The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries

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The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries review
Ben Petchey

Review

Episode 3 – What We Deserve

Two weeks earlier...


I praised the first episode of this Telltale miniseries with how it tackled Michonne’s dark, mysterious past. The second episode, though action-packed, failed to introduce any compelling new characters and as a result of that, the finale burdens Michonne’s character to drag the series to a half-hearted conclusion.

The episode begins with a not-so-subtle reminder of the crew you left behind two weeks ago. I realise why they did this, because honestly, I had forgotten about them. But the way they reminded the player they still existed immediately gave away how this miniseries was going to come to a conclusion, ruining the “big” reveal at the end.

After the short “two weeks earlier” interlude, we are immediately sprung back into a tough situation – no surprise there. Throughout this series Michonne’s character is what has kept me coming back for more. Seeing her in different situations, be it as a motherly figure, or as a downright badass – it’s all believable, and honestly the best part of the series. The moments where we delve into Michonne’s heart-wrenching past are great and insightful, especially as a watcher of the show and reader of the comic book series.

A nail-biting finish


Episode 3, once it gets going, wraps up the story in an intense, nail-biting way. I found myself not being able to come to a decision and often left it till the last second. However, there were also too many times where I felt that no matter what option I chose, the outcome would be the same. And that is one of the main underlying issues with this series. It all feels so redundant and scripted. And yes, of course I am familiar with how Telltale makes its games, but unlike the other series – namely the main Walking Dead game – my decisions in Michonne felt pointless. There are the typical “X character will remember this” pop-ups after you say something risky or offer support to a character, but throughout the entire series, I don’t feel like my choices had any real impact on what happened. The magic of Telltale games is that you’re watching but also shaping the outcome of a TV show/ movie, but in this Michonne miniseries, it felt like I was just watching everything pan out, with a the occasional choice to make a terrible joke or be a dick every now and then.

What We Deserve is an action-packed conclusion, but it wasn’t exactly a satisfying one. Other than Michonne, most of the characters are forgettable, or just downright annoying. The first half of the finale was spent with Michonne comforting a family that just lost a few family members, and I didn’t feel involved at all. The series introduced characters just to kill them off 15 in-game minutes later – I had no real chance to connect with any of them. The series had a pretty standard story, held up by Michonne’s rich character, and Samira Wiley’s fantastic performance. A lot of what happened was very predictable; it felt like the game was tricking you into thinking your choices meant something, when really, you weren’t doing anything at all.

7.0

fun score

Pros

Action-packed, more Michonne backstory.

Cons

Predictable, forgettable characters, decisions feel redundant.