The part about Limbo is somewhat wrong as well. Limbo is not a state of mind but an actual location.

Nice write up.

However, your explanation of the totem is inaccurate. A totem doesn't tell the dreamer if he's in a dream or in reality ... only if he's in someone else's dream or not. Because the dreamer knows how his special totem behaves, he can dream it to behave in any way he/she wishes in his/her dream. Therefore, it can not be used to differentiate reality from his own dream.

There's a lot of problems with Cobb's totem concept in Inception.

Edit: didn't notice someone else posted the same I did in my first paragraph sorry.

Regarding your explanation of the kick: Did Eames really set the charges to provide a secondary kick for Fischer and Ariadne? As I remember it, the charges did not go off until well after Fischer is revived in level 3; Fischer is revived and talks to his dad before the charges go off IIRC. Fischer's kick, it seems, was the defibrillator + falling to his death (how he is brought back to life is hard for me to comprehend). So what was these charges set for?

A totem doesn't tell the dreamer if he's in a dream or in reality ... only if he's in someone else's dream or not. Because the dreamer knows how his special totem behaves, he can dream it to behave in any way he/she wishes in his/her dream. Therefore, it can not be used to differentiate reality from his own dream.

If the dreamer knows how his special totem behaves, and he can dream it to behave in any way he wants, then of course he can use it to also tell him if he's in a dream or not, as a secondary function. I don't understand why people keep bringing this up as an inconsistency in the film.

For example, Leo was able to use Mal's totem to remind her she was in a dream, even though it was a dream they shared.

paladinryan wrote:

A totem doesn't tell the dreamer if he's in a dream or in reality ... only if he's in someone else's dream or not. Because the dreamer knows how his special totem behaves, he can dream it to behave in any way he/she wishes in his/her dream. Therefore, it can not be used to differentiate reality from his own dream.

If the dreamer knows how his special totem behaves, and he can dream it to behave in any way he wants, then of course he can use it to also tell him if he's in a dream or not, as a secondary function. I don't understand why people keep bringing this up as an inconsistency in the film.

For example, Leo was able to use Mal's totem to remind her she was in a dream, even though it was a dream they shared.

You're assuming your subconscious is always fully under the dreamer's control. I believe if the dreamer wanted to believe he was in the real world, he would just dream his totem behaves as it should in the real world. There is no safeguard against delusion.

Cobb and Mal's totem are highly problematic for multiple reasons. It's also not relevant because Cobb manipulates Mal based on his knowledge of her totem.

Was Cobb wearing his wedding ring when Mal jumped off the ledge?

Baz744 wrote:Was Cobb wearing his wedding ring when Mal jumped off the ledge?

I'm pretty sure he does. You can see the glint as he's walking down the hallway holding the flowers.

Arthur wrote:

Baz744 wrote:Was Cobb wearing his wedding ring when Mal jumped off the ledge?

I'm pretty sure he does. You can see the glint as he's walking down the hallway holding the flowers.

Then under the theory that Cobb doesn't wear the wedding ring in the real world, but does wear it in dreams, that would indicate that Mal jumping off the ledge was a dream...

thanks for the feedback, later tonight I'll go through and edit it to add in the suggestions you guys gave, remember, if you liked it leave a comment on our blog and let us know

bump