- May 29, 2023
- 118
- 951
I have no likes left, but yes I agree, there needs to be some sort of recognition in the story that they are not heroes, that there are no excuses for that behaviour. Nika excalated hard against Mario simply because he was calling Mila names - the whole plan everything there is purely based on Nika's inability to let it slide. He then triggers Bella, and can't back down, which leads to the heist, which leads to the need to do something against Stefan indirectly, and on it goes. We thing find out Mila's history with Mario in Ch4.5 and what he was like back then, which further weakens any sense of justification.
The only reason I can see that Ocean will let them off the hook is a close shave. Stefan decides to go cloak and dagger, and not do things legally, everyone plays morally ambigious roles, we find out the levels of corruption mean there will never be justice. In such a scenario, there might not be any sense in justice, other than walking away. Some things cant be fixed through an eye for an eye.
But for that to work, Ocean really will have to work hard to make the reasons for grace very compelling.
What I wrote below, I actually wanted to say after playing Bella's path, but since the topic of consequences has come up, which is especially critical for my perception of Bella, here we go.There were consequences, Mila is in danger because of Nika and Bella as you say. They didn't face harsh consequences but they both showed regret for what they did. Ties perfectly with the theme of the game, if you get too reckless you or the people you love might pay the price, so is revenge really worth it in the end? Nika and Bella learned something valuable this way.
What about Bella in the restaurant? The regret she showed is telling of the change that sparked inside her. She felt bad for what she did and will have more of a coscience in the future. She has discovered by hurting someone she doesn't actually want to be a bad person. We have seen this already, she has grown much softer since the start.
I don't care about their regrets. Bella's regrets without consequences that affect her specifically are the reason why I so far don't rank her as much as Leia, Vanessa and Sasha. Despite the fact that there are similarities between the four of them. They are people who create around themselves a barrier of coldness, detachment, indifference and arrogance. But if you manage to break through this barrier you might see something interesting in them and maybe even change them for the better. I absolutely love this type of characters. Especially when their flaws, of which the barrier is made, are taken to the extreme. Vanessa and Leia are exactly that. Most will turn away and try to minimise time with them but specifically I really enjoy these characters.
Bella also can be classified as the extreme case. However, Ocean stumbles when it comes to her. I don't know, maybe it's her involvement in the main plot from the moment she appears. Perhaps I would have seen her differently if at first we had watched her from the side. But it's obvious to me that Ocean doesn't treat her the same way he treats Vanessa and Leia.
As I played both games, it really reminded me of the Gordon Ramsay meme.
Leia, Vanessa: "You fucking donkeys." (good example)
Bella: "Oh dear, oh dear. Gorgeous." (bad example)
Ocean doesn't give Vanessa and Leia any slack. The longer we spend time with Vanessa the more her flaws we notice. Compared to that, the backstory about her mother is such a minor detail that most people just don't care about it. In Leia's case, yes, at the end of ep.3 we hear a heartbreaking story about how she suffered after William's running away and how it shaped her as a person. But firstly, she was already a bully. Secondly, she faces the direct consequences of her actions. Third, we already know about her a lot and that a lot doesn't put her in a good light. I respect that approach. Ocean tries to present these characters objectively and he's certainly not afraid that we won't like them at all.
Bella is a completely different story. Ocean treats her like an angel. She meets Nika in the first half-hour of the game and falls in love with him within three chapters if the player allows it. I have no idea how things are going if the player follows her path, but outside of it there's no real tension between them. The only real fight they have is once at her house, the rest are mostly comedic. Her bad deeds alternate with attempts to understand and forgive her and they feels so forced. These attempts often come from Nika. When he and Mila have a conversation about her and Bella's past, he immediately starts blaming her and then concludes that Bella is not so bad at all. Mila agrees with him, probably, she was too harsh...
... What the hell is this? Why is there not a single important character in the entire game with whom Nika would start a serious argument about Bella? Everyone either agrees with her defense eventually or defends her. Mila wants to tell how Bella bullied people, but Nika interrupts. "No, I want to hear it from her." Yes, let's hear excuses from the bully about how she bullied her victims, not the victims themselves. And don't even start making excuses that most have bullied her before. In WiAB we hear both sides. Also, remember what answer Leia gave? "How dare she take what's mine." These are all her excuses. Straight to the point. No indulgence on Ocean's part.
There are situations where William and Leia literally slam each other against cars during their fights. There are characters who literally can't stand them both, especially they hate Leia. They always remind them how awful these two are. They are key characters, even LIs. Yet they don't give any concessions. They don't give a fuck how Leia suffered. And they are adults who understand more about life. Unlike SG characters who were teenagers just yesterday. Where is their maximalism, where is this simple division of people into those who they like and whom they hate?
And indeed, it's funny to hear excuses about Bella from Nika who takes an active part in her actions that reach crime activity. He sounds awfully hypocritical. I could consider this as a plus to the plot, because now we have a pseudo-moralist protagonist. But I wonder if Ocean actually sees it.
Hell, maybe Ocean hates Leia. I dunno.
Then he should hate Bella as well.
She will become more interesting.
Returning to the topic. The problem isn't Stefan and his family, the problem is Nika and Bella. Even if the Holgersons really are that bad, it shouldn't affect them both. Otherwise it's a cheap plot trick in an attempt to justify their actions. Mila's situation is just the raising the stakes. Besides I don't see Mila as a potential LI. What if I don't care about her or I just don't like her? Or for example I like Bella, so Mila's problems don't bother me as long as Bella gets away with her recklessness. If that's all Ocean does, it will be false consequences. I don't need half measures and excuses. Given the theme of healing, I want real shitstorm that not only punish the characters, but force them to change their behaviour.
Right now, my attitude towards Bella is at a critical point. The next will depend on how Ocean plays out the consequences. If somehow he screws up, Bella will fall straight to the bottom in my top. I don't care how well she is written and what a good chemistry she has with Nika, which is actually great, I'm serious. I'll repeat what I said in the off-topic thread. I never dislike a character for being a bad person. My feelings about characters are not dependent on how they treat the characters I like or main characters in particular. I accept them for who they are. It takes a lot of effort to make me really dislike them.
What I really dislike is bad writing. I'm sorry, but that's how I see the situation with Bella and how Ocean treats her. Unless, of course, Ocean is doing it on purpose to surprise us in some way. If he does this, Bella will join Vanessa, Leia and Sasha in my top.
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