Rebecca and Carlos
I hear a lot of people say that the way Carlos and Rebecca changed their minds about Clementine so quickly was bad writing but I actually don't think that, to be honest. (And I'm usually the first to complain about bad writing for s2...)
I’m pretty sure the main reason Rebecca distrusted Clementine so much in the beginning is because she thought that Clem was a spy for Carver or something and considering that Carver was a crazy stalker and it was highly implied that he raped her, I understand why she would be paranoid of strangers regardless of their age. I still didn’t like how she treated Clem but I see where she was coming from in a way, if you know what I mean.
I also liked watching Rebecca’s relationship with Clementine evolve, especially when we go back for her in the herd and helped her get out of there, I think that is one of the biggest turning points for her and Clem’s relationship and I just really thought seeing Rebecca’s opinion change was pretty sweet. I see a lot of people criticize how abrupt her attitude switched but personally I thought it was one of the more well-done, heartwarming moments of the season.
Another thing I see people complain a lot about in a manner similar to the Rebecca situation, is how Carlos didn’t want Clementine near Sarah at first and then he suddenly starts asking Clem to watch out for her and be her friend, well Carlos had no one else to watch Sarah back at the cabin that time so he asked Clem to do it. When they find out that Carver came over when they were gone and only Clementine and Sarah were in the house, well, Clem essentially kept Sarah safe from the man that was terrorizing their group so I think that may have been the moment where Carlos warms up to Clementine and starts trusting her more.
Their distrust of her mainly comes from their fear of Carver, I think. When Carver comes over she didn't sell out Sarah to him or screw anything up for them so they probably decided they could trust her, or at least didn't have to fear her being a spy.
Just some thoughts.
Comments
I don't think Carver raped Rebecca at all.
Well i ended up liking them both, despite the distrust at first.
Walking through the horde was definitely when I really started to care for Rebecca. When it boiled down to it, she was pregnant and justifiably scared out of her mind.
Right, Rebecca didn't like Clem because she thought she was working for Carver. Understandable. But after I leave with two members of the group and I'm the only one to return she decides I can be trusted? That they can take my word? Does that honestly make any bit of sense considering I could have lured them out and straight to Carver. I was expecting a "I knew we couldn't trust the little shit!" but I got "Ok, I believe you."
Same here. I really sympathized with her there and wanted to keep her safe.
PS: Carlos having no choice but to leave Sarah with Clem also comes back to this bizarre change of trust level. Not only did he trust her with his daughter, but in order for that to even be an option he had to trust her tale that they had been split up by zombies at the river in the first place. Something I find out of place since only hours earlier they threw her in a shed to likely die because they so heartedly believed she was working for Carver. Awkward.
Yes, there are multiple lines implying that Rebecca willingly hooked up with Carver (She regrets doing it but she did still do it though)
Clem had been missing with Pete and Nick for over a full day. We're supposed to believe that Rebecca and Carlos had time to rethink their treatment of Clem.
What's stupid to me is the very fact that Clem returns with Nick & Pete missing would CONFIRM their belief that she's a spy. Logic, what is it?
It's open to interpretation, I think. There's arguments for and against it being consented to.
That's when I started warming up to her too! A little bit back in episode two when she let me hear her baby kick, but episode four is when I actually started liking her. Too bad that's also the episode she's killed off.
Ultimately, I think the strongest argument against it is Rebecca being terrified of Alvin "finding out" and getting angry with her. If it was meant to be a rape, why the heck would Alvin be angry with her? The only explanation to that bizarre continuity would be that Alvin is a complete dick with no capacity for sympathy for his wife, but from everything we see of him, he's as far away from that characterization as possible.
Look right above. I felt the exact same way. I was so confused when I walked in and was nervously greeted by the two characters. Not nervous of me at all though, only for the missing people. The ones that I, the suspected spy, had gone out with earlier....
That's true. Plus Luke and the other cabin members knew that the baby might not be Alvin's. If it had been assault, they would not be that quiet about it. Luke's comment of not getting in the middle of it and it not being his place to talk about it seems more like a "this is between those three and it's not my place to judge them" kind of thing.
I wouldn't look to Carver to analyze why one or two people are paranoid. Everyone in this world cannot be trusted and Clementine is just another person they don't know. The only person who trusted someone from outside without hesitation was Walter, who was supposed to be the last good person in the world. Even if Clementine isn't affiliated with Carver, she could just as easily be a scout who counts their guns and signals a raiding party.
Carlos made sense to me, I guess most people got the stay away line but even then hes a little bit suspicious
Rebecca continues to threaten clementine after she's proved shes not bitten, then starts being nice the next day. Thats a bit odd
I would have liked more interaction and variation with Carlos, but you are technically able to end things with him on an agreeable note in episode one.
Rebecca's shift is a little harder to swallow, because she's essentially introduced as the Larry of the group. Except instead of threatening a convicted killer, she's threatening an eleven-year-old girl. I liked her in following episodes, I just would have liked a little more of a transition between those two points in her and Clem's relationship.
"Pregnancy" is her excuse, although at least she admits she was being harsh to you and apologizes. Carlos, on the other hand, reverts from "Stay away from my daughter" to "Please watch her."
Way to defuse tension.
It seems normal they were against letting her in (bearing in mind they didn't know Clem at all), I don't have a problem with their rational attitudes.
Well, lots of rape victims feel shame for what happened to them and feel that it was somehow "their fault" even though it doesn't make any sense at all to do so. This may especially be the case if Carver didn't go about it using pure physical force but rather threats and intimidation, which seems pretty up his alley.