I am almost done replaying season 2, and I kinda have a pretty crazy wish for The Final Season
I have just played episode 4 of TWD season 2, and frankly, it has made me kinda wish that Telltale will kill off AJ early on in the season in order to get some proper plot going, Season 2 was (in my opinion) a super strong entry in the series, until all the focus gets shifted towards pregnancy and baby protection duty, I just do not feel like there is any interesting stories to tell with AJ being just a baby, there is no attachment beyond "look at da little baby", because he is literally a non character, the only reason we feel compelled to protect him is due to 1. Clementines attachment to him (Which is something Telltale has written, not something we get to decide) and 2. because he is a baby and its the human thing to do.
It just doesnt work IMO, there is very little room for group dynamics and Clementine being anything but "good girl mom" while AJ exists, unless they really pawn him off so Clementine rarely has to anything about him except for a few interactions, but I really think that AJ will weaken the Final season a whole lot if he is kept alive.
Comments
s2 would be completely pointless if AJ got killed off
In an end of the world scenario everything is pointless, you just try to survive
So season 1 was pointless because Lee died? Now that I think about it, thats a bad example, since Lee was an actual character that developed and helped others develop, but AJ is a non-character, and will be by the time Season 4 happens, unless they do a mega super timeskip, which would be dumb as hell, AJ hardly adds anything of value to the story, he is not even a character since he is a baby, Clems unnatural obsession with him is weird, and his existance means less time for other characters to shine
So just because your car is gonna break down in many years buying a car is useless?
I think Clem's not gonna find AJ so easy in the beggining of the season but in much later episodes. That way we feel like we got a purpose
A baby cannot be the only factor bad enough to bring down the value in a story if you have talented story creators. Judith lives on in the AMC show yet doesn't cheapen that story. The issue likely originates with excessive focus on AJ when there shouldn't be. Like Javier shouldn't of had more focus than Clementine when he was the newer character. If anything those roles ought to of been reversed and ease Javier into the plot testing to see if he gets positive reception. Now they see that mistake and want to run back to Clem again. AJ I doubt will be the entire point of season 4 and rather a sub plot possibly. If he is then season 4 could be too short and probably worse than New Frontier. New Frontier wasn't without great potential they just sabotaged it.
Its too late to go back now. They should have thought about the long run effect on future installments when writing season 2. Unless he died offscreen during the timeskip, I think he will be around for a while. My hope is Clem will find him early in the season so the focus can shift to some other quest or danger.
imagine if Clementine died at the end of season 1. would you have still said "everything is pointless anyways, u just gutta suriveeve" ? I sincerely hope not. btw, a pointless game would be boring to play. your actions do have some effect, whether it be big or small.
season 1 didn't revolve around Lee. it pretty much revolved around Clementine and keeping her safe. It's the same thing in season 2; We made all of these hard decisions for AJ, and a bunch of characters died in the process of getting him safe.
come on guys.
Yes, a bunch of characters died, but there is no reward, no satisfaction, when Lee died it was know we kept Clementine safe, AJ is literally a noncharacter, he may as well be a rock, the only reason we should care is because he is a baby, which is a bad reason IMO
I don't disagree with you. I don't like that chubby little toddler either, but that doesn't change the fact that he was the star of season 2. I'm guessing Telltale wanted the same kind of dynamic they had going on in season 1, so they added in AJ. (It didn't work.)
Pretty much all of the decisions you make in season 2 are for AJ and Rebecca. Shelter for the baby, food for the baby, Kenny and Jane fight because of the baby, Luke dies crossing the lake to get food for the baby, Carver brings everyone in because he wants Rebecca and the baby. baby this, baby that.
So I stand by my point. If AJ gets killed off, season 2 becomes completely pointless because it doesn't add anything to the story.
btw, before you say something like
Clementine's character didn't progress at all, as seen in season 3. It doesn't matter what you choose to do, she's the same person in TNF no matter what. And lets not forget, Kenny and Jane die anyways.
if you disagree, please tell me why. i'm open for discussion.
You could argue that alot of the plot of Season 2 was Clementine changing from the innocent little girl in season 1 to what we thought she would become in season 2, she can be cold and distant, or caring and loving, or both depending on the situation, I would argue that the problem is that Telltale thought it a good idea to write Clementine as a static character again after season 2, thus taking it into their own hands to decide how Clementine acts, and what the choices WE made means to her (even if the choice we made was not on the basis that Telltale writes it to be, for example Clementine shooting David rather than tackling him for us who shot Kenny in season 2, even though there can be a myriad of reasons for shooting Kenny, and doesnt have to mean that Clementine resorts to guns to solve problems.
Good point, but as you said, season 3 decides who she is for us.