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"Ties That Bind"[1] is the first episode of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier. It is a two-episode premiere, with the second part also named "Ties That Bind".[2] It is the twelfth episode of the series overall. It was written by Brad Kane and directed by Jason Latino.

Both parts of the premiere were said to be released on December 20, 2016 for PC via Steam and the Telltale Store, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, iOS, and Android worldwide. They were instead released in North America on the 19th and then released worldwide on the 21st,[3]and then on January 21, 2020, also worldwide, for Nintendo Switch.

Summary[]

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

Plot[]

Chapter 1: Family Road Trip[]

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 Javier and gives him her condolences before leading him inside the house where Javier's mother sits, distraught in her husband's passing and angry with Javier for not being there. She slaps him, frustrated at Javier's absence, but hugs him immediately 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 Salvador is approached by his brother, Javier's uncle Hector.

Hector asks Salvador how he is alive, but is soon attacked by him and slammed against a wall. Panicked, Javier and David rip Salvador off of Hector and pin him down, but their mother tells them off, claiming that Salvador 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 Salvador 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 Salvador's car by David who tells the others to meet them at the hospital. Javier tells him not to take the highway as it is backed up with traffic. As Javier piles Kate, Hector, Gabe, and Mariana into the van, 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. Mariana and Gabe are awakened by the smell of marijuana. Gabe is unimpressed by Kate now smoking in the car.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Guests[]

The group stops in a junkyard to stock up on supplies, and Mariana prays that she finds a candy-bar. 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 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. 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.

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.

Chapter 3: In Her Charge[]

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.

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 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 as Clementine.

Chapter 4: Deal Gone Bad[]

Their journey is cut short, however, as they are faced with the herd Javi and Kate were tracking hours before. With no other choice, they seek refuge at a fenced off camp, Prescott. Tripp, their apparent leader, 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 for his lifetime ban from baseball. Conrad and Francine 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. If Javier covers for Clementine, they are locked in infirmary by Tripp. If Javier tells the truth they both are free to roam in Prescott till morning and can stay at the infirmary. And if Javier after that decides to go to junkyard with Eleanor, they never go to 'jail' and Clementine is taking a nap on a bench instead.

Chapter 5: A Hard Goodbye[]

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 give Alvin Jr. (AJ) a 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 to drive while AJ is sitting in the back seat. Clementine loses control and crashes the car. Kenny is thrown from the car and is paralyzed as walkers converge on them. Kenny convinces 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 massacred by marauders.

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.

Chapter 6: To the Rescue[]

The three arrive at the junkyard to find it in ruins as the herd has passed through it. They manage to eliminate the remaining muertos and reunite first with Mariana, and then with Kate and Gabe. 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 to buy time for the others to escape.

In-Game Decisions[]

Did you stay the night at the junkyard?

  • 54.6% of players chose to stay the night at the junkyard.
  • 45.4% of players chose to head back out on the road.

Did you shoot the driver or let him go?

  • 52.2% of players chose to let the driver go.
  • 47.8% of players chose to shoot the driver.

What was the aftermath of the shooting?

  • 94.3% of players got locked up.
  • 5.7% of players were allowed to roam free.

Who brought you to the junkyard?

  • 48.7% of players went with Tripp to the Junkyard.
  • 51.3% of players went with Eleanor to the Junkyard.

Did you escape with your family or stay with Clementine?

  • 84.1% of players stayed with Clementine.
  • 15.9% of players escaped with your family.

Your Story So Far[]

With Jane

  • Heavy Burdens
  • Justified
  • Focused
  • Finding a Way
  • Street Smart
  • Us Against Them
  • Independent Spirit
  • Family First
  • Care For Your Own
  • Seasoned Survivor
  • Hopeful
  • Free Spirit
  • Do the Right Thing
  • Survival Strategist
  • Never Give Up
  • Lost Child
  • Perseverance

Wellington

  • Searching for a Path
  • Resilient
  • Conscientious
  • Everything Has a Price
  • Hard Sacrifices
  • Greater Good
  • Necessary Sacrifice

With Kenny

  • Safety First
  • Loyal to the End
  • Steadfast
  • True to the End
  • Family Values
  • Even Tempered
  • Survival Oriented
  • Friends Forever

Alone

  • Self-Reliant
  • Made the Cut
  • Still. Not. Bitten.
  • Bruised, Not Broken
  • Duty Above All
  • A Higher Cause
  • Lone Peacekeeper
  • True Grit
  • Any Means Necessary
  • The Greater Good

First Branch

  • In Season 2,
    • Clementine longed for a place that was safe, but it always seemed out of reach.
    • Clementine maintained a distance from others, often putting her own safety first.
    • Clementine made her way through the terrifying new world by sticking to one simple goal: survive.
    • Clementine stayed alert and asked smart questions about what was going on.
    • Clementine showed loyalty to friends and family even in the most desperate situations.
    • Clementine stayed level-headed and compassionate in a world of chaos and cruelty.
    • Clementine tried to keep the peace in a world that had largely abandoned those principles.
    • a determined Clementine did what she felt necessary, regardless of others' opinions.

Second Branch

  • When Kenny and Jane's infighting put everyone at risk, Clem reluctantly shot Kenny to save Jane's life. Clem, AJ, and Jane then returned to Howe's,
    • where they refused to let in a family of strangers.
    • where they took in a family looking for shelter.
  • Clem watched Jane provoke a fight with Kenny that ended in Jane's death. AJ, Kenny, and Clem continued on to Wellington, where Clem learned Kenny would not be allowed in.
    • Clem said goodbye to Kenny through tears.
    • So they left Wellington together.
  • But when their car broke down in a snowstorm, Clem had to make some brutal choices about Kenny and Jane. Clem finally realized she could only rely on herself to keep AJ safe.

Credits[]

Deaths[]

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.

Promotional Poster[]

TWD S3 Cover

Trivia[]

  • First appearance of Javier García.
  • First appearance of David García. (Flashback)
  • First appearance of Gabriel García.
  • First appearance of Kate García.
  • First appearance of Mrs. García. (Flashback)
  • First appearance of Hector García. (Flashback)
  • First appearance of Salvador García. (Flashback, Zombified)
  • First appearance of Max.
  • First appearance of Badger.
  • First appearance of Lonnie.
  • First appearance of Tripp.
  • First appearance of Conrad.
  • First appearance of Francine.
  • First appearance of Eleanor.
  • First (and last) appearance of Mariana García. (Alive)
  • First (and last) appearance of Rufus. (Determinant)
  • First (and last) appearance of Eli.
  • Last appearance of Edith. (Flashback) (Determinant)
  • This episode revealed that Jane became pregnant with Luke's child after "Amid The Ruins". (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 Telltale Series 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[]

  • After discovering the ambulance in the junkyard, Gabriel carries a handgun in his right hand. When Javier kills the walker that attacks him, the gun disappears.
  • 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.
  • During the Wellington flashback, the landscape surrounding Wellington is different than what was seen in the previous season.
    • Additionally during the Wellington flashback, the scavenger seen at the front gate uses the same character model as this New Frontier member, with the group's signature branding just visible on his arm. This makes it appear as though The New Frontier were the ones who attacked Wellington.

Deleted Sequences[]

  • Javier would accidentally shoot Lonnie in throat or ear during the gun struggle at the junkyard. Max would then put him out of his misery. [4]
  • Badger would take up Rufus' role in driving Javier in the truck. Badger also would be wearing sunglasses.
  • Javier and Clementine were supposed to come across a slaughterhouse, as seen in the concept art. It is unknown what the plot of being in the slaughterhouse was aside from the fact that Javier and Clementine were taken hostage and they had to escape while freeing other prisoners along the way and causing a riot.
    • Max was also going to die at the slaughterhouse. Unused texture, sound and animation files as well as an AMA on The Walking Dead Subreddit by Alyssa Finlay confirm this. As Clementine and Javier are escaping the slaughterhouse, they go through a turnstile with Max in pursuit of them, the turnstile would then get jammed and Max would be pulled down by a walker and devoured, Javier is given the choice of either mercy killing Max, or leaving him to be eaten alive.
    • The in game design of the slaughterhouse was later used for the factory in "Above The Law", you can see the cells in the game if you pay attention. [5]
  • Prescott was different to how it appears in the final version:
    • Prescott would have walkers hanging from the towers. Tripp claims they are people who wronged Prescott and were executed via hanging.
    • Francine would at some point betray the group in an unknown summary.
    • After accidentally killing Eli, Tripp would threaten Clementine and Javier with hanging.
  • Mariana was going to be shot in the throat rather then the head. She would then appear as a walker later on and Javier would be forced to put her down.

Transcript[]

Main article: Ties That Bind - Part 1/Transcript

References[]

  1. Decision Details - New Zealand Classification Data Base (October 21, 2016)
  2. Interview with Kevin Bruner - Video Game Awards 2016 (December 1, 2016)
  3. @telltalegames - Twitter (November 22, 2016)
  4. [1]
  5. [2]

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