Jesse Faden is the director of a secret agency, but who is really in control?
In short: As the protagonist of the 2019 game Control, Jesse Faden navigates a surreal, bureaucratic nightmare while searching for her missing brother. Her journey challenges traditional gaming tropes, blending supernatural authority with corporate hierarchy. But is she truly the one in charge, or is she merely a pawn for unseen entities?
Jesse Faden enters the Oldest House, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, as an outsider seeking answers about a childhood paranormal event in Ordinary, Maine. Upon finding the previous director dead, she assumes his title and wields the Service Weapon, a supernatural object that binds her to the Board, an enigmatic collective. This appointment places her at the center of an existential crisis, as she must lead the surviving personnel against an invading force known as the Hiss while managing the internal politics of an institution that once abducted her brother, Dylan.
Academics and critics have analyzed Jesse as a complex representation of women in the workplace, noting how she navigates the tension between her formal title and the labor she performs. Unlike traditional action heroes, Jesse is characterized by her confidence and her refusal to conform to corporate norms, often preferring the company of maintenance staff over executive peers. Her visual design, featuring practical civilian clothing, is interpreted as a rejection of both sexualized and corporate tropes, signaling her independence from the Bureau's entrenched traditions.
The game further complicates the player's role through the concept of the 'coinhabited avatar.' Jesse is guided by Polaris, an extradimensional entity that functions as both a narrative character and a surrogate for the player's influence. This relationship is intentionally destabilized throughout the story, particularly when characters suggest that Polaris—and by extension, the player—might be manipulating Jesse. By forcing the player to question their own agency, the narrative ensures that Jesse remains a distinct character with her own motivations, rather than a mere vessel for the person holding the controller.
Ultimately, Jesse’s story is one of resistance against both supernatural threats and institutional control. Whether she is preventing the destruction of the 'Nail' or confronting corrupted figures, her development reflects a shift from a victim of the Bureau's practices to a leader attempting to reform them. Her journey suggests that true power lies not in the authority granted by an organization, but in the ability to maintain one's own identity while navigating a world of competing, often deceptive, forces.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Jesse Faden
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