Was killing Lee a mistake?
I'm not talking in the short-term sense, as there's no doubt the ending was the one thing most people remembered about the game. But in long-term, it sort of put Telltale in a bind when it came to continuing the story.
You have to view these games almost like an interactive TV show (an aesthetic approach Telltale themselves confirmed when they referred to the next series as "season 2", not to mention the "Previously on the Walking Dead/Next Time on the Walking Dead" clips seen at the beginning and end of each episode). In TV shows, the lead protagonist doesn't usually die. Not at the end of the first season, anyway.
I think it's somewhat safe to assume the Telltale writing team is probably jumping through the same hoops we are in terms of what to do next. We've speculated almost a dozen different ways about who the lead in season 2 could be, and every idea, no matter what it is, has come with its share of problems.
I know that even suggesting this out loud will get me lynched, but I can't help wondering if Telltale will reveal story events from Lee's bite onwards was just a nightmare Clementine had, just to bypass all the headaches they're probably having to go through in story sessions. To be honest, I wouldn't blame them.
You have to view these games almost like an interactive TV show (an aesthetic approach Telltale themselves confirmed when they referred to the next series as "season 2", not to mention the "Previously on the Walking Dead/Next Time on the Walking Dead" clips seen at the beginning and end of each episode). In TV shows, the lead protagonist doesn't usually die. Not at the end of the first season, anyway.
I think it's somewhat safe to assume the Telltale writing team is probably jumping through the same hoops we are in terms of what to do next. We've speculated almost a dozen different ways about who the lead in season 2 could be, and every idea, no matter what it is, has come with its share of problems.
I know that even suggesting this out loud will get me lynched, but I can't help wondering if Telltale will reveal story events from Lee's bite onwards was just a nightmare Clementine had, just to bypass all the headaches they're probably having to go through in story sessions. To be honest, I wouldn't blame them.
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That, and the story was about her growing and becoming prepared to take care of herself. Notice how we skipped Lee's training between episode 1 and 2? His (our) growth wasn't important to show, but whenever he passed on his knowledge, the game let us know that Clementine will remember.
Killing Lee off allows Telltale to come up with a new character to learn about in the same manner. Sure, it might be odd seeing familiar faces and having the player's initial reaction be something that should be associated with Lee and there's a risk of it feeling too similar, but it's not impossible to make it work.
I'm going to wait (anxiously) for season 2 to see just how good the writing team actually is. If they can make season 2 just as memorable as season 1, then I'll be stoked.
Killing off Lee got a huge reaction from the fan base, and that was probably TTG's goal, but I'm a little worried that they may have sacrificed some of the long-term quality of the series in favor of a big, dramatic ending to S1. I'm still confident they can deliver an excellent second season, but I'm not sure they can replace a character like Lee, or hit the same highs they hit in S1.
Man, thank God it's not up to him.
Robert Kirkman and George R. R. Martin have this strange talent. They can make me want to strangle them to death with my bare hands by just killing fictional characters.
Not that I wanted Lee dead, but to alter their original plan - in the face of additional seasons - might have lead to a crappier overall storyline - since they obviously hadn't prepared for Lee's continuation.
When the series first started I looked at Lee & Clementine as Telltale's version of Rick & Carl. I don't think Kirkman would have killed them both off.
That's just my concern anyway. I don't at all doubt Telltale's ability to successfully continue the series. Season 1 was one of the best video games I've ever played, so I have a lot of faith in them.
Couldn't agree more, sigh.
Let me explain
You can cut off his arm early on in ch 5. Then you can choose not to handcuff him, and not to shoot him. He no longer has the bite, can now move if he gets better, and can escape with the door now unlocked. And if he needs some help we have other characters that are unknown that could come to the rescue (if blood loss was problem or magically immune
I know it sounds like a long shot but you have to admit there is almost no way Clem could have rescued Lee, carrying him into that store. Maybe she got help? Or maybe someone distracted the zombies to give her enough time to get them to safety?(because I think someone falling over would attract zombies!)
I think what we did will affect Lee somehow in the future. Even if minuscule.
As a whole if Lee is absolutely dead without any trace of doubt than I'd say it wasn't a mistake. He went out like the badass we all knew he was. He saved a little girl that wasn't his but thought of as his own. He risked his life countless times for her, and to me, that was a good enough send off. Despite being a believer of the "I love you" discussion, I think killing Lee in this way was a good job. In my eyes, he has redeemed himself, and I think, if only for a little while, was truly happy with Clem.
Telltale challanged conventions by killing of their protagonist. This happens in movies but does not really happen in ongoing stories. Eli was the the protagonist of "The book of Eli" as was the Viggo Mortensen character in "The road" movie. The stories centre around them. We see the world through their eyes. We learn what is going on in the walking dead game through Lee's experiences not Clementine's. Clementine was aware of the outbreak before Lee was in the way that Duane was aware of the outbreak before Rick Grimes. Lee even narrates at the end of the first episode when he talks about the walkers starving them out in the preview for episode 2.
Clementine's role in the walking dead game was to act as our/Lee's morale compass. "From the beginning, the designers knew they wanted a character that would act as a moral compass for the main character as he progressed through the game," art director David Sakai said. "The designers envisioned a smart, honest, and capable girl around eight years old."(Game informer interview with Telltale art director-http://www.polygon.com/2012/12/26/3805442/the-walking-dead-story-clementine-telltale)
As to Whether or not I think it was a mistake to kill of the main character/protagonist, I think that decision is fine if the story ends there but it's not a good idea if you have a change of heart and decide to continue the story. Telltale now, have a herculean task of establishing a new protagonist in a continuing story, particularly if they are expected to bond with Clementine in a belivable way. I would bet my bottom dollar that they wouldn't of killed off Lee if they knew that they were going to do more than one walking dead game when starting the project.
When other game developers decide to add to franchises after the death of protagonists they often end up doing prequels because they can't take the protagonist's story any further like with God of war assension and the new Metal gear games Konami have planned but as Telltale don't have that option I think it will be intersting to see where they go from here.
I don't imagine Clementine being on her own for long, especially if Omid and Christa were the people we saw on the hill. If she does reunite with them her role in the group would be the same as it was in season one. She would be under their protection as before.
I say this to say that Lee's death was powerful, it was emotional but it was not necessary for Clementine's development. It was necessary to make the saddest story, which was telltale's goal way before they planned to do another season.
Also remember, they did announce Season 2 long before the final episodes got released. Do we even know they went for their original ending or not?
As much as i would want to continue playing Lee. I think this is a good move for a Walking dead game. No one is safe, not the characters you interact with, nor the ones you play as. That's just as much "Walking dead" it gets for a video game.
I've been taking walks at night, thinking to myself how to continue this and i really don't know. This game is canon to the comic (which shows when they changed Lilly's backstory), they could meet up with any character from there and any events that has happen there. Now the game before and now hopefully does something on it's own, but it was nice seeing what Glenn was doing before he meet Rick and same goes with Hershel. Anything can happen. That's what's so good about this. Almost impossible to find out what will happen.
What will the overall story be this time? At the start it was just about survival, it then changed to moving somewhere safe, then a boat, and last but not least saving Clem. Will there even be an overall story other than survival, will we have a bigger goal this time?
I'm not saying this cause the game had no goal. It had. It just took a while to get there and it was well worth the wait. What ever will happen, i have full faith in Telltale Games.
To me Kirkman's main characters just seem more capable. When I think about how Lee got bitten. Lilly reminisces about being in a similar situation in the novel but in her case she escaped. I loved the game but sometimes I did think characters did stupid and unbelievable things because it was there time to go. e.g Ben waiting for the stairs to give way when he had time to run back before he fell and got impaled in the alley, Kenny waiting in the alleyway after mercy killing Ben when he had time to run back and join Lee,Ben deciding not to run and follow Lee out the window in the bell tower, allowing time for the zombie to grab him and so on.
So yeah! I think if Kirkman was writing the story the key characters would have lasted more than 13 weeks. Just because I think his writing is more belivable than Telltale's, what with it being only their fisrt attempt at writing a walking dead story and the fact that he has been writing them for over 8 years.
Telltale has stated that Lee's death and Clem being alone and uncertain in a grassy field was planned since day one(the stranger possibly too), so those points at least weren't changed after they started on Season 2. It does kinda work either way, it can be a cliffhanger to leave it up the players to decide or it can lead into the next title if they choose.
That's cool. I'm happy it continues. I would not want a cliffhanger like that.
Can't you state WHY it was a mistake instead of saying it was?
Clem would be the only one that could do it for me.
That is my biggest concern about season 2... I worry if she will be in it at all (it's not confirmed... or is it? I mean officially, 100%, no doubt?) since continuing the story is going to be tough for TTG, with Lee dead and all, the only characters that could have some sort of bond with/to (?) her would be Omid and Christa, because she likes them a lot, she would probably warm up to them, but it wouldn't be as strong as the Clem-Lee bond... hope they won't kill her off for that reason...