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mymelancholiesblues · 5 years

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RE2R and Aeon “core” themes: a sort-of long ramble

So, it’s finally released! Thankfully, I was able to play RE2R since its première, and over this last weekend I was getting familiar with the entirety of the story of Leon and Claire’s new scenarios, and well, there’s a lot to be said, right?!

I’ll start with what I didn’t like so much about this game overall (and the changes in Aeon), and then proceed to what I actually enjoyed and thought were good decisions.

The most serious shortcoming of this game that prevents me from giving it an immaculate 10 out of 10 is in the issue of lack of coherence and cohesion between Leon and Claire stories. Annette and William became paradoxes in the plot when you play both scenarios and it’s visible that Leon’s storyline barely intertwines with Claire’s one. Barely.

The 2nd Run, which should serve as a complement to prevent this issue on the plot does absolutely nothing about it. Both Claire and Leon face William under identical circumstances in the Machinery Room and the Bioreactors Room, which is quite inconsistent and clearly lazy from the scriptwriting point of view.

Annette reveals to Leon what happened to William to be turned into the monster he turned into and the entire city being contaminated in the exact same manner she reveals it to Claire, with few changes here and there.

In addition to all of this – and to make it even worse, if we stop to think about it – Annette shoots Ada and then dies right afterwards in Leon’s scenario, while in Claire’s she dies helping Claire save Sherry by giving her daughter the vaccine to the G-Virus in a scene where we see the self-destruct alarm being triggered precisely because Leon just removed a G-Virus sample. How was Annette in two places at the same time? Where, exactly, does she die?

This lack of care with the Birkin couple makes room to huge plotholes, holes that were easy to avoid had they bothered to put more effort in being thoughtful over the scriptwriting of the 2nd Run, only slightly changing who is responsible for hurting Ada, which consequently makes her unable to hold onto something when the bridge starts crumbling – it could’ve been a Mr. X’s hit, for example –, amongst other things. Not to mention that in Claire’s scenario, Mr. X is brutally ripped apart by G-William, thus putting an end to his hunt. Yet, in Leon’s scenario, we see him persistent in his pursuit until the end of the game.

I didn’t like the fact that now Leon doesn’t get to be aware that it was Ada the one who threw him the Rocket Launcher. Ada helping him in this specific matter – and him being well aware of this – was a consolidated “tradition” in this franchise, it reverberates through their RE4 and RE6 cameos. They could’ve made Ada leave a lipstick kiss on the box with the Rocket Launcher if it was the case that they didn’t want the “Here! Use this!” and “Ada? Is that you? Ada!” exchange in the remake. But to completely remove the crucial element which ultimately warranted Leon’s doubt regarding her survival from Raccoon was something I didn’t like at all. On the contrary, actually.

Also: I found Sherry suggesting that Leon and Claire should adopt her at the secret ending both unnecessary and misplaced. She’s a twelve-year-old girl who’s now left as an orphan by both of her parents, having just witnessed horrible things happen – I mean, that entire sequence with Irons, for fuck’s sake... She’s in shock, and have to process a lot of stuff as well. That whole “We can have a puppy or a parrot!” thing was very out of character and implausible under those circumstances. If they wanted so much to force something between Claire and Leon there, they could’ve settled with Sherry asking them if they were boy and girlfriend and being fondly refuted by Leon’s response and then Claire’s adding that the night would’ve provided one crazy date for them if it were the case.

But oh well. Now, to the parts that I genuinely liked.

This game is goddamn awesome! Its inventory management, maps, combat system, layout expansion, enemies... oh my god. It’s a beautiful and super fun game – if not for the crap they pulled with the lack of consistency on the scriptwriting of the main characters scenarios, RE2R would have stolen RE4′s rank as my absolute favourite in this franchise.

Claire and Sherry: my two beautiful baby girls! Everything’s thoroughly built and developed in Claire’s scenario – which is why is frankly a shame that Leon’s one wasn’t written to be coherent with hers on important plot points (William and Annette, Mr. X, etc.).

I thought the changes in Claire’s personality made her more consistent to what we see of her character later in the franchise, and I’m not bothered in the least by her flirting with Leon in the occasions she does it. She is a young college girl and, according to her bios in databooks, was famously known to have had several boyfriends by then and to be a player in this department (source), and, oh well, the guy is handsome, can’t blame her for hitting on him. It’s comprehensible and plausible. Oh, and Claire being more than a bit reckless and doing things like telling Annette that actually she’s the one who’s gonna take care of monster-William: loved it. I adore my imprudent Redfield children.

I wasn’t convinced that in the secret ending – when questioned by Sherry if he and Claire were a couple – Leon was flirting, he looks more confused and embarrassed as to how he’ll answer this little girl he just met than anything. When he reunites briefly with Claire outside of the police station just after the helicopter fell down, I did saw a sparkle of flirting, though – which, for me, also makes sense with the subsequent Leon’s characterization in later instalments.

I mean, the guy made a pass on every girl he interacted with. Manuela and Helena, who are both much younger than him: actually Manuela has the same age as Sherry – both from 1986 –, and Helena is even younger than her – born in 1989 –; although later in RE6 it’s possible to argue that Leon develops some sort of paternal affection towards Helena, he unashamedly flirts with her in that scene following their escape from the university when they decide they should continue their path through the sewers, just when he helps her recover her balance after she jumps in behind him. Let’s not forget about Hunnigan, three years younger than him, and Angela, a year older. We all know that he only rejected Ashley’s pass it’s because the girl is the president-of-the-United-States fuckin’ daughter, and he wouldn’t want to mess with that.

To put it simply, the only RE girls he never hit on were the ones he never interacted on-screen or got to see as a little kid (Sherry), because, let’s be honest, the guy is a real whore. At the end of the day, however, we all know who’s the one who owns his heart and is “the part of him he can’t let go of” so I really don’t care if he flirted with someone else in this game. This still means nothing.

Even for Claire, all that flirting means nothing, who later on in this franchise gets involved with the guy she works with and doesn’t have any kind of romantic relationship confirmed with anyone else. Still can’t convince me as a better ship than the canon one for Leon. Leon is a player, and by college time, Claire was also one according to canon – plus, they were young, very pretty, both single, and were experiencing the terror of entering that hell city together, which provides solid ground for a connection – all of which doesn’t change the fact that in the years to come for the rest of this franchise they still have not interacted much after Raccoon’s incident. So ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, Aeon (of course)! Buckle up because I will overanalyse the shit out of them in this.

I suspect that by now, the hate for Ada must be overflowing all over on Tumblr, discussion forums, YouTube’s video’s comments pages, everything. But I loved LOVED that RE2R made it rather difficult for those haters to just call her a cold-hearted bitch who only uses Leon. She warns Leon to just LEAVE Raccoon City as soon as he can SIX (yes, I counted) times. Six.

Do yourself a favour and get the hell out of here. (1) I told you to get out of here. (2) Find a way out. Before it’s too late (3) [...] We may not make it out. (4) It’s not too late to turn back, Leon. (5) Get yourself out of here. While you still can. (6)

Leon followed her trail around because he wanted to and not because she leads him to. Even though this is clear in RE2 OG, RE2R made it crystal. Leon’s agency on this is bluntly verbalized by him at least four times: “You’re stuck with me to the end.” (after escaping from the giant crocodile), “I'm not just going to leave you. Not like this.”, “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” (when he finds her with a wounded leg) and “I'm not just gonna leave you here. What if you’re attacked, what if you need help—...” (right before she kisses him).

Remember what I said here? About Leon being an adult, capable of decision making and not a baby who falls victim to Ada’s shenanigans? Well, RE2R just made a statement on that. Though I doubt this will prevent the misogynist attacks Ada receives but, well, Capcom can only do so much, am I right?

you keep me up at night to my messages, you do not reply you know I still like you the most the best of the best and the worst of the worst well, you can never know the places that I go I still like you the most you'll always be my favorite ghost

(Big God – Florence + the Machine)

I was always bothered somehow by the fact that Darkside Chronicles added Claire meeting Ada as well in that night in Raccoon City. I’ll explain: I enjoy the concept, the imagery, of only Leon being able to connect a person to a name when it comes to Ada Wong – aside from, hum, Ashley, who barely gets to see her face (“so... who’s that woman, anyway?”), and Helena, who serves to Leon’s narrative as some sort of “heir” (just like RE6 wanted to do this with Chris and Piers, it implies it with Leon and Helena’s bond, after all Leon is also getting too old to star in more games in this franchise without it getting ridiculous). Chris doesn’t count here because, y’know, that whole Carla crap, not the real Ada.

Anyway, RE2R retcons Darkside Chronicles, thank god, and goes even further: putting Annette as well in the dark over Ada’s identity. She suspects Ada is a mercenary, like all the others who were attempting to steal the G-Virus up till then. Leon remains the one who connects “Ada Wong” to a character, to a face. She’s not only his guardian angel but his own personal ghost.

I love this because, in Ada’s RE3 epilogue, she mentions saying goodbye to that name... but if we stop to think about it, the only important person to her that crossed her path and knows her by this identity is Leon. This is super meaningful and beautiful, I really love it. That whole thing of Ada appearing in the shadows twice to save and alert him in RE2R that prompts him to repeat the line “Who is that?” and the “Somebody’s watching me...” one after Leon faces William in the Machinery Room contributes as well to this thematic imagery.

It gives me the feeling that, if nothing else, Capcom knows what they’re doing with this ship. They know the recurring themes, the essence of their dynamics, visual references and all. And, speaking of visual references: did you know that that whole Ada’s trench coat and sunglasses look is a direct reference to Chungking Express? A movie in which a police officer falls in love with a mysterious woman involved with the underworld crime? Yeah. There’s that.

Still on the recurring themes point, though, I can’t forget to add that Ada’s line “This is getting old... Saving your ass— that’s twice.” and Leon’s “Hey, you can't keep walking away from me!”, “Y’know. We make a good team [...]” and “I can't believe I actually miss her...” were fantastic touches, because, as I said here, they have their status quo, don’t they? Again: She keeps helping him. They team up and make a good team whey they do it. They part ways. Normal her, normal them. One and a half decade later they’re still on that. That’s why Ada’s “Watch out for yourself.” (answering Leon’s warn on Deborah “Watch out, you two! She's strong!”) and “Hm. The more things change, the more they stay the same.” (when Leon asks for help) lines in RE6 couldn’t be more adequate.

Oh, what about Leon’s “You protected me. Now it's my turn.” and Ada’s “We’ll call it even.” in the RE2R? Hahaha, oh poor sweet summer-children. I love, LOVE this sort-of hybrid between call-back (because we, as an audience already know what will happen to them later in the plot) and foreshadowing (but they don’t, so those lines serves as this too).

And Leon wasn’t being cold when he threw away Umbrella’s wristlet. That gift connects to a part of Ada that hurts him. This actually resonates with their exchange in RE6, when she throws him a mysterious ring (“Here.” “A ring?” “Don't get the wrong idea. It'll make sense later.” “Ok.”). He doesn’t know the nature of her true intentions, her true goals. He’s always kept in the dark over this matter, so it makes sense for him to throw the wristlet away, but say that he misses her. The subtext here is clear: despite having mixed-feelings over Ada’s true alliance and role in all that’s been happening in his life, he still misses her the most. His “recurring element of personal need” that, at the same time, he “distrusts because it goes against everything he believes and stands for”, as Matthew Mercer has put it.

siempre que te pregunto que, cuándo, cómo y dónde tú siempre me respondes quizás, quizás, quizás y así pasan los días y yo desesperando y tú, tú contestando quizás, quizás, quizás

(Quizás, Quizás, Quizás – Gaby Moreno)

Let’s talk about the flirting text, sexual innuendo subtext and overall romantic dynamics RE2R presents for them. From Ada’s pulling her arm away from his touch, to her whimpering “Where's Leon when I need him...?” when she’s hurt. The change in which Ada goes through in this game concerning precisely her relationship with the rookie police officer she just met feels more organic and believable than in RE2 OG – despite my love for the original instalment, Ada rarely flashes personality there, so I’ll have to concede that it’s really harder for the broader audience to empathize with her.

This RE2R Ada, however, starts melting when Leon blurts out his motives for joining the force after seeing Kendo having to deal with his little daughter clearly going through the zombifying process. Even though Kendo just pointed a gun to his head, Leon sympathizes with the guy “[…] Helping people like them… that’s why I joined the force.”

When Ada answers him in this scene, she’s not lying. We have solid proof given by the development of the entirety of this franchise’s plot to believe that she really is in fact, as Project Umbrella puts it in her profile, “acting secretly in the background of many biohazard incidents and collecting information which becomes useful to several organizations, while at the same time operating to undermine them”.

Sure, Ada does hides more than a few of her cards and makes use of half-truths a lot, but by this point, we know that her moral alignment is closer to that of the good guys than to the villains. Capcom chose Ada to be a Chinese character, and reciprocity is very important in Chinese culture. Check it out:

[...] Hence, the Confucian view of relationships is highly reciprocal. There is a Chinese concept that highlights this notion of reciprocity: bao. According to Yang (1957), bao (or pao in the original text) has a wide range of meanings, including “to report”, “to respond”, “to repay”, and “to retaliate”. Yang explains: “The center of this area of meanings is response or return which has served as a basis for social relations in China. The Chinese believe that reciprocity of actions (favor and hatred, reward and punishment) between man and man, and indeed between men and supernatural things, should be as certain as a cause-and-effect relationship, and, therefore, when a Chinese acts, he normally anticipates a response or return. Favors done for others are often considered to what may be termed “social investments”, for which handsome returns are expected.” There are many Chinese sayings that concern the meaning of reciprocity - for example, Ni jing wo yi chi, wo jing ni yi zhang (“If you honor me a foot, I shall honor you 10 feet in return”). Another - li shang wang lai - translate as (a) “courtesy demands reciprocity” and (b) “deal with a man as he deals with you” or “pay a man back in his own coin” (A Modern Chinese-English Dictionary, 1994, p. 543). (Chinese Business Negotiating Style, Tony Fang, 1997, p. 116-117)

So, the “We’ll call it even.” line carries more layers than one to its meaning.

By the way, Capcom choosing to change how she reacts to him being shot by Annette was lovable! She patches up the injury in his shoulder and leaves her trench coat over him. She's already so in love, haha.

Leon, on the other end, starts falling in love when she saves him again – this time from Mr. X –, in the parking garage; the “I didn't realize you were keeping score.” (that’ll be later echoed by Ada’s own “Didn't realize we were keeping score...”, thrown back at him when he categorically tells her that it’s his turn to help her because she protected him) line, accompanied by his little smirk, exposes him to us, the audience. And the way his face lightens up with a huge smile in reaction to seeing her only pressing a button to explode an entire police truck in Mr. X's face seals the deal.

The “No chance. You’re stuck with me to the end.” line, that’ll come soon later, in the sewers, is just symptomatic. The guy’s hooked and don’t even bother to hide it, almost begging to touch her or be closer to her in any way he can: like it wasn’t enough grabbing her thigh to help with her injury, he also immediately suggests being nearer her trying the “Grab my shoulder!” offer (to which Ada’s reply “Don't push it, rookie.” and Leon’s coy “Yes ma’am.” only further clarifies to us that their physical intimacy is escalating quickly but she’s still a bit reluctant to it).

Leon soothes a bit his flirting advances when Ada complains about her injured leg (“Urgh... this damn leg...”), his “Let me carry you—” is gentler, and more sincerely concerned. No second intentions there, and that’s why Ada refuses softly by saying “No. That'd only make me feel worse.” just right before asking him “How's the shoulder?” The guy took a bullet for her! And now’s offering to carry her. In addition to feeling vulnerable, she feels horrible about herself. I also liked how Leon chooses to be sincere with his “Worse than it looks.” answer, getting the “What a pair. Both got one foot in the grave.” response line from her. It gets me emotional somehow. These two idiots, offering to help each other even while sustaining grave injuries themselves.

I never felt that the kiss in the RE2 OG was forced. But RE2R surely reconstructs the scene to be more organic and satisfying to their blossoming relationship. The fact that the kiss takes place in the same sequence that these lines: Ada’s “Once we get the G-Virus, I'm back on my own.” (again, symbolising the recurring themes between Leon and Ada, after all, her job creates an unbearable divisive line between them). And she inquiring him with the “Hey, Leon... Trust me?” to which he retorts with a “You trust me?” and is answered back with the most sincere I’ve seen from Ada in all of this franchise: “Honestly... If I didn’t, you’d probably be dead.” She's being so candid here. Her walls are down.

After she kisses him and puts a hand on his knee, the “I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I gotta see this through... and I want to see you again. I got plenty to live for. Trust me.” line is also a result of her defrosting process for and because of him. She has to fulfil her mission but she did fell in love with him. So, when she says “Leon... I’m counting on you.”, it IS supposed to hurt us. Leon’s “I know.” too. Because we know that what is waiting for them isn’t a happy and peaceful resolution. Not there and then, at least, in that 1998’s September rainy night in Raccoon City. Maybe in a distant future, but not now.

We know that RE4 intensifies the sexual tension surrounding the two of them because they never did get a chance to resolve it in the following six years after 1998. Leon obsesses with trying to find out if she’s indeed alive and Ada doesn��t try to reach out, probably making an effort herself to move on while giving him his space to do it as well. So, the innuendo in RE4 is also amplified. We get lines such as “Need a ride, handsome?!” and Leon getting a full close look at her thigh and ass when she abruptly stops the boat they’re in because he’s fidgeting too much while staring at her face. Ada even seems convinced that Leon is going to kiss her at one point (when he’s being controlled by Las Plagas), raising her hand softly to touch his face and leaning her head in.

The promise of resolution and “settling” – if only in the circumstances they are in, choosing to accept and adapt to them, comes with RE:Damnation and RE6. “Only” 15 years later.

all your lies are spinning round my head and all, all this line of sorrow, ooh, yeah ooooh, yeah all your lies are spinning round my head and all, all this line of sorrow, ooh, yeah ooooh and I will, I I ohh, ohh and I will, oh, only for you and I just don't know what to do, my head has such a cloudy view I'm so tired, of trying, ooh ooh ooh

(Only For You – Heartless Bastards)

Lastly, I’d like to share my two cents on their confrontation in RE2R and the first of their many separations. Remember I said those last lines in the turntable tram hurt? We can see Leon’s heart shrinking when Annette cynically points out her thoughts on Ada.

Again, like in RE6, their facial expressions in this sequence are key. When Ada shows up at the Main Shaft, she looks worried, anxious. Everything’s falling apart, her time is running out, she still hasn’t got her hands at the G sample, her leg hurts like hell and Leon is taking forever (did something happen with him?). When Leon breaks the silence in this chaotic setting with his “I was just thinking about you.”, Ada isn’t lying when answering “That makes two of us. I was getting worried.” It’s written all over her face, imprinted in her body-language. She’s verging on despair.

After zigzaing around the matter for a bit, Leon finally sums up the nerve to directly touch the subject that is truly bothering him: his conversation with Annette and Ada’s lie about being a FBI agent. Upon Leon’s refusal to hand her the sample, Ada reveals this little “facial tic”, in which she ‘squeezes’ her left eye when pressed to say/do something she seems uncomfortable or doesn’t completely agree with – like exposing herself, emotionally. It’s subtle, but it’s there. She’ll do it again when challenged to shoot him later. The following exchange, with hers “Oh, Leon... Why couldn't you just hand over the sample?” delivered like a lament, is retorted with Leon’s “Because I realized, as much as I wanted to trust you... I didn't.” Shit son, developers KNOW what they’re doing. Isn’t this Leon’s entire issue with his love for her in a nutshell?

Ada’s tone still resonates with a lot of grief when she confesses that she “[…] really hoped it wouldn't end up like this.”, it kinda evokes the “I really wanted to escape with you... escape from everything.” line in RE2 OG but without being so mushy (Jake Peralta’s voice: I love it). Leon maintains his urgency for an explanation, however, and when he asks “So that’s all this was... I was just some pawn to you?”, it’s a plea. Was Annette right then? Tagging along with her was a terrible mistake on his end? Saving her was a mistake? What about falling in love with her – what now? All he wanted in this goddamn night was to do his job and help someone. Save someone. And he fell in love in the middle of the way. With a possible moral antagonist to all he stands for in his line of duty – oh, the tragic irony.

Let us not forget that now CANONICALLY they just spent hours together – in the launch trailer, Capcom suggest that they’re walking together out of the RPD parking garage by 21:03 pm and it’s 4:51 am when Leon uses the herbicide to kill Plant 43 (as seen in the ‘Byron Cartwright's Inbox’ file); considering that to take the G-sample and the confrontation with Annette (and then William) took at least another hour, Leon’s been with Ada for almost eight hours, just like I deduced by RE2 OG info.

Capcom absolutely kills me with the next part in Leon and Ada’s final scene: “Look, I am just doing my job.” and “And I'm doing mine, so drop that damn gun! I'm taking you in.” OH MY GOD ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEEEEEEE

THIS IS LEON AND ADA’S RELATIONSHIP BACKBONE

THE DIVISIVE, BITTERSWEET LINE SEPARATING THEM: THEIR JOBS. GOD, I LOVE THIS. AMEN

(Sorry… they’re my babies, I love them so much).

Ada pushes back, recollecting herself and demands: “Hand over the sample, Leon.” just to melt again while adding “I don't wanna hurt you.” to complete her line. And well, Leon goes and kill all of us, doesn’t he? Ada, us fans, everyone, defying her to pull the trigger: “Then you shoot me, but I don't think you can.”

Well, he’s right. Six years later, in RE4, there’s a lot of unresolved resentment for him to toss that one again when she points a gun to the back of his head (it makes sense – great job, Capcom! – it’s been a long time, he can’t know for sure if her feelings for him remain, if she’ll be compassionate this time). But there, in Raccoon, she didn’t disappear for six years with him having everything to believe that she died all the while hoping that she didn’t… yet. So he does it, he defies her to shoot.

And of course, she doesn’t. He looks so, so happy for this tiny, tiny sec before Annette shoots Ada. Oh, Annette. For a moment there, Leon looked quite hopeful this wouldn’t end in a heartbreak. But everything starts falling. Ada too. The way she exhales his name and how Leon is the desperate one now. Like he’s finally aware that even though he might have suspended time for a while (ignoring it), stolen a few minutes, it’s over now.

It’s all so… visceral? Heart-wrenching? I don’t know. His “Hold on... I think I can... Agh! Shit!” while doing his hardest to not let go of her, and when she says “Forget it.” how he immediately responds with “Shut up— I've got you.” I got you. When I first watched this cutscene I teared up when Leon said this. He’s so in love. Failing to save her here is going to leave him traumatized, scarring him forever. It goes on: Ada’s “It's not worth it.” and Leon’s plea “Don't do this...”.

All of those lines are essentially them throughout this franchise. Ada thinking that he should move on, forget her because “it’s not worth it” – they can’t be together, not in the conventional style, so why should he bother with her? But Leon never did, did he? He’s always pleading for her to come back, to not leave, to not let go.

Her final wish, “Take care of yourself, Leon.” before Leon loses strength to hold her any longer, and Leon’s loud “NO!” together with his expression, the way he lingers, the music. It’s all so, so well done, so beautiful.

RE2R follows RE2 OG, RE4, RE:Damnation and RE6 example: making us spoiled Aeon shippers. Thanks Capcom, in 17 years of shipping them, you guys never disappointed me. Whatever RE8 holds for us in the future, this was a satisfying ride: I’m happy with Leon and Ada’s resolution in RE6 as I previously said in another meta. I sure as hell won’t complain if we get more, but damn, this ship – together with Cloud and Tifa from FFVII – shaped my views on love, devotion, attraction – and for that I’m more than grateful.

#Aeon #Leon x Ada #Ada x Leon #Ada Wong #Leon Kennedy #Leon S Kennedy #Leon Scott Kennedy #OTP: like a part of me I can't let go #[meta]#[mine]#//#long post #Aeon fandom #Aeon metas

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