The Perils of Obsession: Iteration Four

Inevitably, underlying instabilities begin to appear.

We've talked about how all evidence of disaster was lined up from the very beginning in iteration one and two; and we've gone through the Park's creators' issues with being in control in iteration three. Tragedy, worse than they've ever seen has struck. Dr. Hammond's own grandchildren are in danger, one man is in dire need of surgery, and three more men are considered missing. Five of these people are the first guests Hammond's park has ever seen.

Iteration three left us without power. Literally. All systems were down in one form or another. Nedry, the only man able to quickly fix it all, is missing. The only weapon of any use against a T-Rex is missing. And the two tour cars are parked right outside of the T-Rex paddock. This isn't the makings of a disaster at all.

The T-Rex's brutal attack is memorable but Ed Regis is probably the most horrific traitor from the entire sequence. We all understand that the T-Rex is going to attack. We expect it. It is, after all, a dinosaur. Even after we see the T-Rex gripping what should be an electrified fence, the first sense of horror from this scene stems from Ed Regis, head of public relations. The man leaves two young children alone, waiting to see if they will be killed by the dinosaur. He doesn't spare a thought for them until he is lying wedged in a crop of rocks, safe for the moment. His fate is well-deserved. This act of cowardness is only topped by John Hammond himself.

As the night goes on, Mr. Arnold finally sorts through part of Nedry's mess and gets the power back on. With this also comes the park fences. Once Muldoon finally gets a vehicle, he sets out to pick up the stranded tourists. He is unsurprised by what he finds: a leg and a vehicle flung across the road. He looks for the kids and is satisfied that they are at least alive but is unwilling to search the park for them in the middle of the night (not that I blame him). Gennaro comments that Hammond will be angry when he tells him, but Muldoon blankly informs the lawyer that Gennaro will be telling Hammond, not him.

Hammond isn't even upset. It's disgusting how unphased he is by the revelation that his own grandchildren are missing, lost somewhere inside the park, amongst dinosaurs that could easily devour them. His reaction?

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find them. After all, I keep telling everyone, this park is made for kids." [...] "We've had a little breakdown from the storm or whatever, and as a result we've suffered a regrettable, unfortunate accident. And that's all that happened. We're dealing with it." 

Let's point out two things here. None of their problems are remotely related to the storm. And, two, what does the park being made for kids have anything to do with the fact that they could be hunted and killed by any dinosaur that fancies it? Hammond is wildly out of touch with the problems he's facing or he is in denial. Probably both. Once again though, his obsession with control is manifested in the statement: "We're dealing with it."

The man has just had his entire park system shut down by a man he trusted with every single major park function. The very man who built the systems they are currently using just brought chaos raining down on their heads. Hammond should be worried about any further repercussions from Nedry's work; I know I would. Instead, he is blaming the security shutdown on the storm. The programmer is the reason his grandchildren are in danger and Hammond won't acknowledge that.

Despite the knowledge that the kids went off into the T-Rex paddock, Hammond responds with an I told you so answer: "this park is made for kids." Just because a roller coaster is made for kids doesn't mean you don't worry if one falls out of their seat in the middle the ride. Yet, this is the equivalent situation at Hammond's park and he is ignoring the problem, wordlessly telling himself that everything is under control.

As if this exchange weren't enough though, Hammond completely forgets about the two people he should be most concerned about and throws a fit over the safety of his dinosaurs. The T-Rex has found its way into the sauropod paddock and Muldoon (wisely) refuses to go after it until daylight. He quickly shoots down Hammond's every suggestion, reminding the owner that he is the reason why they don't have the necessary power to tranquilize the T-Rex so they can safely get it back into it's own paddock.

"It's your park, Hammond. You didn't want anybody to be able to injure your precious dinosaurs. Well, now you've got a rex in with the sauropods, and there's not a damned thing you can do about it."

So where does this leave us? Dr. Grant and the kids are still stuck in the T-Rex paddock, desperately trying to avoid the adult and the juvenile. Malcolm desperately needs a doctor. The T-Rex has gone and made a kill. And park repairs are still underway. All the while, Mr. Arnold keeps reaffirming that they "have the park"; and Hammond is singularly obsessed with saving his dinosaurs, therefore blatantly ignoring the danger from which half of his guests are still suffering.

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