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To celebrate #DaysGoneWeek I& #39;m posting a list or two of my thoughts and opinions – they& #39;re just opinions, everyone can feel free to disagree! There be SPOILERS here, so don& #39;t read until you& #39;ve beaten the game. Let& #39;s go!
My TOP 10 DEACON “choices.” Not necessarily the best or most dramatic scenes, but key moments where Deacon makes important choices that advance his story. In order of importance (SPOILERS!):
#10 He and Boozer hold Jessie, as Jack, the MC prez, burns the tats off Jessie’s back. Details on this pre-game event are scarce, but we see the aftermath: Jessie – his mind scarred worse than his body – transforms into Carlos, the leader of the Rippers.
#9 His foolhardy plan to get a bike part puts Boozer in harm’s way, and harm comes, as it always does on the broken road, forcing Deacon to spend ACT I keeping his brother alive while trying to survive on his own, as we ask – what happened to Sarah?
#8 He trusts Skizzo. Deacon knows better, he has never been fooled by Skizzo, but Deacon lets his guard down – a pitfall of going “soft.” This leads not just to Deacon’s betrayal to the Rippers, but to Iron Mike’s murder and that fateful meeting on Wizard Island as well.
#7 He brings Boozer to Lost Lake. By saving Boozer’s life, and later helping Boozer find a reason to live, Deacon finds himself: Rikki, Addy, and Iron Mike represent hope, each revealing a different aspect of Deacon& #39;s journey. And without Mike, Deacon never finds Sarah.
#6 He lets O’Brian live. After tracking the NERO agent down, O’Brian’s passionate defense reminds Deacon: this is how compassionate humanity looks. This encounter sets up ACT II: Deacon will risk all to find his wife.
#5 He offers Sarah a ride. You don’t *need* two people for a love story, but it helps. Every flashback – meet cute, dating, going NOMAD, proposal, wedding – is about an important choice Deacon makes, showing us how much Sarah means to him, and by proxy, us.
#4 He chooses to stay. We react to Deacon and Sarah’s reunion at the start of ACT III the way Deacon does: WTF??! It’s a shock, not that she’s alive, but that she doesn’t fall into his arms and ride away. Deacon had to be tested: did he love this woman enough to stay?
#3 He accepts her. Sarah reveals she is partly responsible for killing the world and Deacon loves her anyway. The look on his face when she kills Jim the Security Guard says it all: he doesn’t know who she is anymore, but he still loves her, and nothing will ever change that.
#2 He offers to help her. Sarah’s trying to cure the Newts, not kill them. Her serum has failed. Deacon tells her about the night he lost her, how he gave up. But without hope, there is no future. This is the turning point for Sarah. She now trusts Deacon again, completely.
#1 He puts Sarah on the chopper and stays with Boozer. It’s the catalyst for all that follows. For the story to work, Deacon has to CHOOSE this. Sometimes, we’re sure we’re doing the right thing, to disastrous results. Hard choice: What would you do?
Honorable mentions:
He takes Lisa to the work camp, tells Tucker to “go easy.” Tucker: “Don’t get soft on me Deek!” But it’s too late. Lisa’s strength reminds him of Sarah. Finding Sarah is really re-finding his own soul. In a way, Lisa is Deacon’s mirror on that journey.
He takes Lisa to the work camp, tells Tucker to “go easy.” Tucker: “Don’t get soft on me Deek!” But it’s too late. Lisa’s strength reminds him of Sarah. Finding Sarah is really re-finding his own soul. In a way, Lisa is Deacon’s mirror on that journey.
He shoots the crazed man. In the extended prologue, Deacon is forced to kill for the first time. It was important to reveal this later, to show *why* he stayed with Boozer – things were bad but are going to get worse.
He kills Taylor. And the Ripper victim left hanging with broken legs in Iron Butte. It& #39;s a messed up world where compassion is measured not in lives saved but in death.
He blows up the dam. Eliminating the Ripper threat. Iron Mike& #39;s response was not wrong. Was Deacon& #39;s response personal? "F**k yeah, it& #39;s personal." Did it make Lost Lake safer? Yes. But at what cost?
Those are my top Deacon decision moments in the game. Did I miss any?
