I hypothesize that the ORTBO takes place inside, in a simulated environment. >[!info] Difference between **simulated environment** and a *simulation* >I mean to imply that the environment is a physical, controlled setting like the mamalians nutribles goat hills, not like a computer simulation. # Evidence ## Anagram ORTBO is an anagram of the word *robot*, which comes from the Czech word `robota`, meaing forced laborer / worker. The understanding of that etymology is intentional to guide us towards making connections between the cultural connotation of robots in our society and: the severed workforce, the shadow-innies, or the ortbo being a simulated environment itself. ## The television set The television set that the MDR team finds on the cliff next to them is not connected to anything, there is not apparent battery or power system on the card, and there are no cables connecting the TV on the top of the cart to the VHS/Multimedia player underneath it. Even if the TV has a builtin VHS player like a lot did in the 80s-90s, there are none that could be powered completely wirelessly. The show is kinda sci-fi, but it offers explainations for all its intricacies grounded in mostly real science and understanding. # Irvings nap & the cold The night that Mark & Helena have sex, Irving wanders away from the camp and sleeps outside. When he awakes and finds "Helly" (Helena) he says: > "*I slept outside.*" > "*I almost froze to death.*" He never mentions the cold / frost / environment in terms of how it *feels*, just how its expected to feel. *None of them* mention how it feels to be cold, how freezing it is, etc. You could claim its because they are all appropriately dressed, but for there to be that much snow / for the lake to be frozen over it would have to be very cold for a long time. The kind of cold you can feel through several layers of clothing. That's because they aren't *feeling* the cold at all, or at least its not as cold as it should be in the environment they're in. >[!info] Melting ice in Woe's Hollow > Later on in S2EP4 (15:15-15:18), after they find book IV, the scene cuts to a shot of ice slowly melting off the branch of a tree. This is obviously intentional, but I'm not sure of it's intention: Is it to showcase that the temperature in the environment is warming as the sun rises throughout the day, to give us some kind of clue about what temperature they're experiencing? Or is it a nod to Mark's reintegration, with heat/warmth being represented by red which is typically the color associated with outies / non-severed folks. ## The nail in the coffin... In the season 2 promo trailer we see this scene: ![[Pasted image 20250213124230.png]] Could this be Helena or Gemma? Compare that to these for Helena: S2EP2 ![[Pasted image 20250213125426.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213125617.png]] And these for Gemma: S1EP8 ![[Pasted image 20250213131059.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213131533.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213131600.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213131730.png]] Based on these photos I think its safe to assume that is Helena... but where is she going? If we look closely at what lies ahead of her we see in front of her is a window, behind which lies a clearly snowy and woody area with great exposure to sunlight. But if we look even closer, we can see that the hallway turns to the left at the end. Perhaps around that corner lies an area similar to the one that precedes the elevator down to the severed floor, for the outies to change into appropriate attire for the ORTBO. You could say this is simply another exit from the Lumon building to the outside world, but I believe it is an entrance to Dieter Eagan national park - the simulated environment the ORTBO takes place in - from inside the Lumon building! Shots from S2EP4, Titled "Woe's Hollow" ![[Pasted image 20250213132422.png]]![[Pasted image 20250213133521.png]] At 4:11, we can see what looks to me like a concrete structure, like a hall or passage way. Definitely man made. ![[Pasted image 20250213133828.png]] Irving continues from the previous shot up and to the right, passing through the area pictured above from left to right before he encounters "Helly" in the next shot. ![[Pasted image 20250213134020.png]] This makes it appear to us as though she emerged from stage right around that corner of rock we see. But when Irving askes her > "*Where did you come from?*" She simply shrugs him off, "*I don't know*" ![[Pasted image 20250213134312.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213134438.png]] Later when they reach Mark, he and Irving exchange about waking up on the ice when Mark looks to Helena and asks, "*What about you?*" She only replies with > "*On the cliff*". 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 We already know she's lying for several reasons: - She's been lying about being Helly R for the last four episodes - She's bad at lying on the spot (for example, *the night gardener*) - Mark & Irving both awoke on the ice, though Dylan appears to wake up just behind the tree line from the precipice. It seems to me that their entrances to this place were staggered in the same manner as when they come down the elevator to the severed floor, though not all in the same place it seems 🤔 ## Milkshake & Ms. Huang In S2EP4 Mr. Milchick is waiting when the team reaches the waterfall, and guides them back to the campsite where Ms. Huang is setting up. Later at night when the tensions are high Irving leaves and the rest of the team returns to their tents, with the exception of Mark 😉. But where do Ms. Huang & Milkshake go? Let's take a look at some clues from the episode: There are only four tents at the campsite: ![[Pasted image 20250213140950.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213141402.png]] Milchick leaves: ![[Pasted image 20250213141839.png]] Irving heads this way after Helena's cruel comment: ![[Pasted image 20250213142130.png]] We are not shown exactly where Ms. Huang goes, but it appears that she follows in the same direction as Milchick does when she turns to leave. The next morning, when mark and dylan realize Irving never came back and that "Helly" is gone, Dylan calls out for Mr. Milchick and he suddenly emerges from a path on the side of the campsite opposite to the side he exited the previous night: ![[Pasted image 20250213143241.png]] Also pictured is the "out house" 🌙 Milkshakes trail of footprints can be seen in the snow in the next shot more clearly showing us the path he takes to get to the campsite ![[Pasted image 20250213143458.png]] This is the last we get to see of the campsite sadly; an overhead shot of them rushing towards Irv's voice but there is a continuity error as Milkshakes footprints up to the campsite now are missing. ![[Pasted image 20250213144124.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213144228.png]] # Conclusion The ORTBO takes place inside the Lumon building, specifically my guess is that it is a large indoor simulated environment space similar to the mega goat room. # Belts? Off topic of my theory, but anybody else notice these weird matching belt-buckles that Milkshake & Ms. Huang wear? ![[Pasted image 20250213144552.png]] ![[Pasted image 20250213144602.png]] A closer look ![[Pasted image 20250213144730.png]] It appears to depict an old man - maybe Kier or Deiter - and two rams butting heads 🤔 After Mr. Milchick removes the Glasgow Block, we see mark is also wearing the same belt buckle: ![[Pasted image 20250213145007.png]] What do you think?