Berdly Code Theory Explained — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:00] * ... uhh, yeah. * It's 2202!  * And, like, um, codes...? Are for NERDS!!! LOL!!!

[00:12] * I used to be a forgettable little bluebird. You may be staring at the title and thumbnail  and asking, "What the hell are you talking about,   Dorked?" If you are, I would not blame you.  This silly theory of mine is pure crack,  

[00:24] I may be spiraling into feathery madness,   but ever since we discussed the idea in  the Deltacast, I knew what I had to do. So let's take flight, dear viewers, as I explain  why Berdly may know the final Shelter code.

[00:42] There's an odd amount of foreshadowing if you know  where to look. For instance, at the end of Chapter   2, Berdly mentions a shift with Ms. Boom. The Boom  family is a rather prestigious family in Hometown,   in no small part thanks to Gerson Boom's legacy  as a historian and an author, but also due to  

[00:56] Alvin's role as the priest at the church. The  Delta Rune religion holds great power in town,   as it shapes not only the prophecy that defines  our heroes' journeys and the Knight's actions,   but it's something that basically everyone seems  to know, if they don't outright believe it.

[01:10] It's so pivotal that it's bled into major  pop culture, such as Lord of the Hammer   and the Dragon Blazers series. We know that the  Holiday family holds one of the Shelter codes,   and Asgore held another. But what about the  code that represents the Delta Rune itself?

[01:23] Some people have proposed that Toriel holds  it, but I find that incredibly unlikely because   she seems so clueless about the goings on and is  eager to move on from the tragedy all those years   ago. Conversely, both Alvin and Ms. Boom seem  deeply alarmed when Kris brings up the shelter.

[01:37] * Shelter? No, no, now you know  that's not a wholesome place!  * You could stand to learn a thing or two  from that polite young man... Burghley. trusting him and seeing him as a role model.

[01:53] While he doesn't mention  Berdly, Alvin has this to say: you are experiencing recently, but... * ... Kris, please, look to the Angel   for guidance. I will pray for you as well. * Kris... stay away from the shelter.

[02:09] Alvin knows something about the shelter. We don't  know what, but given his family's influence,   it would not surprise me if Carol at one  point entrusted Gerson with the secret of   one of the codes, and this was passed on  to his children. It's worth noting that  

[02:21] Gerson's passing seems relatively recent, as  Alvin laments that Kris couldn't have him as   their teacher. So perhaps he died within the  last few years, but after the Dess incident. how come Kris and Susie never found it? Why wasn't  Alvin kidnapped, as I had originally speculated?

[02:40] It's possible that the code was located  behind the door that Kris refused to let   us see. It's also possible that it was hidden  in plain sight… But more on that in a bit. The point is, if Berdly works with the Booms,  it's possible that he learned the code by proxy,  

[02:53] even if he's out of the loop for the greater  meaning behind it. The Catty quote from the   video's intro could also hold a double meaning,  with "nerd" referring to Noelle and Berdly both. why would the Roaring Knight consider Berdly  a threat? By all accounts, he's a normal,  

[03:09] forgettable kid who just hangs out with  Noelle. He'd be the perfectly unassuming.   Susie certainly wouldn't consider him  a possibility. And this leads me to… Something that sticks out to me about  the fire extinguisher Darkner is that  

[03:24] who was in plain sight, who held a code  the heroes needed to progress the plot. In the Weird Route, we force Noelle to freeze  Berdly with Snowgrave. In subsequent chapters,  

[03:39] he's hospitalized, likely on the verge of death,  and unresponsive. For all intents and purposes,   he's removed from the narrative. Even if  you abort the Weird Route in Chapter 4,   he doesn't recover, as far as we can tell. With  the hospital blocked, we can't outright confirm,  

[03:51] but his absence remains, whereas in the normal  route, he does show up, even if he burned his arm. Since the Weird Route skips Chapter 6,  this may be moot in the Weird Route itself,   but it may carry consequence in aborted versions  of the route where it's still necessary to locate  

[04:04] the codes. If Berdly is comatose,  and if he does know the code,   this could lead to a fascinating point  of divergence with amazing payoff. But additionally, there'd be an  extra layer of dramatic irony if  

[04:17] the Delta Rune code was also the exact  same code held by the fire extinguisher,   once again hidden in plain sight, too obvious  to be taken into serious consideration. unless Toby delivered a double punchline, so I'm  tempted to say that the fire extinguisher would be  

[04:33] setup for the idea of Berdly as the source for the  shelter code without literally also holding it. holding vital knowledge. Berdly, of all people,  being a key to saving the day. It's a very  

[04:47] Toby-like approach to comedy, but beyond that,  I do think there is some story potential here. Well, for starters, Susie established at the  end of Chapter 5 that they need to rope Noelle  

[04:59] into the Dark World adventures in earnest.  That means telling her the truth about her   "dream" at a time where she's in great  emotional duress due to her father. That   Asgore is missing. Undyne is  missing. After a certain point,  

[05:14] the people of Hometown can't simply ignore  the obvious signs of something wrong. And Berdly is extremely close to Noelle. If  something was wrong, he'd be there for her,   as the festival segment shows that he's ride  or die for her, putting her happiness above  

[05:26] even his crush on Susie from Chapter  2. In the absence of Susie and Kris,   it's possible that she already contacted him, or  he contacted her. We don't know what happened at   the festival after Kris and Susie entered the  Dark World, but given the state of the town,  

[05:39] It doesn't seem like Carol to let  the town remain such a mess. She's   And while Berdly isn't as smart as he  pretends to be, I think he'd notice.

[05:52] This positions Berdly to play a supporting  role in Chapter 6. I don't think he'll be a   whereas Noelle already has party functionality. But this could still allow Berdly to learn the  truth and perhaps share what he does know. With  

[06:06] how close he is to Noelle, it'd be interesting  to see what he knows of her troubles and woes.   How much has she confided in him, as opposed  to merely being a study buddy and gamer pal? If it becomes known that Susie is after the  codes and wants to save Undyne and Asgore,  

[06:19] Berdly may see it as an opportunity to be  a "valiant hero" like in his video game   fantasies or even make up for his mistakes  in Chapter 2 if he learns the full truth. So, not only would Berdly Code Theory be funny  as hell if true, but there's some genuine  

[06:31] emotional gravitas to it. And if Berdly does get  kidnapped, that changes a lot because now it's   not just adults, but even people more directly  associated with the Lancer Fanclub and Noelle. Not to mention, if Berdly finds out about  Kris' involvement, this could lead to a  

[06:44] more serious confrontation with him outside  of the Weird Route, and I'd love to see how   it could develop. Would he get kidnapped by  the Knight? Utterly curbstomped? Would Susie,   Ralsei, or Noelle try to intervene, or  would Susie also stand against Kris?

[06:56] the more I think it has genuine potential. so I just wanted to address some possible wrinkles  in the theory as a result of the new information.

[07:12] Regarding Chapter 6, Toby said: "From Chapter 6  onward, there are no more wacky silly adventures,   and you will begin to see the results  of the setup that has been made so far." twist like Berdly Code theory has no  place in the proceedings. However,  

[07:28] a more serious and focused chapter doesn't  necessarily mean zero levity. Rather,   it means that on the whole, the chapter  will be moving the plot forward and more   focused on the overall stakes than the  more lighthearted humor of Chapter 5.

[07:41] well as characters like Jackenstein and the  aforementioned fire hydrant. To that end,   Berdly code theory would offer a similar  glimmer of hope and levity amidst the darkness   of the growing conflict with the Knight,  Rudy's failing health, and the shelter…

[07:56] I do think it could still work and even  streamline the story by making the solution   for the third code more attainable…  outside of aborted Weird Route, anyway. So, what do you think? Is there a chance  Toby might go in this ironic direction,  

[08:10] I have more Chapter 5-focused  videos planned in the future,   but I've been fairly busy of late and haven't had  time to really sit down and organize my thoughts. me on Patreon! You'll get a lot of awesome  perks and help me continue doing what I love,  

[08:27] while also supporting the silly orange  kitties I rescued a few months back. As always, thanks for watching,  and I'll see you next time!