MovieChat Forums > The Tick (2016) Discussion > Tick and Arthur are the same person.

Tick and Arthur are the same person.


I got the distinct impression from the trailer that the Tick was either a manifestation of Authors subconscious, or a split personality ala Tyler Durden. I realize that that would a departure from the comic and animated series, but thats the impression I got from the pilot none the less.

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like arthurs super power is manifesting his imagination. thats why the tick in nigh invulnerable? he got arthur a suit to keep him safe so hes pretty much indestructible now.

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i kind of like that idea tbh!

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I think they are hinting that with his facial tick and the 0 search results on the google but Arthur was in jail when the tick beat up the bad guys and blew em up. I don't think arthur could do that AND the bad guy said he was huge.




What a crazy nation of socialist republics that are together in a federation, of craziness

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plus arthur isnt bullet proof! lol

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He could if the tick is physical manifestation of Authors subconscious. Im not sure what the link between the two of them is, but they are definitely implying something.

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It showed Authur as a boy with the Tick's voice coming from the wall outlet showing blue light. Could the tick have been created by a real tick coming into contact with the power, developing along with Auther's consciousness until it manifests into what we see in present day, and therefore their link to each other. I don't know if I expressed that correctly but just a thought.

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I think it's really just a fun thing that tweaks on Arthur's paranoia. Arthur is constantly doubting himself because the whole world is telling him he's crazy for thinking The Terror is still out there, and now he meets someone even crazier who accepts what he says as reason. Which can make him doubt even more, or accept it and jump in. I find it interesting and funny.

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That was the impression I got watching the pilot. I'd go with manifestation. They flat out smacked us in the face with it. Then I thought they made it so seemingly obvious that it was a trick. Just have to wait and see.



No Sitcoms! No Sports! No Reality!

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Smacked us in the face with it? Couldn't possibly disagree more. It would be one thing if The Tick only manifested himself when Arthur was around, but that wasn't the case. Not even close. So if anything I would say the exact opposite and say they smacked us in the face with the fact that The Tick Isn't just a manifestation.

Still Shooting With Film!

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What they did was say the Tick than show us Arthur's tick. They did it at least 3 and maybe 4 times.



No Sitcoms! No Sports! No Reality!

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Honestly, that sentence makes zero sense.

"What they did was say the Tick than show us Arthur's tick"

The tick than? I think its just easier to agree to disagree at this point. IMO, the show portrayed the exact opposite of what your suggesting.

Still Shooting With Film!

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Arthur has a tick. His eye twitches. That's called a tick. Almost every time "The Tick" was said (in reference to the character), the camera would show the audience Arthur's tick. They did it over and over.



No Sitcoms! No Sports! No Reality!

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I'm rather undecided. We're getting mixed signals from the writers. Maybe it's just to keep us guessing. When Arthur took his meds, I assumed The Tick would vanish (if he was a manifestation), but he did not. So he's not affected by the meds Arthur is taking, hence maybe not a Manifestation....

Can't wait for the rest of the episodes...

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I agree about being undecided. They may have smacked us in the face with it but that doesn't mean it's not a red herring. I actually go back and forth.



No Sitcoms! No Sports! No Reality!

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Maybe he didn't disappear because he was already "out there". You can't put the genie back in the bottle.

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I would like that idea, its a good origin story for Tick.
Sadly i dont think this show will fly high enough to attempt any real twists.

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I don't know. I guess I'm fine with it as long as Tick is not a figment of Arthur's imagination. Tick should be real and independent of Arthur. I don't want it to be Arthur subconsciously wished Tick into existence and once his job is done and Arthur becomes a real boy then Tick drop dead fred's his way back to imagination land.

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How did the Tick know were Arthur lives? One theory is that the Tick is a figment of Arthur’s imagination made into an independent corporeal being like Abbey from Misfits. This would be like Dr. John Watson imagining Sherlock Holmes into existence. (Jeremy Brett really should’ve gotten awards for being Sherlock Holmes.) This is suggested by a blue nightlight talking to Arthur in the Tick’s voice, although it could just be a dream instead of a childhood flashback. Creator Ben Edlund has directly called the Tick a parasite, so maybe this version has the power to psychically leech onto Arthur’s mind instead? Or perhaps there is no explanation because it’s a continuity error? The mystery of the Tick is going to be a big piece of Edlund’s proposed multi-year masterplan, but I’m not convinced we needed a massive reinterpretation of the Tick to begin with since a complicated backstory doesn’t subvert genre expectations. I’m fond of “The Luny Bin” where it reveals that instead of being a guy in a costume with an origin story, the Tick is simply the Tick. I’d be delighted if that was what these possible red herrings were leading up to, but I imagine everybody else would feel cheated. https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/amazons-the-tick-where-is-thy-spoon/

I'm almost clever! https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com

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I think if you knew what Edlund was planning for the reveal about the existential mechanics of the Tick, your head would explode.

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Yeah I picked up on that Fight Club vibe too, I really hope they don't go that route.

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