A Sentence of Sorts

The Pseudoscientists, Act II, scene 6: Look at your Choices (+Story of the Eye)

(Summary: Rachel and Hyde end up locked inside Bethlam Hospital and Hyde has a crisis of faith! We learn just a little bit more about Rachel.)

They come across Bethlam Hospital* and lock themselves inside. They are both quite spooked from having come so close to capture, but Hyde is particularly spooked. At first, he can’t seem to calm down and think clearly. He imagines the police have already caught him and he is in a jail cell.

Rachel, seeing his frantic eyes and delirious expression, tells him that everything is all right. Hyde is so taken aback–and, frankly, offended–by her kindness that it snaps him back to the present moment. He brushes himself off and insists that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Of course everything is all right! What’s wrong with her?

Hyde thinks himself very clever as they explore the maze-like hospital, looking for their next move. His confidence begins to wane the further in they go. While they have escaped the clutches of the police, they now find themselves in an increasingly cramped, claustrophobic space, with bars on every window and shackles within every cell.

There is, however, a little bit of downtime here. As they wander the hallways, Hyde casually comments on Rachel’s surprising competence during the night’s activities. Rachel explains, equally casually, that she grew up in a rough neighborhood, with seven older brothers to keep up with. This side of London is practically her briar patch.

Hyde is confused: he finds the rough side of London exciting and wonderful–why would she ever choose to leave that world and be a chambermaid for Jekyll?  Rachel replies that she prefers Jekyll’s world–so neat and orderly and clean and beautiful. Hyde counters that it isn’t so great at all–nothing but rules and lies, people pretending to be what they aren’t. He teases: so that’s what you want? to hide behind a mask, pretending like you’re some posh lady? Rachel says no: she doesn’t regret where she came from, and she doesn’t pretend to be one of Jekyll’s illustrious society folk, but … she really is fond of Jekyll, and she’s glad for where she is. She is content living in both worlds.

Hyde forces a change in subject: look at what he got out of the fight! He pulls an eyeball out of his pocket. Rachel is appropriately disgusted … but not quite how he wanted. It is as if he were a child bringing a dead baby bird home with him. “Have you been carrying that around this whole time? You’re going to get lint all over it! Where are you going to keep it? Is it for Victor? You should wrap it up if you’re meaning to give it to him! What good is a dirty eyeball to anyone?” She takes out a handkerchief and carefully wraps it for him (Hyde is thoroughly annoyed by this, and insists that it’s NOT for Victor, why would he give him a present, it’s not like they’re friends or anything).

They begin to pass inmates of the asylum, who trouble Rachel. She explains that one of her brothers was locked up in a place like this, once. Hyde attributes her sympathy to natural feminine weakness and remains stubbornly aloof. He glares up at the moon, which casts shadows of the barred windows onto his face.

This reminds Rachel of something. “What did you mean earlier, about being in a cage?” Hyde says there’s nothing to explain. Just like he said, he’s sick of being in Jekyll’s control all the time. He wants to be free. This is strange to Rachel: is that why he wanted to go out tonight, to prove a point? She says that is a silly thing to do–all it got him was a set of soaked-through clothes and a stay in a mental hospital. 

She’s not sure what cage Jekyll is keeping him, but “In the end, all you got was a bigger cage." 

At that moment, they come across an inmate that both of them recognize. It is Dr. Moreau, who is thoroughly chained and bound up in case he should have a violent outburst. Though it has only been a few days since his capture, he looks years older, as though his mind has utterly snapped. He looks up at Hyde with foggy eyes.

Looking back at him, Hyde begins to grasp the terrible consequences that follow the kind of life he wants to lead. He is, for the first time, truly fearful.

It is at this moment that the police discover their location and surround them. They are trapped within the hospital, which seems about the collapse in around them. Hyde escapes (with Rachel in tow) with mad abandon.

*need a lot more research on this point—not sure EXACTLY what the state of mental hospitals was at this point and I am not confident that they were still just sending unruly criminals there just ‘cuz. It may be simpler to just change this to a prison.

**Not sure this little plot point is necessary now? Hyde sort of gets the fear put into him by being trapped inside the asylum, doesn’t he?

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In the early hours of the morning, Hyde and Rachel return to the Society. Hyde is more than a little shaken by what just happened, but he won’t talk about it. He blames Jekyll for the increased number of police who are now after him and shakily vows to go out again … but even he is too exhausted and sick to try again today.

Rachel reminds him of the eye he won in the fight. He doesn’t have the mental energy to know what to do with it, so he decides it would just be easier to give it to Frankenstein (not because he wants to be nice, of course).

Popping back to the attic, he finds the Creature guarding the door. Hearing the police outside, the Creature isn’t keen on letting him in, but when he shows him the eye, the Creature sighs and steps aside. "Just for a minute, and then you’d better be off!”

Hyde presents the eye to Frankenstein, much in the manner of a cat proudly presenting a dead mouse to its owner. The gesture is strangely affectionate, and in a way, Jekyll and Frankenstein’s friendship is rekindled between Hyde and Frankenstein.

Jekyll, appearing in mirror-form, is just a little bit heartbroken to see them getting along so well. It only makes him feel more alienated from Victor. Then things get more serious: Frankenstein confides his fondness for Hyde and wonders aloud why Jekyll doesn’t allow him around the Society more often. Hyde tells him not to worry–he believes he’s found a way around Jekyll’s little restrictions on him. They’ll be seeing a lot MORE of him in the future … and maybe not so much of Jekyll. Frankenstein laughs, not catching the sinister nature of this prediction (he hears it in a kind of “May God save Dr. Jekyll and keep him … far away from us!” way).

Jekyll, of course, understands what Hyde really means to do. There’s only one thing for him, then–as soon as he regains control, he resolves that he will never again let out Mr. Hyde.