Okay, I have quite a bit I can post and/or say, but for now, I'm going to do something different. I am going to take an old comment suggesting a plot point and repost it here to generate a Failed Aspiration to help get things back in production soon.
With the Pain That's Taking Its Toll
(Amercement in light of an Affair)
It looks like Alvin is going to confront Rebecca about the real father of her baby. I don't think he'll snap, but he'll probably become despondent. This might be followed by Carver putting Alvin through a public execution. This is where the player could be granted some influence on Alvin's fate: If Clem and Alvin have one last conversation prior to Alvin's death scene, Clem could either leave him twice as depressed as before, allowing Carver to put him down like a pathetic little lamb, or Clem could convince Alvin to go on fighting. This decision would result in Alvin throwing a few last defiant words at Carver (maybe even at the gathered crowd) before he's killed.
Since it's so dead(heh) around here, I"m gonna pre-emptively bump this before what I have planned in the name of getting some creativity and/or discussion going somewhere.
So I'll plug these primarily TFS related questions here since it's the most recent, although they can also be applied to previous games:
What character(s) do you wish got more focus?
What plot point(s) do you think could've been handled better?
What character(s) do you wish had a bigger role?
What location did you think deserved more exploration?
Which character(s) would you swap for the role of another?
Why?
So, I lets get some stuff out in the air to establish some context: This was one of my favorite threads. Not only was it, like, the ultimate outlet for anyone to contribute to and share their ideas, but it was the perfect place for me to do fancy, well thought out, and often times stylish work for the community. It takes a good bit of research, work, & dedication and its definitely taken a bit of toll from time to time as we'll get into, but seeing the end results of my free brainstorming among others--it makes some of my time here with this game series worth it in a way.
So what happened? Well, a number of things: school/college(which is ultimately my primary source of achievement), work(if you can call it that, given my particular practice), family, other interests, some me-time me-time sprinkled around--priorities that can naturally cut into something like this. But by far, the biggest and most pervasive factor was more based on some form of... recessive abjection? Now, I don't wanna say it was anything as serious as depression, for doubting one thing, but there just wasn't a drive, an ethic, a sense of particular on-task behavior that enabled me to not only come up with these topics & cannibalize content for them, but stick with it long enough to even write much of anything cohesive. Same thing sorta applies to my ANF rewrites, though I'd say that's both more understandable and yet less excusable. And, in a way, it also leaked into other areas of my life, as my progress of having and actually starting Telltale's Batman is an excellent benchmark of.
But that's been changing over the winter. It was slow and it's been sprickled from time to time, but my ability to actually do something I want to do, get through it, and enjoy it has been returning in earnest. Games were waiting to be played and I sat down to play through it with relatively concentration. Hell, I've been watching movies of my volition on an occasional basis--when was the last time I was able to set time aside to do that, both practically and personally? And when genuine inspiration has struck, I've been able to act on it a bit.
So of course, I've wanted to extend that afformentioned inspiration to getting more things done, whether it be out there somewhere or around the house or right here in this very community, to get back to relevance. I have over sixty topics on the backburner to write and post for this thread. Failed Aspirations that I intended to successfully get back to doing in earnest again, some of which were topical to recent progressions and were genuinely on my mind from time to time due to my interest actually doing something with them. And due to some things that's been going on in my life recently that I'm gradually getting sorted out, that also means I actually have a little more time to spare in the meantime to be able to concentrate on doing it amongst other things--I genuinely intended to continue with them after so long!
Which finally loops us back to our opening remark--man, what poor timing! Like, I'll admit that I sometimes make or bump threads to capitalize on a certain lull or hot topic of public interest--including one I bumped in preparation last night. But after the most recent episode, this unfortunately morphs my intentions of genuine zest to a climate of indignant pouring. That was not the intent, that was NOT the vision, that was NOT the feeling! And both thankfully as well as a reflection, I do not plan on doing anything on it specifically anytime soon.
Sigh.... ...So, with both of those things in mind, I guess I'll just go ahead and put this back out there again.
Once again, I would've preferred if the very next post here had been a proper one(and I do hope to post something for this overall site tonight, fingers crossed), but I had a thought that'd fit here better than anywhere else:
Is it safe to say that, 75% of the way into this final season, all but maybe five of the characters that comprise it's cast feel somewhat wasted?
Once again, I would've preferred if the very next post here had been a proper one(and I do hope to post something for this overall site toni… moreght, fingers crossed), but I had a thought that'd fit here better than anywhere else:
Is it safe to say that, 75% of the way into this final season, all but maybe five of the characters that comprise it's cast feel somewhat wasted?
Is it safe to say that, 75% of the way into this final season, all but maybe five of the characters that comprise it's cast feel somewhat wasted?
You could say that, yes. Though I love how those five characters were fleshed out and I think it's for the better that these characters in particular are the main focus of the story, since they were written that way since the beginning.
Sure, the writers could've made extra scenes for Omar or Aasim, but game developement is always about compromise. If they made a scene for Omar, another one would've been cut to fit the budget or time constrains. It's a sad reality, but keeping that in mind and the fact that Telltale was in a really bad place at that time, i'd say they did a damn good job with what they had.
Once again, I would've preferred if the very next post here had been a proper one(and I do hope to post something for this overall site toni… moreght, fingers crossed), but I had a thought that'd fit here better than anywhere else:
Is it safe to say that, 75% of the way into this final season, all but maybe five of the characters that comprise it's cast feel somewhat wasted?
It's time to add Lilly to the list of the most wasted Telltale characters in history.
A character that came back in Clem's story for absolutely no reason.
Is too much Evil,she's literally Hitler now,it's pathetic.
can determinantly cut Louis's tongue "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut",brainwash kids,orders to kill a defenseless James.
Oh and i don't think she's doing that for "the war" that's happening at the Delta i think Lilly just really enjoys doing all this,look at her face when she talks to AJ she's smiling,it's ridiculous,she's a fucking psychopath now.
Gets barely any screentime,seriously ? After all this hype she gets what ? 20 minutes of screentime ?
Her backstory with Clem is barely mentioned and left aside,and when we can talk about the past our options are so limited it doesn't matter,we can't even talk about the man who killed her dad,again,wasted opportunity.
Lilly in episode 3 is completely different from who she was in EP2,in episode 2 she is conflicted about Clem and her mission with the Delta,remember when we could tell her "we used to be family" ? Yeah i remember,but i don't think the writers does lol.
In the end,everything they've done with her could've been pulled off with a new original character.
So,was it worth it ? Bringing back a once loved season 1 character and turning her into..this ?
God i can't believe her last words were "I DONT WANT TO DIE !",Lilly begging for her life,i never thought i'd see that but here we are.
It's time to add Lilly to the list of the most wasted Telltale characters in history.
* A character that came back in Clem's story for … moreabsolutely no reason.
* Is too much Evil,she's literally Hitler now,it's pathetic.
can determinantly cut Louis's tongue "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut",brainwash kids,orders to kill a defenseless James.
Oh and i don't think she's doing that for "the war" that's happening at the Delta i think Lilly just really enjoys doing all this,look at her face when she talks to AJ she's smiling,it's ridiculous,she's a fucking psychopath now.
* Gets barely any screentime,seriously ? After all this hype she gets what ? 20 minutes of screentime ?
* Her backstory with Clem is barely mentioned and left aside,and when we can talk about the past our options are so limited it doesn't matter,we can't even talk about the man who killed her dad,again,wasted opportunity.
* Lilly in episode 3 is comp… [view original content]
I honestly can't pin down where I lie with how he was handled overall in that episode, aside from the facts that a) I sorta think there may have been a bit of overcompensation considering how much character he had in comparison and b) they just wanted to be edgy, I mean, "authentic" in their shock.
Omar and Aasim. The kids only mention those who we chose to get captured (Louis/Violet) but Omar and Aasim... Like, nobody even gives a shit. I don't know if it's funny or sad.
Omar and Aasim. The kids only mention those who we chose to get captured (Louis/Violet) but Omar and Aasim... Like, nobody even gives a shit. I don't know if it's funny or sad.
It's time to add Lilly to the list of the most wasted Telltale characters in history.
* A character that came back in Clem's story for … moreabsolutely no reason.
* Is too much Evil,she's literally Hitler now,it's pathetic.
can determinantly cut Louis's tongue "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut",brainwash kids,orders to kill a defenseless James.
Oh and i don't think she's doing that for "the war" that's happening at the Delta i think Lilly just really enjoys doing all this,look at her face when she talks to AJ she's smiling,it's ridiculous,she's a fucking psychopath now.
* Gets barely any screentime,seriously ? After all this hype she gets what ? 20 minutes of screentime ?
* Her backstory with Clem is barely mentioned and left aside,and when we can talk about the past our options are so limited it doesn't matter,we can't even talk about the man who killed her dad,again,wasted opportunity.
* Lilly in episode 3 is comp… [view original content]
So,was it worth it ? Bringing back a once loved season 1 character and turning her into..this ?
Yeah, it was. It made me much more i… morenvested in the story.
God i can't believe her last words were "I DONT WANT TO DIE !",Lilly begging for her life,i never thought i'd see that but here we are.
She tried to get the upper hand, you know that, right? She wasn't really begging. She just wanted to buy more time so that she can hit back.
You're acting like Lilly was a saint in S1. She's just slightly more evil now than she was back then.
Lilly - right now - is exactly the kind of character you could predict she would become after Ep3 of S1. What some people want from Lilly this season is fan service. It's not about athenticity, believability, consistency or coherency. It's about having a fulfilling reunion no matter what. They want a scene where Lilly tells Clementine what happened in those 7 years. They want a scene where Clementine and Lilly talk about their past. They want Clementine and Lilly to bond together, because they have history together. But that's just not good writing. That's bad fanfiction-quality wish fulfillment, ignoring everything what made the character - and the world - interesting in the first place.
I read here somewhere that the Lilly situation is comparable to the Luke Skywalker situation in The Last Jedi, where people couldn't understand how characters can change during a huge timespan and I think this comparison is totally spot on. Saying Luke would never do the things he did in TLJ shows a severe misunderstanding of his character and how his storyarc in Star Wars has always been about growing up. Change isn't a linear progression. You will be set back and forth, just like it is in the real world.
Characters change. All the time. Offscreen or on. Just because it didn't went the way you thought or even wished it would, doesn't mean the writers didn't knew what they were doing. And in the case's of Luke and Lilly, they knew exactly what was the right thing to do with these characters after leaving them up in the air for years.
It's time to add Lilly to the list of the most wasted Telltale characters in history.
* A character that came back in Clem's story for … moreabsolutely no reason.
* Is too much Evil,she's literally Hitler now,it's pathetic.
can determinantly cut Louis's tongue "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut",brainwash kids,orders to kill a defenseless James.
Oh and i don't think she's doing that for "the war" that's happening at the Delta i think Lilly just really enjoys doing all this,look at her face when she talks to AJ she's smiling,it's ridiculous,she's a fucking psychopath now.
* Gets barely any screentime,seriously ? After all this hype she gets what ? 20 minutes of screentime ?
* Her backstory with Clem is barely mentioned and left aside,and when we can talk about the past our options are so limited it doesn't matter,we can't even talk about the man who killed her dad,again,wasted opportunity.
* Lilly in episode 3 is comp… [view original content]
That's bad fanfiction-quality wish fulfillment, ignoring everything what made the character - and the world - interesting in the first place.
And this WASNT?
I read here somewhere that the Lilly situation is comparable to the Luke Skywalker situation in The Last Jedi, where people couldn't understand how characters can change during a huge timespan and I think this comparison is totally spot on.
That sounds like a really surface level comparison.
What happened with Luke was a considerable change, but one that actually made sense and/or got adequate explaining behind it.
Lilith, on the other hand, spends much of episode 3 being more like TTW!Joan than anything else.
Lilly - right now - is exactly the kind of character you could predict she would become after Ep3 of S1. What some people want from Lilly th… moreis season is fan service. It's not about athenticity, believability, consistency or coherency. It's about having a fulfilling reunion no matter what. They want a scene where Lilly tells Clementine what happened in those 7 years. They want a scene where Clementine and Lilly talk about their past. They want Clementine and Lilly to bond together, because they have history together. But that's just not good writing. That's bad fanfiction-quality wish fulfillment, ignoring everything what made the character - and the world - interesting in the first place.
I read here somewhere that the Lilly situation is comparable to the Luke Skywalker situation in The Last Jedi, where people couldn't understand how characters can change during a huge timespan and I think this comparison is totally spot on. Saying Luke wo… [view original content]
That sounds like a really surface level comparison.
What happened with Luke was a considerable change, but one that actually made sense and/or got adequate explaining behind it. Lilith, on the other hand, spends much of episode 3 being more like TTW!Joan than anything else.
The thing is that Lilly is a better character than Joan, since the character development she went through - even if offscreen - makes much more sense than Joan's, because we actually know what kind of character Lilly was before.
What I also forgot to mention is that everything going on with Lilly and Clementine is a direct result of Lee leaving Lilly behind back in S1. At least IF he left Lilly behind. What I think a real missed opportunity is, is that you can't talk with Lee about Lilly in that flashback scene even though Clementine will most likely die because of that conflict.
In some of Episode 2, yeah, maybe.
That's bad fanfiction-quality wish fulfillment, ignoring everything what made the character - and t… morehe world - interesting in the first place.
And this WASNT?
I read here somewhere that the Lilly situation is comparable to the Luke Skywalker situation in The Last Jedi, where people couldn't understand how characters can change during a huge timespan and I think this comparison is totally spot on.
That sounds like a really surface level comparison.
What happened with Luke was a considerable change, but one that actually made sense and/or got adequate explaining behind it.
Lilith, on the other hand, spends much of episode 3 being more like TTW!Joan than anything else.
So I like how, out of nowhere, I see this notification about someone commenting in my Wasted Potential thread.--even better, it's someone po… moresting their own entry on the matter for others to read and think about and maybe even discuss-- and, of course, I decide to promptly check it, ready to see what some member has donated for the community to share...only to see fuckin Jane standing there judging me.
Sardonic in-jokes aside, I can on some level agree that I thought there was room for Telltale to do something of substance with my most Hated character since she's determinately along for the ride now. In fact, I was actually expecting and on some miniscule level "hoping" they'd give her considerably more screentime than Kenny in part to correct her thin dollop of development(especially in comparison to him), address the many issues that her character had, and maybe even "redeem" her character.
Instead, they just went "nah" after realizi… [view original content]
I'm not one to rant about the cut content nor gush about "badassery," but uh, what happened to this scene(or something similar) depicted on Part 1's menu card? Why wasn’t there a scene where the Garcias fight together as a family, may I ask? The Cuban family, mainly Javier, were supposed to be the next big players in the series' story and thus were the main characters of A New Frontier. Given the installment was initially perceived to be going into a darker and edgier, more action focused setting four years into the outbreak, it was a safe assumption that they are a pretty capable group despite their relatively mundane appearances.
So a scenario where they gradually band together and fight off an early game threat would have served the narrative purpose of showing us what the Garcias can do, both individually and as a family. And yes, I know it wouldn’t really fit in the plot of the premiere we got, what with the hour long runtime and the idea that they likely hadn't encountered nothing as perilous as the New Frontier thanks in part to Kate's strategies. But honestly, they probably could’ve snuck into the climax and gotten away with it because Rule of Cool.
The final collective scene in The Junkyard was wide enough to allow two periods of cooldown and two scenes of action. Javier arrives there again, this time with ANF!Clementine and Eleanor/Tripp in tow, and finds a small trail of downed muertos, indicating that there was a fight. He calls out for Mariana after spotting her tape recorder near one, to which his niece comes out of hiding and explains what happened. After checking the ruined van and then hearing the sound of a different engine refusing to turn over, Javier and his small rescue party find Kate and Gabe cornered inside of an 18 wheeler by what remains of the herd(which let's say is fairly bigger than the one we see in the scene proper).
Taking the preemptive to keep Mariana from rushing in and Eleanor/Tripp from opening fire, Javier(or Tangerine, if you must) instead suggests they play it smart by simply drawing attention to themselves and take the muertos out as they come. Javier then hands Mariana a weapon as extra backup(this may or may not be choice) and takes the lead by taking out the first one that notices them. Eleanor/Tripp and the younger backup follows suit by also meleeing a few themselves.
Noticing what happening from the drivers seat, the visibly a bit weary Kate decides that they should join them. Gabe, [seemingly] a bit uncharacteristically concerned, briefly questions this suggestion. Kate simply tells him that Javier & Mariana are out there fighting to help them. This convinces him that if it comes down to it, they should go out together.
Opening and slamming her door on the one walkers head like she does in the game before the two exit on her side to handle the herd from their end. Brandishing out their own weapons(probably not the katana?), Kate and Gabe join the battle with MiniJane circling round to cover them. Fighting on opposite ends with an extra hand, the Garcia Familia take on the rest of the herd and eventually finish them together.
Rub your lucky rabbit's foot and sit down for a bite--it's Omar!
The Unbiased Vote
The fat, somewhat androgynous black boy who is the Chef among the Ercison students, Omar has become something of a meme for how minimal his presence in the game's story has been. To be fair, Done Running at least made an effort to give him a moniker as a perfectionist when it comes to cooking and was preceded with the implication that he's apparently friends with Louis despite their differences, which can yield a few humorous exchanges. He also later attempts to vouch for Clementeen by pointing out that she got them food and is the third to turn against Marlon after Louis/Violet & Aasim. To say that this was not the case in the following episode is stating the heavily obvious.
Perhaps taking Mitch's place in light of the latter's sudden boost in prominence and characterization, Omar is just oddly a nonentity throughout Suffer the Children. He is just kinda there in a select few scenes at the distinct ends of the episode, expressing concern due to the impending drama that was bound from AJ attending Marlon & Brody's funeral, suggesting the delinquents put the matter of how to handle him to a vote, and after getting shot in the knee by Dorian, urges Clementeen to get into position after she drags him behind cover. And one may be forgiven for honestly thinking he & Aasim ended up getting killed off rather than ending up in the remaining Horse carriage with Violet/Louis at first, given the fact that they just disappeared once things started getting blown up. Alas, he just kinda ended up taking a shot after his third(?) line before being captured by the Deltas at some point during the battle; at least they had the decency to NOT just kill him off, though.
But yes, the chubby boy didn't receive much overall development throughout the first half of the Season, having the least amount of lines, interactions, or screen-time out of all the adolescents. The latter point in particular is easily the most obvious contributor and that may partially be because he didn't really like voice strong opinions(kinda like Alvin) on top of lacking an active role. Case in point, he's also seemingly the one character who didn't take much of a stance one way or the other regarding whether Clementeen & AJ should go and just saw that everyone else wanted to come to a decision. However, this is an instance where this probably could've been made an distinguishing/interesting character point given the odds.
A perfect time to give him a little bit of each of the three or four factors would have been in the schoolyard hub, where he could have been out and about preparing for the raiders' arrival.(Note: It is worth noting that in the time since Suffer the Children released, Kent Mudle revealed that Omar, Ruby, Willy, and possibly Aasim were all indeed supposed to be present originally, but were left out of the final product). For instance, he could have been actively providing the walker heads for Ruby to set on the spikes by chopping them off, since he is first seen handling lumber in the previous episode. Clementeen could approach him if she so chooses to check his progress and the opportunity to discuss his voting idea would present itself.
She could call him out for suggesting it in the first place or maybe even give her opinion on why he might've sided against them, given that the vote was five to three. This could range from seeing no use for them after being fed, to being too afraid to speak for them, to letting Mitch or even Louis pressure him into making the choice. It would be
then that Omar could deny the accusation and clarify what happened during the actual process: he was the tie maker or breaker, perhaps even after Louis or Ruby finally decided they needed to go.
He tried to convince the others that AJ had just been trying to help and agreed that they could should give him another chance if he offered to atone, but as he had said before, it was either he cast the final ballot for the sake of bringing some sort of peace amongst the group after what happened or just let the fighting inevitably continue by letting the boy stay. He would then apologize, lamenting that he was looking for a way to resolve the matter, but as it has already appeared, he just ended up tying his own hands and making things worse. After being forgiven(or not), Omar would end that talk by iterating how members of a group have to(or should) look out for each other--she and AJ should be no exception.
Whip out the tissues--Willy's not feeling himself.
Wily in Mourning
Willy has been recognized as the weird kid of the Ericson delinquents from his introduction of staring at Clementeen in fascination. This has earned him some rather simple interpretations, from being cool or hilariously odd even down to being called some variation of inbred and creepy. Overall, he comes pretty close to being a straightforward comic relief character, even when compared to Louis. Despite this, there are also indications that he is at heart a kid who has feelings and problems.
In addition to his general oddity in first impressions, he seems to have a collection of issues that are both typical and yet in some ways troubling of his age. As an adolescent boy, Willy tends to behave in ways that can be described as enthusiastic and humored, as seen in his eagerness to come up with a plan to fend off the raiders and when he laughs at either of AJ's reactions to Mitch's trick. He can also be assessed as reckless and impractical, which causes him to do things like nearly arrow James on sight due to being a Whisperer and coming up with a swinging log trap that would likely only take out one raider if it didn't miss entirely. This even extends more noticeably to having possible anger issues, given how consistently angry he is after AJ kills Marlon and especially when he ends up punching Aasim in the stomach when the latter gets personal.
Amongst other characters in Suffer the Children, Willy really could've gotten more development and/or fleshing out in the episode. The fatal events and dark revelations that immediately preceded the episode put all of the students on edge, with Willy being among those who reacted quite lividly. Additionally, there were implications that he may actually trying to deal with some nervous issues both before and after this, be it his awkwardness in greeting Clementeen after she wakes up despite clearly being interested and hints of inadequacy regarding what he does for the group in the eyes of Aasim. That's without mentioning that his friendship with Mitch probably should've been used more in light of the latter's sudden boost in prominence, as well as the fact that Willy himself was poised to have a bigger role in the following episode. And of course, he took the deaths of Marlon and Brody pretty hard.
In fact, he may actually be the 2nd most emblematic of how the episode kinda speeds over and neglects developing fallout from what happened with Marlon and Brody. This issue was especially notable in the latter's case, where the only characters who actually paid her any mind were Tenn and Willy himself; she should've been just as much a part of the trauma and recovery topic, if not moreso. In fact, he seemed to be the one character who was continually bittered about both deaths in themselves:
his first concern when Marlon says that Brody is dead is to question if she's a walker now,
he is visibly overwhelmed after Marlon is shot dead,
he can be seen on the steps crying as everyone prepares to head to the funeral(interestingly enough, it is Aasim who seemingly gets through to him),
is quick to call Violet out for how she treated Brody(believing she didn't even like her),
and is seemingly too angry about Marlon's death to talk thing out(even defending him for having to deal with the raiders),
This arguably made him a prime [unbiased(?)] candidate for expanding on those two regarding what they do for and meant to the group.
An ideal opportunity to hit on each of these elements would have been in the schoolyard hub, where he could have been out and about preparing for the raiders' arrival.() While Omar would be chopping off deadheads and Ruby would be setting them on spikes, Willy could be hanging around the school entrance or the couches either working on a trap(maybe picking up bricks or testing out rope) or painting a few demotivator posters. Clementeen could approach him if she so chooses to see how/what he's doing. This could range over a number of topics, from what the point of his little project is, to how he's holding up, to why he has such a beef with Aasim/AJ(which could've indirectly benefitted the matter of the shift in management), to even where he falls in the pecking order.
Asking about the first and third options would have him start talking about them bubbily or with a fire; by contrast, the second or fourth choices could yield a brief hesitation or even a bothered expression before he gives an answer. With the third option for instatnce, he could go on about how Aasim acts he knows everything and treats everyone like they're dumb, claiming its just because he doesn't know how to be a cool leader-type guy. When it comes to the other two options though, we would get confirmation that he's actually still hurting, somewhat self-conscious, and even a litttle scared about moving on the way they are. He would recount how Marlon taught to use a bow so he could be the watchboy or how Brody would sometimes let him help with bringing in food from the forest, even though he could be a little gross. He misses having Marlon and Brody there to look out for everyone and make them feel like their help matters. Like Aasim would say, he’s still just a kid even almost everybody else being older kids and it’s not like him keeping watch is really doing anything to help the group. With them there to lead them, it all seemed easy, but now...? And unfortunately for Willy, all of this helplessness and anger would pile on even more when Mitch also gets killed trying to protect Tenn.
When Lilith and Abel finally got together a recruitment party to raid Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth, they brought along three of their best soldiers-- urban sniper Dorian, stocky Isreali Yonatan, and stout Sullene. Entering the school's gates at the rear, she calmly helped her partner regain focus on the mission when he was briefly distracted by the "scarecrows." After working her M1 Carbine to cover her leaders from the opposing Clementeen before and after Mitch's bomb goes off, Sullene follows Lilith's order to pursue her and half of the delinquents into the school.
Entering the school's main hall, she once again brought up the rear to cover Abel and the now limping Yonatan as they search for the retreated adolescents. When Clementeen activates Aasim/Willy's log/brick trap, Sullene reacts distraughtly after witnessing Yonatan's death by the trap. She channels her grief to oblige Abel's order by furiously attempting to blow the girl's head off on the stairs, only to be pinned to the adjoining wall by a sofa. Escaping from this entrapped state with the presumed help from Abel, Sullene would break up the final portion of the failing raid by helping get Violet/Louis off of Lilith when they Gore her to save Clementeen and dragging her to the remaining horse carriage. Afer either succeeding with her capture or getting an arrow in the right shoulder from Clementeen, Sullene would following Lilith's order to cut their losses by once again being the last one out of the gate before it is set ablaze to keep them from being followed.
It is a little surprising that Sullene didn't get much spotlight in Broken Toys and is oddly underutilized given how her list of signifyers for a potentially notable character. As Lilith would state after Minnie captures Clementeen, AJ, and Louis/Violet, the losses of the recruitment party were two of their best soldiers, which indirectly implies that she and the enforcer Dorian are quite skilled as well. Second, her briefly displayed succor and eventual loss towards Yonatan could imply that the two are close, maybe even due to having been his wife or other loved one. Tertiarily, there is the likely inference that she may have personally captured Aasim after getting free, before moving on to overpower Violet/Louis. But perhaps most damning of all is her voice actress: Stephanie Sheh, who only voices this one character unlike the rest of the supporting cast --but just like the main cast. To borrow a quote from @Joshua1991, "[s]he barely had any dialogue--why did they even include himher into the cast if they weren't going to use hisher character?"
With all of these credentials amongst another on file, the stout soldier could've had some noticeable spotlight in the following episode, namely once the Delta are invaded by attempted rescuers. Given that the rescue plan meeting a speedbump was always in the cards, Sullene could've at least made an appearance once the trio inside is captured. Itching to get revenge for Yonatan’s death, the previously sound of mind widow would look to the captured delinquents with malicious intent; maybe even wanting to take some rage out on Aasim whether she knows if he came up with the approved trap idea or not. Which would put her at a contrast with both Gina and Dorian, the latter of whom while not completely without informal traits herself, would continue to sternly guard the Recruiter's mission plan. And recognizing Clementeen for triggering the trap that caused Yonatan's death, Sullene would definitely want her dead. And if Lilith is shot dead by AJ, in possible addition to Dorian determinately getting crossbowed in the mouth by Louis and Gina being dispatched by James, Sullene could rank high enough to lead what remains of the Delta's Recruitment Party and intent on getting her owed blood price....
Beware letting anxiety take the wheel--it's Brody!
Blinded by the Light
The Leader of Ericson's Hunting Party as well as Marlon's Second In Command, possible flame, and as would be revealed, secret keeper. Brody can be seen as something of big sister figure for the Boarding School's delinquents, looking out for the younger members and expecting the older ones to be mindful. She appreciates AJ's sweetness and yet can also jokingly assure him that biting Ruby was done in self-defense. She also sometimes catches Aasim & Violet on their attitudes and disapproves of Louis's card games on sight. With that said, she's not without a more wistful side.
Having lived at Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth and wandered its woods her whole life, Brody had penchant for wishful thinking regarding traveling. This includes an interest in learning new skills, such as wanting to learn to drive, and generally exploring the world outside. And there are many different places out there that she would loved to visit and experience their local features, entertaining going to New York City to see the lights and tall buildings or even the prospect of see the whole world from a mountain top. But most of all, Brody would've loved to commute to a beach's coastline and just soak in the unblocked sun every day. Distraught and imaginative with openness about it at times, she is certainly more upbeat compared to Violet.
Speaking of the sullen scout, she and Brody are actually former friends for years. A fact that left Brody feeling further eluded, she feels the need to apologize for Violet's moodiness and deems it as a result of her responsibility. The day that Sophie and Minerva were said to be killed by walkers while out hunting, Brody agreed to swap places in the Greenhouse with her and ended up being the one who broke the news to Violet. She believes Violet blames her for it and that is just another factor in just how closed off she has become afterwards. As a result, she was pleased to see her fishing partner warming up to someone after so long and asked Clementeen to talk to her in hopes that it'll take some pressure off of her mind. While this ended up being a smart move and yielded positive results, one can't help but find it a bit ironic that Brody was on point in her concern for someone else's psycho emotional health.
It soon becomes dually clear that for all her flights of fancy and mindfulness of others, Brody actually suffers from anxiety. Anxiety that can be very strong in its effects, making her uncharacteristically angry, disparaging, and even aggressive. When the food traps are sabotaged and the group finds a cigar made from Bible pages, Brody began to have a panic attack she had difficult talking herself out of and starts cursing up a storm before leaving the others to figure out the food situation so she can tell Marlon about it. And by the time Clementeen, AJ, Violet, and Louis come back from the train station with entire bags of what was leftover, Brody was even more on edge due to Marlon not listening to her. This only got worse upon hearing about the encounter with Abel, to which she assumes that he and/or his people would come looking for either more food or revenge. Brody berates Clementeen for taking outside the Safe Zone and claims that she will hold her responsible for whatever happens. She even ends up shoving Marlon down when he tries to reason with her by accusing her of overreacting. Storming off in a right fury, it would soon become clear that the source of Brody's paranoia is one that involved a price being payed for the group's sake--and so would its revelation.
Later that night, she and Marlon would go down into the cellar to dispute the raider situation, assuming that no one would hear them down there. They were wrong of course, as Clementeen would intrude after being woken up by their echoes in the pipes and overhear them debate about telling others. Receiving encouragement to explain the secret situation to her despite her conflicted fear of doing so against Marlon's wishes, Brody would reveal that they met Abel as a member of a group of raiders before and that Marlon let him take Tenn's sisters. Marlon ended up angrily thwacking over her eye for her continued divulgence of this dark truth and slink to the floor against the boiler. She goes near blind from the injury, describing everything as faint, and even claiming that she couldn't feel her legs. Left alone with Clementeen while the panicking Marlon searches for a first aid kit, Brody responds to her identifying herself after a moment of pained delirium and warns that she and AJ are in danger. Describe him as angry when he's scared much like she had been, Brody put aside her fear that her would kill her for saying anymore for the sake of revealing his intent to give Clementeen to the raiders so they'll go away again if it comes to that. Appreciating her concern for her condition despite the imminent threat, Brody uses what ended up being her last words to tell her that she's a good person that she would've liked to get to know better and affirms that she'll be able to handle Marlon because she's strong. After finally dying of a seizure, Brody would turn after being intentionally trapped with her and after a blood curdling struggle in the dark, Clementeen would put down her walker by repeatedly smashing her face in with the very same flashlight.
Brody ended up being mostly forgotten in following episodes after already being rather underutilized for a key plot/drama character. Never mind the fact that as an obvious Mauve Shirt, her life expectancy was easy to predict as being short. It's kind of a shame that a character with that kind of weight secretly looming over her shoulders had to get a little Dee'd and then Carver'd for drama to really go down. It's enough for one to wish she survived her traumatic assault to continue having her character develop in addition to serving the plot's early forebodings, especially considering the ending of the episode.
Moreso than Mariana in ANF, the happenings that resulted in Brody's early death could've be capilitalized on to have actually added some more nuance to TFS's plot. Primarily, it could've been used to help give the following a more tangible representation of how traumatic and divisive Marlon's secret ended up being. It also probably could've helped give some of the fringier and under-showcased characters something more to do and possibly even give your choices & teachings more immediate long-term effects. Not to mention that with the way Lilith & the Deltas(and I guess Violet) were handled, there wasn't in the way of a mysterious element to upkeep for suspense. Either way, the product of Brody [determinately] pulling through from the grim situation would've been major, distinctive aspect of the Season.
Having had a flashlight bashed against her head in the midst of coming clean, Brody would be left blind and possibly even paralyzed with a considerable scar over her right brow. This would no doubt lead to some degree of swelling in her face, not to mention the obvious headaches and/or migraines from time to time. And if her comment about not being able to feel her legs in the moment is indicative of lasting nerve damage, perhaps she will also require extra support for locomotion. Thus, she would likely use a cane or worst yet a wheelchair when she needs to move around, at least when she's not bedridden. Overall, her physical condition would be severely hampered and when taking her previous musings about being able to go on a road trip into account, the poor young woman would no doubt feel even more trapped than she already was.
Her reactions to all that happened the night before would obviously be quite forlorn and would prove as an extra source of complications in her disabled attempts to help everyone recover. First and foremost, she would now be able to explain the exact circumstances behind what actually happened that day to everyone. It's very possible that she wanted to tell them before anyway, but likely couldn't for fear it would tear the group apart. Second would be using her elder status and adept knowledge working as for the group's survival to help them figure out how to proceed in light of the raiders' return and Marlon's death. She herself would probably be lightly conflicted about what AJ did--seeing even more reason to be down after such a good little boy did something so unchildlike, but once again assuring the others that he was just reacting to what he saw as a threat and noting some futile relief in Marlon paying for all he did. But thirdly, she would have to finally deal with inherent that the outturn comes with everyone knowing the truth.
The fact is that everyone would be hurting again because of the secret that she helped keep and thus she would express remorse that such a burden is weighing on all of them. More recently, she would apologize for going off on Clementeen when a quiet enough opportunity presents itself, as it wasn't fair to air out her frustrations with the raider business and the negligence involved on her. On a harder level, she would attempt to tend to Tennessee having coped with such a personal lie and Louis having a front row seat to just how desperate his now dead friend was, fearing that both of the poor boys' very grips is now in question. And last but not least, there's her own involvement in what happened to the twins right in front her.
After all, Abel and his raiders were content with only being offered Sophie & Minerva and not her. She should've done something--anything--to free them then & there, but she wasn't able to and she can't even tell which is worse about the truth of that--that Marlon probably only bothered sparing her before because he liked her or that Violet wouldn't have gotten that "honor" had she been there instead of her so-called friend. But speaking of whom, the greatest sense of simultaneous dread and yet catharsis is having to actually face Minnie's girlfriend in full. If there's anyone she should've been willing to do the right thing sooner for that compares to Tenn, it's Violet. She had always been wanting to apologize to her for failing to save them from just the cover story, but was too afraid, constantly passing off as not the right time. That's small potatoes compared to the just feelings of betrayal and outrage she must be feeling now more than ever. But that's just the yoke that she must finally bear no matter who may try to stop her or what the current circumstances are: she was already struggling in silence to look Violet in the eye since that fateful day and now, she may never be able to.
Comments
Okay, I have quite a bit I can post and/or say, but for now, I'm going to do something different. I am going to take an old comment suggesting a plot point and repost it here to generate a Failed Aspiration to help get things back in production soon.
With the Pain That's Taking Its Toll
(Amercement in light of an Affair)
Credit to @Robert Morgan
Since it's so dead(heh) around here, I"m gonna pre-emptively bump this before what I have planned in the name of getting some creativity and/or discussion going somewhere.
So I'll plug these primarily TFS related questions here since it's the most recent, although they can also be applied to previous games:
What character(s) do you wish got more focus?
What plot point(s) do you think could've been handled better?
What character(s) do you wish had a bigger role?
What location did you think deserved more exploration?
Which character(s) would you swap for the role of another?
Why?
Ooooh boooy, this was contretemps....
So, I lets get some stuff out in the air to establish some context: This was one of my favorite threads. Not only was it, like, the ultimate outlet for anyone to contribute to and share their ideas, but it was the perfect place for me to do fancy, well thought out, and often times stylish work for the community. It takes a good bit of research, work, & dedication and its definitely taken a bit of toll from time to time as we'll get into, but seeing the end results of my free brainstorming among others--it makes some of my time here with this game series worth it in a way.
So what happened? Well, a number of things: school/college(which is ultimately my primary source of achievement), work(if you can call it that, given my particular practice), family, other interests, some me-time me-time sprinkled around--priorities that can naturally cut into something like this. But by far, the biggest and most pervasive factor was more based on some form of... recessive abjection? Now, I don't wanna say it was anything as serious as depression, for doubting one thing, but there just wasn't a drive, an ethic, a sense of particular on-task behavior that enabled me to not only come up with these topics & cannibalize content for them, but stick with it long enough to even write much of anything cohesive. Same thing sorta applies to my ANF rewrites, though I'd say that's both more understandable and yet less excusable. And, in a way, it also leaked into other areas of my life, as my progress of having and actually starting Telltale's Batman is an excellent benchmark of.
But that's been changing over the winter. It was slow and it's been sprickled from time to time, but my ability to actually do something I want to do, get through it, and enjoy it has been returning in earnest. Games were waiting to be played and I sat down to play through it with relatively concentration. Hell, I've been watching movies of my volition on an occasional basis--when was the last time I was able to set time aside to do that, both practically and personally? And when genuine inspiration has struck, I've been able to act on it a bit.
So of course, I've wanted to extend that afformentioned inspiration to getting more things done, whether it be out there somewhere or around the house or right here in this very community, to get back to relevance. I have over sixty topics on the backburner to write and post for this thread. Failed Aspirations that I intended to successfully get back to doing in earnest again, some of which were topical to recent progressions and were genuinely on my mind from time to time due to my interest actually doing something with them. And due to some things that's been going on in my life recently that I'm gradually getting sorted out, that also means I actually have a little more time to spare in the meantime to be able to concentrate on doing it amongst other things--I genuinely intended to continue with them after so long!
Which finally loops us back to our opening remark--man, what poor timing! Like, I'll admit that I sometimes make or bump threads to capitalize on a certain lull or hot topic of public interest--including one I bumped in preparation last night. But after the most recent episode, this unfortunately morphs my intentions of genuine zest to a climate of indignant pouring. That was not the intent, that was NOT the vision, that was NOT the feeling! And both thankfully as well as a reflection, I do not plan on doing anything on it specifically anytime soon.
Sigh.... ...So, with both of those things in mind, I guess I'll just go ahead and put this back out there again.
Once again, I would've preferred if the very next post here had been a proper one(and I do hope to post something for this overall site tonight, fingers crossed), but I had a thought that'd fit here better than anywhere else:
Is it safe to say that, 75% of the way into this final season, all but maybe five of the characters that comprise it's cast feel somewhat wasted?
The final season.
Clem, Aj, Violet/Louis, somewhat Ruby and somewhat Tenn, Abel
What about them?
Characters who are not wasted
You could say that, yes. Though I love how those five characters were fleshed out and I think it's for the better that these characters in particular are the main focus of the story, since they were written that way since the beginning.
Sure, the writers could've made extra scenes for Omar or Aasim, but game developement is always about compromise. If they made a scene for Omar, another one would've been cut to fit the budget or time constrains. It's a sad reality, but keeping that in mind and the fact that Telltale was in a really bad place at that time, i'd say they did a damn good job with what they had.
Well yeah, that's almost right.
Well, Louis is practically wasted after ep.3 in Violet route
What about it?
(Feel free to do a number of general, non-elaborative bullet points as just a start)
It's time to add Lilly to the list of the most wasted Telltale characters in history.
A character that came back in Clem's story for absolutely no reason.
Is too much Evil,she's literally Hitler now,it's pathetic.
can determinantly cut Louis's tongue "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut",brainwash kids,orders to kill a defenseless James.
Oh and i don't think she's doing that for "the war" that's happening at the Delta i think Lilly just really enjoys doing all this,look at her face when she talks to AJ she's smiling,it's ridiculous,she's a fucking psychopath now.
Gets barely any screentime,seriously ? After all this hype she gets what ? 20 minutes of screentime ?
Her backstory with Clem is barely mentioned and left aside,and when we can talk about the past our options are so limited it doesn't matter,we can't even talk about the man who killed her dad,again,wasted opportunity.
Lilly in episode 3 is completely different from who she was in EP2,in episode 2 she is conflicted about Clem and her mission with the Delta,remember when we could tell her "we used to be family" ? Yeah i remember,but i don't think the writers does lol.
In the end,everything they've done with her could've been pulled off with a new original character.
So,was it worth it ? Bringing back a once loved season 1 character and turning her into..this ?
God i can't believe her last words were "I DONT WANT TO DIE !",Lilly begging for her life,i never thought i'd see that but here we are.
No shut up she cuts of kids tongues because her dad didn't let her eat ice cream sandwiches stop bullying the writers it makes sense
I honestly can't pin down where I lie with how he was handled overall in that episode, aside from the facts that a) I sorta think there may have been a bit of overcompensation considering how much character he had in comparison and b) they just wanted to be edgy, I mean, "authentic" in their shock.
Omar and Aasim. The kids only mention those who we chose to get captured (Louis/Violet) but Omar and Aasim... Like, nobody even gives a shit. I don't know if it's funny or sad.
They were wasted in Episode 2, for pretty different reasons.
This episode, to my knowledge, is just barely among ignoring them altogether.
But yeah, it's pretty sad.
Yeah, it was. It made me much more invested in the story.
She tried to get the upper hand, you know that, right? She wasn't really begging. She just wanted to buy more time so that she can hit back.
You're acting like Lilly was a saint in S1. She's just slightly more evil now than she was back then.
Way to sell the original content, pal.
Lilly - right now - is exactly the kind of character you could predict she would become after Ep3 of S1. What some people want from Lilly this season is fan service. It's not about athenticity, believability, consistency or coherency. It's about having a fulfilling reunion no matter what. They want a scene where Lilly tells Clementine what happened in those 7 years. They want a scene where Clementine and Lilly talk about their past. They want Clementine and Lilly to bond together, because they have history together. But that's just not good writing. That's bad fanfiction-quality wish fulfillment, ignoring everything what made the character - and the world - interesting in the first place.
I read here somewhere that the Lilly situation is comparable to the Luke Skywalker situation in The Last Jedi, where people couldn't understand how characters can change during a huge timespan and I think this comparison is totally spot on. Saying Luke would never do the things he did in TLJ shows a severe misunderstanding of his character and how his storyarc in Star Wars has always been about growing up. Change isn't a linear progression. You will be set back and forth, just like it is in the real world.
Characters change. All the time. Offscreen or on. Just because it didn't went the way you thought or even wished it would, doesn't mean the writers didn't knew what they were doing. And in the case's of Luke and Lilly, they knew exactly what was the right thing to do with these characters after leaving them up in the air for years.
Larry cut off the lights
STOP COMPLAINING
He can sell a rusty Middle Age wheelbarrow as a Ferrari the way he described it..
In some of Episode 2, yeah, maybe.
And this WASNT?
That sounds like a really surface level comparison.
What happened with Luke was a considerable change, but one that actually made sense and/or got adequate explaining behind it.
Lilith, on the other hand, spends much of episode 3 being more like TTW!Joan than anything else.
No, because it stayed more true to her character.
What happened with Luke was a considerable change, but one that actually made sense and/or got adequate explaining behind it. Lilith, on the other hand, spends much of episode 3 being more like TTW!Joan than anything else.
The thing is that Lilly is a better character than Joan, since the character development she went through - even if offscreen - makes much more sense than Joan's, because we actually know what kind of character Lilly was before.
What I also forgot to mention is that everything going on with Lilly and Clementine is a direct result of Lee leaving Lilly behind back in S1. At least IF he left Lilly behind. What I think a real missed opportunity is, is that you can't talk with Lee about Lilly in that flashback scene even though Clementine will most likely die because of that conflict.
...
Not how I wanted to bump this, but any idea who this was or why they're an unperson?
Badass Family in Spanish--it's the Garcias!
La Familia que Mata Juntos
I'm not one to rant about the cut content nor gush about "badassery," but uh, what happened to this scene(or something similar) depicted on Part 1's menu card? Why wasn’t there a scene where the Garcias fight together as a family, may I ask? The Cuban family, mainly Javier, were supposed to be the next big players in the series' story and thus were the main characters of A New Frontier. Given the installment was initially perceived to be going into a darker and edgier, more action focused setting four years into the outbreak, it was a safe assumption that they are a pretty capable group despite their relatively mundane appearances.
So a scenario where they gradually band together and fight off an early game threat would have served the narrative purpose of showing us what the Garcias can do, both individually and as a family. And yes, I know it wouldn’t really fit in the plot of the premiere we got, what with the hour long runtime and the idea that they likely hadn't encountered nothing as perilous as the New Frontier thanks in part to Kate's strategies. But honestly, they probably could’ve snuck into the climax and gotten away with it because Rule of Cool.
The final collective scene in The Junkyard was wide enough to allow two periods of cooldown and two scenes of action. Javier arrives there again, this time with ANF!Clementine and Eleanor/Tripp in tow, and finds a small trail of downed muertos, indicating that there was a fight. He calls out for Mariana after spotting her tape recorder near one, to which his niece comes out of hiding and explains what happened. After checking the ruined van and then hearing the sound of a different engine refusing to turn over, Javier and his small rescue party find Kate and Gabe cornered inside of an 18 wheeler by what remains of the herd(which let's say is fairly bigger than the one we see in the scene proper).
Taking the preemptive to keep Mariana from rushing in and Eleanor/Tripp from opening fire, Javier(or Tangerine, if you must) instead suggests they play it smart by simply drawing attention to themselves and take the muertos out as they come. Javier then hands Mariana a weapon as extra backup(this may or may not be choice) and takes the lead by taking out the first one that notices them. Eleanor/Tripp and the younger backup follows suit by also meleeing a few themselves.
Noticing what happening from the drivers seat, the visibly a bit weary Kate decides that they should join them. Gabe, [seemingly] a bit uncharacteristically concerned, briefly questions this suggestion. Kate simply tells him that Javier & Mariana are out there fighting to help them. This convinces him that if it comes down to it, they should go out together.
Opening and slamming her door on the one walkers head like she does in the game before the two exit on her side to handle the herd from their end. Brandishing out their own weapons(probably not the katana?), Kate and Gabe join the battle with MiniJane circling round to cover them. Fighting on opposite ends with an extra hand, the Garcia Familia take on the rest of the herd and eventually finish them together.
Rub your lucky rabbit's foot and sit down for a bite--it's Omar!
The Unbiased Vote
The fat, somewhat androgynous black boy who is the Chef among the Ercison students, Omar has become something of a meme for how minimal his presence in the game's story has been. To be fair, Done Running at least made an effort to give him a moniker as a perfectionist when it comes to cooking and was preceded with the implication that he's apparently friends with Louis despite their differences, which can yield a few humorous exchanges. He also later attempts to vouch for Clementeen by pointing out that she got them food and is the third to turn against Marlon after Louis/Violet & Aasim. To say that this was not the case in the following episode is stating the heavily obvious.
Perhaps taking Mitch's place in light of the latter's sudden boost in prominence and characterization, Omar is just oddly a nonentity throughout Suffer the Children. He is just kinda there in a select few scenes at the distinct ends of the episode, expressing concern due to the impending drama that was bound from AJ attending Marlon & Brody's funeral, suggesting the delinquents put the matter of how to handle him to a vote, and after getting shot in the knee by Dorian, urges Clementeen to get into position after she drags him behind cover. And one may be forgiven for honestly thinking he & Aasim ended up getting killed off rather than ending up in the remaining Horse carriage with Violet/Louis at first, given the fact that they just disappeared once things started getting blown up. Alas, he just kinda ended up taking a shot after his third(?) line before being captured by the Deltas at some point during the battle; at least they had the decency to NOT just kill him off, though.
But yes, the chubby boy didn't receive much overall development throughout the first half of the Season, having the least amount of lines, interactions, or screen-time out of all the adolescents. The latter point in particular is easily the most obvious contributor and that may partially be because he didn't really like voice strong opinions(kinda like Alvin) on top of lacking an active role. Case in point, he's also seemingly the one character who didn't take much of a stance one way or the other regarding whether Clementeen & AJ should go and just saw that everyone else wanted to come to a decision. However, this is an instance where this probably could've been made an distinguishing/interesting character point given the odds.
A perfect time to give him a little bit of each of the three or four factors would have been in the schoolyard hub, where he could have been out and about preparing for the raiders' arrival.(Note: It is worth noting that in the time since Suffer the Children released, Kent Mudle revealed that Omar, Ruby, Willy, and possibly Aasim were all indeed supposed to be present originally, but were left out of the final product). For instance, he could have been actively providing the walker heads for Ruby to set on the spikes by chopping them off, since he is first seen handling lumber in the previous episode. Clementeen could approach him if she so chooses to check his progress and the opportunity to discuss his voting idea would present itself.
She could call him out for suggesting it in the first place or maybe even give her opinion on why he might've sided against them, given that the vote was five to three. This could range from seeing no use for them after being fed, to being too afraid to speak for them, to letting Mitch or even Louis pressure him into making the choice. It would be
then that Omar could deny the accusation and clarify what happened during the actual process: he was the tie maker or breaker, perhaps even after Louis or Ruby finally decided they needed to go.
He tried to convince the others that AJ had just been trying to help and agreed that they could should give him another chance if he offered to atone, but as he had said before, it was either he cast the final ballot for the sake of bringing some sort of peace amongst the group after what happened or just let the fighting inevitably continue by letting the boy stay. He would then apologize, lamenting that he was looking for a way to resolve the matter, but as it has already appeared, he just ended up tying his own hands and making things worse. After being forgiven(or not), Omar would end that talk by iterating how members of a group have to(or should) look out for each other--she and AJ should be no exception.
Whip out the tissues--Willy's not feeling himself.
Wily in Mourning
Willy has been recognized as the weird kid of the Ericson delinquents from his introduction of staring at Clementeen in fascination. This has earned him some rather simple interpretations, from being cool or hilariously odd even down to being called some variation of inbred and creepy. Overall, he comes pretty close to being a straightforward comic relief character, even when compared to Louis. Despite this, there are also indications that he is at heart a kid who has feelings and problems.
In addition to his general oddity in first impressions, he seems to have a collection of issues that are both typical and yet in some ways troubling of his age. As an adolescent boy, Willy tends to behave in ways that can be described as enthusiastic and humored, as seen in his eagerness to come up with a plan to fend off the raiders and when he laughs at either of AJ's reactions to Mitch's trick. He can also be assessed as reckless and impractical, which causes him to do things like nearly arrow James on sight due to being a Whisperer and coming up with a swinging log trap that would likely only take out one raider if it didn't miss entirely. This even extends more noticeably to having possible anger issues, given how consistently angry he is after AJ kills Marlon and especially when he ends up punching Aasim in the stomach when the latter gets personal.
Amongst other characters in Suffer the Children, Willy really could've gotten more development and/or fleshing out in the episode. The fatal events and dark revelations that immediately preceded the episode put all of the students on edge, with Willy being among those who reacted quite lividly. Additionally, there were implications that he may actually trying to deal with some nervous issues both before and after this, be it his awkwardness in greeting Clementeen after she wakes up despite clearly being interested and hints of inadequacy regarding what he does for the group in the eyes of Aasim. That's without mentioning that his friendship with Mitch probably should've been used more in light of the latter's sudden boost in prominence, as well as the fact that Willy himself was poised to have a bigger role in the following episode. And of course, he took the deaths of Marlon and Brody pretty hard.
In fact, he may actually be the 2nd most emblematic of how the episode kinda speeds over and neglects developing fallout from what happened with Marlon and Brody. This issue was especially notable in the latter's case, where the only characters who actually paid her any mind were Tenn and Willy himself; she should've been just as much a part of the trauma and recovery topic, if not moreso. In fact, he seemed to be the one character who was continually bittered about both deaths in themselves:
This arguably made him a prime [unbiased(?)] candidate for expanding on those two regarding what they do for and meant to the group.
An ideal opportunity to hit on each of these elements would have been in the schoolyard hub, where he could have been out and about preparing for the raiders' arrival.() While Omar would be chopping off deadheads and Ruby would be setting them on spikes, Willy could be hanging around the school entrance or the couches either working on a trap(maybe picking up bricks or testing out rope) or painting a few demotivator posters. Clementeen could approach him if she so chooses to see how/what he's doing. This could range over a number of topics, from what the point of his little project is, to how he's holding up, to why he has such a beef with Aasim/AJ(which could've indirectly benefitted the matter of the shift in management), to even where he falls in the pecking order.
Asking about the first and third options would have him start talking about them bubbily or with a fire; by contrast, the second or fourth choices could yield a brief hesitation or even a bothered expression before he gives an answer. With the third option for instatnce, he could go on about how Aasim acts he knows everything and treats everyone like they're dumb, claiming its just because he doesn't know how to be a cool leader-type guy. When it comes to the other two options though, we would get confirmation that he's actually still hurting, somewhat self-conscious, and even a litttle scared about moving on the way they are. He would recount how Marlon taught to use a bow so he could be the watchboy or how Brody would sometimes let him help with bringing in food from the forest, even though he could be a little gross. He misses having Marlon and Brody there to look out for everyone and make them feel like their help matters. Like Aasim would say, he’s still just a kid even almost everybody else being older kids and it’s not like him keeping watch is really doing anything to help the group. With them there to lead them, it all seemed easy, but now...? And unfortunately for Willy, all of this helplessness and anger would pile on even more when Mitch also gets killed trying to protect Tenn.
Crusading Widow
When Lilith and Abel finally got together a recruitment party to raid Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth, they brought along three of their best soldiers-- urban sniper Dorian, stocky Isreali Yonatan, and stout Sullene. Entering the school's gates at the rear, she calmly helped her partner regain focus on the mission when he was briefly distracted by the "scarecrows." After working her M1 Carbine to cover her leaders from the opposing Clementeen before and after Mitch's bomb goes off, Sullene follows Lilith's order to pursue her and half of the delinquents into the school.
Entering the school's main hall, she once again brought up the rear to cover Abel and the now limping Yonatan as they search for the retreated adolescents. When Clementeen activates Aasim/Willy's log/brick trap, Sullene reacts distraughtly after witnessing Yonatan's death by the trap. She channels her grief to oblige Abel's order by furiously attempting to blow the girl's head off on the stairs, only to be pinned to the adjoining wall by a sofa. Escaping from this entrapped state with the presumed help from Abel, Sullene would break up the final portion of the failing raid by helping get Violet/Louis off of Lilith when they Gore her to save Clementeen and dragging her to the remaining horse carriage. Afer either succeeding with her capture or getting an arrow in the right shoulder from Clementeen, Sullene would following Lilith's order to cut their losses by once again being the last one out of the gate before it is set ablaze to keep them from being followed.
It is a little surprising that Sullene didn't get much spotlight in Broken Toys and is oddly underutilized given how her list of signifyers for a potentially notable character. As Lilith would state after Minnie captures Clementeen, AJ, and Louis/Violet, the losses of the recruitment party were two of their best soldiers, which indirectly implies that she and the enforcer Dorian are quite skilled as well. Second, her briefly displayed succor and eventual loss towards Yonatan could imply that the two are close, maybe even due to having been his wife or other loved one. Tertiarily, there is the likely inference that she may have personally captured Aasim after getting free, before moving on to overpower Violet/Louis. But perhaps most damning of all is her voice actress: Stephanie Sheh, who only voices this one character unlike the rest of the supporting cast --but just like the main cast. To borrow a quote from @Joshua1991, "[s]he barely had any dialogue--why did they even include himher into the cast if they weren't going to use hisher character?"
With all of these credentials amongst another on file, the stout soldier could've had some noticeable spotlight in the following episode, namely once the Delta are invaded by attempted rescuers. Given that the rescue plan meeting a speedbump was always in the cards, Sullene could've at least made an appearance once the trio inside is captured. Itching to get revenge for Yonatan’s death, the previously sound of mind widow would look to the captured delinquents with malicious intent; maybe even wanting to take some rage out on Aasim whether she knows if he came up with the approved trap idea or not. Which would put her at a contrast with both Gina and Dorian, the latter of whom while not completely without informal traits herself, would continue to sternly guard the Recruiter's mission plan. And recognizing Clementeen for triggering the trap that caused Yonatan's death, Sullene would definitely want her dead. And if Lilith is shot dead by AJ, in possible addition to Dorian determinately getting crossbowed in the mouth by Louis and Gina being dispatched by James, Sullene could rank high enough to lead what remains of the Delta's Recruitment Party and intent on getting her owed blood price....
Beware letting anxiety take the wheel--it's Brody!
Blinded by the Light
The Leader of Ericson's Hunting Party as well as Marlon's Second In Command, possible flame, and as would be revealed, secret keeper. Brody can be seen as something of big sister figure for the Boarding School's delinquents, looking out for the younger members and expecting the older ones to be mindful. She appreciates AJ's sweetness and yet can also jokingly assure him that biting Ruby was done in self-defense. She also sometimes catches Aasim & Violet on their attitudes and disapproves of Louis's card games on sight. With that said, she's not without a more wistful side.
Having lived at Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth and wandered its woods her whole life, Brody had penchant for wishful thinking regarding traveling. This includes an interest in learning new skills, such as wanting to learn to drive, and generally exploring the world outside. And there are many different places out there that she would loved to visit and experience their local features, entertaining going to New York City to see the lights and tall buildings or even the prospect of see the whole world from a mountain top. But most of all, Brody would've loved to commute to a beach's coastline and just soak in the unblocked sun every day. Distraught and imaginative with openness about it at times, she is certainly more upbeat compared to Violet.
Speaking of the sullen scout, she and Brody are actually former friends for years. A fact that left Brody feeling further eluded, she feels the need to apologize for Violet's moodiness and deems it as a result of her responsibility. The day that Sophie and Minerva were said to be killed by walkers while out hunting, Brody agreed to swap places in the Greenhouse with her and ended up being the one who broke the news to Violet. She believes Violet blames her for it and that is just another factor in just how closed off she has become afterwards. As a result, she was pleased to see her fishing partner warming up to someone after so long and asked Clementeen to talk to her in hopes that it'll take some pressure off of her mind. While this ended up being a smart move and yielded positive results, one can't help but find it a bit ironic that Brody was on point in her concern for someone else's psycho emotional health.
It soon becomes dually clear that for all her flights of fancy and mindfulness of others, Brody actually suffers from anxiety. Anxiety that can be very strong in its effects, making her uncharacteristically angry, disparaging, and even aggressive. When the food traps are sabotaged and the group finds a cigar made from Bible pages, Brody began to have a panic attack she had difficult talking herself out of and starts cursing up a storm before leaving the others to figure out the food situation so she can tell Marlon about it. And by the time Clementeen, AJ, Violet, and Louis come back from the train station with entire bags of what was leftover, Brody was even more on edge due to Marlon not listening to her. This only got worse upon hearing about the encounter with Abel, to which she assumes that he and/or his people would come looking for either more food or revenge. Brody berates Clementeen for taking outside the Safe Zone and claims that she will hold her responsible for whatever happens. She even ends up shoving Marlon down when he tries to reason with her by accusing her of overreacting. Storming off in a right fury, it would soon become clear that the source of Brody's paranoia is one that involved a price being payed for the group's sake--and so would its revelation.
Later that night, she and Marlon would go down into the cellar to dispute the raider situation, assuming that no one would hear them down there. They were wrong of course, as Clementeen would intrude after being woken up by their echoes in the pipes and overhear them debate about telling others. Receiving encouragement to explain the secret situation to her despite her conflicted fear of doing so against Marlon's wishes, Brody would reveal that they met Abel as a member of a group of raiders before and that Marlon let him take Tenn's sisters. Marlon ended up angrily thwacking over her eye for her continued divulgence of this dark truth and slink to the floor against the boiler. She goes near blind from the injury, describing everything as faint, and even claiming that she couldn't feel her legs. Left alone with Clementeen while the panicking Marlon searches for a first aid kit, Brody responds to her identifying herself after a moment of pained delirium and warns that she and AJ are in danger. Describe him as angry when he's scared much like she had been, Brody put aside her fear that her would kill her for saying anymore for the sake of revealing his intent to give Clementeen to the raiders so they'll go away again if it comes to that. Appreciating her concern for her condition despite the imminent threat, Brody uses what ended up being her last words to tell her that she's a good person that she would've liked to get to know better and affirms that she'll be able to handle Marlon because she's strong. After finally dying of a seizure, Brody would turn after being intentionally trapped with her and after a blood curdling struggle in the dark, Clementeen would put down her walker by repeatedly smashing her face in with the very same flashlight.
Brody ended up being mostly forgotten in following episodes after already being rather underutilized for a key plot/drama character. Never mind the fact that as an obvious Mauve Shirt, her life expectancy was easy to predict as being short. It's kind of a shame that a character with that kind of weight secretly looming over her shoulders had to get a little Dee'd and then Carver'd for drama to really go down. It's enough for one to wish she survived her traumatic assault to continue having her character develop in addition to serving the plot's early forebodings, especially considering the ending of the episode.
Moreso than Mariana in ANF, the happenings that resulted in Brody's early death could've be capilitalized on to have actually added some more nuance to TFS's plot. Primarily, it could've been used to help give the following a more tangible representation of how traumatic and divisive Marlon's secret ended up being. It also probably could've helped give some of the fringier and under-showcased characters something more to do and possibly even give your choices & teachings more immediate long-term effects. Not to mention that with the way Lilith & the Deltas(and I guess Violet) were handled, there wasn't in the way of a mysterious element to upkeep for suspense. Either way, the product of Brody [determinately] pulling through from the grim situation would've been major, distinctive aspect of the Season.
Having had a flashlight bashed against her head in the midst of coming clean, Brody would be left blind and possibly even paralyzed with a considerable scar over her right brow. This would no doubt lead to some degree of swelling in her face, not to mention the obvious headaches and/or migraines from time to time. And if her comment about not being able to feel her legs in the moment is indicative of lasting nerve damage, perhaps she will also require extra support for locomotion. Thus, she would likely use a cane or worst yet a wheelchair when she needs to move around, at least when she's not bedridden. Overall, her physical condition would be severely hampered and when taking her previous musings about being able to go on a road trip into account, the poor young woman would no doubt feel even more trapped than she already was.
Her reactions to all that happened the night before would obviously be quite forlorn and would prove as an extra source of complications in her disabled attempts to help everyone recover. First and foremost, she would now be able to explain the exact circumstances behind what actually happened that day to everyone. It's very possible that she wanted to tell them before anyway, but likely couldn't for fear it would tear the group apart. Second would be using her elder status and adept knowledge working as for the group's survival to help them figure out how to proceed in light of the raiders' return and Marlon's death. She herself would probably be lightly conflicted about what AJ did--seeing even more reason to be down after such a good little boy did something so unchildlike, but once again assuring the others that he was just reacting to what he saw as a threat and noting some futile relief in Marlon paying for all he did. But thirdly, she would have to finally deal with inherent that the outturn comes with everyone knowing the truth.
The fact is that everyone would be hurting again because of the secret that she helped keep and thus she would express remorse that such a burden is weighing on all of them. More recently, she would apologize for going off on Clementeen when a quiet enough opportunity presents itself, as it wasn't fair to air out her frustrations with the raider business and the negligence involved on her. On a harder level, she would attempt to tend to Tennessee having coped with such a personal lie and Louis having a front row seat to just how desperate his now dead friend was, fearing that both of the poor boys' very grips is now in question. And last but not least, there's her own involvement in what happened to the twins right in front her.
After all, Abel and his raiders were content with only being offered Sophie & Minerva and not her. She should've done something--anything--to free them then & there, but she wasn't able to and she can't even tell which is worse about the truth of that--that Marlon probably only bothered sparing her before because he liked her or that Violet wouldn't have gotten that "honor" had she been there instead of her so-called friend. But speaking of whom, the greatest sense of simultaneous dread and yet catharsis is having to actually face Minnie's girlfriend in full. If there's anyone she should've been willing to do the right thing sooner for that compares to Tenn, it's Violet. She had always been wanting to apologize to her for failing to save them from just the cover story, but was too afraid, constantly passing off as not the right time. That's small potatoes compared to the just feelings of betrayal and outrage she must be feeling now more than ever. But that's just the yoke that she must finally bear no matter who may try to stop her or what the current circumstances are: she was already struggling in silence to look Violet in the eye since that fateful day and now, she may never be able to.
Tenn, this is Kairi. Kairi, meet Tenn. You too have something in common.
So many missed opportunities in The Final Season:
The final season.
Uh, can you explain the last one a bit?
Throughout the whole series, this was Clementine's story and her arc ends with playing as AJ instead of her in the very last moment???
AJ wasn't enough, TFS is the only AJ was actually somebody when in Season 2 and ANF, he was just a plot device.
Okay, with the series officially done now, it's time to pose the obvious question: Who are the top 6 most wasted characters in the series?
Remind me of prominent characters besides Jane and Molly, for example, please?
Lilly in TFS,Nick in S2,Sarah,Tenn,and uh..Joan and Mitch i guess.
Not bad.