Parasite and Faith: Cyberpunk 2077 Tapeworm Story Explained
Tapeworm, as a main job in Cyberpunk 2077, impresses me with its in-depth dialogue with Johnny Silverhand. It’s a job more about listening and letting go rather than taking the initiative to complete something. The post will cover the main story of the job, Johnny’s confession about himself and the corpo, and interpret the reference to Tapeworm, and other details.
Key Takeaways
- Tapeworm Cyberpunk 2077 is the main job after Takemura’s death when V and Johnny confide their trust and decide what to do next in Pistis Sophia.
- Tapeworm symbolizes V and Johnny’s relationship, and the dilemma of the Cyberpunk world.
- Pistis Sophia, a hotel name referring to the script also, is the witness of both V and Johnny’s transformation.
Tapeworm Cyberpunk 2077 story walkthrough
Tapeworm appears to be a “chill” job after escaping Takemura’s apartment. The story continues after Arasaka finds out Hanako’s location and raided Takemura’s apartment. While V was also partly decapacitated by the raid, the Relic (Johnny Silverhand) managed to save her and take her to a rundown apartment, Pistis Sophia, in the Pacifica by taking control of her body.
Because of the instability of V’s condition, this job consists of different phases when the player (V) comes in and out of consciousness.
Johnny took V to Pistis Sophia to enjoy the sunset view of Pacifica. Then he will ask you to go into a room to check out a stash. There’s a name tag in the locker. Johnny claims that it’s from a friend who saved his life in the Second Central American War in Mexico, and V can keep that. The tag is a proof of Johnny’s promise of saving V’s life and sacrificing his at the end.
Johnny also has a request to wipe out Adam Smasher with Rogue on site. This request will lead to the side quest called Chippin’ In and A Cool Metal Fire. In the following two side quests, V will let Johnny take control of her body to hunt down Adam Smasher.
Check my other post for the story about A Cool Metal Fire!
What does tapeworm refer to in the story?
First, what is a tapeworm? It’s a parasite that can live in human guts and feed on its nutrition. Tapeworm infection can cause your stomach to feel upset, lose appetite, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. In the story, it also refers to the song “Tapeworm” by Pigface.
Tapeworm, the parasite: the dynamics between V and Johnny
In the game, V is pretty much stuck in a tapeworm situation. It’s only that her infection goes beyond the gastrointestinal tract and spreads in her consciousness. At this point of the storyline, the tapeworm (the engram as a parasite) for the first time takes active control of her body and saves her from the Arasaka raid. Thus, unlike ordinary parasitic symptoms, this tapeworm can take control and do the host some good, sometimes.
“Tapeworm” as a metaphor, reflects the relationship between V and Johnny. The engram is parasitic, but at the end of the day, V needs to decide if she can trust her life with Johnny in the engram. It’s this trust that makes the conversation in Pistis Sophia so important when Johnny asks V:
Will you take a bullet for me?
Related: click to uncover more fun facts about Cyberpunk 2077!
“Tapeworm” lyrics: “Is freedom talking to nothing inside your eyes?”
Concerning the song “Tapeworm”, you can refer to the lyrics here. The lyrics relate the tapeworm to freedom and truth. When there’s a parasite, the body grows numb to the world around it. Even when the freedom is yelling at that person, even when the truth is right in front of his eyes, he can’t see with the “ash covered eyes”.
The reference to this song indicates the general predicament of the Cyberpunk world. The corporations control everything. This predicament also lies at the center of Johnny’s struggles. He mentions that in the deployment in Mexico, he realized that corporations always win. After that, he spent a month idling in the room in Pistis Sophia.
In the song, the tapeworm is a business, with a dialing number starting with 1-800… This number is a typical business number that will charge the number owner instead of the caller. In the game, “Tapeworm” symbolizes the existence of the corporation and their annexation of the society, gradually eating away people’s freedom and awareness.
Transformation: Pistis Sophia, the game changer
While Johnny spent a month staring at the ceiling of Pistis Sophia, V is going to embark on the trip to eliminate Adam Smasher as well from the same room. Pistis Sophia definitely marks the turning point of the fate of both Johnny and V, a transformation for the better.
Pistis Sophia is also a Gnostic text from around the 3rd AD. It is a series of teachings of Jesus after his death and resurrection to his disciples. The figure, Pistis Sophia, is a divinity who experienced the fall and redemption in the divine realm.
In Cyberpunk 2077, the hotel name in Pacifica adopts the same name as this script. It carries metaphors and deeper meanings into the interpretation of the story as well. The faith and knowledge revealed in the script echoes the struggle of V and Johnny Silverhand. As a hotel, Pistis Sophia witnesses the critical moment of V and Johnny reflecting on the past and choosing a path they want to forge ahead. It marks a moment of transformation, a turning point that brings their fates to either fall or redemption.
Conclusion
Tapeworm Cyberpunk 2077 is not a long job, but is emotionally charged and full of meanings. It reveals the critical juncture of V and Johnny building deep trust and deciding the road ahead. The job tells V’s willingness to sacrifice, and Johnny’s wish of taking down Adam Smasher. You can say that it sets the tone for future stories.
“Tapeworm” is also a metaphor that reflects more than the parasitic relationship between V and the engram. It indicates the true nature of the Cyberpunk world, millions of people with eyes covered in ashes, and the tapeworm business that the corpo is running.
