I loved this move, but...
In the ad, he said he had only done it once before, but never said anything about it or explained when he went back. Is this when Belinda was saved, or just a lie to get a partner to join him?
We do not know.
Perhaps he went back before and accidentally killed Belinda.
Perhaps he saved her by running the drunk rocker off the road but then smashed into the house himself.
Maybe he went back for a short time and did nothing.
In the ad, he said he had only done it once before, but never said anything about it or explained when he went back. Is this when Belinda was saved, or just a lie to get a partner to join him?
My take is that you are not supposed to consider that line quite so literally.
Some people seem to believe he actually did travel through time.
Some people seem to believe he actually did travel through time.
Some people seem to believe he actually did travel through time.
I believe he traveled through time. Maybe he was the one who killed her originally, and during time-travel, he didn't drink as much so the crash was not as serious.
Everyone is speculating about what he did when he went back in time "once before".
But no-one seems to have thought of the obvious: The Test Run / Dummy Run, etc, to make sure the damn thing works!
( I sure as hell tested my machine out first before using it for more meaningful purposes )
It's simply irresponsible not to test your equipment.
"Look at it this way; in a hundred years who's gonna care?"share
But no-one seems to have thought of the obvious: The Test Run / Dummy Run, etc, to make sure the damn thing works!
No no no no. The first time he did save Belinda, and he ended up crashing into her house himself. The second time was for Darius, he said so himself.
shareIt would not have been when Belinda was saved as he did not know about that until Darius told him.
There is no reason not to take Kenneth at face value once we see him disappear with Darius.
That doesn't make sense. If he time traveled and did in fact save her, how would he not remember doing it?
He was in denial about what happened with Belinda. She never died. He wanted to go into the past and prevent himself from crashing into her house, because he felt like that event is what caused her to not want to be with him.
When we meet Belinda she says she never had any romantic interest in him. Meaning that they NEVER dated, despite what Kennith says. He's brilliant(capable of making a real working time machine), but his mind is also a little broken.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
That doesn't make sense. If he time traveled and did in fact save her, how would he not remember doing it?
Yes he did. He tested it, but he didn't change anything. The first time was a test run for proof of concept, the second time was "for real."
It's funny how you claim in your previous post we should take him at face value, now you're saying the complete opposite. That he straight up lied, and that we can't take anything he said at face value.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
What he was saying is that Kenneth changed the past on his second trip back with Darius, therefore saving Belinda was still in his future which is why he did not remember doing it, because it had not happened for him yet, but because it did happen in the past, Belinda was alive.
"Well how could Belinda be alive if he didn't already change the past?" Timey-wimey, my friend. The altered past was catching up to the unaltered present, and the closer they got to the successful launch of a fully functional time machine is when the bubble surrounding the present popped and let in all the changes.
What he was saying is that Kenneth changed the past on his second trip back with Darius, therefore saving Belinda was still in his future which is why he did not remember doing it, because it had not happened for him yet, but because it did happen in the past, Belinda was alive.
"Well how could Belinda be alive if he didn't already change the past?" Timey-wimey, my friend.
The altered past was catching up to the unaltered present, and the closer they got to the successful launch of a fully functional time machine is when the bubble surrounding the present popped and let in all the changes.
Any alterations one made to the past would appear to take effect instantaneously because history would be retroactively rewritten(as would be the memories of all involved). The "ripples" resulting from the change wouldn't have to "catch up" to a time travelers relative present. The idea doesn't even make any sense.
So what you are saying is the rules of a fictional construct are so locked down that you cannot possibly imagine it to be any other way? It's fiction. We don't know how it's supposed to work because as far as we know it doesn't. Just because it doesn't adhere to your ideas doesn't mean it's wrong.
EDIT: Old Biff. Old Biff gets into the Delorean and brings the almanac back to his younger self, which changes the future, a future in which he did not live to old age. This means, according to your ruleset, that he should have ceased to exist immediately upon handing over the almanac. Yet, we see Old Biff get back into the Delorean and travel back into the future where time had to catch up with him in order to erase his existence.
It's called the Delayed Ripple Effect and there is a whole bunch of other examples on the TV Tropes page. Sure, it may not make very much sense compared to what we think time travel should be, but that hasn't stopped people from writing it. If you can't think of a single example of this idea, then you're just not trying hard enough.
It's a good thing the vast majority of us are going to die contributing very little to the world.
shareThrough most of the movie they're trying to lead you to believe he's just nuts. He's in denial about what actually happened with Belinda. But, the fact that he manages to make the machine suggests that he is much smarter than the movie leads you to believe.
I think he has done it before, but perhaps only made a short hop into the past. Maybe 10 minutes. Just to confirm his calculations were correct. I don't think he tried to change anything on his first attempt.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
He could be smart and nuts. The more I think about this movie, I think there are two interpretations:
1. He's in denial about his supposed relationship with Belinda and crashing into the house, so he constructed a fantasy where she was killed. He blamed himself for pushing her away, so he came up with this idea to go back in time and "save" her.
2. He isn't delusional. He was successful in his last attempt to save her, but doesn't know it for whatever reason. Maybe he was zapped back to present time before he could confirm or maybe his brain is damaged by the time travel itself. We have no idea if/how memories "update."
Personally, I give more weight to Kenneth being delusional and brilliant. I think Belinda saying she had a boyfriend and liked Kenneth but not in the same way he liked her, tells us that Kenneth's version isn't accurate. UNLESS Kenneth's version is accurate in an alternate timeline, and Belinda's account is a result of something he did in his first trip back.
Did he actually ever say that Belinda died? All he said was some idiot crashed into her living room. We all assumed she was dead from this. She might have been "dead" to him because she didn't come back to him like he hoped she would, but that's it.
shareYes, he explicitly says, "She died." Those are the two words he starts the whole background story with.
share