kupocake
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I just had a seminar on the Dickens book of the same name. It's long... and I haven't read a single page of it 
Nevertheless, here are some observations on the Novel and the Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Chapter.
- In describing the G-Man as 'Our Mutual Friend', Eli may be making more than a simple allusion to the Dickens novel: Our Mutual Friend is essentially a novel structured around a man who opportunistically uses his supposed death to investigate and test the suitability of a woman he has been commanded to marry in order to gain his inheritance. This character is the 'Mutual Friend' of the title, and the situation echoes the G-Man / Gordon set up to some degree: The G-Man, posing as a Bureaucrat, causes the resonance cascade and effectively uses the Black Mesa incident to test Gordon's suitability as a mercenary. His occasional appearances vaguely guide Gordon towards his objectives and sometimes towards danger: the G-Man and the Mutual Friend in Dickens are both powerful characters who insinuate and trick their subject into performing tasks and tests.
- I think it's interesting that Magnusson appears to be responsible for the naming of the Sci-coated Vortiguant. This probably makes it easier for him to moan at Uriah, and give him commands. I can't exactly imagine him being as open to the wishy-washy ideas of the 'Vortessence' that Vortiguants talk about. Not only has Magunusson named this vort though, but he's also named him after a Dickens character who's a bit of a bastard really. (Uriah Heep from David Copperfield). He's either a strict non-fiction reader with a vague grasp of English Literature, or he actually dislikes Uriah a lot. (Though non-canonically, the name is supposedly chosen because Valve named another Vortigaunt 'Heep').
- Interestingly, in the same room as Uriah, you find the Lost Easter Egg. Our Mutual Friend actually has a minor plot significance in Lost, so it seems like a fitting chapter to put the reference.
Nevertheless, here are some observations on the Novel and the Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Chapter.- In describing the G-Man as 'Our Mutual Friend', Eli may be making more than a simple allusion to the Dickens novel: Our Mutual Friend is essentially a novel structured around a man who opportunistically uses his supposed death to investigate and test the suitability of a woman he has been commanded to marry in order to gain his inheritance. This character is the 'Mutual Friend' of the title, and the situation echoes the G-Man / Gordon set up to some degree: The G-Man, posing as a Bureaucrat, causes the resonance cascade and effectively uses the Black Mesa incident to test Gordon's suitability as a mercenary. His occasional appearances vaguely guide Gordon towards his objectives and sometimes towards danger: the G-Man and the Mutual Friend in Dickens are both powerful characters who insinuate and trick their subject into performing tasks and tests.
- I think it's interesting that Magnusson appears to be responsible for the naming of the Sci-coated Vortiguant. This probably makes it easier for him to moan at Uriah, and give him commands. I can't exactly imagine him being as open to the wishy-washy ideas of the 'Vortessence' that Vortiguants talk about. Not only has Magunusson named this vort though, but he's also named him after a Dickens character who's a bit of a bastard really. (Uriah Heep from David Copperfield). He's either a strict non-fiction reader with a vague grasp of English Literature, or he actually dislikes Uriah a lot. (Though non-canonically, the name is supposedly chosen because Valve named another Vortigaunt 'Heep').
- Interestingly, in the same room as Uriah, you find the Lost Easter Egg. Our Mutual Friend actually has a minor plot significance in Lost, so it seems like a fitting chapter to put the reference.
