Part 96: Blackwell Epiphany - Update 19

Update 19

LAST TIME

Murderer on the Loose



After helping Peter and Heather become aware of their death, Rosa and Joey returned to Grace school, only to watch on in horror as Madeline removed the circle of protection and destroyed their spirits, taking their energy into herself



She then snapped Michael's neck using her apparent telekinetic powers and devoured his soul as well.



With all that spirit energy, Madeline enacted her plan to possess Rosa's body.



Horrifyingly, we learned that Madeline had attemped this twice before - and it was what led to Patricia and Lauren going insane all those years ago.

Blackwell Lament



We rejoin Joey, as he finds himself pulled along by Madeline, who has rounded the corner to the front of the Grace Church. Since he's tied to Rosa's body, Joey is forced to follow.

I'm getting her back. One way or another.

Unfortunately, Joey can't really do anything to her. He briefly considers using his one power...

What would that achieve? Make her slightly colder?

...but breathing on her is no use. What else can he do?



Yes, Mallone?

Well, he can talk, for one.

Now what?
I will simply... live. I will grow old, and I will die. Like any other soul.
And when that happens, perhaps I will move on as intended.
It is a slim hope. But after centuries of existence, it is the best I have.

So that's her plan. Take a chance on moving on that way. And if not, I guess she's no worse off than before. Other than the guilt of having devoured several souls and then stealing Rosa's entire life, of course, but I don't think she's too bothered about that.



Joey circles around in front of her and casts an accusatory glare at her.

I did not. I admit, their minds' rejection of me had unintended... consequences. But there was no malice intended.
Well, that's just jake. As long as there was no MALICE.

She might be able to claim that was an accident, but what happened to the Grace Group members was no accident.

Maybe you didn't mean to kill Lauren and Patricia. But you did kill George Ostin.
As a spirit? I hardly think so.
Bull. You're the only one with any motive. I don't know how, but it was you.

With nothing to lose from being open with us, Madeline fills Joey in on the real story.

Poor Cooper. A weakened soul is SUCH a sad thing. And his mind was SO easily controlled.



Oh geez. So Michael was the gunman all along. Controlled by Madeline.

And he would do it. With no memory of it. Well, perhaps some residual guilt remained. He HAS gotten quite agitated since it happened. Fortunately, that is no longer relevent.

Perhaps that's why he was in such a bad mood? Maybe it had nothing to do with maintaining the circle after all? Joey summons up his courage.

I'm gonna fix this. One way or another.
You honestly believe that?
This might seem strange to you, but yeah. I've always known I was here for a reason. And maybe this is it. To fix what spooks like you screw up.
...

Madeline looks curiously at Joey before responding.

That is... amusing.
Amusing?
Yes. You honestly don't know?



What's she going on about now?

Of course I don't know WHAT?
You think you are so special? You think you were... what? Chosen? You were nothing important, Mallone. You were merely the last.
The last what?
The last spirit we saved. Before I was banished. I could not continue the duty, so it was passed onto you.

So that's why Joey became a spirit guide. It was because Jocelyn banished Madeline. Once their link degraded to the stage that it broke completely, whatever powers that govern the Universe just dragged Joey back out and slapped him in the role.

It's never fully explained in the games, but my interpretation is that this is the result of two separate events - first of all, Jocelyn banishing Madeline, and secondly, Jocelyn transferring the link. What I think happened is that Jocelyn learned how to transfer the link to Joe Gould. However, her intention was to make it so Madeline would become Gould's guide. Instead, it obviously fucked up, and Gould became Jocelyn's guide instead. In the mean time, Madeline had been banished. The link-transferring process took a long time - probably, it needed the link between Madeline and Jocelyn to perish first. As soon as that happened, Joey came into being, and Jocelyn found herself shackled to Joe Gould.

As I described in an earlier Word of God update, what would generally happen in a situation like this would be Joey getting shackled to Jocelyn. I imagine that she would roll her eyes, and realise that banishing her host doesn't free her from the duty, it just gives her a new spirit guide. Probably she wouldn't bother to try it again - or, she'd use it as a threat to keep Joey in line. However, the addition of the link-shifting completely threw everything off-kilter. Joey ended up with a brand new Bestower, one who had never been one before. Madeline remained stuck in the void without a host, and Jocelyn got fucked up bad and became The Countess. All in all, a massive disaster.

What the hell do you mean? I was the "last spirit you saved?"
Honestly. Did you think you were different from any other lost soul? The confusion. The fear they all felt. That YOU felt. It is no wonder you have forgotten.
... Doesn't matter. That was then. This is now. And right now, I plan on fixing this.

Looks like Joey does remember, now that he's been reminded at least. So there was no real heroic reason for Joey becoming a spirit guide. No debt to be paid because of actions in his life. No special reason he was chosen. It was just pure coincidence that Jocelyn banished Madeline right after saving Joey - it could have been any other spirit saved before she pulled the trigger. That's a bit of a slap to the face to Joey's ego.



In frustration, Joey snaps at Madeline.

No reason. I am just... enjoying the sensation. It's been a long time since I have felt snow on my face.
That's not your face.
True, I suppose, but no matter. I am still enjoying it.

No, but really, why is Madeline just standing out here in the snow? Surely she has something planned besides just standing around in the cold? Suddenly, it dawns on Joey.

You can't go any further, can you?
Whatever do you mean?
You're stuck. You're tied to Michael. Trying to escape it is like hitting a brick wall.
It is a temporary setback. Nothing more.

Hahaha, holy shit. He's right! Madeline's spirit is inside Rosa, and she can't go more than thirty feet from Michael's body. I guess eventually their link will break now that he's dead, but for now she's stuck here at Grace Church.



Joey finds this all highly amusing, and with nothing else to lose, he starts getting stuck into Madeline

Don't be absurd.
You know as well as I do. I am bound to his corporeal form for a few days. After that... I will be free.

A few days? Joey figures he may as well make the most of that time and gets to mocking.

Hah. Some master plan. All this planning. All this death. And you can't even cross the street.
Only for a day or two. I can wait. I have infinite patience.
Yeah. But does your stomach? You're gonna get hungry.
Any problem has a solution.
What about going to the bathroom? Red drank a LOT of coffee.
...

Hahaha, he's really giving it to her. Good on him



Already sick of being stuck here listening to Joey's taunting, Madeline starts to consider other options.

Here's an idea.
Take a powder. Just leave us the hell alone.
Will you let me THINK!

Fat chance of that. Looks like Joey is really getting to her!

I can't wait for the cops to show up. A dead priest, and you just around the corner. Bet you never expected to come back to life only to spend it in jail.
Will you be quiet! Honestly. Why you haven't driven your host completely mad is beyond me.

Hahahaha, I love this scene



Suddenly, Joey hatches a plan. Madeline can't go more than thirty feet from Michael... but there's no reason Rosa's body can't, if he can force her to move away from the church. He winds up his magic tie around his fist, and reaches for Rosa's hand, grabbing it tight.

What- what are you doing?
You know. Red and I have a bond. We gotta stick together. Where she goes, I go. You might be wearing Red's body, but you ain't her. There's a line in the snow, and you can't cross it. But Rosa Blackwell? She can cross it just fine.
You're... you're hurting me!
Good.

Situation Critical



Giving Rosa a sudden shove, Joey pushes her across the threshold, and Madeline's spirit is violently torn from Rosa's body. She is not pleased.

Do you have ANY IDEA what you just did?
I just evicted you, sister.

Joey is seriously fucking awesome in this scene

No.
NO. I will not be trapped in that limbo again.
Tough. You made your mess. Now clean it up.
...

Madeline seems to consider her options, and then responds coldly.

Very well. Just remember. You brought this on yourself.



As suddenly as that, Madeline zips away. I guess we won? But no doubt we're going to have to head after her and deal with her once and for all, or else she could be back again any time.

Urg...
Red? Red! Talk to me.
Joey? I...



Groggily, Rosa pushes herself up.

I... ugh.
Careful.
I feel...

Suddenly, a familiar voice rings out from the street.

You!

Oh, shitfuck. Not now.



Dispatch reported a woman ranting to herself in front a church. I had a feeling it would be you. Care to explain the dead body around the corner?
Cory...



Cory whips out his pistol and advances on Rosa.

Now. Explain.
No...
Miss Blackwell. I've been patient and cooperative so far.

Rosa doesn't sound at all right here.



Suddenly, she grabs her head and screams out in pain, then knocks Cory out cold with a headbutt What the hell?

What're you DOING?
Was it like this for them?
For who?

Oh, shit. I know where this is going



The Universe is flooding into Rosa's head, just like happened to The Countess all those years ago. Just like happened to Patricia, and to Lauren. She falls to her knees in agony.

It's like... it's like it's... No! It's too much!



In an attempt to stop the pain, Rosa starts to bash her head against the ground, begging for the sweet release of unconsciousness.

Jesus. Cut it out!

Joey floats up to her in desperation.

Not again. Not you. Not now.

He turns around frantically, looking for anything that can help.

Help! Somebody! Anybody!



The scene comes to a close with a cold message from Madeline. This has gone very fucking bad.



Rosa wakes up... somewhere in the void, I guess?

Gotta... no. NO!



She pushes herself up and looks around. First of all, she notices the pain in her head is gone. Then, she notices that Joey is gone too.

I... God, I'm tired.

In a daze, she walks off to the right.

Rosa and Lauren



Oh, my goodness. It's Lauren!

The last time I saw Auntie alive, she was wasting away in a hospital bed. Gray and gaunt. But now? She looks... young. Younger than me, even. ... I've forgotten how much I've missed her.

I absolutely adore the music for this scene. Gilbert nominates it as his favourite of the series. There are two ways to approach this scene. Rosa can try to walk past Lauren, but Lauren calls out to her:

Hey. Figured you'd turn up sooner or later.
Is that really you?
C'mere. I saved you a seat.

Or, alternatively, Rosa can just speak to her:

Hello? Auntie? Is that you?
Oh. Hey. I saved you a seat.

Awesomely, Lauren is once against voiced by Dani Marco. It was pure coincidence that Gilbert was able to get her for this game. He does all his voice acting on site in New York, and Dani had moved to the other side of America shortly after completing work on Unbound. However, through Shelly Shenoy's voice acting contacts, he learned that she was going to be visiting New York right around the time he was reaching the final stages of designing Epiphany, and he made sure to bring her in to voice Lauren again. She's absolutely wonderful in the role. It's also great to finally have a proper Lauren portrait, after Unbound didn't have any.

Rosa has three choices of how to respond to Lauren.

Where are we?
Am I dead?
Is that really you?

But whichever way she chooses, Lauren responds exactly the same.

You ask too many questions. You always did. Sit down, kiddo. We've got nothing but time.



Rosa sits down, and for the first time, notices the amazing view in front of her.



At this point, Rosa refuses to get up. If we try to make her move, she hesitates.

I... Funny.
What?
I thought I... might get up?
Why do you want to do that?
I dunno.

Looks like this place, whatever it is, saps your will to leave. I guess, given the alternative of reality at the moment, that's not such a bad thing.

Auntie?
Yeah, kiddo?
What happened to me? To us?

Rosa finally gets the opportunity she's wished for all her life: to talk with Lauren, and learn more about her.

Dunno. Last I remember, my head hurt. Really bad. I tried to make it stop, but it just got worse. I... might have thrown something?
... You did. I was there.
Did I scream?
Yes.

Lauren still sounds as disconnected and lacking in passion as in Unbound, but there is a touch of sensitivity in her voice as she speaks with Rosa. There is also the awkwardness of two adults who are very close to one another, but who don't actually know each other at all.

I... I didn't hurt you, did I?
I hid in the closet.
Ah. Good. Smart.
Yeah.



Rosa fills Lauren in on what she knows.

She didn't succeed, but... we ended up here. Somehow.
Oh.
That's all you can say? "Oh"?
Does it really matter anymore?
... I guess not.



Rosa notes that Lauren still looks young.

Well, I take care of myself.
No. That's not what I mean. When I last saw you, you were over fifty. At least.

Lauren is slightly taken aback, or at least, as much as she ever is.

So I kept on living, huh?
You were alive, if that's what you mean.
Hm. Hospital bed. Like mom.
Yeah.
Well. I guess it was my turn. And now... I guess it's yours.

Actually, that's a good point. Lauren isn't appearing here as a ghost, but as a young, living woman, much as she would have been when Madeline possessed her. But we know she's dead. Somehow, in this place, that must be disguised.



Oh yeah?
Yeah.
... Thanks.

This scene is really quite moving on many levels. It's sweet, but at the same time, Lauren seems so disconnected from Rosa as well. There's an invisible barrier between them.

Auntie. You don't seem... yourself.
Huh. You don't know me at all, kiddo. In this place... I feel more like myself than anywhere I've ever been.

Rosa then asks about why Lauren kept the whole medium deal a secret from her.

Why didn't you tell me?
Tell you what?
About Joey. About my family. All of it.
You were five years old. You could barely understand how to tie your shoes. And... I thought we had more time. But hey, you're here now. And we've got all the time in the world.



Don't know. Don't much care. The view is nice. And I don't have Joey nagging me.

So, wait. Surely Patricia should be here as well, right? She suffered the same fate as both Rosa and Lauren.

Auntie? Is my grandmother here?
She was. But she faded away. I guess... it will happen to me soon. And you.

I guess this is some kind of limbo, or something.

But in the meantime, let's enjoy the view.
Huh. It sure is a nice, view, isn't it?
Yeah. Let's just enjoy it for a while.



With nothing left to say, Rosa and Lauren fall quiet, other than the gentle puffs of Lauren's cigarette. I've specifically captured this GIF in a higher quality than usual, because it's so gorgeous. Rosa and Lauren focus on the amazing view, and enjoy each other's silent company. They've got nothing but time.



Bit of a shorter update today, but the pacing of the final updates dictates that a bit. Besides, I'm such a sucker for Lauren that this scene is enough for a whole update for me. But don't worry - this story isn't over yet, not by a long shot. See you all tomorrow!






So now we know why Patricia and Lauren went crazy. It wasn't because they stopped saving ghosts - it was Madeline trying to possess them. Their minds rejected her, but in the process they were irreparably damaged, and the Universe to come flooding in.

Still, is that really the whole story? Lauren was saving ghosts for a decade and nothing happened. Why did Madeline wait so long? Gilbert expands on the explanation:

It was the stress of stopping saving ghosts that made Lauren vulnerable to Madeline

Raising a young child, dealing with the death of her brother, and having to listen to Joey whine at her each day caused Lauren an enormous amount of stress. And she wasn't exactly the most together person to start with. It's one thing to deal with ghosts you have no emotional connection with each night, but to have to deal with a scared and insular young toddler while a very familiar ghost berates you constantly about avoiding your duty was too much for Lauren.

Madeline, meanwhile, knew that she couldn't simply attempt to take over Lauren's mind like she did with Patricia. With Patricia, Madeline tried it as soon as she could, and it just wrecked Patricia's mind. Patricia wanted nothing to do with the spiritual world, and her mind rejected Madeline almost immediately. With Lauren, Madeline decided to wait until she was weak. After all, Madeline didn't care if Lauren was even on the verge of death when she took over - her goal was to move on after Lauren died.

However, once Madeline saw in Lauren's dreams that she was under so much stress, she figured it was the perfect moment to strike. Gilbert describes: "A long time ago, I had planned for an extended flashback sequence with Lauren and a baby Rosa. Which showed Lauren being under tremendous pressure before she went insane. Joey naturally leapt to the wrong conclusion that giving up the ghost-saving was what caused it to happen, but it was just Madeline waiting for the most opportune moment. She tried to take Patricia by force and failed. She tried again with Lauren, waiting until she was at her weakest, but still failed. She tried a completely different tact with Rosa and succeeded. For awhile, anyway."

So in some sense, giving up saving ghosts is what led to Lauren's downfall, if only indirectly. But it appears that she was going to end up going insane either way - Madeline was going to make sure of that. The only difference was instead of having Madeline try her possession stunt when Lauren was a ripe old age, she instead gave up saving ghosts at the age of 30 or so, a decision which ended up confining her to a hospital bed and a medically-induced coma for the next 25 years.