Congratulations Telltale
Honestly, well done. After Season One I went into Season Two knowing shit was going to get rough and I had promised myself I wouldn't let it affect me the way the end of Season One did. But, yet again, I failed at that.
That.damn.ending....
So first of all, let me say I really loved having Kenny back, although at times it felt like he was brought back to fill the gap in what seemed like a group of uninteresting characters (and let's face it, he died in season 1). I really loved having him there and cried when I first saw him. Hugging him and supporting him all the way through season 2. I disagreed with him a lot in season one playing as Lee due to some of his methods being too rash, but as Clem in season 2 I was so pro-Kenny. I felt as Clementine, this was her strongest link back to Lee and that, if nothing else, was the most important thing anyone in this new group could offer her.
Then entered Jane, with all her gracious wisdom and "Mollyness" about her. I didn't like her much at first, but when she started teaching Clem survival tactics to kill walkers and loot them. I felt like, for the first time in the whole season, Clem had found her female Lee in just how reminiscent this was of Lee teaching Clem to shoot on the train and to "keep that hair short".
Despite Clem's new found heroine, I never once agreed with her about going back to Howes. It was a stupid idea. Like the many times before it, I sided with Kenny all the way. Wellington was where I wanted to go, not just because I personally felt it would be the best bet at a long term safe-haven. But also because I didn't want to give up hope that Christa was still out there and although she was on her own I felt she was resilient enough to make it there.
So when all we were left with was a baby, Crazy lovable Kenny, Molly err.. Jane and a bullet-wounded Clementine. I knew I'd be left with a gut-wrenching decision that would ultimately impact Clem's fate and the way she sees the people and world around her.
Being out in that cold I almost felt they would end it with Clem freezing to death. So when I reached that rest stop and found Kenny, nothing else mattered. I was safe and with the guy who I know would keep me safe. Then Jane entered without the baby and everything spiraled out of control.
I felt for her, she was running from the walkers and it was freezing out there. Sure she should have given her own life to save the child, therefore should never have sought shelter without him. But I understood that things don't always go according to plan, shit happens and people just panic.
So when Kenny started his furious, maniacal rage I had to try and calm him down. I felt that Jane would have done her best to save the child and that she definitely didn't deserve to die for a mistake she would have had to live with anyway. But when Jane started acting cryptic about the situation, not crying and appearing seemingly unremorseful, I had a suspicion this was a test. Which I felt she did deserve to die for.
Kenny had lost a hell of a lot in his time, and despite the kid not being his, it was the only thing he had left, his symbol of hope. If you're stupid enough to take that away from a person who has lost all else and already has a terribly short fuse to begin with. Bad things are going to happen to you.
So when Kenny and Jane lay on top of one another with Kenny trying to drive a blade through her chest. I had flashbacks of how we'd gotten to this point and realized something. Kenny wasn't who I thought he was. I'd been so blinded in trying to maintain a tangible connection to Clem's past and Lee that I never realized just how bad Kenny had gotten.
I thought about how Walt had died, how Bonnie and Mike had left with Arvo, the countless arguments Kenny never backed down from or conceded just to keep the peace. But most of all I thought back to Jane's story. The one about how her old group had lost four people just trying to save one person from under a truck. I realized from this that it is what I had been doing with Kenny, because our history was so rich and I cared about him so much I didn't care how many people were left unhappy or dead along the way. Now that might not seem like such a bad way to think, even Lee tells us we have to sacrifice those we care about to save the ones we love. But when people are left unhappy or dead because of the person you're trying to protect. That person isn't being as fair to you as you are to them. Especially when so much of that lose could have been prevented if that person had simply listened to you and took your advice.
So, with a tears streaming down my face and that all too familiar gut-wrenching feeling. I shot Kenny. I still felt horrible about this and like I had made the wrong decision, until Kenny himself thanked me understanding now just how much he had lost it. I continually asked him why he would make me do this and in some sense I wish I could have asked Jane that too. However I did believe her in that she didn't think he would actually try to kill her.
When I heard the baby's cry I was relieved but at the same time, I wasn't surprised. I half expected it to be a test so I forgave her easily enough, I would have thanked her if I could because it did actually make me think back and realize just how bad things had gotten. However when we arrived at Howes nine days later, I was thoroughly disappointed. Despite Kenny's lingering insanity and uncontrollable temper, I did still want to go to Wellington. I wish that could have been an option.
So there it is, I believe Clementine was left in capable hands with Jane. Which is why I refused the family at the end... Jane said it best "do you really want to go through this again?" and after I denied them and Clem spoke of Lee's guidance. I knew I was making the best of a bad situation.
Thank you Telltale for a masterful end to a thrilling second season.
Comments
Letting that family in was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made.
I rejected them at first. When Jane said do you really wanna go through this again..
Nope..
bye..
Are you sure about this little girl? I mean, what if we're dangerous?
Clementine whips out gun What if I am?
Memorable.. memorable moment XD
Best moment in the entire Season 2.
At first try I let them in. I just tried to think what Lee could do in the same situation, but when I saw that guy with hidden weapon I was like "damn! what I have done!"
I actually didn't like that part. I felt Clem was very cold in that moment... I just wanted to protect our little group and the best way to do that was to not let them in. I feel it's important for Clem to not grow up too fast. And badass moments like that aren't what a child should be saying.
It's silly though. Almost everyone has some form of protection in the apocalypse.
So the gun didn't surprise me.
That's a really good point, and in a lot of ways it would be even more suspicious if they didn't have any protection. I would definitely be asking myself how they'd survived out there without any.
But I guess in this ending it's what the gun represents coming into a new community. Power.
Yep, such a bad ass moment.
Yeah, that's true ...