I have a couple thoughts on it? I only watched one play through so im not a fuckin twdvg scholar im jus sharing my opinion
To start, i liked it overall. For the most part, it didnt follow the ever-typical join-then-leave plot..... it was getting way overused for the little 4 seasons theyve made (tbh that shoulda been done once and then never again but.... i guess apocolypse writers get cornered for better ideas). But yeah, ep2 was good in the fact that they didnt go on this route. Kept me engaged and happy that i could enjoy the people ive met and gotten attached to.
I will say that I wish episodes offered more chances to respond or move around. In the first season, i wanted more of a chance to walk around the school, like you could in s1ep5. In this 2nd ep, there were a lot of moments when i expected another option to choose my response, but clem would immediately agree and such. I wish there was a lot more of a chance to bond w characters and increase your relationships either positively or negatively, like in s1.
The theme of the episode had this looming parallel to when Lee was around, thanks to Lily coming back. They did well w this in having clementine have to teach AJ regret and shame, whereas lee had to help clem become tough.
Bringing him up, I wish there had been more with Lee. I think that since Lee and what he did was important to the episode, he should have had a flashback, or appeared in Clemās nightmare (rather than the horse to foreshadow the showdown, but maybe im not looking into it enough). And this part is the petty side of me, but he should have been the star easter egg šš
I liked that Clem could build a relationship with either Violet or Louis! That made me really happy, because seeing Clementine go from a tough girl to a more empathetic young adult is rlly emotional, ya know? And whatās more is that Violet and Louis are likeable characters.
That being said, I think a lot of the drama and emotional moment timing was off. I dont think it flowed as naturally as it could have. Louis was furious w Clem and AJ and wanted them to leave. Of course, AJās injuries helped him gain more sympathy, but I think he cooled down too quickly overall, mostly towards Violet. They were at odds before the ordeal. His best friend was just killed, and his main reaction to her after a day was stiffness and mean comments. To me, I think it would have been more natural for him to refuse to be near her or speak with her for some time, or until total necessity dictated it.
And Violetās moment up on the tower. It was so sweet and touching, but it was at the wrong time, so i didnt feel as emotional as i know i would have, given different timing and execution. It was right after we had that āquiet timeā, so a double whammy feels less painful and more stale.
I liked the showdown with Lily. I think they chose the right way for how sheād evolve. Given her character, it was definitely the only way she could have. I just wish we got a longer spat between her and clementine over lee. The audience misses him and wants a chance to still sort of āplayā as him. We want to defend him. We only got like two chances to w really short responses.
Iāve lost my train of thought at this point and i dont have time in my life to write a whole ass critique on smth like this. I just care abt the game a lot; that first season left such an impression on me and most to all players, and i just want to see its conclusion done the way it should be. Anyways peace