YMMV / Half-Life: Alyx but the Gnome is Too Aware

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Is the gnome repeatedly asking Wayne to go back him using reverse psychology to get Wayne to finish the challenge? Or does the gnome know what will happen if they reach the vault and is genuinely trying to intervene?
  • Does Wayne go to the Vault despite Gabe Newell's warnings because he's genuinely grown to care for the gnome, or is he being compelled to by the gnome's powers?
  • One that exists within the fanbase is the question of if this series is in continuity with Half-Life but the AI is Self-Aware. On one hand many meta jokes about HL:VRAI and its production are made, on the other Wayne acts much like he did as "Gordon" when dealing with the Gnome, though much more open about the game's nature as a game since the Gnome is already aware he's in a game.
• Awesome Music: "Gnome Regrets" by its3oe, composer for "Passport Guardian" from the original Half Life VR series, which plays in the final Youtube edit when Wayne fights his way through the final gauntlet to the Vault in order to rescue the gnome.
• He Really Can Act: Gabe's dialogue was so lifelike that most people thought he was done by one of Wayne's friends in the call, but in reality was just 11lab's AI powered Text to Speech. Special note goes out to his speech during the Vault sequence, in which he starts whispering when talking about the dream he had for extra emphasis. Even the crew thought it was incredible.
• Nightmare Fuel: When the Blue Gnome is being crushed in the garbage compactor he has some... eerily realistic screams.
• Squick: The Blue Gnome tells Wayne he can use him as a toilet, stating outright that receiving his piss and shit would improve him.
• Tear Jerker: Right before the final level, the gnome pleads for Wayne to go back to the very start and do the challenge all over again. Wayne repeatedly has to turn him down, tearfully releasing the gnome into the tractor beam.
  • The credits sequence, where the gnome realizes that swapping realities with Wayne and rendering him an immobile gnome himself isn't as great as it seems. Over a cover of "Thanatos (If I Can't Be Yours)", he laments the empty house, ultimately putting on the headset one last time to make things right. Wayne wakes up on the shore of a lake to find a framed photo of the gnome, which says "Goodbye, Gordon". The End.
  • This also means that if this series is in continuity with Half-Life but the AI is Self-Aware, this is the second time Wayne has had an AI give him that particular farewell. Unlike the Science Team however, his farewell to the Gnome is most likely permanent. Given Uberduck's change in policy removing its original functionality, the Gnome is well and truly gone.