Part 100: Blackwell Epiphany - Update 22 (Part 2)

Rosa and Lauren



Back on top of Grace school, Joey looks on at the vortex in resignation.

No.
It's not going to stop.
No.

Joey turns to Rosa sadly.

This is it. Isn't it?
... No.

Wait... no?



A wave of energy washes over Rosa.

No, it isn't.

The light comes back on in her eyes. Has she finally worked out a solution from the knowledge gained from the Universe flowing into her head?

So many dead, Joey. So many.
I know.
It's never enough.
I know. But we do the best we can. We always have.
Yes. We always have.



Using the knowledge flowing freely into her head, Rosa enacts some kind of power, and hundreds of balls of energy start to flow through her, and up towards the vortex.

Are those...? Are those spooks?
Yes. Everyone who is lost. Everyone who is waiting. Waiting for someone like us. No more. They don't have to wait any more.
You're saving spooks?
It's what we do.

There's that line again

But... how?



I am reversing it. Making it pull IN spiritual energy instead of pushing it out.
You can do that?
... I can now.

I suppose if Madeline was able to make energy flow one way, it should be possible to go the other way as well. But will it work?



In the void, Lauren and Madeline watch in awe as countless spirits flow on to the next plane of existence.

You see? It's not about you. Or me. It's about... everyone.



Not immune to the effects, Lauren and Madeline soon follow as well. At long last, they both move on to the next plane of existence - honestly, it's better than Madeline deserves, but to be fair to her, she has been waiting for a very long time.

Lauren's final line is kind of corny, but I think what she's trying to say is that she understands why a few Bestowers and spirit guides have to be put through such an ordeal as they have. It's so that so many spirits can be given the peace they deserve - the kind of peace that Lauren has been enjoying for the last three decades.

Joey's Passage



Back in reality, Rosa beckons for Joey to join the procession of spirits.

Go on?
It's time. Move on. You can do it now. Whatever stopped you from moving on before... I'm stronger.

Oh, wow I'm sure Joey has thought about moving on for a long time, but it's so sudden. He hesitantly floats towards the vortex.



However, he doesn't turn into a ball of energy like the other spirits. After a short while, he shakily speaks up.

It's not working.
...what?
I said it's not working. It won't let me go.

Rosa is surprised, even with the knowledge of the Universe in her head. She is quiet for a second, then calls out again.

Try it now!
I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I'm still stuck.
Not even the power of the universe inside your head can help me move on.

Joey sounds absolutely defeated here. He slowly returns to Rosa's side.



The last of the spirits flow through Rosa and on their way. As they do, the vortex dims, and eventually disappears altogether. At the same time, the light in Rosa's eyes dim out.



I'm sorry, Joey.
Forget it.

Joey chokes this line out, but quickly regains his composure.

So. You think everyone down there's back to normal?
Yes. Everyone will wake up. They won't even know they were asleep. It will be like it never happened.
Yeah. We should get outta here.

You know, it's easy to pull the whole "they'll wake up and never know they were sleeping" thing, but surely some people were driving cars or climbing ladders or something when this all started, right? I guess we'll just handwave that for the sake of reaching a conclusion here.



As they climb down the stairs, Joey quietly asks Rosa a question.

So how many spooks did you manage to save, anyway?
... All of them.
All of them?

Rosa looks sadly at Joey before answering.

Yes.

All of them... but Joey.



As they walk outside, Joey continues to slowly ask questions.

No. All ghosts. Everywhere.
... Except for me.
Except for you.
That's...
I know.

It's hard to know how to feel about this. On one hand, it's fantastic that there are no ghosts waiting around lost and confused anymore - but on the other hand, Joey's entire reason for existing as a guide has just been taken away from him.



As they round the corner, Joey tries to process this information.

Eventually.
Right. So when that happens, it will be business as usual.
I guess.

I suppose he's right!

But in the meantime... we're free.
Free.
Yeah.

Huh. That's right. We know now that stopping saving ghosts doesn't lead to insanity after all, and there are no ghosts that need saving at this moment. We can do whatever we like now!



God, I haven't seen a movie in forever.
You and me both.

With the adrenaline of the Madeline encounter finally dying down, Joey starts to realise the possibilities now in front of them.

Think of all the things we can do now.
Maybe I'll sleep in.
Or maybe a vacation.
Yeah. Somewhere sunny.

Deception Lament



However, just as things seem to be looking up, Rosa collapses to her knees.

I'm sorry, Joey. I thought you'd be gone. I really hoped you would be gone. I didn't want you to see this.
Red?

Oh, no

It hurts, Joey. It's everything. It's pouring into my head. It's not a metaphor. And it's not stopping. I... can't hold it.
You gotta try.
No. It's like trying to swallow the ocean. Sooner or later, you're going to drown.

After all of this



You can't just...
What? Die? I don't think... I have a choice.

Joey is aghast.

No! This isn't fair. This isn't RIGHT. You just saved the whole damn city! You saved ME.
I knew the cost. I paid it. It was worth it. Wasn't it?
... Sure. Of course it was.

After being so pained earlier, Rosa seems calm now.

I...
I see them.



Rosa seems accepting of her fate, but Joey isn't ready to lose her just yet

No! Stay away from them! It's not time yet!
Joey. Please.
...

Realising that he's trying to hold back the inevitable at the expense of Rosa's dignity, Joey finally gives in.

Okay. But before you... go. I'll make you one promise. No matter how long I'm around. No matter how many hosts I see die.



Joey leaves Rosa with a heartfelt promise in her final moments.

I'll be a good spirit guide. Do what needs to be done. Forever, if need be.
...

Rosa lifts her head to look at him as the music dies away.

No Joey. You won't.



Using another of the powers gained from having the Universe flow into her head, Rosa glows a bright white, and a bolt of energy zaps through Joey, sending him flying backwards. A crackling sound is heard as the earth itself opens up beneath him, and his body is reformed. He falls flat on his face, his signature hat topppling away from his body, but nonetheless - Joey is alive again.

Ugh.

A Rose Falls



He pushes himself up groggily.

What did you... how?

He looks at his body in awe, before realising that Rosa isn't responding.

Red? Sweetheart?



For probably the first time since Legacy, he actually calls Rosa by her name Sadly, she doesn't respond. At the age of 34, Rosangela Blackwell is dead She has sacrificed what remained of her life energy to restore Joey.

Why the hell did you do this?



Blinking back tears, Joey walks up to Rosa, and takes off his tie, trying to hand it Rosa It's the only way he's ever physically interacted with Rosa before, and now he never will again

The ending of this scene is extremely symbolic. Joey's hat and tie are his two most recognisable symbols. With them taken off, you barely even recognise him.

Joey on the Bridge



Several days later, Joey is atop the Brooklyn Bridge. It seems the snowstorm has finally passed.

I've tried, you know. I've looked. There was this pileup on the westside highway last week, and now people say they hear crying. So I went over there. I didn't hear or see anything. I'm... normal.



Joey stands with Rosa's ashes in an urn, ready to scatter them in the East River, just as Rosa did for her aunt four years earlier at the start of Legacy. We've come full circle.

Yeah, I know. Ironic, huh? Or, at least, I think that's irony. You could tell me, if you were here.

After years of speaking to Rosa on a daily basis, Joey seems to still be in the habit.



About being... you know. I can't even say it. It's almost as if - now that I'm alive - I can't think about being dead. I guess that's hard-wired into everybody. Turns out I'm just like everyone else, in the end.



Is that what I'm supposed to get from all this? That life is worth living? I guess I've gotta get out there and find out for myself.

Almost a century after dying, Joey finally appreciates the blessing of life.



Joey pours the ashes over the railing and says his final farewell.

Goodbye. Rosa Blackwell. I don't know how long I've got, but I know I'll see you again. Someday. But until then... I'll try to make this count. Okay?

End Theme



With nothing left to say, Joey begins to walk back home as Rosa's ashes blow away in the wind.



And with that, the Blackwell saga comes to an emotional close.



That was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. I'll try now to summarise my thoughts on how the series ended. First and foremost, I thought it was a fitting ending - I liked it. Although the "Manhattan is going to be levelled" thing probably went too far (I would have preferred it if it was just going to destroy every spirit, and perhaps Bestower, in Manhattan), I understand the need to raise the stakes for the final game. Rosa gaining wacky powers from the Universe flooding into her head was a non-sequitur for the game as well, considering I discussed earlier how reluctant Gilbert was to give Joey new powers. Clearly there are plenty of supernatural powers in the Blackwell Universe, and Joey just didn't know about them. Rosa adopting them in the finish felt a little contrived, but there probably wasn't any better way to reach a final conclusion. I'm always more willing to forgive a deus ex machina when it occurs in the final scene. And the concept of the Universe literally flowing into a Bestower's head has been built up over all five games, so at least it didn't come out of nowhere.

However, the real story is Joey and Rosa switching positions - with Joey returning to life, and Rosa now dead, although she presumably moves on to the next plane of existence. It's as bittersweet as can possibly be. Joey getting a second chance at life is amazing, and an outcome I honestly never considered before finishing Epiphany. Rosa having a sad end, on the other hand, was very much a possibility I had considered. It's still better than a Lovecraftian "crazy for the next 50 years" ending, but it's still very sad. It seems strange to say it about a video game character, but I honestly feel like I'll miss her - and I know Joey will. I'm glad that her death ended up being her own choice - she made the ultimate sacrifice and gave up what remained of her life energy because she knew that the future held nothing for her anymore. If Rosa has to end the series dead, I think that's the best way to do it. According to Gilbert, this was always his plan, right down to Joey tearfully offering Rosa his tie in the final scene.

I really loved Epiphany. Perhaps it's the novelty factor of being a new game - I didn't start playing the Blackwell games until the 4th had already been released, so Epiphany was the only one I actually waited for - but I think it's my favourite in the series. It does all of the things the previous games did right, and avoids most of the pitfalls. It feels like a fitting end, and the series feels like it's reached a natural conclusion. There's no question of whether Joey will haunt someone else in the future, or what else is to come. The story is now over. Joey will live his life without being involved with any ghosts. Presumably the other Bestowers around the world will all wonder what the hell happened to the spirits. I have no idea whether they've all suddenly lost their spirit guides or not, but I assume so. They'll get new ones soon enough. But that has nothing to do with us. For Rosa and Joey - and Lauren - the story has reached it's end. And beautifully, considering Rosa really embraced ghostsaving by the end, she went out by saving every ghost - even Joey. She fulfilled her adopted duty to perfection. In that sense, it's as fitting an end as can be.

I still intend to discuss several things in tonight's Word of God update, but in terms of the LP iself, we're finished. I said this at the end of Deception, but I want to thank those of you who contributed so regularly to this thread. It really made it a joy to keep updated each day. For those of you who haven't yet bought Epiphany, I strongly encourage you to do so. I've done my best to do it justice in this thread, but it really deserves to be experienced in its intended format. And finally, I need to give one final thank you to Dave Gilbert for putting up with me hounding him for weeks on end with interview questions, requests for portraits, conspiracy theories and everything else under the sun. He never once made me feel like I was being an imposition and really demonstrated how much love he has for his creation. You did good, Dave! You did real good

Finally, I will link to the song Fade now.

Fade

Fade plays over the credits of Epiphany once End Theme finishes - feel free to listen to it as you read the final Word of God update. Although I wasn't so hot on it to begin with (it's hard to top "Solitude Begins" from the credits of Unbound), it has grown on me. The song is very clearly about Rosa's final moments, and the lyrics are as follows:

The depths, the depths I can't climb from
I'm sinking down
I'm sick, I'm sick and can't get well
I close my eyes and sleep, mmm

Every voice in the world screams in my head
They all need to be heard but I'm going deaf
It's all too much to bear
Till it all starts to fade

I'll seek
I'll seek peace and comfort
It's all I can do, ahh

Every voice in the world screams in my head
They all need to be heard but I'm going deaf
But all they yearn to seek is rest eternally, ahh

My mind
My mind is at rest now
I close my eyes and sleep
Ahh






So, we've got a lot to talk about! Let me start with something relatively unimportant, but interesting anyway.

Madeline told us that she was the one that devoured Gavin's soul. However, when we took Gavin to the void, he was very concerned about something. It wouldn't make sense for it to be Madeline. What was he actually worried about?

Members of Gavin's cult were forbidden from moving on to the next plane of existence

One of the deals with Gavin's cult was that they were apparently not allowed to go through the light. Although Gilbert never made clear what the punishment would be (and likely never bothered to figure it out for himself), the message is clear - if you're a member of that cult and you die, you don't get to move on. You haunt the world forever.

The fact that Madeline had just been brought out from the void at the time Gavin died was a coincidence, but it's not clear whether it was a fortunate one or not for Gavin. Just being erased from existence might very well be a much better outcome than what lay in store for him if Madeline hadn't been there. On the other hand, Gilbert described it to me as "just additional bad luck" for Gavin, so perhaps it's not a great outcome for him after all. I guess if he had stuck around, he would have been moved on to the next plane of existence when Rosa did her spook saving magic act.

While we're talking about Gavin's cult, I tried pushing Gilbert for more details about them. Obviously, the game in which Rosa was going to pursue them was cut, but Gilbert must have had plans for them. Was it going to be a large group, or just a handful of people. Were most of them predatory like Gavin was, or not?

On this question, Gilbert was unusually coy. He responded: "I prefer to plead the fifth on this until I actually write about it again. " - is that a hint that he intends to revisit their story somewhere down the line? I'll leave that up to your interpretation. Finally, he comments (in relation to Gavin's cult): "All those ghosts (and spiritual energy) leaving at the same time will definitely have SOME side effects." The implication is that the actions at the end of Epiphany have fucked their shit up somehow. Can't say I'm too disappointed to hear it!

But that's enough about the spiritual vampire cult. I want to talk about Lauren. Her final scene where she showed up and closed the portal confused me slightly, so I asked Gilbert about it.

All Bestowers are capable of closing the portal to their nodespace - and Lauren could close Rosa's because they're related

According to Gilbert, the familial links between Rosa and Lauren do more than just ensuring they share the same spirit guide. Lauren has control over Rosa's nodespace just as she would her own. Although I didn't clarify it with Gilbert, to me that explains the scene in Convergence, where The Countess was able to access Rosa's link. She's distantly related to Rosa, unlike all of the other people she killed. In Rosa's case, she was able to actually go to the void like her instincts would have told her to do. It's a neat explanation.

Finally, I want to talk about Joey. For me, if I could change one thing about Epiphany, it would be adding an extra epilogue scene - from after Joey's eventual death, where we would see him finally guided on his way to the next plane of existence by a new generation of Bestowers and guides. I asked Gilbert what his thoughts on Joey's eventual passing were.

Joey will pass on naturally when he eventually dies

Gilbert states simply: "I always envisioned Joey as passing on very naturally when his time comes." Presumably he'll have a fairly long life, and when he does eventually die, his spirit will be well and truly ready to move on to the next world unassisted - and hopefully share it with the Blackwell crew

And until then? I guess he'll spend his time getting used to technology, and living his life. Hopefully he'll fulfill Rosa's prediction of him tweeting Maybe he'll return to dry cleaning to earn a living, or maybe he'll just visit soup kitchens for the rest of his life. Maybe he'll even sit down and finish writing Rosa's books about their adventures together.

Whatever he ends up doing - thanks for the memories, Joey and Rosa. I'll miss you both.