The Walking Dead: The Final Season Episode 1 Review

The first episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season “Done Running” is such a slow burn over the course of nearly three hours, that it just barely earns its climactic moment at the end. In traditional Telltale fashion, we’re treated once again to heavy world-building, Clementine’s continued narrative from previous seasons, a variety of choices that define players’ experiences, and a new cast of characters, whose complicated backstories contribute to the overall drama and movement of the story.

Telltale does a smooth job of welcoming players back into Clementine’s world, with even a few new bells and whistles added in terms of cosmetics and gameplay mechanics to shake things up. Much of the three hours, though, is almost a little too smooth for the finale “Done Running” so casually leads up to, as well as the tone it sets for the rest of the season.

Episode One of The Final Season picks up a few years after the events of A New Frontier, where we last saw Clementine leaving out on her own to find A.J. “Done Running” skips the fussy middle part of Clementine actually looking for him, and instead begins with them having been surviving on their own for years. After an attempt to find food goes wrong, there is an intense sequence of events that finally kicks the episode into motion.

While we don’t know too much of where Clementine and A.J. have been the last few years, their choices and their undeniable closeness in “Done Running” are clear reflections of the things they’ve done to survive. We do get a throwaway line about a ranch the two may have found shelter in at one point, and there is also a direct mention of A.J.’s physical retaliations against those who sneak up behind him. Both of these snippets offer a little more detail as to what could’ve happened over the years, and Telltale has laid some compelling building blocks in this first episode that will, or at least I expect them to, play out over the course of the season.

One of the episode’s biggest strengths is the fact Telltale isn’t shy about letting players know Clementine’s and Lee Everett’s journeys are becoming parallels of each other. In the opening of “Done Running” alone, Clementine explains how she’s taking care of A.J., just like Lee stepped in and took care of her all those years ago. During the opening sequence in the car, Clementine even adjusts the rear view mirror like Lee’s parole officer did in the first scene of season one.

Subtlety, apparently, is so 2012.

It’s that level of unapologetic bluntness, though, that works in Telltale’s favor. It has a way of subconsciously raising the stakes in the player’s mind, as we look to past events (like being mauled by a dog in Season 2) to help influence Clementine’s present-day choices. But some of those choices, along with the dialogue options, never really seem to hit their mark over the course of the episode.

“Done Running” introduces a host of new characters and the new setting of Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth. Most of these characters float in the background and are, for the most part, unmemorable; but the ones at the forefront of the episode like Violet, Louis, and Marlon leave a strong enough impression that sets them up as capable secondary characters, while not stealing the show from Clementine or A.J. Intimate and heated moments between these characters and Clementine remind us of who Clem is and what she’s been through, while slowly bringing out the side of her that’s downright merciless.

These new characters are naturally curious about Clementine’s past, and ask questions that attempt to probe into it. I’ve found, though, that much of these conversations have a tendency to move in circles, oftentimes with a disregard for things Clementine has previously said.

At one point, for instance, Clementine has the option of mentioning Lee when talking about who took care of her when she was younger. About a minute or so later, we are presented with the option to say that we killed him (which I chose). The mention of Lee again during the latter half of the conversation, however, was done in a way that made it seem like Clementine hadn’t already mentioned him before. It’s little inconsistencies like that, along with the lackluster conversations with the other characters that made my experience with “Done Running” feel more passive.

Actions have more immediate consequences now, which works fantastically when a particular scene is budding with tension. Usually in The Walking Dead, players will have to wait to see how their choices- both the mild and morally difficult ones- affect the narrative down the line. That’s still pretty much the case, but now the wrong move can get Clementine, or A.J., killed on the spot. Their sudden deaths mostly serve as shock value in the moment because Telltale will just have players replay the scene over again until they get it right.

As we mentioned in the demo impressions for The Final Season, lighting and objectives have gotten a makeover. Visually, the episode is dark, with the developers opting for more browns and dark blues in the color scheme; and while this works great for the overall tone of the season, “Done Running” suffers from noticeable lighting issues in a few places. Shadows pass awkwardly over Clementine’s face at times, and when characters are seen from a distance, they look more like odd blobs of light. As far as objectives, they now appear in an intimidating shade of red, directly in the middle of the screen. Interestingly, this difference gives even mild tasks like finding food or “Help A.J. Make Friends” a sense of urgency.

Tackling these objectives, or any for that matter, is where the episode suffers from its pacing issues. The time to make decisions seems to have been increased, drawing out even the simplest of answers and taking something away from the intensity of the more important ones.

The episode, however, manages to weave by some of its potholes because of its star: Clementine.

You can’t help but have Clem’s past in the back of your mind as you play through “Done Running, especially considering all the not-so-subtle reminders on Telltale’s part. For the player, yielding weapons and using them against the walkers is comfortable because Clementine’s general movements are smooth and filled with confidence. Interacting with A.J. gives players a real sense of responsibility for shaping the person he will become, but at the same time, Clementine’s own past and the impossible decisions she’s faced with remain in direct conflict with that.

Final Thoughts: 

“Done Running” is a quiet start to The Final Season, but has an explosive ending that perfectly sets the stage for a memorable season. The lighting suffers in several places, and dialogue choices don’t seem to carry that much weight, but Telltale pulls through because of Clementine’s strong character and because of the solid relationship between her and A.J.