The Case

Poor Clementine, she just can't seem to cut a break can she. As if being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse wasn't bad enough, she's been forced to (probably) kill her surrogate Father. Watch what few friends she had munched in the face by investment bankers. Sew up her own arm with fishing wire after being savaged by a dog. Expected to solve everyone's problems...and now we're back yet again to see what new shit is going to be dumped all over. And if the title, In Harm's Way, didn't give it away, she ain't going to have an easy time of it.

The Trial

It's time to level with you. The previous episode was superb. Honestly, it was far better than the first. Not gonna' lie, But there was...there was just something about it that made me mark it down, ever so slightly. As good as it was, as good as it is, and it really is really good, there was that little thing nagging at the back of the mind that kept it from being elevated to the level of perfection. And it took the arrival of In Harm's Way to give the much needed context. The problem is pacing.

As great as A House Divided is, its place in the series made it feel kind of awkward. The stakes, so to speak, were raised too quickly for it to have the full impact it deserved. The fateful events in that lodge were just a little too dramatic, a little too climactic, for the second episode in a five part series. The thing is, Telltale were in a real bind with where to go. Leaving them torn between some equally shitty decisions. You see, for episode 3 to work the way it did, episode 2 had to contain all of the events it did, or episode 3 would have had to be split in half. Which could have worked, in fact, would have worked really well.  But then it would have squashed down the ending, which is clearly something that Telltale want to draw out a little further.

For the events of episode 2 to fit comfortably, the week(ish) of traveling would need to have been included. In fact, it feels very much like there was originally supposed to be a lot more in there, with the big reveal at the end being the meeting with Kenny. Which would have worked real well actually. Though it could have left what would have been episode 3 being either too slow, with the scenes in the lodge dragged out. Or cramped and overly busy with both the lodge and the mall (what we now have as the finished episode 3) taking place all in one episode.

So they made a difficult, but commendable, decision to sacrifice the early narrative flow in favour of a stronger payoff in the end. A decision which allowed episode 3, In Harm's Way, as it now stands, to transcend everything that came before it (at least everything in season 2) and become not only great, not even merely perfect. The payoff, the climax, is some disgustingly visceral it...there's no other word for it.  It's beatific. Disgustingly beautiful. Like a dogs testicles, dangling directly in your face whilst it shits on your chest. You just can't help but look, mesmerised at the...wait, what the hell? That's a terrifying image. But apt.

We tend to avoid spoilers as much as we can here at Pixel Judge, but sometimes they're unavoidable. Either because nothing of the game will make sense without such context or because a certain event becomes so pivotal in what makes everything work that omitting mention becomes almost criminal. The latter is where we find ourselves today. You see, the closing moment of In Harm's Way confronts us with Sarita, the charming young woman whom Kenny has clearly become irrevocably smitten with, being bitten by a Walker. Leaving us with the split-second decision to cleave the Walker's head in with a machete or, as I chose...hack off her arm at the elbow.

This single event was so powerful it left me utterly stunned. It's rare that a game (or book, film or any other media for that matter) can illicit such an immediate and powerful emotional response. Rarer still when the full ramifications of that single moment linger and fully coalesce in the cerebellum for days following. See, the scene itself was a powerful moment of interactive storytelling, but the sudden moment of clarity when I was reminded that Clementine is only a twelve year old girl, that was when it really hit me.

I didn't hesitate, not even for an instant. The moment I saw what was happening I mashed that left mouse button and just got on with it. There was no time to be squeamish and succumb to the horror of what was happening. Such a delay could, and would, lead to all sorts of nastiness. Not least of which being the death of Sarita, and the inevitable evolution of her into another Walker. So no, I didn't hesitate. But the thing is, neither did Clementine. She's a fictional character, sure, but she didn't even flinch. Just swung down hard as she could, practically scoffed and rolled her eyes when Sarita succumbed to the shock of what had happened, then completely ignored her whilst she finished cutting through flesh, sinew and bone.

That was fucking brutal!

The whole point is, this was something that needed to happen here. The moment itself would have been just as powerful if it was the climax of episode 4, certainly, but would have left the season without the necessary time it needed to fully explore just how pivotal this decision really was. Not just for Sarita, not even primarily for her. Honestly, how she deals with the loss of (most) of an arm is almost trivial. After the initial shock she would, of course, either accept that it's better to lose a hand and survive, or decide it was too much and just off herself. Harsh, sure, but that's all she wrote.

The ramifications for Clementine on the other hand, that's something that will resonant throughout the entirety of the rest of her life. Whether that lasts for the next two episodes or (far more likely) into season 3 and hopefully beyond. It's something that shows, yet again, just how much she has developed from that terrified little girl Lee found hiding in a treehouse a scant two years before. Where episode 1 showed that she had grown weary and even jaded, then episode 2 revealed her determination to not only live, but cling to the hope of something better. Now we see how, relatively, easy it is for her to just turn off and do what has to be done. After all, we do what we must, because we must.

The entire episode leads up to this point. Not just in the sense of it being the climax, not merely as a part of a greater narrative, but in the context of being an internal narrative of this episode specifically. We start with those who survived the events of the lodge bundled in the back of a van...well, we actually start with Clementine looking at a butterfly whilst Ugly Betty, I mean, Sarah relieves herself in the bushes, but you know what I mean. Anyway, they're all tied up in the back of a van whilst the clearly unhinged Bill Carver is taking them to his personal utopia. Kenny, hotheaded and stubborn as he is, determined to find a way to break free and then kill every mother-fucker he sees. Everyone else opting for submission. And when Clementine supports Kenny being dismissed by Carlos with the words “the adults are talking.” Succinctly highlighting how easily the 'responsible' adults can switch their opinion when they choose. Where Clementine was a valuable member of the group, being looked to for guidance in episode 2. Now she's suddenly just an ignorant kid.

Only she isn't. Clearly. In fact, when it really comes down to it, of everyone we've seen in this second season, she's the only one who really gets it. She still has that hope of something better still to come, but she is smart enough to deal with the reality of the world she lives in without trying to make any asinine justifications or excuses for making bad choices. If she makes a bad choice...fuck it, shit happens. Just carry on and make the most of what you have. Basically, she's the only one with any maturity. Period.

What initially seemed like it would grow into a coming of age tale has shown far more depth. Clementine really is a child in age only. The events of the first season, that was when we saw her mature. Or rather, that was when we were shown the events which caused her to mature. The actual metamorphosis took place off camera, allowing us to explore themes that are all the more powerful. It would have been interesting to play through every step of her growth to adulthood I'm sure, but what we're getting is far, far more interesting. And far more powerful.

The Trial

Really, there isn't anything more to say. In Harm's Way really is just that good. There's nothing else to say. I could tell you about the voice acting, visuals and such, but this is the third episode. Suffice it to say they're just like the two before and be done with it. Narrative is king. That's what really matters, and that...well, they're called Telltale for a reason.

Case Review