Saw

Question: This question applies to the whole series. Why do some of the people who actually manage to survive Jigsaw's traps end up working with him instead of either helping capture him or killing him and insuring that no more innocent people get killed?

Answer: Jigsaw's traps would more than likely leave a person mentally unstable, which could result in Stockholm Syndrome, a condition which involves a victim sympathising with their captor. In fact, after Lawrence Gordon escapes the bathroom after severing his own foot, Jigsaw nursed him back to full health, thus gaining his trust (this is shown in Saw VII). He also plays mind games on people, which is shown in a flashback in Saw III in which he convinced Amanda to side with him. In her unstable state of mind, she realised that he was the first person in her life she could actually relate to, and thus became an accomplice.

EK8829

Question: How exactly was Adam supposed to win the game? We know the Doctor had to kill Adam before 6 to live, but how was Adam meant to get out? Was he there solely for the Doctor to kill or was there a way out for him that I've missed?

Answer: Amanda was supposed to put the key around Adam's neck rather than just on his chest. If she had done so as instructed by Jigsaw, he would've been able to unlock his shackle and leave the bathroom. Adam was a voyeur, the irony being that if his key had been placed correctly around his neck, all he would've had to do would be to look around to find it. Adam's tape states, "what do voyeurs see when they look into the mirror, " so, again, it's a hint that all Adam would've had to do was look at himself. I noticed as well, Jigsaw says, "the key to that chain is in the bathtub." /IS/ in the bathtub. Not /was/. So Jigsaw probably thought Adam could still get out. He says, "so many people are ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore." So it's like, 'I have taught you this lesson, now you can go free because now you'll appreciate your life unlike you did before'.

Answer: It's mentioned multiple times throughout the movie how unambitious and apathetic Adam is, and how angry he is at the world. His game is to actually escape, which he fails because he's quite content to let Dr. Gordon go and get help instead of trying to do something himself. He was meant to be able to roam freely around the room, and that would probably have made his and Dr. Gordon's relationship and interactions a lot more severe and hostile. The reality of it is simple: Saw is a rushed movie. It's fun to speculate and theorize, but the truth is that by the time they got to editing, they had already lost a chunk of footage after only having 18 days to shoot.

Answer: Adam was never supposed to win, I don't recall which movie, I believe it be the 5th where John is talking to Amanda and says how her games were rigged and impossible to win, and Adam and Lawrence were part of Amanda's game.

Even though Amanda (sort of) sabotaged the game, it didn't make it impossible for him to escape. He could've sawed off his foot like Dr. Gordon did later in the film or could've broke his foot with the toilet lid like Eric Matthews did in Saw II.

It's never mentioned in the films that tossing the key in the bathtub was any kind of sabotage. What is said on the commentary or in the script, but doesn't make it into the final cut, has no relevance for the movies.

Answer: Adam simply had to either unlock his chain with the key, if it hadn't gone down the drain, or cut his foot off to get out. Or he could've pulled an Eric Matthews with the toilet lid and try to get out that way, but that idea wasn't introduced until Saw III. Let's say Lawrence killed Adam before 6AM. Lawrence would win his game, yes. But he's missing a foot, and the door is still locked because Zep or someone would have to unlock it still. But would Zep or John have to help Dr. Gordon and provide medical attention? Ignore Saw 3D for a second and focusing solely on the first film, I'd say I don't think either of them would do so. Lawrence would be left to get help for himself. Imagine if Mark or Paul beat their tests. Would Jigsaw get them help? He didn't try to help Amanda. He let Amanda fetch help for herself. This also shows that Dr. Gordon was supposed to have died at the end of the first film.

Question: This is a question regarding the scene where Ali tells Dr. Gordon over the phone to not believe Adam's lies. How does Ali know about Adam in the first place? From what you gather, it is only Detective Tapp that knows Adam since he was the one who paid Adam in secret to follow and take pictures of Dr. Gordon. So, was it Zep that told Ali about Adam? If so, how did Zep know about Adam? From Jigsaw? Any further details would be appreciated. Thanks.

mrbench71

Chosen answer: Yes. You pretty much guessed correctly. We can assume that Jigsaw told Zep to tell Ali to tell Dr Gordon, "do not believe Adam's lies..." Don't forget that Jigsaw spends hours planning his tests so it would be safe to say that he had planned it all in the beginning.

Question: How is it known that Amanda was supposed to put the key around Adam's neck?

Answer: Since she was helping Jigsaw with his "game", chances are he told her to do it.

Answer: I don't recall at any point John telling Amanda to put the key around Adam's neck. That is completely made up.

Amanda was Jigsaw's accomplice so it would make sense for him to tell her to do it.

Just because it "makes sense" doesn't make it canon.

We don't actually need to see Jigsaw tell Amanda to put the key Adam's neck. Amanda is Jigsaw's accomplice and will do anything he tells her too. Including, offscreen, have Amanda place the key on Adam.

The whole process had to be planned beforehand. Ample time for it to be explained.

Ssiscool

Answer: Everything is meticulously planned out by Jigsaw. He is extremely methodical and would have told Amanda exactly what needs to be done.

Ssiscool

Answer: It makes sense, since Adam's game was about looking at himself for a change, instead of others. The tape states: "What do voyeurs see when they look into the mirror?" So, if Adam had looked at himself, he would have found the key on him.

Question: Why does Dr. Gordan cut his leg while he didn't know that door was unlocked or not? This question is also for Eric in Saw -2.

Answer: Well, there's only one way to find out whether or not it's locked...

Phixius

Answer: Because he had to kill Adam to escape. Only way to reach the gun was to get rid of his chain.

He could've used his shirt to get the phone.

Answer: I'm assuming they were both in a panic, as normal people would be in that situation and it was Gordon's last attempt to try and save his family.

Answer: That is a good point. Dr Gordon wasn't even at the handle of the door, so he couldn't push it the same way Zep could or Jigsaw could at the very end.

Question: My gripe is why did the doctor cut off his foot to get to the phone/gun? He was of mind enough to use his shirt to tie around his leg - why not use his shirt to retrieve the phone/gun. Also can't mobile phones set to receive only still make calls to directory enquiries and emergency services?

Answer: It is doubtful there can be a precise correct answer to this, unless you happen to be the screenwriter. However, it can be presumed that the doctor resorted to the skills he had down cold, almost automatic, as opposed to attempting any further creative problem-solving because he was at his wits' end, in a very traumatic situation. He knows how to tourniquet and amputate.

Rooster of Doom

Answer: Dr Gordon had been mentally abused for close to 8 hours by this point. As the situation got more grave he resorts to more drastic (and quicker) methods to try and win his game to save his family. We are shown throughout later films that FBI agent Hoffman (who doesn't appear on screen until Saw 3) is working with Jigsaw at this point already, so has access to high end tech. Enough to manipulate a phone's abilities.

Ssiscool

Answer: So he could escape.

The question wasn't why he cut off his foot. It was why he didn't use his shirt to retrieve the gun.

Question: Why is Amanda the only Jigsaw victim who never has to harm herself to win the game, but kill another, making her game easier to win than the others?

Answer: She's technically not. A number of others have been put in traps/games where they don't necessarily have to meet physical harm throughout the series, including this film. Amanda's game is based more around emotional turmoil and a time-limit, which are tactics Jigsaw often uses either instead of or in conjunction with physical torment.

Answer: She's actually not. Dr. Gordon could have won his game without mutilating himself by killing Adam. And as for why she doesn't have to harm herself, since she has a large device rigged around her head with the lock attached at the back, Jigsaw may have decided it would be more fair to her to not have to mutilate herself to get the key.

Phaneron

Answer: She isn't. In fact, the bathroom game in this film is a perfect example of contradicting this, as Dr. Gordon has to kill Adam to win his game.

Question: What is the point of John/Jigsaw being in the room with Adam and Dr. Gordon? If some one can fill me in that would be great.

Answer: He was able to observe the 2 and make sure that the followed the rules. Example would be when Dr. Gordon pretended to kill Adam. Zep couldn't tell if it was real or not, but Jigsaw was right there and knew. Plus, there's a clue in the movie, when the dective says "Looks like out killer likes to book himself front row seats." Jigsaw wanted to see how people reacted when their lives were on the line.

Nick Bylsma

However, in the flashback where John and Amanda set up the game in Saw III, he used a drug that made him sleep and not wake up until the game was pretty much over.

It was too slow his heart rate and breathing. Not put him fully out.

Ssiscool

This can't be correct. Too many things you couldn't control: your chest rising and falling, which would be visible; snoring and involuntary movements.

Question: Why didn't Zep (a hospital orderly) go to a poison control centre for help instead of playing Jigsaw's game?

EK8829

Chosen answer: Zepp is given a set time frame before the poison will kill him. If he went to poison control, in the time it would take for them to find the right antidote he would likely be dead. Being an orderly he would have known this.

Ssiscool

Question: What exactly happened to Dr. Lawrence in the end? He's crawled out of the room, sans foot and increasing amounts of blood, and Jigsaw makes his way out the same door less than a minute afterward.

redbaron2000

Chosen answer: Saw 3D/Saw VII shows what happens to Dr Lawrence in the end. He burned his foot on the pipes to stop the bleeding and got out, but 3 days later Amanda came to the bathroom and killed Adam by putting plastic over his face.

Answer: In Saw 3D, SPOILER ALERT, we find out that Dr. Gordon has not only been alive the whole time, but has been helping Jigsaw throughout the events of Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.

Answer: It's unknown what happened to Lawrence until Saw 3D, where we see him crawl to a pipe and cauterise his wound to stop the bleeding, but passed out in the process. And Jigsaw arrives later, because remember he is in the bathroom with Adam and by the time Lawrence has cauterised his wound, Jigsaw has already woken up and left Adam behind in the bathroom and is on his way out, until finding an unconscious Gordon and would congratulate him on surviving his game.

Question: I've watched all 7 Saw movies recently and there is something that I still don't understand. Dr. Gordon was supposed to kill Adam within 6 hours in order to win the game and therefore, maintain his life. However, he never did that. He shot Adam in his shoulder and, even though it didn't kill Adam, the 6 hours had already passed anyway. I know that Zepp was the one who had to kill Dr. Gordon, but the truth is that Dr. Gordon never really did what he was supposed to do in the game. So why does Jigsaw still save him and make him his new successor (as seen in Saw 3D)? If we are objective, he didn't follow the rules of the game, so he should have died like all the other ones who didn't pass their traps.

Answer: Jigsaw wants his victims to appreciate their lives. So while Dr. Gordon may not have completed his intended objective, by sawing off his own foot in order to escape, he won his game and earned Jigsaw's respect. The saws being provided to Adam and Dr. Gordon also demonstrated that they could escape if they were willing to saw off their own feet.

Phaneron

Answer: An idea could be that Lawrence was never supposed to kill Adam. Instead, John could have wanted Adam and Gordon to build a relationship with each other within the time that they're given. However, even without my idea, Gordon showed John that he would go to extreme heights to save his life and his families', which ultimately was something that Adam lacked, earning John's respect and trust in the process. We also find out in Saw 3D that Dr. Gordon has been alive this whole time and was now on John's side and was working for him now.

Question: How was the guy in Amanda Young's original game supposed to survive? He was sedated and couldn't really move enough, so how was he supposed to get out of being stabbed?

Answer: Yes, he was meant to die. It was Amanda's test not his. Just like in alll the other movies those who are being tested are often responsible for the death of others who don't have a choice in the matter (Saw VI for example when the guy has to choose which coworker is hung and which isn't).

Answer: There's also writing on the walls that don't have anything to do with Amanda's game, suggesting that he may have lost his game (that we never saw) and his punishment was to be used in Amanda's game.

Chosen answer: The key to Adam's chains. Jigsaw tells him this before locking him in the room at the end. Amanda was supposed to put it around his neck, rather than just throwing it on his chest.

Phaneron

Where exactly have you got that from that she was supposed to put it around his neck? Is it said in one of the films?

I don't recall where I read or learned that, unfortunately. It's definitely not said in "Saw III" in the flashback scene that shows Jigsaw and Amanda prepping Adam and Dr. Gordon's trap, so it might be on the film's commentary track or the director or writers might have said it in an interview.

Phaneron

Since Amanda was helping Jigsaw, he might have told her to put it around Adam's neck.

It must have been said in a later sequel if nothing was mentioned in this one, as a lot of people have repeated the same scenario throughout this thread.

If I recall, it's been a good few months since I watched this one and over a year since I saw the third. It's shown in Saw 3 how Amanda helps set the trap up and is told then.

Ssiscool

Question: When loading the bullet into the gun, why didn't they realise that the chambers of the revolver were empty of any spent cartridges? They could have easily concluded that the "corpse" wasn't dead and the film would have ended quite differently.

Freefall1984

Chosen answer: First, odds are neither of them had much experience with guns. They wouldn't necessarily think about it. Second, who's to say that the person who put them there wouldn't have removed it anyway.

Greg Dwyer

Answer: The other answer is solid. I will also add that neither one of them were in any state to deduce that the gun was empty. Dr Gordon is on the brink of insanity, and Adam is fearing for his life.

jshy7979

Question: Who was the Pighead who captured Dr. Gordon?

Answer: It was John and Hoffman that captured Gordon. (I believe it's revealed in Saw V when we learn more of Hoffman's recruitment).

Answer: I thought it was Amanda as we see her helping John set up the bathroom game.

Amanda kidnaps Adam, as it would have cost more time if John or Amanda got Dr. Gordon and Adam one at a time.

Question: When Lawrence is going crazy, he tries to reach the ringing phone using the box he found it in. When this fails, it motivates him to saw through his foot. Since the box was just out of reach, why didn't he pull the phone towards him using the saw (just like Adam tried at the beginning of the movie, with the cassette player)? This couldn't possibly have failed, though. If he had, he could have answered the phone and probably gotten help that way. It would have saved him a lot of trouble and pain. Someone please enlighten me.

Eyexpress333

Chosen answer: First, it's because he was very distraught. Simply reaching the phone wasn't going to help him help his wife. Second, because it was the major plot point the entire movie has been building up to.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: You said it yourself: he's going crazy. He had been sitting in that room for 8 hours, being mentally tortured. If finally comes to a point where he hears his wife and child in torment, along with gunshots. At this point he was simply not thinking and in his state, sawing off his foot was the quickest way to either get to the phone, or get to the gun to kill Adam.

jshy7979

Question: What would happened if Gordon failed to reach the gun and shoot Adam and Zep killed Gordon's wife and daughter? Would they be both set free, just Gordon, or just Adam? And what would Zep do if he found Gordon and Adam both alive in the bathroom (they were, but he thought that Adam was dead). Would he kill just Gordon because he failed to kill his wife and daughter, or he would kill both of them?

Answer: Gordon's game was to kill Adam. Adam's game was to survive. There was never an option, in Jigsaw's mind, for both Gordon and Adam to win. If Gordon hadn't shot Adam, Zep would have killed Gordon and his family and received the antidote from Jigsaw. Adam would have been set free.

virtual-toast

Answer: He would have been left to die in the bathroom, as that what it said in his tape, Adam most likely would have been set free and John would have given Zep the antidote to the poison in his blood.

Question: Why did the killer place the key into the bathtub together with Adam? If it hadn't been sucked down the drain the game would have been over pretty quickly.

Answer: The key wasn't supposed to be visible at first, that's why Jigsaw asked "what do voyeurs see when they look in the mirror?"

Answer: That was the original point of the game. Adam was meant to have free roam of the bathroom, so that it tempted Dr. Gordon to want to kill Adam more, as he is much more powerful in this case.

Question: *SPOILER* This question has been confusing me for ages and goes to the Saw series in general. First of all, If Jigsaw doesn't kill people himself, why does he slash Tapp's throat, and why does he also have an innocent victim in a drill chair? Second of all, he claims he despises murderers in Saw III, yet in Saw IV, he gives a man no chance of survival in the spike trap (could be explained that this was Hoffman's creation), and has his victims killing each other throughout the series, especially in Saw 6 where Jigsaw himself is personally present in a video to the main character, meaning that these traps were his idea, especially where the main character has to kill 4 out of 6 people to continue on with the game. Is this because Jigsaw is caught in some false belief that he is a something like a god or similar? After all, he believes the traps will change people, which has been done with varying results.

Answer: In the third movie he states that he hates murderers. The traps which had no chance of the victim surviving were created by his apprentice Amanda, not Jigsaw himself, which leads him to test Amanda to see if she's worthy of carrying on his work in HIS WAY (giving the victim the chance of salvation) which she wasn't, which resulted in her being killed by the doctor's husband.

Question: I understand why Jigsaw targeted Adam and Lawrence, it's stated in the film. But why Zep? He was shown earlier to actually care for his patient.

Answer: Jigsaw described Zep as having "issues of his own". Zep was guilty in Jigsaw's vision. Zep talked about all the doctors, behind their back and claiming they all had affairs and especially calling Dr Gordon a cold hearted bastard. Jigsaw noticed also that Zep wasted his life with hopeless dreams of becoming a doctor, a dream that would never become true because Zep himself never really attempted to fulfill his goals. And as you know, one of the most important principles that Jigsaw wants to teach people, is how they should appreciate their lives and not waste them. That's why he had "Zep" tested, because he felt Zep wasted his life on useless dreams.

And just because Zep was fond of Jigsaw didn't mean he was exempt from the game.

Plot hole: Det. Kerry says at the scene of Paul's trap, "He had two hours." There is no way she could have known that. The clock simply said 3:00 and the tape specifically says "you have until 3 o'clock or this room will become your tomb". No way to know that's two hours after the fact. (00:17:30)

Ssiscool

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: In the flashback of the razor wire trap, it shows the clock as a few minutes past 1, so he did know he had 2 hours.

Paul knew he had 2 hours as like you said he could see a clock counting. But how did detective Kerry who made the remarks in the first place as listed in the mistake?

Ssiscool

More mistakes in Saw

Jigsaw: Congratulations. You are still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore.

More quotes from Saw

Trivia: As is often the case with micro-budget films, the movie was not shot widescreen, but rather was shot on cheaper 4:3 full-frame film stock and cropped for the widescreen theatrical release. Thus director James Wan filmed the movie ahead of time with the knowledge that the tops and bottoms of the frame would be missing from the theatrical cut, and he made sure to compose the shots accordingly. Unfortunately, instead of panning-and-scanning the cropped widescreen release for the full-frame home-video release, the distributors merely uncropped the image. This causes some rather strange and subtle blunders in some full-frame home-video releases, as portions of the frame were visible that shouldn't have been.

More trivia for Saw

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