Thursday, August 22, 2013

Siberia Gets Cold!

Siberia began as a reality competition in the remote Tunguska valley of, you guessed it, Siberia.  Sixteen competitors traveled from across the globe to attempt to survive the harsh wilderness, without any modern conveniences, for a cash prize of $500,000 split amongst those who are able to survive till the end.  While some contestants failed their initial challenge and others have opted to give up, the remaining have realized it has turned out to be far more than a game as they faced; death, injuries, premonitions, strange animals and even weirder neighbors.  This week's episode, "First Snow" really pushed the contestants' survival skills to the limit when they were separated into two groups as Joyce, Johnny, Sam and Daniel were amidst their journey to the mysterious red beacon and the remainder of the group, Miljan, Neeko, Irene, Annie, Esther and Sabina remained at the settlement.  Rather than state the events in the order we saw them, I will follow each group's journey individually during the "First Snow".  Unlike my normal post I have weaved other important information and theories throughout the recap so make sure to check that out!  Let's take a look at this week's Siberia!


  • We picked up at the conclusion of "Out of the Frying Pan" when Daniel, Joyce, Johnny and Sam came across a large "explosion" site.  While I said "crater" in my last post and assumed it was the effect of the 1908 Tunguska Event (for more about this see: Siberia Theories That Will Blow Your Mind! and below) there was actually no "crater" found, rather it was an area where the trees in the middle of the site stood upright stripped of their branches and as it spanned out, over 2,150 kilometers, the trees farther away were knocked down pointing away from the center.  I found by reading others' comments about the blast zone that they thought it was too small for the Tunguska Event and realized it is possibly not the original area effected but instead a new yet similar phenomenon that likely occurred during the episode "Fire in the Sky".  While the group considered what could have caused this, Sam believed it was related to the green sky and Daniel hypothesized that an explosion could have resulted in the eerie lights yet, when Joyce asked if it was nuclear Daniel passed over this theory stating that if it was, they would all be dead.  However, some scientists believe that nuclear science could have played a part in the Tunguska Event due to the similarities in the condition of the trees to Hiroshima.  Not long after leaving their view of the site, the group found the show's helicopter blown to bits and scattered along the Siberian landscape.  Daniel mentioned that it looked as if it exploded in the sky but the lack of bodies confused them.  Joyce did however find the burnt remains of a clipboard owned by the host of Siberia, Jonathon Buckley.  I will wait till the end of this post to hypothesize about the absence of bodies as it relates to other events from this episode.  They decided to camp out for the night and continue their journey the following day.  Upon awaking they realized that somehow in the middle of summer over two feet of snow had fallen, and without shelter or warm clothing they were practically buried in this unexpected frosty wonderland.  Although Johnny and Sam understood their predicament was a large one to bear, they chose to continue to the beacon not knowing if anything or anyone would await them to accomplish their goal of finding outside help, rather than return to the settlement where they knew no aid existed.  Their journey was a long one, and now with snow piled high around them their task became much more difficult.  They soon traversed the hilly area and were flushed with hope, only to find a seemingly endless plain they now were tasked to cross.  Sam became filled with doubt that this trip would accomplish anything, beginning to worry that even if they reached the blinking red light in the distance they could find nothing and be stuck miles away from their group without food or supplies.


    Almost immediately after this they were faced with yet another challenge, a large frozen lake that stood directly in their path.  Johnny, who had taken the leadership role amongst the group, decided their best bet would be to walk along the bank until they reached a smaller area that they could cross safely.  This moment came and he was the first to attempt to traverse the icy impasse in front of them.  Joyce and Daniel followed all safely making it across, but Sam was more hesitant and claimed he could hear the ice cracking beneath him.  Suddenly, he panicked dropping to his hands and knees adding a good deal of force to the frozen bridge.  Though he quickly regained his stance and began to run, on his final step towards safety the ice broke, pulling him down and trapping his leg under the freezing water.  The others jumped to his aid and were able to pull him out of the river, but he refused any help with the soaking wet appendage and insisted on continuing forward.  He spoke about walking for hours and hours, the pain in his knees, and his continuous falls due to loss of footing along the way.  The group transformed into a tight knit family who, at times, we saw even huddling together, holding each other, in attempt to conserve their body heat.  While Johnny and Joyce have maintained a love interest throughout the show and Sam and Daniel have formed a protective father-son bond, interestingly enough this week we also saw Johnny and Sam, who despised each other when this all began, growing close, almost like brothers, encouraging and helping each other out along this grand journey.  Daniel noticed that Sam was trailing behind and his tough exterior was fading.  Then, with a shocking scene that practically jumped off the television, Sam slipped and fell plummeting down a steep hill that took the audience along with the ride as chaos ensued.  The others ran to help him with Johnny yelling "buddy don't worry, I've got you" exhibiting the bond they now share.  While Sam lay motionless at the bottom of the incline, Johnny worried about a possible head injury as a block of ice lay beneath Sam's skull.  Although Sam maintained he was fine, that he simply hit a soft patch of snow and just needed to lay and rest for a moment, Johnny took action to examine Sam's foot that had been drenched in the ice water earlier.  Upon removing his boot and sock, the crew discovered Sam's foot was frostbitten, which if not taken care of quickly and properly, runs the risk of bacteria spreading into the body with amputation being the only cure.  While Sam once again tried to persevere, he was unable to walk as all feeling had left his foot, he advised the group that their best course of action was to continue on without him and formulate a new plan when they reached the beacon.  Although Johnny attempted to start a fire, Sam began to sound delirious, speaking of the journal and Kulik claiming he had it when it was actually back at the settlement.  Johnny came to the upsetting conclusion that Sam was now dead weight.  He continued by explaining that if they didn't find shelter, when night fell it could become even colder and none of them had any hope at surviving.  Daniel stepped up and offered to stay with Sam, knowing that this decision may very well cost him his life assuring Johnny and Joyce that their only choice was to move on and bring back help in time.  As Johnny and Joyce hurried forward towards the beacon, Daniel did everything he could to help Sam, he packed ice around his body, encouraged him to stay conscious and shiver to keep his body warm.  Just as the situation looked to be helpless, Joyce and Johnny returned claiming they had found shelter not far away.  The carried Sam to a small hut, hidden under trees and snow, where they were finally able to start a fire and aid Sam's frozen body and injured foot as they relished in their accomplishments of the day while wondering about how their companions were doing at the settlement miles away.
  • Although Neeko, Esther, Miljan, Annie, Irene and Sabina were safe from the elements and any impending doom, their tale for this episode was filled with mysteries, betrayal, outrage and a journey of their own.  They too awoke to a freezing climate in addition to Irene's moans of pain.  While they were perplexed regarding the weather and how it changed from a boiling hot summer to a winter wonderland overnight, they also had another pressing question: where is Sabina?  When Miljan opened the door and witnessed the entire settlement covered in a thick white blanket of snow he exclaimed "Snijeg!".  While I was hoping this would be a clue that he did in fact speak Russian, with a little research I was able to find out that it was the Croatian word for snow, that is commonly used in his home of Montenegro.  Irene continued to decline and it didn't seem like the cold weather was helping her condition, she asked Annie to pray for her and it was revealed that Annie was raised Catholic but with everything that has happened during their short time in Siberia she found herself questioning her faith.  Irene on the other hand was still hopeful and felt that the events that had transpired only strengthened her belief in God.  Neeko and Miljan fetched all the blankets, fur and warm clothing they could from the men's cabin and rushed to cover Irene to keep her warm.  Miljan brought up the controversial subject of killing Irene out of mercy rather than sit and watch her die.  While everyone was shocked and opposed, Neeko stepped up as leader and proposed they stay calm, barricade themselves in the cabin and attempt to keep warm despite the freezing temperature outside as they optimistically await the others return with help.  Miljan had obviously grown tired of Neeko's leadership and gave a sarcastic applause after his speech, taking the stance that the others surely couldn't survive the weather and were likely dead thus not returning for them.  To everyone's surprise, Sabina suddenly returned to the cabin in warm winter gear carrying various supplies in tote.  While outraged at first at the discovery that Sabina had been stealing supplies from both the settlement and the producer's camp and hoarding them in a cave, they eventually came around and decided they would need all the help they could get and everyone was asked to reveal anything they had been hiding for the benefit of the group.  Though they all claimed they had nothing, I feel pretty confident some of them still have hidden items.  Sabina also explained that this was her strategy to play the game, and while I believe her on some levels as she has seemed to soften up and make connections with her fellow competitors, I think that she is amongst the few that aren't being totally open with the others.  Even though Sabina had retrieved a good amount of contraband, the group felt they needed more and as she explained that the producers' camp had additional warm items and other necessities that could help them, they began an excursion of their own.  Neeko, Miljan and Esther embarked on their trek, with Sabina as their guide, to the empty base camp.  Once they arrived, they immediately began scavenging everything that could aid the group, warm clothes, boots and other supplies and while it seemed Esther had stopped her betraying game tactics, when she came across a key chain labeled "Revealer" she didn't hesitate to slip off the metal piece attached and sneak it into her pocket hiding it from the others.  Stocked with gear, they headed back to the settlement.  On their journey home they passed the Ogdy totem pole and while some wanted to study it more, Miljan quickly made a dash while commenting about getting back quickly, still trying to conceal his hidden knowledge.  As soon as they reached the settlement, conveniently Esther had to pee a clear sign that she intended to attempt to open the Revealer herself.  While packing their new gear inside the cabin, beginning to cook some of the food and light up the stove, the muffled sounds of the Revealer was faintly heard throughout the cabin.  They all rushed out and there was Esther acting guilty, piling snow back on to the contraption, as she claimed to have heard it too.  Miljan began hitting it violently with a stick and when Neeko confronted him, ordering him to stop while calling him an idiot, Miljan seemed to have had enough of Neeko's leadership and the group as he furiously stormed away.  Though he first entered the men's cabin, he quickly exited the side door angry and with a determined stride he made a bee-line to Irene.  Grabbing a rope he quickly wrapped it around her neck and began to squeeze, Annie attempted to stop him but he easily threw her off, so she yelled for help alerting the remainder of the group.  Miljan's rage turned on her as he tackled her to the ground and began squeezing her throat with his bare hands.  When the others arrived he claimed that Irene had asked him to do it, but Neeko took ahold of him and threw him outside, with a rage and determination we haven't seen before.  He continued to attack Miljan punch after punch until Sabina was able to pull him off Miljan and tackle Neeko herself.  Neeko's anger was out of control, but he was able to walk away and shake it off.  Miljan returned to the men's cabin where Sabina proceeded to secure him with rope, his face was battered and while she took a firm seat opposite him as to sit guard over the now dangerous competitor he gave off a sinister chuckle like this was all a joke.  The audience has now seen a very different Miljan than the jovial competitor we were introduced to, and I have some theories regarding how and why this change occurred later in the post.  Sabina began to leaf through the mysterious journal, that Miljan now refers to as his, and Miljan responded in a poignant tone telling her not to read his book.  Sabina lunged across the room taking Miljan by the throat and threatening him by saying if he ever touches Irene again, she will kill him.  Meanwhile, Esther accompanied Neeko as he sat atop the toppled Revealer blowing off steam.  Neeko recovered and decided to focus his energy on trying to open the Revealer.  When he was about to give up, Esther suddenly noticed a hole in the top of the contraption and putting on her "actress hat", she acted frantic claiming she recognized the shape and had found a metal piece at the producers' camp that matched it.  She pulled out the key, inserted it and twisted until a click was heard.  They quickly began piling off snow and found a hatch that Neeko was able to pry open.  Immediately the tension melted away as they viewed the variety of items within.  Sabina joined them as they sifted through the items: rice, sleeping pills, Vodka, chocolate, matches, a fire extinguisher and a book entitled "The Idiot" a Dostoyevsky novel about a prince returning home after spending years in an insane asylum.  They toted their new gear to the cabin and poured the vodka on Irene's wound as a disinfectant and amidst Irene's screams of pain Esther offered up the sleeping pills to aid the process when she was rebuffed immediately by Annie who asked if they were for Esther's benefit or Irene's.  Esther seemed hurt by this comment claiming she was only trying to help and I think she began to understand that no matter what she did, the group would never truly except or trust her due to her previous deceptions.  Miljan could be heard screaming from the other cabin complaining he needed warmth, food and water, but no one felt safe or inclined to pay him a visit.  Eventually, Esther volunteered to bring him water after checking with Sabina that the knots were secure and she would be safe.  Upon arrival she attempted to give him a drink and was thanked by him spitting it out in her face.  Though she was about to leave he lured her in, claiming he knew what she had taken from the Revealer and if she didn't want him to tell the remainder of the group she needed to help him.  The obviously deranged Miljan laughed at her and claimed that from now on they were going to be really good friends.


    Although Neeko had slipped a bit when his anger got the best of him, he returned to his place as leader and made a speech pointing out that even though they had an impossibly difficult day, they worked together and came out victorious.  He suggested they relish in their accomplishments, rather than their predicaments, and take the night to enjoy what they had done and cherish the good.  They also wondered about their fellow contestants miles away searching for help.  The group shared a drink and a toast, except Esther who claimed she did not drink.  The following morning the contestants awoke to the sunrise of a much warmer day.  Annie, who had taken on the principle care of Irene, immediately went to check on her and to her absolute shock Irene's bunk was empty.  She quickly awoke the others who seemed to come out of a deep sleep and Sabina even commented on the pain in her head.  While Annie didn't believe for a second Irene got up and walked away, the group ran outside and Neeko suggested looking for footprints as they called out to their injured teammate.  Sabina held back and discovered on Esther's cot the bottle of sleeping pills which was now empty.  Outside, Neeko checked the men's cabin, and while we weren't able to see what he discovered, he had a look of astonishment as he exited.  I think it's pretty obvious that Esther drugged her competitors in order to help Miljan kidnap Irene and judging on Sabina's death stare directly at Esther, she knew this as well.  While Neeko's look was one of complete shock, I don't believe he discovered Irene's dead body inside the cabin, rather Miljan missing from the post where he was secured, leaving us with a cliffhanging-can't-wait-till-next-week moment to see how the crew will respond to Esther's betrayal, Irene's kidnapping and Miljan's disappearance leaving us only to theorize which I love to do! 

  • This week's episode of Siberia was both stressful, watching the cast's struggle with the elements, and outright entertaining as just as the group conquers one obstacle two more pop up in their path.  However, we have seen the contestants transform into a whole as characters' relationships strengthen and their goals align we saw them become more than a team, a family.  Esther and Miljan remain the black sheep of the bunch, as while they too share the same struggle to survive, they both clearly have ulterior motives which separates them from the pact.  New mysteries have emerged and clues to others have surfaced so I'll now share with you some of the facts I found while researching of the area, its people and its history, as well as my views regarding what we witnessed in Siberia's newest episode, "First Snow".  

    My ultimate goal is to provide the facts, information picked up throughout the episodes, as well as my research regarding the actual history of the Tunguska Event, Siberia and the Evenki people that is relevant to the show, in one place to keep you thinking.  I am not claiming that this is necessarily what is happening and I often throw out multiple possibilities for you to choose which ones you believe.  I do however have my choice of what I think is going on, normally prefaced by "I think" or "I believe".  I want to round those ideas up, though there is still a few questions I'm keeping open ended as I've not made any finite decisions on these mysteries.  I am happy to state that some of my beliefs have been made more concrete through actual evidence or information from the show, which means I'm on the right track!  I respect all your thoughts and ideas and am open to reconsidering some of my personal conclusions.  Overall, my goal is to try to put all the information out there for you so you don't have to collect it on your own and you can ultimately decide what you like best!  *Note: Everything in Bold are real facts, I follow with my theories connecting to the show.

    First I want to do a makeshift glossary of the terms for better understanding:

    Ogdy (Agdy) - the Evenki word for "thunder".  Also used to describe the god of thunder as well as the thunderbirds who are made of iron and the flap of their wings cause the thunder sound while lightening shoots out of their fiery eyes.

    Khergu - the lower world.  Here is where Ogdy, birds and god, live.  It is also the location of the souls of the shaman or high priests of the Evenki tribes.  Due to the fact they both dwell in this place they maintain a close friendship that is passed on to the descendants of the shaman.

    Khargi - evil spirits.  I have seen it in some readings as synonymous with "devil".  The Evenki believe the Khargi actually instruct the shamans.

    Magankan - wicked shaman of an Evenki tribe.

    I battled with how to lay out the facts in the most simplistic form, but now that we have all the terms straight I'll simply tell the story ethnographer Innokentiy Suslov was told by upwards of ten Evenki tribes about their thoughts regarding what really caused the Tunguska Event, along with their religious beliefs that may explain what's really going on with Miljan.
    • There had been tribal feuds between the Evenki people and the shamans began to send evil spirits causing disease to each other.  They then believe that the wicked shaman, named Magankan, called upon the god Ogdy to destroy the neighboring clans and this was the cause of the Tunguska Event, which precipitated the inhabitants of that area to flee in every direction leaving all of their personal items behind.  After this, the other Evenki tribes refused to travel into the area because they believe that only Ogdy could live in the location of Magankan's Evenki tribe. 
      • While in my previous posts I have stated that I believe the humans in the woods surrounding the settlement are the "Valleymen" and were responsible for the trap as well as the spear (see: Siberia Theories That Will Blow Your Mind!), I now feel confident they are the Evenki tribe led by the shaman Magankan or their descendants.  The Tunguska Event scared off all other tribes from the area and possibly the original 1908 settlers as well.  Sam also stated in the episode "Out of the Frying Pan" that he too believed this to be the case.  What this information added, was that this tribe was the one that believed to have called upon the god Ogdy and that they are likely a specific sect of Evenki who now continue to worship him, and deal with him, due to his help in past tribal disputes.
      • I also mentioned in my last theories post, that possibly they thought by worshipping him they could stop the time loops or that they wanted to harness his power for something more sinister.  I feel extremely confident that they are the Ogdy tribe and are thus worshipping him and asking for his help to destroy their enemies but I'm not sure if they want to stop the time loop, just maintain the power they've had by associating with Ogdy.
    • Interestingly, Magankan was rumored to have become embodied by the Khargi, or spirits of the lower world.  To prove this, Magankan had tribal members shoot him and he would catch the bullet after it left his body and present it to them, in addition he had them stab him and exhibited that no wound or blood could be found.
      • This brings me back to the cave paintings which showed the beast and tribal members throwing spears at it.  I have to wonder if this evil and all-powerful shaman somehow was effected by the event, possibly through mutation from the actual cause, which strengthened their beliefs.  They saw a shaman who had become one with the Ogdy and possibly they were not attacking him, but rather performing this demonstration that proved he could not be wounded.
    • The Evenki believe in three worlds: upper, middle and lower.  While normal tribe members couldn't visit the upper or lower realm the shamans would travel to these places during their rituals.  (Remember the mushrooms?)
    • When a shaman died their soul called the "omi" left their body but did not die, it lived on in the world until choosing a new person, normally a descendant that could skip multiple generations, and inhabited their body.
    • As stated above, due to both Ogdy and the souls of the shaman living in Khergu they developed a friendship and wicked shaman can use this friendship to call upon Ogdy to destroy groups of people he hates.  (This is important because remember Miljan calls Ogdy his "old friend")
      • This leads me to: What's going on with Miljan, and the change in his behavior we have seen over the past few episodes.  We have seen him guided to the journal and to the Ogdy totem pole, somehow knowing his real name.  In addition he seems to be able to understand the journal and has been more inquisitive about the totem pole and Sabina's necklace, as well as carving the compass symbol into his arm.  In the episode "Out of the Frying Pan" we saw him cover the camera in the cabin with Irene inside masking his actions, as well as show us a sinister smile as if he knows just what will happen next.   In this episode, we witnessed him attempting to kill various contestants and kidnap Irene while disappearing into the woods as well as somehow knowing what Esther had taken from the Revealer though he was no where near when it happened.
      • I believe that his body has been inhabited by the "omi" of shaman past, possibly Magankan, who is guiding him and changing his personality as he now is able to understand the journal and what is going on around them as well as what is to come more clearly.  This also fits into my theory about the group, or at least some of them, being descendants of Siberia and there for a reason, as the soul of the Evenki shaman only pass into relatives.  If he is in fact inhabited or possessed by Magankan or another wicked shaman, their belief is that the Khargi, or evil spirit, tells them what to do, which is why we see Miljan acting so strangely and doing things that seem out of his character.
    I have thought since the beginning that there is some kind of time loop, wormhole, Einstein-Rosen bridge thing going on.  Now we have some concrete evidence from the show in which this theory would explain it all.
    • The skeleton with Sabina's necklace, is really Sabina in the future.  In this time disturbance though the contestants are living life in a straight line, i.e. yesterday, today, tomorrow, they don't realize that time around them is not traveling in the same linear fashion.  Imagine if the current Sabina is on the left side of the infinity symbol, and Sabina dead and decomposed is on right, while normally it would be a straight line in-between, due to the fact that this area in constantly in flux they travel in a more twisted fashion and at some point have the ability to meet up in the middle and coexist in the same time.
    • The weather.  While I wasn't sure if Joyce's comment in "Out of the Frying Pan" would have any significance, now with the snow in the middle of summer it makes perfect sense with the time disturbance theory.  We see the seasons as Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, but if we go back to the idea that time isn't traveling in a straight line rather a curvy one that crosses over itself and twists back and forth it could easily be Summer and then Winter the next day or even the next minute. 
    • With these two clues I feel rather happy with the idea that the original event trapped those who were in the area in this pocket universe where time doesn't run straight and once their descendants returned, the "fire in the sky", Ogdy, meteorite, wormhole, black hole, whatever your explanation of choice is, trapped our current contestants in it as well.  If you think about it, the episode "Fire in the Sky" was when the next "Tunguska Event" occurred, followed immediately by "She Said It" where the producers were found dead.  Similar to the 1908 Tungska Event in which Magankan used his friendship with Ogdy to destroy his enemies, perhaps the current Evenki tribe called upon Ogdy to destroy the producers.

    New Questions from "First Snow"

    1. What was the decimated area of trees?
      • As I explained above, I mislabeled this area in my last post by calling it a "crater", when actually the absence of a crater is part of the mystery behind the Tunguska Event.  Rather it was an area of scorched trees that remained standing in the center, stripped of their branches, while the trees further from the middle were knocked over pointing away from the center, leading scientists to believe that if it was a meteor it exploded in mid-air.  It also could have been a new area, similar to the 1908 event, that was created in connection to the recent "fire in the sky".

    2. What caused the helicopter to explode and what happened to the bodies?
      • As the helicopter was close in proximity to the scorched trees, whatever was the cause of one likely also caused the other.  Any type of theory, a meteor, a comet, a black hole or a wormhole would have resulted in a tremendous amount of energy that could have obliterated anything nearby.  As for the lack of bodies, I would assume that like the base camp and Miljan kidnapping the injured Irene they were taken by the local Evenki tribe as a sacrifice for the god Ogdy.  
    3. Why did it snow?
      • Like I explained above, this makes complete sense with a time disturbance, since time isn't running in the straight line we're accustomed to it could easily be summer one moment and winter the next without the usual delay in between.  I don't believe time is accelerated as the skeleton, that I believe to be Sabina's, crossed paths with her current self implying more of a chaotic crossing of different time periods rather than a fast forward of linear time. 
    4. Will anything be at the beacon?
      • In my research I found that evil spirits, or Khargi, cannot pass over water.  Due to the fact the beacon is on the other side of the lake, I'm inclined to believe that it is possible help can be found.  However, just because the evil spirits around the settlement aren't likely in control of the area near the beacon that doesn't mean anyone or anything else is there.  At this point, I hope their trip wasn't for nothing but what they will or will not find there is still a mystery to me.
    5. What did Esther steal from the Revealer?
      • I'm not entirely certain when Esther took something as I assumed the horn sounded in response to her inserting the key and we saw her frantically piling snow back onto the contraption, but when Neeko did open the hatch it seemed difficult to pry and was covered with snow like it was untouched.  However, we know that she has something from it as she helped Miljan escape in order for the other contestants not to find out.  While hypothesizing I came across a comment on my last post.  They are right on track with my line of thinking; that if she found something that could aid them she would've shared it with the group.  However, the one thing she has done all of her shady moves for was the money, and I think this is spot on.  It makes perfect sense that the final Revealer horn would blast at the end of their journey, presenting those who remained with their prize.  Great thinking!  
    6. Where did Miljan go and what did he do with Irene?
      • I believe that immersed with the omi of a past shaman he was directed to the local Evenki tribe with Irene in tote as yet another sacrifice to Ogdy for destroying their enemies.  I believe that after the Tunguska Event this tribe became like a cult-sect of the Evenki people, only inhabiting that area and worshiping Ogdy, an evil god associated with the underworld, in thanks for his continued help.  They are more powerful due to this association and want to keep Ogdy appeased and thus maintain their upper-hand by rewarding him for his help.
    Thank You for reading and as always please feel free to comment as I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!  Don't forget to sign the petition in hopes of getting a second season of Siberia here and Tweet @nbc with #SiberiaSeason2 and tell them we want more!  TV that not only engages our eyes but our brains and hearts as well!  DaLadybugMan also has weekly posts and ideas about what's going on that can be found here.  Let's keep the ideas flowing and be sure to tune into Siberia, Monday nights on NBC and check back here for weekly recaps and theories regarding all the strange events.  Enjoy!
     

    Resources:

    Kryztek, Lee. The Great Siberian Explosion. The Museum of UnNatural Mystery, 1997. 16 Aug. 2013. <http://www.unmuseum.org/siberia.html>

    Suslov, Innokentiy. Evenki View of the Tunguska Event. Trans. Joachim Habeck. Comets, Culture, & Currency. 16 Aug. 2013. <http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/evenkiv.html>

    Fondahl, Gail. Evenki (Northern Tungus). Encyclopedia of World Cultures, 1996. 16 Aug. 2013. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Evenki.aspx>

    Hobden, Heather. Tunguska Event. Cosmic Elk. 16 Aug. 2013. <http://www.cosmicelk.net/Tungusk.htm> 

    13 comments:

    1. These are some high-level theories and I appreciate you taking the time to research all of this stuff and make connections with history! Miljan's insistence on killing Irene really fits with the sacrificing people to the Gods theory!

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      Replies
      1. Thank you! I do spend a lot of time on the research so hopefully it'll get people thinking! How it connects to real history and actual unsolved mysteries is one of the most interesting parts of the show. I'm excited to find out more about Miljan's character and the locals as it's such a great storyline. Please continue to check out my posts & add your thoughts as well!

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    2. Love reading your blogs about this show! Your theories are well thought out and researched and make sense. I just have a few thoughts to share:

      For one, I thought it was just interesting that as the host described the original settlement in the first episode after the Tunguska event, we saw the contestants happen upon the producers' camp very much the same -- freshly abandoned; no food was left cooking in pots -- but we do see Joyce eating what must be a fresh sandwich there; food left behind.

      For this episode, you refer to what the hikers encounter as a lake, but really it seemed to be a river? If it was a lake, they'd reason that they'd just have to walk around it; not find a narrow part to cross.

      I felt confused by Miljan's accusation of Esther taking something from the revealer, because it seemed that she hadn't already opened it, and once it was open, other people were there to see everything inside. Still -- possible that she had gotten it open before and quickly threw snow back in place... but I don't think it'd be practical to leave the cash prize right there. (Someone could be earning interest on it in the meantime, and the production's insurance company probably wouldn't care for that idea!) But since Esther complied with Miljan -- she must have taken SOMETHING, somehow....

      And, a thought from the previous episode where Sabina finds "her own skeleton" -- well, she does indeed find *a* skeleton with her own necklace on it... and we remember that Miljan seemed fascinated with her necklace, too, and... did we see Sabina's necklace since Miljan's disappearance (where we assume the others had been drugged)? Another gift for Ogdy maybe? Placed around his neck or even... Irene's?

      And did you see the "scenes from next week" with an apparent corpse's hand sticking out of the snow? Any thoughts on this?

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      1. Thank You so much! I put a lot of effort into my posts so I'm happy to see they are being read and sparking conversation about the show.

        I agree that the producer's camp was almost identical to what was described as happening in 1908. Though I did find that when the original Tunguska Event occurred, people were too afraid of Ogdy to stay in the area so many fled, living all of their belongings. However, with the producer's camp, there was clearly blood so I think it's likely they were attacked.

        From looking over the Tnuguska Valley there seems to be two lakes and connecting streams. I think that they originally encountered the lake and walked along the bank until they found an area of the stream they could cross.

        It was shown on the episode "First Snow" that when the Revealer horn went off, Ester was pilling snow back onto it & then claimed she heard it on her way back, so I think her using the key opened the contraption, she saw the money grabbed it and put it in her duffle bag then proceeded to put snow pack on top. (I had to watch it again closely to notice this). To me, it makes perfect sense that they'd have the cash as the last item given from the Revealer at the end of their stay. While I understand they could have been collecting interest on it, the key was safe with them at the producer's camp & as we have seen the contestants try to pry it open multiple times unsuccessfully,so the cash would also safe in there. They also were monitoring all the activity in the camp at their base station, so they could step in should something happen.

        I think Sabina's necklace does hold some kind of importance, and the fact that Miljan was sneaking around to view it supports that. I still like the idea that the contestants are decedents of that area, maybe the settlers, maybe the Evenki so the locket itself may have a connection to the land. The only thing is, it's impossible for the locket found on the skeleton to be anything but Sabina's actual necklace because it had a color photo in it of the same child. This is why I think the skeleton is Sabina's. I don't think Miljan stole it because I don't she ever takes it off & would know immediately if it were missing. However, the locket itself could be a family heirloom, but it originally probably had a different photo in it if it even had one at all.

        I did see the previews from next week and I think it's Natalie because you could see a yellow scarf. I'm excited to find out as it could open new doors! However, if it is Natalie I wonder if they will see her alive at some point because of the time disturbance. Like I think the skeleton was Sabina's, if she could find her own dead body maybe they could find Natalie's too but when time shifts possibly find her alive later on!

        Thanks for your comment, you have a lot of good points & I can't wait to find out how it all unfolds! Please keep commenting & reading!!! : D

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    3. Shayla, great job on the guess at what Esther took from the Revealer!! I was stumped on that one!

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      1. Thank you! But I can't take all the credit, before I was even able to start hypothesizing someone posted the idea. I agree that it makes total sense!

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      2. Esther finding and taking the money in the Revealer was my post from last week - I still think that part is acurate, but my original thinking that Esther didn't realize Miljan would take Irene is wrong - I now think the most likely scenarios are:
        1. Most probable - Esther helped Miljan take Irene because she is that callous and indifferent to Irene's life and she knows Miljan will get the blame anyway.
        2. Still possible - Esther is sooo callous and evil that she took Esther by herself (probably deep in the woods to die of exposure??) because she knows that Miljan will get blamed. Here motive would simply be selfishness - Irene is a burden and lessens their (i.e. her) chance of survival if they concern themselves with Irene's wellfare - therefore, Irene must go. In this scenario Miljan just took off to wherever to do whatever and no longer cared about killing Irene enough to risk waking up Neeko or Sabina.
        It seems impossible for Miljan to have taken Irene without Esther at least knowing about it since she was not drugged like the others. Esther knows Iren's fate.

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    4. A thought - do all the images of the little logo/compass thing (that Miljan found on the trees and that he carved into his arm) look exactly the same? It almost looks as though it is something that could easily be slightly modified to mean something slightly different. It just looks so weird to me with triangles only on the left and top spikes, but not on the bottom and right spikes. Maybe different versions of the symbol mean different things? I could picture this being implemented by Miljan being found modifying his self-inflicted scar by adding more triangles.

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      1. The compass might be related to the Mesopotamian sign that represents god or deities. It too has the inverted triangle only on the N, NW, W & SW sides. You can find more information about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anu or in my Siberia Theories That Will Blow Your Mind!. I agree that it looks like a compass that if slightly modified could mean different things, but we have only seen the one drawing of it that is an exact replica of the symbol for Anu or a god. I think it might be used to represent the following of Ogdy & if Miljan is in fact possessed by a previous shaman this mark might show that he is in fact a "chosen one" or a new embodiment of the shaman for the local Evenki tribe to recognize him as well as the reason many people get tattoos, to remind them of something or simply to show off their beliefs. I too originally thought it might change, but now with he research I'm beginning to think they're all the same and just a way to show he is part of this Ogdy sect.

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    5. Awesome work as always.

      -A Siberia fan that enjoys reading theories and speculation by others

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      1. Thank you so much! I'm am so happy to know that all my work is being shared with other Siberia fans! I'd love to hear your thoughts as well so please feel free to add your thoughts anytime!

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    6. Firstly, I just wanted to say I love reading your theories, I look forward to them every week! And second, when we see the same necklace as Sabina's with the skeleton in the woods, the picture of the child inside is facing towards the chain, yet when we see it earlier after Miljan shows interest it's facing the other way. What could this mean?

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    7. Great thoughts! I'm still not totally sold on the whole "wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey" thing yet, but your thoughts on what exactly is going on with Miljan make a lot of sense. And I had missed the connection between Esther opting not to drink and the sleeping pills being gone, because I'm apparently an idiot like that -__-;

      Anyway, great post! Looking forward to next week's! And thanks again for the plug!

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