As far as Bella having hallucinations, that feels like an Aunt-Jill level stretch to me. She's never been anything less than lucid when the MC's been around her, so if Bella ever did have serious mental disorders they seem to have been solved long before the MC met her. So what would they add to the story unless the MC winds up causing a relapse by pursuing her... which would be a pretty shitty story.
No, I'm going to need a hell of a lot more evidence than a single flashback instance of Bella's coworker talking to Bella instead of a man she'd never met in order to believe that Bella is full on delusional.
I agree we need more evidence because hallucinations are a massive deal and it would really turn Bella's story on its head if that were the case. But that being said there is something weird about that library flashback scene, now that I've replayed it. It could be another red herring by DPC but the way the guy outside the library in the flashback looks at Bella and James is peculiar, I should have taken a screenie but I'm sure it's around somewhere. The look that guy gives Bella is the same look I'd give someone who was talking to themselves on the street, well prior to wireless buds and stuff
Concrete evidence of delusions? Definitely not, but there is some other circumstantial evidence we've gone into recently that I won't bother rehashing. Then there's even more circumstantial evidence to count against it, like Jill's knowledge of events that bring up more questions.
I would like to underline and keep underlining one thing though that I've said before in other contexts. The scene with the MC and Bella in the library, where the future MC says he'd call for help if he knew what was up with Bella, is absolutely unique in the game. At no other time do we get an introspective from the MC, from the future, where he states that he wishes he could have done something differently. We don't get it when his guitar is stolen, we don't get it with the stuff with Quinn and the prostitution and drugs, we don't get it with anyone else in any other situation. So it's always been my belief that Bella's story is going to be the most difficult for the MC, whether in the context of romance or not. Before episode 8, I'd assumed the challenges would come from confronting James and the possible child death which would tear the usually stoic Bella apart emotionally. Now I'm wondering if the damage has already been done and the MC's naive pursuit of Bella is actually a horrible tumble into a deep dark hole of reality that makes the low points of AL look like young adult fiction
I guess we'll see.
Bah, I need to find my happy place, not rehash AL's sins. Anyone have some good light-hearted speculation for Season 3?
I got some positive speculation for you bro
After replaying the game from start to finish, and rewatching the flashbacks in particular, I'm super hyped for Zoey as a character and how she'll impact the story. I absolutely love her appearance in the final scenes of episode 8, and I love Neil's reaction to her. I'm still skeptical about Zoey's interlude and how much I'll like or care about it, mostly because it's just going to delay the next episode's arrival, but I think she's going to be great. I know some of your personal criticism about the game involves the MC not committing, and rather than Zoey having an even greater compounding of that problem by having to choose her vs. your chosen LI, I think she's going to take a more mature sisterly approach to the MC and encourage him to stop having doubts and to commit. Her re-introduction with Neil points to that sort of role she'll be adopting, less as an LI and more as a sister-stroke-family member, especially considering she's coming back directly after the MC chooses which path he'll be taking. That feels like an intentional move by DPC, not to bring back Zoey as potentially more doubt and drama to make the MC question his choices, but as an element of stability and family. Like the MC's monologue at the start of the game mentions, family are the ones who stick by you, that's the role I feel Zoey is going to fill: a surrogate sister, a family member, rather than direct competition to the LI's.
Now all that being said, that doesn't mean we won't bang Zoey again, but I don't think we'll have to. And there will definitely be some drama among the LI's, and probably even Quinn, once they find out that Zoey was the MC's first. I suspect Zoey is going to act really familiar and affectionate with the MC, which will make some of them jealous, whether she necessarily wants to rekindle the flame at all.
All in all, after my initial poor reaction to Zoey, I'm excited for her character and role going forward in the story. She's gonna be a fan favorite, I can tell.
I haven't seen the most important question about the episode being asked in here.
What's in the bottle?
Bro I know exactly what it is, it's
breastmilk, the pregnancy test was for Derek!
