Saint James Infirmary #1481: “Snake Eyes”

So, according to Miriam, whatever dream state or fantasy all of our victims are trapped within are meant to make them into "such different people" when she returns their souls to them, per #1361. Adrian was concerned in #1286 that whether or not she was consciously aware, she was "doing what Jakob wants."

While the crystal in its raw form is inferior to the power of the Watch, she was exposed to the crystal enough that it is highly likely a piece of Jakob resides in her mind, as he did for Danielle, Marliese, and Mallory before their deprogramming, and as he still in theory does for the other victims of the Night of the Watch (Erin, Caitlyn, Jacqui, Laura, and whichever of the twins Derek had that night).

So that being said, Adrian has entered into the fantasy in an attempt to take control back over the situation; he has to get the girls "out" of Miriam in order to purge Jakob from their systems. Like he said to Erin in #1450, "This is Miriam's game, and we need to play by her rules. You were the one that figured it out. You took control of the fantasy she had locked you in." If Adrian can go, fantasy by fantasy, and reestablish control over the women and Miriam, then he can retrieve them.

That said, Miriam still has that nugget of Jakob buried in her, which is theoretically motivating her to do all of this. Per Adrian's thinking, that bit of residual influence from Jakob is the source of these "fantasies" she has locked the girls in. And now, in the most recent iteration of those fantasies, it seems he has made his appearance.

The shadowy centaur exhibits hostility and condescension towards Danielle and seems to objectify her in much the same way Jakob would (phrases such as, "Erin did such a good job of melting your brain" and "I like you like this. Just a brood mare" have his same "tits and holes" vibe). Additionally, upon capturing Jacqui, the snake charmer specifically tasks her with capturing Erin and incapacitating Adrian. The only other place where we've seen someone set a mental trap for Erin is when Erin went within Cherry way back in the 600s in order to heal her brain damage. Jakob, anticipating this, set a trap specifically for her; we know that she is one of his most desired acquisitions for the power she wields.

I think that going to "meet Master" may have more dire implications for Erin than her encounter with Zenon in the pink dimension did. Like the doctor said, "Do you have any idea what Jakob will do to you? I won't do that. That's my offer", "Jakob would have destroyed your mind", and "You know what Jakob is like. He hates women. Loathes them. He can't tolerate women who don't submit to him."

For the first time, with little outside interference and with Adrian seemingly down (at least; not sure the effects of having a mental version of your throat torn out, but they can't be something you could just walk off), a version of Jakob gets full, open access to Erin.

Hard to tell what's thicker right now: the plot or the women. I am eager for Friday.