[Spoilers] The Father Was Right

[Jack]

It is believed by some that The Father was responsible for the nuclear weapons seen used at the end of the game.

The Great Collapse came, but it wasn't his fault.



Today, I'm going to go through the story, lore, and meta-lore available to me in Far Cry 5 to help everybody understand why this game is an art piece. A thought piece. Why it is that this game deserves more praise, and why the ending isn't as bad as everybody keeps complaining about.



What we know of The Father is limited to short films and interviews posted before launch, as well as some side information found in-game.


It is visibly seen that he has used, or does use, some sort of drug. If I were going to place a bet? I'd say he snorts Bliss.

Faith didn't come up with the formula. She was a child when The Father found her and took her in.


Based on his close relationship with Jacob, his shooter glasses, how well he handles a weapon, his command style, manipulation tactics, and brainwashing skills, I believe The Father is, or was, either some sort of military or intelligence operative.

He, by some means, came across fact that a massive attack was coming.


If he is a drug user, it could have been during a trip. If he is not, then it is all a means of securing a large number of followers.


In completing missions and side missions, you will begin to hear news broadcasts over the radio about large attacks on heavily populated areas all around the world. Most people don't pay attention to the radio… but… since I enjoyed the Cult Music, I was paying attention.


I figure it was Korea… but I digress…
It was clear enough to The Father that an attack -was- coming, and it happened.


His “family”, knows without a doubt that The Father is right. They aren't drugged.


Jacob, former military… is training the cult.

John, is acting as internal police/security, making sure everybody follows the rules.

Faith… makes them compliant… and easy to mold. Less likely to resist being hand-led to a bunker while high AF.

This is all part of a very well documented formula for brainwashing.


He was trying to save the largest amount of people he could, to put them in bunkers (that you blow up) for when The Collapse comes.

His methods, while extreme, are the fastest most efficient way to save the largest amount of people.

...the bombs are going to kill them… so… either they join, or they die anyway…

The government and military are busy with an impending war, and that's why they haven't come to Podunk, Montana. They have far bigger fish to fry.


You, as the player, unmake The Father's bunkers, plans, and kill all of the people he is trying to save.

You, through your actions, doom all of Hope County to being exposed to nuclear blasts.


The player is the bad guy here…



The best ending is NOT arresting him in the beginning. Not pressing a button.

Why?

You leave… and The Father is able to save a majority of the population there by putting them in the regional bunkers when the bombs drop. Safe inside, trained, ready, and unified for a life after The Collapse… which came…


The second best ending is to walk away without fighting him at the end.

Why?

...then, at least your friends, Blissed out, would be safe with The Father, sheltered from the blasts. Yes, you may or may not kill everybody in the truck, but… you save lives.


The worst ending is fighting The Father.

Why?

...because everybody but you and The Father die.

Though… you kill everybody. Sentence everybody on the surface in Hope County to death by bombing… and The Father, still, after all of that… drags you into a bunker and saves your life.

Yours, and yours alone.



The ending, isolated, is confusing.

Taken in context with the Cult Music, side missions, notes, timing, and knowledge of CIA brainwashing tactics, tells me, straight up…


The Father was right.

We are the bad guy.




In closing…

The complaints I hear about this game are that it COULD have been a commentary on the current state of the U.S.A.

It is…


We are police. Sheriffs.

...and we're the bad guy.


The moral is…

“Just because you're a cop, doesn't mean you're right. It doesn't automatically make you the good guy.”



The second moral?

“Bad ♥♥♥♥ can be done for a good cause.”


You think you're only helping people… and you're wrong.

You think The Father is only hurting them… and you're wrong.



----

I will note that Faith hates The Father.
During the end of the fight with her, she tells you what he did to her... and yet, she's still there, because she knows that he's right.
She put up with all of this garbage he did to her because she KNEW something was coming.
...she isn't stupid, or weak...
She had a reason to stay outside of the drugs.
John and Jacob are too unhinged to be taking orders from him for no reason... unless it's all an act.

[AC Denton]

Thought this was all really obvious, honestly. If people didn't realise all this already they must have skipped the game.

Not all cops are bad guys though so it logically can't be a commentary on the current U.S. policing.

[Starwight/ttv]

Love this, and I am not sure how so many miss this and cry about how terrible the ending is

[ryousanko]

You are right, being a cop isnt what makes us right: Stopping a madman who disemvowels people and fills them with little bliss flowers is what what us right.

[ryousanko]

Originally posted by Jack:

I will note that Faith hates The Father.
During the end of the fight with her, she tells you what he did to her... and yet, she's still there, because she knows that he's right.
She put up with all of this garbage he did to her because she KNEW something was coming.
...she isn't stupid, or weak...
She had a reason to stay outside of the drugs.
John and Jacob are too unhinged to be taking orders from him for no reason... unless it's all an act.

Or maybe becuase they just dont know any better: Cult tend to prey on the vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Maybe she stays because her "Faith" persona is all taht she has left, after alienating all the people who obviously cared for her and told her to stay clear of Eden´s Gate.


About John and Jacob: Maybe because they are unhinged is why they follow him

[ZeSentinel]

Well, i didnt follow the story and the lore like OP did, so im glad he was here to explain that end to me, Thanks.

[†Psycho†]

It might have been an act on Jacobs side. He didnt want to save the largest amount of people, he was doing the opposite. Guess he planned to backstab the Father in the end, and do his own thing with his own military force that he created. But its all just a theory untill Ubisoft (or the Head behnd the Story) confirms it.

[DK75]

Originally posted by LaSentinel:

Well, i didnt follow the story and the lore like OP did, so im glad he was here to explain that end to me, Thanks.

So sad reading this, too often here :(
Why players don't try to follow the story and lore to find out what the game tells us.
Complaining about the end and not understanding the whole story, so sad.
Well from this point I understand why more and more games have a flat story and are only better chicken-shooters.

The game is great - nuclear war is imminent and all outside this area aware of this.
Listening to the speaker in the radio gives you a great feeling for what is happening around you in the world. So YES, the father was right! He see it is coming - the end and a new beginning.
Sure he was something more like creepy, but YES, broken down to the reason. He was collecting all strong and reckless - nature is not friendly, only the strong survive - so that after the end a new population with only strong men and women do a restart. His intention was good, but how he managed all, was not the best way (in weak people eyes).

Great game, but in after the credits ared rolled the game area is so boring, only hunting and fishing is leftover. Wish there comes some option for respawn all different enemies on the map.

See ya in hours of darkness *bang bang*
DK

[DK75]

I wrote in bold my text between some quoted lines, don't get confused.

Originally posted by Jack:

It is believed by some that The Father was responsible for the nuclear weapons seen used at the end of the game.

The Great Collapse came, but it wasn't his fault.


The Father was right.

We are the bad guy.

Indeed, broken down we killed the people that could have been saved


The moral is…
“Just because you're a cop, doesn't mean you're right. It doesn't automatically make you the good guy.”
People often believe that only their thoughts are the only right ones and all other ones are wrong, pure arrogance of mankind.


The second moral?
“Bad ♥♥♥♥ can be done for a good cause.”
I use other words: Sometimes you have to do something evil to do something good in the end.
Example:
Plane with 200 people is flying (with your best friend inside) into a building.
BFF messages you, "we are are a flying bomb, help or shoot us down".
If plane crashed into building 200+aprox 1000people are dying,
or (your decision) shoot the plane
and kill with knowledge 200 people, inclusive your BFF.
What will you do?
At some point I am sure...you will shoot and in the same moment regret.
Doing something bad, but in the end it was the right thing - the good thing.
Even when it feels so wrong.


You think you're only helping people… and you're wrong.
You think The Father is only hurting them… and you're wrong.

Thank you for writing down this story-explanation, I did it in german a few weeks ago.
Don't know how often I explained it to other guys why the end is not surprising.
Funny sidefact:
During the mid game I come to the conclusion that there are many blinks and winks to our real world inside this game. North Korea / Israel (in radio mentioned with middle east) and some other ones - find and read all letters, notes and newspapers (pinned to walls).

DK

[James]

I enjoy the game and really don't have a problem with the story or ending as it is just a game. But I question why would any attacking nation use nuclear weapons on a sparsely populated area in Montana. Certainly they don't have an unlimited amount of nuclear missiles/bombs, cannot carpet bomb the entire nation every ten miles and would choose their targets carefully most likely going for military installations and control facilities followed by manufacturing and production areas and then populous areas. Does this area hold some kind of signifigance that makes it worth an initial strike?

[Piano man]

Originally posted by ryousanko:

You are right, being a cop isnt what makes us right: Stopping a madman who disemvowels people and fills them with little bliss flowers is what what us right.

Disemvowels??? That isn't even a word...

I'm sorry, I mean- Th t sn't v n w rd...

There you go - DISEMVOWELLED!!!

[ryousanko]

Originally posted by Piano man:

Originally posted by ryousanko:

You are right, being a cop isnt what makes us right: Stopping a madman who disemvowels people and fills them with little bliss flowers is what what us right.

Disemvowels??? That isn't even a word...

I'm sorry, I mean- Th t sn't v n w rd...

There you go - DISEMVOWELLED!!!

You get what I mean. But if more graphical evidence is needed...

https://imgur.com/vWyksgQ

https://imgur.com/hg1XIJn

You will excuse me if I think that this isnt acceptable. Plus, its doesnt seem like "the Father" saved those guys...

[just.nuke.em]

Originally posted by Piano man:

Disemvowels???

He took the vowels right out of them. Only thing they had left were the consonants. Vana White will be pissed.

[Age]

I think the protagonist is a single-minded moron. He never thought of the bigger picture, but that makes sense, playing as a character that involves 'being accepted to society'.

[Demon of Razgriz]

Ok, lets take this from the beginning. Remember, you are playing with NO knowledge of what is going to happen.

So, there is a cult that is making people "disappear", threatening people to get property and building up a very obvious army (these are all things they have already done before the beginning of the game.

So, you are telling us that the right thing to do is let them continue to do so?

The nukes have NOTHING to do with how you handled the cult, they are two COMPLETELY different things. Those nukes were already going to hit no matter what the cult or protagonist were doing to do.

Eventually, you realize what is happening, so, it comes down to this question.

"Do you want a cult like that to be a major power following the nukes? Yes or no?"

You ultimately save more lives by destroying that cults powerbase, so they can't expand and kill more people in the new world.

It feels like you are so desperate to prove this as a "good" story, you are ignoring basic common sense.

[ryousanko]

Originally posted by Demon_of_Razgriz:

Ok, lets take this from the beginning. Remember, you are playing with NO knowledge of what is going to happen.

So, there is a cult that is making people "disappear", threatening people to get property and building up a very obvious army (these are all things they have already done before the beginning of the game.

So, you are telling us that the right thing to do is let them continue to do so?

The nukes have NOTHING to do with how you handled the cult, they are two COMPLETELY different things. Those nukes were already going to hit no matter what the cult or protagonist were doing to do.

Eventually, you realize what is happening, so, it comes down to this question.

"Do you want a cult like that to be a major power following the nukes? Yes or no?"

You ultimately save more lives by destroying that cults powerbase, so they can't expand and kill more people in the new world.

It feels like you are so desperate to prove this as a "good" story, you are ignoring basic common sense.

Not to mention that what ultimately broke Eden´s Gate was Joseph Seed´s descision to not tell his flock to stand down and , then, begin the reaping.

If he surrendered peacefully, he would have died, but the structure he had built would have remained intact with his brethren to lead the Project after the Collapse.

Everything , including us, is on his head