My understanding of this film is (I think!) almost complete. One thing is really bothering me, it's driving me MENTAL.

How did Cobb and Ariadne get into Limbo?

The film tells us that the only way to get into Limbo is to die in a dream when under strong sedatives, right?

So Saito dies in level 3, so goes into Limbo.
Fisher also dies in level 3, so also goes into Limbo.

However, Cobb and Ariadne don't die, they just connect themselves to the dream machine thing, so surely they would not go into Limbo, but just go into another dream level?

Help!

This has already been answered if you look around the boards.

Limbo can also be reached through dreams within dreams, specially if one of the members has already been there.

remember that cobb said there are a couple of ways to get into limbo

1. if you die in a dream while heavily sedated
2. if you go too deep into dream world

so we assume that since Fischer and Saito died in Lvl 3, they go to limbo, which is a SHARED space
and we assume that since each time you go deeper everything becomes more unstable...so when Cobb and the girl go deeper one more level that they are thrown into limbo (i also think that the reason they are thrown into limbo is because they didnt have a plan for the 4th Level, so there was no Architect i guess?)

grf7291 wrote:remember that cobb said there are a couple of ways to get into limbo

1. if you die in a dream while heavily sedated
2. if you go too deep into dream world

so we assume that since Fischer and Saito died in Lvl 3, they go to limbo, which is a SHARED space
and we assume that since each time you go deeper everything becomes more unstable...so when Cobb and the girl go deeper one more level that they are thrown into limbo (i also think that the reason they are thrown into limbo is because they didnt have a plan for the 4th Level, so there was no Architect i guess?)

Yea that makes sense, they hadn't planned that level so they went into Limbo. But when did Cobb say there were a few ways to get into Limbo?

My theory on that one is that, We are told that Cobb's cant be an architect anymore...

And they are never in his dream all of the movie because it look "dangerous" if HE is the dreamer... except at the end, we assume that level 4 is cobb's dream..

i think that because he already got there (in limbo), and then if cobb's dream by himself, he go right into limbo... thats why when they are planning the whole mission, they dont plan to go in Cobb's dream...

I know there's all the story with Mal knowing the maze will kill the dreamer faster than other projection but, i think that theory could works too...

Can we have a sticky FAQ with the best explanations for these questions that have been offered so far by Nolanfans?

Sn0wBuZzED wrote:My theory on that one is that, We are told that Cobb's cant be an architect anymore...

And they are never in his dream all of the movie because it look "dangerous" if HE is the dreamer... except at the end, we assume that level 4 is cobb's dream..

i think that because he already got there (in limbo), and then if cobb's dream by himself, he go right into limbo... thats why when they are planning the whole mission, they dont plan to go in Cobb's dream...

I know there's all the story with Mal knowing the maze will kill the dreamer faster than other projection but, i think that theory could works too...

NO! don't let yourself think that if people go into Cobb's dream then they go into Limbo! Ariadne went into Cobb's dream without Cobb knowing remember?? the Elevator with the memories on each floor!!...the team didn't want to use Cobb's dream because they are all unstable with Mal running around in them

tomoli wrote:

grf7291 wrote:remember that cobb said there are a couple of ways to get into limbo

1. if you die in a dream while heavily sedated
2. if you go too deep into dream world

so we assume that since Fischer and Saito died in Lvl 3, they go to limbo, which is a SHARED space
and we assume that since each time you go deeper everything becomes more unstable...so when Cobb and the girl go deeper one more level that they are thrown into limbo (i also think that the reason they are thrown into limbo is because they didnt have a plan for the 4th Level, so there was no Architect i guess?)

Yea that makes sense, they hadn't planned that level so they went into Limbo. But when did Cobb say there were a few ways to get into Limbo?

O yea and the remember that the reason Cobb & his wife got stuck in Limbo was because they went too deep and got lost, not because they were sedated

Fischer dies and he goes into limbo. Ariadne and Dom hook up to Fischer and dreamshare with him, in effect following him there.

Does that not make sense?

oh darn i didn't think about that...so they were entering Fischer's dream...but i thought fischer was dead? so in the dream world you can dreamshare with someone that is dead & gone to Limbo?