This album, in and of itself, is a moment of awesome for the future Queen of Pop. It was the ultimate act of defiance against her father and former manager, Joseph Jackson. He had previously run the careers of all his children with an iron fist. She escaped from the shadows of her family and created one of the most iconic pop albums of The '80s.
The Ashtray Maze in "Polaris." Jesse works her way through a Mobile Maze on her way to Dimensional Research, with "Take Control" blaring through a cassette player given to her by Ahti. Already amazing on its own, as the level goes on, the maze itself seems to turn against the Hiss, locking them away from Jesse and enabling her path forward, as if the Oldest House itself is fighting back against the Hiss invasion. It becomes gradually clear, as they are forced to send in their Airborne Mooks, that the Hiss are having the closest they can have to a minor Villainous Breakdown over the House fighting back. Once it's over, even Jesse agrees as she takes off the headphones.
This is even more amazing when you properly read the lore: the Ashtray Maze isn't a part of the Oldest House, it's a product of an OoP, the Ashtray, which was bound to Trench. According to the Ashtray's file, the maze it produces should be impossible to traverse unless you're the one binding the Ashtray, or the binder has given you permission. Unlike all the other OoPs that Jesse has encountered so far, she doesn't bind the Ashtray, and instead brute-forces her way through the full, unbridled force of its abilities! More than that, she made it work for her, through sheer force of will!
It's a possible posthumous CMoA for Trench too, who was eaten by the Hiss and at the start committed suicide with the Service Weapon. In the lyrics of the song, Trench laments his poor choices which led to the corruption of the House, and wishes he could spare Jesse from the pain — and, quite possibly, the Ashtray Maze hears him and responds.
The whole thing feels like a Spiritual Successor to the iconic "Children of the Elder God" concert from Alan Wake. Both setpieces even feature a song from the Old Gods of Asgard!
After being forced to go through a hellish version of the Oldest House where Jesse is a low-level office worker demeaned by everyone she's met over her adventure not once, but three times, sounding like she's on the verge of tears by the end of it, she finally embraces her role as Director of the Federal Bureau of Control by shooting her mental version of Trench with the Service Weapon, picking up the Hotline, and declaring that she is the Director.
Shortly after shooting Trench, she makes her way into the Oceanview Hotel one last time, asserting control over that as well, reasoning that if it takes place within her head, then there's no reason that it can't take her anywhere she wants. She meets Polaris through a door with her portrait on it, and shortly after, makes her way into the Nostalgia Department via the doorway overwhelmed by Hiss in the cafeteria, forcing the Oldest House to bend to her will without a control point in sight.
What follows is even more incredible. The Hiss, a supernatural infectious force with both tremendous subtlety and tremendous power, which was capable of even corrupting the Board itself once it got a pawn into the Astral Plane, got cleansed by Jesse. No backup from Hedron. Not some inhuman, external force. Jesse and Jesse Polaris, the 'instance' of Polaris catalyzed out of Jesse — that is still, ultimately, part of Jesse and shares her name — personally under their own power as solo parautilitarians get into a direct psychic conflict with an extradimensional horror on its terms and win.
After credits roll, if you head back to the Executive the remaining rangers and FBC staff will be singing your praises. From their point of view a virtual unknown came in, claimed Directorship and personally kicked the Hiss back through the portal, leaving the FBC with nothing but clean-up duty.
The first DLC has the mission "Jesse Faden Starring in Swift Platform" where Jesse tries to cleanse an Altered movie camera only to get trapped in a B movie action sequence where she has to ride carts down a track shooting Hiss and dodging obstacles.
The second DLC, AWE, does indeed feature the return of Alan Wake and connects the two games by implying that a significant portion of Jesse's life has been written by Alan so that she could aid in his escape. While he still hasn't escaped The Dark Place at the end, Sam Lake has indicated that this won't be the last time the stories of Alan Wake and Jesse Faden cross over.
It also implies that all of Control was written by him, including the Bureau and the Hiss. He orchestrated literally everything, and one audiolog implies he's not even sure if it'll work.
Also in the second DLC, putting down Emil Hartman. And for that matter, the fact that he's become a powerful yet hideous monster born of both Darkness and Hiss, considering he got off scot-free back in Alan Wake.
Hell, even hearing the words "My name is Alan Wake" after almost a decade is chill-inducing.
blaring through a cassette player given to her by Ahti. Already amazing on its own, as the level goes on, the maze itself seems to turn against the Hiss, locking them away from Jesse and enabling her path forward, as if the Oldest House itself is fighting back against the Hiss invasion. It becomes gradually clear, as they are forced to send in their Airborne Mooks, that the Hiss are having the closest they can have to a minor Villainous Breakdown over the House fighting back. Once it's over, even Jesse agrees as she takes off the headphones.Jesse: That was awesome.