Ties That Bind - Part 1

"Ties That Bind", retitled "Episode 11", is the first episode of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: Season Three. It is a two Episode premiere, with the second part also named "Ties That Bind".

Both parts of the premiere were said to be released on December 20, 2016 for PC via Steam and the Telltale Store, for Playstation Network, for XBox Live Arcade and for iOS and Android worldwide. However for some reason they were instead released in North America on the 19th and then released worldwide on the 21st.

Summary
When Javier and his family accidentally cross paths with a rival group, a simple misunderstanding quickly spirals out of control.

Plot
The first episode of the game opens to a phone call between brothers David and Javier Garcia in which David is urging Javier to come see their family in time for their father's passing. As the phone call ends in the background, Javier, having abandoned his car due to inert traffic on the highway, is shown running to his family's house. When he arrives, he is confronted and punched in the face by David for missing their father's death. Javier ends up on the ground with David on top of him, threatening to punch him again until David's son, Gabriel, interrupts them. When Gabe leaves after his father gruffly shoos him away, David offers a hand to Javier and hands him a can of beer which he uses to ice his bruised cheek, and admits that while growing up, he was jealous of Javier. David expresses that he loves him, despite how he may be showing it. Walking in on the brothers' conversation, David's wife, Kate, hugs and gives Javier her condolences before leading him inside the house where Javier's mother sits, distraught in her husband's passing and disappointed in Javier for not being there; she slaps him, frustrated at Javier's absence, but hugs him soon after. David's daughter, Mariana, is shown exiting her late grandfather's bedroom with his empty glass. Her grandmother informs her that she doesn't need to fill his glass anymore because he is "sleeping", but Mariana claims that he is awake. Startled, the family follows Mariana into his bedroom, where a zombified Rafael is approached by his brother, Javier's uncle Hector. Speaking in their traditional language, Hector questions Rafael how he is alive, but is soon attacked by him and slammed against a wall. Panicked, Javier and David rip Rafael off of Hector and pin him down, but their mother tells them off, claiming that Rafael is "just confused". This is short-lived, however, as she stumbles backward, a large wound open on her cheek. Kate and Javier turn their attention to her, but Kate urges Javier to help David, who is being pinned on the bed by their reanimated father. Javier rips one of the posts off of the bed and tells his father that he is "sorry" before hitting him in the head. With Rafael officially dead, Javier returns to Kate and his mother while David grabs his son, asking where Mariana is. Afterwards Mrs. Garcia is hurried out of the house and into Rafael's car by David who tells the others to meet them at the hospital; Javier informs him not to take the highway as it is backed up with traffic. As Javier piles Kate, Hector, Gabe, and Mariana into another vehicle, Hector notices a bite mark on his wrist and covers it with his sleeve.

Four years later, Javier and Kate are seen viewing a herd of walkers, or muertos; Kate, who is timing the speed of the muertos, asks him to notify her when the herd reaches the fire of their previous campsite, and upon doing so, Javier realizes that he left behind his water bottle. The two enter their van where Gabe and Mariana are sleeping and they set off, aiming to escape the threat of the herd. As Kate and Javier converse, Kate expresses that she is in need of a smoke and offers the blunt to Javier. She begins reminiscing about her relationship with David, and how he had expected her to change in the presence of his kids despite her claims that she would not be a good step-mom because of her inability to take mothering seriously. Recounting on her experiences, she realizes that she has in fact changed for Gabe and Mariana and has become more responsible, but expresses that she could live without Gabe's attitude and him constantly reminding her that she isn't his mother. As Mariana and Gabe are awakened by the smell of marijuana, Gabe is unimpressed by Kate now smoking in the car. The group stops in a junkyard to stock up on supplies, and Mariana prays that she finds a candybar. She tells Javi that she wants to write down a story that her birth mother used to tell her because she fears that if she loses her memory of that, she will be lost as well. As the four search for things they need, Javier hunts for gas, siphoning little gasoline out of beat up cars. He approaches a worrying Kate and she describes to him her negative thoughts, and how there will eventually be a "last" of everything. However, she quickly snaps out of it, announcing that she "let it have its five minutes." Gabe informs Javi of his bad mood and how it won't seem to go away. He describes his growing hatred for their van; he prefers to be with other people rather than his family all the time. Further into the junkyard, Javier finds a ladder leading to another area of the depot. With Gabe on his tail, they discover an untouched ambulance with plenty of gas he can siphon, and a rundown house filled with food and comfort. Entering through a hatch in the floor, Javi opens the door for the other three. As Mariana and Gabe are thrilled about their new find and begs Javi to let them stay the night, Kate seems less sure, claiming that the house is somebody else's. After deciding to stay the night or to head out onto the road, Gabe and Mariana dig into cups of pudding they found as Javi meets Kate outside of the house. She says that she is always considered the "mean stepmom" and Javi is always the "cool uncle". Before heading back in, she hands Javi a candybar to give to Mariana.

When Javier heads back to the ambulance to retrieve the siphoned gas, he is confronted by several men at gunpoint. Their leader, Max, challenges him, asking why he is stealing their gas. Telling a few men to fan out and search for Javier's group members, he pushes Javi over to the house, shouting for anybody inside to come out if they don't want Javi to be shot. He then orders Javi to go in, claiming that if he is ambushed by his own people, it will make his day. However, as Javi enters, he discovers the room to be empty, and that his family had escaped through the hatch in the floor. As everybody is looking away, Javi moves a piece of cardboard over the hatch, concealing his family's position. Max notices the open pudding cups left by Gabe and Mariana, and antagonizes Javi, and soon leaves him with Lonnie so he can go find handcuffs. Javi attempts to talk with Lonnie, but they are interrupted by a sound emitting from the hatch. Despite what Javi says, Lonnie decides to investigate, but Javi manages to knock him out with his own gun. When Max reenters, he sees Lonnie's unconscious body and hits Javi, knocking him out.

Javier wakes up in the front seat of a vehicle with his wrists bound. He questions the driver, asking where his family is, but the driver refuses to answer his questions. He tells Javi to stop talking or else he won't be able to resist his urge to shoot him on the spot. As he says this, the sound of wood being pierced fills the scene as a tree topples over the middle of the highway, causing the truck to swerve into a ditch. Shaken, Javier reaches for the driver's gun before exiting the vehicle, and aims the gun at the escaping driver, but not until the barrel of a shotgun is pressed into his back. Javi gives in, dropping his weapon at the sound of the person's voice; it is a female. She tells him to keep looking forward and comments on the fate of the driver, whether or not Javi shot him or not. Telling him to not do anything stupid, she lowers her gun, going around the front of the truck to investigate the vehicle. This allows Javi to get a glimpse of his captor, only to realize that she is just a kid. He asks the girl if she willingly cut down the tree, and she explains that she was trying to stop the truck so that she could drive it. Returning to her original position behind Javi, she begins to look through his stuff, and she finds the chocolate bar that Kate gave to him. As she is about to leave, Javi begs her to help him find his family; he explains that they got separated at a junkyard. Upon mentioning that he was driving, the girl offers to take him to the junkyard in return for his van. As they set off, she introduces herself to be Clementine.

Their journey is cut short, however, as they are faced with the same herd Javi and Kate were tracking hours before. With no other choice, they seek refuge at a fenced off camp; one of its citizens, Tripp, tells them that they must clear out the walkers before he can open the gate and let them in. As they pick off the muertos, Clementine's gun falters and she is attacked by a walker, leaving Javi to save her. Eventually, Tripp opens the gates and lets them through in time for Francine, another citizen, to slip through the gates on a horse. Tripp welcomes Javi and Clem to Prescott and tells them that they can stay until the herd thins out, and that they should stay out of trouble. Still outraged from her bullet malfunction, Clem heads inside Prescott's bar in search of somebody. After Javi expresses that he hasn't been in a place like the bar since before the outbreak, Clem tells Javi to "make some friends" while she deals with some business. Now alone, Javi moves toward two people at the bar: the bartender, Conrad, and Francine, who is revealed to be his wife. Conrad recognizes Javi from his lifetime ban from gambling. The two are playing poker, and Francine asks Javi if she should call or fold.

As one of the two offer Javi a drink, they are interrupted by Clementine confronting the town's arms dealer Eli, for giving her ammunition that jammed as she was fighting walkers. After fending off an attack from Eli, Clementine's jammed gun discharges and she accidentally kills Eli. Whether or not Javier covers for Clementine, Tripp can decide to lock them up until they decide on what to do with them, or not. Javi will then meet a medic named Eleanor who will fix his cut. She will flirt with Javi and show concern for his lost family. Javi is then given the option to go back to the junkyard with Tripp in the morning to find his family, or sneak out in the night with Eleanor, who offers them a secret way out.[14]

As Tripp or Eleanor accompany Javi and Clementine to the junkyard, the latter flashes back to the events before the season started:

If Clementine went with Jane in season two: The two try to name Alvin Jr. (AJ)'s middle name. Jane will also comment on how the family broke in and stole the food (if you turned the family away) or how the family betrayed them and took their food (if you let family stay). Later on, Clementine discovers that Jane has hung herself after testing positive in a pregnancy test, and must decide whether or not to put the reanimated Jane down.

If Clementine went with Kenny in season two: Kenny is teaching Clementine in driving with AJ in the back seat. Clementine, however, loses control and crashes the car. Kenny is thrown from the car and is paralyzed as walkers converge on them. Kenny makes Clementine leave with AJ as he is devoured.

If Clementine stayed at Wellington in season two: She and AJ are forced to flee as Edith and the townspeople are killed and raided by The New Frontier.

If Clementine went alone in season two: After hunting for food, she is forced to fend off walkers going for AJ, and injures her left ring finger in the process, forcing her to remove it.

The three arrive at the junkyard to find it in ruins as the herd has passed by it, although they manage to eliminate the remaining undead and reunite with Kate, Gabe and Mariana. As they leave the junkyard, the hostile group returns, killing Mariana and injuring Kate. Javi is given the decision to accompany Tripp or Eleanor and Gabe back to Prescott to help Kate, or help Clementine hold a standoff against the group.

In-Game Decisions
• Did you stay the night at the junkyard?


 * 52.7% of players chose to stay the night at the junkyard.


 * 47.3% of players chose to head back out on the road.

• Did you shoot the driver or let him go?


 * 57.2% of players chose to let the driver go.


 * 42.8% of players chose to shoot the driver.

• What was the aftermath of the shooting?


 * 94.8% of players got locked up.


 * 5.2% of players were allowed to roam free.

• Who brought you to the junkyard?


 * 47% of players went with Eleanor to the Junkyard.


 * 53% of players went with Tripp to the Junkyard.

• Did you escape with your family or stay with Clementine?


 * 16.3% of players escaped with your family.


 * 83.7% of players stayed with Clementine.

Credits

 * Javier García
 * Clementine
 * Kate García
 * Gabriel García
 * Mariana García
 * Kenny (Flashback, Determinant)
 * Jane (Flashback, Determinant)
 * Alvin Jr. (Flashback)
 * Edith (Flashback, Determinant)
 * David García
 * Hector García
 * Rafael García
 * Mrs. García
 * Max
 * Badger
 * Lonnie
 * Rufus
 * Tripp
 * Francine
 * Conrad
 * Eli
 * Eleanor

Deaths

 * Rafael García (Alive and Zombified)
 * Mrs. García (Off-Screen)
 * Hector García (Off-Screen)
 * Rufus (Determinant)
 * Eli
 * Jane (Alive, Determinant; Zombified, Determinant)
 * Jane's Unborn Child (Determinant)
 * Numerous residents of Wellington (Determinant)
 * Edith (Determinant)
 * Kenny (Determinant)
 * Mariana Garcia
 * A few unnamed members of the New Frontier

Impacts

 * Depending on how you ended Season 2, Clementine will have a different wound.
 * If the player stayed with Kenny, Clementine will have a scar above her right eyebrow
 * If the player stayed with Jane, Clementine will have the letters "AJ" branded on her right hand
 * If the player stayed at Wellington, Clementine will have a bullet wound/scar on her right cheek
 * If the player is alone with AJ, Clementine will lose her left ring-finger
 * The flashback is different depending on who Clementine finished Season 2 with:
 * Alone - Clementine and AJ will be searching for food near a railroad
 * Wellington - Clementine flees the settlement with AJ when it is attacked by a hostile group
 * Jane - Clementine will be at Howe's Hardware with Jane.
 * Jane will also comment on whether the family betrayed them or broke in to steal the food.
 * Kenny - Clementine will be taught how to drive by Kenny.

Trivia

 * First appearance of Javier García.
 * First appearance of David García.
 * First appearance of Kate García.
 * First appearance of Gabriel García.
 * First appearance of Eleanor.
 * First appearance of Tripp.
 * First appearance of Conrad.
 * First appearance of Francine.
 * First appearance of Max.
 * First (and last) appearance of Rufus. (Determinant)
 * First (and last) appearance of Mariana García. (Alive)
 * First (and last) appearance of Hector García.
 * First (and last) appearance of Eli.
 * First (and last) appearance of Mrs. García.
 * First (and last) appearance of Rafael García.
 * Last appearance of Kenny. (Flashback) (Determinant)
 * Last appearance of Jane. (Flashback) (Determinant)
 * Last appearance of Edith. (Flashback) (Determinant)
 * This episode revealed that Jane was pregnant with Luke's child. (Determinant)
 * This is the first main story episode with multiple playable characters
 * There are two playable characters: Clementine and Javier García.
 * 400 Days had six playable characters, but it was a standalone DLC episode.
 * This episode's name was revealed through its rating by the New Zealand Classification Data Base.
 * This season marks the first time that two episodes are released on the same day.
 * It is also the first time that one episode of the video game has been split up into two parts.
 * On the Xbox One, none of the QuickTime events found in this episode have to be completed the way the game directs; any button or movement of one of the analog sticks satisfies the action.
 * Taking too long to decide whether or not to leave the junkyard at night results in Kate making the abrupt decision to leave.
 * Taking too long to decide whether or not Clementine could keep the van results in her interpreting Javier's silence as an affirmative answer.
 * Taking too long to decide whether to leave the junkyard or stay and fight off the New Frontier results in the non-canon death of Javier, where Badger sneaks up to the gates of the junkyard and shoots him in the back of the head. The player will then re-spawn and be allowed to try again.

Goofs/Errors

 * When Mariana is shot in the head, she falls to the ground on her front. When Kate goes to her body, it is overturned and Mariana is on her back.
 * During the "With Kenny" ending flashback, when the car crashes Clementine's head is hit on her left side, but her scar is on her right side.
 * During the final firefight, Javier is seen standing up but when the camera changes, only to be seen sitting down in the next shot.
 * If Javier kills the walker underneath the car in the junkyard, its body shifts from the position he left it in.