Crocodile | Explaining the Episode Through the Costume
I've done a video about crocodile before, but it was trash, not saying this one won't be trash, but I thought I'd give it another go - hopefully it's much better than the last one. so, yeah On that note, let's get into it.
ROB & MIA
Crocodile starts with a couple at a club or at a party with a red overlay. Red in the west generally can stand for passion, love, blood, sacrifice or war - giving a small clue to the events that will take place later in the episode.
After leaving the party and on their way to their destination, they hit a cyclist. After stopping to check on the cyclist to find him motionless, Mia wants to get help the man, but Rob is adamant that they keep this incident between themselves and they move the cyclist, taking him to the ocean, his final resting spot.
Rob is wearing all black with a hint of gray. Black could represent the fear he had after hitting the cyclist, or the power he had over Mia to persuade her to abandon a man they could have helped - but the overwhelming message of the color is death, represented by what they decided to do, without making sure they couldn't help him first.
Gray can stand for being dual minded or indecisive and with him only wearing a hint of the color, it could be interpreted that he may have been slightly torn initially, but quickly chose to lean on the wrong side of the fence.
Mia's wearing a gray hat and a green fatigue jacket - The fatigues could represent her tie to earthiness or being an organic person at the time, but green can also stand for rebirth - shown as the episode continues and Mia looses touch with humanity and reality, becoming a different person. The gray could represent a change in Mia's moral compass or thought processes. This idea is reinforced by the fact that Mia wears a gray hat instead of wearing gray somewhere else on her body, like Rob.
3 YEARS LATER
3 Years have passed and Mia has a husband, a child and has become a successful Conservationist. At this point we don't know how life has panned out for Rob, but we'll find out shortly.
During a meet up to catch up on old times, Mia and Rob have a conversation and Rob expresses to Mia that he wants to confess what happened that fateful day anonymously. Completely disagreeing with this idea for fear of being caught by advanced investigative technologies and losing the life she's built for herself, Mia eventually "Convinces" (emphasis on quotations) Rob to keep quiet and starts on a trip to the point of no return. (black liquid video transition)
As we see the two together, we can also see how of their personalities have changed, based on the almost switched color palate.
Mia wears a pale pink or peach blouse representing the properties of red and orange - depending on how you see the color on your screen. Pink is a very pale shade of red representing the properties of red and peach is a cross between shades of red and orange. Orange can stand for warmth or joy, but also carries the properties of red adding an element that will show itself as the episode continues.
Her black skirt, could represent the authority and power she yields in general, but especially when dealing with Rob - but it could also stand for her fear of losing everything, a fear that became the motive for her actions.
Rob is now in Browns which can represent honesty or comfort. The change in the colors he wears could represent his change of mind, now wanting to do the right thing - not just for his own peace of mind, but to comfort the family that was still looking for the missing cyclist years later.
THE INVESTIGATOR
We briefly meet Kiran, a young insurance investigator who is also a wife and mother sitting in her home office wearing blue. Blue can stand for intelligence, trustworthiness or calm. It can also stand for authority in darker shades. The outfit worn by her character when we meet her, shows her to be someone that could be trusted and had a certain amount of authority on some level - as she conducts investigations and can require, by law, that witnesses participate when necessary.
The next day, we go with Kiran as she visits a man to start an insurance claim after getting into an accident. Coincidentally, it's the same man that was hit by the self driving delivery vehicle in front of Mia's hotel room window.
Other than the blue she wore when we first met her, Kiran wears shades of browns and a purple scarf - Purple can stand for royalty, but can also stand for being spiritually awake or being aware, the scarf is a hint to the level of disturbing awareness she'll have after meeting with Mia.
As the episode continues, we stay with Kiran as she continues her investigation and meets the likes of Mia. Cementing the course of actions Mia took through the remainder of the episode and Sealing Kiran's fate.
THOUGHTS
When all was said and done, Mia did some horrible things to ensure her freedom only for those same things to be the rope...if you catch my drift.
Crocodile takes a metaphorical look at a society with people that value their wants over the needs of others - even if that means breaking the law or hurting someone else.
On the one hand, It shows a metamorphosis or a transition of ideas - showing life in a society based around and dependent on technology. There are pros such as convenience, but misuse or overuse of these same technologies can introduce distrust and fear.
These elements could contribute to switching from organic concern - to methodical and robotic actions, shown through Mia's character and reflected in her wardrobe.
On the other hand, the episode also gives a simplified look at technologies regarding memory extraction and the lengths companies or enforcement agencies could go, to get the information they need.
Today, phone records can be subpoenaed, tomorrow, your records could be pulled directly from you. And If one decides to jump on the Elon/Ray/Theodore bandwagon - this could happen for them much sooner than later.
Season 4, has a very invasive heir, and Crocodile expressed this by showing the emergence of a post human world where your own memories don't belong to you. It's an episode that shows the extremes of keeping an image, but is also a message that gets us to think of how intrusive we'll allow large agencies and entities to be in our private lives.
If you wanna watch this episode - it's currently available on Netflix. On that note, have an awesome day - be good to
Credits/Sources
BournCreative - Color representations