It’s hard to
admit, but I’m finally back on board with Telltale’s The Walking Dead’s second
season. Between a new, overly familiar cast and the hurdle of improving on
season one’s gripping story, the second season of the horror thriller had no
room to misstep.
Thankfully,
the third episode of this season, “In Harm’s Way” moves with such speed and
grace that there’s very little time to stumble. It’s still up for debate as to
whether it’s improved on the previous season, but the series has begun moving
in an assuredly better direction since the first episode.
“In Harm’s
Way” continues the perilous adventure of Clementine, now held captive by the
forces of Bill Carver (played by Reservoir
Dogs star Michael Madsen), along with the remaining members of the cabin
group. Now that players have an idea why Carver has such a vehement interest in
the pregnant Rebecca, the surviving group is taken to Carver’s facility, an
abandoned hardware store, supposedly safe from the zombie hordes roaming the
horizon.
It isn’t
long before the group, joined by similar prisoners of Carver’s authoritarian
leadership, begins to form a plan of survival, with the eventual aim of escape
from the heavily monitored compound.
Like any
plan in The Walking Dead universe, though, it’s only a matter of time before it
crumbles to pieces.
What makes
this episode so much more gripping than previous ones is its ability to make
the stakes feel real, while managing to make us care about certain characters
just enough to feel as threatened as they do.
Part of this
comes from further exploration of the world Carver has built for his fellow
survivors, and the underlying reasons why the cabin group attempted to escape
in the first place. You quickly learn that Carver has no sympathy for the weak,
and views them as blights on humanity’s chances for survival. Much like the
unforgiving citizens of Crawford in season one, staying alive is worth any
cost, including the forsaking of your own humanity.
Clementine,
Kenny, and the rest of the survivors recognize this immediately, but are split
on how to approach it. The absence of Luke, the only one to escape Carver’s
attack, and the new, less trusting prisoners only exacerbates the divide.
The chance
to explore other characters, like 400
Days’ Bonnie and newcomer Reggie (voiced by Kumail Nanjianai of Adventure
Time and Silicon Valley fame) expands the world in meaningful ways. Short but
sweet moments spent with Bonnie during forced labor begin to peel away from the
mystery of her character and motivations. Her transition from a fearful,
unquestioning supporter of Carver to ally not only makes her a valuable tool
for survival, but someone you genuinely care about. Clementine herself is given
plenty of introspection in the brief moments she gets alone with Carver, who
sees elements of himself in the young survivor.
The quick
arrival and departure of other characters will come as a shock to players used
to getting deeper impressions of characters, to the point of occasionally
irking one’s sensibilities. I just met this guy, so how can you play his death
off as incredibly tragic?
And speaking
of tragic, this may be one of the bloodiest and gut-wrenching episodes of any
season yet. It makes a sort of twisted sense in Carver’s bloody world that
violence would come so naturally. Carver isn’t afraid to beat men, women, or
children within an inch of their life. Even characters like the troubled young
Sarah are physically reprimanded for honest mistakes.
You won’t like it, but you won’t want to look away. Characters will almost
certainly leave this episode as radically changed beings. That’s the sort of
storytelling that Telltale knows it does best, and they eat it up here like so
much flesh.
One mark
against this episode (and really, it’s against the season as a whole) is that
any sense of exploration feels muted by the pace of the story. Part of season
one’s charm were small, quiet moments during downtime between zombie attacks
and inter-party conflict. Rooting through environments—even smaller ones—as Lee
felt like we were taking part in normal human activities, helping to build the
humanity behind that season’s cast. We’re simply shuttled along from one
conversation or conflict to another far too fast to get an equal sense in this
season.
Though many
of the complaints found in this episode can be seen in previous ones, the episode’s
new setting, brutal sensibilities, and willingness to explore inter-character
drama help pick up the slack, renewing interest in the tale being weaved. The
final moments of “In Harm’s Way” will leave players screaming alongside certain
characters for any hope of survival. As ever, Telltale knows just how to leave
us clawing for more.
+ More
varied, interesting world building
+ Character
development & intensity
+ Puts
season back on track thematically
- Still
little exploration
- Speed at
which the plot moves could stand to slow down
8/10
