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Quote1 I want the entire manuscript... Or she’s gonna suffer bad. Quote2
― Mott to Alan, Episode 2: Taken

Ben Mott is a minor antagonist appearing in Alan Wake and in one of its companion comic, Psycho Thriller. He was an employee at the Cauldron Lake Lodge hired by Emil Hartman to do his dirty work, including masquerading as the kidnapper of Alice Wake in order to blackmail her husband Alan Wake into giving him the completed manuscript of Departure.

Appearance[]

Ben Mott is a Caucasian man with black hair. He wears a camouflage outfit consisting of a dark green vest over a brownish green jacket, grayish green pants, along with a grey hat and brown boots. After becoming a Taken, Mott's skin turned gray and his body became covered in darkness.

Personality[]

Ben Mott was a highly aggressive and unstable individual. Because he suffered from low self-esteem, which seemed to stem from a troubled childhood, it caused him to constantly seek the approval of a father figure,[2][3][4] specifically that of his employer Doctor Emil Hartman. Mott was willing to please Hartman by performing any task he assigned him, no matter how questionable or illegal it might be, such as blackmailing Alan Wake by pretending to be the kidnapper of his wife, Alice, or even endangering his own life to meet with Wake, who was being chased by the Dark Presence.

Due to his inferiority complex, Mott would frequently exhibit an aggressive demeanor towards others in an attempt to demonstrate his superiority.[3][5] These tendencies often led him to take imprudent actions, such as trying to provoke Alan Wake into a fight despite having orders to only follow him,[6] or only giving him a two day limit to finish the Departure manuscript despite the writer needing more time. The great interest his boss had in Wake, coupled with the latter's arguably better life and Mott's need for validation, also caused him to develop a great jealousy towards the writer.[7]

Mott greatly distrusted the government and believed in a number of absurd and unlikely conspiracy theories, such as the government implanting spying devices in credit cards, or the water being contaminated with fluoridate to "turn [the population] into sheep." Hartman also considered him to be unintelligent, unimaginative, and "unfettered by morality," suggesting him to be a sociopath.[2] Nevertheless, due to his lack of moral concerns and need to please his boss, and despite his volatile behavior, Mott was an ideal henchman for Hartman.

After becoming possessed by the Dark Presence, Mott, unlike other Taken, still retained some traces of his former self, such as his need for Hartman's approval (though this did not stop him from attempting to kill the doctor), and was, at times, capable of properly communicating. Hartman speculated Mott's obsession with him might be the reason behind this, though he also guessed that said condition would not have lasted long.[8]

Biography[]

Early Life[]

While not much is known about Ben Mott's early life. According to Emil Hartman, Mott faced a troubled childhood, which resulted in him developing self-esteem issues and the need to constantly seek validation from a father figure.[2] At some point in his life, Mott was also arrested for the possession of illegal firearms.[3] He eventually began working for Hartman at the Cauldron Lake Lodge, becoming his personal henchman. However, even though Hartman would exploit Mott’s need for his approval, he still considered him far too volatile because of his tendencies.[9]

Bright Falls AWE[]

Prelude[]

Ben Mott Bright Falls trailer

Mott watching Jake Fischer. This clip only appears in a series trailer.

On August 28, 2010, while Jake Fischer was trying to buy medication for himself at the general store, Mott also visited the place, seemingly just browsing for supplies.[10] Given the fact that Fischer's unusual behavior was witnessed by Emil Hartman, whom Fischer had interviewed days earlier,[11] it is unknown whether Mott's presence at the store was merely a coincidence or if he was there to observe Fischer under Hartman's orders.

Hartman's ploy[]

Sometime before September, Emil Hartman arranged with Alice Wake to take her husband, Alan, to Bright Falls to supposedly help him with his writer’s block. In reality, the doctor was planning to use Alan for his study of Cauldron Lake, and instructed Mott to follow the couple during their arrival to Bright Falls. On the ferry ride to the town, Mott, unimpressed by the writer, attempted to provoke him into a fight, with no success.[12][13] Hours later, after checking all of Carl Stucky's rental cabins in search of the Wakes, Mott found their car parked at the end of the road by Cauldron Lake, near the path that led to where Diver's Isle once stood, but with no sign of the couple. By that time, the Wakes had already been captured by the Dark Presence that inhabited the lake.[14]

Mott saves Alan

Mott saves Alan from a group of Taken.

A week later, after Alan escaped from the lake and was taken to the Bright Falls Sheriff Station, Mott, under Hartman's orders, contacted the writer, claiming to be Alice’s kidnapper (who in reality was still trapped on Cauldron Lake), using recordings from an audio tape and leaving Alice's driver’s license on an old car in an attempt to convince him. He instructed Alan to meet him at the Lovers' Peak lookout alone at night, also warning him not to tell anything to the authorities. That night, while Alan was en route to Lovers' Peak, the writer was surrounded and almost killed by a group of Taken before Mott appeared, saving him. Alan quickly realized that the man was the kidnapper, but saw himself forced to team up with him to face the Taken and reach the meeting point, with Alan using flares and his flashlight to weaken the Taken, while Mott killed them with his revolver.

Mott threatens Alan

Mott threatens Alan.

After a long fight on the lookout, Mott told the writer that he would have to hand him the completed Departure manuscript or else he would kill Alice. Furious, Alan punched him the face, causing the two of them to fall from the platform, with Mott's revolver landing next to Alan, who proceeded to pick it up as Mott escaped into the woods. Not long after, Mott called Alan once again. Despite the writer telling him that he needed at least a week to finish manuscript, Mott, in an attempt to show his control over the situation, only gave him a two day limit, with the meeting point being the Bright Falls Coal Mine Museum. With no other option, Alan accepted.[15] The following morning, Mott, still in the Elderwood National Park, encountered FBI Agent Robert Nightingale, who had gone to the park looking for Wake. Although at first the agent simply wanted to know if he knew anything about the writer, Mott’s hostility towards Nightingale soon caused the situation to escalate before Mott fled once again.[16]

Mott dies

Mott is killed by the Dark Presence.

Unfortunately for Mott, Hartman was furious at his incompetence, knowing perfectly that, under such pressure, Wake could drastically derail his plans in just two days, ultimately opting to capture him instead.[5][4] After Alan waited for his wife’s supposed kidnapper for hours on the agreed place, Mott contacted the writer and told him that there had been a change of plans, with the new meeting spot being the Mirror Peak lookout. While Mott waited for the writer, he was found and tortured by the Dark Presence under the appearance Barbara Jagger. When Alan finally arrived at the lookout, he heard Mott pleading for his life, while also confessing that he never had Alice. Suddenly, a large tornado appeared and pulled Mott into the air, tearing him apart, while Alan fell into the lake below, where he was then rescued by Hartman and taken to the Cauldron Lake Lodge.[17]

Taken[]

Mott Taken

The Taken Mott attacks Rudolf Lane.

One day after the Dark Presence's attack on the Cauldron Lake Lodge, Mott, having now become a Taken, returned to the lodge, where he encountered and attempted to murder Nurse Sinclair before Hartman intervened. Despite being a Taken, Mott still retained some of his early personality, including his need for Hartman’s approval, which instead manifested as a desire to murder Hartman. However, the doctor reminded him that he had failed to both obtain the manuscript or capture Wake, which caused Mott to retreat in pain, allowing him and Sinclair to take refuge back into the lodge. Inside Hartman and Sinclair encountered Rudolf Lane, who was compulsively painting pictures depicting both past and future events, one of them being Mott killing Hartman. In an attempt to cheat fate, Hartman gave Lane his sweater, which resulted in Mott attacking and killing him instead while the doctor and Sinclair escaped. Mott then realized that the man he had killed was not his former boss.

Mott dies..

The Taken Ben Mott is killed by Deputies Thornton and Mulligan.

Mott quickly found Hartman and Sinclair again while the two were trying to escape through the front door of the Lodge, but was forced to retreat once again after Deputies Mulligan and Thornton arrived at the scene, having been told to investigate the Cauldron Lake Lodge by Frank Breaker the previous night.[18] Instead of escaping the lodge, Hartman opted to take care of his former henchman once and for all. The Taken Mott found his former boss by the sundial at the lodge and was prepared to kill him; however, the doctor told Mott that he had made him proud and gave him a final task: to kneel for him. Mott complied, giving Hartman the chance to throw a flare at him, weakening him before the deputies opened fire, killing the Taken for good.[9]

Trivia[]

  • There is a brochure for "Mott's Car Rental" in the Elderwood Visitor Center and ranger's office.
    • This is a detail akin to Mott's role in earlier versions of Alan Wake, when he was planned to be a car mechanic and the owner of the gas station instead of Carl Stucky.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Mott is played by James August Smith in the Bright Falls miniseries; Smith also worked as the stunt driver for the series.[19]
  • In early versions of Alan Wake, Ben Mott was originally going to be the owner of the gas station whereas Carl Stucky was an employee of Doctor Emil Hartman. The two characters' roles were eventually switched.[20]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

See also[]

Manuscript pages:

References[]

  1. The Alan Wake Official Survival Guide page 16 (Mott is listed as 40 years old in 2010, placing his birth date between 1969 to 1970.)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Psycho Thriller, page 5-6
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Alan Wake Official Survival Guide page 16
  4. 4.0 4.1 Alan Wake: Episode 4: The Truth, page "Hartman Considers Mott and Wake"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Alan Wake: Episode 4: The Truth, page "Mott Fails Hartman"
  6. Alan Wake: Episode 3: Ransom, page "Mott on the Ferry"
  7. Alan Wake: Episode 4: The Truth, page "Mott in Charge"
  8. Psycho Thriller, page 7
  9. 9.0 9.1 Psycho Thriller
  10. Bright Falls: Episode 4: Local Flavor
  11. Bright Falls: Episode 2: Time Flies
  12. Alan Wake: Episode 1: Nightmare
  13. Alan Wake: Episode 3: Ransom, page "Mott on the Ferry"
  14. Alan Wake: Episode 3: Ransom, page "Mott at Cauldron Lake"
  15. Alan Wake: Episode 2: Taken
  16. The Alan Wake Files, pages 22-23
  17. Alan Wake: Episode 3: Ransom
  18. Night Springs
  19. Bright Falls credits
  20. Alan Wake: Illuminated
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