my views on the characters of season 2.
Clementine: I think Clem for the most part is well written. To be honest I play a very cold and calculating Clem. I play her as though the zombie apocalypse, the events of season 1, and the events of the first episode of season 1 have taken their toll on her. I know most people don't play her this way, and disagree with this style of playing Clem. But i pick all of the depressing or tactical options.
Christa: From what little we have seen of her this season i really liked. Christa was my third favorite character after (Lily and Lee). In season 1, she began as untrusting and critical of Lee and his group. And by the end of the season had grown to care for others again, as shown by her sadness at Kenny's then assumed demise. But in season two the opening scene with Omid's death kind of began a character regression to when we first met her. In fact the feeling i got was that she had gone to being emotionally numbed. Christa has had a very unique character arc. Whether or not we see her again doesn't matter. She was very dynamic and interesting. Personally I hope we don't see her again. I like the idea of not knowing her fate. It adds even more depth and realism to TWD's already bleak world. You don't always get to see the outcome in life.
Omid: Fairly one dimensional. He was the last real voice of optimism in dark world. While his character was clearly a one dimensional don't give into depression and darkness type character he fit the role well. I liked him. I also like that they killed him off in episode 1. I think it was very symbolic at least for me. I think with his death the writers really sunk it home that the old world is over and never coming back. In TWD universe hope is a weakness. And to me Omid, was the last symbol of hope. And his death was symbolic of the end of hope. At least or my Clementine.
Pete: I enjoyed Pete, I feel like Pete was like Omid. But not for hope. He was a symbolic character. I think his character represented direction and purpose. His speech about having a role to play is pretty clear on this. And of course his death symbolized the end of direction and the end of purpose. I think this is evidenced by Clem and the survivors when they are in Carver's camp trying to plan an escape. There was no clear direction. Everyone was confused and no one really knew what to do. Luke and Kenny thought they did. But it's clear now that both were really directionless and their plans sprung out of desperation (luke) and irrationality (kenny).
Luke: Luke is symbolic of morality. Unfortunately for Luke... in the world of TWD morality is a weakness. He represents the idea of "you can change the world, or let the world change you". He and Kenny are the polar opposites. I see two possible outcomes for his character. Outcome A: Luke retains his morality and dies. B: He loses his morality. Either scenario will be symbolic of showing that in what has become of this world that you can't always make the moral decision and come out for the better.
Kenny: is symbolic of adaptation. Kenny's long road began with him as moral upright christian family man. He quickly learned that if you wish to live you can't keep your hands clean. Someone must do the dirty work. However he also symbolizes desperation. Kenny does not react well to pressure instead of staying level headed. He trips out and let's his emotions control him. Which will be his downfall. Kenny will not survive season 2. Another valuable lesson. Keep your emotions in check. Use your brain to make decisions not your heart.
Carlos: is symbolic of ignorance and pride. This is most well depicted in his relationship with his daughter. The way he shelters her shows that he is ignorant of the world around and he is too stubborn to see that his daughter is going to suffer for his "good intentions" which in reality is a death sentence for her. His death symbolized that you can't hide form evil and darkness by simply ignoring it. he was also too prideful to admit he was wrong.
Nick: is symbolic of self doubt. Because he feels useless he often goes too far out of his way to prove he is not, which only makes the situation worse. his constant self doubt is a burden to others, and death sentence to himself. him being a determinant is a very interesting way of showing that self doubt is a flaw that cannot be fixed by the individual afflicted with it. he needs support from those close to him. and with enough support from others self doubt is a character flaw that doesn't have to be fatal. and in fact can be cured. Nick is promising and unique character. Also well written and voice acted.
Bonnie: is symbolic of dishonesty. dishonesty is a neutral character trait. dishonesty can be useful or harmful depending on the individuals understanding. Bonnie is a great character because her standing will be determined by how much you value honesty and how much understanding of reason your group and character show.
Carver: is symbolic of strength and leadership. His character demonstrates the burden of leadership well. While he was a bad person, he represented well the qualities of a great leader. He is also symbolizing that by being a leader you make yourself a target. Sometimes it's better walk your own path, than to shoulder the burden of others.
Sarah: is symbolic of dependency. She is at the mercy of others. She is opposition to Carver's extreme in the other direction. Where Carver was the one people depended on. She and Carver are meant to show that both are actually weakness. Hers is obvious. She can't survive without someone to guide her. She is also the result of her fathers weakness which was ignorance.
Sarita/Walter/Alvin are less of actual fully fleshed out characters and more plot device. imo.
sorry for the TLDR post.
Comments
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I agreed 100% with this all.
Yes I did read it all and find what you said to be quite accurate.
What do you think Clementine symbolized?
well in the first season i think she symbolized innocence. but i don't see her as a symbolic character in the second season. because her personality is your personality. so she is really more of a representation of you and how you react to the other characters and what they symbolize. if that makes any sense. i see her as an extension of myself. just like i did lee.
I think Clem would be a symbolic of "adaptation".
It's weird to have a character who's personality was so clearly defined in season 1 be completely different in season 2.
I'm gonna guess my comment broke some kind of forum guideline.... which sucks cause I love that frikin chicken.
fair enough. i wouldn't disagree.
I think Clem would be "adaptation" as CatySky said
the problem with innocence. is that most people if not everyone loses it at some point. it's pretty much impossible to go through even non apocalyptic life without making a poor decision and doing something cruel even if it was unintentional. and i'd imagine in TWD it's even harder to preserve that quality.
so innocence is trait that pretty much everyone had at one point. but nearly no one ends with.
so yeah, i doubt that anyone could say that clementine still represents innocence.
Quality read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
thank you for reading.