I’ll be honest, after finishing the first episode of The Walking Dead Michonne, and listening to the opening song once more, I had high hopes. Having now finished episode 2, my high hopes are even higher than before, everything is on fire, this game has so much potential and all that I can hope for is that they continue in the direction in which they are heading.
So, let’s do this. When we finished episode 1, we were left quite emotional, with Michonne in a situation that only seemed to get worse and worse. The beginning of the episode had a bit of issues, laggy scenes and so on, but that faded away without me really noticing. We continue to follow Michonne and Sam, a young girl we met in the previous episode, as they attempt to get out of a really bad situation, as far away from a group of people who, as it always turns out (I have read the comics and played both previous seasons after all) are much worse than having to deal with those icky walkers. Although the beginning of the episode starts with an escape, and so, quite of bit of action, the first half of the episode (and in some way, most of the episode) mainly focuses on dialogue and Michonne’s interaction with…well, women, actually.
Although this is only the second episode of this season, something that I have noticed that seems to be pretty consistent, is the presence and importance of the female characters. It may turn out, in truth, to actually be 50/50, but so far The Walking Michonne seems to strongly revolve around Michonne’s interactions with other fellow women, and good, honest interactions about guilt, emotions, and how fucked up this whole zombie thing is.
Michonne, as she helps Sam return home to her family, continues to be haunted by her past. The episode offers you the chance to relive Michonne’s haunting experience, reliving the discovery of a bloody apartment and her two missing little girls. This was a quieter, slower moment that I really appreciate, as it helps diving deeper into Michonne’s character and helps understand not only her state of mind, but the things that haunt her, and why.
As Sam lays, injured, the game introduces us to yet another female character, with who you discuss Sam’s father, their family, and the passing of Sam’s mother. This was yet another moment in this episode where I truly appreciated a break from the violence (which, hey, I absolutely did love) to discuss about what it feels and means to live in a world filled with walkers, what it does to a mind—as Michonne drifts back and forth from past to present.
There were quite a few instances when the game took me VERY MUCH by surprise and did things I though it could do, but didn’t think it would. The darkness that these choices invited in, will have an interesting impact on some of the characters and will most certainly shape many of Michonne’s own choices.
The episode ends with a very obvious message/theme; crossing lines, the limits that we put in front of ourselves, and the importance of holding onto some amount of humanity.
Basically, this was an even greater episode. Episode 2 took the things that I liked in episode 1 and ran even further with it, continuing the discussion of mental stability humanity, empathy, sympathy, and the weight that crushes a parent that has lost a child(ren). I was touched, I was sad, I was shocked and then I was intrigued.