The Ending is Absurd, and Very Poorly Done

edited November 2012 in The Walking Dead
The ending to Episode 5 was a hopeless bungle.

Lee's great "sacrifice", chaining himself to the radiator, is a preposterous mistake completely at odd with The Walking Dead universe. Worse, it's no sacrifice at all. First, it's unimaginable that Clem, if she even survives the city (and recall that we forgot to, you know, actually tell her how to find Omid and Christa--oops!), won't be forever haunted by the image of zombie Lee chained to a radiator in a windowless room for all eternity. The big deal he makes, that she shouldn't shoot him, is horribly, horribly misguided. Putting down someone before they turn is extremely cathartic. It was a point of honor, pride, and closure for Carl to put down Lori in the tv series. They got it exactly right there. In the game it completely spoils the whole ending, since Clem doesn't get that closure.

Second, are you kidding me? We're left with no cutscene, no reunion with Omid and Christa where we see Clem finally escape? It's clear that TTG badly rushed the entire episode, from the incredibly brief playing time to the pointless recycling of locations, but this was the worst sort of failure--betraying a fundamental point of The Walking Dead universe. It played exactly as though the developer simply hit the wall of a deadline and had to quit without finishing.

Very, very disappointing.
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Comments

  • edited November 2012
    Let it out, you'll feel better.
  • edited November 2012
    DreadMagus wrote: »
    Let it out, you'll feel better.

    LOL.

    Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I think they did an amazing job. By far the best game I have played this year, possibly one of the best in the past few years.
  • edited November 2012
    OP is mad that Clementine doesn't shoot Lee, and that there is no cutscene afterwards with Clem showing what happens.



    ............wut lol
  • edited November 2012
    Putting down someone before they turn is extremely cathartic.

    You know, I'm not sure "catharsis" is the best reason for shooting someone in the head.
  • edited November 2012
    Dildor wrote: »
    OP is mad that Clementine doesn't shoot Lee, and that there is no cutscene afterwards with Clem showing what happens.



    ............wut lol

    He probably didn't wait for the credits to end...
  • edited November 2012
    It was a point of honor, pride, and closure for Carl to put down Lori in the tv series.
    Honor and Pride? Closure? Lori's death was completely pointless - there's no closure for something like that, just acceptance. Carl accepted Lori's death just as well as Clementine, although I'd actually argue that Clem accepted it far better because she had absolutely no-one to talk to or be with about it and still carried on.

    I don't think Carl felt any type of honor, certainly not pride, in having to kill his own mother. He did it because he felt he had to because it was his mother, that it was his place to do so and he accepted it. Feeling acceptance of a circumstance is a lot different than feeling 'honor' or 'pride.'
    no reunion with Omid and Christa where we see Clem finally escape?
    Did you watch past the credits?
  • Plan_RPlan_R Banned
    edited November 2012
    Did you play the game? You had the option to have Clem put Lee down, and there was this whole clifhanger end scene with Clem. Its not Telltale's fault you picked decisions you did not want.
  • edited November 2012
    I don't even think you're disappointed, you just sound sad and scared for Clem. It's kind of sweet you think that way, that Telltale made you feel that way.
    Dildor wrote: »
    OP is mad that Clementine doesn't shoot Lee, and that there is no cutscene afterwards with Clem showing what happens.



    ............wut lol
    What I was thinking, did he not see the option to let Clem shoot yourself / the ending where Clem sees (what is most likely) Omid and Christa in the distance?
  • edited November 2012
    Haters gonna hate
  • edited November 2012
    I like how the original poster doesn't realize that he made the choice to tell Clementine to leave him, when he could have made the choice to have her shoot him and put him out of his misery. Even if you did choose for her to not shoot him, it's not a terrible ending at all. The Lee's that don't want Clem to shoot him don't want her to have to experience taking a life. Especially not someone she clearly and obviously adored so much and right after having seen her parents as walkers.

    Oh and by the way, my Lee told Clementine to make her way out of the city and back to the train where Christa and Omid are waiting. He even asked her if she remembered the way back and she said yes. Then, he asked her to shoot him.

    The ending was fantastic in my opinion. And it was ALWAYS going to end with Clem in a field alone. That was the picture we were presented with for the locked Episode 5 way back when Episode 1 was first released.
  • edited November 2012
    He's probably in shock, and the first stage of grief.
  • edited November 2012
    The ending to Episode 5 was a hopeless bungle.

    Lee's great "sacrifice", chaining himself to the radiator, is a preposterous mistake completely at odd with The Walking Dead universe. Worse, it's no sacrifice at all. First, it's unimaginable that Clem, if she even survives the city (and recall that we forgot to, you know, actually tell her how to find Omid and Christa--oops!), won't be forever haunted by the image of zombie Lee chained to a radiator in a windowless room for all eternity. The big deal he makes, that she shouldn't shoot him, is horribly, horribly misguided. Putting down someone before they turn is extremely cathartic. It was a point of honor, pride, and closure for Carl to put down Lori in the tv series. They got it exactly right there. In the game it completely spoils the whole ending, since Clem doesn't get that closure.

    Second, are you kidding me? We're left with no cutscene, no reunion with Omid and Christa where we see Clem finally escape? It's clear that TTG badly rushed the entire episode, from the incredibly brief playing time to the pointless recycling of locations, but this was the worst sort of failure--betraying a fundamental point of The Walking Dead universe. It played exactly as though the developer simply hit the wall of a deadline and had to quit without finishing.

    Very, very disappointing.

    watch after the credits and you'll see a short teaser epilogue that will lead to season 2
  • K0t0K0t0 Banned
    edited November 2012
    It could have been executed better, but the handcuffing was obviously meant to be poetic.

    Lee starts the game handcuffed, next to the corpse of a law enforcer, who e then had to kill
    He ends the game handcuffed, next to the corpse of a law enforcer, who his protege had to kill

    regardless of the scenario its clear they were keeping this part in.
  • edited November 2012
    First, it's unimaginable that Clem, if she even survives the city (and recall that we forgot to, you know, actually tell her how to find Omid and Christa--oops!), won't be forever haunted by the image of zombie Lee chained to a radiator in a windowless room for all eternity.

    You do realize that people have gone through much worse with their loved ones in the comics, yeah? Traumatic things happen in this series.
  • edited November 2012
    the ending was amazing and very emotional.

    where are these trolls coming from? quantic dream i bet.
  • edited November 2012
    LOL.

    Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I think they did an amazing job. By far the best game I have played this year, possibly one of the best in the past few years.
    Play more games, then. Play two.
  • edited November 2012
    I like how the original poster doesn't realize that he made the choice to tell Clementine to leave him, when he could have made the choice to have her shoot him and put him out of his misery. Even if you did choose for her to not shoot him, it's not a terrible ending at all. The Lee's that don't want Clem to shoot him don't want her to have to experience taking a life. Especially not someone she clearly and obviously adored so much and right after having seen her parents as walkers.

    Oh and by the way, my Lee told Clementine to make her way out of the city and back to the train where Christa and Omid are waiting. He even asked her if she remembered the way back and she said yes. Then, he asked her to shoot him.

    The ending was fantastic in my opinion. And it was ALWAYS going to end with Clem in a field alone. That was the picture we were presented with for the locked Episode 5 way back when Episode 1 was first released.

    Er, not in the PC version you didn't. Sorry, I'm not taking the heat for TTG's inability to cross platforms.
  • edited November 2012
    Er, not in the PC version you didn't. Sorry, I'm not taking the heat for TTG's inability to cross platforms.

    Uh.. I have the PC version. It seems that you're just wrong. Get over it.
  • edited November 2012
    K0t0 wrote: »
    It could have been executed better, but the handcuffing was obviously meant to be poetic.

    Lee starts the game handcuffed, next to the corpse of a law enforcer, who e then had to kill
    He ends the game handcuffed, next to the corpse of a law enforcer, who his protege had to kill

    regardless of the scenario its clear they were keeping this part in.
    Repeating an extremely minor theme is not 'poetic'. Sorry.
  • edited November 2012
    Dildor wrote: »
    OP is mad that Clementine doesn't shoot Lee, and that there is no cutscene afterwards with Clem showing what happens.


    Read for comprehension. I objected to the lack of closure, the inability of Lee to relay even basic survival information, and the inability to obey one of the fundamental emotional rules of The Walking Dead universe: you don't leave your people as zombies.

    But by all means, make stuff up when you can't follow the argument.
  • edited November 2012
    Er, not in the PC version you didn't. Sorry, I'm not taking the heat for TTG's inability to cross platforms.
    Lol what? Yeah you do. I play the PC version and got Clem to shoot me and saw the ending after the credits. I think you just missed it. ;)
    Repeating an extremely minor theme is not 'poetic'. Sorry.
    How the hell is Lee being a criminal a "minor theme."
  • edited November 2012
    Maybe he got hit with a unique bug?

    /reaching.....
  • edited November 2012
    Play more games, then. Play two.

    I prefer quality over quantity. ;)

    Seems these fine folks gave you some good suggestions about the game. Might want to take them up on it. :)
  • edited November 2012
    Viser wrote: »
    Haters gonna hate
    Aw, did I spoil your enjoyment of your widdow game for you?

    At least a few other posters had the intelligence to note actual objections to my initial criticism, which is more than reasonable.

    You on the other hand, strike me as someone who uses the word 'butthurt' a lot.
  • edited November 2012
    you don't leave your people as zombies.

    Yes. That's why most people chose to have Clem shoot Lee.
  • edited November 2012
    CarScar wrote: »
    Lol what? Yeah you do. I play the PC version and got Clem to shoot me and saw the ending after the credits. I think you just missed it. ;)

    How the hell is Lee being a criminal a "minor theme."

    Handcuffs. Handcuffs.

    Lee being a 'criminal' (he wasn't--as far as we knew) has nothing to do with the ending. Surely you understand that.

    In any case, if nothing else, his actions throughout were redemptory. For him to end in handcuffs is a fundamental betrayal of the compact between designer and player.

    Actually, it's a splendid metaphor for the game's abject failure to have anything you do actually matter. Lee starts and ends, handcuffed. Same as the players throughout. Brilliant, in a way.
  • edited November 2012
    Aw, did I spoil your enjoyment of your widdow game for you?

    At least a few other posters had the intelligence to note actual objections to my initial criticism, which is more than reasonable.

    You on the other hand, strike me as someone who uses the word 'butthurt' a lot.

    Yes, I cried in the corner of my room for a few minutes after reading that post of yours =(

    I didn't object to your criticism 'cause I've objected to that same crap over and over again on other threads, didn't see the need to that again on this one after many people had already done it. I'm pretty sure I've replied to some of your posts in the past, back on the days of Episode 3... can't be sure of that, though :p

    And that assumption couldn't be more wrong. I honestly can't recall ever using that word on an argument with anyone.

    And teasing trolls is quite funny, I must add :p
  • edited November 2012
    Hooboy. I'm 99% convinced you're some sort of advanced troll, but here we go:
    Lee's great "sacrifice", chaining himself to the radiator, is a preposterous mistake completely at odd with The Walking Dead universe. Worse, it's no sacrifice at all. First, it's unimaginable that Clem, if she even survives the city (and recall that we forgot to, you know, actually tell her how to find Omid and Christa--oops!), won't be forever haunted by the image of zombie Lee chained to a radiator in a windowless room for all eternity.

    You can choose not to have Clem handcuff Lee. I didn't.
    The big deal he makes, that she shouldn't shoot him, is horribly, horribly misguided. Putting down someone before they turn is extremely cathartic. It was a point of honor, pride, and closure for Carl to put down Lori in the tv series. They got it exactly right there. In the game it completely spoils the whole ending, since Clem doesn't get that closure.

    You can choose to have Clem shoot Lee. For the record, it didn't look like it'd been very cathartic for her at all.
    Second, are you kidding me? We're left with no cutscene, no reunion with Omid and Christa where we see Clem finally escape? It's clear that TTG badly rushed the entire episode, from the incredibly brief playing time to the pointless recycling of locations, but this was the worst sort of failure--betraying a fundamental point of The Walking Dead universe. It played exactly as though the developer simply hit the wall of a deadline and had to quit without finishing.

    Very, very disappointing.

    The entire Internet has pointed out to you that there is an ending cutscene with Clem in it.

    Man, you must have been fired up when you wrote this post, but you got a bunch of shit wrong there, dude.
  • edited November 2012
    Read for comprehension. I objected to the lack of closure, the inability of Lee to relay even basic survival information, and the inability to obey one of the fundamental emotional rules of The Walking Dead universe: you don't leave your people as zombies.

    But by all means, make stuff up when you can't follow the argument.

    Why did you have Clementine leave Lee if you would have preferred her to shoot him?
    Trust me, I had to re-read your OP twice to understand what you were mad at with the ending.

    You went on a rant about how the ending was absurd because clem didn't put Lee down. In my playthrough, she DID.

    Did you just miss the entire cutscene after the credits? or are trying to say it didn't give enough closure? It's a cliffhanger so...

    Your whole first post would make more sense if shooting Lee WASN'T an option. If you had told Clem to shoot you you would have gotten the ending you wanted.

    Also tell me what locations were recycled, and for what reason it was bad. I don't think you are trying to troll, but you're way too angry at the ending, for the wrong reasons.
  • edited November 2012
    Handcuffs. Handcuffs.

    Lee being a 'criminal' (he wasn't--as far as we knew) has nothing to do with the ending. Surely you understand that.
    In any case, if nothing else, his actions throughout were redemptory. For him to end in handcuffs is a fundamental betrayal of the compact between designer and player.

    Actually, it's a splendid metaphor for the game's abject failure to have anything you do actually matter. Lee starts and ends, handcuffed. Same as the players throughout. Brilliant, in a way.
    The big difference between the two scenarios is that Lee unwillingly got handcuffed at the beginning and at the end he willingly allowed himself to be handcuffed to protect someone he loves. It's poetry because the beginning and the ending rhyme.

    If you think it's so fucking terrible then don't let Lee get handcuffed, geeze. It is an option after all.

    I don't even know why I'm entertaining this obvious troll. No one is this dumb.
  • edited November 2012
    CarScar wrote: »
    I don't even know why I'm entertaining this obvious troll. No one is this dumb.

    I seriously think it's got to be one of the Telltale guys fucking with us or something.
  • edited November 2012
    lucidity02 wrote: »
    I seriously think it's got to be one of the Telltale guys fucking with us or something.

    well shit, gotta take drastic measures then :P (again)
  • edited November 2012
    "Whatever TellTale writes is masterful and if you don't agree you're just sad about the game's ending." - Typical Poster.

    No need to be rude to the OP, people.

    TellTale isn't immune to bad writing. If Steven Spielberg can make a bad movie, TellTale can make a bad Episode, and Episode 5 was pretty poor. The dialogue between Clem and Lee was amazing, but other than that, it was cliche, absurd, and rushed.

    I would've gladly waited until 2013 for the finale if it was longer and better thought out. Though, the problems started with Episode 3. 4 was good, but 2 and 1 were masterful.
  • edited November 2012
    The ending to Episode 5 was a hopeless bungle.

    Lee's great "sacrifice", chaining himself to the radiator, is a preposterous mistake completely at odd with The Walking Dead universe. Worse, it's no sacrifice at all. First, it's unimaginable that Clem, if she even survives the city (and recall that we forgot to, you know, actually tell her how to find Omid and Christa--oops!), won't be forever haunted by the image of zombie Lee chained to a radiator in a windowless room for all eternity. The big deal he makes, that she shouldn't shoot him, is horribly, horribly misguided. Putting down someone before they turn is extremely cathartic. It was a point of honor, pride, and closure for Carl to put down Lori in the tv series. They got it exactly right there. In the game it completely spoils the whole ending, since Clem doesn't get that closure.

    Wait what? You literally got to choose against both of those things if you wanted. You could have Lee not chain himself to the radiator AND be able to shoot him. The option was yours.
    Second, are you kidding me? We're left with no cutscene, no reunion with Omid and Christa where we see Clem finally escape? It's clear that TTG badly rushed the entire episode, from the incredibly brief playing time to the pointless recycling of locations, but this was the worst sort of failure--betraying a fundamental point of The Walking Dead universe. It played exactly as though the developer simply hit the wall of a deadline and had to quit without finishing.

    Now just for curiosities sake. Did you see the post ending after the credits? Where we see Clementime escape the city AND meet 2 shadowy figures which could've been Christa and Omid?
    Er, not in the PC version you didn't. Sorry, I'm not taking the heat for TTG's inability to cross platforms.

    I got the PC version and I remember Lee telling Clementime basic survival techniques, and where Christa and Omid live. You are either trolling, didn't pay attention at all, or have a bizarre glitch.
  • edited November 2012
    Doctanian wrote: »
    "Whatever TellTale writes is masterful and if you don't agree you're just sad about the game's ending." - Typical Poster.

    No need to be rude to the OP, people.

    TellTale isn't immune to bad writing. If Steven Spielberg can make a bad movie, TellTale can make a bad Episode, and Episode 5 was pretty poor. The dialogue between Clem and Lee was amazing, but other than that, it was cliche, absurd, and rushed.

    I would've gladly waited until 2013 for the finale if it was longer and better thought out. Though, the problems started with Episode 3. 4 was good, but 2 and 1 were masterful.
    I honestly thought episode 5 was the greatest episode in the Walking Dead game. All the characters stepped up and became really awesome (Christa was actually genuinely concerned for Lee and wasn't a bitch, Omid was really funny, Kenny actually realized his mistakes and wasn't an asshole to me for once / was actually understanding, and Ben, although didn't do much, had that awesome speech about his families well-being).

    Telling Christa and Omid you want them to be Clem's parents was really touching, Kenny sacrificing himself was really awesome / sad (the soundtrack they played was really awesome too), and Lee mowing through so many walkers was just pure badass (dat soundtrack too). The last scene was really depressing and I'd be surprised if anyone wasn't, at least, close to tears during it. The animation seemed more fluid and the art seemed a tad better too. My only gripe with it was how short it was, it's true to the name at least "No Time Left."

    I'm wondering, what didn't you like about it?
  • edited November 2012
    Doctanian wrote: »
    "Whatever TellTale writes is masterful and if you don't agree you're just sad about the game's ending." - Typical Poster.

    Careful, that way of thinking is one step away from claiming anyone who likes TWD and doesn't agree with a negative comment is a blind fanboy :p

    It's possible to present negative opinions constructively - if a person doesn't, don't be surprised if people react in an opposite and equal manner.
  • edited November 2012
    The ending to Episode 5 was a hopeless bungle.

    Lee's great "sacrifice", chaining himself to the radiator, is a preposterous mistake completely at odd with The Walking Dead universe. Worse, it's no sacrifice at all. First, it's unimaginable that Clem, if she even survives the city (and recall that we forgot to, you know, actually tell her how to find Omid and Christa--oops!), won't be forever haunted by the image of zombie Lee chained to a radiator in a windowless room for all eternity. The big deal he makes, that she shouldn't shoot him, is horribly, horribly misguided. Putting down someone before they turn is extremely cathartic. It was a point of honor, pride, and closure for Carl to put down Lori in the tv series. They got it exactly right there. In the game it completely spoils the whole ending, since Clem doesn't get that closure.

    Second, are you kidding me? We're left with no cutscene, no reunion with Omid and Christa where we see Clem finally escape? It's clear that TTG badly rushed the entire episode, from the incredibly brief playing time to the pointless recycling of locations, but this was the worst sort of failure--betraying a fundamental point of The Walking Dead universe. It played exactly as though the developer simply hit the wall of a deadline and had to quit without finishing.

    Very, very disappointing.


    Hey guy. You do realize she can shoot him, right?

    I'm figuring you're probably trollin' and if you are I have an idea if a certain tumblr blog mod you may be. But whatevs.
  • edited November 2012
    Yeah, maybe the thread didn't start out in the politest of possible ways but then shouting ''lololo troll'' doesn't help either.

    I thought the original post and subsequent replies were condescending as fuck. I'm not shocked that everyone's first instinct was to condescend back.

    It also doesn't help that -- though the dude clearly is very proud of his writing abilities or whatevs -- his post was so blatantly wrong, on so many counts, that being called a troll is probably preferable to him being just some imbecile who didn't notice you could actually CHOOSE to shoot Lee.
  • edited November 2012
    Um, he is trolling though.

    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41417

    Check out this gem he posted too, lol.
  • edited November 2012
    DreadMagus wrote: »
    Careful, that way of thinking is one step away from claiming anyone who likes TWD and doesn't agree with a negative comment is a blind fanboy :p

    It's possible to present negative opinions constructively - if a person doesn't, don't be surprised if people react in an opposite and equal manner.

    I was just joking, lol. That's the way it feels on this forum sometimes. I literally lay out my gripes in a constructive and generally polite manner, and someone's always like "You just sad Lee died."

    BUT I SAID I DIDN'T CARE IF LEE DIED!
This discussion has been closed.