Solomon Bates

Solomon Bates
Biographical Information
Appearances	Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Status	Unknown
Profession	Accountant
Role	Supporting Character
Reason Tested	Concealing criminal activities
Relationships	John Kramer (former partner)† Art Blank (former partner)† Henry Jacobs (accomplice)† Joseph Poltzer (accomplice)† Carla Song (accomplice)† Sarah Blalok (accomplice)† Michael Tapp (savior)

“	I just do the numbers, bank accounts, stuff like that.	”
	— Solomon talks about his role in the drug cartel

Solomon Bates is a fictional character from the Saw franchise as well as a supporting character in Saw II: Flesh & Blood.

Biography

The Cartel

Solomon Bates was a member and associate of Bates & Gregson, a small accountant firm. One of the companies that employed his services was Gideon, a real estate company dedicated to property development for needy people, which was founded by John Kramer and Art Blank. Despite his work for the company, not all of Solomon's activities were that honorable as he assisted several criminal organizations in hiding their money and concealing their profits. One of these organizations was a drug cartel consisting of the Chief of Police, Henry Jacobs, the lead vice detective of the Metropolitan Police Department, Joseph Poltzer, a doctor, Carla Song, and a drug addict, Sarah Blalok. He occasionally met the others in Joseph's house at 124th Street to discuss the latest and next activities of the cartel. Because of these crimes, he was eventually targeted by John Kramer, who had become known as the Jigsaw Killer at that point. (Saw II: Flesh & Blood)

Test

Solomon in his cage

After having been abducted by John or one of his accomplices, he was taken to the abandoned Holmes Hotel. When he woke up again, he found himself trapped in a cage connected to a track on the floor. Another man, a reporter named Michael Tapp, woke up right next to him in the same situation. As both of them came to their senses, a TV turned on in front of them. A mechanical ventriloquist puppet appeared on the screen and explained the rules of their game to Michael and Solomon. Each of them would have to push their cage forward and try to reach the end of the track as soon as possible. Additionally, both of them were barefoot and the tracks were covered in broken glass.

When the TV turned off again, two metal bars, which blocked the cages' paths were lifted. Solomon embraced the opportunity and immediately began to push the cage forward. Michael tried to move forward as well in his attempt to catch up with his opponent. Eventually, Solomon reached the end of track first and was freed from cage. At the same time, another door was opened and Solomon fled the room. However, it was actually his and Michael's task to let their opponent reach the end of the track before them. Therefore, Solomon had failed his test and was subdued once again and taken to an abandoned chemical plant, where he was put in another trap. (Saw II: Flesh & Blood)

Michael Tapp's Trial

Solomon in his trap

Solomon was strapped by his hands, feet and torso to a sliding cart connected to a railing system on the ceiling. A few feet below on the floor were numerous pipes, which were linked to a heater and alternated between spewing flames, which would eventually burn him alive. Later that night, Michael traversed the area as part of his own game and thereby found Solomon. As he approached him, a set of TVs turned on and the mechanical puppet appeared on the screens again. It confronted Solomon with his crimes and his involvement in criminal organizations, while also explaining to him that he could only survive and escape by somehow getting to the other side of the area.

Solomon above the flames

Afterwards, the TVs turned off again and several pipes below him started to spew fire. Michael pushed the cart, to which Solomon was bound, to the next room. Unlike in the first room, there were three sets of pipes, which alternated between spewing flames. To get Solomon to the other room, he had to push and pull several other carts in the right way and clear the path, while also occasionally moving Solomon to make sure he wasn't hanging above the spewing pipes. In the third and final room, there were 16 monitors, each one with a different picture on screen. In order to open the last door, Michael had to play a matching game and had to choose, which two pictures fitted together until all eight pairs were found. Eventually, he successfully managed to move Solomon to the end of the track, where he was freed from his chains and fell to the floor.

Michael interrogates Solomon

Michael then demanded information about the drug cartel. Solomon told him about Henry Jacobs and Joseph Poltzer, who both used to steal drugs from the evidence room of the police station to sell them on the streets with the assistance of Carla Song and Sarah Blalok. Furthermore, he stated that Michael's father, David Tapp, coincidentally stumbled upon the cartel while investigating the Jigsaw Case and said that Sarah was supposed to knock him off their trail. Eventually, he also confronted Michael with an article he had written and which had destroyed his father's reputation. Angered by this, he assaulted Solomon, who evaded his attack and cowardly took flight. (Saw II: Flesh & Blood)

Attempted Escape

Michael pursued him to the sewers below the chemical plant. When Solomon insulted him, Michael attacked him once more and caused him to run away again. In his attempt to escape Michael, he crawled through a small passage in a collapsed hallway. However, as he left it again on the other side, he was attacked by Pighead II, one of Jigsaw's accomplices. As he tried to flee, Pighead pushed him into a pit filled with thousands of syringes and then closed the door behind them, making it impossible for Michael to reach them. (Saw II: Flesh & Blood)

Personality

Solomon's most noticable character trait is his extreme cowardice, which often causes him to ran away from the consequences of his own actions rather than facing them. Despite this, he displays an arrogant attitude towards others and thereby often acts in a sardonic and occasionally insulting way. Besides this, his involvement in the activities of criminal organizations show him as an extremely dishonest and selfish man, who is only interested in his own safety and profit.

Appearances and References

Films
Saw	Saw II	Saw III	Saw IV	Saw V	Saw VI	Saw 3D	Jigsaw	Spiral	Saw X
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent