I really hate Elaine in the ending sequence (SPOILER)

[Thriftweed Fancy Pants]

Originally Posted by Diduz

You know what, it seems to me that the whole "Elaine-knowing-it-all-from-the-beginning" twist was a last-minute integration in an original story where she just handled the ring to Guybrush because it was a symbol of their marriage, and she was forced to follow LeChuck by the belt.
No joke, if you cut two or three lines from ep5 and rewrite the last scene, you'll get a consistent Elaine (and a consistent plot) once again. No need to rewrite her role in previous episodes!!!

I find this interesting...

Now I'll have to go back and replay everything to see if it seems right. It sure sounds right.

[PecanBlue]

Well, you would also have to cut a few of Guybrush's lines too. Like "is that why you gave me..." and so on.

[Bloody Eugene]

There are also some reviews that says that the ending isn't right. I quote some:

from eurogamer: "Quite apart from the afterlife motif, it's a smaller, simpler conclusion to a yarn that deserved an epic finale."
from alternativemagazineonline: "The ending feels deceptively flat, before surprising you with a revelation".
from acegamez: "...certain dangling plot threads tend to suggest there’s at least another season in the works..."
from extraguy: "...though the ending was a little anticlimatic ...."
from gamezebo: "Far and away the most disappointing aspect of the series finale is the ending. "
from palgn: "However, the one plot line that may leave some fans confused or disappointed is the resolution..."
from vgtribune: "My only complaint is the entire ordeal with Elaine planning everything out, it seems a bit too farfetched and cliche."
from worthplaying: "It's just unfortunate that the climax of the voyage is a bit ho-hum, failing to truly live up to the lofty expectations that the franchise has placed upon itself."
from justadventures: "...the characterization of Elaine slipped and none of the questions raised were ever answered"
from talesofmi: "There are a lot of loose ends to tie up, but how this is done I unfortunately don’t know as the review build I got did not include the final cutscene..."

I wonder if others reviewers didn't mentioned the ending disappointment because the after-credits cutscene was missing.

By the way I think that some small tweaks in some cinematics would be appreciated.

[GaryCXJk]

How come I don't even know half of these people? Oh yeah, that's right, because nowadays ANYONE can call themselves "notable".

[coolsome]

I think its just best left to your opion if its gd or not I never bother listening to reviews after iv played or watched somthing

[Bloody Eugene]

Originally Posted by Sailorcuteness

I think its just best left to your opion if its gd or not I never bother listening to reviews after iv played or watched somthing

No, I'm just assuming it's not only me and few others who noticied "something wrong" at the end of the episode!

[Diduz]

Originally Posted by Sailorcuteness

I think its just best left to your opion if its gd or not I never bother listening to reviews after iv played or watched somthing

That's what I'm doing, as far as I'm concerned. I felt rather lonely before reading Bloody's opinions. When I was watching Elaine's cutscenes in ep5, the first thing I thought was: "There's something wrong, here". I swear I wasn't over-analyzing, I was just playing!
I read other opinions and the vast majority of them were enthusiastic, so I thought: "Okay, maybe I was expecting too much, maybe I am too picky, I must be thinking too much..."
So I decided to replay the whole ToMI once again and... no dice, the problem was still there.

[John Thacker]

Originally Posted by Diduz

P.S.: Of course, an explanation for Morgan's body disappearance would be nice too.

Maybe, but ultimately as unnecessary as an explanation of "why was Elaine able to escape from LeChuck and replace herself with three monkeys inside her wedding dress in the original game?"

Either LeChuck came back and hid the evidence, or someone buried her. If the former, then Morgan presumably had to do something similar to Guybrush in order to get the coins for the Ferryman. Perhaps the Grog Machine is there to give everyone an out for the coins. An explanation wouldn't hurt, but it's not exactly the biggest mystery in the games. Not knowing doesn't really hurt the story. I don't know how Guybrush and Winslow were able to sail back and forth to many different islands all the time without stopping to buy food supplies, but I don't care if that isn't shown on camera.

[pluizig]

Originally Posted by PecanBlue

Geez, you're a little too bitter and over-dramatic for a comedic game. If I had that attitude I would be getting pissed at Guybrush for risking someone's life multiple times by turning them into gold and letting them get kidnapped two times due to his own stupidity. But this is fiction, so we find it endearing.

The difference is that Guybrush turned Elaine into gold by accident, because he decided to propose on a whim and had a ring in his pocket. Positive intentions, backfired due to spontaneity. Elaine, on the other hand, wanted to show Guybrush that the Voodoo Lady was up to no good, and instead of telling him, let events unfold without mentioning this ONCE, hoping that the facts would speak for themselves. Convoluted intentions, backfired due to... pride? Arrogance? Conceit? I dunno.


I didn't mean to appear bitter and over-dramatic. Damn interwebs not conveying tone. I should use more smileys

Essentially, I'm agreeing to what Eugene and Diduz are saying. If Elaine hadn't claimed to secretly already knowing muck more than she let on but not sharing this for no good reason, her character would be much more consistent and the plot would make much more sense.

[PecanBlue]

Originally Posted by pluizig

The difference is that Guybrush turned Elaine into gold by accident, because he decided to propose on a whim and had a ring in his pocket. Positive intentions, backfired due to spontaneity. Elaine, on the other hand, wanted to show Guybrush that the Voodoo Lady was up to no good, and instead of telling him, let events unfold without mentioning this ONCE, hoping that the facts would speak for themselves. Convoluted intentions, backfired due to... pride? Arrogance? Conceit? I dunno.

Concern for his well-being. I find it strange that people would think she was doing everything for herself, when it looked pretty obvious that she was trying to cut the strings off of Guybrush as she blatantly states it more than once in chapter 5.

There's really no actual explanation for why Elaine didn't tell him the plan, but there's no reason to jump to conclusions and morph the plot to make Elaine seem like a jerk when chapter 5 tries so very hard to tell you that she isn't (at least in the case of Guybrush) and she loves her husband very much to trust him to great lengths. The things explained that would make most sense, is that due to insecurity of her own plan, she didn't tell Guybrush of it, but just to "trust her." (who knows, he might have done something silly in knowledge of it and screwed it up Secret of Monkey Island-style)

[kenbrush]

Originally Posted by Reaper Lyn

Maybe it's a result of being a Lost fanatic, but I've grown to the idea that a story doesn't always explain itself perfectly. We have to infer things...

We need more Lost fanatics here...

Elaine's "I always have a plan" is exactly Ben Linus's line...after his life has been turned topsy turvy by his failed attempts to foil the 815 survivors. And before things go even worse for him. He always had a plan, but it's not like they always worked or even made sense.

IMHO, that line is a cultural reference to Lost (MI is full of cultural references...I loved the Thief's last method of thievery) and is also a reminder to enjoy the game and the "What just happened?" factors.

After hearing Elaine's vow at the end of Episode 4, even her game-ending pronounciation nitpick cannot make me view her in a negative way.

Ken

[Avistew]

The way I saw her sentence wasn't "I knew everything back then!" but more "I knew something was up and I gave you my wedding ring to protect you".
Not "I knew the wedding ring would allow you to become alive again" but more "as a symbol of our love, I assumed the wedding ring would protect you in some way.

You know, the whole stuff about magic and intentions and stuff, love protects you from evil, blah blah blah.
I still didn't like her last cutscene as it felt braggy and a big lie, unless she knew everything from the start in which case she acted like a b*tch the whole season

[Diduz]

Originally Posted by John Thacker

Maybe, but ultimately as unnecessary as an explanation of "why was Elaine able to escape from LeChuck and replace herself with three monkeys inside her wedding dress in the original game?"

I disagree. That was a gag, Morgan's death is drama. Elaine saving Guybrush through the wedding ring is drama. The difference is quite big IMHO. Applying an over-the-top comedic ellipsis to a serious plot milestone is quite risky.

[GaryCXJk]

No, the big difference is not gag and drama. The difference is taking it because it's just a game and being over-analytic. And you can't spell that last one without the center four letters.

[kaese]

its funny how some people cry about unsolved mysteries and want it all layed out, and i still wonder what is actually the secret of monkey island. IF stuff wldnt be left open for imagiation and speculation thats what i would call a boring game. i loved the last episode story telling wise, just wasnt challenging enough, if they release a walkthrough with the game they could at least make it a bid harder.

and to the ending of it, if someone ever saw a TV series like lost or prison break or similar ones you always think the end will have the one conclusion you are waiting for , all solved and statisfying but it is usually always left open so they might have another shot with another season.

[Diduz]

Originally Posted by GaryCXJk

No, the big difference is not gag and drama. The difference is taking it because it's just a game and being over-analytic.

I don't think I'm being "over-ANALytic" if I just try to understand what's the meaning of what I've watched.

[MusicallyInspired]

I hate it when people say it's just a game. Would people say "You're being over-analytical, it's just a movie"? or "It's just a play?" or "It's just a novel?" It's a story and when a story isn't done well enough to sit right with the audience then it is a problem. It's not "just a game" especially where adventure games of all things are concerned. Adventure games ARE story. You can't be over-analytical any more than you can be for a story in any other form.

That being said, that doesn't mean I necessarily agree with everything said so far.

[PecanBlue]

I also dislike the "it's a game" excuse, but I think the point they're trying to make is that this is a game that's famous for using bizarre logic that generally doesn't matter if left unexplained or left for your own imagination. I mean we never get an explanation for why Guybrush is afraid of porcelain, either.

I'm not even sure what logic we're arguing about, anyway.

[MusicallyInspired]

That may be, but TMI was so obviously meant to have a more serious tone than some of the others in the series and when you use the term "epic" in reference to the story then you need an equally epic finale to do it justice. I too think it was rather anticlimactic. There just better be a sequel.

[PecanBlue]

I thought the final battle was pretty epic and part of the ending in and of itself, but I guess that's just me? :|

Either way, I didn't really like all the ~*~*SERIOUS~*~* moments; they just seem out of place for me. Grimdark has a habit of ruining a lot of game series, so I hope they don't take it too far next time.