I donât disagree with most of this. Youâre right that the execution of this scene is nonsensical, and I think this is an issue with a lot of the trilogyâs writing, but particularly ME3âs - itâs less about making a sensible story and more about the emotional impact (and to the gamesâ credit, they do fairly well on that front after ME1). This usually works in its favor and itâs why, for example, the Tuchanka arc in ME3 or the entirety of ME2 are fairly beloved despite both having some level of bad writing. But there are some arcs in the games where the bad writing trumps the emotional impact and I do think the Cerberus Coup arc lands more on this side.
I say that as someone who ultimately loves the Coup standoff because the Horizon/Mars/Coup plotline is one of my favorites in the entire trilogy. You already touched on a lot of the issues with the cutscene itself, so I wonât rehash them. I am also ultimately not interested in getting into all the bad writing associated with Coup that you didnât touch on, because then we would be here all day. Instead I want to offer what narrative purpose and emotional impact I think the Coup standoff specifically with the VS was supposed to have through all that bad writing, and why it was necessary.
(Please note that none of this is me saying Iâm right. This is just how Iâve interpreted the scene based on a variety of reasons.)
The main thing is that the Coup standoff feeds back into an overarching story. You canât separate it from Horizon and Mars, because itâs supposed to be the culmination of your fractured relationship with the VS. The minutiae of Horizonâs orchestration and aftermath is currently and mostly irrelevant because I donât want to derail your post too much, but I do want to say that itâs not a coincidence the VS is the one chosen to fill the narrative role they do after ME1 instead of any other character. They were the first allies Shepard gained in the gamesâ journey. They are also both loyal Alliance marines in a story that involves Shepardâs relationship with the Alliance inherently deteriorating.
Thatâs important because one of the main thing Horizon does, among other things, is to solidify that Shepard has been cut off from the Alliance in ME2. The fact that TIM specifically uses the VS against Shepard to push them further under his control is intentional. Alienating Shepard from the Alliance inherently involves alienating them from the VS. The easiest way to do this is to break the trust between them, which is exactly what Horizon does.Â
Itâs also important to note that Cerberus is always involved in all of the VS and Shepard scenes in the Horizon/Mars/Coup plotline. This is because most of the issues between the VS and Shepard were intentionally orchestrated by (mostly) Cerberus and solely dependent on the VS not having the whole picture.
Mars is the turning point in this plotline because itâs the first time Shepard and the VS work together again. Itâs the first time they have a chance to talk after the trust was initially broken. Marsâ aftermath - the VSâ injuries and the hospital visits - is the first opportunity you truly have to repair things, which is also why the hospital visits provide so many points toward the VSâ hidden trust level.
This all factors back into the Coup standoff because itâs all well and good to say that things are fine between Shepard and the VS after their hospital chats, but thatâs just talking. How do they show us that?
When it actually, really, comes down to it, is Shepard trustworthy again? Even when they conveniently arrive on the scene during a Cerberus-led coup, considering their previous Cerberus association that they also continually defend as having been necessary at the time? Even knowing that Cerberus is intentionally targeting the Council, and Shepard jumped on top of their elevator and exited it with their guns drawn? (None of this is even getting into variances that can worsen this, like bringing EDI along with you or if your Shepard killed the original Council in ME1.) Everything about the scene is designed to make Shepard look as suspicious as possible, regardless of how logical any of it actually is.
So, did you really reconcile? This is what the Coup standoff shows us. The confrontation scene is about whether or not that trust was actually repaired, or if the trust was far too broken to ever come back from. If the VS backs down, itâs supposed to be about the emotional satisfaction of reconciling with your oldest ally and getting them back. If the VS doesnât, itâs supposed to be about the tragedy of losing your oldest ally over something entirely preventable. (Shepard themselves defends the VSâ actions aboard the Normandy if they end up dying.)
Itâs less about if the VS having to die is necessary at all, and more about the possibility of it happening as a consequence of a preexisting plotline based around misunderstandings and miscommunications that Shepardâs past actions fostered, and which Cerberus continually exploits.
This is why things like whether Udina in that moment is still a threat or the asari Councilor forgetting she has biotics (or Kaidan himself, but thatâs a bigger issue thatâs due to the fact he shares a narrative role with a nonbiotic) or miscellaneous logistics of the scene arenât supposed to matter, because itâs not the point. Itâs about bringing the consequences of Shepard and their Cerberus history to the forefront in the midst of an attack in which Cerberus is the perpetrator, and whether or not Shepard has regained the VSâ trust enough for them to believe them over Udina - the Councilor they are sworn to protect as part of their Spectre duties.
But because too much of it makes too little sense for all the reasons you pointed out, it makes the confrontation itself feel - as you say - contrived, even though its necessity has a solid canon basis. It also doesnât help that the handling of Udina and Cerberus in ME3 in general are cartoonishly evil and one dimensional.
Personally, I do think the standoff is necessary for Shepard and the VSâ relationship. I am also genuinely not opposed to the Cerberus coup in general or Udinaâs role in it. Itâs just that none of it was well done.
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