Tyndmyr wrote:Methods and Madness:Spoiler:The whole execution thing was wonky, too. Sure, sure, grindlewald's evil. The auror's executing them are apparently not, yes? It's like...what, two people? And it's needlessly convoluted. I don't get what any of that scene was about.
Spoiler:
I think the idea is that while, say, the Killing Curse is fast, it also requires actual killing intent behind it, whereas the people performing the execution in MACUSA are more "doing a terrible but apparently necessary job". Not to mention it's probably painful and undoubtedly has other issues. So instead, they use a magical equivalent of execution by injection - they pull out a bunch of happy memories, and use that to create a bewitching illusion in the pool-o'-death, so the victim technically kills themselves. So it would be more like executing someone by giving them a self-administered heroin drip, or something.
And there may have been some avoidance of due process resulting from the fact that Greaves/Grindelwald realised that leaving Newt alive would be incredibly dangerous for his plans. After all, he had just played his hand to some extent by insinuating that the Obscurus might have a purpose to incite enmity between wizards and No-Majs, i.e. his plan in its entirety.
And there may have been some avoidance of due process resulting from the fact that Greaves/Grindelwald realised that leaving Newt alive would be incredibly dangerous for his plans. After all, he had just played his hand to some extent by insinuating that the Obscurus might have a purpose to incite enmity between wizards and No-Majs, i.e. his plan in its entirety.
On the subject of plot holes:
Spoiler:
What was the point of Gnarlack (the gangster goblin) saying Greaves' past was one that was dangerous to look into? Was he the only one in the city to know the truth? Or is there some dark part of the real Greaves' background that was otherwise removed from the film?