Why I didn't choose Kenny
(huge fucking rant, sorry, not sorry)
So obviously there seems to be a lot of people attached to Kenny's character so I figured I'd share why I chose Jane instead of Kenny. For one, I was never very attached to Kenny from the start (Season 1). He seemed alright until we met up with Lily and the gang, but once you get to the gang, he starts showing his character. I'm not sure how the dialogue plays out when you pick a side, but I was fully on the fence until everything went to shit and Kenny did not like that at all. He (as I can remember) is the first one to angrily point out that I'm neutral, as if I have to pick a side, as if our rag-tag base at the motel was some sort of monarchy. Kenny was too quick to act and Lily wasn't the stablest either, so I was the only choice for the group as a leader but I didn't butt in as that would add more fuel to the fire. Being on the sidelines for their row meant you don't get too attached to either characters and it was way too short of a time after Lily left that Kenny's family died and he became a broken, firework of a man. The kind of man that's hard to like, especially when he blows up at you every time you don't take his side. The only side I picked was Clementine's, I only played nice with the others because I didn't want to make trouble for Clem. End of season one, he got pissed at me when I went to save Clementine, I told him to fuck off, sad ending comes strollin' in and fast forward to season 2.
Woopy doo, Kenny didn't die, that's fine but realistically, Clementine would only be as close to Kenny as Lee was, not very much in my case. Then when I chopped off Sarita's arm, he flipped, understandable, but unstable. He was definitely not a man who took death well (although not many would in these cases). He was aggressive, very emotional and it took a lot to calm him down which is a burden in TWD's setting. Meanwhile, Jane was smart, realistic and knew when to let go. She was a "lone wolf" and had issues with getting close to people, but despite all that, she saw something in Clementine and made an effort to make sure Clem knew what to do in the event that the group collapsed in on itself, she opened up about her sister, she never got angry (as far as I can remember and in my playthrough) at Clem and even when she knew she should leave and wanted to, she came back, Clem being "90% of the reason she came back". She killed a man (not in self-defense/revenge) for the first time for the group and still clearly showed guilt about leaving. She never left Clem again, even when the group continued to crack apart. At the end, she made a stupid decision, but as she said, the baby was never in danger, she just wanted to make sure Clem saw the monster that Kenny could be, she didn't want Clem getting hurt when Kenny turned into a painful resemblance of Carver, she risked her life too make sure Clem knew what was in front of her. Besides, the baby and Sarita were important but no where near as important to Kenny as his own family was, he wanted to be with them again (as said he hoped in the campfire scene) and the only way to do that was through death. He probably preferred it at the hands of Clementine rather than getting shot by a bandit later.
Last point I'm going to make is that Clem didn't need another father. Jane saw her as a sister, that was okay. Clem wanted a sister, that's a partnership. Clem deserves a partner, but another father? No. At the start, she had lost her real dad and was still a little girl who needed someone to look up to. That was where Lee came in, he mentored her and took care of her but all in mind that he wasn't going to be there forever. Clem no longer needed to be taken care of, especially so after pairing up with Omid and Christa. And if she has no need for a father, there's no use hopping from caretaker to caretaker and being a burden when she's quite capable herself. Although that may not be what all players looked at Kenny to be, it was evident that Kenny looked at himself to be, worrying when she took a sip of alcohol, he probably looked at her as an adopted daughter, which although uncontrollable with Clem's age, demeans her capability. To end it off, Kenny didn't really have anything left in the world (the baby was more of a felt obligation, not a personal attachment) and he would've either killed himself or become a Carver, it was good that he ended by Clem's hand. There was no reason to refuse Jane, people are stronger in numbers and there's a pretty high chance you won't be with her longer than a couple years before she dies or a disagreement starts up, like what happens with any group Clem's been with.
Comments
cool,
I chose Kenny. I respect your choice.
That's quite the change in attitude young man
And I approve! Good for you.
To be fair, I think Kenny somewhat redeems himself when he begs for Wellington to take both Clem and AJ in.
That's metagaming though.
Yeah, but Jane also somewhat redeems herself in her ending, if you don't say anything to the family, so (In my opinion) BOTH kind of grow up a little in their respective endings.
I'm tired of all the drama Kenny Vs Jane Threads.
AMEN
Me likewise, brother.
They do, but that's not reason to choose one over the other anyway
Interesting perspective. Now allow me to rebut.
Kenny was my choice. This has nothing to do with an attachment or liking him (I actually found/find him quite disagreeable, especially my Lee and him) but because I believe him to be the only character around Clem that truly had her best interests at heart. Yes Jane helps Clem with survival tactics and opens up about her past to her but I attribute that more to her being lonely and seeing herself (or even her dead sister) in Clem. Jane was Clem's "Partner" . . . it was fun. A good time. Kenny was Clem's "Protector" . . . no frills, no games. Just genuine love. He cared for every bit of Clem, even down to her drinking alcohol and hearing/saying bad things. That's how those old school types are, especially a southern-fried bumpkin like Kenny. And Kenny definitely didn't hold Clem back; He had no qualms about her venturing off miles to meet with Mike and Bonnie or giving her a gun or even yelling at him and talking some sense back into him. You're going to fault a guy because he won't let a 10 year old drink rum? C'mon now.
To your (and Jane's) point concerning Kenny becoming another Carver . . . how? The only thing Carver and Kenny ever had in common was their violent reactions to things they disliked. But there are major differences in those things; Carver snapped when the slightest of mistakes were made. He beat Kenny nearly to death for "taking a radio". He pushed that one dude off the roof because he was handicapped (by his own hand mind you) and apparently couldn't do things as fast as the non handicapped (duh!). When does Kenny get violent? From my recollection it's only when people within and outside the group threaten those he cares for. Yes he is unhinged. Yes he is damaged. Yes he is violent. But that violence was always directed toward aggressors (besides Arvo though I can see why an unhinged, damaged, over emotional person would treat somebody like Arvo as such . . . but that dude shot Clem so screw Arvo! Haha!). What I'm trying to get at here is Kenny simply cares far too much for him to become like Carver. Jane strikes me more of a Carver type if you ask me. A loner. A wolf. Cold, calculating and mostly heartless. Not to mention manipulative (a Carver specialty). That sounds much more like Carver than an overly emotional father who can't keep a cork on his rage without plenty of persuasion. Doesn't it?
Cool, thats your choice, man.
I don't want to argue about this anymore. ;_;
Same here. Its best to just let bygones be bygones and accept each other's choices.
To be honest....I've changed my mind on the endings......I like the ending where either you or Jane lets the family in better, it feels more like a Clem ending. All the endings are valid, and none of them are the right or wrong ending in any way, in my opinion, people are free to make whatever choice they want to make.
Pretty good points. I can get what you're saying with the first part and a little bit of the second part. Comparing Carver and Kenny directly doesn't point out anything obviously but it's more in the sense that they're "unhinged" or a bit over the top. Your comparison does bring to light that my idea's a bit off but both Kenny and Carver aren't the most understanding. As, in season one, Kenny's only ever friends with you when you agree with him and Carver runs Howe's like a tyrant (again unproportional comparison, but Kenny has good potential to become that kind of person and he obsessed over Alvin Jr. almost as much as Carver did)
Regarding Carver and Jane, Jane's a total softie once you really look at her character, she came back for Clem even though she had already decided to leave, she rescues her from freezing in the water and in her ending, she decides to share her and Clem's food with a small family (Yes, Clem is aware of this choice). She may've wanted a sister but I don't think she liked Clem cause she reminded her of her sister (clem would be nothing like her sis anyways), she liked Clem because she saw that she was a survivor, not like the rest of the group. That tough exterior is a bunch of bullshit, she's lonely but she knows when to let go, something Carver didn't (with Rebecca and the baby).
I suppose I'm more upset with the Kenny/Clem relationship they force upon you (the whole arvo and half the group sneaking off in the middle of the night because they're afraid you'd tattle to Kenny; would've gone with them willingly). In the wiki, Lee's relationship with Kenny is stated as "Lee can either become Kenny's best friend or they can be at odds with each other." (in the paragraph) so with my playthrough following the latter, it's definitely awkward. I can now better understand why people chose Kenny, but if you disagreed with Kenny, he was not you're friend. In the last episode of season two (because I only occasionally agreed with him), when I asked him if he'd help me rescue Clem, he asked if I would do the same for him. Like really Kenny? A nine year old girl you said you would take care of just got kidnapped by a psychopath, I'm about to turn into a monster and you won't help unless I tell you Clem's family? I saved your son u dick. (Mind my venting, I'm now tempted to replay with Kenny as the best friend in curiosity's sake) My Lee was takin' none of that shit.
I think Telltale underestimated how much of an asshole "at odds" Kenny was and the same Kenny with a sudden improvement of relationship between him and Clem (who he wouldn't even save) is a slap in the face. He never had Clem's best interests at heart from the start for me, a beard isn't going to change that. Although I do have to give credit where credit's due, Kenny is quite a complex character and his role in the series is major but I don't think Telltale needed to ram him back into season two just to break the man apart and try to make him into a "misunderstood grieving man", it's not what Kenny deserved.
Sidenote: Do you think they took some inspiration from The Governor for Kenny? ('specially looks-wise)
Carver chased Rebecca all over the place because he thought she had his baby. He would do anything to protect it, no matter what she wanted, or how many people he got killed. (Some of his own people died getting Rebecca back.) All that mattered was what Carver thought was right for his family, no matter how reckless it was or how many lives it cost. It's because Kenny cares so much that he's becoming Carver.
Carver beat Kenny because he made a mistake and challenged his authority. That's the same reason Kenny beat Arvo. Arvo got scared, didn't listen to Kenny and ran to shore, and Kenny beat him for it. Just like when Reggie gardened too slowly, he didn't intend to mess up, yet both Kenny and Carver responded with excessive violence to minor mistakes. That's another similarity: blaming people for things they can't control. Did Reggie deserve to die because Sarah couldn't garden quickly enough? Did Clem deserve to be berated because a zombie bit Sarita? In both cases, Reggie and Clem were doing their best, but Kenny and Carver didn't care and took out their anger on them.
Next, Kenny and Carver both kill people who make them angry. They don't kill people in self defense. They murder people who make them angry.
Carver and Kenny weren't the same at the end of season 2, but they were getting there. If Clem stopped Kenny from murdering Jane, she stopped him from becoming a monster. If not, she's allowing him to become Carver and may become like Carver herself.
Kenny was my friend from the beginning, and if he was your friend too then you betrayed him. You cant shoot your friends because of reasons.
Finally a good response!!! PRAISING THE SUN!
This is the way to behave in a forum, no saying "FUCK JANE THAT CRAZY BITCH I SAVED ME KENNY HAHAH I AM MORE 'GOOD FOR YOU HAHA"
Yeah, let's just stop. Noone really sees each other's points, and it leads to nothing.
The combination of your username and comment makes me laugh really hard for some reason but in seriousness, I didn't really think of Kenny as a friend, bitter rival maybe? Not exactly sure but i don't think friend is the right word for "at odds" Kenny at the least.
When we found Kenny alive at ski resort I hugged him, also always liked his family guard concept. I can see why people dont like Kenny and not counting him as friend. And i definitely would shoot Kenny in 1st season, like, dunno, 5 times?
But maybe i feel sorry for Sarita's hand.
He wasn't my friend from the beginning, and Jane was my friend from the moment we had our first proper conversation, so I betrayed nobody.
Also, just because you're someone's friend does not mean you have to agree with them all THE TIME.
Kenny expressed a desire to die. He even thanks you and tells you that you made the right choice if you shoot him. Shooting him doesn't stop you being his friend,.
"U KILL KENNY WTF Y U IDIOT UR DISLOYAL" lmao