What was Gman trying to accomplish in episode 2?

[ian1]

We have all seen Gman's speech in episode 2, but I haven't seen the question asked as to why he wanted Alyx to relay the message to her father. Doing so would only make Eli and Alyx want to destroy the ship more. From what I can gather, I think Gman probably wants another incident to occur. If you think that's groundless, consider these facts:

There is already quite a lot of evidence pointing towards Gman orchestrating the original Black Mesa.

If Gordon had remained in stasis after the end of the original Half Life 2, as Gman had planned, there would probably have been no intervention in the core, and more than likely, the combine would have managed to open the super portal and storm the earth.

So as you can see, Gman doesn't seem to care about humanity. He's just using it to achieve his own ends. According to some theories, he wants to create a distraction in order to mount an attack on the combine homeworld. But if all of that's true, then why would he give a message that would increase the desire to destroy the Borealis, if the utilization of it would create an incident. My guess is that it is actually the destruction of the Borealis that will bring about the "unforeseen consequences." Think about it. Why else would he give that message? Maybe the destruction of the Borealis, just like the destruction of the citidel, will create a super portal, which the combine can utilize to travel to earth.

Do you think this might be the case?

 

[G(ordon)-man]

Yes, good points. Really good points.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Its a very good point, I'm glad somebody laid down this thread

But what if destroying the Borealis or using it is one and the same thing; one of Gman's illusional free-choice conundrums

So whatever we do in the next episode will produce the same incident

 

[Shift]

The unforeseen consequences surely had to be Eli's own death on shutting down the super-portal, pissing off some advisors in the area to storm the hanger. And the Citadel contained a dark fusion reactor and a huge teleporter on its tip, those elements combined would have created the super portal at its destruction, im not surely what is in the Borealis but I doubt that with its destruction it would create another super portal, its does hold something of great importance, but for which side.

 

[Darkside55]

G-man is a gigantic troll. He spends all his ability traveling through time and space just to troll people. What was he trying to accomplish by relaying the message? Nothing. He's just doing it to be like, "Lol check it out Eli I'm still around, trolling you."

He set up the Black Mesa incident for shits and giggles.

He let the resistance hang on the idea of Gordon Freeman coming to their rescue for twenty years, and then puppeteered him into getting the humans into an even worse situation by destroying the citadel and alerting the Combine homeworld of the uprising.

And now he's like, "Destroy the Borealis. Or don't. Maybe you should and maybe you shouldn't. Unforseen consequences, lol."

He's just doing it to mess with people.

 

[Kukaku]

Agreed. G-man's just bored.

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

When he's delivering that message to Alyx though, he specifically tells Gordon to make sure Alyx and himself reach White Forest safely, which results in the shutdown of the Combine super-portal because of the data Alyx brings back. He seems to want them to complete their mission of destroying the super-portal.

The main thing which comes out of Alyx and Gordon's safe passage to White Forest is the discovery of the Borealis. Whatever's on that ship, it figures in the G-Man's plans.

 

[Darkside55]

He wanted Gordon to get Alyx to White Forest to deliver the message. Nothing about the message related to the destruction of the super portal; it was only inevitable that that would be what occurred when Gordon got there. I don't think the G-man cared one way or another about that.

 

[milkteacake]

If Alyx is so important, why did he leave her to die at the end of Half-Life 2? That's what I can't wrap my head around.

Also, if she's so important, I'm sure the significance of her getting to White Forest is more than just relaying the message to her father.

 

[barbarbarbarbar]

G-man is not actually a man . He is a alien that wants to get rid of the combine . I thought that was cleared a long time ago ? But let's not jump to conclusions , this is VALVE ! For what we know we could see G-man as a serial rapist in ep3.

 

[ríomhaire]

If Alyx is so important, why did he leave her to die at the end of Half-Life 2? That's what I can't wrap my head around.

Also, if she's so important, I'm sure the significance of her getting to White Forest is more than just relaying the message to her father.

You're not really making much sense here. You acknowledge that he didn't seem to care about when the citadel was exploding but then insist she's more important than the message she was delivering in EP2. He clearly only cared about the message and Alyx was just a tool to deliver it.

 

[gFrohman]

Exactly. G-Man is an unfeeling bastard that uses people as tools for his own ends - if he has no further uses for Alyx in EP3, he wouldn't give a rat's ass if she died then.

 

[ian1]

Maybe he was going to put her in stasis too, but the vortigaunts intervened before he could?

 

[FISHY CRACKERS]

G-man is a gigantic troll. He spends all his ability traveling through time and space just to troll people. What was he trying to accomplish by relaying the message? Nothing. He's just doing it to be like, "Lol check it out Eli I'm still around, trolling you."

He set up the Black Mesa incident for shits and giggles.

He let the resistance hang on the idea of Gordon Freeman coming to their rescue for twenty years, and then puppeteered him into getting the humans into an even worse situation by destroying the citadel and alerting the Combine homeworld of the uprising.

And now he's like, "Destroy the Borealis. Or don't. Maybe you should and maybe you shouldn't. Unforseen consequences, lol."

He's just doing it to mess with people.

Oh god, i couldn't stop laughing... mainly because this is probably entirely correct.

 

[Snow]

Wow, I had no idea that G-Man was in HL2. I thought he was created by Garry Newman for Gmod. Hah! Things like this make me want to buy it more and more. :')

 

[milkteacake]

You're not really making much sense here. You acknowledge that he didn't seem to care about when the citadel was exploding but then insist she's more important than the message she was delivering in EP2. He clearly only cared about the message and Alyx was just a tool to deliver it.

Sorry if I didn't make myself very clear. What I mean is, I'm sure Alyx is very important. That's why he invested so much into her, rescuing her as a child, all those things he said. However, I don't get why he left her to die.

Meanwhile, because she's so important, there's got to be more to her getting to White Forest than just delivering the message. Why didn't he just tell Eli himself, or one of the other people around him? There were plenty of other people at White Forest.

Though I will say that it could have something to do with the fact that she's his daughter, and has more of an influence on him than anyone else.

 

[gFrohman]

He probably wouldn't trust anyone else with his message. He knows Gordon can protect someone very well and can survive against any odds. He can't give Gordon the message, so he gives it to someone he knows Gordon would protect with his life - Alyx. And G-Man knows Alyx will most definitely talk to Eli (she won't forget to find him!). It's just a matter of him using the people he knows he can depend on - he wouldn't give this job to some random rebel guy (who'd probably get pwned by a hunter).

 

[milkteacake]

He probably wouldn't trust anyone else with his message. He knows Gordon can protect someone very well and can survive against any odds. He can't give Gordon the message, so he gives it to someone he knows Gordon would protect with his life - Alyx. And G-Man knows Alyx will most definitely talk to Eli (she won't forget to find him!). It's just a matter of him using the people he knows he can depend on - he wouldn't give this job to some random rebel guy (who'd probably get pwned by a hunter).

Well, okay, that makes sense.

EDIT: Though I still think the G-Man could have told Eli directly, or told Kleiner, who is both an important character and already at White Forest. Also, Kleiner's not as likely to put up a fight as Alyx, I think.

 

[gFrohman]

True, but remember that G-Man had "agreed to abide by certain restrictions." If the G-Man couldn't interfere with Gordon because the Vorts were watching, I doubt he'd be able to interact with Eli for the same reason.

Plus he's probably just lazy and wants other people to do things for him instead.

 

[milkteacake]

True, but remember that G-Man had "agreed to abide by certain restrictions." If the G-Man couldn't interfere with Gordon because the Vorts were watching, I doubt he'd be able to interact with Eli for the same reason.

Plus he's probably just lazy and wants other people to do things for him instead.

Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten about the restrictions the Vortigaunts put on him. This makes a lot more sense now.

I still want to know why he left Alyx to die at the Citadel, though.

 

[Darkside55]

The restrictions weren't put on him by the vortigaunts. They were put on him by his employers. For whatever reason the G-man can't interfere directly with the affairs of the resistance.

 

[Mythics]

I was thinking along thesame lines as OP, but basically this it was I can make of it:

When Gordon was put back in stasis Alex (who would still be saved by the Vortigaunts) would never get the message from Judith or the coördinates from the Combine Overworld (right?) so the rocket would be much for inaccurate. Also, because the reactor meltdown wouldn't be slowed down, the portal would have been created earlier and because of the more inaccurate rocket the portal would probably be established.
Also note that when Alex was brought on street level next to the Citadel (like in Episode 1) she probably didn't had time to escape so she would either die or be brought further away from the citadel by the Vortigaunts (which didn't happen in Episode 1 because the Vortigaunts in a certain way knew that a direct intervention in the core was necessary).

Also, without Gordon the base in White Forest would surely be lost. So, the resistance is crushed, Alex may be dead and the Combine have created a portal. Pretty grim situation I quess.
The only reason why the G-man wants this is basically extraction and he sees Gordon as a usefull thing to enable this extraction. However, when the Combine are cut of their overworld (and thus reinforcements) their is a large chance that they don't come back which means that the whole point of extraction would have failed.

Regarding the Borealis, I think it may contain a large 'portal device', which could possibly even make a direct gateway between earth and the Combine overworld? (Remember that the Borealis was 'mysteriously' teleported to the Artic, probably an experiment with, well, unforseen consequences )
It a certain way, this could possibly create a Wormhole as the portals that are created can move objects through in an instant.
(Funny situation, what if it was night and you create a portal where it is dark and another portal at a place where it is day. Can you let the sun shine to the portal to create light?).

Personally I think that the G-man also tries to ensure that the Combine don't get their hands on advanced teleportation which, so it seems, several other races seem to have. So, the G-man tries to ensure that the Combine doesn't get their hands on this kind of teleportation technology.

The problem is that making a 'combine portal' is basically their way of teleportation and doesn't require any new technology. However, the Borealis would ensure a faster way of transport and the possibility to recreate this technology and to use it in large quanities, possibly giving them even more domination over their enemies.

However, now the Combine Portal is closed their only option is the Borealis, which means that they will sent any spare soldiers (and advisors) they have to the Borealis, possibly build a Citadel like structure around it and make contact with the Borealis (by basically adapting it to the this structure for providing power and sucht).

When Gordon was put back in stasis, the G-man could sent him towards the Artic, to ensure that he would destroy the Borealis so that the Combine only had their Combine Portal, without new portal technology and the G-man would still have his extraction.

 

[City14]

Wow, I had no idea that G-Man was in HL2. I thought he was created by Garry Newman for Gmod. Hah! Things like this make me want to buy it more and more. :')

buy it right NOW its amazing!!!!

 

[flamingdts]

Does anyone see yet another "free choice" in episode 3?

Maybe it's just me, but right now the series seems to be pointing directly at a deja vu of the first half life.

G-man gave Gordon a "choice" to work for him or fight in a battle which he cannot win. However, the latter didn't make a difference between it's "an illusion of free choice" stated by G-man himself.

This leads me to think that in episode 3 there could yet be another "choice" which Gordon (or the player) will have to make, either destroy Boreallis or keep it". Unlikely though, since it creates two distinct paths for a story, but I have a minor feeling that this could be implemented.

That being said, I think the technology in Borealis is obviously something like portal. Very immediate direct teleportation with a mobile device instead of a large immobile machine. It is possible though that destroyin the borealis triggers a massive portal storm that could link planets and their ecosystem. It might even be possible that G-man wants the humans to find combine's very homeland.

I just finished replaying half life 2 again, and Breen does seem to make the "other side" of a combine portal seem very disturbing, and one of the worse things a person can imagine.

 

[gFrohman]

I thought the rebels already had the portal key to the Combine Overworld - Magnusson mentions this to Alyx during the first transmission in EP2. So in theory they can already go to the Overworld, but they'd need a portal for that - I think this is the problem, since if the rebels open a portal to the Combine Overworld (let's say Gordon & Alyx need to go there to kick some Combine ass), the Combine can just as easily invade Earth again.

 

[ríomhaire]

If I were one of the resistance scientists I'd want to set up a barrier against the Combine, not open up a portal to another one of their worlds.

 

[gFrohman]

Exactly.

While it would be tempting to open a portal to the Combine Overworld and send Gordon to cause havoc on their world, it's just too risky.

 

[Esquire]

The rebels might be hoping that the portal technology they recover from the Borealis will grant them the ability to prevent the Combine from travelling to Earth once more. Maybe to achieve this ability they are required to access Xen, and restore it to order (somehow).

 

[ShadowJustice]

I just finished replaying half life 2 again, and Breen does seem to make the "other side" of a combine portal seem very disturbing, and one of the worse things a person can imagine.

not A combine portal, he was referring to THAT SPECIFIC combine portal.

You know the combine empire seems to be composed of many dimensions, some of them are strange (like the ones breens is talking about with eli prior to your arrival), some of them are (I guess) hellish. It's not like every dimension the combine controls is disturbing.

 

[tesher06]

To stop Eli from telling you about the Borealis.

 

[Grodan Freechman]

Well, okay, that makes sense.

EDIT: Though I still think the G-Man could have told Eli directly, or told Kleiner, who is both an important character and already at White Forest. Also, Kleiner's not as likely to put up a fight as Alyx, I think.

He already did tell Eli directly. In half-life 1, unseen, it's accepted that the G-man whispers something about 'unforeseen consequences' into Eli's ear before the whole Black Mesa incident occurs.