My thoughts on Season 2 episode 5
So having recently finished both seasons of the walking dead game, I felt compelled to relay my thoughts about season 2 episode 5.
I did choose Kenny over Jane, but I will get to that later. The gunfight was fine for me, no real issues besides the gun swap. I did not support Kenny's mistreatment of Arvo, and intended to support Arvo until the lake. Choosing to cover Luke, I was going to break the ice, but stopped due to everyone's hesitancy, killing Bonnie and Luke. I did not like how their deaths were executed, and wished Luke could have lived longer. Angry at Arvo, I thought I was happy with Kenny beating him, but I did not due to my morals. Keep in mind, I was leaning towards Jane for the majority of the episode because of Kenny's stubbornness, and Arvo's beating, but the things that happened changed my opinion. I liked Jane from the moment she began to talk, but her constant badgering to survive alone made me glad she left last episode. I did find her drastic character change weird, but I liked it. At least until the truck. When she and Kenny argued, I found myself agreeing with Kenny more. Not because of the fact that I knew him better, or that he was my Lee's best friend, but because Jane seemed too aggressive. Before people say that Kenny was like that too, I KNOW. I wasn't always agreeing with him, but I agreed with his incentive to get to Wellington. What I meant by too aggressive is that Jane was making fun of his lack of vision and back talking his family. My main issue with her was later on when Kenny and her fight, she can (determinately) push Clementine on the ground, reopening her wound. Jane did not care about that, and continued fighting Kenny, leaving Clem with a gun.
Now do not think I am Pro-Kenny, because he was just as much at fault. Making constant noise, always endangering the group with possible walkers, being simple-minded, stubborn and causing most of the group's supplies if not all to be taken. While he may or may not have "thrown the first punch", he lacked evidence to think Jane killed AJ, acting only on emotion instead of rational thought. I ultimately did not pick up the gun because of Clem's wound reopening. Any thoughts on my opinions?
Comments
tl;dr version: I blame Bonnie more for Luke's death than anyone. She didn't die in my game and instead blamed Clementine for everything. I chose not to save Jane and also chose to stick it out with Kenny, may end up regretting it. That whole Kenny vs Jane situation is one where I find it hard to find the absolute right answer in my books and I have to admit, that's awesome on TellTale's part.
NOT tl;dr version: I never felt that it was Arvo's fault when it came to the lake. Kenny had been physically and verbally abusing him the entire trip to that cabin. Who could blame the guy for running? I also felt sympathy for him because of his sister’s death. Additionally, I chose to speak up about how everyone shouldn't clump together during that trek across the lake. I chose to cover Luke from the walkers despite at first wanting to go rushing to his side and only he died after it was all said and done. I wholeheartedly blame Bonnie for his death as well, the ice was cracking and he pleaded to be given time to pull himself out. She’s the one who bull rushed over to him and ultimately caused his death after the walkers had already been taken care of. I broke through the ice as well ignoring Clementine’s personal safety to try and give him a second chance once they both fell through. It was really sour that Bonnie (who survived) blamed Clementine for his death in such a direct manner, especially considering that she was such a huge accessory to Walter and Alvin’s death earlier in the season. Her helping the group escape from Carver after the fact does not change that. I would also go on to plea with Kenny to spare the beating he was giving to Arvo. Like I said, I felt that was more Bonnie’s fault than anything and the guy had been through hell.
I’m also in the group that didn't shoot Kenny. I loved Jane and really thought the relationship between her and Clementine was tangible and that of a big/little sister. However, given the context and build up to that point where I had to choose, I genuinely believed there was a good chance that Jane had killed and tossed AJ in the woods in the heat of the moment while escaping the walkers. The situation was going to hell, she didn't want to go to Wellington and the baby was the blinding and prevailing reason to do that in Kenny’s mind (he was the one in control of the truck). Additionally, not only did she suggest leaving Kenny behind (which was absurd in my books because it was a for sure death sentence), but she did pretty much leave me after the truck crash to fend for myself too. It made me further doubt her motives at the time to say the least.
In hindsight though, I do believe Jane ultimately did what she did to try and protect Clementine who she seemed to consider to be a new sister. Clementine was the sole reason she came back after all according to her own words. She was so convinced Kenny was a “new” Carver and felt Clementine was in danger because of that. Killing Kenny wasn't the way to go about it though and played into her manipulative history. It’s ironic because instead of her fears of someone else dying that she possibly cared about, it was her. So yeah, I feel like Jane had nothing but the best intentions for her in the long run and it sucks. That’s not to say Kenny doesn't care just as much though.
I also didn't give up on Kenny (even after Wellington). Discovering that the baby was still alive, informing him that he was dangerous and hearing his response to that claim sort of cemented that he wasn’t a “new” Carver in my mind. He’s a guy that’s pretty much directly failed at protecting every single person most important to him and Jane sort of preyed upon that during that last scene forcing him to see red and force a conclusion for Clementine in some way. I don’t think it’s debatable that she knew what was about to happen by her actions. Right or wrong, she knew what buttons to push and having dealt with Kenny as Lee since the first season, I really didn’t need to see it to know how he would react. You can say what you want about him, but he’s probably the most straight forward character in the series to a fault. I also got the impression he was a man genuinely haunted by his past and that if I gave up on him right then and there like I was tempted to, there was no coming back for him in the series. Not that I approve of what happened and it does suck that it came down to that. I just don’t feel that Kenny is beyond redemption as a character in the Walking Dead.