MAJOR Spoilers. The Walking Dead Episode 5 Ending?
So how do you feel about this ending?
Because unlike anyother game I've played before, I actually had tears swelling up. Seeing Kenny and Ben go, Omid and Christa's where abouts unknown, the crazed strangers passing, Clem's parents, Clementines on her own (Or is she?) and the ever so upsetting death of Lee Everett. I loved this ending, but I can understand that people will be unsatisfied. But hey, it's a zombie apocolypse, no rainbow ponies are gonna pop up at the end of things. I loved the ending. However what do you? the Telltale community think?
A beautiful ending I say, and leaving us on a cliffhanger.... is it Omid and Christa?? Will Clementine be alright? Who knows....
Because unlike anyother game I've played before, I actually had tears swelling up. Seeing Kenny and Ben go, Omid and Christa's where abouts unknown, the crazed strangers passing, Clem's parents, Clementines on her own (Or is she?) and the ever so upsetting death of Lee Everett. I loved this ending, but I can understand that people will be unsatisfied. But hey, it's a zombie apocolypse, no rainbow ponies are gonna pop up at the end of things. I loved the ending. However what do you? the Telltale community think?
A beautiful ending I say, and leaving us on a cliffhanger.... is it Omid and Christa?? Will Clementine be alright? Who knows....
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Comments
They could still kill Lee in episode 2, or (the boss-designer choice) one of his choices in episode 1 could get him killed later.
The cliffhanger was just lazy and lame.
I won't buy season 2.
I was able to do what I had set out to do since Episode 1. Save Clem.
That was not a real cliffhanger: the game was about Lee, and his story is totally over. About Clem, Omid and the other, it's another story.
Beautifully done, a real experience to play. In terms of emotive response the best game I have ever played.
The final sequence of Episode 5 is proof of that. Lee has been teaching her the morals and what you need to do to survive in an apocalyptic situation by his own actions. The last sequence is lee literally showing her how he does things, and that she can do them to survive.
This game has all been about parallels and ironies littered through each episode either pertaining to that episode, or to ones to come or ones that have passed.
In this one there are references to lee cutting off his arm. (You cut off your arm and then the next thing you have to do is cut off a ton of zombies arms with a cleaver)
The other major reference is drawn to Clementine and Lee and how their situations suddenly flow in an ironic parallel as compared to Episode 1. Instead of Lee scuttling away from a zombie, falling, and pulling himself away only to get a weapon from Clementine and save himself it's now Clementine who's scuttling away, falling, pulling herself away, and getting a weapon from lee to save herself.
Thats also part of what makes the ending have such an extreme level of weight. Its not a relieved hello, but a sad goodbye. But in a sense, Lee is aware he's patched the torch to her and the story concludes with Clementine looking scared and confused at figures she can't make out in the distance. Partially because she doesn't have Lee to help her along anymore.
It's heavy, strong, and leaves you with a lot of burdens when you're finished. Hell I had to take a few shots of vodka and lay down for an hour or two just to let it all soak in and pass. But when you look at it, its really a brilliantly crafted game, and story.
I don't feel the season should have ended that way. At least if she had reunited with Omid and Christa by the end of the episode the story would have felt more complete. Episode 5's ending would have been fine for the second from last episode but I don't think it was suitable for a season finale. If you look at a season like a story arc in the walking dead comics, the comic story arcs don't really have cliff hangers, they just set us up for what will be happening next usually through a speech or a shared plan, but the characters are never really in imminent danger so when the story picks up for the next story arc time can sometimes advance as much as months from where the last story arc ended. The closest a story arc ending came to a cliff hanger was when Carl was in a comma and even then Rick was optimistic and telling him his future plans and his vision.
The TV show season finale's didn't really end with cliff hangers either, they were satisfying and relatively conclusive. They all ended with Rick's group escaping great danger and setting out for greener pastures or like in season 3's finale rebuilding and reinforcing their safe haven.
Had telltale of concluded the season with Clementine finding Christa then season 2 could have advanced in time in the way episode 2 had instead of picking up the action minutes later from when Clementine was last seen.
Because of where Telltale left the game, the story can't really advance that much in time. In fact I imagine it will continue minutes from when she was last seen.
The reason why I don't think we will control her is because if we did we wouldn't worry as much about her safety. If we died we would simply get a game over screen and an option to retry the sequence.
The reality is the story didn't really change from when Telltale where originally planning for a one of walking dead adventure. When episode 5 was completed Telltale had no story boards for season 2. They are still probably deciding on where to take the story next so I don't think the plan was for Lee to prepare Clementine to be the next protagonist.
Though I agree that Lee got his redemption I don't feel that he completed his mission of protecting Clementine. He saved her from the guy on the radio but then died leaving her alone. Had he have reunited her with Christa and Omid before dying his last mission would have been completed since that was his plan when he set out to retrieve her. The game users know Clementine is still alive but the character Lee could only hope that she would find Omid and Christa. From his perspective she is not much better off now than when he first found her. The only skill she really gained was using a gun and she had only one bullet when Lee said good bye. If she shot Lee she has no bullets left and no guarantee of finding Christa alive.
The ending was very bleak. I think the story should have had more closure before season 2. Then they could have advanced time and showed us a more experienced Clementine, showing her months later.
I think that says it all, really.
That's.... awesome.
But since you quoted me... I feel the need to point out that "my" goal, as a gamer, was to save Clem. That's the only thing I wanted to accomplish to feel I had "won" the game.
Lol, you say that now
Not sure if anyone watched till end of the credits but at the end of mine. Clem is sitting on a tree trunk in the countryside where she see two people walking on the hill .
I wonder if that is Omid and the other girl.