Derren Brown - The Events (Starting 09/09/09 9:00 PM) - My Thoughts - Part 3

In Part 1 of my Derren Brown mini series of blog posts, I identified the clues and hints in Derren Brown's current TV advert. In Part 2 I discussed some of these clues in more detail. In this article I will discuss the remaining clues in detail and then attempt to 'predict' (in true Derren Brown style) what the four "Events" will likely be about.

Red and Black

I wont repeat all the red and black references, if you've been following these articles so far then you will be aware of them. Otherwise go and read Part 1. The immediate thing that jumps to my mind is Roulette. Derren apparently used to be a regular at the casinos. In some of his previous shows he has shown his ability and method of card counting in blackjack. In fact in this show right at the end, he puts all of his winnings on (if memory serves me right) red 21 - stating to always do this. He loses all his money. This was probably just to show he's human, and if it had rolled in he would have looked like a god!

Roulette has had the most "systems" developed for it, in an attempt to beat the house and make a profit. For instance, the Martingale betting strategy states that for ever lost bet, the gambler doubles his stake so that if he wins he gets his money back and the return of the original bet - This more often than not ends in huge financial losses. Einstein is quoted as saying "You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it". All of the systems and history of the roulette wheel provide a good back story for Derren to use in his preamble. He often describes how people in the past have tried to do things, or performed tricks, then proceeded to do exactly what they were doing in a new way which makes the viewer feel like he is actually magic.

The Lottery

One of the most striking parts of the video is the bus that goes past with the slogan "It will be you" and a lottery-like hand. The Lottery is the ultimate gamble, with the biggest odds and is strictly controlled. To put it lightly there is no way Derren Brown could predict the lottery numbers. Is this a red herring?

He's also apparently supplied us with some of the winning numbers. 22 or 32 (can't make it out), 25, an unknown number, 6 and 47. I wonder if these numbers will be coming up in the next four weeks...

Secure Systems / Balloon

In the reversed advert, Derren states that even the most 'secure systems' can be beaten by the simplest of magic tricks, deception or illusion - "if you know where to look". As he says that last line, he looks at the girl with the balloon. The balloon appears to have some sort of bird logo on it - to me it looks sort of like a chicken, but it isn't too dissimilar from the fake manchester united logo from that website discussed in Part 2

There is one high profile logo, or organisation that comes to mind when related to "security" and a bird...The CIA!

Final Predictions

According to a comment on Derren's blog, the events are meant to trick, to win, to fool and to control.

  • Show 1 - The main event on Show 1 will be football focused, with some elements of controlling the crowd, and some elaborate impossible prediction of the outcomes of the games. This will be "the trick" - probably using time delays to his advantage, with various other things.
  • Show 2 - Roulette. He will build up throughout the show about the various ways of winning in a casino, claiming he has found a system that can beat the roulette wheel. The climax will be him winning lots of money on a roulette wheel, possibly via a video link to an established, proper casino with real players. But he will also hint not all is what it seems and that there is no way to beat a roulette wheel. This is the "to win".
  • Show 3 - Not sure what the main event will be about. I'm sceptical that anything to do with the CIA will be used. Maybe something to do with the backwards stuff? This "event" will be the "to control" one. I'm just not sure what he is going to do.
  • Show 4 - The Lottery Show. The live draw is at 10:35pm, and throughout the last 3 shows Derren would have been trying to influence you into buying a ticket using specific numbers. This is the "to fool" event. The numbers wont come up, and the trick will be deception and misdirection, a social experiment on all the viewers - but somehow with a twist...

Conclusion

There is a bucket load of clues in the advert alone, but if your interested in searching for more information - or have too much free time on your hands like me then head over to Derren's Blog where there are loads more clues and hidden messages in his weird posts.

I haven't had time personally to sift through all of the information there, but if you find something really interesting, or have compiled a list of clues/etc from the blog and want to share it with me, contact me here.

I hope you enjoyed this mini series on Derren Brown! It was meant to be a short ranting post and ended up being an essay. 09/09/09.

Comments

Comments
derren, brown, the, events, roulette, national, lottery, cheating, gambling, system, prediction, magic,
Posted by DomZ on 26/08/2009 at 23:05 pm