Do You Like AJ (and your thoughts on his possible role in Season 3)?
My short answer would be: No, I don't.
Apart from being little more than a plot device to propel the story forward (and giving Kenny a reason to continue living) he's also a complete and total liability that the game literally forced Clementine to take care of. I don't understand how I could be expected to emotionally truly care for AJ, its only because he's a baby I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of abandoning him, but that was almost like blackmail really.
It would have been a real emotional gut-wrencher had AJ been delivered stillborn, now that would have had a powerful impact on the story of S2 to the point it could have perhaps even gotten on par with the emotional intensity of S1.
But not matter even if MyClem chooses to be a pragmatist and realize the baby is more trouble than its worth, we all end up with AJ. Obsviously he's going to have a bigger role to play in Season 3, maybe even be given some character, though its not like the series can timeskip that far ahead, he'd probably be around 3 (a toddler?).
Now in Season 1, Clementine truly meant something. For Lee she may have stood for many things, such as redemption for his past actions and finding a purpose in his new life through protecting her. Clem also wasn't a baby and had character that made players genuinely care for her wellbeing, we could really feel what must have been going on in Lee's thoughts.
Now I get the feeling Season 3 might try to mirror Lee's relationship with Clem, with an older Clem and a slightly older AJ, but I don't think Telltale can achieve the same level of emotional attachment for AJ.
Even though Clem was technically forced into the player's care in Season 1, I doubt anyone complained about it since Clem was so likable.
AJ on the other hand... feels like... a ghost, blank and emotionless, almost like a parasite. Yes, I know he's a baby and of course he has absolute zero personality beyond infantile instincts but...
You're seriously going to leave a newborn in the care of an 11 year old child? Sure storywise that's pretty interesting, but I don't see how players can come to have any serious emotional attachment to AJ, even if he's older in Season 3, with the way he was introduced he'll probably feel more like extra weight to be carrying around.
Ideally, I'd have liked it to have left AJ in Wellington or even leave him with Kenny (Alone Ending is kind of my favorite).
Both Alvin and Rebecca weren't BAD characters per se, but they were no where near developed enough for me to genuinely care for them to same extent I cared for Clem in Season 1, in fact they were pretty far off from that scale.,.. especially Rebecca who just did a 180 on her personality from hating and threatening Clem to becoming friendly and reliant towards her, as if they spent a lot of time getting to know each other better or something. I liked Alvin better than Rebecca, but not to the point that I felt obligated towards either or them to take care of their child.
I personally felt obligated in Season 1 to protect Clementine, but this same level of obligation is not present with me towards AJ. I don't want to come off as cruel or anything but I think storywise it would have been better had AJ died or ended up in someone else's hands (maybe Kenny, since AJ is a plot device for him).
Season 2 ends with this form of obligation that we'll make Clem raise AJ right, to honour the memory of his dead parents whom we were apparently very close to (come on, Clem was never THAT close to either of them).
Therefore I'm angry at the game for just throwing AJ at me no matter how little sense it actually makes and see him as a pure unwanted burden players will be forced to carry around with them in Season 3.
Comments
Eh. What else is their to say about him. Hes the one addition besides clem that has to go into season 3, And I really dont see what purpose he has. I'm fine with the "character" staying as long as his role isnt the center of attention the whole time.
Man I'm going to be in the minority here, but yes, I love AJ and will do anything I can to protect him. I feel he gives Clementine a new found sense of hope. In the beginning, you have the death of Omid, a Persian name meaning hope, so you have the death of hope. And then you had the death of Christa's baby (Clem says, "No, not again, not again," in No Going Back, I figure this has something to do with Christa's baby) which she was bothered by as well, she basically lost all hope. With AJ, a birth of new life, he can symbolize the rebirth of Clementine's hope. AJ is an innocent creature brought up into hell on Earth, she doesn't want AJ to lose that innocence. And with this new found hope, Clementine seems to be come more like her S1 self and begins showing more emotion again. At the end of Amid the Ruins and all throughout No Going Back, Clementine showed more emotion than she did in any other episode in Season 2, you see her smile if she holds the baby and she is visibly upset when Jane doesn't have AJ. I feel AJ gives her a purpose, similar to what Lee had in Season 1, someone incapable of defending themselves and we have to care for it and protect it.
Well he's a baby, so Ill take care of him
But is AJ really on the same level as when Lee took care of Clementine?
Yes, I recognize your points on how he's supposed to be a symbol of hope and innocence, something that Lee sought to protect in Season 1, but did you feel anything for AJ, in your heart, the same way players felt their compassion for Clementine? Did AJ seriously come off as more than a lifeless plot tool, did he incite the same feelings of protectiveness and resolve that came from Season 1 Clem?
Players feel obligated to take care of him because its immoral to hate a baby, but is it only because he's a baby you want to take care of him or did he somehow actually strike an emotional chord that truly compelled you to want to take care of him?
Yes he did, maybe it's because I cared for both Alvin and Rebecca that I want to protect their child, but that's just me. Alvin can even tell Clem to, "take care of my girls," (thinking AJ would be a girl, but the point still stands), and those were his dying words. I will do my best to care for AJ, because that's what Rebecca and Alvin would want.
And like I said, I know I'm in the minority, but I don't care, it's how I interpreted it and it's the way I play it.
No, I don't like A.J.
I don't like A.J because he is a plot baby and the plot baby will die just to make Clementine sad like every other character that will die to make Clementine sadder. The limited timeline Telltale are allowed to work with won't allow us to see A.J grow up or develop into much of a character. All A.J will be able to do is cry and keep putting Clementine's life in danger. Also after hearing they thought about ditching A.J in the storm to die [and didn't do it because Clem isn't 'there yet' whoopee by the way =_=] it is safe to say the baby is marked with death so I'm not getting attached. So bring on all the cute Clem bonding with the baby moments, I'm not falling for it
a little girl raising a baby in a ZA by herself sounds implausible enough as it is.
In my playthrough, the birth of AJ felt so awkward and forced due to Sarah brutally dying not seconds ago, and AJ's arrival in the story did nothing to migrate how harshly brushed away Sarah was, since literally everyone forgets her to coo over the new baby. Not a good way to introduce a new character by killing off several pre-established characters who was crudely cut out of the story just to make way for a baby who was much more of a liability than a fifteen year old girl and a grown man could ever hope to be.
That being said, I don't hate AJ since I did my part in looking after AJ, and I never had any intentions to abandon a baby for a millisecond. But I'm not a fan of how he's handled in the story. Every character, including Jane of all people, are attached to a baby who was just born, and for convenience's sake, there's enough formula to keep the baby alive even though we barely see said formula, the baby knows to be quiet when walkers are around, and the baby is never in any danger in the cold.
Because of this there's no tension with the baby's survival in a zombie apocalypse, there's no risk of the baby truly dying days after having just been born, and the issues of not raising a baby in an unsuitable environment, with little to no supplies, and risk blowing their cover to the walkers whenever it screams and cries, are never explored. Because of this, AJ appears more like a plot device instead of a real baby, and that is what damages some of our willing suspension of disbelief when the baby inexplicably survives Episode 5 when by all rights the baby should have died several times.
AJ had no real presence in the story. He's there to push the theme of hope in the story in a forced fashion, and not to make use of the idea of how difficult and dangerous it is to have a baby with you in a zombie apocalypse, and with a group who have different opinions on what to do with the baby.
This is pretty much why I hope that Season 3 will have AJ be given away to a stable community with a loving family, because I don't really see what AJ can do to contribute to the story other than dying, which is something I'd rather not happen.
No, not at all. He was only written as a variable in the final conflict to make the choice between Kenny and Jane "harder."
Well, its morally the correct thing to do. Also, I feel like we have to for his parents sake
Oh boy, here come all the "plot device" people...
I don't dislike him, for reasons already given. I hope he (and everyone else, for that matter) won't be in season 3 though.
While AJ dying would be... sad... I can't say it would especially bother me too much.
I'd like to continue Clem's story in Season 3, without AJ, though I somehow get the feeling Telltale won't be willing to get rid of him.
In the opening of Episode 5 despite my general feeling of disdain towards AJ, I did choose to save him instead of taking cover with Luke, similarly at the end of Episode 4 I chose to shoot zombie Rebecca to stop her from harming AJ. I didn't do either of those because I 'care' about AJ, I'd willingly give him up given the chance, but I don't want Clem to be completely heartless towards a baby.
I hate AJ for how he forcibly takes over the places of the other characters, if given the choice between saving Aj or Sarah I'd actually choose Sarah despite how useless she is, because at least she does have some character and isn't a blank slate becoming the center of attention.
Season 3 will most likely force AJ and Clem together, but I hope at the very least Telltale will include options for MyClem to make it clear to AJ that's he a pure liability and I don't love him and the only reason MyClem is still with him is because she couldn't abandon a baby, I want AJ to know he's nothing but a problem, an unwanted problem MyClem never asked for and whom I'll only keep taking care of until I can either find someone who actually wants him or when he's old enough to take care of himself.
I don't want to be forced to show love and compassion towards AJ, I hope there will be enough freedom of choice for me to establish a Clementine who's only taking care of AJ because there's simply no one else to do it for her. I don't care if my relationship with AJ will suffer, neither do I care if he'll go through hardships, if he's glued to MyClem then I hope I'll be able to treat him as coldly and harshly as I possibly can.
I don't love him or hate him, because the game hasn't given me a reason to feel either way about him.
I hate him and not because he's a plot device, it's because he's a baby.
He is also the most unrealistic baby ever, they don't change him and hardly feed him. He would be crying all the time but he isn't and he gets forgotten about a lot. A baby is just going to get everyone killed, one by one. He's an alarm clock. The apocalyptic world isn't ready for a baby, not when their two years in. There's hardly any food left for adults, a baby is even worse. So I hated him before he was born because he's just going to get everyone killed, I'm never going to get attached.
And his role in Season 3? Probably to cry and die. In fact he might die before he has a chance to cry. What would be even better is if he is just killed off screen, or we get a choice to leave him because a baby isn't needed. He's just a cliché, nothing more and nothing less.
I don't have an opinion towards him since he's still a baby.
Yeah, I'll keep the little rug rat safe. He's not much of a crier, and he's not really a drain on resources (only thing he eats is formula, and its not like Clem is using it). Fact is, if Telltale wants him to live he'll live, realism or choice be damned. Might as well get used to it.
This feels worse than having to put up with Sarah... why Telltale, why must thou burden me with a worthless liability like AJ...?
At this point I'm praying for a pathway to make Clementine colder and less friendly towards AJ (it will make me feel better about having to carry his stupid weight around) or if Telltale is more than adamant that Clem MUST have a strong and warm bond with AJ no matter what the player wants then I hope that at least towards the end of Season 3 he won't be around anymore...
But that's your opinion, isn't it? Yes, I found Clem likeable too, but what if someone didn't? I mean, I see a lot of people complaining about AJ, saying they're being forced to take care of AJ, but what about Clem? What if MY Lee didn't want to take care of a little girl? Why people do not complain about that?
There are pros for having A.J. around. Should Clem come across another group of people (the good kind), having a baby with her is bound to give her some sympathy points. Wellington is an example. People have a natural instinct to protect the pure and innocent, even going as far as to make exceptions for already established rules (again, the good people anyway). They see Clem fighting like hell to keep this form of innocence safe, and that builds instant trust with any potential allies.
A lot TWD fans keep insisting that Clementine is now an adult in a child's body and should be treated with respect.... well that also means other survivors are less likely to take pity on her. She's a threat just like anyone else right? We got a glimpse of this when we first met the cabin group. And its only going to get worse for her the more time that passes.
I have seen a few walking dead players that have NEVER liked Clementine. Season 1 or 2. They're a real rare breed though.
Clementine felt more forced imo
i like you
Yes, I do.
Strapped to MyClem's back(If I get my wish of her getting some kinda Baby Bjorn. Her arm must be killing her.), not doing much of anything.
Yes, actually I've seen a lot of people that don't like, especially, S2 Clem. :P But my point is: Why some people say that Telltale forced us to take care of AJ, but they don't say a thing about Clemmy? I mean, you have all the right to hate AJ and love clem, but If Telltale forced us to like him, they forced us to take care of Clem in season 1 as well.
I have no feelings whatsoever regarding AJ.
Can AJ really be legitimately compared to S1 Clem? Is there really even any real motivation behind wanting to take care of him? Nick, Carlos, Alvin, and Sarah all died and very soon we got AJ, and while the others weren't exactly the most fleshed out, AJ has nothing at all to him.
S1 Clem had a personality and presence at least, whether you liked her or not, but AJ somehow survives both a difficult birth and even a harsh winter, despite having only a single blanket to protect him while the others are wearing multiple layers, he doesn't seem to be suffering at all, he's only crying when its convenient for the plot otherwise he's practically a ghost.
Hate the prop/device/AJ thing loool ,i expect that it will have a huge role in season 3 just for Telltale to troll everyone like they did with Jane.
I couldn't care less. He's a plot device for chaos and a very bad one at that. I don't have any reason to want to protect him.
just to be clear with my post,im calling AJ a plot device
ditto,i have no feeling of him,no desire to protect him,or see his face in season 3
^^^^^This this this ^^^^^
This post is exactly how i feel about AJ. Forced!
I get what you're saying, and of course a 8 year old girl has more personality and presence than a newborn, but I've seen some people that didn't like S1 clem at all, still they were ''forced'' to take care of her. Isn't it the same scenario? If S1 Clem is likeable or not, it's a matter of opinion.
Yeah he's okay. Hasn't done me wrong. I'm sure Telltale is aware of the attitude towards AJ and I have confidence they'll treat Clementine's situation with respect and maturity.
I hope Season 3 choices will cater at least a little for the AJ Haters like myself. I don't want to be forced to love someone as unbelievable and useless as AJ.
The thing is, I'd love to see a story about a young child trying to raise an infant. The child trying and making mistakes, it shaping him/her into a much more cautious and perceptive individual yet stripping a sense of morality from them and ultimately making the child a much more mentality unstable person.
Raising a baby is hard as fuck, all that pressure could potentially regress someone to a primitive anti-social marauder capable of doing anything to keep both of them safe. AJ could've been interesting if he was used for more than yet another prop to further fucking Kenny and if Clementine actually had any say in his safety, making tough decisions and being pushed to do some hardline shit.
But alas, TellTale used the interesting opportunity of having a baby as a wall to blockade Clementine's character and completely sidetrack the story (which I think really had something in Amid the Ruins) to being about Clementine auto agreeing with every step Kenny and co. took to vandalize the story and rape a potentially awesome ideal about doing horrible shit for an honorable reason to being a melodrama that we had nil control over.
ummm....he's a baby
I don´t want him to die but I´m not particularly attached to him. He´s...a baby.
I don´t think he´ll last, though.