Part 72: Blackwell Epiphany - Update 3

Update 3

LAST TIME

Murderer on the Loose



A mysterious gunman shot and killed another man, while Rosa cowered in terror, and Joey just.. kinda, floated there nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets in that adorable Joey fashion.



Then, the man's ghost was ripped clean in half, dissipating into the cold night air faster than the sounds of his anguished screams, leaving a mountain of questions behind. Who were these two men? Was it an accident that Rosa was there to witness the murder? How did the ghost know who Rosa was? Did Durkin have anything to do with this? But most pressingly, what the hell happened to the man's spirit?

Flashback 1931



Rather than addressing those issues straight away, however, we go back in time 80 years - to a rainy night in 1931. A local Boston lady in a long coat crosses the wet and mostly abandoned street to a boarded-up local tailor shop.



She stops, and turns to address an off-screen accomplice.



Well, would you look at who it is. Madeline, back in 1931, before her days of inhabiting the void and taking Rosa out to ghost diners. Which I suppose would make this other lady, her "host", a medium like Rosa.

A tailor shop, huh? You think they've got anything in my size?
A lost soul in need of saving, and you want to rob its place of business?
Look at this dress I'm wearing. It's ruined. I figure I'm owed.
Duty first, my host. Petty theft after.

The Boston lady contemplates Madeline's stern words, before turning to face the store again.



Hahaha, I like this lady already. Who is she?

My host. Jocelyn Contis. I have been her guide for two months.

Wait a minute. Waaaait a minute. "Contis?" I think I see where this is going, and it's not good.

Does she have to STARE like that? Drives me batty.

It seems these two haven't exactly worked out the kinks in their medium/guide relationship yet. To be fair, I guess Rosa and Joey weren't that much better back in Legacy. This flashback scene isn't just a cutscene. You can actually control Jocelyn and Madeline individually, much as you would Rosa and Joey. Immediately, Contis looks to leave.

I really wanna, but Maddy'll give me an earful if I leave now.

Looks like we'll have to deal with whatever it is we're here for. Jocelyn and Madeline look at the shop.

It appears to be some sort of haberdashery.
A tailor shop. Looks like it's been shut down for a while.

After having already had two voice actresses in the previous games, Madeline is voiced this time by Sarah Elmaleh, who played Jamie Graham in Deception. Whereas Madeline came across as warm and motherly in the previous two games, here she gives off a much more proper and old-fashioned vibe, which probably suits her character more since she is supposed to be hundreds of years old, and if her outfit is any indication, originally a part of the aristocracy.

The window is boarded up and covered with dust. It is impossible to see through it.
Aint gonna budge.

Jocelyn, on the other hand, comes across as rough and tumble, a bit of a rebel, and an obvious natural fit for the swing era of the time. And while I thought I'd never say this about anyone, her thick Boston accent is actually quite delightful



Jocelyn and Madeline stop to have a talk.

Yes, my host?
Could you stop calling me that?
Stop calling you what, my host?
That. I'm no host.
I am sorry, my host. That is what you are.

Madeline comes across as long-suffering in this relationship, doing her best to hold her frustration in, while Jocelyn fires up at the slightest provocation.

I know this transition has not been... easy.
Yeah. Well. I always thought my uncle was cuckoo. At least now I know why.

I guess he was Madeline's previous host, and died two months earlier.

...We made fun of him, you know.
I am aware. It pained him greatly.
Yeah. I guess now everyone's gonna make fun of me. So I got that to look forward to.



Jocelyn bitterly reflects on the weather, but Madeline is singing a different tune.

Indeed. Most fortuitous.
Fortuitous?
It enables us to do our duty unperceived. And we can converse without any... awkwardness.
Great. Wouldn't want this to be awkward.

Jocelyn's unbridled sarcasm works so well in this scene because Madeline is the perfect straight woman Finally, she has had enough and asks Jocelyn to settle down.

Are you ready to take this seriously, my host?
You don't think I'm serious?
I think your head is in the clouds.



Ouch. Jocelyn isn't taking any backwards steps.

Dead too long? Whatever do you mean?
... I just want to live, you know? Is that so wrong?
You appear living to me.
I'm living for the dead. It's different.
How so?
It just is. Just think. I coulda been dancing at the Supper Club tonight.
If those contortions could be referred to as "dancing", then you are correct.

I take it back. These two are definitely worse than Joey and Rosa were to begin with.



For what? Trying to transfer our link to that Joe Gould fellow?

Jocelyn continues arguing with Madeline, whose response confirms my suspicions. This is the lady who became The Countess, who caused us so much grief in Unbound and Convergence. I guess it was only a short step from "Contis" to "Countess".

Like I said, I ain't gonna apologize. I didn't ask for this.
Neither did I, my host. Neither did I.
You're not mad?
After centuries of this existence, I have learned to put my personal feelings aside.
Yeah, well. I ain't got centuries.

Something is a bit strange here, though. We know that Jocelyn somehow moved the link from Madeline to Joe Gould, and it led to her madness, but from what we learned in Convergence and Unbound, that happened a long time after 1931. In fact, Madeline mentioned in Convergence that she was Jocelyn's guide for over thirty years before things went awry. I guess we can only conclude that Jocelyn's initial attempts were unsuccessful, but that she succeeded a long way in the future.

I believe we should return to our duty, my host.
Yeah. Sure.

For Madeline's part, she doesn't seem that concerned about Jocelyn attempting to transfer the link. Presumably she doesn't think it's possible, or perhaps she is just used to new hosts doing whatever they can to get rid of her. Or perhaps she really has just become completely dispassionate after centuries of saving ghosts.

Now, we need to get inside the tailor shop for whatever reason, but it's boarded up. Madeline could float inside herself, but Jocelyn is unable to follow.



Look at that. This place is falling apart.

Jocelyn, being a practical lady, decides to take matters into her own hands.



Although she first considers throwing the brick at Madeline...

It would just go through her.



...a better plan soon comes to her impetuous mind



Ignoring Madeline's pre-emptive scolding, Jocelyn contemplates the brick for a moment before ditching it straight through the window She then turns to Madeline, full of cheek.

Sorry. You say something?
Certainly nothing that matters any longer.

Suddenly Madeline's long-suffering nature seems understandable, hahaha.



Jocelyn makes her way through the shattered glass...

If I am going to enter, I will use the door. It is just common courtesy.

...while Madeline gracefully phases through the front door. I have to say, I really love the dynamic between these two

Flashback 1931



The music doesn't actually change as we enter the tailor shop, but since it plays the whole way through this flashback scene, I thought I'd link it again.

Jocelyn and Madeline look at the broken glass and wet brick scattered over the shop floor.

I have no idea how that got there, and nobody can prove otherwise.
I will need to have a word with my host about discretion.

We can try to have Jocelyn pick the glass or brick up, but she's not interested.

You crazy? I ain't picking up broken glass.
Even if I did put it there.
I suppose in lieu of a key, this had to suffice.
Better not. If anybody comes in here, I don't want that thing in my hands.



Next, they look back at the smashed window.

No one saw me. No one can prove anything.



Jocelyn then takes the time to check herself out in the mirror.

It has been a long time since I have seen my reflection.

I think the implication here is that ghosts can't see themselves in the mirror, rather than Madeline having a self-imposed vanity strike or anything.

Jocelyn looks at the hanging clothes...

A jacket from two seasons ago. I guess this place has been closed for a while.

...but sadly for her, there's nothing worthwhile stealing there. Next, her eyes settle on the bullet holes in the front counter.

Jeeze. What happened here?

Whatever it was, it apparently shut the whole shop down for years, without anybody left to even clean it out.



Madeline stops to look disdainfully at a poster on the wall.

Huh. Some kinda band. Danny and Linda Marconi...? Never heard of them.

Wait, Danny and Linda Marconi have a poster here in a tailor shop? I know where this is going, too.



Sure enough, Jocelyn hits the front desk bell, and a very familiar ghost morphs into view to answer.

Danny? Danny, someone's out front! Danny, where the hell are you?



So this was Joey's tailor shop. If you look closely at the shopfront in the earlier screenshots, you can actually see the name "Mallone" on the sign. Apparently he worked with Danny, who we know lived a long but guilt-ridden life after Joey saved him. Judging by the state of this shop, it seems likely that it was a hail of bullets that he saved him from - and presumably, that explains how Joey met his death, too.

What can I do for you?

But wait, this doesn't make any sense. Joey didn't act like he had met Madeline before when she appeared in Convergence - indeed, he specifically asked who she was. In fact, according to Joey, he first appeared as a ghost in 1960, after which he was almost immediately shackled to Patricia. Although he has been guarded about his past, this still doesn't gel with him meeting Madeline 30 years earlier. Something very strange indeed is happening here.



But for now, the flashback is over - and we'll have to wait for another day to get our answers!

Rosa's Apartment



We rejoin our protagonists in modern times, as Rosa sits at the computer surfing the net.

Epiphany's version of Rosa's theme is nice, but lacks the peppy spirit of the three previous games that Rosa has appeared in. In some sense, I guess it makes stylistic sense - this is the final Blackwell game, so a slower, more melancholy pace fits the mood.

How long are you gonna stare at that thing? It's getting dark.
Just one more. It has to be here.
What are you doing, anyway?

Rosa finally turns off the machine and rises to face Joey. A really nice touch is that she actually has a separate set of portraits for when she's at home, since she doesn't need her gawky earmuffs and jacked indoors.



Believe me, I remember.
Right. So how come nobody else has?
Eh?
I've been checking on every local news website all day. There's not a single mention of it.

That's... pretty strange, actually.

I called the police myself. We know they know about it. They must have suppressed the news, but why?
I'm sure the cops got their reasons. And they can keep 'em. I don't care who plugged the guy.



Joey is still disturbed by what he saw after the man was murdered, and it's hard to blame him.

I know. So. The victim didn't have any identification on him. I was hoping a news report would give us his name, but it looks like we're on our own.
Well. Something familiar at least. Let's go talk to our pet cop. Maybe he knows something.

We've got an excuse to speak with Durkin anyway, since he asked us to bring him the details about Mary Meehan. Hopefully he'll be able to help us out too.

We'll get to that tomorrow, but for the rest of this update, let's take a look around Rosa's apartment. Compared to previous games, Rosa's apartment is viewed side-on this time, and is actually pretty jam-packed with interesting trinkets, as well as framed photos and articles on the walls.



Never hurts to be prepared.

Rosa's taking things pretty seriously nowadays. I guess after running into dead journalists, academics, and even movie actors in the past, it's a good idea. Rosa keeps looking around, at her computer, her bin, and her pinboard.

My old computer. I don't use it much since I got my phone. It takes about an hour to boot up these days.
There's nothing in there. I go through much less paper since I gave up writing. I miss it sometimes, but I just can't seem to find the time anymore.
Some articles I wrote for the Village Eye newspaper. I hated working there and the paper has been dead for years, but for some reason I can't take them down.



Although he's more the geriatric bear these days. Sometimes I think about taking Griff down, but he's so old these days. I'll just leave him.

Rosa's beloved teddy bear is still around, which elicits an enormous smile from me

My bedroom's an oversized closet, but it's mine.
I bought that clock at a tag sale years ago. It doesn't work, but for some reason I can't get rid of it.
I stopped updating this calendar around the time Joey came into my life. There's probably a connection there.
I've had it for years and it's only slightly coffee stained.



Much like in Deception, but unlike Convergence, there is no longer any screen for the hallway outside of Rosa's apartment, so we can't walk over and knock on Nishanthi's door to visit her and her dog Moti this time either. It seems that after Convergence, she was more or less written out of the series, at least as an active character. I guess this dog leash will have to suffice to remind us of her in her absence.

On the floor to the right of the door are some more books.

Books on boat maintenance and navigation.
I'm not making THAT mistake again.

Hahaha, I do like the way Rosa has been busy compiling a list of contigencies for all of the things that have happened to her in the past

It's a poster for a picture called "Water Under the Bridge." It starred Frank Lyons.

That seems a somewhat morbid thing for Rosa to have on the wall, until you realise that most of the things stuck on the walls are references to previous cases.



Rosa's old Village Eye article, in which she ratted out Adrian, is there.

The last article I ever wrote, and the first ghost I ever saved.
Poor kids. At least they're all at peace now.

Um, I'm pretty sure Susan is still alive, Joey



The old photos are here as well.

My parents' wedding. It's the only picture I have of them. They look so... young.
Jack and Maria Blackwell. How long ago was this, anyway? Thirty years at least.

Around 35 years actually, if my understanding of the Blackwell timeline is correct.



Auntie Lauren and me. This was just before... all the troubles began.
Lauren Blackwell, in happier times.
Well, happier for THEM at any rate. I was mostly ignored.

It seems Joey is still bitter about Lauren giving up the ghost-saving gig to look after Rosa.



Grandmother Patricia, my dad, and Auntie Lauren. I never met my grandmother. I don't think she was ever prepared for... well, THIS.
Patricia Blackwell. She didn't like me much. The feeling was mutual.

It actually shows how nice the original pictures were that they don't look out of place here in Epiphany, despite having been ported directly from Legacy. Mind you, I only ever played the Legacy remake so I don't know if they were a lower quality initially.



You may recall that in Deception, an article about the Meltzer Foundation appeared on the wall, but we couldn't actually read it. Presumably, this is it. I guess Charles living is the canon ending of Convergence.

This article is about the Meltzer Foundation. I suppose they did some good in the end, but the death toll was too high.
Always felt kinda bad for Paul Meltzer. Must have killed him to know what his Foundation was really costing people.



Rosa has also saved the picture of Jeremy.

It's a picture of me and a former co-worker of mine. Jeremy was a... friend. Kind of. I never did get to know him well.
Not when he was alive, anyway.
Jeremy Sams. He helped us take down a bad guy last year.
Shame he had to die to do it.



I can only assume that Rosa swiped this from Lisa's place after killing Gavin at the end of Deception, since it even has the exact same coffee stains as the copy she had. It's Danny and Linda Marconi.

This man's name is Danny Marconi. I only met him briefly, as a very old man.
Danny and Linda. I still can't believe this picture survived all this time.



Here's something new. An article about the death of Gavin, whose surname is apparently Chord, and Lisa Tenzin. Apparently Gavin was a known philanthropist.

For months I expected the police to come breaking down my door. But it's been a year and nothing.
An article about the death of Gavin and Lisa. Good riddance to both of them.

The article says six months, but Rosa says a year, so I guess the article must be six months old. I guess if the police haven't come knocking by now, they're not going to. That's strange though - Rosa's prints would be all over the crime scene, and she'd be the only one who would have been back there other than Lisa and Gavin themselves. The police really should have come knocking by now. Unless Durkin is somehow holding them at bay?



Rosa also has a collection of items from previous games, including the bottle of pills she used to drug Moti!

I snuck this bottle out of a hospital room for a college kid named Susan Lee.
Some kind of pills. I'm not sure what they do, but the dog next door has never been the same since munching on one.

Oh man, apparently they even had some kind of lasting effect on the poor thing See what you did, Rosa?!

These art tools belonged to Claude Urdin. Everyone thinks he killed himself, but at least I know otherwise.
Those used to belong to an artist name Claude. Bit of a kook, but he didn't deserve what happened to him.

Rosa should really stop collecting momentos from injured animals or dead people for which she is the primary suspect!

There is a dictaphone here, bringing up pleasant memories of Lauren in Unbound.

We saw this in a flea market and Joey bugged me until I bought it. He still won't tell me why.
Hm. I doubt it's the same one, but it's nice to think so.

My old notepad. I went through dozens of these before I upgraded to this phone.
Just a notepad. Red was always scribbling away in it. Now she just pokes at that hunk of plastic.

Joey's still frustrated by Rosa's phone. In the past I had assumed he was a detective and didn't like the idea of being able to do investigative work immediately on a tiny device, but since we now know he was a tailor, I guess he's just a technophobe. Maybe phones crease the lines of Rosa's outfits?

It's a GoldTech mug.
This eagle statue used to belong to Lisa Tenzin.
This thing was on Lisa Tenzin's shelf. She was a fake psychic uptown.

Couple more momentos from people who are now dead. Seriously, this shit has gotta stop, Rosa.

These were Auntie Lauren's favourite brand. I don't remember much from back then, but the smell reminds me of her.
Lauren Blackwell used to smoke this brand. The way she went through them, I'm surprised there are any left to buy.

Lastly, we have Gilbert's in-game explanation for the picture of Gould not actually appearing at the Minetta anymore in real life.

It's a portrait of Joe Gould. It used to hang in the Minetta Tavern.
This guy was Joe Gould. I never met the guy, but from what Red tells me he sounds like a real jerk.

Hahaha. Naturally, looking at everything from past cases earns an achievement. Achievements now exist in-game, irrespective of whether you bought the game on Steam or not.



What is it this time?

Finally, before heading out to talk with Durkin, Rosa and Joey catch up for a chat.

You ready to go?
I don't exactly need to pack, now do I? You think you can get that Durkin guy to spill?
He hasn't exactly been forthcoming lately, but I'll do my best.

Rosa and Joey are still freaked out by the fate of the murdered man last night.

I've never seen a ghost so scared.
Don't remind me. Jeeze. The look on that guy's face... I can understanding wanting to kill a guy, but THAT? Anyway. Let's get a move on.



The clue collector now contains two new clues. Epiphany is pretty good about removing clues when they're no longer relevant. Fortunately this doesn't limit the number of interesting dialogue options, as Gilbert often just adds them manually as dialogue menu options when you speak to someone if they're no longer in your clue collection.

The ghost we saw last night said that "Grace wasn't safe." And then he... went. Grace. Who is Grace?
Another spook? Whoever she is, she's our only lead.



Before heading out, Rosa tries ringing Durkin, but he's not answering. He certainly doesn't make himself easy to reach!



One last thing before we go - as is often the case in the Blackwell games, Dave has a few inserts based on himself and the production cast. By Oogling his name, we get this very accurate and factual description of the man. Who said that the Internet doesn't tell the truth?!

We can also search for artist Ben Chandler, which gives us some kind of in-joke that goes right over my head:

This man boy is on a mission to awake her and shoot any android who has a hope of shifting his box!

Sweetly, Gilbert even has an entry for his daughter Eve, who was born during the production of Epiphany:

Added six months to this project! It's lucky she's cute.

And, naturally, he has an entry for his wife (and CTO of Wadjet Eye Games) as well:

Makes me happier than I ever thought possible.

He's alright, that Dave Gilbert guy



Putting on her earmuffs and coat, Rosa prepares to face the perpetual snowstorm outside. It's time to head to the police station.


Tomorrow we'll meet up with Durkin and see what we can figure out about this case. Why aren't the media running with the story? Who is Grace? What does this have to do with the Karth House? Plenty of questions, and that's without even reflecting on the events of 1931. See you all tomorrow!




Nishanthi was a fairly major character in Legacy, and had a nice role again in Convergence, despite only appearing in one scene. Then she disappeared, never to be seen again. She sent us a short email in Deception, but that was it. Considering Gilbert planned out most of the characters well in advance for the Blackwell series, it seems strange that such a major character would just get written out with nothing happening to her. Where is she? Why did she get written out of the series?

Gilbert addresses the Nishanthi issue in his commentary, but only by saying that he eventually decided his original plan for Nishanthi wasn't as good as he thought it would be, and so he decided to move on from her character. He refused to say what the plan actually was in his commentary, though, claiming he was embarrased about it, and so it has remained a secret - until now!! (Sorry, Dave...)

:siren: Nishanthi was Lauren's next door neighbour as well :siren:

If you think that reveal is somewhat underwhelming, then you're in agreeance with Gilbert. As part of his initial character design, he intended for there to be a scene where Nishanthi suddenly realised that you were Lauren's niece, and that she had lived next door to Lauren (and you, I suppose) years earlier. Given what we know of Nishanthi's character (that she moved from India to New York as a young adult, and is now trying to rediscover her roots), it's safe to assume she was Lauren's neighbour around the time that Lauren was active as a medium, and most likely was still her neighbour when Lauren took custody of Rosa, and went insane. There would probably have been a scene where Nishanthi talked about her neighbour going crazy and throwing shit around the house until the police arrived. Hell, maybe she even saw The Countess' lifeless body lying on the road after the events of Unbound!

Unfortunately, by the time Gilbert got to making Convergence, he realised that this reveal was weak. It didn't add anything to the overarching story, it didn't add anything to Nishanthi's character, and he couldn't think of a good enough reason to have it suddenly come up in the story without seeming like a huge anticlimax. With the realisation that the ten games he had planned for would need to be trimmed down a bit, he decided to eliminate any plot threads that didn't contribute to the overarching story in a major way. He played around with going in a different direction with her character, but with all the other characters locked in place, he eventually felt it would be best if he just left her character alone and had her be away on holiday during Rosa's subsequent adventures. He lists it as his only major regret of the series, since fans really liked Nishanthi's character in Legacy and were disppointed to see her not elaborated on.

Although personally, with Moti apparently being unwell ever since Rosa drugged met him, perhaps Nishanthi is just wisely keeping her distance?