Just watched the finale and I am so confused right now...because of what happened in Episode 3!
OK so in Episode 3 Mark goes and meets "Melody." She gives vague but plausible information. The fact that she compares the tapes to Blair Witch Project also makes is seem she actually knows what is on them (all Mark says is that she was shooting an anthro project, I don't think he did or would say that it is creepy and about a cult). She says nothing about having stolen anyone's identity. If anything, her answers just show that she doesn't want to talk much about the experience.
When Mark reports back on this, he first lies, then says he met a woman who stole Melody's identity for insurance reasons or something. We have 3 options, then.
Option 1: The woman Mark met was a fake, as Mark inferred correctly. The problem I have here is why not tell Dan exactly what happened? "Yes, I met her. She seemed to be pretending to be Melody, but I think the real Melody is probably dead. Finish your work and you can meet her and judge for yourself." If anything, this would be a better strategy for protecting his friend, since it would motivate him to finish the work quickly and get out of the compound. This statement is doubly suspicious given that Mark lied before offering it up. Why lie to begin with? Moreover, the show really tends to "spell out" for the viewers all necessary information. That we are supposed to watch this scene and readily jump to the interpretation Mark gives is unlikely and not in line with the storytelling elsewhere.
Option 2: The woman Mark met was the real Melody, but Mark inferred, incorrectly, that it was an imposter. Then how is it that at the same time, she is stuck in the otherworld?
Option 3: The woman Mark met was the real Melody, Mark knows it but doesn't tell Dan. Why would he not tell? And how then is Melody at the same time stuck in the other world?
I expect we are meant to believe Option 1, but it is really written ambiguously. Indeed, all the episode re-caps seem to report this as: Mark meets Melody, but then lies to Dan and says she was a random lady using Melody's identity.
Anyone have any thoughts?
