Character Actions: LUKE, the good, the bad, the debatable (SP!)
I just decided I'd make lists of some characters' decisions and actions in The Walking Dead Game series during the zombie apocalypse and share my perspective on how they are good, bad or debatable.
Third is Luke (S2E1-S2E5)
Saving Clementine from the Walkers (good) - This is a definite act of kindness, Clementine literally would've died if Luke and Pete hadn't come along to save Clementine, who was a stranger to them, right before a Walker could take a bite out of Clementine, she was saved.
Siding with Clementine (good) - He and Pete and kind of Alvin are the only members of the Cabin Group to trust in Clementine's words, sure she was a stranger, but she was only a little girl, something that seems to phase Carlos only after she is finally accepted by the group. Luke sided with Clementine, believing in her words and because we played the game in Clementine's perspective, we know that she was telling the truth when she says she was bit by a dog and not a Walker. Even though Luke is shocked at first he still decides to side with Clementine, he could've done more and yet he couldn't at the same time as he couldn't just force his group to go with his decision.
Letting Clementine stay with the group (good) - This may have been an offer in which each member of the group felt differently about, but he told Clementine that she could stay with them as long as she wants to, despite certain members of the group despising Clementine, cough Rebecca and determinantly Carlos cough, he stills wants to help Clementine, someone who he had only just met.
Wanting Clementine to go across the bridge with him (debatable) - You can see this as Luke knowing that Clementine can take care of herself and would be a trustworthy person to have his back when going across the bridge, we know for a fact that Clementine did help Luke at the bridge, however, you can also see this as Luke wanting a little girl he barely knows to go across a bridge that could have stored unforeseen dangers and therefore risk Clementine's life, well an eye for an eye I guess?
Refusing to put his weapon down (debatable) - You can say that it was rude of the Cabin Group to refuse putting their weapons down when Walter asks them to, they are being treated to a nice meal, they are given hospitality and yet they refuse to do one thing, however, that one thing is putting their main use of defence away, they barely know Walter, Kenny or Sarita and they're being invited into a place they know nothing of and they are on the run from Carver's Community, you can't blame them for wanting to hold their weapons tight. Although he refused to put his weapon down at first, Luke was still the first to do so. Although it was Rebecca and Nick who refused to do so, Luke still didn't put his gun down until Clementine had a say. So although this leans more on Rebecca and Nick, Luke still keeps his weapons in touch after being told to put them down.
Trying to convince Clementine not to tell Nick about Mathew and trying to convince Nick not to tell Walter (debatable) - Sure you can say that they were doing this to try and defend themselves and prevent bad outcomes from occurring but lying completely does the opposite of Luke's intentions. He tries to convince Clementine to hide the truth from Nick, someone who had been feeling bad about what he had done, yes telling him makes him feel worse but at least you're being honest with him, then he tries to tell Nick not to tell Walter, but we know that Walter deserves to know the truth, he gives them shelter and food, two things they couldn't live without and he gave them a moment's peace, but Luke disagrees with Nick wanting to tell Walter the truth, the reason? It might ruin what the group has gotten, they had gotten shelter and food and he didn't want Nick to ruin that, however, Luke wants to keep the truth hidden from the person who provides those things, I guess in a sense it's rather debatable but I personally think it's bad to lie to someone who gives you hospitality. Although Luke tried to get Nick to lie, it was for good intentions, they didn't know of what Walter could be capable of even though they didn't take that into consideration and even though lying is practically more of a crime in the apocalypse now, Luke did find it a risky situation on whether to lie or tell the truth, he practically took both sides really. The well-being of the group was at stake and in the zombie apocalypse you have to worry about the people you're trying to protect.
Leaving the group (debatable) - He just left the group when Carver shows up, coincidence? Kenny doesn't even know where Luke is either, when his group needed him, he was gone, however, we don't know what could've happened to him, he might've known that Carver would take the group back no matter what and thought ahead by going straight to Howe's, we haven't really found the reason for this action, I guess it's up to theories and debates.
Telling Clementine to get the radio (debatable) - Luke needs the radio so that he can help the group to escape, when the plan comes into fruition everything falls apart because the radio plan failed in the end, the radio is why Kenny was beaten almost to death and why determinantly Sarita or determinantly Clementine gets a cut on her cheek, the radio provides the group with a chance, but then again it caused more harm than help, you can't blame Luke for this, he may have been spotted stealing supplies which caused the plan to fail, but he seemed to have been starving and it was hinted that he didn't get allot of sleep and you can't blame people for not thinking ahead of their plans, especially in the zombie apocalypse when survival is the key priority, then again, Luke helps to escape Howe's which causes the Community to fall and if people have met their fate because of the group's escape, then Luke plays a role in the blame game.
Wanting to stay at Howe's and then talking about leaving people behind (debatable) - There are consequences to rash actions, the majority wanted to leave as soon as possible, however, Luke wanted to stay behind and risk losing Bonnie's help and the Walker herd as a way out, however, Luke then agreed on leaving straight away, but he wanted to talk about leaving some people behind, mainly determinantly a tortured Alvin, a beaten Kenny and a depressed Sarita, Luke may have been right in saying that they would have to leave people behind in order to escape, but he would be willing to leave Kenny and possibly Sarita behind, two people who had no part in Carver's revenge, however, Alvin did but Luke would still think to leave him behind, sometimes you have to leave people behind but sometimes you just have to have a little faith. Luke did want to wait a while so that everyone would be ready for an escape but everyone seemed to oppose this, but when Luke starts to take the group's side but tells them the consequences the group still argues with him.
Trying to help Sarah (good) - The only bad thing about this is he gave up, but it's not exactly easy to keep trying when Walkers are trying to break in through a door that one little girl could break down easily on her own... anyway, Luke didn't have to help Sarah, he could've just ran off to Parker's Run, yet he tried, he failed but he tried, that's more than some people do. The way he tried by shouting at Sarah seemed rather harsh, he also left a pregnant Rebecca in the Walker herd, however, we don't know where his exact position was in the herd to clarify him leaving Rebecca and we only know that Luke was constantly trying to help Sarah who wouldn't move, you can't really blame Luke for his actions at this time.
Determinantly telling Nick to go search for help/Determinantly letting Nick go look for help (debatable) - Luke, who has a rib injury and is starving and sleep deprived is asking Nick who had recently got shot in the shoulder to go find help without any signs of giving him a weapon while he tries to get a girl who is blind, had recently lost her father who was her protector and seems to suffer from anxiety, to move while they are all trapped in Walker infested Trailer Park and somehow Nick managed to make the run for it. Anyway, the fact is that Nick was injured and there were allot of Walkers outside the Trailer Park, Luke seemed to think it was ok for him to go and look for help, however, they were both injured and were in a state of panic, you can't blame them for rash decisions, especially Luke in the state he is in.
Having sex with Jane (debatable) - Jane made the offer and Luke accepted it. Luke has done allot of good and he kind of deserves the pleasure, he seemed to be breaking down slowly and Jane helped him feel 'human' again, however, by accepting her offer, Luke was dodging his responsibilities and he couldn't prevent Walkers from getting to the group because he was too busy feeling like human again.
Wanting to wait a few days before departing (debatable) - This decision goes both ways, if the group waited a few days, everyone would get some rest, they still had enough supplies to last them until the Russian encounter, however, nothing really changes, it's still cold and since they were heading to the town, others would've had the chance to take supplies before the group got there if they waited, but that reason is invalid because the town is forgotten. Also, sometimes waiting too long is worse than acting as soon as possible. This is debatable but Luke's heart is in the right place, he was only trying to put his friends well-being before his and to be fair, Rebecca was really the only friend Luke had left from the Cabin Group. Although Rebecca dies either way, the group didn't know what the outcome would be regardless at that point in time.
Telling Clementine to go to him during the shootout (debatable) - Luke was telling Clementine to go to him, he practically forgot about AJ, no he literally did, he praises you if you save AJ and he gets a bullet after trying to sneak up to one of the Russians and if you don't save AJ, Luke gets the chance to and gets a bullet as a prize, why is this debatable and not good? Well the fact is that Luke focused on Clementine's safety and seemed to have forgotten that there was a crying baby a few steps away from him. But Luke can't be blamed for the situation he was in and he shows how heroic he can be putting his life on the line to save AJ. Luke didn't seem to have taken notice of AJ and we can't blame Luke or Kenny for not trying to rescue AJ as soon as possible since they were focus on the fight, even though AJ was near Luke, he will still go out of his way to save AJ and risk death while Bonnie and Mike hide behind a tree and watch the shootout go on. It is understandable why Luke didn't see AJ but being Rebecca's most trusted friend, AJ's safety became Luke's responsibility, well the whole group's responsibility.
Telling Clementine and Bonnie not to go near him (good) - Luke was really the only one thinking logically at this moment, he knew that the ice would break if any more pressure weighed on it, he was on thin ice, literally and he wanted Bonnie and Clementine to provide him time to escape from his icy doom, however, either Clementine or Bonnie fall in because one or the other chose not to do what Luke wanted and Luke dies because of Clementine or Bonnie, Luke could've died anyway, but he still didn't want Bonnie or Clementine to try and help him because he knew the ice would break and they would just fall in, Bonnie refusing to cover Luke like he wanted her to can lead to her death.
Have anything to add to Luke's actions?
Do you have your own opinion of Luke's actions?
Agree or Disagree with me on anything?
Just add it in the comments!
Which character do you want me to make a Character Actions Thread about?
Comments
This is awesome! Good job!
It seems like I'll be doing Season 2 characters first
Nothing wrong with that prink! I guess next would be Rebecca?
Could have added his attempt to stay in Carver's camp instead of leaving immediately.
That and add him playing devils advocate as debatable.
Oh yeah, sorry! Thanks for the notice!
I'd like to make note as for the shoot out in episode 5 to propose changing the debatable tag to good as their is a determinant path in what happens with Luke and AJ.
Luke comments he didn't see or notice AJ out in the range of fire and most likely couldn't hear him throughout the chaos. He possibly assumed that Bonnie or Mike had already taken cover for the child as they were attempting to hide during the shoot out, vice versa for them and Kenny as well, and in turn followed suit as bullets kept flying and he attempted to provide cover for his friends against two enraged marksmen.
Furthermore if Clem were not to grab him herself, then Luke would risk himself after noticing AJ in the open. and take a bullet in the leg to save the baby. So his actions seem to lean more good and attempting to protect his group regardless of actions here.
Man, I don't get the "bad" choices you put for most of these character. It seems like you're just trying to shoehorn a bad in there, because what Luke did wasn't bad at all. It's common sense to try and have someone keep a secret, and it's natural to be upset when they refuse.
Most people did the exact same thing as Lee when Ben revealed that he was supplying the bandits with food, remember?
Luke did not want to leave Kenny behind. It should be taken into account that the cabin group was run like a democracy. They never did anything without talking it through and seeing what everyone had to say (finding Clementine with a bite on her arm, for example). Luke was the de-facto leader, and he stepped up to lead them when Pete died, but they all had a voice within the group. Majority pretty much always won (which is why Clementine was locked in the shed despite having Luke, Pete, and arguably Alvin on her side). Luke advocated for staying behind an extra night because he didn't want to abandon anybody. They didn't know if Kenny was going to survive the night, let alone be able to walk through a walker herd. Sarita wasn't prepared emotionally to follow through on a plan like that after witnessing her boyfriend get almost beat to death. He also states that he himself isn't in the best shape to make an escape. Nobody was listening to him when he was explaining this (Rebecca and Mike were the most vocal about leaving) - that if they left immediately, Sarita and Kenny would likely not follow. But since nobody was listening to him, and everybody wanted to leave, he said, "okay, we can do this. But here's what could happen if we do."
Not that it was great, but to be fair, Lee has done the exact same thing (bringing her along on dangerous missions like Crawford or into the train station).
He made a mistake but I think it's understandable when you take into account the situation they were all put into by the Russians. If you do go for cover, Luke will spot AJ and run out into the middle of the shootout to save him (almost dying in the process).
Like you said, debatable. The only reason Luke wanted to stay behind was because he was placing his friend Rebecca as first priority. He argues letting them all rest since giving birth is an extremely tiring (and potentially dangerous, as we saw) process. He will relent once Rebecca says that she would rather keep moving the next morning. So I think that leans more towards good in the case that his intentions were good.
To be fair, this is a plan that every single member of the group agreed to. Even Kenny agrees to it, as long as they reach a compromise and put his plan of escaping through a herd somewhere in it. They knew the risks of attempting a breakout and it's pretty much said that Luke looked for alternative ways out (if you let the timer run, he'll mention that he tried searching for the holes he used to break everyone out the first time but found them covered).
Regardless of what you say, but especially if you say you cannot vouch for everybody, Luke will be the first of his group to put down his weapons. Which is mature on his part since it shows that he wants Clementine to be able to trust him and his group.
Luke doesn't know Walter. He doesn't know how Walter deals with pain or anger. All he does know is that he was extremely close to Matthew, and it's likely that he won't take the news well. Luke will agree that it's risky both telling him and not telling him, showing that he did think about both sides. His group planned to head out in the morning, so while it's definitely not good to lie, Luke wanted to look out for his friend. Telling the truth saved Nick's life, but the characters wouldn't know that from the get go. It could have easily been the opposite.
Honestly, I think I can just describe Luke, when it comes down to it, as good. Luke makes mistakes. His plans might fail and he has lapses in judgement, but he would never intentionally put people in harm. He has a good heart, and every single one of these things mentioned in the thread are done with his groups best interests at heart. Every one of them (except for sleeping with Jane). That's one thing I will appreciate about Luke's death - he died being the same person he was all season long.. a good one. He, excluding AJ, was the only who didn't do a lot of controversial stuff in the finale. He was the peacemaker and the glue of that final group.
Those points are kinda already in there
That doesn't make it good :x How is lying to Walter, someone who offered them refuge and resources about Nick killing his partner Mathew a good thing?
All excellent points! Thanks for the comment
It's best for the well being of Clementine and the group. Did you see how he was brandishing that knife? For all Luke knew, they could've been attacked.
I was confused on the exact wording there. My bad.
Still the point stands that Luke isn't at fault completely for AJ being left in the field. It was an honest mistake and he proves it by risking himself. So from how I see, it feels less debatable and leans on the good side for Luke, mostly because of that determinant path.
And props to quinnics on his post regarding Luke's actions. I meant the same when it came to the shoot out. And you were great at explaining Luke's position and behavior in all of this. Especially on that last part regarding him as a whole.
The well-being of Nick was on the stake and Clementine could make the decision to say he was good or like everyone else :x
I agree, really the only ones at full fault are Bonnie and Mike as they didn't really have much of a reason not to help AJ, they just sat beside a tree together :x
You forgot to add something.
Luke in general. (good)
I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here because I never liked Luke, I always found him irritating and useless.
lays down unhappily at the mention of Luke
Mind if I join in on this discussion?
WARNING: Long post ahead.
Saving Clementine from the Walkers (good) - Agreed. ^_^
Addition by me
Dropping Clementine after seeing her bite wound (bad, but understandable, and IMO, forgivable) - It was bad that Luke dropped Clem considering the weak state she was in, but it surprised him and caught him off guard. It's a natural reaction to it and given the Cabin Group's past history with bite victims and what happened with Nick's mom I can forgive him for it. Plus, when Clementine did faint and fall over, you see Luke running towards her, saying "Oh shit!" Though we don't see it, I bet Luke was the one that carried unconscious Clem the rest of the way to the cabin, even after he said that he wouldn't.
Siding with Clementine (good) - Agreed. If you listen to the entire kitchen conversation, Luke is very adamant about defending Clementine. It's very admirable for him and Pete to trust and believe her.
Letting Clementine stay with the group (good) - Agreed. And he also doesn't force Clem to stay with them. He lets her decide for herself, taking in consideration how she might feel.
Wanting Clementine to go across the bridge with him (debatable) - Yeah, this is debatable. Yes, it does show that Luke trusts and believes in Clem's capability, but he really shouldn't be putting an eleven year old in danger. But then again, it's probably good that he's doing that because then Clem gets accustomed to it and is able to handle situations like it in the future. And throughout it all, Luke is looking out for Clementine. He tells her to take out the shorter walker instead of the big one. When they get surrounded by walkers on both sides, he goes for the one behind them so they can go back like he said they would if things got too dangerous (too bad the bridge broke beneath him, rendering his efforts useless). And he also shields Clem during the Nick/Matthew confrontation.
Refusing to put his weapon down (debatable) - Luke wasn't the one who refused to put his weapons down. That was Nick and Rebecca. In fact, if Clem doesn't vouch for the group, Luke is the first one to put his machete down, which shows that he's willing to take the first step in showing trust.
Trying to convince Clementine not to tell Nick about Mathew and trying to convince Nick not to tell Walter (debatable) - Very debatable. Luke wanted to hide the truth from Walter in order to protect Nick. Luke didn't know Walter, nor did he know how Walter would react to the news that Nick had killed Matthew. Luke was afraid that Walter would kill Nick in retaliation, and given that if Clem doesn't tell Walter that Nick is a good guy, then Walter lets Nick die, making Luke's fears valid. While I do believe that Luke should have been honest because it was the right thing to do since Walter deserved to know, I do understand why he wanted to hide the truth.
Leaving the group (debatable) - The way I see it, Luke tried to convince Kenny to hold back and wait for a better opportunity to rescue everyone, but Kenny told Luke off, telling him "To take a hike." They were outnumbered and outgunned, and Luke knew that if they start shooting, then Carver would have start killing the group members off one by one. He wanted to avoid that and be smart about the whole thing.
Addition by me
Coming back for the group at Howe's (good) - You have to admit, after Carver captured everyone, Luke could have moved on. He didn't have to go back for everyone. Carver wasn't going to go off hunting for him at the moment, Luke could have gotten away for good. But no. He traveled for miles, with little food/water/rest, to get back to the group and rescue them. Because they're his family. It was very admirable of him.
Telling Clementine to get the radio (debatable) - At the time, using the radio to get more intel about the guard schedule was a really smart idea. It's just that Luke got caught stealing food. If he hadn't been caught, Luke with a radio on the outside would have been very valuable to their escape. So instead of "Telling Clementine to get the radio (debatable)" **maybe it should be **"Getting caught stealing supplies (bad)."
This is a little unfair to single Luke out for the fates of the other people in Howe's. It wasn't Luke's idea to use the walkers to escape. That was Kenny and Jane. Yes, Luke went along with it, but so did everyone else in the group.
Wanting to stay at Howe's and then talking about leaving people behind (debatable) - quinnics already said everything that needs to be said about this, so I'm just going to say that I agree with quinnics.
Trying to help Sarah (good) - Agreed, but yeah, there are bits of bad in this. When Sarah first runs off, Luke goes right after her... but he leaves the pregnant Rebecca to fend for herself. And then when you do find Luke with Sarah, he's yelling at her harshly, getting more and more frustrated with her. But then again, he was with Sarah for hours, trying to reach her and there were walkers bearing down on them. I would get frustrated too if I was in that situation and given that Clem has to slap Sarah in order to get her to accept their help, I suppose a harsh approach was needed. But it was really bad of Luke to yell at Sarah like that, given her innocent character. And the fact that Luke can give up on Sarah, yeah, that's not good. So yeah. His effort was good, but the overall outcome was kind of bad.
Determinantly telling Nick to go search for help (debatable) - I don't remember, did Luke specifically tell Nick to go get help? Or did Nick volunteer to go out himself? Because there really isn't much for discussion. Both of them were in bad shape, so it would have been risky for either of them.
Having sex with Jane (debatable) - Ah, the most controversial of Luke's actions. I get why he did it. He was having a shitty day. It's just that it was really bad timing. He does apologize for it and admits that he fucked up. But yeah, it was bad of him to do that when he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for walkers.
Wanting to wait a few days before departing (debatable) - Rebecca dies either way, so it doesn't really matter. It was good that Luke actually considered Rebecca's opinion though.
Telling Clementine to go to him during the shootout (debatable) - I'd say this is more good than debatable. He's trying to protect Clem. Yes, it was bad that Luke didn't notice AJ right away, but he does if Clem doesn't get AJ first and goes out to save him himself. That's more than what Bonnie, Mike and even Kenny did.
Telling Clementine and Bonnie not to go near him (good) - Agreed.
One more thing, I'd like to add.
Luke's lack of reaction to Nick's death and overreaction to Jane leaving (debatable) - I didn't mind Luke's lack of reaction when Clem and Jane told him about Nick. There were more pressing matters at hand at the moment with the walkers beating on the trailer's door and Sarah still catatonic. He couldn't afford to grieve right then and there. And then his overreaction to Jane leaving, I took it as more of a "last straw" kind of thing. At that point, Luke has been beat to shit, lost Pete, Alvin, Carlos, Nick and Sarah and given their current dire situation of having a baby with little to no supplies, I'm not surprised that Luke exploded right then and there. I mean, haven't you ever had a series of bad things happen to you and then one more thing happens, something so minor that normally you would brush off without much fuss, but because of the culmination of all the previous bad stuff, you just snap? I think that was what it was like for Luke when he had his little outburst in episode 4.
Thanks for the reply!
Nick's conscience would be even heavier if Walter killed someone else in a fit of rage, AND Walter can have Nick die after finding out what happened.
It probably would've been for the best if he never found out.
Can I join you? ;_; I have poptarts.
Of course. Poptarts for misery healing. ;-;
The situation never would've occurred if Nick didn't shoot Mathew.
We're not talking about the consequence's of Nick's decision. We're talking about Luke, and why he should've (or shouldn't have) lied.
Well Luke's influence on the player can determine Nick's fate.
How? It was aggressive, yeah, but aggression is the ONLY thing that gets through to Sarah in that scene; she dies if you dont slap her.