What episode would you rewrite?

Hillbilly_Dave

I'd start by making Clem a side character and instead have someone else be the main character. I'm not sure who, maybe an entirely original character. Clem would still be around, of course, but she'd be a sidekick rather than the player character. She'd be more capable than she was in season 1, able to help out a bit here and there, but she would not the most capable and intelligent person in a group full of adults. Making her the main character was a huge mistake imo for several reasons, plausibility being a large one. I also prefer the idea of us players shaping Clementine's personality indirectly through our choices as her guardians, who she learns from, rather than through her directly. It really makes you think about how your actions and words affect other people, not just immediately but in the long term. I think season 2 could have been a lot better if they had stuck to that season 1 Player+Clem formula and incidentally that would have all but eliminated the backlash in TNF where people were angry because they were playing as Javi instead of Clem. If Clem hadn't been playable in season 2 no one would have been upset because she wasn't playable in season 3.

As I type this I realize I'm going to have to play through the series again. I can't remember a lot of details anymore, like what happened to various characters. Before I could do a total rewrite of season 2 I'm gonna have to replay it, and maybe even season 1 just for reference.

Fangirl101

I realized that having Tripp be the one to drive Kate to Richmond and thus have to approach Max at the gates wouldn't really work in context.

Yeaah, he would have got himself shot.
But how about him waiting in the car for the others while guarding Kate? Would this work?

Did I? It's honestly been so long that I just assumed it was your idea.
Note to self: check posts of previously declared intentions for refreshment.

Aw, it's okay. Thank you for giving me credit in general! You know, after releasing Episode 1.

my scattered, incomplete Season 2 rewrites

Are they here because I can't find them? You also mentioned Russell being part of your rewrites in the Kids Respect thread or I didn't understand correctly.

I really wanted to emulate how things would play out within the game proper by getting down some of the "quirks n bufferings" of the cutscenes, in addition to posting an entire episode at once to encourage disciplined cohesion.

That scene was easily one of the worst ones in the game

Agreed. It makes you question why does it exist. It makes zero sense for Javier to side with her and even defend her. Like, she points a gun at him when they meet, robs him and then "Back me up". Sorry, but no. Eli didn't even tell us his side of the story. How come all of them are fake and the bullet she used worked? I bet she didn't even use them before coming across Javier.

so I eventually decided to incorporate some musings and thoughts I had about his place in Prescott in as well as further emphasizing that "Your choices matter."

You did amazing.

Also, it's only Prescott that's determinant in Part 1, iirc.

The one triggered by choosing to leave the junkyard and the on before leaving with Eleanor in which if you don't talk to her she has extra dialogue, as well.

Uh, which one?

The Divided We Fall one, sweetie. That cliffhanger you did there..

Oh, you know it!

Yay!

DabigRG

Yeaah, he would have got himself shot.

K'yeah, pretty much.
Though I was mainly thinking of how he and Max would recognize each other on sight.

But how about him waiting in the car for the others while guarding Kate? Would this work?

...That's a very good point.
I guess I was more thinking about how things would play out with Mariana in the backseat instead.

Aw, it's okay. Thank you for giving me credit in general! You know, after releasing Episode 1.

Are they here because I can't find them? You also mentioned Russell being part of your rewrites in the Kids Respect thread or I didn't understand correctly.

Uh, maybe..? Now that you mention it, I might not have moved the one you mention here. Check out Old man dan's determinant character thread if it's not already here.

Just need to warn you that he's present, but doesn't actually do or say much himself.

Agreed. It makes you question why does it exist.

To show that Clementine has something seriously wrong with her and/or changed from the worse.

It makes zero sense for Javier to side with her and even defend her.

Eh, I guess they just really wanted to have a choice to test/establish your relationship/loyalty with her.

Like, she points a gun at him when they meet, robs him and then "Back me up". Sorry, but no. Eli didn't even tell us his side of the story.

Yeah, that certainly didn't help.

How come all of them are fake and the bullet she used worked?

I don't think it was that they were fake so much as they were supposedly shoddily made and/or may have caused the gun to jam at the wrong time.

I bet she didn't even use them before coming across Javier.

That's my thought as well and the only logical assumption. Which in itself is pretty stupid.

The one triggered by choosing to leave the junkyard and the on before leaving with Eleanor in which if you don't talk to her she has extra dialogue, as well.

The one before you leave with Eleanor, where she has to come free them from the cage if Javier lied about what happened.

The Divided We Fall one, sweetie. That cliffhanger you did there..

Oh, you mean the one that's technically in the game aside from the context and dialogue?
Yeah, dat cliffhanger.

DabigRG

Okay, so apparently I forgot to transfer over some stuff I did for Season 2 that applied to my rewrites. To that end, I'm gonna go ahead and copy it:

Orphans:(Determinant)
When Clementine decides to go confront her where the other women are working, the two get into a scuffle that also serves to explain how she survived: she has a stronger constitution than her thin frame suggests but is also a terrible fighter due to having stolen to keep herself going. Taavia, Russell, Rebecca, and Sarita intervene in an attempt to break up the fight, with Sarita just barely managing to keep Clementine from approaching Michelle again and Taavia using her gun to neutralize Michelle, though Russell chooses to just stand aside with Rebecca rather than doing anything to stop Michelle. Having taken hits to her stomach wound, she painfully begins to yell at Clementine that she isn't the only one who lost people or had a rough time on her own. Despite Taavia threatening to shoot her if she doesn't calm down and stop struggling, Michelle begins to reveal her own backstory....
{Insert BackStory Here}
Ignorant of the fact that she's been crying for the past few minutes, Michelle claims that even after all that time of being angry, even after all her pain that made her numb, even after all her work to be stronger, she isn't able to get over how tough things are now. And, judging by how Clementine faired in the fight, she never could've beaten her and even if she did, she just doesn't have balls to get payback and outright kill her. After Clementine chooses whether Michelle deserves to just be miserable or she should take Nick's advice and forgive the poor girl, she is escorted away to the infirmary to have her stomach and battle wounds looked at. Her fate would be left up in the air, though Mike sadly implies that she was killed by either her injuries or by Carver or Troy assaulting her.

DabigRG

Okay, so apparently I forgot to transfer over some stuff I did for Season 2 that applied to my rewrites. To that end, I'm gonna go ahead and copy it:

“Ralph”/Forgiveness:
When Mike is officially introduced to the players presumably the following morning of arriving in Carver's Camp, Clementine would recognize him as one of the guys that cornered Christa by the river, and alert Kenny to his identity. Should Clementine inquire on Mike's backstory when they get a free moment to talk about their differences, he makes reference to mentoring a scavenger girl with a bad attitude, whom he decided to take care of her for a while since she was obviously shaken up by whatever happened, before she decided to go her own way after he disagreed with how she wanted to go about getting supplies. After he resorted to stealing for himself, even going as far as to steal a car from a family of three who supposedly got themselves captured by bandits, he was happy to see her again on a South Carolina road in despite how shaky their separation was. After allowing her to hitch a ride for a while so they could catch up, things began to add up and soon her dirty deeds since she left were out in the open: She failed to repeatedly dodged his questions and the stomach wound she obtained from a shakedown gone horribly wrong occasionally ached. Getting very upset and concerned about her terrible decisions and the consequences that came with them, he was called out on the hypocrisy having done far worse on purpose before she left him in Laurens and made her way west just to avoid having to deal with him again.
If she sourly brings up that she is probably the one who tried to rob her using her own gun, accidentally killed Christa's husband/baby-daddy Omid due to how obviously untrained she was with one, and then got herself killed over it by Christa, Mike freezes in a conflicted manner, shakes his head a few times as if he doesn't believe her, and obviously tries to hold back his regret before deciding to laugh in spite of his grief. He explains that he actually finds it kinda funny that not only did he go and do exactly what he didn't want “Michelle” to do despite being the elder, but he also attacked her shooter with a loaded gun handy without even realizing it—he really was “Ralph” of the North Carolina Bandits! If Clementine tries to ask how knowing this information makes him feel, he thinks for a moment to really cycle through and contemplate his emotions before answering that he feels angry and desperate to think otherwise and...sad. She can take advantage of this moment to reveal how she felt when she had to run away and lose contact with Christa or when Omid got shot or when she had to deal with the fact that she killed Lee by shooting/leaving him. If she chooses to do so or not, it basically acts as an additional punch for her to throw his way and can use it alongside Michelle's death to either sympathize with him, ask him for his thoughts on whether he could forgive her, demand to know whether that makes them even, or even go as far as to mock him over what happened to him and Michelle.

While his immediate reaction would vary based on the response, Mike eventually calms himself down enough to simply talk through their similar losses with each other. He begins to furrowedly confess that he is starting to get some of the apprehension she had with being around him, not to mention the bitterness she has no doubt been repressing. Knowing that Clementine is directly responsible for Michelle getting herself killed by Christa does make him feel a little salty, but also...content. What he and Michelle did to her was wrong and while she could've easily kept all of this dirty laundry to herself or had him be dealt with and/or taken out anonymously, he's happy that she was [wo]man enough to accept her feelings and personally confronted him over it. He agrees that he'd rather those circumstances back then didn't cause any more confusion and hopes that it won't get in the way of a settlement for peace now. Though it's ultimately up to Clementine whether she wants to forgive Mike for what he was a part of, the general idea is that Mike is fine with your decision either way because he knows that what he did was terrible and he shouldn't expect her to trust him just because he apologized. If she chooses not to forgive him, Clementine will continue to tolerate his presence in favor of just working together out of an alliance of convenience since they're both trapped in a position where there is a bigger threat controlling their lives, to which Mike respectfully accepts her stance and goes about his business. Of course, Clementine would learn later that Michelle is still alive and has been browbeaten into accepting her place among Carver's citizens as a laborer and expansion worker. She could confer Mike to her presence among the populace so that his earlier heartbreak would be mended and he could have the chance to reconcile his feelings of regret.

DabigRG

Okay, so apparently I forgot to transfer over some stuff I did for Season 2 that applied to my rewrites. To that end, I'm gonna go ahead and copy it:

Bonus:

Fishing Trip Gone Wrong: Did anyone get with the Daughter?
Characters: Michelle, The Dad, Steve, Mike, "The Trucker," and others.
Plot: "It's hard out there in the world and a girl's gotta do what she can just to stay alive. After all, little bit of fishin' never hurt nobody--well, nobody who wasn't stupid anyway. Gettin' robbed is better than gettin' shot, that's for sure. That's why you gotta look out for number one: cause seven is a magic number that'll get you killed eventually. I remember when I learned that, it was just a few weeks in..."
Settings: Gil's Pitstop, Forest, Interstate, Howe's Hardware
Structure: Noninear
Genre: Tragedy(?),
How it may relate to the canon storyline: Backstory to Filler arc that takes place during In Harm's Way, Does arc-welding around a bit character and several minor ones

She reveals herself to have been the daughter from Steve's group, but like Russell, didn't like how merciless he was but her dad gradually convinced her that it was for the best, which she took to heart. After Russell secretly left the group, Steve nearly flipped out, eventually leading to an incident where his recklessness caused her to be traumatized when her dad died. She decided that going on the lam with some of Steve's booty was the right idea and eventually ran into Mike, who decided to take care of her for a while until they had a disagreement about how they should go about getting supplies. Michelle decided she prefered to be a solo "fisherman" so she can do things her way and have fun doing it, eventually leading her to Gil's Pitstop. Despite being in no condition to survive, both physically and emotionally, Michelle was able to get herself moving roughly ten minutes later and nearly blacked out before even getting out of the area when she found by a passing truck....

When she surprisingly woke up a few days later, her wound had been very crudely dressed by some redneck was clearly crazy attached to her and she decided played nice for several weeks just to get the guy to nurse her back to health. Impatient with even that, she decided to sneak off but he came after her less than a week later and she was forced for try and fight him off. Having come too far to just give up, she pretended to give in and let him do whatever he wanted in exchange for a ride to the state border. When they finally got there, she angrily told him off for his psychotic behavior and, surprising at this point, he didn't seem too insulted, even looking a little sad to see her go. Rather than push her luck by giving the nutcase a chance to change his mind, Michelle decided to begin her trek through South Carolina so she could get as far away from her past as possible.

Eventually, after several close calls, she was lucky enough hitch a ride—from Mike of all people—causing her to swallow her pride to out of hunger, thirst, and exhaustion once again sat in the presence of her mentor for a time. Despite intending to eventually rob him blind when the time came, she had to be there for him and convince him that he did what he had to and eventually soon her dirty deeds since she left were out in the open. Unable to deal with the hypocrisy of him being concerned for her decisions that she kept hidden when he clearly told her that he's done far worse on purpose, she left him in Laurens and made her way west just to avoid having to deal with him again.

After numerous run-ins with walkers, protective survivors, and the occassion bandit alike, she found a hope spot: an emissary for the Howe's Hardware community. She ended up being a citizen there, unfortunately she had a habit of getting into disagreements with the others and found herself in the pin on more than one occassion. Things finally found an air of consistency for her when the conditions had gotten tougher and Carver's leadership got more Darwinistic. The Cabin Group escaping meant that she got twice as much punishment as before and had to suffer the alienation of other citizens like Becca and Russell, in addition to having to deal with Carver and Troy's brutality. She just got to a point where she was so used to just allowing everyone to just do what they wanted that she just accepted it and become even more withdrawn. Not even having people like Mike or Jane around seemed to phase her much anymore. And then, barely two days ago, after Carver left on a retrieval trip alongside Troy, Bonnie, and Johnny a while back, he returned with the Cabin Group, Kenny, Sarita and Clementine in tow. Michelle knew she had a bad feeling when she heard about a girl in a baseball cap and had trouble sleeping the first night. And now, after all those months of suffering, she knows that Clementine and the girl from the bathroom stall are one in the same.

Fangirl101

Though I was mainly thinking of how he and Max would recognize each other on sight.

I imagine this being very dramatic, lol.

...That's a very good point.
I guess I was more thinking about how things would play out with Mariana in the backseat instead.

Thanks!
Oh, yeah! I was thinking about Kate being injured, but yes, he can determinately guard Mariana.

Uh, maybe..? Now that you mention it, I might not have moved the one you mention here. Check out Old man dan's determinant character thread if it's not already here.

I will keep this in mind, thanks!

Just need to warn you that he's present, but doesn't actually do or say much himself.

Oh yeah, he came back recently.

To show that Clementine has something seriously wrong with her and/or changed from the worse.

Well, we don't know what it is. And it doesn't help. She is edgy for the sake of being edgy. If we actually witnessed what she went through after Season 2's events it would have been more understandable as to why she acts this way.

I don't think it was that they were fake so much as they were supposedly shoddily made and/or may have caused the gun to jam at the wrong time.

That's a very reasonable thought. I will consider this. Eli was even shocked when the bullet didn't fire. And before that I think he said something like: "How are you so sure these are the bullets I traded you?"

The one before you leave with Eleanor, where she has to come free them from the cage if Javier lied about what happened.

Yup, this one, hehe. And they were taking Francine's horses.
You didn't mention what dialogues we have with her in this hub and what is the extra dialogue (if you don't talk with her in the hub).

Btw, I thought that you were gonna kill Tripp off during the raid in Episode 2. Good that you are giving him a chance!

DabigRG

Oh, yeah! I was thinking about Kate being injured, but yes, he can determinately guard Mariana.

Yeah, I realize that's technically possible.
Trying to think of how that would affect the scene where they find Mariana in the car though.

Oh yeah, he came back recently.

...Wait, what? Who?

Well, we don't know what it is. And it doesn't help. She is edgy for the sake of being edgy. If we actually witnessed what she went through after Season 2's events it would have been more understandable as to why she acts this way.

Actually, we do: she was forced to give up AJ and/or thought he was good as dead.
But yes, it doesn't really help.

That's a very reasonable thought. I will consider this.

If only most other people put that amount of effort into thinking about that.

Eli was even shocked when the bullet didn't fire.

Or because he didn't expect Clementine to actually pull the trigger, but he can multitask.

And before that I think he said something like: "How are you so sure these are the bullets I traded you?"

Did he?

Yup, this one, hehe. And they were taking Francine's horses.
You didn't mention what dialogues we have with her in this hub and what is the extra dialogue (if you don't talk with her in the hub).

I think it would've been some variations of what she talks about while fixing up Javier's cut, plus another line or two.

I kinda rushed Part 1 out the door for the sake of finally meeting a deadline. A month past the intended deadline, but a deadline nonetheless.
I've been intending to go back and edit in/expand on stuff like that when I got the chance, but stuff that was very relevant to Part 2 took precedent.

Btw, I thought that you were gonna kill Tripp off during the raid in Episode 2. Good that you are giving him a chance!

Tbf, there are uses for his [initial] character and if nothing else, Thicker than Water ironically somewhat justified his continued presence.
I was considering it though. And forgot.

DabigRG

So, here's a fun little inquiry for those who have done some rewriting and perhaps even those who have some degree of interest in potentially doing so: Who were some of your favorite characters to write for/with?

Torridd

But it wouldn't be realistic with Luke. No way would he fight Kenny to the death. It's not his nature.

Torridd

If Luke lives, Mike and Bonnie wouldn't have tried to run away.

Torridd

I've always wanted to see what would have potentially happened with Carly and Lee. Out of all the characters who died in both seasons 1 and 2, I think she got the bummest deal.

iFoRias

I would rewrite season 2 episode 5 and make Luke survive i remember a comment years ago about what would happen if Luke survived and thought this was interesting, so here it is

"I think that if Luke had survived then he would have wanted to go to Wellington since the whole group was headed for Wellington and he would have felt like he should go there to honour their deaths and make them not in vain so I think he would side with Kenny for that.

Maybe after that, Bonnie and Mike try to get Luke to leave with them and Arvo but Luke doesn't want to leave Clementine, Aj or Jane and Clementine wakes up to hear their confrontation, she then gets shot by Arvo as everyone is distracted causing Mike, Bonnie and Arvo to flee, Luke rushes over to help Clementine and soon enough Kenny and Jane rush out to help as well.

Clementine has the Lee dream sequence and wakes up in the back of the car, Jane and Kenny argue (the scene carries on as normal) Kenny goes out to find gas and Luke decides to go with him but they get separated (Luke is slow because of his leg), Clementine finds Kenny and then Jane hides the baby, Kenny and Jane fight and then whoever is left alive Luke gets mad at when he comes back.

If you let Jane live then he is mad at her for hiding the baby (you choose whether you go with Luke or Jane) then if you let Kenny live then Luke is heartbroken that Jane is dead and you have to choose whether you go with Luke or Kenny. If they really wanted to have an alone ending then maybe Clementine can choose neither of them and go off on her own.

Or if you choose to let Kenny kill Jane and then kill Kenny afterwards then Luke will come along after he see's you shoot Kenny and be quite mad, you find the baby and then you can either tell Luke what has happened or leave him behind and go off with the baby".

Yeah i know "try not to talk about only a single character rule blabla" well fuck your rules @DabigRG ! I'm kidding i just thought this was interesting sorry if people talked about that already.

DabigRG

To be somewhat fair here, it likely wouldn't be him actively fighting Kenny to the death and more him being willing to kill Kenny if that's what it takes to defend himself and Clementine.
And go back to his various scenes throughout the Season--Luke's really quite sneaky when he needs to and/or [doesn't?] want to be.

DabigRG

Well, Bonnie likely wouldn't.
Mike and Arvo are more a matter of being able to convince and assure them that running away isn't necessary or at least the best option.

DabigRG

Yeah i know "try not to talk about only a single character rule blabla" well fuck your rules @DabigRG ! I'm kidding i just thought this was interesting sorry if people talked about that already.

Well, excuuuuuuuse ME!

Actually, I believe the rules was that you should try to only talk about a single lengthy episode and/or a single character arc in the context of it's progression in an individual episode per post. This is just as much for simple spacial & accessibility reasons as it is for promoting multiple posts; gotta keep the thread organized, fruitful, and most importantly [relatively] easy to digest, you know.

However, it tends to be very sparse intervals since I visit this thread and I haven't read those rules myself in quite some time. Perhaps a bone-up and maybe even a revisement of those rules are in order.

I'll allow this one since it is technically within a single episode, but if you wanna talk about a particular character(or plot point) in general, there are at least two threads that are better catered to focusing that intention.

I would rewrite season 2 episode 5 and make Luke survive i remember a comment years ago about what would happen if Luke survived and thought this was interesting, so here it is

I vaguely recall something like this good a while back; it was more detailed and involved than this cut-n-pasted writeup iss. In fact, I think I may have shared it here.
Regardless, it's nice, straightforward render of the idea and it's affect on the story and gameplay.

Torridd

I don't like iforias idea because Luke has no downside so why not leave with him? The beauty of the Jane/Kenny conflict is they're both wrong in different ways so the player has to choose what's the "lesser" evil.

DabigRG

Well, he does, to an unfortunate degree.
Again, said sneaky/pragmatic side was part of why he did things such as try to cover up Matthew's death(mostly positive/understandable more that he unknowingly got backwards), following Carver's truck on foot(which lead to him being exhausted and hungry), trying to steal food in his condition(which got him caught and both him and Kenny beaten), eventually caving in on trying to get Sarah out of the trailer and being the first one on the roof at Jane's suggestion(which can get the former killed if Clementine doesn't get through to her), and accepting Jane's offer while on guard duty(which left the group exposed to the herd by Sarah draws their attention, is implied to have contributed to Rebecca nearly miscarrying, and does get Sarah and nearly Jane killed).

Add that together with his slight naivete due to apparently being new at the job and you get a guy who genuinely wants to do right by his group, but tends to be somewhat indecisive and/or sketchy at certain key points due this desire clashing awkwardly with his goal of ensuring all of their survival.

Veeeee

The beauty of the Jane/Kenny conflict is they're both wrong in different ways so the player has to choose what's the "lesser" evil.

Precisely!
It’s a shame there is a great deal of people who fail to notice the morally complex and interesting scenarios in season 2. Always quick to write it off as black and white when it really isn’t. Though they are the vocal minority. Most people out there enjoyed season 2 but the haters are always the loudest and this forum has always been rather negative. It's a shame that these people are so caught up with the fact that season 2 was different from season 1 they fail to notice the brilliance behind a lot of the writing. People can shit on season 2 all they want but they can’t deny the fact that episode 5 of season 2 arguably has the most morally complex and controversial choice out of all of the seasons so far. It has been years since season 2 ended and yet throughout any Telltale Walking Dead related forum or comment section you can almost always find people engaging in heated debates about the finale choice of season 2. It was also really cool to have a finale that branches out into 5 distinct endings depending on your choices 7 if you count all of the alternate alone endings. They really threw those alternate paths out the window in ANF summing up each ending in a rushed 5 minute flashback but that is a problem with ANF not season 2.

Veeeee

Here is a subtle change that I think would have been interesting.In season 2 episode 5 if Clementine chose to take care of AJ on her own the player could choose to (A) Head back to Howes (B) Look for Wellington (C) find her own path which would lead to the actual alone ending scene with the walker herd.

DabigRG

Yeah, I actually would've really liked this to have been an option, regardless of accompaniment. After all, she's already been semi-pointed in the direction she needs to go, so why not?

iFoRias

but the haters are always the loudest and this forum has always been rather negative.

I don't even hate Season 2 i just think killing Luke was stupid and unnecessary,i can't blame people for shitting on season 2 that season had a lot of problems.

Veeeee

I wasn't calling you out on that. You're one of the more positive people on these forums. I actually think that was a pretty cool situation you described. I like how it took the actual events and expanded them. I think Luke's death should have been determinant. The ice starts to crack under Luke Like normal. If Clem tries to move over to him they fall under, Luke is dragged down by the walker, Jane pulls Clementine out, and the game proceeds as the original. But if you cover Luke, Bonnie actually falls in line and helps Clem take out the walkers rather than walking over to Luke.Luke manages to crawl to sturdier ice, he survives, and the situation you described results from that choice.

Torridd

Or maybe Luke being SMARTER! At least toss the gun and machete first. He was already carrying too much weight.

DabigRG

So, while I once again try to work up the proper diligence to start properly writing again, here's another fun fact about My rewrite: Remember how I said I considered a sequence involving Mariana's Walker? Well, it definitely wasn't the one(s) mentioned in the AMAs...
--It was dream sequence!

After the talks in Eleanor's car(where Mariana can acknowledge that she's probably going to die, if you recall), Javier would drift into asleep after [hopefully] reassuring her and himself that they'll be able to save her. Of course, he'd soon awake in a slightly slumped over position still in the back of the car. Realizing that they've stopped, he'd ask around for Kate and Eleanor, who have seemingly disappeared. He would also find himself injured upon moving, with a cut on his head and his jersey russet around the diaphragm area. This, combined with the car's awkward position on the side of the road and cracks/dents in both the windshield and the front passenger doors(with Eleanor's door noticeable crooked on the hinge), causing him to silently realized they must've crashed and that everyone ended up leaving him. Thus, he edges himself towards the left door and reaches for the handle prompt.

He would exit the back of the car with a groan, with the area being covered in a hazy, purple-brownish filter. There would indeed be skid marks where the car had zigzagged off course and eventually smacked against a moderately sized tree during another swerve. He could examine the crash site for second to get some vague assessment. Javier would then stagger down the road looking the others and would occasionally murmur about what might've happened to them and weakly try to call for them. He eventually finds signs of them--blood that had dripped and sometimes spurted in places.

This would first lead him to Eleanor, who had been repeatedly mauled in the right side of her neck and shoulder and eventually collapsed in a momentum based heap. Not that far from her would be Tripp and Conrad, who [might've] had their[, idk,] left middle arm and right rib area torn open, respectively. It is during these point that Javier starts to become increasingly frantic and desperate to find his family and Clementine, with a gun shot ringing out after examining the last of the Trio. He would now stumble in a hurry, occasionally calling their names and nearly tripping a few times on the way.

Then, he would finally find Gabe, leaning his back against a stone(?) with mixed shades of his own blood on his face, neck, and especially his wrist. Javier would stop in his tracks for a second upon recognizing him and slowly approach him, hesistantly calling his name in a hushed voice. Gabe would weakly open his eyes and tilt his head a bit in Javi's direction, first saying his name in response, to which Javier says it is him and kneels down a bit, questioning what happened to him in tone suggesting he could break out any moment. Gabe then tells him that he's sorry--he tried to stop her, but he...just...wasn't strong enough. Javi quickly asks "Who? Where is she-?," with a click and a set of desperate screams answering him. Javi would glance back at Gabe, who's weak eyes could still give off a strong signal for Javi to get going, and rise again to hurry in that direction--Gabe's head drooping a bit in following him just little too slowly and his eyes glancing to the bottom right corner.

Javi would run this time a few feet before finding he's a bit too late--Clementine is also down, this time lying on back with her wide open stomach being eaten out of. Javi would either draw his knife and slowly approach in a stumbling, near broken mess or notice a bloody Kate still in enough of a single piece to sit/stand herself up to load a gun and reluctantly start to take painful aim, depending on which one I decided to go with.

• If it was the more likely former option, Javier would get just close enough to staggeredly raise his knife when Mariana's walker would freeze for a second and spin to snarl at Javier over it's shoulder(ala the E3 walker); Javier would either say he's sorry with his hand shaking and tears rolling down his face before the knife comes down or Mariana's Walker knocks him down and goes for the jugular....
• If it was the latter option, Javi could either call out to Kate not to do it or to tell her to tell her she can do it.... Either way, Kate's gunhand(s) would increasingly shake as half blood-stained tears roll down her face and she starts letting out a grievous whimper as [Javier yells "Don't do it..! ...KATE!" and] she starts to pull the trigger--the screen smashing to black as the gun goes off with a flash and an echoing gunshot sounds off.
  The following scene would either immediately load as it's supposed to with Eleanor driving up to the Passageway with Tripp halting her or immediately cut to Javier waking up still in the back of the car, looking around at the sleeping Kate, the glancing back over her shoulder Eleanor, and down at the sleeping Mariana before panting his way back to sleep.

As you can see, some of the immediate reasons I decided against it was because it would've been a sudden burst of [melodramatic(?)] darkness, may have created some pacing/time-management issues depending on the playthrough, and didn't synch up well with how the following Chapter would start from the game proper.

DabigRG

So, in light of the recent news(all three or four developments of them) and the somewhat slow posting nature of the community, I decided to bump this rather than continue the intentional hiatus/break I was giving it while I worked.

First off, let's do an update on my rewrite of Above the Law: I honestly haven't been working on it as much as I could/should have and I honestly knowingly had no goal date in mind when I finished Part 2. Like, I've had a progressive draft-er for it since that time, have added very basic outlines/scenes/points to it infrequently, have acquired a couple of scenes & additions in mind for it, and I have watched parts of the episode(s) a number of times for whatever reason, but as for dedicated, proper sentence/scripting writing--aah-aah. And unfortunately, it's gonna continue to be that way until whenever.

With that said and the introduction of this post established, that didn't mean I had to let this thread drift unposted in for as long as I did--that was just a purposeful, habit-breaking choice. So in the meantime, everyone can feel free to add their own rewrites, edits, and even reviews to this topic as they please. And with the current climate, I may also do some of the same, including elaborating on details, oddities, and cuts from my own work.

DabigRG

So no joke, when I bumped this thread last night, I originally did it with the intention of posting an unused scene of mine that surprisingly became relevant in Suffer the Children.
For those who didn't read it(or have simply forgotten in that time), one of the additions to the episode was the chance of Mariana following Javier and Gabe over into the second section of the Junkyard hub. There are a few of reasons I did this, but the general baseline was having determinant interactions between her and Gabe while she is alive and/or well.
Another addition, courtesy of @patrickrc95, was the option to have Gabe crawl under Max and Badger's trailer. This was obviously done as one of the several measures to have Gabe's presence in the section actually mean something.

Well, one scene/interaction that I was considering was a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors between him and Marianna. This is relevant because the crawl option was going to be the subject of this little game later on, where the loser would have to be the one to go.
This moment and it's result was something I deliberated on a quite a while and is still something on the list of things I may edit in later if I see the opportunity and motive to, with who would win and why also being the fundamental purpose of the scene.

I've gone back and forth on the matter from various angles, but I think the idea I generally hovered on was having Gabe end up doing it regardless, first out of chivalry and then because he lost. And as I said before, why he lost is the semifinal thing I've been hung up on, as the purpose could be gotten across either way but also debatably distort the takeaway(which, given this fanbase, was geared towards the negative).

If I did do the scene though, I think I would've stuck with Marianna being the cause of the reason he lost--she picked the same option three times in a row!

iFoRias

I'm reviving this thread because it's a good one,this is gonna be all over the place but fuck it i'll try anyway.

So,i'd rewrite Suffer the Children and Broken Toys.

I'd give more character development/screentime to Omar,Willy and not just Mitch and Ruby,
and make Mitch a determinant character.

I'd focus way more on Tenn in episode 3,make him more involved with the plot explain how he got that scar on his face,i don't care how just explain it.
I would remove that card scene where Aasim has a crush on Ruby and instead make him the leader of the Boarding School.

I'd Delete the stupid filler party in Episode 3,focus less on Violet and Louis and more on the other kids.

Now about Lilly

Stop making her conflict her goals all the time,i'd remove all her "villain" monologues all of them,they all suck.

Stop making her an evil bitch,
friendly reminder,these people are so desperate that they're now kidnapping and forcing kids to fight in their war they NEED these kids at their best
so why the hell is she cutting Louis' tongue ? Or worse ordering to kill James ? It doesn't make sense.

I personally think that Lilly needed to be more in the "grey" area,if they wanted to make her a villain it's fine but they couldn't even do that properly.

One last thing,i'd make Lilly try to convince/manipulate Clem to join her group using the history they have together or whatever
i just think it's dumb how Lilly insults and gives Clem a monologue about how she's going to die literally 2 minutes after she met her again.

It sucks because they brought back Lilly and they didn't really do anything interesting with her,they barely used that history she has with Clementine it's so disappointing.

And..That's it,i've got nothing more to say,bye.

Ghetsis

Ehhh, you're a bit early, huh? I'm going to do my rewrite after Episode 4 releases, and I'll give it a week before I even think of formulating my ideas. Also, dare I say this doesn't really do much, I guess there isn't much talk about the changes made to Lily and even then they don't make her seem 'realised enough'. I like giving more screentime to characters who need it, but if I were you then I would change those characters and add more interesting ones. Add more meat to the story.

iFoRias

Ehhh, you're a bit early, huh? I'm going to do my rewrite after Episode 4 releases

Yeah,i might do it again after Episode 4 comes out too,we'll see.

DabigRG

Holy shit, wasn't plannin on seeing this again for a while. And the last pseudo update was on September 24? Cheese and Rice.
How did you even find this again?

iFoRias

How did you even find this again?

I was looking on your profile and that's how i found it.

DabigRG

Doy!

Anyway, I suppose I can get back to looking over these again.

Heck, maybe Ill even finish Above the Law before next month is over.

DabigRG

Hey. It is me, DabigRG.
It's been a while since I decided to let this thread into remission, having realized that it was better to just let it exist on the backburner until I was acually/finally able to contribute and/or review in it again. Unfortunately, I have learned and reconfirmed that that return from a long delay may not be able to happen.
This very community, where many fans, moderators, and even developers have discussed and talked since the mid-to-late 2000s, is apparently on the cusp of it's final week as per it's certificate. What is supposed to happen once that date is actually reached, I do not know. Even worse, what shall become of this place and everything that made it what it was is something I really hope doesn't have an altering answer. But either way, what we do know for sure is that this site is not long to be stable, in any potential meaning of the word.
So with that in mind, I'd like to bring this thread back to do a couple of things. First off, I would to say I'm sorry. Sorry to the people who poured themselves into contributing their own takes on the episodes, sorry to those who didn't get a chance to share their creativity, sorry to the contributions awaiting feedback that didn't come, and sorry to they that waited to see my own rewrites continue. Secondly, I should reveal that I have generally been considering returning to this place, providing actual content again in various ways, and in fact have been sitting on doing a succinct write up for the past few months. And finally, I am giving the remaining community, both those who were around back when and they who didn't get the chance, the opportunity to use these days to tackle whatever they please and/or share their creativity.
Thank you

DabigRG

Okay, so I've been intending to rewrite Above the Law for the longest, but kept delaying on actually doing so. And the last time I bumped this a few weeks ago, I promised that I would churn out an outline of my intended changes.
Well, while I've kinda decided that I do wanna do a proper writeup, I'm smart enough to both learn from my mistakes and take the other stuff I got on my plate into acount. So I think I will try to at least do an outline, which at best could enable me to finally do the damn draft in the first place. I'll see if I can get it up by Sunday evening.

EDIT: In the meantime, I've gone to the liberty of linking the posts for both of the previous episodes and some of the material I cut from them for ease of access:

• Ties that Bind Part 1
• Part 2 Divided We Fall
• Ties that Bind Fun Facts/Cutting Room Floor
• FF/CRF Explanations
• Cut Scene: Dream Sequence
• Cut Scene: Piedra-Papel-Tijeras

DabigRG

Here's a quick overview of some stuff I wanted to do with Above the Law. Sorry this isn't a full on writeup like I wanted, especially given it's been over a year since I promised to have it done, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

Chapter 1 Southern Hospitality
David reacting to however you handled the situation with Mariana and Max
Fern interviewing Javier
Eleanor only questions Javier and Kate's relationship if they kissed
The Quarantine Zone being a hub before leaving with David
Conrad's family and people he saved from him or Tripp
Conrad reaction to Max's order compared to Javier's
Tripp mentioning the people he's killed
Tripp responsibility for Prescott
Tripp what happening with Clementine
Something involving of what happened Eli(?)
Chapter 2 Building for Tomorrow
The streets of Richmond being a hub with period cutscenes, along with snarky lines from David
Give taperecorder to David if Mariana died
Kate being flocked by Ava's kids, including Ida
Lingard has Virginia Faculty Award on Wall
Picture of Bald Child smiling
Negative Gabe tell Mari sold out Clementine
Max calling Javier out for killing Lonnie
Lonnie testifying in David's Favor based on what Javier did
Chapter 3 Shots Fired
Conrad attacks Ava
Complaining about not getting answers
Talked with Clementine
If rebuff Kate, Tripp says he can relate that she really cares
Chapter 4 Divine Intervention
Chris the Coon replaces Lonnie if dead
Chapter 5 Crime and Punishment
Kate ask where the hell he's been
Urge to get Mariana out of Richmond
Chapter 6 Close to the Edge
Chris sells out David

Cue Ending Song: My Wicked Bones by Nick Nolani and/or something about David or Kate/Clementine
Credits
Mark Barbolak as Coon
Vale De La Maza as Mariana

!

IronWoodLover

Had this draft just sitting here. Might finally post it now. This was a WIP essentially, and I planned on expanding on this first episode (and season-long arc) way, way more, though that won't be happening any time in the near future. These are just the barebones for an idea I had an eternity ago when the company was still alive, hope someone appreciates them still.

---

When I first played Ties That Bind I had some predictions to what the Season's "dilemma" (as there usually tens to be one) would be. I might even be convinced that that was what the Season was originally about before the lead writer left the company and before the rewrites that were made further screwed everything up.

• "What about Richmond? I've heard there's a community there... if it's true, they'll have food, walls, maybe even a hospital." (Clem has knowledge of a well-faring community in Richmond.)
• "Look, I'm telling you. I'm on my way to Richmond, just like you. I lost touch with some good people there when the New Frontier took over." (Jesus was acquainted with people who resided in Richmond before TNF appeared. This confirms the pre-existing community Clem had heard about actually existed in some capacity.)
• "The New Frontier? They took over Richmond." (The group discovers TNF took over Richmond.)
• "You're going to Richmond, that tells me you've got something to do with what's going on down there. Question is which side are you on?" (Jesus implies having heard about some rising tensions in Richmond. Civil war between two factions implied?)
• "There it is: New Richmond." (We can assume this is what the community got called after TNF's takeover. It's a little curious that the group would give it a new name rather than just keep its old one.)

It's worth noting that Jesus seems pretty convicted people from the previous community still remain and that TNF didn't just kill them all during or after their takeover of Richmond. Had he heard of a bloodbath or a complete annihilation of the previous community's people he would not have bothered to come and search. This leaves a question. Why would TNF keep the original people of Richmond alive and within their community? I have a few options in mind, yet I'll only expand on the last one since it's the one I believe the most interesting for a game like this.

1. The New Frontier is simply an expansionist group. We see some of this in the original game when they show us the map of the various nearby settlements they're reclaiming.
2. The New Frontier are slavers (the branding might've been an indication to this). This could've branched down to something interesting since Javier and the others, being related to David, would probably not be turned slaves and would, on an earlier stage of the plot, actually be on the slavers' side of things (though, of course, an option to side with the salvers would most likely not exist.) The situation would lead to a slave uprising and I believe a good story could've come out of that.
3. The New Frontier has a defined law and order system, and they wish to bring such order to the now chaotic America. Also expansionist but with a moral purpose. This seems to have been teased somewhat by Job in one of the pre-release conferences. He said we would be exploring how "justice works in the new apocalyptic world" (something along these lines, will try to find a link).

(None of these options are mutually exclusive, but for the sake of having some moral gray area and an actual dilemma on this last one I'll try to expand on, let's assume TNF were not slavers lol.)

The TNF group backstory: I haven't really given much thought to it, but I guess this "crusade against chaos to reinstate order would've been started by a relatively medium-to-large group properly settled down somewhere with an idealistic leader. This group of people would've created something resembling a constitution and from there, tenets and laws which everyone under the group's domain would have to follow.

The Laws: These would be set-in-stone laws which not even the original group who created it could trespass, change or add to (the latter at least not easily). These laws would be based on what modern western civilization used to have really, enforcing basic humans rights and such. Murder, theft, and such things would be apart of the outlawed acts, for example. The punishments, however, which were also set in stone for each transgression, would be as harsh as you'd expect for the apocalypse. Public capital punishment, forced labor, imprisonment, and more of the like, for example.

Recruitment, growth, and hierarchy: The group would try to bring as many survivors as possible under its wing, assimilating them to their ways. Most people didn't need much convincing. I believe that in the apocalypse any form of reinstated order and protection would be welcome by most people, so the group easily grew larger and larger, occupying other (unpopulated) settlements and expanding its reach. There would, of course, have to exist some sort of hierarchy for it all to work. Each settlement would have an overseer, maybe even a council depending on how many people it would hold, and, of course, enforcers.

Relations toward other settlements and groups: TNF would never actively attempt to "convert" (so to say) populated settlements which did not wish for it. The group would strive for a trading alliance whenever possible and many such alliances were achieved, with the other group maintaining independence.

That's basically it for the group's modus operandi. I'm not sure how big you could have this group be with Robert Kirkman restricting the creative process, but let's say that by the beginning of the Season the group would have about 14 main settlements scattered around, most of them in Virginia, and be allied and trading with 20 other independent communities, some of which would be Oceanside and Alexandria Safe-Zone, therefore the Jesus connection, and Prescott.

Numbers:
* Each of the TNF's main settlements would hold about 200 people each, with the main one, where the original group who created TNF resided with 500, making TNF have a population of around 3000 people.
* Prescott would have about 30 effective residents, though the community would be more of a place for travelers and nomadic groups to stay for a few days and refill supplies through trade and such, much like the Prescott we see in the original. This group would have some trading ties with the Alexandria Safe-Zone.
* The original Richmond would have around 200 people. This would be one of the communities frequently trading with Alexandria Safe-Zone.

The Events of the Game

• Javier flashback. First day of the apocalypse. Pipo turns, biting Yaya. David and the others get separated. Hector is not present.
• The story would begin normally with Javier and Kate tracking the herd's movement. They had just returned from their scouting, commenting on the herd being about a day from them.
  • Mariana is not in the present timeline. Something would've happened during the 4-year time-skip. It would be left a mystery and as content for a potential DLC. The reason for this being that Mariana's cheap shock value death has no place in this story.
  • KATE: like in the original, Kate smokes weed and extends the offer to Javi. He can accept (+1 relationship with Kate) or deny (+0 relationship with Kate).
  • KATE: like in the original, Kate shows herself being uncomfortable with the herd’s growing speed, revealing a great fear of feeling trapped/held against a wall. Javier can take three stances: Downplay her fears (+0 relationship with Kate), assure her that the herd won’t catch them (+0 relationship with Kate) and agree, assuring her that you’ll always keep moving (+1 relationship with Kate).
  • KATE: Kate is flirty much like in the original. Javier can reciprocate (+1 romance with Kate) or deny her (+0 romance with Kate).
  • KATE: Kate will talk about both her relationship with Gabe and her marriage with David (the latter, if asked).
    - She will recall that she promised David that she’d always look after his kids when he decided to return to the army, and that such promise still holds true for Gabe.
    - She will lament that she hasn’t been the best parental figure for him, claiming that their relationship resembles more that of siblings rather than a parent/son relationship.
    - She will say that she sometimes resents Javier for taking more of a parental role to Gabe after David’s departure than she will ever be able to take.
    - When asked about her marriage with David, she will claim it was far from perfect, but that they always managed to stay together because of the kids.
  • The group would not have the van and would instead be camped and on foot. Gabe would be sleeping. Upon getting to the camp, the group would wake Gabe up claiming that they had to head toward the nearby junkyard to search for food which had been scarce for the past week.
• Upon encountering the junkyard, the group deals with the walkers inside, then scavenges the place.
  • Javier fights with both his bat and a small rusted knife, Gabe wields a machete, and Kate has a bow and arrow as well as a screwdriver.
  • The group stands at the junkyard entrance, Kate facing outward the junkyard while Javi and Gabe face in. Javi hits a nearby piece of metal with his bat, getting four walkers out of their holes, one of which is missing his legs and crawls. Javier is to deal with two standings ones while Gabe deals with the other two. Kate watched out for any walker outside the junkyard that might’ve been attracted.
  • Just as Javier finishes dealing with his walkers and Kate puts down one attracted walker, Javier watches Gabe dealing with the last remaining walker after having killed the crawling one. He buries the handle of his machete a fair distance away from the fallen walker, leaving its blade facing up. He then lures the walker to him, which trips on the corpse and falls face into Gabe’s blade, slicing his face, dying instantly. Gabe cheers as he takes his blade from the ground.
  • Kate reprimands Gabe, telling him leaving his weapon like that could put him in real danger, he retorts saying that there’s no need for worry as he could’ve easily handled the walker without weapon as he’s been doing successfully for years.
  • Javier is faced with a choice: Applaud Gabe, Encourage him to be crafty (+1 relationship with Gabe) / Reprimand Gabe, Encourage him to be methodical (+1 relationship with Kate).
• The group moves on, finding an ambulance in good condition. They search it finding it stashed with all kinds of medicine. The group decides to leave Javier behind to guard the ambulance while Kate and Gabe scout ahead to see if they can find traces of an owner. Javier is then left to explore the ambulance, until he decides to touch hood, which still feels warm. A voice from behind him warns him to make no sudden moves as she’s armed: it’s Clementine.
  • Clementine’s character greatly depends on the ending from Season 2:
  • Alone, Kenny and Jane without the family (Hardened Jane) Clementine will have a suspicious approach, and either react nonchalantly to an aggressive response from Javier (+0 relationship with Clem) or taken aback if Javier responds with calm and diplomacy (+0 relationship with Clem).
  • Wellington and Jane with the family (Softened Jane) Clementine will have a diplomatic and calm approach, and either react unsurprised to an aggressive approach from Javier (+0 relationship with Clem) or pleasantly surprised to a calm and diplomatic response from Javier (+1 relationship with Clem).
  • When asked about the rest of his group Javier is faced with a choice: Lie (-1 relationship with Clem) / Tell her About Gabe and Kate (+1 relationship with Clem).
• Regardless of his choice, Clem’s companion (Jane, Kenny, Edith or Christa [alone ending]) appear escorting Kate and Gabe.
  • Softened Jane and Edith will have their hand over their sheathed weapon.
  • Kenny, Christa and Hardened Jane will have their weapon out.
  • With (+1 relationship with Clem) (+1 relationship with Gabe) (+1 relationship with Companion) or without (-1 relationship with Companion) Javier’s contribution tensions eventually wind down, and Clementine’s group welcome the Garcias into their nearby shack.

• AJ is, obviously, alive and well with Clem. Kenny, Edith, AEC and a Jane who **did not have the baby puke on her in S2 will be helping Clem entertain AJ. A Puked Jane will instead be sharpening her knife.
• Companion and Clem reveal they would be spending the following week trading the medical supplies they scavenged from a nearby overrun hospital for supplies for the baby in a community named Prescott. They invite the Garcias to come with them and try their hand at trading some of the medical supplied for food and supplies for themselves. The Garcias agree.

• 3 days pass by with everyone already at Prescott. You are introduced to a hub. The main objective of this huge hub would be to successfully trade some painkillers Clem and Companion spared for the Garcias for food. You are introduced during this hub to Tripp and Eleanor. Tripp is presented as one of the community's guards and Eleanor is, like in the original, one of the place's doctors.

  • The Garcias are staying at the town's inn. Companion, Clem, and AJ, who are familiar with the innkeeper, managed to get two rooms for a cheap price.
  • You can interact with some shady merchants who claim they've only recently run out of stock when the player attempts to trade with them.
  • Javier can choose to buy the food from the vegetable merchant, the baker or the butcher.
  • Side quests. Will not make this post even bigger by writing every idea that comes to mind, but I'm sure you can see the potential.
  • The Companion will be at a stall in the market. Jane will be at a blade stall and will comment on knives being the most useful weapons to deal with walkers. Kenny will be at the fishing stall and will talk about his fishing career. Edith will be at the clothe stall looking at some puffy jackets. She will comment on the Winters she used to go through, though she will not directly mention Wellington.

• Javi will call Gabe and Kate for lunch and they invite Clem and companion to tag along. They have some good times, and we even see Clem feeding AJ.

• An explosion is heard outside the inn. A grenade was launched in the middle of the market, far enough from the stalls so they would be kept intact, but in an area where enough people got hit so it would immediately start a panic. Someone had quietly killed the guards on patrol and opened the gates to several armed goons. The small Prescott guard led by Tripp is easily overpowered and most are killed. The invaders are killing people indiscriminately.

  • The attack had been carefully planned. Some of the invaders had infiltrated Prescott passing by as merchants.

• The group immediately attempts to fight their way out the place. On their way to the back exit, they find Eleanor tending to an injured Tripp. In order to get him out of there, Clem and Eleanor have to help him get to his feet.

  • Both Tripp and Eleanor show great reluctance in leaving Prescott. Tripp feels like he's turning his back on his duty as a guard, and Eleanor can't stand seeing all those injured/hurting people and not helping. Considering the immediate danger, though, both agree to leave.

• Just as they are getting to the exit a group of two soldiers spot them. Having only a few pistols with limited ammo, the group finds itself pinned down. The group engages in a shootout, giving Eleanor and Clem just enough time to get Tripp outside of the walls.

• The remaining group members find themselves unable to make it to the gate. Javier and Companion, both undercover next to each other, spot one of the attackers readying a small-range grenade. Javier and Companion try to warn the others, though their shouts are unheard due to the ongoing gunfight. Companion, killing one of the soldiers, opens the way into an alleyway and runs off in order to get AJ to safety. Javier only has the time to push either Gabe or Kate away from the explosion range in time. Whoever is not saved get severe burns, but survives. Whoever was saved, only superficially caught in the blast, finishes the last guard off.

• Gabe/Kate falls unresponsive. A wave of undead, recently killed, Prescott residents/traders spot them, forcing them to flee to the ambulance, carrying the fallen family member. The group rides into the woods, on their way to the junkyard.

  • The explosion scene is a rather important family moment for the Garcia family. Only the three of them are present in this scene, and you see how attached these people actually are to each other, with the two conscious members going into a complete state of panic at the sight of the fallen one. The thought of losing each other is completely unbearable for them and that is made clear during this scene.
  • Clem realizes AJ and Companion are not with Javier, though she is unable to do anything about it as Eleanor immediately starts riding them out of there. All "Clems" have different reactions according to the different companions and her relationship with them, Kenny ending Clem, though, impulsively tries to throw herself out of the ambulance. She is stopped and talked out of it by Tripp, who brings her to her senses.
  • The Prescott getting taken over sequence would still play out.

• The last shot of "Part One" is a panoramic view capturing the burning Prescott, the riding ambulance, and the nearby woods as the herd from the beginning of the episode starts slowly creeping out of them, stopping the van on its tracks. The screen cuts to black.

DabigRG

Holy shit! You know, I was gonna respond immediately to your thoughts, but then I saw that you did remember this is a rewrite thread!
I'll comment on the actual rewrites later, but for now, let's focus on the inspiration.

Yes, I definitely noticed that the context behind the New Frontier and it's occupation of Richmond changed, though it's kinda hard not to. halfway through the story. For starters, There was those frequent "Capricorn Farms" conspiracy theories that people like @BetterToSleep and @RavenSnowstorm used to go on about back when all we had was the E3 teaser and maybe the Amazon synopsis. Second, I remember some buildup statements and interviews emphasizing how ANF was bringing things more in line with whatever was going on in the comics, with that Paul guy's presence as an Advertised Extra ultimately being a remnant of that. Next, there's some of the things Max said(which I ate up myself), the implications of MiniJane's behavior in Part 2, and maybe even Above the Law's 2nd flashback that goes handy with those other lines you cited. And of course, there's how all that runs in conflict with how Joan reminds the audience of how they've run New Richmond with a Council system for seemingly years.
So they definitely ended up altering what those three elements of the story were supposed to be, along with all the other stuff about that game.

IronWoodLover

Holy shit! You know, I was gonna respond immediately to your thoughts, but then I saw that you did remember this is a rewrite thread!

Well I thought it'd be relevant to explain my thought process before talking about anything else. 🤪

Max is indeed a remnant of the rewrites as indicated by his character turning completely pointless in the end. In the beginning of the season he talk about Javier having to "pay for what he's done" and captures his rather than just killing him, which doesn't really make sense at all since it's established this group has no qualms about killing innocent bystanders much less a potential theif. Plus where were they even taking Javier? I take it as another hint of there being some sort of justice system going on here?

Also added some stuff from my notes that expand on the Javier/Gabe relationship as well as the Kate/Gabe relationship, which should be way different now that Marianna is not around, I believe. Kate would take a more sisterly role for Gabe and they would actually be friendly to eachother, while Javier would assume a more parental role, which would benefit Gabe's arc of having his loyalty to Javier and the loyalty to his father conflicted later on.