So... gave the game a try after reading the comments, is something that I do before starting a game, do not really care much about spoilers. And yeah maybe I was in a weird mental state when I started because it hit me hard, but sometime along ACT2 finally clicked and can honestly say I enjoy it.
No no, L&J act1 hits hard by design, shock value moments one after another with very little time to breathe between each other.
Act 2 relaxes the grip a bit, finding a more mild pace, which I also do find more enjoyable.
Do no think of Lacey as a worthless slut, I just see a dumb and broken girl committing mistakes after mistakes and trying to be a good person. Btw
Look the "not going to therapy" theory is NOT popular, you can count the people that support that on one hand!
And I agree with you about Lacey, she is trying to be accountable and improve herself, but how would you describe a person that decides to ghost the man that saved her life after manipulating him for 13 years, bringing him to almost commit the unthinkable WHILE you are out partying and getting fucked (literally).
The man got PTSD now, had to watch her fuck another man in front of him (twice depending on your choices), a thing he accepted just because he fears Lacey would leave again...
Let's say that the truth is in the middle she is a dumb and broken girl who acted like a worthless slut, killing hers and his beloved a chance to a normal life (and for MC, it is permanent, PTSD is not curable).
Do no think the MC is a spineless cuckold I just see a man with a heavy mental issue that should have been on therapy long ago, trying to deal with the hand he was dealt. I think MC is one of those special individuals that can read microexpressions, that is why he is so good a always knowing what to say to make people feel better and how he is so good at getting people to like him but also why when he does not want to see the answers to hard questions he stop looking at people faces.
The not looking at people faces is a great pick, it is portrayed as unintentional, like he forgets to do it, but doing that subconsciously trying not to get hurt is a nice character trait, I now wish it was written clearly like that.
On MC I also agree he is a damaged victim, but I have one gripe with your description, he does not try to do anything.
He literally does not do anything in the whole story, he takes serious action once, twice if you want to cconsider bringing pizzas as a serious action.
Honestly my only complaint so far is
I agree with you wholeheartedly, it was mentioned often how the new set of bad guys was unecessary, we already had a good "villan" setup with Isaac (the fact that he tried to "steal" Lacey is totally forgotten), which would have brought the couple to face the past and deal with it, while Isaac would loom over the relationship.
It seems a Dick Dastardly + Muttley setup.
The amount of unresolved issues from act 1 and 2 could fill two or three acts tbh, from exploring Lacey's past and her fun, to explore MC subservient nature and his damage, dealing with his nightmares, dealing with all the damage Lacey did after the marriage (it seems like her cheating and trying to seduce Jared are, again, totally forgotten).
We need to see how this develops, maybe we will find the true motivations behind FV and we wil both have to change our minds.