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Changed line(s) 18,20 (click to see context) from:
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
to:
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' all for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' very hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
*** Nobody seems content in either episode or especially optimistic in the sequel when he’d already done all the growing up that can be expected, just terrified. Attempts to kill Anthony don’t need everyone’s consent or permission, and people do indeed conspire against and attempt to kill him, and he only finds out through mundane means.
** We also don't know that some people''haven't'' haven't tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** *** Unless someone else learned or guesses that the first attempt was fundamentally flawed (by not attacking the brain directly, since while it’s hard to kill someone faster than the speed of thought without modern weapons, it is possible to give them serious brain damage that fast), or if someone came up with something clever like drugging his food, pumping carbon monoxide into his room, building some kind of improvised gun or bomb, etc.
*** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear''when'' when he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?anyway?
*** A good clue as to whether or not he’s reading your mind when you’re considering attacking him is that ''he hasn’t sent you to the cornfield yet.'' Someone in the sequel tried to attack him from behind and likely would have succeeded were it not for his daughter.
*** Nobody seems content in either episode or especially optimistic in the sequel when he’d already done all the growing up that can be expected, just terrified. Attempts to kill Anthony don’t need everyone’s consent or permission, and people do indeed conspire against and attempt to kill him, and he only finds out through mundane means.
** We also don't know that some people
*** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear
*** A good clue as to whether or not he’s reading your mind when you’re considering attacking him is that ''he hasn’t sent you to the cornfield yet.'' Someone in the sequel tried to attack him from behind and likely would have succeeded were it not for his daughter.
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Page was movedfrom Fridge.The Twilight Zone S 3 E 73 Its A Good Life to Fridge.The Twilight Zone 1959 S 3 E 8 Its A Good Life. Null edit to update page.
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Changed line(s) 3 (click to see context) from:
** It's very possible that the only
to:
** It's very possible that the onlyonly reason she consented to a relationship was out of fear of his retaliation. So... basically not really consensual at all.
** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
! FridgeLogic
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
! FridgeLogic
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
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Changed line(s) 2,20 (click to see context) from:
* From the sequel, we learn that Anthony gained a daughter...notice how we don't ever see or even hear a mention of the mother. Most likely implying that before the events of the episode, she got sent to the cornfield. Although what she did is also never explained. Even worse, how was he able to get her into a (presumably) consensual relationship considering [[{{Main/Narcissist}} his nature]].
** It's very possible that the only reason she consented to a relationship was out of fear of his retaliation. So... basically not really consensual at all.
** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
! FridgeLogic
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
** It's very possible that the only reason she consented to a relationship was out of fear of his retaliation. So... basically not really consensual at all.
** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
! FridgeLogic
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
to:
* From the sequel, we learn that Anthony gained had a daughter...notice how we don't ever see or even hear a mention of the mother. Most likely implying that before the events of the episode, she got sent to the cornfield. Although what she did is also never explained. Even worse, how was he able to get her into a (presumably) consensual relationship considering [[{{Main/Narcissist}} his nature]].
** It's very possible that theonly reason she consented to a relationship was out of fear of his retaliation. So... basically not really consensual at all.
** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
! FridgeLogic
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?only
** It's very possible that the
** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
! FridgeLogic
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Changed line(s) 17 (click to see context) from:
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
to:
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.misery.
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
** Well, the truth (and moral of the story) is that the people in the town eventually got used to the horror and become conditioned to accept Anthony's rule as absolute, because the unknown part of their circumstances scared them into complacency. While it's possible that some people have gotten so sick of him that they don't care about the consequences of trying to end his life, equally as many people may be content with playing along as long as they aren't the targets of Anthony's wrath, and more still may not want Anthony to die at ''all'' for fear of what an alternative will be like. The nature of Anthony's powers also make it ''very'' hard for the townsfolk to negotiate any long term planning - after all, Anthony can read minds, so if they all tried to collaborate ways to defeat him, it would be hard to conceal those thoughts from him for long periods of time.
** We also don't know that some people ''haven't'' tried to get him in his sleep before. It's entirely possible that every attempt has failed - after all, it's hard to attempt to kill someone in their sleep without them waking up, and if someone tries to stab/smother/choke Anthony in his bed, he'd likely immediately wake up and send them to the cornfield. Death is not an instant occurrence, and all it would take is one failed attempt to scare everyone else into thinking trying isn't worth it.
** Even in moments where Anthony's awake but his omniscience fails, it's possible that it's not always clear ''when'' he's paying attention versus when he isn't. How can someone deduce that he's efficiently distracted enough to attack from behind, especially since attacking him will get his attention on you anyway?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 17 (click to see context) from:
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main reasons are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
to:
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main reasons justifications for [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim nobody kills Anthony]] are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
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Changed line(s) 15 (click to see context) from:
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
to:
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!cornfields!
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main reasons are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
* From a writing standpoint, it's an obvious use of NothingIsScarier, but one assumes Anthony didn't always have his powers since he seems to have at least some aspects of a normally raised child (and one doubts a town could survive the whims of an omnipotent baby), but in neither the episode nor its sequel does anyone discuss how or when he got them.
* The question of Anthony's mortality or vulnerability is an elephant in the room, especially thanks to the sequel episode. The two main reasons are that A. Anthony can read minds and B. The townsfolk don't know whether Anthony has destroyed the rest of the world or simply isolated their town from it, and what will happen to that arrangement if he dies. But setting aside how a human mind can't consciously control their thoughts to such an extent, there are numerous examples in both episodes of characters talking negatively about Anthony without him being aware, and the sequel even implies Anthony was wholly unaware of a man behind him about to bash his head in until his daughter vanished the man. Even if that doesn't work, Anthony seems to still sleep. That the townspeople are too afraid of what might happen to them or the world if Anthony dies, and are merely hoping he develops a sense of responsibility makes more sense, but the sequel shows that thirty years of putting up with the torture that is living in the town with Anthony, and there's been no real progress on that front. More than one person should have tried killing Anthony figuring the only possible outcomes are 1. You fail and go to the cornfield, which you'll probably end up in eventually anyways. 2. You succeed and [[NoOntologicalInertia everything Anthony did with his powers is undone]]. 3. You succeed, but the town stays isolated and the townspeople adapt. 4. You succeed, and the town is destroyed, putting everyone out of their misery.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Changed line(s) 8 (click to see context) from:
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. In other words, the towns attempts to appease Anthony may have cultivated him to be ''more'' cruel. The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
to:
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero In other words, the towns town's attempts to appease Anthony as a child may have cultivated him to be ''more'' cruel. crueler as an adult.]] The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
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Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
to:
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)happy?)
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
** Not to mention that he's a mind reader, meaning that he'd know if you are trying to manipulate him into doing something. That's what bad people do, and bad people go to the cornfields!
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Changed line(s) 8 (click to see context) from:
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. In other words, the towns attempts to appease Anthony may have cultivated him to be ''more'' cruel.
to:
** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. In other words, the towns attempts to appease Anthony may have cultivated him to be ''more'' cruel. The sequel makes this exchange extra gut-wrenching:
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
--> '''Anthony:''' Not everyone. You love me.
--> '''Agnes:''' Love you? ''Love? You?'' I curse the day I gave birth to you. Night after night, I lie awake, thinking of ways to put an end to this madness. To put an end to you! And do you want to know why, Anthony? Because [[CallBack you are a bad man]]. [[IronicEcho A very bad man.]] The worst that ever lived.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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** In a way, Anthony's relationship with adult-figures in his life ''in general'' is likely why he ended up this way. Yes, he had no discipline, but he also had no one who really ''loved'' him, either, which is equally, if not more important to a child developing empathy for others. [[EnfanteTerrible While it's completely understandable for everyone to fear him and the town obviously can't treat him like a normal kid for fear of annihilation,]] having adults who give unconditional love in the form of genuine affection rather than surface level appeasement (which is what most of the town unknowingly does when they give into his demands) is a key factor in developing a person who can be fair and patient. Giving a kid everything they want without genuine love behind those actions lends to an adult with a poor ability to regulate their wants from their needs. In other words, the towns attempts to appease Anthony may have cultivated him to be ''more'' cruel.
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** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well.
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** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well. And if by some chance you do actually manage to talk him into something, you probably won't like the results, because his idea of being nice is just as bad as his temper tantrums. (Miss your husband? Anthony'll whistle his corpse out of the grave for you, no big deal--what do you mean, you're not happy?)
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** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
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** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.anything.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well.
** The original short story confirms that people have ''tried'' to convince Anthony to do useful things, but suggesting he do anything other than what he wants to do... doesn't end well.
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! FridgeBrilliance
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
Deleted line(s) 7 (click to see context) :
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
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** Agnes does mention her, saying Anthony "sent his own wife to the cornfield". Of course, she may well have been intimidated into marrying him.
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* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own beneft? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
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* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own beneft? benefit? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"be!"
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
** They may have, but from how he's portrayed Anthony would never take much advice from anyone, and probably retaliate against anyone who tried to push him into doing anything.
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Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
to:
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.good.
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own beneft? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
* Why didn't anyone try to subtly manipulate Anthony for their own beneft? e.g. "It sure is a good day Anthony, but you know what would make it better? Make it ten degrees cooler. Think of how good THAT would be!"
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** How do we even know a mother factors into the equation at all? Given [[RealityWarper what he's capable of]], it wouldn't be unlikely for Anthony to have simply [[TrulySingleParent conjured a child into existence out of thin air]].
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Changed line(s) 5 (click to see context) from:
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy,he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
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* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy,he boy, he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
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! FridgeHorror
* From the sequel, we learn that Anthony gained a daughter...notice how we don't ever see or even hear a mention of the mother. Most likely implying that before the events of the episode, she got sent to the cornfield. Although what she did is also never explained. Even worse, how was he able to get her into a (presumably) consensual relationship considering [[{{Main/Narcissist}} his nature]].
** It's very possible that the only reason she consented to a relationship was out of fear of his retaliation. So... basically not really consensual at all.
! FridgeLogic
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy,he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
* From the sequel, we learn that Anthony gained a daughter...notice how we don't ever see or even hear a mention of the mother. Most likely implying that before the events of the episode, she got sent to the cornfield. Although what she did is also never explained. Even worse, how was he able to get her into a (presumably) consensual relationship considering [[{{Main/Narcissist}} his nature]].
** It's very possible that the only reason she consented to a relationship was out of fear of his retaliation. So... basically not really consensual at all.
! FridgeLogic
* It's logical that in the sequel adaptations showing Anthony as an adult that he is stunted emotionally. He never had adults discipline him out of fear, which is how children learn to control themselves and mature. While Anthony did learn how to experience love (he loves his daughter), he never learned how to channel his anger into anything productive because he didn't have to. He only learned how to somewhat behave as an adult by passively watching the people around him, but without being actively taught he couldn't mature properly. Compared to Anthony as a little boy,he did develop a stunted sense of empathy as an adult. Chances are that if someone had found a way to discipline him properly, Anthony could have grown up and used his powers for good.
