3. Cobb Is Still In Limbo
Another hes asleep at the end theory has the dream beginning with the Inception attempt. So while Arthur and co. sit it out in level 1 for a week or so waiting for the dream to end, Cobb remains in limbo and creates a world where the job was a success. What if, Saito spinning the top isnt reminding them of the dream, but providing the films third case of Inception on Cobb himself. We see Saito reach towards the gun, suggesting he is about to wake them both up, but the shot is cut short and he quite easily could be about to topple the totem and keep Cobb there. This would explain why the ending is so dream like; the characters dont interact with Cobb, almost projections of their real self. The big argument for this theory is the music. Time, like every track of the score (and the famous horn sound), is made up from the repetition of two notes from Edith Piafs 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien'. Depending on the deepness of the dream level, the notes are longer and further apart. In Time, the notes are very long and at the end, they seem to go on indefinitely, suggesting Cobb is at the deepest weve ever seen. One more chilling piece of evidence comes from the lines for Cobbs children. When reunited, they tell them what theyve been doing Were building a house on a cliff. Considering the last time we saw Cobb before waking up was at Saitos house on a cliff, it seems an incredible coincidence to have them building the same thing he was dreaming about.