paddyrato

And while I can see why, both Sean and Lenny are the youngest muscle in the gang and in comparison to Arthur, they probably don't have enough experience to fully flesh out these plans. I mean, like failure.

Arthur's dialogue after Lenny's (semi-successful) robbery, explaining that the companies often set up traps for crooks like them, gave me the impression that Arthur probably got stuck in a few traps himself before someone (likely Hosea, imo) told him to be a little more skeptical about too good to be true leads. In Sean's case, it's a little more understandable, given Sean is shown to be a mighty bit overconfident but as eager as Lenny to get in on the action despite the string of snags he catches with every outing.

The fact that Sean tries to shoo Arthur away from the beginning, AND openly tells Arthur, "Don't start acting like you're the lead on this. Like you always do." and Arthur's slightly sarcastic response of "Wouldn't dream of it." tells me enough. It's been shown up to this point in the game that Sean is extremely lucky, either by the luck of having Arthur around when worse came to worse, or his own luck when it comes to unmanageable chaos (i.e. arson on the fields comes to mind) However, what strikes me as "odd" is when Hosea takes Sean with him to the Braithwaites. I mean, Hosea, the silver-tongued conman who's trying to rub elbows with the biggest bitch in Lemoyne, takes Sean?? I mean, maybe options are limited for a companion especially in this case, but taking Sean??

But it got me thinking, and maybe it's a stretch but maybe it's because Sean's actually capable. I mean, Sean's lucky, yes. But he's also survived a whole lot up to this point and I think that's part of the skillset. He's a rebellious chatterbox and has a certain charm to his goofiness; no doubt Dutch and Hosea took to him when they did. But to take this loudmouth man to a place that would probably require him to chill the fuck out and not blow their cover, is a risk (again imo). But Hosea does. Hosea takes Sean to the Braithwaites and shoos him off after some time to go with Arthur to go deal with the Grays. He admits it himself that it took a lot of out him to stay quiet, and I believe it given how often he gives the others playful shit, even if he knows he's cooked if they get pissed. He's still capable in the most chaotic ways and he knows that.

So, back to my original point. Arthur taking over jobs and leads.

Both Lenny and Sean are capable, hands down. Lenny is on a three-year streak of getting away with it (it being crimes) and has nerves of steel in the face of danger. I think he would've gotten away from the marshals in that botched stagecoach robbery, probably frustrated but alive. Sean probably would've gotten Mary-Beth safely back to camp, with little money but alive. Or Mary-Beth would've gotten herself back to camp one way or another, she's solid, Arthur notes before the robbery. But no doubt in my mind would Arthur give them shit for not thinking it through, or at least confiding in him about it.

Same as he does in the aftermath of "A Short Walk in a Pretty Town" and as much as I loathe Micah, he's.. kinda onto something. While it's easy to jab a finger at Bill for falling into the trap and dragging the others into it, Micah is right. He was trying to follow a lead, much like Hosea and Arthur, and unfortunately, it led to an ambush. The gang was being pulled in every direction based on a promise of gold, and some of the earlier stunts should've earned them some retribution.

this is just a looong way of saying that Arthur has some control issues when it comes to the jobs and leads the gang has, and I want to believe that it stems not from this gunslinger's pride but a deep-rooted anxiety he harbors to minimize errors and casualties (on the gang's end) so as to feel some ounce of worth when the plan goes as planned. However, based on his Chapter 1 demeanor and dialogue, I don't doubt Micah when he says "All you do is complain.. when things don't work out. Except when it's your goddamn fault."

Micah's a whole other bag of snakes to detangle but I have to wonder how much Arthur "complained" in the six months Micah had been with the gang, and if this "habit" of hijacking jobs and leads was a result of something else.

I hate the hattt agggaggggggghhhh

A fancy hat, and a gentleman.