Analyzing Evil: Thomas Wake, Thomas Howard, and The Lighthouse

Welcome everyone to the twenty-third episode of Analyzing Evil! Our feature villains for this video are Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard from The Lighthouse. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for watching. If you have any feedback or questions feel free to let me know below!

#thelighthouse #thomaswake #thomashoward

[Xehanort]

I'm glad Robert Pattinson started getting better roles after Twilight and didn't spend the rest of his career only being known as "the sparkly vampire."

[kendrathompson]

Nice to see Willem Dafoe taking on his usual cheerie acting roles

[PatrickWDunne]

Conclusion: It was all because Robert Pattinson didn't like Willem Dafoe's lobster

[thomaswilson]

I got chills in the theatre when he says “why’d ya spill yer beans Tommy”

[webseries]

I'm still going with two dudes going cabin fever while drinking pretty much straight lighter fuel.

[purplehaze]

I love how the title implies the lighthouse itself is a villain.

[owenrobison]

My favorite line from Tom near the end was bone chilling "How long have we been on this rock?....four weeks?....two days?....help me recollect" was beautiful showing how long of isolation and dread during the burning winds of the storm where man looses time in this need of meaning.

[ajellis]

Analyzing Evil: Todd from Breaking Bad. Even through every other character on that show is evil in some shady way, Todd is such a weird, naive, and nice guy that still performs heinous acts.

[theATSthetic]

To over simplify my own theory: I like to think this story is a lovecraftian tale about a living beacon that brings obsessed people to feed off of, much like a flame feeding off of moths.The lighthouse is alive and brings both knowledge and suffering to those who care for it.

[ericemanwu]

An unexpected choice, but a welcome one

[notfriendlystudios]

A really funny yet believable theory I've heard is that at the top of the lighthouse is nothing, and that Tom just wanted some privacy. Thats why Tommy screams at the end cause he realises that he killed a man for nothing.

[thomaskittock]

I've seen a few videos dissecting this film, and I love how each one has a different takeaway. That's the mark of a true masterpiece in my opinion. Everyone interprets it differently.

[whiteelephant]

Last time I was this early I was something of a lighthouse worker myself...

[Cazooka]

That parallel you drew between Tom's behavior and the sea, both being able to become aggressive and unhinged unexpectedly, was really cool.
I haden't picked up on that.

[mr.whatsittoya]

Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York or Daniel Plainview from There will be Blood. Those two are as psychologically complex as evil fictional characters can get. Doesn’t hurt that they were both played by Daniel Day Lewis either.

[christopherk.]

This is the best analysis I’ve seen so far. The idea that Thomas and tommy are the same person is mind blowing. The log book at the end makes so much sense, the genius of this film is that it can be interpreted both ways. That they are separate or the same and the overall message would be about the same. Atonement of the soul and realizing the self. Simply amazing, thank you for this.

[fox_in_michigan]

Can you do Louis Bloom from Nightcrawler? He's honestly one of the best psychopaths I've seen in a film and Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is incredible.

[ashcatthedude]

I'm at a loss. This is the first show that you have covered that I have not seen. I'm now going to watch it and revisit this video. Thank you for expanding my repertoire

[Maceman]

I thought the movie was about the struggle between the older generation's authority and desperation to hold onto their station against the younger generation that tries their best but becomes frustrated under the cruel dictatorship of the old guard who seems more interested in basking in their own glory at the top of the lighthouse than ensuring the well-being and capability of the next generation. Dafoe covets the light and Pattinson slowly realizes that he will never be allowed to stand at the top so he gives up and devolves into madness. When I watched the movie I thought he gouged out his eye after realizing the reality of his situation and his actions and how futile everything was. The game was always rigged and he is punished like Prometheus for touching the fire he was forbidden from.

[Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

The grandmother from Hereditary would be an interesting study. Coupled with the fact that she's never even featured in the film other than as a dead body.

I honestly cannot think of any film that has a villain more evil than her due to the nature of her transgression.