Two Rock's Most Wanted: Journey Alone or With Vanessa in As Dusk Falls (Paradise Found)
SPOILER WARNING: The following focuses on a discussion between Jay and Vanessa as they determine their future near the end of Chapter 5: Paradise Found.
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Game: As Dusk Falls
Chapter: Paradise Found (Chapter 5)
Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Summary: After a sequence of events escalate from robbing the county sheriff to a dramatic stand-off at the Desert Dream Motel, Jay Holt stands at a crossroads once again. But this time the quiet-boy-from-Two-Rock isn't alone: Newfound friend Vanessa Dorland has joined his side, prepared for a life on the run as they evade federal authorities. Estranged by his adoptive family, Jay takes comfort in her presence - but his conscience is put to the test as he questions whether to help the 16 year-old leave her troubled family past behind or give her the chance to reclaim her old life.
More information: As Dusk Falls Chapter 5 - Paradise Found | The Gamer
Note: This analysis covers a general overview of the dilemma and may not account for every detail.*
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Part Ways with Vanessa
A chaotic strand of fate has brought Jay and Vanessa of Two Rock County, Arizona together in nothing short of a miracle. Ditching their identities in the hopes of crossing the Canadian border is just the beginning for the intrepid runaways, but it's not without its caveats. "It's too dangerous," Jay insists as the teens seek refuge at a hidden campsite. "I can't face seeing you get hurt."
This isn't just about life off the grid, he reasons. It's about the necessity to survive the wild and cover their tracks, a perpetual "hunter vs. hunted" scenario that often ends with tragic repercussions. And despite how committed Vanessa might be to the cause, Jay is clear-headed enough to know this falls far beyond her realm of experience.
Life outside the law demands higher stakes than reckless rebellion, although Vanessa's discontent with family life treads deeper than teenage angst: Losing her mother to cancer and the subsequent drug abuse and death of her brother Matthew reveal a family that has struggled to cope in the aftermath of grief. "I haven't had a life in Two Rock since the day my brother died," Vanessa laments during their heart-to-heart, blaming the Dorlands' demise on their controlling father.
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Left: Two Rock's most wanted. Main: On the run in Salt Lake City.
Screen capture & edit: FetchQuester
Yet just like Vanessa, Jason Dorland himself is broken - and he's desperate for his daughter to return home. There is a strong sense of reckoning in his actions as Vanessa's disappearance becomes the catalyst for his emotional turn-around, triggering his resolve to overcome personal failings by learning to show love through acts of caring vs. enforcing control.** Despite everything they have endured, the Dorlands are not beyond repair - and Vanessa deserves the chance to foster a healthy relationship with her father just as she deserves to lead a normal life and cultivate her own sense of purpose in the years ahead. But this won't happen while colluding with a fugitive and the FBI on their trail.
Vanessa's grim outlook on the world is not finite and she has yet to fully embrace the transformative experience from childhood to adulthood. Though loathe to admit it, she needs people to thrive; it's simply a matter of finding the right people who can support her as she realizes her full potential.
Jay understands this in a critical moment of self-reflection: He never had a choice in how his die was cast, but Vanessa does. Letting go is the kindest (and most righteous) course of action, in turn freeing him to welcome a solitary existence where he can "fish, hike, [and] live in the forest" - a livelihood he knows and loves well and one in which he can preserve the memory of Vanessa without misgivings from his conscience. It's time to move on before their companionship becomes tainted by missed opportunities and resentment and walk their separate paths alone.
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City lights: Is Vanessa prepared to lead a life away from civilization?
Screen capture & edit: FetchQuester
Venture Together
When Jay "meets" Vanessa as he recovers in the Dorland family home after a near-fatal car crash, the would-be-park-ranger's affinity for nature quickly becomes apparent. Bonding over their disdain for high school as outcasts, Jay explains his reason for dropping out - and it's not for lack of learning. "[I] prefer the outdoors," Jay can reply, later divulging the famed origin story of Teddy Roosevelt's National Park Service with marked passion during their impromptu study session. For him, nature carries a more meaningful resonance than camping in the woods on weekends: It embodies those rare moments of peace salvaged away from a strained family environment where Jay can simply become himself within the landscape; he is a modern-day transcendentalist at heart.
His enthusiasm rubs off on Vanessa whose adaptability and willingness to eke out a fresh existence make her an ideal companion for the road. "This is my chance to become someone new," she declares, expressing her desire to flee to Canada. "I wish my Mom had done this - spread her wings before she couldn't anymore."
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Glacier National Park. Screen capture & edit: FetchQuester
There is merit to Vanessa's motive as she weighs the gravity of her decision against retracing her steps back to the misery of Two Rock; there is simply no other option. But are the backwoods of Canada the answer to their problems?
People have been "living off the land" for thousands of years; urbanized societies are only a recent phenomenon, and individuals and communities are resurrecting their ancestral knowledge and rejecting hypercapitalism in radical acts of returning to nature in sustainable, compassionate ways. But it's not for everyone.
The player is faced with a vital question: What if the "new" Vanessa finds herself isolated, entirely dependent on Jay for her physical and mental wellbeing? A legitimate concern, but Jay is not of the same ilk as mother Sharon whose Machiavellian schemes secured the Holt's downfall. He is a born nurturer, equipped with an attuned skillset he can impart onto Vanessa which will allow them to not only survive in the wilderness but thrive among the many challenges it presents; to return her to an abusive household seems a cruel act by comparison, especially when Jay has broken the cycle of his own dysfunctional family.
And perhaps this is what truly unifies them: Their mutual sense of unconditional empathy and trust. While the details of their circumstances vary, the two friends/lovers share a vital commonality - a fraught relationship with grief, trauma, injustice, and being forced into circumstances beyond their control. Yet rather than succumb to harbouring anger at the world, they choose faith in making their own by finding validation and acceptance in each other. After all, forging a home can be one of most empowering and liberating acts we can strive for: "Family isn't the people you were born with," says Vanessa. "Maybe it's the people you choose."
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Spoilers affecting choice:
There are several outcomes that can occur from this point onwards. If Vanessa agrees to leave Jay she reacts hurtfully, but accepts the decision and agrees to make peace with her father with a little encouragement from Meema. Years later, she enjoys a successful career in TV production.
Jay's solitary path can vary. He may be imprisoned, executed, exonerated, or commit suicide. If he reaches Canada, he leads a peaceful life and can remain in hiding or turn himself in.
If Jay and Vanessa push forward together, they risk arrest and Vanessa is placed in juvenile detention. Life in Canada yields a kinder fate: They spend a few happy years until Vanessa grows restless and returns to her former life. Despite a shade of sadness Jay is thankful for the brief yet fulfilling time they had and continues to live in the wilderness.
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*I played Jay as a selfless character with a pacifist approach.
**During a showdown in Glacier National Park, Dorland admits his shortcomings and promises to change (this can be seen as a sincere attempt at reconciliation or a tactic to lure in Vanessa).
- Lucy A.
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Sources:
As Dusk Falls (INTERIOR/NIGHT/Xbox Game Studios); fandom.com; thegamer.com; imdb.com
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