Fleshing Out "Ties That Bind" (My rendition of the Season Premiere)
Ties That Bind for me was without denying enjoyable at times, I liked the idea and the atmosphere so far. There's potential. But it... feels like such a loose continuation of the narrative we've been following since the beginning (Clem is the only thing that makes it an actual continuation, albeit loosely so far), moments were forced, the story was rushed, hardly any time to sit back and relax and properly take in the story/lore, etc. There were a lot of issues I noticed despite liking it, it's hard not to mention it. I already mentioned issues before but yeah. So anyway what I usually do with something I'm interested, I made a rendition, a what-if version while still respecting the story for the most part.
Also don't come on here to start drama, cuz ain't nobody got time for that. Remember the rule of the forum: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Now that's out of the way, here's my what-if version of the premiere. I think you'll get the idea of what I liked about the game and how I felt it could've gone better. Also last thing, when you see the name bold it tells you who you're in control of until the next bold name appears.
Ties That Bind Part 1
-Javier returns to family and the tragedy of his father becoming their first walker occurs as normal
-Javier/Kate/Mariana/Gabriel rides as normal
-At the junkyard, far more to discuss with Mariana/Kate/Gabe. The encounter with the New Frontier occurs as normal.
-Javier meets Clementine for the first time and they make a detour to Prescott, plays out as normal.
-They still enter the bar, instead of Eli dying they have scuffle which Javier can potentially get involved and fight as well, Tripp has Clem/Eli/maybe Javier in time out.
-Clementine has her flashback about her journey alone where she eventually meets Eleanor and Tripp, introducing her to Prescott community.
-Present morning [if taking trip with Tripp to junkyard], Clem awakes alone or with Javier, she talks with Tripp about the incident, hub talking to people of the community and Javier, she returns to home to gather her things then must meet with Javier after having another encounter with Eli. Afterwards they head off.
-Present night [if taking trip with Eleanor to junkyard], Clem awakes alone or with Javier, hub with talking to Javier/Eleanor, she returns home to gather her things then must meet up with Javier after having to avoid Tripp wandering through alley area and avoiding being seen by Eli. Heads off to junkyard afterwards.
-Javier and Clem with Eleanor/Tripp arrive at the junkyard to save Javier's family. More complicated, Javi saves Kate while Clem splits from them to find and save Gabe. They all safely return to the Junkyard.
-At the community, Javier and his family settle in, Clem still needs a ride, Clem gets to know the family as Javier talks to either Eleanor/Tripp about leaving with the other of them, Tripp offers Javier to stay in Prescott. He takes up on it. He hangs out with his family, having a bit of dinner, Javier visits Clem who talks to Tripp about scavenging which Javier is to join.
-Next day, Javier/Tripp/Clem get set for their scavenge hunt but takes Gabriel/Kate/Marianna comes along for the sake of being a helping hand and for Tripp to give them a few pointers. On the road, Clem talks to them about handling guns, Kate supportive despite Gabe being reluctant to listen, Clem tries to be patient. Marianna asks about her finger if it was lost, she remembers (Take control of Clem for flashback, alone she loses her finger during a walker attack, very similar to original but shows her removing her finger too). Back to present Javi and others arrive at a farm. They scavenge, Javi finding Mariana working and finishing the story her mother her told her in the farm house, the events that officially occur in episode 1 happen more or less, a little less forced on getting Kate shot and Mariana getting killed. Same major choices and effect.
Ties That Bind Part 2
-(If stay with Clementine) Javier will awaken to the aftermath of the battle, the Frontier men escaped, Clem helps Javier bury Mariana, Clem reveals the group's name and her vague connection to it Clem finds her ride and offers to take him back before leaving. As Clem drives, Clem recalls having lost some one herself if she was with Ken or Jane (take control of her, see 3rd and 4th paragraph). Present. They return to Prescott where Javier hurries inside with Clem coming along.
-(if you go with the family) Javi and the others returns to Prescott where they have Eleanor attend to Kate with the help of Javi and Gabe where they must perform surgery. Eleanor afterwards must need time alone to stitch the wounds. Elsewhere Clem fights and kills the rest of the Frontier men besides those who escaped. In the aftermath, Clem investigates the area until it's secured she goes to Mariana's corpse, who she then buries and gives her final thoughts to. She finds a car afterwards and heads back to Prescott where she recalls having lost someone herself. (see 3rd and 4th paragraph)Present, evening. Javi awaits the news on the bench to talk with Eleanor of Kate's condition, it's worrying. She suggests seeing Gabe before she heads off. Javier soon after sees Clementine return who meets up with him, they talk about Kate before Clementine warns him of the New Frontier privately before she walks off.
---When Clem recalls the flashbacks of Kenny/Jane on the way to Prescott, one of the following will happen. (Kenny Flashback) AJ is a toddler. Kenny teaches Clem how to drive and about safety as they also discuss on things they need for everyone. They stop by at a market, they enter it to find it clear, a short hub where you can talk to Kenny while searching for supplies. When you enter the back office Clem encounters bandits who are sleeping in there. Clem warns Ken and they hurry to escape, however coming in are returning scavengers. Clem and Kenny hind but accidently triggers a hand-crafted alarm as they try to sneak around, which alerts everyone in the market. They are found and a gun fight occurs, Kenny and Clem make their desperate escape but not without Kenny getting shot critically in the intestines and Clem recieving a scar on the forehead. The two escape back to their car with AJ, Clem drives quickly and panics for Kenny's life. Kenny eventually succumbs to his wounds as they escape, Clem tries to wake him up futily until she gives up to reality, mourning for him.
(Jane Flashback) Jane finishes tattooing Clem's hand with AJ's name on it in an empty apartment, they talk about AJ and decide on a nickname (an infant still), the family (who stole from them or left and stole from them), and leaving Howe's (no more supplies) . Jane seems concerned about something and goes in her room so Clementine while Clem tends to AJ. Clementine finds Jane in her room who is scared, revealing herself to be pregnant, Clem consoles her. Later on, they scavenge a nearby store in a small town they are in which is a hub where you can talk with Jane and AJ while searching for supplies. As they finish up, gunshots are heard with nearby survivor getting killed, the sounds attracts many walkers in the area. As Clem and Jane (holding AJ) try to avoid the walkers, Jane is bitten by one. They hurry through the alleys where Jane helps Clem and AJ up onto the roof, she tries to climb up but the supports of the platforms used to climb up give, Jane stuck on the ground level surrounded. Clem watches as Jane gives one final somber smirk and holds her stomach before getting devoured infront of the two she protected.
-Javi wanders in the community (hub) to check on Kate, speak with Eleanor/Clem/Tripp(who can either offer a place to stay or have them leave after Kate recovers, depending on who went with you)/Eli/Conrad (who's wondering about Francine coming back soon) before going outside to speak with Gabe who's frustrated with himself for being a coward. Javi consoles him until they run back inside as New Frontier drives to Prescott's gates.
-The events of the siege occurs as normal, everyone with the inclusion of Eli escapes Prescott. They all stop on the road with infighting until things are settled, Clem suggests going to Richmond, Conrad refuses but Eli knocks him out so they can go there. They all hurry and take a long trip with the same conversation with Kate as the game. If you had the Wellington ending, Clem has a flashback. (Wellington ending, things are calm as she raises AJ however she has a conversation with Edith about the lack of food, shortly an announcent is made, Edith goes on ahead. Clem, in two hubs, searches her room before going out into Wellington where you can interract with locals and the environment before reaching the crowd gathered. The leader discusses the issues of crowding and lack of supplies, a tough call is to be made, an eviction is to occur. Next day, Clem is recieved the slip to evict and must pack her things, however things don't go calm as infighting in the community breaks out with blood shed and Clem with AJ must safely escape with the help of Edith, Edith getting killed in the process and Clem getting shot in the cheek as she flees to the woods with AJ.)
-Next morning they stop on a street that is blocking their way to Richmond. Things goes as normal before a much larger hub including a puzzle is involved as you play Javi, can converse with everyone much more as normal. Clem goes with Eli and Gabe into the gas station for any supplies they need, another hub. Eli and her have an argument until Javi comes in to intervene before recieving the power plugs to jump start the van with the chain link to pull the stuck car to clear the way. The following events as you play Javi occur as normal with the encounter with Jesus, but with Tripp having more authority and others uncertain to trust Jesus. They head up to the train tunnel.
-The following events with the flashback of Clem meeting Ava then with Javi and others traveling through the train tunnel with walkers occur as normal. Except it is Eli who overhears the secret and wants to use Clem as a bargaining chip.
-After that, either you have Clem with you or not, most of it occurs as normal just slightly different (Eli instead of Conrad), they head to the gate out of desperation until Javi and Gabe discover David is alive and is a part of the New Frontier.