I have a new appreciation for Episode 4
Yes, before we start this let me just make it clear that there were some things I disagree with in this episode; it's not perfect. Nicks death, Lukes actions, Arvo. These things were some highlights to the issues of Episode 4.
But....
After playing through it again, and listening to the end credits track (Salty Seas~Devics) I have come to appreciate the message or goal this episode set out to imply. I first point out one line that seemed to stick with me after the episode, the line from the war statue at Parkers Run. "Fallen, but never forgotten" It's a line which has quite a meaning for the episode.
The people we lost, Sarah, Nick, Rebecca. They all had something holding them back, issues that forced them to struggle in the world they live in. (Sarah: Not being able to understand the world she's in anymore. Nick: Loss of his relatives and lack of worth to the group. Rebecca: A baby to look after, in a world that won't make it easy.) Each of these three had to struggle to keep going, and it's through *You * as Clementine to help them through it. You can keep them motivated, help them through their pain or grief or you can ignore them and treat them like crap.
Helping them allows you to think you're helping them find purpose, to find a reason to carry on. Sarah can consider Clementine as a best friend, Nick can be thankful for Clem saving his life back at the Ski Lodge. Rebecca is glad Clementine was around to offer support and care throughout the childs birth. The point is you allow these three to continue on happy and in a way that makes you happy.
But....
What Amid The Ruins tried to show us is that we can't keep them going. Sure we can try, we can push Sarah to keep going even when she has noting left to go for. We can reassure Rebecca that she'll be fine and she'll have a lovely baby that looks just like Alvin. It's great to offer these things, but what happened to Nick is a showcase of your lack of ability to keep control of their safety.
Nick, Sarah and Rebecca died of causes you couldn't stop, this episodes showed you that no matter how hard you try you can't keep people alive forever, people die and you have to come to terms with that. It's the message Jane tried to teach Clementine throughout the episode, if you spend too much time trying to make sure everyone else is safe and happy, you'll end up getting upset in the end run when they all eventually die.
It's a sad truth, and sure we can continue to fight it and keep going on protecting the ones we love, but at the end of the day you can't save them. But in the end you will never forget their deaths, you will continue on and remember their memory and let it keep you going.
"Fallen, but never forgotten"
At least that was my opinion on the matter, please be respectful and comment what you think.
Comments
I think this happened
everyone complains about how amid the ruins was taking too long, so they rush it
once amid the ruins is released they say it was "the worst episode ever" and "ruined the season"
Plus, It was ruined because of the leaked video
If that was the case then I would say that Telltale needs to do some serious prioritising. Yes, it can be frustrating to wait a long time between episodes, but I would much rather wait longer and experience quality storytelling and gameplay when it arrives than have rushed-out content that was deeply unsatisfying, as I believe Episode 4 was for the most part. Possibly not everyone agrees with me, but I don't think that "rush it" should ever be the go-to answer for any kind of media, be it video game or otherwise.
I understand the video being leaked, but you could have not watched the video. No one forced anyone to watch it.
Luke's actions wernt a weakness of the episode, he felt more human in this episode than he ever has previously along with Kenny. Both were much richer characters rather than perfect heroes like they have been for the rest of the season.
Nick was a failure of an attempt at a determinant character, i get this may happen in an apcoalypse but after no lines it seemed like a waste
Sarah was a cumulation of what we've been warned about her character from the beginning she ceased to function, her entire charcater arc seemed to direct towards that point despite what clem tried to attempt with her she just couldnt cope after her dad
Jane,Bonnie,Mike and Rebecca all had decent development too.
episode 4 wasn't good... too many illusion choices.
I can't outright refute the idea that that was Telltale's intention in this episode, and I understand the point that you're making. However, I think that even if Telltale's message of "fallen, never forgotten" explains some of the design choices in the episode, it doesn't completely excuse the fact that they were, ostensibly, poorly-implemented.
Nick's voice actor was not even acknowledged in the end credits of the episode. Other than a grunt when he was shot, he didn't get a single line. That's not what I would call good storytelling, or competent use of well-developed characters, even if you are trying to convey a theme of futility. Plus, Nick is almost immediately forgotten. Same with Sarah; Jane is the only one who mentions her name after you drop the decking on top of her ravaged corpse (if she lasted that long in your playthrough) and immediately the focus is placed on the new baby. So much for "fallen but not forgotten." You can argue that the intention is for Clementine and the player to remember them, but even so, Luke knew Nick for upwards of twenty years and Rebecca appeared to care deeply for Sarah. If they don't seem to give a shit about the characters' deaths, why should we? That's not to mention the fact that Sarah's death (providing you saved her in the motor home) had nothing to do with her being unable to continue, but sheer ludicrous bad luck; she falls off the decking and then, if you send Jane down to help her, a plank falls on her head and Sarah gets chomped on anyway. I know people have different opinions, but I'd say that suggests that Telltale simply didn't want to keep her as a determinant character and killed her as a loose end, negating all previous development and story arcs, rather than as a means of making a philosophical statement. And even if there was an intended message behind it, as with Nick's death, it gets lost behind a niggling and cynical impression that Telltale were simply being lazy and killing off anyone who might make future episodes more complicated to develop.
Call me crazy, but I simply think that if "fallen but not forgotten" was the key theme, then Telltale could have done a much better job of implying it without killing off Nick in a laughably lazy way, ruining both Nick and Sarah's previous character development, and stomping all over that message by having every other character in the game forget the "fallen" mere seconds after they fall. Having read numerous "fan fic" death scenes on this forum which have dealt with very much the same themes in a far more fitting and professional manner, I just can't shake the feeling that laziness and convenience were the order of the day in this episode, and that people are giving Telltale too much credit in terms of a great overarching "meaning" which apparently excuses the thoroughly slapdash nature of much of the story.
I agree with what ya say IllusiveBroker. I believe Telltale wanted us to feel upset/angry that we couldn't save these people from dying no matter how hard Clem tried. It goes the same way in season 1 with the deaths of Ben and Larry. We just could not save them, because bad stuff happens in the zombie apocalypse. We should feel robbed that potentially good characters died out of nowhere even though there are some strong hints through out the episode toward each character that they were going to die, but we did not want that, Telltale did. In the end with the amount of complaining and upset going on with some people over Sarah, Nick, and Rebecca's death Telltale has succeeded in creating attachments over these characters and getting you to feel something when they took them away from you.
You could say that you wanted these characters to have more interactions with Clem and more character building and that would be what Telltale wanted you to want, but in the end death takes everyone quick and sudden.
Completely agree, beautiful post.
I agree with this. There were several hints through out the episode that said we can't always protect/save people, there are times you can help them make a choice or you can put yourself first (to survive) and leave them to their own fates. That is a sad truth, you can't always help people to choose the right thing, you can try to influence them to do the right thing (for themselves or others) but you can't choose for them. In the end everyone is responsible for themselves. I think Amid the Ruins was mainly built around this theme.