a certain crudeness, and a lack of tact that makes it seem as though he would have trouble hiding this from his friends.
Chance of Burt being the traitor: Possible
Datu Mata -
Love him or hate him, Datu is a suspect on the list of subjects. At the beginning of the series Datu was a caring, kind, emotional handyman of the tower. Of course this all changed after his experience in the arena. He went through a great deal of emotional trauma. Ever since he was rescued he has not been himself, he has been in a state of serious depression. There are thousands of cases where heightened emotional states have completely altered people’s judgment, and they’ve committed heinous crimes in moments those moments of rage and hate. It is possible that Datu, in his distraught state of mind, did something regrettable. He is definitely capable of the task, being the tower’s lead handyman, he has a number of skills under his belt that would allow him to contact the Mallers without the knowledge of the other tower residents. Because of his emotional state, and his capabilities, he is a suspect on in the ongoing mole investigation.
Chance of Datu being the traitor: Probable
Kelly Maynard–
Kelly is one of the prime suspects for the rat. At the time of the war, she was very unhappy with Michael’s leadership. She had recently been humiliated by Michael when he called her bluff to leave the tower. She had the most to gain by a change in government. What you should also take into consideration is that Kelly was once a very capable lawyer (we know this from how easily she was able to tell Amy was lying about Pegs). She would have the strength and the savvy to make contact with the Mallers and maybe make a deal. The argument against this is that Kelly was once an attorney and probably put many criminals behind bars, so why would she contact the Mallers? We do not know that Kelly was a prosecuting attorney, if she was a defense attorney, then perhaps she had ties with Durai, or one of the Maller higher ups. It is also worth noting that after the war, Kelly’s persona changed completely. This is most likely because of Tommy’s death, but it is possible that she feels guilt for bringing about the war, and consequently Tommy’s death in her own greed. Of course this is all speculation. I hate to say this as Kelly has gone through such a strong redemption over season two, and become quite a likeable character, it’s definitely possible that Kelly could have done it.
Chance of Kelly being the traitor: Probable
Kalani (that’s it, we don’t know his last name) –
Another prime suspect, Kalani is one of the most hated characters on the podcast. He arrived at the tower two days before the war. Ever since his arrival things began going wrong for the tower, is this merely coincidence? Possibly, but we can’t be sure. Kalani has proven himself to be a wily and shrewd character. Perhaps this is the root of our distrust in him, he is capable of deceit. We know very little about Kalani for a fact. We know he was held in captivity by the zombies for about two weeks. That is it. There is no proof of anything else that he has said. There are theories that he is in fact of Maller origin. Adding to our suspicions is that after the war, and the fall of the original Michael regime, Kalani has worked his way into Burt’s second in command position. While most other characters like Michael and Angel gained no benefit from the war with the Mallers, Kalani gained power, and influence on the tower’s actions. Now this can all be paranoia, he could in fact be just a selfish guy trying who’s number one priority is self preservation, in fact Kalani has even gone through a slight redemption in the eyes of the audience after he helps Angel kill a behemoth. But too many things about his story don’t add up and there is still a great deal of suspicion surrounding this character.
Chance of Kalani being the traitor: Probable
That is a listing of every major member of the Tower, and their motives for contacting the Mallers.
0% - Pegs
Next to 0 - Michael, Angel, Saul, Tommy
Unlikely - Riley, Bill, Lizzy
Possibly- Burt
Probable - Datu, Kelly, Kalani
In conclusion, we have gone through every main character of the tower, and come up with a list of those most suspicious and those least suspicious. The purpose of this article was not to point fingers but to organize the jumbled theories of “who is the rat”, and point out who is unlikely to be the rat and why. But of course none of this is set in stone, Kc has thrown curve balls before and he’ll throw curve balls again.
On a separate note, I think it’s also worth noting that whoever contacted the Mallers, may not have done it out of malice, perhaps they genuinely believed that having an alliance with Mallers would be a good thing.
Also special thanks to Nikvoodoo for helping me edit the article and for helping me come up with the Tower-Gate logo.
And special thanks to Revolver for helping me come up with a theme and the original logo.0 Likes, 0 , 0 , 0