Author Topic: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance  (Read 1793 times)

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Offline Zacharychaos

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Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« on: October 24, 2013, 06:00:44 PM »
Tom (the real Tom) saves Jake's life near the end of the series, when Mommy-Berenson-Controller is about to nail him with a Dracon beam. Pretty impressive for a 4-year human Controller.

Tom had pushed his Yeerk to betray his Visser knowing that that gave humanity the best shot at survival. Tom's Yeerk therefore controls the Escafil device instead of surrendering it to Visser Three. I say that with confidence- and by all means, if Tom did not have influence in this decision, please give an alternative explanation. Because clearly Tom had taken steps to protect his brother prior to this point, and is every bit as intelligent, ruthless, and long-sighted as Jake.

Given how much power Tom's Yeerk had accumulated at the end, we can only imagine Tom would have gloated at his slavekeeper at the very end. "The Yeerks in the Pool destroyed, Visser One powerless and defeated by my brother "the midget", and then oh look my cousin Rachel seems to be about to say hello. Poor Yeerk, you had such delusions of grandeur. I'm sure that warlord-thing would have been so much fun if only you hadn't underestimated humans. My human brother." *Cue Berserker Grizzly*

(I feel like I could write a poorly-received thesis about this subject...)

Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2013, 06:23:57 PM »
I really do wish we could have gotten more insight into the real Tom. It's such a shame that KA decided to kill him off. I stand by the idea that 31 was the best opportunity Jake ever had at rescuing his brother. Tom was practically handed over on a silver platter, given that the other Yeerks figured his Yeerk would die during the trip. All they had to do was let that happen, and fake Tom's death. Nothing suspicious about a former involuntary host committing suicide after his master starves to death.


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Offline Zacharychaos

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2013, 11:28:26 PM »
Now wait a minute, I don't know about that. Suicide? Yeerks might have laughed at TomY's inability to get himself out of the situation but they would have needed a body to believe in suicide. This is late in the series, when paranoia was pretty high. They would not accept Tom just vanishing.

Yes it was within the Animorph's power to use the cube scatter Tom's DNA (blood and... etc...) without harming him, but that is a reach. Why would the Yeerks bother to test? It is far easier to just seize Jake's (presumably unsuspecting) family and use them to see what happened to Tom.


Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2013, 09:07:33 AM »
Get Eric or one of the Chee to be the body. Have another Chee do the "autopsy" and such, bury the body, then dig him back up. Surely the Chee have to do this kind of thing on a regular basis, since they have their holograms grow old and die to cover up their identity. Showing Tom's "body" being dead and buried shouldn't be a farfetched idea.

Of course there's also the idea that they could put a YPM Yeerk in Tom's head, but unfortunately the Anis don't seem to care a whole lot for the YPM in general.


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Offline RYTX

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2013, 01:36:11 PM »
(The universe clearly does not want we posting this: first try lost connection, second computer spontaneously restarted, but now at last)

Ah intrepretation
Quote
Jake's mom leaned from the car. She turned.
Aimed.
I swept toward the sky. I could see Tom through the rear window. He reached over the backseat. Slapped the Dracon beam from his
mother's hand. It bounced across the pavement.

I take it this is what you refer to as Tom saving Jake. Possible. I always took it as the security chief stopping some foolish new controller from making the neighbors ask why Mrs. B has a ray gun.

The only real look we get at Tom is in book 6 where he's already begging for death (On the suicide note, I took KA to be very opposed to that (book 17). Rather that once freed a host would cherish live all the more. And on that note, seemed that few freed host would play host a YPM yeerk after going through the routine infestation)



Saying anything about Tom with confidence is very bold. Yeerk treachery is common place, and V3's been hated for years. And we don't know Tom shared Jake's cunning, maybe that's the trade-off of being a great ball player.  Even if he did, the Yeerk would know what he was planning immediately. No secrets, cunning doesn't work. Saying he clearly took steps so Jake could make a plan is outlandish.

Write your thesis if you will, but canonical evidence for this idea, I doubt you'll find
Something, something, oh crap I pissed everyone off again....

Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2013, 01:55:36 PM »
Judging from book 8, it seems execution is protocol for freed Yeerks, if they don't enslave you again. Better to die than to be killed, and better to die than to be a slave. Ignoring the fact that they seem to have ignored Karen after Aftran was found. Lots of people are against suicide, but chances are as long as the Yeerks are around, your life is over unless you and everyone you care about goes into hiding. I know it would be traumatic for Tom's parents to think he killed himself right after another loved one died, but it's not like having him there but enslaved is really that much better.


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Offline Tim Bruening

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2013, 04:49:34 PM »
Judging from book 8, it seems execution is protocol for freed Yeerks, if they don't enslave you again. Better to die than to be killed, and better to die than to be a slave. Ignoring the fact that they seem to have ignored Karen after Aftran was found. Lots of people are against suicide, but chances are as long as the Yeerks are around, your life is over unless you and everyone you care about goes into hiding. I know it would be traumatic for Tom's parents to think he killed himself right after another loved one died, but it's not like having him there but enslaved is really that much better.

When Aftran uninfested Karen at the end of "The Departure", how did Karen get out of the Yeerk Pool unmolested?

Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2013, 05:22:49 PM »
We don't know. It's pretty up in the air, and I doubt KA really wants us to wonder that. It's a happy ending all around, and we should just be content with that. Some theorize that she has a YPM Yeerk in her head, and they wanted Cassie to think Karen wasn't a controller anymore to make her feel better.


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Offline NothingFromSomething

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2013, 07:44:24 PM »
There wasn't really all that much we had to know about Tom, other than he was a good, decent guy and non-a-hole older brother.  It was always the two Yeerks that carried his plot and significance.

Person Of Interest re-watch.  Still stunning as ever.

Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2013, 07:58:53 PM »
And yet the second Yeerk didn't even get a name.


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Offline NothingFromSomething

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #10 on: October 25, 2013, 08:58:32 PM »
Well, sure, but that was pretty late in the game then the crapola had hit the fan and there was other stuff going on.  But "Tom", the real Tom?  His purpose was basically just the good, decent "damsel in distress" (male equivalent? haha) family member that was motivating Jake.

Person Of Interest re-watch.  Still stunning as ever.

Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #11 on: October 25, 2013, 09:10:26 PM »
Yeah, I guess. I'm just upset that we didn't get to hear anything from him aside from book 6. I guess I'm glad his suffering was ended, at the very least. All the anis had their individual goals, and I would have liked them all to have met them. Marco meeting his goal didn't mean him leaving the group right afterwards.


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Offline NothingFromSomething

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #12 on: October 25, 2013, 09:20:25 PM »
No, but that doesn't necessarily mean Tom should have been freed long enough to contribute, either.  Eva kinda filled the "rescue" role.

Person Of Interest re-watch.  Still stunning as ever.

Offline Chad32

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #13 on: October 25, 2013, 09:34:59 PM »
Then they didn't even really do anything with her. What a shame. I don't think they did much with Tobias' mother either. It feels like KA had tunnel vision as far as characters went. she made some nice characters and groups, but didn't do a lot (or as much as she could have) with anyone except the main characters.


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Offline NothingFromSomething

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Re: Tom Berenson- Hero of the human Resistance
« Reply #14 on: October 25, 2013, 09:47:31 PM »
Didn't do anything with Eva?   :-\   :huh:

She's a huge part of it all, post-starved-Yeerk.

Person Of Interest re-watch.  Still stunning as ever.