#rdr2 lore

Cameo Prompt: How would it go if Lenny and Sean tried to talk Charles into teaching them how to use the bow and arrow?

From @noshirdalal, Charles Smith's voice actor. If you haven't checked out his cameo yet, please do! I've also got a running doc with links to and transcripts of Charles Smith-centric responses publicly available here.

Some highlights:

(On teaching Lenny to shoot)

All that to say, I think, um. Well first of all I think Charles would have patience in spades for Lenny(...) I can see Lenny asking really, really insightful questions and Charles being impressed and really enjoying teaching him. 

(on Charles and Lenny's relationship)

"Yeah, man. I don’t know why I made the decision that Charles cared so much about Lenny but even when—spoilers, for folks, if you watch this—when Lenny dies—which, because I had no lines, I did not know, I didn’t get a script so I didn’t know that that’s what happens in that moment—that really upset me. Both as Noshir the actor and as Charles(...) And, uh. I’m assuming it's still in the game—I hope it is—you’ll see Charles pause and then turn to check on Lenny before he keeps moving.  And if I’m not mistaken I actually got yelled at for it, because you know the animation team was like ‘no, the whole thing is that there’s chaos. Lenny goes down, the team has to move’. And I was told to do it again and not stop, and I did it.  I stopped again because I felt it was really important. Like Charles would never leave Lenny alone on a rooftop and not make sure he was dead.  That was really important to me. 

(on Charles' relationship with Sean)

I don’t say this often and I’m not sure I know the reason—I might explore it in just talking about it. I did not like Sean as Charles(...)Because he’s volatile. You just never know what he’s gonna do and I fucking hated that.  Because an element like that means you never know when your peace is gonna be disrupted(...) What I love about Mick Mellamphy is that Mick brought a real wild card danger to Sean. I don’t know how much of it came across in the game. He’s got an affable nature and like he’s easy to love but man when he turns he turns on a fucking dime.  And I remember in that moment as Sean kinda bared his teeth at Arthur, I reach back and just rested my hand on the butt of the shotgun, ‘cause I was gonna take Sean out. And then I think Mick has this wonderful turn where he holds attention and then he’s like ‘ah, I’m just kidding’ and kinda walks off.  And I’m like, as Charles, just like [releases breath]. And I watched Mick strut off and I just remember thinking, like, ‘I’ve gotta watch that motherfucker’.  Because Arthur was gonna give him too much grace. Just enough rope to get ‘em both hanged, you know. 

(on teaching Sean archery)

1. Town Hall 2. Lemoyne Eastern Riverboat Co. 3. Police Department 4. Mortuary (A. G. Ott) 5. Elridge & Sons Butcher & Meat Market 6. E. H. Kretzschmar: Merchant Tailor 7. Sam Wah Laundry 8. Flat Iron Restaurant (S. F. Mack) 9. J. W. Beard Lantern Maker 10. R. J. Dutton Tack and Feed 11. E. Woodcock Furniture 12. Fishmonger (M. Stern) 13. Blackwater Imperial Theater 14. Newbury Real Estate & Law Office 15. S. D. Howell Employment Agency 16. S. M. Neely General Store 17. Blackwater Tobacconist 18. Surgery (For Rent) 19. Elias K. Finch & Sons Boots and Shoes (1st Floor); B. Corcoran, Lawyer (2nd Floor) 20. Blackwater Ledger Newspaper 21. Calvin F. Steele, Architect 22. Oliver Mallory, Bookkeeping 23. Blackwater Hotel & Restaurant 24. Silver Skillet Café 25. West Elizabeth Co-operative Bank 26. Blackwater Grand Theater 27. Mrs. Wilson's Confectionery & Baked Goods 28. Blackwater Saloon 29. Althewaye Inn (C. Watson) 30. Blackwater Restaurant (Joseph Scranton) 31. Wilton's Barber Shop 32. Photography Studio (Benjamin P. Lockhart) 33. Wood & Carpenter Shop (Victor Cooper) 34. Joshua W. Tanner Salt & Seed 35. Pyke Bros. Grocery 36. Big Mill Construction Foreman 37. Cakes Hardwood & Timber 38. Union Freight Depot 39. B. R. Shelton Livery and Stable 40. Blacksmithing

My view of RDR2 changed drastically over the course of chapter two, especially of Arthur but also of the other gang members and the story. Which is why I’ve recently re-watched early story missions and seeing them in a new light. In particular, the mission where Hosea takes Arthur bear hunting caught my interest.

Hosea’s general advice and guidance serves well as a tutorial in the beginning, and undoubtedly that is the intent as well. Exit Pursued By A Bruised Ego is no exception and is basically a tutorial for hunting legendary animals, and also use of stables. But story-wise, what does that mission tells us about Hosea, about Arthur, about the dynamics between the two? Why did Hosea pick this precise moment to drag the gang’s most capable enforcer and Dutch’s right hand man away for at least two days to go hunting for a bear? This is right after the gang has fled the law after a job gone bad, leaving behind almost everything they had? They should be focusing on getting money while lying low. The timing seemed to me a little odd.

I have some thoughts as to why this may be. Taken from dialogue between the two, between Hosea and other camp members and my own speculations.

Picture.

Arthur is not "bad" when he's low honor, and he is not "good" when he's high honor.

Honor is not the Good/Evil bar. It's a bar of how Arthur is perceived, and to me, it is how the world sees him (maybe even just how the gang sees him).

I headcanon Arthur as a man of mixed/medium honor (hence his "battle between good and evil"). The player gets to "choose" which way to go because Arthur always had that choice. (And in my opinion, never did so before the events of rdr2).

Arthur is an outlaw first and foremost, which will always lower his perceived honor (to the world). However, when negating that part of his life, we the players see Arthur as a "good" man. He helps people, even if it's for money, regardless of status or struggle (chp. 1-4 where he always seems to want/need some money, whereas he gets generous and charitable in 6). He is loyal to the gang and does the most work (evident by what we see and hear in game, not that he's the only one working but that he is the "reliable" worker). He loves deeply, works hard, and has felt repeated tragedy. We begin to want Arthur to have a redemption the more we learn about him (or at least the high honor frames us to want that for him). We want to see him end things right.

I think the most poetic, and frankly my favorite, ending is him weakened and sickly, suffocating watching the sunrise (high honor, John ending).

This ending is not "peaceful" for Arthur, regardless of how it is framed. Arthur has no idea if he succeeded. His father (figure) abandoned him for the final time, and all he knows Micah is no longer in Dutch’s ear like he was (Dutch walking away). He succeeded in getting the message out, but he never knew if Dutch truly accepted it or not. He had no idea if Abigail or Jack or John were really going to be okay. For that matter, he had no idea if anyone was really going to be okay. He sat on that mountain, his lungs unable to keep going, and died unknowing. It looks peaceful, but to experience it? Arthur died in agony to something he could not have predicted or fought (to his knowledge). I prefer that ending to a gunshot so much more.

Being shot is something Arthur faced and accepted for his whole life. He was willing to constantly put himself in danger with gunfights, knowing very well that at any minute he could have died. It would have been, to me, a gift for him to be taken out not by his worsening disease but a quick shot.

The disease is presented as karmic justice. His victims (Thomas Downes) get back at him in a way that would actually make a change in Arthur (regardless of honor, he forsakes the gang). In removing the worst part of dying from TB (AKA the death part), Arthur escapes that justice once more. The pinnacle of an outlaw completed, hence low honor. In the high honor ending (going with John), Arthur forsakes being an outlaw. While in all endings he realizes the wrongness of Dutch and disbands the gang, he doesn't forsake his life as an outlaw in all endings. In high honor, he does the one thing he was incapable of before and finally abandons "the life." In doing so, justice catches up to him. He accepts his punishment.

This could just be me reaching, sure, but I believe the high honor/John ending is the most tragically redemptive ending.

I understand the value in "the life" catching up to Arthur in the end (Micah shooting him, Micah being this representation of Arthur’s worst years). There is satisfaction in that. However, I still think death by Micah is similar to a death by "himself," like taking it into his hands and controlling his fate (AKA, an aversion to justice). It's why I can't see myself finding the same horrible satisfaction in the going back for the money endings. But, I will be trying all of them.

I'm still working on my low honor playthrough, so maybe I'll change my mind. Maybe once doing all four endings, I'll discover that one of the other three trumps my current favorite.