This week, we will see the conclusion of The Walking Dead: Season Two with the release of Episode 5: No Going Back. Unlike past episodes, Telltale has been noticeably vague in teasing it, choosing not to release a “Next Time” trailer or any screenshots. In fact, the only trailer released for the episode was a lengthy, heartfelt recap on everything that Clementine has gone through since the very first episode of The Walking Dead: Season One. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here. Be warned, though, it’ll hit you right in the feels.
These past few weeks, Telltale has been pushing the hashtag “#MyClementine,” a social media plan designed to get players talking about the type of Clementine they choose to play as. It got me thinking though, how this innocent child became My Clementine. So I sat back and thought about my most memorable moments with her. Here they are:
Lee teaches Clementine to shoot (Season One – Episode 3: Long Road Ahead)
This was one of the major turning points in Season One for me. On the train to Savannah, Georgia, Lee — following a conversation with Chuck — sits down with Clementine and has one of his first deep conversations with her. The fact is, Lee knows he won’t always be around to protect Clementine, so he teaches her how to protect herself — by teaching her how to fire a gun.
This scene stands out in particular to me because it’s the first time we start to see Clementine grow up — the first time she really starts to grow up into the girl we know in Season Two. Her innocent demeanor back then compared to her willingness to do just about anything in Season Two is truly memorable. I still remember the squeal she does when she fires her first shot, complaining that her hands hurt and how she doesn’t like it. “My ears have noise in them,” she complains after firing, referring to the ringing after a gunshot. It’s so innocent, so impactful.
Lee cuts Clementine’s hair (Season One – Episode 3: Long Road Ahead)
In the same scene, Lee cuts Clementine’s hair so it lessens her chances of being grabbed. Again, it’s one of the first times we see Clementine change to adapt to the horrid world around her. It’s how she became who she is today. On a side note, it’s also one of the first times the two characters talk about the fact that Lee killed a man.
Clementine sees her dead zombie parents (Season One – Episode 5: No Time Left)
All throughout Season One, Lee and Clementine are heading to Savannah to find Clementine’s parents who left her with a babysitter prior to the outbreak to go on vacation. You spend the whole season promising to look for her parents; you arrive in the city and what happens in the final episode? Clementine sees them — as walkers. Imagine for a second, you're a little girl surrounded by a horde of zombies in this post-apocalyptic world. You haven’t seen your parents for weeks and when you finally do, it’s like this. Talk about needing some major therapy. The horrified look in Clementine’s eyes still sticks with me, even now.
Lee dies (Season One – Episode 5: No Time Left)
The most emotional part of the entire first season for me, Clementine and Lee say their final goodbyes as he slowly withers away and turns into a zombie.
This poor girl, after seeing her walker parents, loses the one person who has been with her for a good portion of the outbreak. She begs Lee not to become one of “them,” and tells him she doesn’t think she can bring herself to kill him. Lee gives her some final advice, like to avoid cities, remain on her own, or keep her hair short. It’s shown that Clementine will remember his advice, and then they say their final goodbyes. With tears flowing — both for me and Clementine — you are given the option to shoot Lee or leave him to reanimate into a walker.
Stitching up the wounds (Season Two – Epiosde 1: All That Remains)
Being reintroduced to Clementine in Season Two was a welcomed sight. But this isn’t the same little girl we tried to protect in the first time. #MyClementine has become a survivor, hardened in the post-apocalyptic world. Nothing depicts how much tougher Clementine has become then when you stitch up your own wounds while locked in the shed. It was certainly uncomfortable to watch, but Clementine in Season Two is clearly a much tougher girl than when we protected her in Season 1.
Meeting Carver for the first time (Season Two – Episode 2: In Harm’s Way)
When alone in the Cabin with Sarah, a strange man knocks on the door. That man is Carver, who later becomes one of the season’s main antagonists. At the time, you don’t yet know this, but you clearly know something is up with this guy. The whole back and forth between Clementine and Carver is cold, awkward. It’s one of the greatest scenes of the season and shows that #MyClementine won’t take crap from anyone. Of course, by the end of the episode Carver returns and captures the whole group.
Stealing medicine, shooting Rebecca (Season Two – Episode 4: Amid The Ruins)
I combined these two because both lead to a stunning cliffhanger at the end of Episode 4: Amid The Ruins. Earlier in the episode, you have the chance to steal some medicine from a strange man named Arvo. Because I’m a bad person, #MyClementine did so. Big mistake, as it later comes back to haunt you when Arvo’s entire group shows up and surrounds you, guns drawn. Of course, it’s at this exact moment that Rebecca — who is holding her newborn child — passes away. At this point, you can choose to shoot Rebecca yourself or call for help to which Kenny will then shoot her. Either way it ends in a shootout between the two groups.
And that’s where we are now. The screen in darkness, all you hear are the gun shots. And that’s how Clementine became #MyClementine.
