Thoughts on Mass Effect 2 Companions Pt. 2
February 2, 2010My Mass Effect 2 journey continues. Three more companion quests down means three more satisfied teammates and a slightly more loyal crew than before! Shepard can sleep a little bit easier now.
Jack
If Shepard was the head of a dysfunctional family, Jack would be the rebellious and out-of-control teenage daughter, the type you see ending up in Teenager Boot Camp on the Maury Povich show. Sometimes I just want to grab her by the shoulders, give her a good shake, and tell her to grow the hell up. I’m not a fan of badass for the sake of being badass (see my thoughts on Zaeed), and I was somewhat disappointed that Jack’s character seemed to be heading dangerously close in that direction. It’s hard for me to like “psychotic” type characters because there’s often no rhyme or rhythm to their motivations and thus no room for them to grow. More often than not, they either a) remain static, or b) end up doing a 180 on their personalities when shown “the error of their evil ways” and I’m not sure either of those options are particularly desirable when it comes to what I want to see for Jack.
Tali’Zorah
For the first time, I’m starting to understand the intrigue that all my male friends seem to have for this character and I don’t mean in the I’m-wondering-what-kind-of-sexed-up-wildcat-she-is-under-that-suit kind of way, though I admit there’s something very irresistible about the mystery. Tali has the advantage of being in the first Mass Effect, so we know more about her than many of the others. Like Garrus, she’s changed a bit, no longer the young Quarian on her pilgrimage now, but an older woman taking on more responsibilities for her people. I really like the way her character has evolved, though she remains the fiercely loyal companion I had come to know and love from the first game. Her personal quest literally had me holding back tears at some points, and it’s amazing how a character whose face you don’t ever get to see can manage to make a connection like that.
Samara
Though it might not seem like it on the surface, Samara is really quite a badass–the kind of badass I do like: poignant, yet not overdone. I’m still ambivalent towards her character, however. Like Shepard’s other recruits, Samara has her own personal demons to deal with, plus she hasn’t exactly had the most pleasant life (just once, I’d like to see a happy and well-adjusted companion on the Normandy) so maybe I’ve just become desensitized to all that. Like I said, ambivalent. I could have done with or without her in the game or on my team. Since there are no spoilers here, I guess I’ll just say that it could have been worse.
MMO Gamer Chick 
Jack definitely doesn’t do a 180, but I won’t say anything more for fear of spoiling it. Playing as a guy, and talking with her.. you find a lot more about why she’s.. defunct. Her partings are possibly the best of any, as she tends to give you the ‘eff off, thanks though’ farewells, and they’re a hoot. I’m still afraid to pursue a relationship with her, though. Yeoman Chambers gives you good advice on how to approach her though.. likely because people always failed it.
Tali… I love her. She’s so awesome, and while the ‘crazy-sex-maniac-in-a-suit-so-you-can’t-touch’ is definitely there, there’s so much more to her character. As you say, especially this time around. She’s changed, but she’s still a comfortable friend in the end.
Samara… well.. I went the dark road there =D Still not sure you can do anything with her for romance. It would be.. amusing.
Yeah, reading your comment made me realize that there’s probably so much more to Jack that I’ll not see simply because I’m playing a femShepard and won’t get a chance to romance her. If I ever do a second playthrough, I’ll be playing as a male.
Yeah, Tali! Another reason she’s cool – she’s an engineer. A truly noble profession.
Also, I’m curious – there was speculation that Subject Zero (Jack?) was the daughter who was the main character of one of the Mass Effect books, the one involving Cerberus. Do you know if that’s true? I had a thought that there was a slight chance Miranda was actually that character (she would have had to have had autism when she was younger, iirc).
Hmm, I actually don’t know anything about that. It’s interesting you brought up the Mass Effect books though, because I’ve been thinking about reading them.
By the way, my husband would give you props for the engineer comment…he’s one too 😀 Engineers rock!