Javier suddenly becoming Supreme Leader of the group feels extremely forced.
Everyone just falling into line of exactly what Javier says from about Episode 2 onwards feels extremely unnatural in terms of character development. Javier and Clem were kicked out of Prescott, with a whole bunch of people calling for stricter punishment. But then, suddenly, after the Junkyard shootout, everyone suddenly bows down to Javier's every command -everyone needs Javi's approval to do stuff, despite Tripp being established as a confident leader-type character.
If Javier decides not to tie Jesus up, the only response at all is from Tripp, saying something like 'Sure, go with your gut.'. Seriously? Your entire town has just been burnt to ground, you're on the run from a literal mob, and here you have a potential rat. Sure, Tripp is an optimist who hopes for the best in people, but Conrad should've made a disagreement here - his character is shown to be utilitarian and group safety-prioritising. Hell, Clem, should've had a semester's worth of essays to rebut, considering ARVO (Even the word fills me with rage).
I also find it strange how Clementine just accepts Conrad's trade plan. She's been established as a cold, hardened survivor, but if Javi goes with, Clem just gives up when she has a gun (which she just gives to Conrad?). She barely puts up any struggle except drilling holes into Javi with The Glare™? Why does she listen to Javi?
I get Javi has to be the driving force of group's decision making, but the way it's done feels ridiculously artificial and done just because 'WE WANT MORE CHOICES'.
Everyone is just like
- Group: Hey Javi, what should we do?"
- Javi: (decision that should cause friction between the group because of its debatable benefits/harm)
- Group: k lol whatevs
Comments
With episodes so brief. All plot points shall feel forced and awkward.
Everything seems kind of forced and without sense if you really think about it. That's what happens when you introduce new characters and a new protagonist. You have to establish a connection between them and it doesn't help when the episodes are so short and it leaves no time to sit back, get to know the characters, give them enough time to trust each other. At least not in a realistic way.
This is also a problem with Javier's family. They have survived without any problems for 4 years and suddenly everyone starts doing stupid shit and dying. They find a trailer full of supplies and a bed, "derp, let's spend the night and take all this shit for ourselves" when it's CLEAR someone else lives there and could be back at any minute. At that point I knew someone was coming, so I didn't spend the night but I also knew it wouldn't make a difference because they were coming either way. It was so painfully obvious.
And then you remind yourself that it has been 4 years since the outbreak and these guys somehow managed to survive this long thinking like that...
It's just like Rick Grimes. He wakes up from his coma, finds his family, joins the Atlanta group, and suddenly becomes the leader.
Yeah, it just makes no sense. Kate is the only one with a brain at that point when she says "someone else's food, someone else's blankets" and all Javier can say is "yeah, this place has a funny feeling about it". * facepalm* really, Javi, really? Or should I say: really, Telltale, really?
I get what you are saying but some people are natural leaders and people naturally flock to them. While it is true that it is a little forced - it is not awful. Without some sort of leader everything falls apart fast. Javi filled the role they needed in the last couple of chapters.
There was a argument at Prescott over what to do. Tripp agreed with Clem that there was no point giving in to them. Conrad was the one who wanted Javi to give himself up.
To be fair, there wasn't more options because everything was happening so fast that decisions needed to be made quick. Going to Richmond was actually Clem's idea and since nobody had any other plan and the situation was urgent everyone agreed.
Rick and Shane arguing who to run the group lasted two seasons. And every season bar the latest few had all the characters giving Rick shit.
Not to mention there isn't really a viable alternative in the Atlanta group, no one else wants to leave
Sure, but I'm talking about the comics. Also, in the show, Rick really was the leader the moment he joined the Atlanta group, even though people gave him shit. Besides, it was mostly Shane who gave him shit, everyone else usually followed Rick's lead.
Right, I see what you mean. I played my Javier as an unsure, unprepared survivor during the first two episodes, who wasn't in the position to lead the group just yet. But, when we got to the overpass after the fall of Prescott, Javier no longer had those prompts, and was now taking control of the group, going alone to confront people who were spying on them (later found out, Jesus). It did feel kind of abrupt, at least to what my character had done previously.
wut?
Their current mission is to save Kate. It's sort of understandable that Javi takes the lead on that one.
I thought I was the only one thinking that. The group went from not trusting Javier and wanting him to doing everything he says like he's the leader after barely knowing them at max a day.
Brothers, Javier and David are based on Latin American revolutionaires. Do not ask why people listen to them. It's their destiny.
Yeah I did noticed that too. I thought somebody like Tripp would've been calling all the shots, but then you could argue leadership is being shared since there isn't many of them and it's just how the situation went after Prescott.
Guys with man buns never lead...proven fact.
I noticed this, but it seemed natural to me because Javier has the most to lose. After the fall of Prescott, Clem has no one but a loose alliance with Javier, Eleanor and Tripp only have each other, and Conrad already lost the person closest to him. Javier however still has Gabe and an injured Kate, and since Kate's injury is the most pressing and prioritized matter, it makes sense that he is the one calling the shots to save her life. I feel like if Kate weren't injured Tripp might have been the one to naturally fall into the role of leader.