Back from the Dead: After being killed by the Cult of the Tree, Nightingale comes back in the morgue and flees to the Overlap as a Taken.
Call-Back: The jukebox at the Oh Deer Diner is broken, having been stuck playing only "Coconut", the song Odin loves and has Alan put on when they first meet in the first game.
Claimed by the Supernatural: When Saga investigates Nightingale's body, she finds smudged writing on his skin and heart. Considering it's Alan Wake's writing that's partially responsible for what's happening, it's likely a symptom of being a Taken.
Dead Weight: Analysis of Nightingale's corpse shows signs that his corpse was waterlogged post-mortem, implying that he was already dead when we saw him washing ashore last episode. Since he's been a Taken for over a decade, this is very possible.
Déjà Vu: In "The Final Draft" DLC, Alan narrates that intense feeling of recalling her inspection of Nightingale's body in a previous loop before he comes back to life.
Dissonant Serenity: Rose casually chats with Saga like she's an old friend about her daughter, who she shouldn't know about, and mentions how she drowned, much to Saga's confusion and mild distress.
In her first scene, Agent Saga Anderson talks to her family in mutual high spirits on the way to her latest, far from home case, before trading banter with her partner Casey. This establishes her as a loving family woman and close friend above all, even with her dedication to her job as an FBI agent.
Alex Casey snarks lightheartedly with Saga about her family and the case, before gracefully delegating the case to Saga. This establishes him as a far gentler, but still snarky version of the sardonic detective his counterparts embody, and a close, loyal friend of Saga, even beyond their partnership.
Fish out of Water: Agent Casey and the Booker couple are all city born and express discomfort with the sprawling forests and small town community they find themselves immersed in.
Five-Second Foreshadowing: The manuscript page Saga finds in Nightingale's corpse details him coming back to life as a Taken right before it happens.
You find a local landmark sign detailing folklore about a "Witch with No Heart" (obviously being Barbara Jagger) near the crime scene, hinting at what exactly the Cult was planning with Nightingale.
You're given your first glimpse of the FBC's presence in town at Station 11 (their logo on the door apparent before you even encounter any of their agents) on the path towards town when you're done investigating the crime scene. If you're observant enough, Saga and Casey will comment on a sign referring to their peculiar name when they see it on one of the gates.
Saga: "The Federal Bureau of Control". That's a new one. "Toxic volcanic gas" huh? Alex: The FBC is an obscure branch, only shows up for... unusual cases. Saga: What's so unusual about volcanic gas? Alex: Beats me.
While Saga's "profiling" of Agent Nightingale can easily be chalked up to guesswork from the evidence she finds, there's no possible way she could have guessed that The Bookers had obtained a necklace from the Cult after just meeting them, implying that the Mind Place is more than just shorthand for her thoughts.
When Saga and Alex show up at the Oh Deer Diner, Rose Marigold greets Saga as though they were old friends despite only having met that day, with Rose spinning a yarn about how Saga's daughter had drowned tragically years ago, showing that something is already warping reality to include Saga in the narrative.
Full-Frontal Assault: Nightingale's body remains naked and completely exposed after being Taken and attacking in the morgue.
I'm Standing Right Here: While Saga and Casey are speaking to Deputy Mulligan on the scene of Nightingale's murder, Deputy Thornton repeatedly chimes in through radio with disdainful remarks toward the federal agents. Each time, Mulligan shushes him and hurriedly reminds him the radio is loud enough for Saga and Casey to hear him as well.
Innocent Bystanders: The Booker couple who stumbled across the Cult of the Tree mid-sacrifice, though Tammy tries to keep evidence, it's a harmless piece of jewelry and Saga determines through the two's dispositions and otherwise willingness to cooperate they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Legend Fades to Myth: Turns out that Barbara Jagger's tenure as the Dark Presence's avatar is more well-known to the people of Bright Falls than originally implied, as she's become an urban legend in the area as "the Witch with No Heart."
Memory Palace: It's here we're introduced to Saga's Mind Place, her mind palace manifesting in the form of a well-decorated cabin where she keeps mental manifestations of all of her clues and thoughts.
Tim's reaction right before he mysteriously vanishes from the morgue.
Everyone else down in the morgue reacts this way when Nightingale sits up right afterward, with good reason, as he quickly gets to work attacking the nameless deputies and tossing Saga and Casey around.
It's here we're introduced to Saga's Mind Place, her mind palace manifesting in the form of a well-decorated cabin where she keeps mental manifestations of all of her clues and thoughts.
It's here we're introduced to Saga's Mind Place, her mind palace manifesting in the form of a well-decorated cabin where she keeps mental manifestations of all of her clues and thoughts.
