Thank you SO much for all the love and engagement on this video 🙇‍♂️💛
You can check out the entire retrospective, with full review videos of each Life is Strange game here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZxXYzGSN_hdH2ooB1SPWK_LBkIQ-XlTX&si=MCl8VqQsv1KTnbZT

I think Max ghosting Chloe was an extension of her anxiety. Max is always doubting herself, and Chloe was dealing with the death of her father. Max probably got too into her head about saying the wrong thing, convinced herself it would be the end of the world if she did, so she'd rather not try at all than mess it up. Then it just went on for so long that it was too late and it would be awkward to reach out, because what if Chloe hates her now?

Max has this weird Superpower of being able to just rip Polaroid pictures apart, like it's nothing.
They aren't Paper, it's plastic and chemicals.

Dear Kyle,

the ONLY place I can be MYSELFIE is in this comment section.

I always interpreted Max winning the everyday heroes contest because the picture is of her being out of focus while surrounded by pictures of other people which are in focus. The point being that she is surrounded by everyday heroes because everyone is a hero.

A thing I always appreciated was how the first game treated Mark Jefferson and grooming.  When I first played the game I was like 10-11 and I thought Mr Jefferson was a super cool and nice teacher, and I was totally blind sided by him being a creep.  But looking back on his dialogue with Max, it’s pretty clear that he’s grooming her.  He’s constantly praising her, but in this sort of aggressive and domineering way—she never feels “safe” or confident around him because he’s constantly negging or pushing her.  But because he’s so nice to her, she feels like she owes him to submit something for the Everyday Heroes.  She admires him so much, but admits that she always gets nervous around him.  I don’t think that’s just because she admires him, it’s because he’s purposefully being aggressive and pushy to make her meek and agreeable.
It’s a strange dynamic for a teacher and student to have, and I don’t think it’s necessarily predatory.  I was also a quiet kid who had teachers who would push me to talk more, and be sort of mean in how they did so.  But the heavy praise he constantly lauds her with now makes me feel so uncomfortable.

I think adults or older players recognize how creepy he is a lot quicker—when I watch letsplays everyone immediately clocks Mr Jefferson as being sort of weird.  And that’s a good thing I think.  Predators are usually good at hiding—especially to younger people.  And the game does a good job of showing how he’s able to manipulate and earn Max’s trust by earning the player’s trust.

Oh hell yeah I'm gonna get all my errands done listening to this today

My read on why Max never reached out is because she has anxiety.

Moving to Seattle, starting a new school, and leaving your best friend right after her father died must’ve been confusing for Max to navigate at 13 years old.

I don’t think she knew what to say to Chloe and the longer she put off reaching out, the more anxious she got about it. And then she becomes anxious about how long it’s been that she hasn’t reached out. It’s a vicious cycle, one that I know well.

Max’s anxiety is also shown all throughout the game with the doubt she expresses after almost every decision she makes.

Max’s file that you see when you break into Wells office also shows a transfer slip or something that at the verrrry bottom mentions that Max has an IEP. An IEP or Individualized Education Program outlines things like accommodations, support needs, or a special education plan. These are given to disabled students. The slip is cut off before ever specifying what accommodations Max needs or why, but I would guess she has diagnosed anxiety or adhd-inattentive type.

Given all this, it makes perfect sense to me why Max never reached out

Minor thing to comment on for now, but I think Wells having a drinking problem is more just meant to be another example of how Blackwell Academy seems like something prestigious and welcoming and safe, but actually has a lot of awfulness going on underneath. And how by a larger extension that is true for a lot of other elements of the game. Like Jefferson. Like the Prescotts, who are "pillars of the community" and fund Blackwell. Or even Arcadia Bay itself, which looks peaceful and even idyllic from the outside but is full of really bad things and is slowly dying the way small towns do. Just my thoughts. 🤷‍♀

This game definitely got a boost for being queer in 2015, when politics around being queer were way different. It had some “lesbians in my video game??” detractors but overall the reaction, I think, was positive. It’s sort of a funny time capsule now. The ending was very controversial, not for its queerness, but bc of the choice at the end.

2:15:10 one of the biggest hidden detail that was, shockingly, found lately is the animation of Kate walking around on the roof; as Max is sitting by her desk and the lecture begins

I really admire the way you've weaved in clips from other creators when you might otherwise repeat points that have already been made. Secondary Sources ftw. <3

Rachel definitely had this eerie aura about her in OG LIS. Before the Storm just made her very boring and flat. I also liked the whole mystery; we never truly knew her. For me, they are two different character.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this retrospective deep dive you've done on LIS. No matter what fucked up shit I am dealing with these days, I find myself coming back here for comfort. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this, I know it must be worth it on its own, but just know, it's appreciated by the viewers <3

Something that keeps happening: Max in her mind keeps addressing various inanimate objects like a cup of coffee, the avian totem, Nathan's phone (and there's more) as if they are living beings who can understand her. I doubt it means anything, but it's hard to not notice.

34:21 I have the “this action will have consequences” sound set as my alarm in the morning lol

You’re meaning to tell me there was a different way to save Chloe from the railroad track?? I never knew this! That’s awesome

Something on the Stella theory I think mark gained access to max’s journal from her camera bag she constantly has on her

2:46:07 the parodied inner dialogue after making the choice not to kiss chloe about being a poser is sending me

Isn’t it wild that none of the cut content for the longer LIS version has EVER leaked or been revealed? I would bet money it was already written and 100% finished on paper because everything the writers did was so deliberate from the start. I’m sure there is an NDA from when the franchise was sold, but it is simply amazing in this day and age after all this time has passed. I really wish we got those 8.

“I would HATE to die to a song like this” Oh my god. You can even make me laugh in THAT scene. Don’t ever change.