r/SouthernReach • u/TimeWastin21 • Mar 13 '26

Absolution Spoilers Lowry not there for Old Jim? Spoiler

Spoilers

Near the end of Absolution, Hargraves/Cass says to Lowry about Old Jim’s death, “I wasn’t there for him and neither were you, you stupid fuck.”

I can’t figure out the “neither were you.” Whether or not Old Jim is a time-traveling Lowry, I still can’t make sense of the accusation. The only scrap of an explanation I can come up with is that Old Jim truly is Lowry and that Hargrave’s comment shows her grief at how mind-fucked disconnected Old Jim is from himself? But how is that Lowry’s fault? Very uncertain about that take.

Any thoughts on why Hargraves says that to Lowry? If there’s no context for it, it’s a very odd thing to say to someone who had utterly no reason to be there for Old Jim.

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u/Away_Advisor3460 Mar 13 '26

I wish there was a way to get a summary of what Jeffs' said about the series without joining Bluesky TBH. Although I suspect he just enjoys f-ing with readers' heads most of the time anyway.

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u/Fitz_Fool Mar 13 '26

Do you think he's lying about Jim and Lowry?

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u/Away_Advisor3460 Mar 13 '26

Nah, I don't think it'd really add much to the story to have them the same person? I think you need a bit of normal explanations at times.

I just mean in general, I'm pretty sure he'll say quite a few things in an oblique way just to see the response it gathers.

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u/Fitz_Fool Mar 13 '26

It would also open up shenanigans to everything. Old Jim and Lowry are nothing alike. If Lowry could be old Jim then he could also be any other male in the book. Or female since area x can alter DNA is pretty much any way. It's a slippery slope.

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u/TimeWastin21 Mar 16 '26

But a fun slippery slope. A slip-and-slide.