It's over.
Jan. 19th, 2019 09:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
between_time_and_42I finally sat down and watched the entire epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2, now that I've had time to recover from mourning my fave character. Sometimes I feel silly taking fictional characters' deaths so hard (or taking fiction so seriously in general), but then I remember stories about early fandom and how people openly mourned Sherlock Holmes' death when his author killed him off (for example), so my behavior doesn't seem so odd. Plus sometimes I can't help it, when I really love a character it feels like they're a friend of mine, or the love of my life, or something.
So, a slightly incoherent thought-dump:
Hooray for super emotional endings! Though did I expect anything less? I didn't cry when Arthur died but the credits sequence sure pushed happy tears to my eyes. But, I'm getting ahead of myself- the credits sequence is still fresh in my mind since it's the last thing I watched.
What a breather the epilogue was compared to the rest of the game! Well, up until the intensity at the end, but even that was fine, given the reason why it was so intense... Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm going to have to bulletpoint everything.
1. I first started watching the epilogue on Tuesday when I finished the main game (it was included at the end of the video where the gamer I was watching finished it), and at first... I couldn't do it. Not only did I just miss Arthur so much, but I really did not care for John as a protagonist. I also didn't much like where I thought the plot was going- John and his family having to hide their identities from their employer, until the truth comes out. Fortunately this part of this plot went by pretty quickly- I'd definitely say the opening/first half was my least favorite part of the epilogue. Also, as I continued watching, I came to love John Marston. He definitely has his faults- he's a terrible liar/terrible at keeping a cover (I couldn't believe he jumped the gun and told the post office manager his real name just because he couldn't find the package that had supposedly come in for him; turned out it wasn't even under his real name and a bounty hunter happened to be at the post office and overheard him. Nice going!), and he seemed really bad at parenting- belittling Jack's interest in reading (unintentionally, but still) and later on straight up admitting that he doesn't know how to have a conversation with his son. To his son's face. But hey... he tried, goddammit. He put in all that effort trying to keep his family together and be a better man because he really loved them (and because of the promise he made to Arthur upon escaping from Dutch- he must have figured, since Arthur saw so much in him worth saving, since Arthur saw such hope and promise in him, he had to try to be the kind of man Arthur believed him to be), even though he probably would have gone right back to gunslinging if they weren't around. That made him a very likable protagonist for me, even though it took me a while to get to that point.
2. This entire epilogue (besides the action parts, as I mentioned) was one long moment of heartwarming. First it was John meeting up with Uncle and Charles again and all three of them working together to turn the beaten-up ranch he'd bought into a real home, worthy of Abigail and Jack. They were a found family and I loved it SO MUCH. Then, when Abigail and Jack came back, John's proposal to Abigail... that entire mission had me squealing with joy. I was surprised they weren't legally married (since throughout the game they called each other "husband" and "wife," but I did notice that Abigail hadn't taken John's name), so I'm a little confused about the nature of their relationship- did they make a promise/vows to each other, but not without anyone officiating/without witnesses, or since they had a child they pretty much decided they were life partners and considered that equivalent to marriage, or... I don't really understand, especially with the apparent addition that Abigail was the gang's shared prostitute (she either appears to have given that up by the time this game begins, or Dutch was lying in the one scene where he mentioned it. (but we'll get to THAT scene later). But anyway, I was so full of joy at that point in the game. From what I've read of the first game, I know they don't live happily ever after, but honestly I don't care. I'd rather imagine that this epilogue was the ending of their story.
3. Can we talk about SADIE MOTHERFUCKING ADLER?? During the game I didn't like her much, at least at the beginning- she seemed so reckless and trigger-happy. But I started liking her more after she took revenge on the O'Driscoll gang, and then by the time the epilogue rolled around... I was drawing hearts on the screen every time she appeared. If this game ever gets a sequel, I hope it's called SADIE ADLER: BOUNTY HUNTER, because that is literally all I want. I want to see her retrieving her various bounties and wrestling with her soul, maybe follow her adventures in South America after RDR2 ends (assuming she made it to South America- equally as interesting would be the journey there!). I feel bad now for thinking of her as a potential fuck buddy for Arthur. She deserves better than that (plus I just don't ship it at all anymore). I was so glad Sadie survived the story... and speaking of which, even happier that Charles survived, as he was the nicest member of the gang and deserved all the good in the world. Plus, I'm stricken once more by his relationship with Arthur... He was the only member of the gang Arthur ever embraced (besides when he was calming down Tilly, but cooldown hugs don't count) and also the only one to whom he directly revealed he was dying (Arthur mentioned it within earshot of Abigail and Sadie but he wasn't speaking directly to them). And Charles ended up being the one finding Arthur's body and burying him, which just broke my heart. Especially when we saw the grave marker in the credits scene, and it shows the deer grazing nearby (which were used to symbolize the goodness in Arthur throughout the story), and then it shows Rains Fall looking up at the sky and watching an eagle fly, just like his son Eagle Flies (oh, did I forget to mention how that particular death was the second-most upsetting after Arthur's, just because I was so convinced he was going to live, and how he died protecting Arthur in repayment for when Arthur had saved his life, and Rains Fall's reaction having lost a son for the second time in his life, and Arthur himself getting emotional because he's remembering the son of his own who he couldn't save, and just... GAH, that really hit me hard)). Other heartbreaking things in the epilogue included John proposing to Abigail with the ring Mary had sent back to Arthur, and the fact that he was wearing Arthur's hat throughout the whole thing (and retroactively in the first game!). Actually, just the idea that John has all of Arthur's belongings after his death is emotional to me, especially regarding Arthur's journal. I imagine that was a sobering thing to read after Arthur's death... suddenly, John's friend/brother's innermost thoughts and feelings are all laid bare for him, no holds barred. No wonder John never mentioned Arthur in the first game (yeah, I know it was because the concept of Arthur hadn't been created yet, shut up)- I imagine that loss was a very heavy blow for him.
4. Now, finally, the epilogue ended with the moment we've all been waiting for- Micah getting fucking obliterated. When John, Charles, and Sadie rode out together, it was so epic. The thought that they were so determined to get this bastard who destroyed the gang, all in order to honor Arthur's memory... Though I really did not foresee Dutch showing up, and I'm still a bit confused as to WHAT he was doing there. And more importantly... why did he shoot Micah then and there, and not, I dunno, EIGHT YEARS EARLIER ON THE CLIFF WHERE ARTHUR DIED? Fortunately the shot didn't kill him and John was the one to finish him off- I would have been pissed had Dutch taken that moment of glory away from John. But I still don't see why they had to add this to the story. I feel like it would have worked just as well had John and Micah engaged in a shootout that ended in Micah's death. Dutch is a strange man, I'm telling you...
5. Which leads to this. I watched all ten minutes of Dutch's screentime from the original Red Dead Redemption, to find out his fate once and for all. However, I haven't been able to really process anything I saw, and it didn't make all that much sense to me without context. So, I guess I'll have to, eventually, watch gameplay for the first game. Fun times are ahead of me for sure...
6. speaking of Dutch, this whole time I've assumed that he's only called Dutch because he's Dutch (Van der Linde sure sounds like a Dutch name), but apparently that's his real first name. Okay then.
7. Now that I've had time to think about it, I kind of can't believe how OBVIOUS Micah is as a villain. He has literally no redeeming qualities. It's like they threw every possible negative personality trait/behavior into one character. I mean, in one interaction (that I didn't see in the playthrough I watched), he literally makes a kid cry by implying he killed their dog. At that point he ceased to resemble anything realistic for me (also when he was making fun of Arthur's illness, like come the fuck on), but it certainly made his death THAT much more satisfying.
8. I have to say, I really felt for/related to young Jack Marston, who just wants to read his books and play with his dog and asks "can we go home now?" almost as soon as he leaves the house. However, he started getting really annoying towards the end.
9. Every time Uncle complained about having "terminal lumbago" and how he's wasting away from it, I couldn't help but imagine how pissed off that probably made John, considering how Arthur was wasting away from a legitimate terminal disease and he kept actively fighting and staying on his feet right up to the very end. (Not that Arthur should have stayed active if he'd had a choice, but...)
9. There's a song at the end of the game, sung by Rhiannon Giddens (whose voice makes my eyes turn into hearts), that I loved, but it also hurts. Lyrically it sounds like it could be about John giving up his old life and starting anew, but it could also be about Arthur passing away, and just...
.The day is done, the time is come
You've battled hard, the war is won
You did your worst, you tried your best
Now it's time to rest
Now it's time to rest
See the fire in your eyes
See the fire in your eyes
See the fire in your eyes
See the fire in your eyes...
Gaaaaahhhhh.
I read an article about how the soundtrack is getting folks interested in Americana/roots music, just like O Brother, Where Art Thou? did in the early 2000's, and I'm seriously excited. This is all leading to something. I can't wait for the future of music.
10. That was all just a lead-in to posting this performance of some of the songs from the game. Rhiannon Giddens and Daniel Lanois, yo! (I don't know who the other musicians are and I wish I did, because I have a feeling they're very famous.)
11. If Red Dead Redemption 2 ever got filmed as a movie, I genuinely want to see Tom Hardy as Arthur Morgan. I don't even care if he can do the accent convincingly or not. Some folks have suggest Chris Pine, because in the portrait of Arthur and Mary together, he resembled Chris Pine, but I've never seen him in anything that made me convinced of his acting skills so I'm not sure. I'm also picturing Keanu Reeves as Dutch (although I probably doubt his acting ability even more than Chris Pine's, but his role as John Wick shows some potential), and Rhea Seehorn as Sadie- just because I really, really want to see Rhea Seehorn in something that's not Better Call Saul, so when I make fancasts she's usually my go-to "thirtyish blonde white woman" lol. EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention this, but there is only one person who could possibly play Sean in this hypothetical movie, and that is Domnall Gleeson. I swear they based the character's appearance off him. Also, I'm starting to like to the idea of Christian Bale as John, even though he's a little too old (I think he's ten years apart from Arthur, so probably 27/28, whereas if we were using these actors, Christian Bale and Tom Hardy are both in their early 40's), but not only do I think he's a good fit for the part, but I can't resist the idea of bringing Hardy and Bale together again since the last Batman film, only they're allies this time.
Overall I'm so glad I experienced this story, and maybe one day I'll be able to "properly" experience it (ie, play it and not watch it).
So, a slightly incoherent thought-dump:
Hooray for super emotional endings! Though did I expect anything less? I didn't cry when Arthur died but the credits sequence sure pushed happy tears to my eyes. But, I'm getting ahead of myself- the credits sequence is still fresh in my mind since it's the last thing I watched.
What a breather the epilogue was compared to the rest of the game! Well, up until the intensity at the end, but even that was fine, given the reason why it was so intense... Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm going to have to bulletpoint everything.
1. I first started watching the epilogue on Tuesday when I finished the main game (it was included at the end of the video where the gamer I was watching finished it), and at first... I couldn't do it. Not only did I just miss Arthur so much, but I really did not care for John as a protagonist. I also didn't much like where I thought the plot was going- John and his family having to hide their identities from their employer, until the truth comes out. Fortunately this part of this plot went by pretty quickly- I'd definitely say the opening/first half was my least favorite part of the epilogue. Also, as I continued watching, I came to love John Marston. He definitely has his faults- he's a terrible liar/terrible at keeping a cover (I couldn't believe he jumped the gun and told the post office manager his real name just because he couldn't find the package that had supposedly come in for him; turned out it wasn't even under his real name and a bounty hunter happened to be at the post office and overheard him. Nice going!), and he seemed really bad at parenting- belittling Jack's interest in reading (unintentionally, but still) and later on straight up admitting that he doesn't know how to have a conversation with his son. To his son's face. But hey... he tried, goddammit. He put in all that effort trying to keep his family together and be a better man because he really loved them (and because of the promise he made to Arthur upon escaping from Dutch- he must have figured, since Arthur saw so much in him worth saving, since Arthur saw such hope and promise in him, he had to try to be the kind of man Arthur believed him to be), even though he probably would have gone right back to gunslinging if they weren't around. That made him a very likable protagonist for me, even though it took me a while to get to that point.
2. This entire epilogue (besides the action parts, as I mentioned) was one long moment of heartwarming. First it was John meeting up with Uncle and Charles again and all three of them working together to turn the beaten-up ranch he'd bought into a real home, worthy of Abigail and Jack. They were a found family and I loved it SO MUCH. Then, when Abigail and Jack came back, John's proposal to Abigail... that entire mission had me squealing with joy. I was surprised they weren't legally married (since throughout the game they called each other "husband" and "wife," but I did notice that Abigail hadn't taken John's name), so I'm a little confused about the nature of their relationship- did they make a promise/vows to each other, but not without anyone officiating/without witnesses, or since they had a child they pretty much decided they were life partners and considered that equivalent to marriage, or... I don't really understand, especially with the apparent addition that Abigail was the gang's shared prostitute (she either appears to have given that up by the time this game begins, or Dutch was lying in the one scene where he mentioned it. (but we'll get to THAT scene later). But anyway, I was so full of joy at that point in the game. From what I've read of the first game, I know they don't live happily ever after, but honestly I don't care. I'd rather imagine that this epilogue was the ending of their story.
3. Can we talk about SADIE MOTHERFUCKING ADLER?? During the game I didn't like her much, at least at the beginning- she seemed so reckless and trigger-happy. But I started liking her more after she took revenge on the O'Driscoll gang, and then by the time the epilogue rolled around... I was drawing hearts on the screen every time she appeared. If this game ever gets a sequel, I hope it's called SADIE ADLER: BOUNTY HUNTER, because that is literally all I want. I want to see her retrieving her various bounties and wrestling with her soul, maybe follow her adventures in South America after RDR2 ends (assuming she made it to South America- equally as interesting would be the journey there!). I feel bad now for thinking of her as a potential fuck buddy for Arthur. She deserves better than that (plus I just don't ship it at all anymore). I was so glad Sadie survived the story... and speaking of which, even happier that Charles survived, as he was the nicest member of the gang and deserved all the good in the world. Plus, I'm stricken once more by his relationship with Arthur... He was the only member of the gang Arthur ever embraced (besides when he was calming down Tilly, but cooldown hugs don't count) and also the only one to whom he directly revealed he was dying (Arthur mentioned it within earshot of Abigail and Sadie but he wasn't speaking directly to them). And Charles ended up being the one finding Arthur's body and burying him, which just broke my heart. Especially when we saw the grave marker in the credits scene, and it shows the deer grazing nearby (which were used to symbolize the goodness in Arthur throughout the story), and then it shows Rains Fall looking up at the sky and watching an eagle fly, just like his son Eagle Flies (oh, did I forget to mention how that particular death was the second-most upsetting after Arthur's, just because I was so convinced he was going to live, and how he died protecting Arthur in repayment for when Arthur had saved his life, and Rains Fall's reaction having lost a son for the second time in his life, and Arthur himself getting emotional because he's remembering the son of his own who he couldn't save, and just... GAH, that really hit me hard)). Other heartbreaking things in the epilogue included John proposing to Abigail with the ring Mary had sent back to Arthur, and the fact that he was wearing Arthur's hat throughout the whole thing (and retroactively in the first game!). Actually, just the idea that John has all of Arthur's belongings after his death is emotional to me, especially regarding Arthur's journal. I imagine that was a sobering thing to read after Arthur's death... suddenly, John's friend/brother's innermost thoughts and feelings are all laid bare for him, no holds barred. No wonder John never mentioned Arthur in the first game (yeah, I know it was because the concept of Arthur hadn't been created yet, shut up)- I imagine that loss was a very heavy blow for him.
4. Now, finally, the epilogue ended with the moment we've all been waiting for- Micah getting fucking obliterated. When John, Charles, and Sadie rode out together, it was so epic. The thought that they were so determined to get this bastard who destroyed the gang, all in order to honor Arthur's memory... Though I really did not foresee Dutch showing up, and I'm still a bit confused as to WHAT he was doing there. And more importantly... why did he shoot Micah then and there, and not, I dunno, EIGHT YEARS EARLIER ON THE CLIFF WHERE ARTHUR DIED? Fortunately the shot didn't kill him and John was the one to finish him off- I would have been pissed had Dutch taken that moment of glory away from John. But I still don't see why they had to add this to the story. I feel like it would have worked just as well had John and Micah engaged in a shootout that ended in Micah's death. Dutch is a strange man, I'm telling you...
5. Which leads to this. I watched all ten minutes of Dutch's screentime from the original Red Dead Redemption, to find out his fate once and for all. However, I haven't been able to really process anything I saw, and it didn't make all that much sense to me without context. So, I guess I'll have to, eventually, watch gameplay for the first game. Fun times are ahead of me for sure...
6. speaking of Dutch, this whole time I've assumed that he's only called Dutch because he's Dutch (Van der Linde sure sounds like a Dutch name), but apparently that's his real first name. Okay then.
7. Now that I've had time to think about it, I kind of can't believe how OBVIOUS Micah is as a villain. He has literally no redeeming qualities. It's like they threw every possible negative personality trait/behavior into one character. I mean, in one interaction (that I didn't see in the playthrough I watched), he literally makes a kid cry by implying he killed their dog. At that point he ceased to resemble anything realistic for me (also when he was making fun of Arthur's illness, like come the fuck on), but it certainly made his death THAT much more satisfying.
8. I have to say, I really felt for/related to young Jack Marston, who just wants to read his books and play with his dog and asks "can we go home now?" almost as soon as he leaves the house. However, he started getting really annoying towards the end.
9. Every time Uncle complained about having "terminal lumbago" and how he's wasting away from it, I couldn't help but imagine how pissed off that probably made John, considering how Arthur was wasting away from a legitimate terminal disease and he kept actively fighting and staying on his feet right up to the very end. (Not that Arthur should have stayed active if he'd had a choice, but...)
9. There's a song at the end of the game, sung by Rhiannon Giddens (whose voice makes my eyes turn into hearts), that I loved, but it also hurts. Lyrically it sounds like it could be about John giving up his old life and starting anew, but it could also be about Arthur passing away, and just...
.The day is done, the time is come
You've battled hard, the war is won
You did your worst, you tried your best
Now it's time to rest
Now it's time to rest
See the fire in your eyes
See the fire in your eyes
See the fire in your eyes
See the fire in your eyes...
Gaaaaahhhhh.
I read an article about how the soundtrack is getting folks interested in Americana/roots music, just like O Brother, Where Art Thou? did in the early 2000's, and I'm seriously excited. This is all leading to something. I can't wait for the future of music.
10. That was all just a lead-in to posting this performance of some of the songs from the game. Rhiannon Giddens and Daniel Lanois, yo! (I don't know who the other musicians are and I wish I did, because I have a feeling they're very famous.)
11. If Red Dead Redemption 2 ever got filmed as a movie, I genuinely want to see Tom Hardy as Arthur Morgan. I don't even care if he can do the accent convincingly or not. Some folks have suggest Chris Pine, because in the portrait of Arthur and Mary together, he resembled Chris Pine, but I've never seen him in anything that made me convinced of his acting skills so I'm not sure. I'm also picturing Keanu Reeves as Dutch (although I probably doubt his acting ability even more than Chris Pine's, but his role as John Wick shows some potential), and Rhea Seehorn as Sadie- just because I really, really want to see Rhea Seehorn in something that's not Better Call Saul, so when I make fancasts she's usually my go-to "thirtyish blonde white woman" lol. EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention this, but there is only one person who could possibly play Sean in this hypothetical movie, and that is Domnall Gleeson. I swear they based the character's appearance off him. Also, I'm starting to like to the idea of Christian Bale as John, even though he's a little too old (I think he's ten years apart from Arthur, so probably 27/28, whereas if we were using these actors, Christian Bale and Tom Hardy are both in their early 40's), but not only do I think he's a good fit for the part, but I can't resist the idea of bringing Hardy and Bale together again since the last Batman film, only they're allies this time.
Overall I'm so glad I experienced this story, and maybe one day I'll be able to "properly" experience it (ie, play it and not watch it).
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Date: 2019-01-21 04:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-21 02:43 pm (UTC)