TellTale Games' The Walking Dead (Michonne): Season 1/ Episode 2 "Give No Shelter" – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Episode Overview

As Michonne continues to deal with PTSD thanks to whatever happened to her daughters, she finds herself having to make life and death decisions in regards to not only escaping Norma’s camp but who is going to die if they get in the way of her freedom.

Episode Rating: Getting Better

Trigger Warning(s)
Usual Walking Dead Decapitation, Blood, and Gun Shots

Review Summary

While TellTale Games’ quick action events grow staler as there seems to be a bit too much time to react, at the very least the story grows stronger. However, there still remains this feeling that you’ve seen this storyline before, especially in terms of dealing with Randall and Norma.

Total Play through Time
1 Hour and 21 Minutes
(From Install To Finishing The Episode)

Main Plot (with Commentary)

After Zachary and Greg’s death, you find yourself almost in a Fallout: New Vegas type of situation. Either you can be as violent as they come and kill whoever sees you, in this case beating Jonas with your weapon, or just tie him up and run. Either way, you escape and then have yourself dealing with Pete who wants to play negotiator, something I wasn’t willing to chance since Pete to me seems a bit too naïve and who of these people seem willing to give someone a chance? Mind you, Norma did forgive Sam when she first stole from them but that was when Monroe was but a small colony. Now she is a bit of a gangster and while her pit bull of a brother Randall is on a leash, arguably his leash sometimes gets a bit too long.

So, with that in mind, while I tried to limit deaths, I sure as hell wasn’t for negotiations or even attempting to play nice. It didn’t work in episode 1 and I’m sure it wasn’t going to work in episode 2. Though all things considered, I tried to sell out Sam in episode 1 and that didn’t work and now, due to the false sense of options, I found myself not only saving the girl but running with her to her home. A place filled with much sadness for between a mother who reportedly killed herself to all the death and drama Randall brings, no one’s life remains the same. Neither Sam’s father, her two little brothers, or what I can only assume is her friend.

But as Michonne runs from Randall, Norma, and their crew, she remains haunted by her daughters. Those two little girls pop up as ghostly figures and send Michonne into a stupor and the more we see them the more you have to question their fates. As we deal with a flashback to that apartment, so comes the question of where are the kids? We search a bedroom and don’t find them, we see left luggage, and on the phone, they tried to call Michonne to no avail. A neighbor, who I caught as opposed to answering the phone, said she hasn’t seen them, so where are they? I didn’t check the main bedroom so they could be there but considering Michonne’s nightmares, and likely suppressed memories, I wouldn’t be surprised if she saw them dead and perhaps had to finish them off. A horrible scenario but we aren’t given many options besides the worse case scenario. After all, this is the Walking Dead.

Highlights

Story wise, things are getting a bit better. Sam’s family background helped me feel for her, and I must admit I more and more wonder about Michonne’s daughters and what their fate ended up being.

Low Points

As with the past entries of not only the Michonne spin-off but the main Walking Dead series, there isn’t much time or room for exploring or investigating, much less finding items which could make things easier or harder.

On top of that, quick time events return and honestly the whole concept of them being quick time seems to be fading. For, as opposed to the Game of Thrones adaption, I don’t find myself needing to quickly hit the buttons it calls for. I can clean under my nails and hit the requested button a few seconds later and still survive and progress without issue. Something which takes away from how life and death damn near all of TellTale’s games try to present themselves as.