#dav spec

okay so. emmrich is a sweetheart. he seems to really genuinely want to help others and see the best in people. there were several instances in this episode where he would have been well within his rights to be hesitant to keep going, but his desire to help someone in need was more important than any potential danger he might have faced.

(as a side note, i like this a lot. it doesn't read as naivety to me, though i could be wrong. i think it speaks to a certain confidence, to be willing to put oneself in danger on the off chance you might help someone else.)

however, his willingness to take people at their word breaks bad later in the episode when it's revealed that their hosts in the castle are possessed by spirits (i'd like to note that emmrich calls it a spirit, even as it is doing very demon-y things, which hints at a very interesting approach to the creatures who live in the fade, imo). he attempts to talk to the spirit possessing spinella and is unable to stop it from killing its host. "i want you to remember this moment clearly and painfully because this is on you," is what the spirit says.

now i have no idea how much we can expect the podcast to be leading into the actual game. the devs have said that the events of the podcast won't be referenced, but given that the purpose of the podcast is to introduce these companions to us, it wouldn't surprise me AT ALL if dynamics and themes that will be big in veilguard are being hinted at here in the podcast. additionally, the devs have said that we will be able to make decisions that affect how our companions think and feel, how they see the world.

so this emphasis on emmrich's actions leading to the death of an innocent (even though it isn't really his fault) makes me wonder if he's been in this situation before, where he could have stopped something bad from happening if he'd been more cautious. maybe he blames himself for a lot of stuff that isn't necessarily his fault. and maybe part of his story in veilguard will be about whether he trusts too easily, and if he shouldn't be a little more jaded.