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Why the hell did you kill Casey? What the hell were you thinking, man?
This article or a section of this article will contain full, or partial plot spoilers of an Alan Wake game or any other piece of media related to the franchise.
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Quote1 In the wake of his alter ego's latest destruction, Jake is paid a visit from Deputy Mulligan, who lets him off the hook, barely. Distrusting his ability to leave town, Jake enlists the help of Ellen, leading to a disturbing conclusion. Quote2
― Episode summary on Phillip Van's website

Clearcut is the sixth and final episode of the Alan Wake prequel live action series Bright Falls. This episode was released on the Bright Falls Website on 14 May 2010 since Alan Wake was released in the UK on that day.

Plot[]

Jake Fischer is cleaning the mess he made in his motel cabin when Deputy Mulligan of the Bright Falls Sheriff Department knocks on Jake's door and asks about Sam Smith, the owner of the motel, who recently went missing. As Jake shrugs off the question, the deputy comes inside and sees the room's state. Jake lies and claims that he had accidentally left his door open that night, after which an animal supposedly entered and trashed the room. After looking around, the deputy seems to find evidence corroborating Jake's claim, saying that the animal in question was evidently a "14-point stag" which he would be happy to have as a hunting trophy. Mulligan soon finishes his business with Jake and walks out the door. Jake realizes that he needs to leave the town immediately.

Jake, dazed and confused, drives to Ellen Adams at The Bright Falls Record newspaper office, cutting off a phone call she is having with an unknown, mysterious man. He asks for her help and begins dragging her into the car with him; when she asks him to explain, he simply tells her to "just drive." When in the car, she questions Jake about where he wants her to drive him. In the car, Ellen asks what Jake wants her to do; he tells her to drive him out of town. More agitated, Ellen asks why Jake couldn't drive himself, and he replies that he is not in control of himself, noticing that they have driven past the roadside welcome sign for Bright Falls. Ellen asks him to elaborate, but he does not, and simply turns to her with his eyes widened.

Suddenly, Jake is driving and listening to a Brazilian song on the radio. He looks over his shoulder onto the back seat. Tucked underneath it is Ellen's blood-stained shoe, implying that Jake did something to her. Beginning to seem agitated, he suddenly sees the Bright Falls welcome sign again and realizes he is now driving back into town. Horrified, he takes a sharp U-turn, leaving his car stopped blocking a full lane of the road. The road is empty, and Jake looks out a window and sees another Deerfest sign. He stays in the car, not moving. The reflection in the front windshield shows trees initially swaying in the wind, but then twisting and turning as if becoming shadows, while Jake gazes at something out the front windshield. The camera slowly fades to the car at nighttime, empty, before police lights are reflected in the windshield alongside the sound of an approaching car.

The scene then cuts to a police deputy (identified in the credits as Deputy Janes) placing flares on the ground to light up the accident site, with several emergency services and police vehicles around Jake's abandoned car. Alan Wake drives up in a car with his wife Alice and asks the deputy what happened; Janes says it was most likely a driver who crashed while trying to avoid a deer. He advises the Wakes to be careful on the road up ahead, then lets them pass before walking off-screen. The camera pans down to focus on the road before fading to black.

Cast[]

Full series credits can be found here.

Additionally, Joaby Deal (sound designer) plays an uncredited role as the mysterious man who is calling with Ellen.

Transcript[]

Transcript

1:02 - 3:20

Jake: Can I help you?

Mulligan: Have you been in contact with the, uh, owner of this motel?


Jake: Sam?


Jake: No I haven't seen him in a couple of days.


Mulligan: He's gone missing. Found his boy in the woods, looking for him. Do you mind?


Jake: Uhm. Sure.


Mulligan: Well isn't this particular?


Jake: Well, I'm from the city, you know, and, uh, it's gonna sound kind of stupid but I, uh, I left the door open last night and, uh, some kind of wild animal must've came in here.

Mulligan: No squirrel animal did this. These are the markings of what I'd say is a...14 point stag. Yeahp. See the pattern? Cut and buck. Horned rimmed entry points. You had a trophy deer here, you know that? Would've fetched ol' Sam a hell of a prize. Too bad he flew the coup. Probably on some bender. He's got a baaad habit.


Mulligan Spits.


Mulligan: Boys are gonna love this.


3:34 - 3:48
Phone: So, he has no idea. Hello, are you there?

Ellen: What's wrong?

Jake: I need help. Come with me.

Ellen: You have to tell me what's happening.

Jake: Just drive.


3:56 - 4:20
Ellen: Are you gonna say anything? Where am I even headed?

Jake: Just get me out.

Ellen: That's it? You just needed a ride out of the town? Why'd you even come looking for me? You could've just driven it yourself!

Jake: No I couldn't have. I'm not in control.

Ellen: What does that mean? Jake?


5:57 - 6:06
Alan: What happened, officer?

Deputy Janes: Some guy missed the turn here, probably a deer or something. Just be careful through this next section of road.

Alan: Okay, thanks.

Episode Video[]

Bright_Falls_Episode_6-_Clearcut_(1080P)

Bright Falls Episode 6- Clearcut (1080P)

Episode Six: Clearcut

Trivia[]

In an interview with G4TV, director Phillip Van made several following comments when asked about what was happening to Jake in the ending, and Ellen's fate. He further suggested that the title sequence of the Bright Falls series was also its epilogue, commenting "guess who" when remarking about who was in the perspective of the camera in the title sequence.

Quote1 G4: So Jake was a were-deer, huh? And he totally blacked out and killed his lady friend, didn’t he? It's ok. You can tell us.

PV: Secret's out - Jake is a satanic vampiric were-deer. A lucifvampwerestag that has no lady friends. Alright. I really appreciate the were-deer theories. To the max. But I would urge all were-deer loyalists to watch Mulligan's scene again at the start of the last episode, and just for the hell of it, entertain the idea that perhaps, in a little act of boasting, Mulligan has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. Just to see how the likes of the brilliant Robert Peters (Mulligan) and Christopher Forsyth (Jake) play out that possibility. I'm not saying this is the truth and I wouldn't dare say that "cut and buck" and "horn-rimmed entry points" are made-up hunting terms. I'm just saying - give it a shot. This was always one of my favorite scenes and changed very little from first inception. Mulligan is one of those character's who just sort of comes out whole on the page. I really loved what Stephen Johnson wrote about the comedy aspects of the scene and if you watch it in this way, those do carry through to the end.

About Jake's lady friend Ellen (the wonderful Allison Lange) and the missing time between their departure and Jake driving - It depends on what you believe about Bright Falls. Keep in mind that whatever Jake did took place outside of the town. If you believe that the town plays a significant roll in Jake's blackouts, then maybe she has a chance.

While we're on topic, I know the title sequence has been analyzed a lot, but there's something cool about it that hasn't been mentioned: it's not just a title sequence - it's a series epilogue. The cup with the key, dead deer, Ellen's shoe, shotgun and little lost Daniel are the wreckage Jake left in the forest. And the perspective of the camera - well - guess who. So if you're really pining for more, watch the titles, or Bright Falls Episode 6.5 again. Quote2
― Interview: Bright Falls Director/Co-Writer Phillip Van

See Also[]

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