Yeah her romance(or pseudo-romance) felt very real across the two games because of that. You dont get to completely shatter centuries of strict adherance to a code just because your the main character.
@@pikmonwolf Except a role-playing game is supposed to give us escapism. If we wanted rejection, we would simply return to reality. We want escapism. 😎
What's funny is the game itself doesn't compare Morinth to a succubus, but instead a Vampire. The ship she left Illium on was called the "Demeter", named after the ship that brought Dracula to England in the original Bram Stoker story. Just a fun little detail I appreciate.
Another apt comparison for sure, but I definitely think that Succubus is more fitting. They likely leaned into the Vampirism comparison because it's 'classier' lol
6:52 You overlooked this moment. The foe says go to hell, and Samara only briefly pauses, her eye flick up, she blinks, then they flick back down and she killed the foe without hesitation. She consulted the code to ensure she was in compliance. That is very subtle and I am glad they took the extra time to animate that in game.
My problem with this scene is the Eclipse merc's actions are completely stupid and make no sense, except simply to demonstrate Samara's badassery. Why doesn't she just cough up the info? Because Morinth will "hurt" her? As opposed to the Justicar with the boot on her neck? Makes no sense.
Samara is an example of what I like to call Paragade. Someone who actively helps innocent people and tries to do the right thing... but is absolutely ruthless when needed. It's the way I always tend to play.
Exactly the reason I'm not really that fond of her. Her philosophy is far too ruthless for anyone seeking to protect and I've never been keen on religious zealots (which is how i see the justicars). I do like her character development in 3 though.
I've always thought Samara is very underrated. I love her character. In the world where female characters in fiction are often underwhelming and poorly written, she's the gem. She has interesting and tragic story about motherhood and duty. She's cold, stoic and loyal to her code, but also she also has empathy, deep understanding of people around her. She's clearly hurt from her "failure" in the role of mother. She truly wanted a happy and fulfilling life with her family, but she couldn't get it, and this changed her. My favorite moment with Samara is when we meet the mother of the last Morinth's victim on Omega. When Samara saw her tears for a lost daughter, she probably remembered her own grief. She knows what it's feels like to lost a daughter, to lost a future where you can see her achievements and successes. But the reason why this woman's daughter is dead is Samara's daughter. And Samara couldn't tell her that. It's heartbreaking and tragic. Also, her ending in ME3 is beautifully written, but sad. I really think people overlook her, maybe cause you can't romance her. But her character don't need romance to shine.
I believe you can romance Samara in Mass effect 2, and I think this can be continued in me3 (Although there are only a few interactions with her). It's worth noting that almost all of the female mass effect characters are, at least in my opinion, just as compelling as Samara. Tali, Liara, Jack, EDI (if that counts), Eve, and of course Aria -- they are all amazing characters. Samara probably has the most presence and gravitas out of all of them... actually maybe Aria has more I'm not sure lol
Being able to romance Samara would be throwing a wrench in her character arc imo. Take it in a real life scenario. Someone whose daughter is a killer and blames her/him for the every kill that daughter does, would look weird fucking other people.
I love Samara, she's not my favorite character, hard to be alongside Tali, but her conversations on the Normandy are great and flesh her out nicely. Plus it just feels like she makes sense. In my experience most old characters in videogames act much younger than expected, but her character feels mature. and any naivety on her part makes sense as well when you consider her detachment due to the justicar code.
I agree, she definitely feels like an older woman without leaning too hard into "oh ho ho I'm so old." Looking at you Wynne, you geriatric 40 year old lol.
Thank you for this great video! I adore Samara - she’s my runner-up favorite character behind Garrus. Her refusal to break the Code is one of many reasons she’s so compelling and strong as a character. The trope of forsaking ones vows is pretty overused, especially in RPGs (usually for the sake/behest of the protagonist) so having Samara staunchly refuse to do so was so refreshing. Her cleverness around navigating the Code was a fantastic character trait too! You hit the nail on the head when describing her as “following the letter of the Code, not the spirit”. I almost wish we had encountered other justiciars for comparisons sake, but Samara stands so well on her own that it’s more a “wouldn’t that be cool” wish than a necessity.
She's old. Which makes her a good fit to a cast of characters who are mainly young and still finding their way in life. Along with Wrex and Zaeed, Samara has seen everything, and provides sagely advice that only comes from experience.
Glad you made an entire video about Samara. I often have the feeling that she is overlooked due to being a ME2 exclusive squadmate and another Asari, so overshadowed by Liara. I really like Samara and she has been one of my favorites in each ME2 playthrough
These character analysis videos are legitimately very good. i have played through the series 8 times and i learned things i have never thought of before.
@@pikmonwolf She tells you about the role her order plays in Asari society. Many people would consider helping her. Also, she could easily find an abandoned skycar from any number of civilians killed by the Reapers. But the point about FTL capabilities is valid, since there seems to be no Asari colony besides the Monastery on the planet - if there was, she could have trecked on a civilian ship and taken a cab from there to the Monastery. Another alternative could be that there is a small spaceport a few miles from the Monastery, to isolate the population further.
I always felt that for someone as fleshed out and developed as Samara, she's pretty underutilized. A near millennium old asari who's well read in cultures outside of her own lends itself to really interesting developments if she was more involved with your other squadmates. Imagine how much dialouge she'd have if she was in your roster in Mass Effect 3.
She definitely would have been a good fit for a returning character, it would make sense for her to throw herself into the reaper invasion. But the structure of Mass Effect 2 necessitated that most of the squad mates would be for that one game only
To add onto your point about Samara using the code to distance herself from Morinth, during the confrontation, she doesn’t even let her call her “mother”, but right after she kills her, she calls her “the bravest and smartest of my daughters”
@@pikmonwolfIt is, but it's clear Samara still loved Mornith despite everything. She expresses grief, sorrow, regret, and even a sense of pride for her daughter's rebellious nature. She never stopped being Mom, even as Mornith's actions forced her to have to kill her. She needs to dehumanize the moment, because if she doesn't, she'd likely spare her.
I love her character so much and you did her justice so well and even made it deeper than I realized. I’m a mom and feel her tie between her duty and her daughters. I agree that she is under appreciated too. I also agree about the armor. It changing it was one of the first mods to got when I finally got a PC to play Mass effect on. I love her citadel dlc appearance. It’s one of my favorite of all the companions. Her voice actress is good at keeping that justicar voice but adding a bit of humor that just feels so real. It’s easy to describe her as deadpan but she really isn’t. There’s so much depth to her tone and I love when it softens a bit when she’s telling a joke or a story and it’s when you know you’re seeing her. It’s subtle but easy to see. I don’t know if that makes sense but I love her so much.
She's stoic, but she is a person acting stoic. Not some unfeeling golem made of stone. It's a fine line that they walk perfectly where she feels like a person who is trying not to be one.
Always such a nice surprise to be able to jump back into the deep rabbit holes of mass effect and consider angles i hadn't considered in either of my two complete playthroughs. Thanks for continuing to make these videos, they're great.
I feel like Samara is only unappreciated because of two reasons: 1. ME2 is already chock full of amazing characters 2. You can't romance her. But yeah, she's great. In my first playthrough I absolutely tried to pursue a romance with her and she broke my heart. Something about her voice just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Honestly I appreciated her more since her story doesnt culminate in trying to bang you. I was playing a maleshep who survived akuze as an adult and was a colonist so his family was killed off, and when talking to jack I accidentally triggered a "must bang now" flag. It's why I personally dislike how romance tends to be handled in games, let there just be something else for people who actually play their character and not just click heads
Easy solution to the sky car problem: we know Samara is willing to find loopholes in the Code and we know from EDI's scene with Shepard in the Citadel dlc that you can rent them. She hasn't purchased it so it's not technically a full-time possession, like she can take a day in custody before shooting her way out.
@@pikmonwolf I could easily see an Asari car dealer being the same combination of respectful and terrified that the detective on Ilium was and giving it to her to help with her mission but I acknowledge that's a stretch.
It's nice that you're a youtuber who makes videos without unnecessary stuff, so I can prioritize them over almost anything else on my feed while I turn up here once in a while. Good job!
You know, as someone who enjoys erotic designs, and thinks that the anxiety about them in gaming is unnecessarily conservative and anti-sex, I was initially going to dismiss your critique of Samara's outfit. Thinking about it now though, I believe I partially agree. It's ironic that Samara is running around with an exposed bust, while her sex-murderer daughter is the one donning a full-body suit. You'd think it'd be the other way around to emphasize the contrast in attitude between the two visually.
Yeah, it's definitely an odd wardrobe choice. And I think erotic designs are good if they 1. Make sense for the character and setting 2. Actually look appealing and aren't just gooner bait When one of those isn't true, they feel very silly.
A humble hypothesis: Samara’s more exposed outfit suggests she has less to hide and is more open about her motives. Morinth intentionally closes herself off to draw prey in.
"conservative" Nah fren, it's the Progressives who are crying about erotic designs. (While also trying very hard to sex up their ugly designs) Samara being pretty and yet romantically reserved is a very conservative thing.
I think morinth is the perfect character for what she is. She is the rebellious self serving serial killer. She is characterized perfectly and gets her just desserts no matter what. She either gets killed by her mother or turned into a banshee. I never ever pick her because as a companion she is shallow but thats perfect for her character. Anyone who thinks morinth is a shallow character and hates her because of it is only showing the writers wrote her perfectly.
"It hammers home that Samara's daughter is the bad guy...duh" Awesome. Now i won't get this song out of my head for a week. Again. If i wasn't already subscribed, i would now
The name of ship Samara needs you to find is Demeter, and there are two allusions one could read from that: one, as the mother of Persephone, the nymph goddess whom was taken by Hades and became the dread queen of the underworld; and two, as the name of the ship on which Dracula traveled to England (in addition to being a succubus, Morinth is equally a vampire).
@@pikmonwolf I mean you can use the bond thing without sex. like that one Asari commando in ME1. She uses seduction because it's easy and lets her get her "fix" quicker. I'd bet it also feeds her ego. It's canon that the feeling she gets from the mind meld is that it not only empowers her but is also addictive. So she's a vampire/succubus/crack fiend that will stab someone in a back ally to steal their wallets.
Samara is among those characters that seemed "okay" to me, but weren't in my top favourites when I first played the game (which was during my teenage years). However, she gradually grew on me later in life. Great analysis, great video. Positive takes on characters are so, so rare, and this one is wonderfully done. Kudos
The concept of Ardat-Yakshi is pretty solid. It does absolutely make sense that a race that uses psychic sexual powers would have a succubus type character. But in my opinion, the Justicars don't really feel like they fit in with what we know about Asari culture. This isn't necessarily a problem - but it does pose a certain obstacle: If we want to show this new angle of the Asari, we should offer enough worldbuilding to have it feel organic. They did do a half-hearted job of this, having an Asari say she once fantasized about becoming one, but we never see any other dimensions to Asari culture that feel similar to Justicars. As it is, it feels like Samara is the only one, and so she feels out of place. In Mass Effect 1, when they introduce the spectres, we get to see two of them, and then we get to become one. But we only meet one Justicar. I realize how subjective all this is, but yeah, that's how it feels to me.
I think that's a fair point. Pretty much everything we see about Justicars surrounds this one character, the only other one we even know of is mentioned in a document in the monastery.
Heck, just for the sake of throwing out ideas: What if Spectre Vasir had been introduced as an ex-Justicar? Have her set up as the example of what happens when a Justicar starts down the path of "I'll bend the Code, just this one time. For the greater good, of course..." and it led to her ending up working for the Shadow Broker. She started out good, then went to the bad. Maybe outline that journey through the Broker files which you can look through, or even have that be a known thing about her in a Codex file. Alternatively (or in addition), if the Asari have this cultural artifact of "Suppress your emotions and desires in service of a Code," maybe have Liara bring up that comparison when ressurrected-Shep first meets her again? "Shepard, I'd love to drop everything and go with you again... but I've sworn myself to a duty to bring down the Shadow Broker, and I can no more turn away from that than a Justicar could abandon her Code." Then the player/Shep can ask down a conversation tree of "What's a Justicar?" and we learn through that way.
It felt right to me. In a society composed of open-minded democracies, the Justicars are the "In Case Of Emergency, Break Glass" nuclear option; completely merciless and inflexible, to ensure order only if diplomacy has totally failed. Meeting only one Justicar, and only because you sought them out, sells the fact that they are, in fact, rare. Meeting a couple Spectres (of which Anderson says there may be less than 100) made enough sense cuz they were essentially your coworkers. If you coincidentally met several Justicars for no reason, it would make the universe feel small, because most of the trillions of people in the galaxy go their entire lives without ever seeing a Spectre or Justicar once.
I have always loved Samara. In terms of new ME2 characters her and Miranda were basically tied for my second favorite (we all know who #1 is lol). I found your analysis spot on and you shined a light on why Morinth works for Samara’s character that I never thought about before. To dig in on your Justicar Code vs Qun segment, I think the largest part of why the Code works for a protagonist character is that it’s a personal choice to follow. An asari makes the decision to surrender their life to the code. It’s well known to be an absurdly difficult way to live so if they choose it, they have a good reason. The Qun by contrast is something forced onto the masses and is touted as the “best” way one can live their life. The Code was made to make individuals paragons of their society while the Qun was make to force conformity and uniformity onto what its creators perceived as a dangerously chaotic population.
Wow that video made me appreciate samara in totally new light! About the Morinth’s line about being the genetic destiny of the asari -I think a dropped plot of ME3 was that the reapers converted the other two daughters of samara into birthing factories. But they went with the less gruesome option and retconned the amount of ardat-yakshi.
If you kill Samara, Morinth grants you the potential to add the *Dominate* skill to your powers. It's similar to the misnamed "hacking" you can use as an Engineer, but it works on organic enemies instead of mechs and geth. You still have to Add a Power in the Lab, and probably redistribute your talent points, but if you choose Morinth once, your subsequent playthroughs also get the option. I have only chosen to end Samara once, and it was so I could have that ability, as it is *invaluable.* As soon as you Dominate an enemy, all the other enemies start shooting at 'em, usually before the one who has been Dominated can shoot at them. But it can take the heat off your squad long enough to tip the scales in your favour.
Oh yeah it's a great ability, doesn't make any sense that Shepherd can do it but it's a lot of fun. You don't even need to actually pick Morinth in a full playthough. Just save your game after unlocking it and you can load an earlier file on that same character, pick Samara, and still get dominate.
I adore Samara ❤ in a game series with so many mechanics based around morality, she provides an interesting and honest (if flawed) view on the concept of morality. In order to make sense of the injustices she’s faced, she chose to make a vow to a code which she trusts and never once falters from. Despite knowing that the universe is more complex, she chooses to accept that this code is how she can best move through her life
I always love companions like her and Sten in DAO that will just...tell the main character "no" about stuff sometimes and are VERY steadfast in their moral codes. I've always loved Morinth and I'm glad your video gave her a spotlight!
Whenever I think about the 4 ME2 squad-mates I would cut to integrate the rest of the characters better into the main story, I always choose Jacob (Obviously), Zheed, Grunt and, reluctantly, Samara. Initially, I found her to be a decent replacement for Liara, even though writing my love interest out of the second game’s story infuriates me to this day. But you are right. Samara is underrated and her Loyalty mission is very unique.
One thing I don't agree with is that the three Ardat-Yakshi is a retcon. When Samara said that their were three Ardat-yakshi in existence, she never said that there were ONLY three in existence. She only personally claimed responsibility for three. She has stated that after the mission, she would resume her duties as a Justicar, which may include hunting other Ardat-Yakshi that exist. To me, that signals that she is well aware of the fact that her daughters are not the only ones.
“I have three daughters, and I know of three Ardat-Yakshi. It is as it sounds.” Pretty sure that’s the line. I agree with you, but I can see how one could think otherwise.
Great video! It's really nice to see Samara get some proper attention and in-depth analysis. One thing, though. This will either be me being a pedantic ass, or pointing out a save against "dammit retcons". Hopefully the latter. I haven't played Mass Effect for a few years now, so apologies if I'm wrong, but I don't remember Samara ever saying there were "only" three Ardat-Yakshi. She does say there are three, she has three daughters, it's how it sounds. I personally think she's just being direct about a confession, but wording it a little oddly. Like... "Yep, there's three for sure, and I have three kids, you know exactly what I'm telling you here" but not bringing anyone else's business into it, you know? I COULD say she maybe didn't know about others at that time, but that doesn't really make sense. Awkwardly wording this "confession of responsibility for the problem" is more... normal? Anyway, not sharing to be all "uhm ackshually" just.. hoping that this will help patch one plot hole/retcon that might not actually be one, or might not have to be one. And it all comes down to whether or not she ever SPECIFICALLY said "only" when counting Ardat-Yakshi. Love Samara, though, great character, and the worst armor. Also, love the detail about her view of Thane. Was too busy ugly-crying to think about it during my own playthrough. Samara really does deserve more appreciation.
You make a good point, but nah I looked through the dialogue. She's pretty explicitly saying only three exist, she even says there may be more out there that she doesn't know of. Which we know isn't true because she knows of the monastery.
@@pikmonwolf Oh! Well dang, fair enough. I must just be overdue for another playthrough, it looks like. Honestly don't remember her ever VERY SPECIFICALLY saying "only" three, so I've always been able to handwave the wrong info. Buuuut, wrong's wrong, so I'll have to go to assuming she just wasn't waving anyone else's business around. (Cause I don't wanna assume Samara's just plain wrong in there)
Great video. On Morinth I still feel they could have done more to make her a more interesting character, while still leaving her an irredeemable monster. People like villains but morinth just doesn't do anything interesting or have any interesting conversations. She feels as though every loyalty mission needed a paragon renegade choice and so we got betray samara for no real reason and recruit morinth, without giving morinth enough screentime to make it feel like a decision with any upside. I like that morinth will try to kill you and sleep with you, but thats really it. She has no depth, which is fine, but then also has no flair which makes her a real nothing character
Samara rocked my world. She was absolutely fantastic and mysterious. Incredibly confident in her abilities and she looks amazing. I really, really like her
I've always felt that Samara's self-sacrifice for her last living daughter was a more satisfying end for her arc than interrupting so she could live. To me it represented her realization that her life as a Justicar had reached its conclusion, as continuing on in adherence to The Code would no longer be in service of the justice she sought. Yes, it's touching that her daughter finds a solution in the same way that Samara's swearing of an oath to Shepherd allowed her a workaround to help in ME2, but it undercuts the power of Samara's choice to not allow The Code to dictate that she kill her daughter. What we learn about Samara & Morinth is that the "crime" that Samara condemns Morinth for isn't the lives she takes. Samara and her adherence to The Code leaves PLENTY of room for innocent lives to be lost (case in point, the police department in her recruitment mission). It's lamentable for innocents to die, but it's not a primary motivator. No, what makes Morinth the most dangerous fugitive in the galaxy is that she represents a danger to the Asari race (for political reasons, explicitly from Samara's mouth), and that she was not willing to make the sacrifice of giving up the life she lead for the good of society. Falere & Rila made that sacrifice, and when Morinth did not, Samara gave up her own life to make that decision for her. As you laid out, Samara had to compartmentalize herself through The Code in order to be able to hunt and kill Morinth. Severing that through abandoning The Code would have placed that blood on her hands, which she could not do. But that's not everything there is to Samara's feelings about Morinth. In conversation back on the Normandy, Samara talks about how she is PROUD of Morinth for not meekly accepting her lot in life, but fighting to be who she is. She knows she must stop her, but she's still unwaveringly proud of someone that she describes in absolutely glowing terms. And those glowing terms aren't for the child she knew before this all went down. Everything great she says is about Morinth NOW. It's about the Morinth that she dedicated 400 years of her life to stopping and killing. And that's what makes her sacrifice so powerful to me. It's honouring her love for Morinth, and holding true to the sacrifices of her past self and of her children. It's honouring Rila's sacrifice moments before. And it's the ultimate gift she can give to Falere, who has proven herself trustworthy on the deepest level. After all, if Samara can so casually accept that Falere will keep to her word of staying in the wreckage of the monastery in the interrupt ending, then she can accept that Falere would be able to live freely in the galaxy without restrictions and supervision, holding to her OWN code in the same way Samara has for centuries. That's the gift that Samara's sacrifice would be. She would die so that her last remaining daughter could LIVE, not just survive. Samara's death would set Falere FREE. In the resolution we get where Samara lives, Falere offers to live alone in the wreckage of her sister's tomb, with nothing to do but mourn and waste away. That's no life, and yet we're supposed to see it as the "best" outcome, and it's one that Samara agrees to without ZERO consideration or objection. It's out of character selfishness from Samara, allowing her heroic daughter to suffer just so she can live out the rest of her days. The only "survival" outcome I can see that would be true to Samara's excellent character would be for her to respond to Falere's offer to stay in the wreckage of the monastery by saying that she will stay WITH her. That would have been a beautiful, touching, and character-consistent send off. The kind of bittersweet ending that Mass Effect 3 generally did very well.
I've always thought of samara as a very "meh" character, and while I still don't really see much reason to take her on missions, your video has made me appreaciate her character, her quests and the overall role she plays in Mass Effect much more, to the point I actually look foward to play her quests and write some fanfic with her. Great work as always, can't wait for the next video in 10 months :D Would love to hear you thoughts on Kasumi and her loyalty mission.
I always look at her as the better Liara, where Liara is the idealized alien waifu who needs to get rescued before joining your crew, Samara starts off by killing someone before making it clear that she'd do the same to you.
I feel like the 'only 3 AY' isn't exactly a retcon, it might just be worded in a strange way, more of a 'I have 3 children and (so) there are 3 (more) AY in existance today' rather than, 'I have 3 children so there are (only) 3 AY in existance today'
Or knowing about the monastery doesn't imply that she knew how many lived there. Probably just a retcon but I think this is a good head canon for the retcon.
She's actually my preferred romance in any given trilogy run. There isn't a lot of content, but it feels like... less is more? That, and I feel that their platonic connection is actually sweet in its own way. The ME modding scene could possibly extend her romance in some ways, but it isn't so bad the way it is.
This video is wonderfully timed. A dive into underappreciated character in - my opinion, admittedly - underappreciated game, of the time when BioWare still were... well, bioware, and not just an empty label.
I kinda do wish they could’ve fleshed Morinth out more in ME3. Maybe she could’ve arrived in time to save Rila but ends up indoctrinated herself or something cause for all the horrors she inflicted she did seem or it would’ve at least been reasonable to write that she cared about her sisters.
I do agree that it would've been cool to see her get some screen time in 3. Having her at the monastery and basically reveling in its destruction would've been interesting.
@@pikmonwolf I agree. like I get the decision to recruit her doesn’t make sense so they wouldn’t put a lot of effort into acknowledging it but she has the same model, & same voice actress as Samara so they could’ve put her at the monastery with just a few extra recording sessions and maybe a couple of different animations. It would’ve been interesting to see the results of making such a twisted decision
Personally, i've always sympathized with Morinth, even though i'll pick Samara zverytime. Her character is very tragic, her species and her mother basically condemn her to a tasteless life because of something out of her control. Of course, she is a dangerous psychopath, but it's hard to blame her for the upbringing and destiny she got assigned. In that regard, she reminds me of both Kratis and Baldur from God of War.
I do agree, and I kind of like that angle in that she was given an immensely unfair lot in life, but that in no way justifies her horrid actions. She essentially 'proves' that the tragic fate forced upon is justified.
@@pikmonwolf Well, yes, but it think it's her upbringing and what was expected of society that ultimately condemn her to a horrific path. You're not born psychopath, you became one, while her actions are not justified and she needed to be put down for good (which is why i'll choose Samara), she's not the sole reason all of this happened, she was basically ask to giveaway her life and free will in order to live, with no valid alternatives. I don't know if it's the case, but to me, what her story wanted to tell is how dogmas and lack of collective care can corrupt an individual to terrifying degrees.
I ADORE Samara. She’s arguably my favorite character in the series. I really really like Morinth and wish she was properly fleshed out. Thanks for this video!
I'm guessing she asked for a car and someone was devout enough that they let her borrow it? Heck, there might be Asari that would stick to helping Justicars even in quite the problematic situation that is reaper invasion.
@@pikmonwolf I believe you were making fun of people who said "just a car". I assume that is a hilarious autocorrect issue ;) I'm gonna push back on this a bit. This is a societal pressure thing. And a self-pressure thing. If we are going that route, philosophically we're not far from "Is any act truly consensual?" question. And looking in from outside perspective is the best, except in true life we would have had MUCH more data to study it. We don't have this in this case, because we lack experiences of whole Asari people across ages. I could write a lot more about this, but it's not that they can't say no, it's that to them it would be... antithetical to them being them to say no. I went first past the door several times. They asked for volunteers and I didn't want anyone else to catch a bullet. Plus it wouldn't be me if I allowed someone less experienced or younger to risk more. No one forced me too, I forced myself. I don't think that I was being forced to "attempt" suicide.
I think another reason why Samara would sooner die than kill Falere is because Falere is innocent. The circumstances that destroyed the monastery aren't her fault. The stories Samara tells Shep in ME2 and 3 establish that Samara will not kill innocents. I also appreciate that once Shep stops Samara, her daughter reasons w/her by "speaking her language" as it were, stating she lives by her own code and could have left the monastery at any time. They may have a strained relationship, but it's clear Samara and Falere love each other dearly.
It's definitely something I hope to do at some point. Though it would likely end up being about the Krogan overall, similar to how the Legion video was about the Geth.
Who doesn't appreciate Samara? She is a great biotic and has a strong moral compass. Sure, she can be a little rigid with the Justicar code, but can be persuaded to see things from another perspective and she acknowlages the error of her ways. And she is damn sexy and has that hypnotic voice.
Honestly I think something that would've been cool with Samara vs Morinth would be that you still have the option to choose between them, but even when Shepard steps in to help Morinth, Samara still overpowers manages to overpower Morinth and kills her, causing Samara to leave the squad and have a few choice words with Shepard. I found the option to choose Morinth to be nothing more than a meme in my play throughs and I feel like this change makes it really show how powerful Samara and Justicars as a whole are, but can also make the player feel like shit for making such a dumb choice.
I see her saying that “there are only three Ardat-Yakshi in existence” as the only ones she cares about are her daughters. The others are of no interest to her as the entire reason she became a Justicar was to hunt Morinth. Her other daughters were content to live in the monastery (and it seemed like she intended to visit them regularly).
I'd say that the dialogue is pretty explicit that she is saying those are the only ones as literally says she does not know if there are others in existence. But I think that's a pretty solid headcanon.
you brought up great points. especially around loyality mission. She probably could have done it by herself but swore an oath to you. Even then on the mission Shepard is following her plan and trusts her enough to believe it will work
Fun memory when I was doing my max difficulty run in Mass Effect 2 I prioritized Samara’s missions to get to the final mission (because I knew the loyalty mission didn’t have combat.) and after I realized I was good enough at combat to do all the missions.
On the topic of how her story goes in ME3, I would much rather they had gone for the Minority Report approach. She's a justicar enforcing justice, but the asari have imprisoned people for something they might do, and not for what they have done. That would be a clear clash with her code as well as her experience with Morinth, and knowing what Ardat-Yakshi are capable of. The clash between her code and her as a mother suddenly sees them both on the same side of things, but that puts her in conflict with society itself as the asari don't want Ardat-Yakshi to be accepted, they want them hidden. I feel like that would have been a far more interesting story than simply claiming her code demanded these asari be imprisoned. As for the outfit, it's just my headcanon that all asari clothing tend to lean towards that style. Given asari have no concept of different sexes, they probably walk around topless and wear clothing that doesn't hide their bodies at all simply because "what's there to hide? We're all the same." It was absolutely a choice by BioWare to sexualize her as well as everyone else, and if there was a character that SHOULDN'T have been sexualized it should have been the literal holy warrior fighting evil throughout the galaxy.
That's an interesting story idea, I dig it. I think the only issue is that both Ardat-Yakshi and Justicars are ancient, and so this clash realistically would've happened millenia ago.
@@pikmonwolf Maybe not. The Ardat-Yakshi being hidden away may simply be a modern thing to hide them from other species. Which, granted, the asari have been galactic for at least 2000 years so that's still millennia. lol Either way, it could just be a case of "enough is enough," and Samara was the first Justicar to actually stand up for them.
I think most Asari in the games, outside of the dancers, dress fairly modestly. It's shown they tend toward long dresses. It's only "story" Asari like Liara, Samara, Aria, and Benezia who buck this trend, likely to make them stand out as characters.
@@jeangentry6656 Asari that interact with other cultures more often would be less likely to dress that way. The immodest dress of sorry culture isn't something most other species are used to, so they simply don't. It would be like a human walking around in a bikini on the Citadel. Outside of certain places that would be weird. But Asari that are used to being in asari space, such as Benezia or Samara, or those who just don't give a shit like Aria? They dress along with the culture. This is all head Cannon though so ignore me. Lol
Samara is a character I really enjoy. Something about hwr dedication to her code and not speaking to much of her past made me want to know more about her. While shes not my favorite, Hard to stand next to tali wrex garrus and mordin, shes always one i enjoy interacting with. I think that can be said for all the me2 sqaud mates aside jack miranda and jacob for me personally atleast. Even when i do a full renegade run. I always hit that paragon interupt to stop her from ending it all. I couldnt save thane legion or mordin but i can prevent her death.
This comment is more about your other videos than this one but I'm surprised to see so many fans hate some things I actually thoroughly enjoy. I spent a lot of time just playing the games in isolation without interacting with any fans so I was oblivious to common consensuses. Specifically, watching peoples' takes on the DLC and Kai Lang is so fascinating. Liie what, people hate Firewalker and Arrival? I'm so surprised, Arrival being a favorite of mine and adoring the Hammerhead's gameplay, level design and overall look (also always loved the Mako, also surprised people don't like that). And I also liked Kai Lang as a reoccurring threat throughout ME3 and the books, I honestly don't really understand the criticism.
@@pikmonwolf First time I went through the trilogy (around late-2017 and early-2018) it was just playing the games back-to-back, I didn't engage with the tie-in media. After I liked the trilogy so much I bought the first 4 books, the film and all the comics and went through them. Summer of 2018 I played Andromeda and afterwards bought the 3 Andromeda books as well. So unfortunately no, I did not read the books in their intended chronological placement alongside the games but afterwards. PS: Nexus Uprising is the best of the 7 books, no idea if that's a hot take lol
She was my favorite character from that series. I loved her whole vibe. I placed her in my party the most due to how _cool_ I thought she was. I recall being surprised that so many other folks thought she was just _ok,_ but then again I did pick Lae'Zel as a romance choice for Baldur's Gate 3. So yeah, she alone made the Asari race interesting to me. Damn, but she was the first character I ever met in a video game that I was completely blown away by. Like head over heels and it wasn't even _lust-based_ based I just adored her design and felt a kind of kinship to her. That and she felt the most sci-fi to me out of all the characters. But yeah, that game really did a number on me. I miss Samara very much.
Fine video, pikmonwolf, thank you so much for a dive into beautiful blue beauty Samommy! On my Paragon run, Samara for me was pretty much a boring paladin archetype squadmate and I got no problems with that. However, on my Renegade run my ass was caught on fire when she threatened Shepard to kill him after Reaper War for his "violation" of asari Code. Bruh. First, Shep took down a lot of asari commando and at least one matriach so chill out. Second, Samara's willingness to bend her Code is exactly the problem. It reminded me of Executor Pallin in ME1. When you talk to him before exposing Saren, Shep and Pallin discuss idea of Spectres - agents above the law. Palin scoffs at the idea of Spectres and despise it, claiming that he never had to broke the law to get the job done during his time in C-Sec. Third, Samara basically can (possibly) fabricate any bullshit, claiming that her Code says so since pretty much no one is able to verify it. She can hate our renegade choices all she wants, but she pretty much does exactly that - results first, rules and morality second. She says that she will kill Detective Anaya on Illium and confirm that assessment of her character. Not that she is doing it without ample reasons, but doing it all the same. She stands on very shaky moral ground of her Code that hardly should be applied to other races. To be honest, Renegade Shepard should be able to 1v1 her in ME3. Also, asari is well aware of their sex appeal and actively use it, so her outfit make some sense.
I mean we know that Samara definitely abides by the writing of the code, if she was willing to fabricate it she wouldn't blow her brains out to save her daughter.
I'd say she chooses rules/morality more than it initially seems. In her intro scene she's demanding information about Mornith, and she tells the merc that if she gives that info up, she will leave. Samara only kills the merc after she refuses to comply. Samara gave the merc a way out- she didn't take it. Also, she obeys the cop on the condition that Shep gets the info she needs. Samara comes off as harsh and cold, but she tries to avoid bloodshed where she can.
@@jeangentry6656 True. I mean analysis of pikmonwolf was pretty accurate and insightful - Samommy is more of a person with feelings than just embodiment her Code. It's just this one moment that I had issue with.
I like that she's one of the very few characters who tell the player, no. For a very good reason as well.
Are there bad reasons to say the player no
Yeah her romance(or pseudo-romance) felt very real across the two games because of that. You dont get to completely shatter centuries of strict adherance to a code just because your the main character.
Indeed, it's always nice when it feels like a character has agency.
@@mrflufflebunny4529 One of the few negative things I can say about the Citadel DLC.
@@pikmonwolf Except a role-playing game is supposed to give us escapism. If we wanted rejection, we would simply return to reality. We want escapism. 😎
What's funny is the game itself doesn't compare Morinth to a succubus, but instead a Vampire. The ship she left Illium on was called the "Demeter", named after the ship that brought Dracula to England in the original Bram Stoker story. Just a fun little detail I appreciate.
Another apt comparison for sure, but I definitely think that Succubus is more fitting. They likely leaned into the Vampirism comparison because it's 'classier' lol
Wait, who thought she was a succubus?
@@kinman3051she's basically a sex demon
6:52
You overlooked this moment. The foe says go to hell, and Samara only briefly pauses, her eye flick up, she blinks, then they flick back down and she killed the foe without hesitation. She consulted the code to ensure she was in compliance. That is very subtle and I am glad they took the extra time to animate that in game.
Ooh, that's a really cool interpretation, I like that!
Well done/noticed.
Mommy be like: Dis bi-
My problem with this scene is the Eclipse merc's actions are completely stupid and make no sense, except simply to demonstrate Samara's badassery. Why doesn't she just cough up the info? Because Morinth will "hurt" her? As opposed to the Justicar with the boot on her neck? Makes no sense.
@@aluthman281 Morinth would have likely induced horror and torture to her through mind control as opposed to the clean death given to her by Samara.
Samara is an example of what I like to call Paragade. Someone who actively helps innocent people and tries to do the right thing... but is absolutely ruthless when needed. It's the way I always tend to play.
Good does not mean gentle lol
She's the perfect example of lawful neutral. She adheres to the code regardless of morality.
Exactly the reason I'm not really that fond of her. Her philosophy is far too ruthless for anyone seeking to protect and I've never been keen on religious zealots (which is how i see the justicars). I do like her character development in 3 though.
Well she is the Asari "just a car."
Puns like that should be against the code
@@pikmonwolf Indeed the should but there not.
Well done. Also, shut up forever. But great work.
@@DerMoerpler Thank you
I've always thought Samara is very underrated. I love her character. In the world where female characters in fiction are often underwhelming and poorly written, she's the gem. She has interesting and tragic story about motherhood and duty. She's cold, stoic and loyal to her code, but also she also has empathy, deep understanding of people around her. She's clearly hurt from her "failure" in the role of mother. She truly wanted a happy and fulfilling life with her family, but she couldn't get it, and this changed her.
My favorite moment with Samara is when we meet the mother of the last Morinth's victim on Omega. When Samara saw her tears for a lost daughter, she probably remembered her own grief. She knows what it's feels like to lost a daughter, to lost a future where you can see her achievements and successes. But the reason why this woman's daughter is dead is Samara's daughter. And Samara couldn't tell her that. It's heartbreaking and tragic. Also, her ending in ME3 is beautifully written, but sad.
I really think people overlook her, maybe cause you can't romance her. But her character don't need romance to shine.
I agree that the meeting with the grieving mom is phenomenally done. It's a really grounded moment in a crazy mission.
I believe you can romance Samara in Mass effect 2, and I think this can be continued in me3 (Although there are only a few interactions with her).
It's worth noting that almost all of the female mass effect characters are, at least in my opinion, just as compelling as Samara. Tali, Liara, Jack, EDI (if that counts), Eve, and of course Aria -- they are all amazing characters. Samara probably has the most presence and gravitas out of all of them... actually maybe Aria has more I'm not sure lol
Being able to romance Samara would be throwing a wrench in her character arc imo.
Take it in a real life scenario. Someone whose daughter is a killer and blames her/him for the every kill that daughter does, would look weird fucking other people.
I was going to drop the "Samara's VA is Billie Eilish's mom" fun fact, but you beat me to it within the video
And then I had to pause to give myself time to laugh when you said Morinth is "the bad guy... duh."
I was proud of that one lol
That caught me so off guard. Almost as much as learning that Aria T'loak is voiced by Carrie Ann Moss.
Samara is depiction of " this is the way" credo, but combined with intelligence, gentleness and decent neckline.
Gentleness? Mercy doesn't exist in her vocabulary. Nor does understanding; that poor Eclipse Sister was caught between a rock and a hard place.
New Mass Effect video from pikmonwolf, I must be dreaming
Are my uploads THAT infrequent lol
@@pikmonwolf 10 months, brother
@pikmonwolf can't say I didn't have a similar thought...
I love Samara, she's not my favorite character, hard to be alongside Tali, but her conversations on the Normandy are great and flesh her out nicely. Plus it just feels like she makes sense. In my experience most old characters in videogames act much younger than expected, but her character feels mature. and any naivety on her part makes sense as well when you consider her detachment due to the justicar code.
I agree, she definitely feels like an older woman without leaning too hard into "oh ho ho I'm so old." Looking at you Wynne, you geriatric 40 year old lol.
@@pikmonwolf she's only 40! what the hell, she looks a lot older in game. i expected at least 60.
Thank you for this great video!
I adore Samara - she’s my runner-up favorite character behind Garrus. Her refusal to break the Code is one of many reasons she’s so compelling and strong as a character. The trope of forsaking ones vows is pretty overused, especially in RPGs (usually for the sake/behest of the protagonist) so having Samara staunchly refuse to do so was so refreshing. Her cleverness around navigating the Code was a fantastic character trait too! You hit the nail on the head when describing her as “following the letter of the Code, not the spirit”.
I almost wish we had encountered other justiciars for comparisons sake, but Samara stands so well on her own that it’s more a “wouldn’t that be cool” wish than a necessity.
I agree that she works totally fine even being the only justicar, though it would have been cool to see at least one more.
Samara appreciation post? I am all here for it
I live to please
SAMOMMY
Mommy sorry, I mean mommy sorry, I mean mommy, mommy I'm sorry
Damm you I wanted to write that
Trump wants to know her location
@GatoSanDad The entire "Samommy" thing is much much older than "3 presidents play".
@@GatoSanDad I feel like her code would demand she get rid of him
I was not expecting you to come back, but hell, I loved your analysis, especially Legion.
I've never left, I'm a one man team and editing is hard 😭
@@pikmonwolf Still missed you dawg
Sa mommy i mean mommy i mean mommy damnit i mean mommy
She's old. Which makes her a good fit to a cast of characters who are mainly young and still finding their way in life. Along with Wrex and Zaeed, Samara has seen everything, and provides sagely advice that only comes from experience.
Agreed, she adds a lot to the group
Glad you made an entire video about Samara. I often have the feeling that she is overlooked due to being a ME2 exclusive squadmate and another Asari, so overshadowed by Liara.
I really like Samara and she has been one of my favorites in each ME2 playthrough
That's a good point that Liara definitely steals her lunch a bit
These character analysis videos are legitimately very good. i have played through the series 8 times and i learned things i have never thought of before.
Thank you, that's what I aim for! I try to emphasize things I don't see discussed.
she could have rented the car. Or borrowed it. Or "borrowed" for the greater good.
She has no money lol. I think it was "commandeered"
@@pikmonwolf She tells you about the role her order plays in Asari society. Many people would consider helping her. Also, she could easily find an abandoned skycar from any number of civilians killed by the Reapers. But the point about FTL capabilities is valid, since there seems to be no Asari colony besides the Monastery on the planet - if there was, she could have trecked on a civilian ship and taken a cab from there to the Monastery. Another alternative could be that there is a small spaceport a few miles from the Monastery, to isolate the population further.
I always felt that for someone as fleshed out and developed as Samara, she's pretty underutilized. A near millennium old asari who's well read in cultures outside of her own lends itself to really interesting developments if she was more involved with your other squadmates. Imagine how much dialouge she'd have if she was in your roster in Mass Effect 3.
She definitely would have been a good fit for a returning character, it would make sense for her to throw herself into the reaper invasion. But the structure of Mass Effect 2 necessitated that most of the squad mates would be for that one game only
To add onto your point about Samara using the code to distance herself from Morinth, during the confrontation, she doesn’t even let her call her “mother”, but right after she kills her, she calls her “the bravest and smartest of my daughters”
Indeed. "You are a disease to be purged, nothing more" is such a visceral thing to say to your own child.
@@pikmonwolfIt is, but it's clear Samara still loved Mornith despite everything. She expresses grief, sorrow, regret, and even a sense of pride for her daughter's rebellious nature. She never stopped being Mom, even as Mornith's actions forced her to have to kill her. She needs to dehumanize the moment, because if she doesn't, she'd likely spare her.
I love her character so much and you did her justice so well and even made it deeper than I realized. I’m a mom and feel her tie between her duty and her daughters. I agree that she is under appreciated too.
I also agree about the armor. It changing it was one of the first mods to got when I finally got a PC to play Mass effect on.
I love her citadel dlc appearance. It’s one of my favorite of all the companions. Her voice actress is good at keeping that justicar voice but adding a bit of humor that just feels so real. It’s easy to describe her as deadpan but she really isn’t. There’s so much depth to her tone and I love when it softens a bit when she’s telling a joke or a story and it’s when you know you’re seeing her. It’s subtle but easy to see. I don’t know if that makes sense but I love her so much.
Also morinth mind controlled me to subscribing. What’s up with that
She's stoic, but she is a person acting stoic. Not some unfeeling golem made of stone. It's a fine line that they walk perfectly where she feels like a person who is trying not to be one.
Always such a nice surprise to be able to jump back into the deep rabbit holes of mass effect and consider angles i hadn't considered in either of my two complete playthroughs.
Thanks for continuing to make these videos, they're great.
Hey I appreciate that, glad you liked it!
I need her so bad tbh
"Let's make more serial killers, baby."
@@pikmonwolf "C'mon babe, our kids won't be purebloods, so they can't become Ardat Yakshis"
Another asari that I'm crazy for, behind aria ofcourse.
"I want a woman who can straight up kill me."
@@pikmonwolf To be fair, any female romance in the game option except Kelly, Samantha and Diana can straight up kill me without breaking a sweat.
@@MeisterRedalStan please dont say sweat
I feel like Samara is only unappreciated because of two reasons:
1. ME2 is already chock full of amazing characters
2. You can't romance her.
But yeah, she's great. In my first playthrough I absolutely tried to pursue a romance with her and she broke my heart. Something about her voice just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Honestly I appreciated her more since her story doesnt culminate in trying to bang you. I was playing a maleshep who survived akuze as an adult and was a colonist so his family was killed off, and when talking to jack I accidentally triggered a "must bang now" flag. It's why I personally dislike how romance tends to be handled in games, let there just be something else for people who actually play their character and not just click heads
Easy solution to the sky car problem: we know Samara is willing to find loopholes in the Code and we know from EDI's scene with Shepard in the Citadel dlc that you can rent them. She hasn't purchased it so it's not technically a full-time possession, like she can take a day in custody before shooting her way out.
But she also has no money lol. Although maybe an Asaei dealer would give her it on principle?
@@pikmonwolf I could easily see an Asari car dealer being the same combination of respectful and terrified that the detective on Ilium was and giving it to her to help with her mission but I acknowledge that's a stretch.
It's nice that you're a youtuber who makes videos without unnecessary stuff, so I can prioritize them over almost anything else on my feed while I turn up here once in a while. Good job!
Yeah I try to avoid filler. It's drab and makes editing take longer :P
Babe, wake up! My favorite Mass Effect youtuber uploaded a new video!
Hell yeah!
You know, as someone who enjoys erotic designs, and thinks that the anxiety about them in gaming is unnecessarily conservative and anti-sex, I was initially going to dismiss your critique of Samara's outfit. Thinking about it now though, I believe I partially agree. It's ironic that Samara is running around with an exposed bust, while her sex-murderer daughter is the one donning a full-body suit. You'd think it'd be the other way around to emphasize the contrast in attitude between the two visually.
Yeah, it's definitely an odd wardrobe choice. And I think erotic designs are good if they
1. Make sense for the character and setting
2. Actually look appealing and aren't just gooner bait
When one of those isn't true, they feel very silly.
A humble hypothesis: Samara’s more exposed outfit suggests she has less to hide and is more open about her motives. Morinth intentionally closes herself off to draw prey in.
@@abcdefghij337 I can buy that
"conservative"
Nah fren, it's the Progressives who are crying about erotic designs. (While also trying very hard to sex up their ugly designs)
Samara being pretty and yet romantically reserved is a very conservative thing.
I think morinth is the perfect character for what she is. She is the rebellious self serving serial killer. She is characterized perfectly and gets her just desserts no matter what. She either gets killed by her mother or turned into a banshee. I never ever pick her because as a companion she is shallow but thats perfect for her character. Anyone who thinks morinth is a shallow character and hates her because of it is only showing the writers wrote her perfectly.
Exactly. She's one note, but that one note is an important part of Samara's symphony
"It hammers home that Samara's daughter is the bad guy...duh" Awesome. Now i won't get this song out of my head for a week. Again. If i wasn't already subscribed, i would now
The name of ship Samara needs you to find is Demeter, and there are two allusions one could read from that: one, as the mother of Persephone, the nymph goddess whom was taken by Hades and became the dread queen of the underworld; and two, as the name of the ship on which Dracula traveled to England (in addition to being a succubus, Morinth is equally a vampire).
Morinth definitely takes a lot of inspiration from vampirism, but since she explicitly kills with sex I feel that "succubus" is much more accurate.
@@pikmonwolf I mean you can use the bond thing without sex. like that one Asari commando in ME1. She uses seduction because it's easy and lets her get her "fix" quicker. I'd bet it also feeds her ego. It's canon that the feeling she gets from the mind meld is that it not only empowers her but is also addictive. So she's a vampire/succubus/crack fiend that will stab someone in a back ally to steal their wallets.
Finally some appreciation for my girl. I’ve had to stand on this hill alone for some time. She is my favourite character
The calvalry is here
Pikmonwolf dropped a new Mass Effect video?
aw yeah, we eatin' good tonight
Supper's here kids
Samara is among those characters that seemed "okay" to me, but weren't in my top favourites when I first played the game (which was during my teenage years). However, she gradually grew on me later in life.
Great analysis, great video. Positive takes on characters are so, so rare, and this one is wonderfully done. Kudos
Yeah, it's a lot easier to be negative because flaws jump out but strengths blend together.
I've always loved Samommy.
Justice for Space Milf!
The concept of Ardat-Yakshi is pretty solid. It does absolutely make sense that a race that uses psychic sexual powers would have a succubus type character. But in my opinion, the Justicars don't really feel like they fit in with what we know about Asari culture. This isn't necessarily a problem - but it does pose a certain obstacle: If we want to show this new angle of the Asari, we should offer enough worldbuilding to have it feel organic.
They did do a half-hearted job of this, having an Asari say she once fantasized about becoming one, but we never see any other dimensions to Asari culture that feel similar to Justicars. As it is, it feels like Samara is the only one, and so she feels out of place. In Mass Effect 1, when they introduce the spectres, we get to see two of them, and then we get to become one. But we only meet one Justicar.
I realize how subjective all this is, but yeah, that's how it feels to me.
I think that's a fair point. Pretty much everything we see about Justicars surrounds this one character, the only other one we even know of is mentioned in a document in the monastery.
Heck, just for the sake of throwing out ideas: What if Spectre Vasir had been introduced as an ex-Justicar? Have her set up as the example of what happens when a Justicar starts down the path of "I'll bend the Code, just this one time. For the greater good, of course..." and it led to her ending up working for the Shadow Broker. She started out good, then went to the bad. Maybe outline that journey through the Broker files which you can look through, or even have that be a known thing about her in a Codex file.
Alternatively (or in addition), if the Asari have this cultural artifact of "Suppress your emotions and desires in service of a Code," maybe have Liara bring up that comparison when ressurrected-Shep first meets her again? "Shepard, I'd love to drop everything and go with you again... but I've sworn myself to a duty to bring down the Shadow Broker, and I can no more turn away from that than a Justicar could abandon her Code." Then the player/Shep can ask down a conversation tree of "What's a Justicar?" and we learn through that way.
It felt right to me. In a society composed of open-minded democracies, the Justicars are the "In Case Of Emergency, Break Glass" nuclear option; completely merciless and inflexible, to ensure order only if diplomacy has totally failed.
Meeting only one Justicar, and only because you sought them out, sells the fact that they are, in fact, rare. Meeting a couple Spectres (of which Anderson says there may be less than 100) made enough sense cuz they were essentially your coworkers. If you coincidentally met several Justicars for no reason, it would make the universe feel small, because most of the trillions of people in the galaxy go their entire lives without ever seeing a Spectre or Justicar once.
@@KeeBladeYou could even say that the Asari used the already existing cultural legacy of the Justicars to create/justify the creation of the Spectres.
@@Tgsva352Justicar (extrajudicial executioner) + STG (political covert operative) = Spectre
I have always loved Samara. In terms of new ME2 characters her and Miranda were basically tied for my second favorite (we all know who #1 is lol). I found your analysis spot on and you shined a light on why Morinth works for Samara’s character that I never thought about before. To dig in on your Justicar Code vs Qun segment, I think the largest part of why the Code works for a protagonist character is that it’s a personal choice to follow. An asari makes the decision to surrender their life to the code. It’s well known to be an absurdly difficult way to live so if they choose it, they have a good reason. The Qun by contrast is something forced onto the masses and is touted as the “best” way one can live their life. The Code was made to make individuals paragons of their society while the Qun was make to force conformity and uniformity onto what its creators perceived as a dangerously chaotic population.
I think that makes sense. That's why the elves and humans who have chosen to follow the Qun are always much more content with it.
Insert office meme: "thank you"
Wow that video made me appreciate samara in totally new light!
About the Morinth’s line about being the genetic destiny of the asari -I think a dropped plot of ME3 was that the reapers converted the other two daughters of samara into birthing factories. But they went with the less gruesome option and retconned the amount of ardat-yakshi.
If you kill Samara, Morinth grants you the potential to add the *Dominate* skill to your powers. It's similar to the misnamed "hacking" you can use as an Engineer, but it works on organic enemies instead of mechs and geth. You still have to Add a Power in the Lab, and probably redistribute your talent points, but if you choose Morinth once, your subsequent playthroughs also get the option. I have only chosen to end Samara once, and it was so I could have that ability, as it is *invaluable.*
As soon as you Dominate an enemy, all the other enemies start shooting at 'em, usually before the one who has been Dominated can shoot at them. But it can take the heat off your squad long enough to tip the scales in your favour.
Oh yeah it's a great ability, doesn't make any sense that Shepherd can do it but it's a lot of fun. You don't even need to actually pick Morinth in a full playthough. Just save your game after unlocking it and you can load an earlier file on that same character, pick Samara, and still get dominate.
@pikmonwolf seriously?! What a glitch.
@@Majin_Koolaid Less a glitch and more just the way the check is done. It's based on the achievement I believe?
I adore Samara ❤ in a game series with so many mechanics based around morality, she provides an interesting and honest (if flawed) view on the concept of morality. In order to make sense of the injustices she’s faced, she chose to make a vow to a code which she trusts and never once falters from. Despite knowing that the universe is more complex, she chooses to accept that this code is how she can best move through her life
Mass Effect 2 had a few characters that really explored morality. Which is ironic because it had the worst Paragon/Renegade system in the series
I always love companions like her and Sten in DAO that will just...tell the main character "no" about stuff sometimes and are VERY steadfast in their moral codes. I've always loved Morinth and I'm glad your video gave her a spotlight!
Agreed, I like when characters have agency
Whenever I think about the 4 ME2 squad-mates I would cut to integrate the rest of the characters better into the main story, I always choose Jacob (Obviously), Zheed, Grunt and, reluctantly, Samara. Initially, I found her to be a decent replacement for Liara, even though writing my love interest out of the second game’s story infuriates me to this day. But you are right. Samara is underrated and her Loyalty mission is very unique.
I would personally cut Thane over Samara, but I certainly wouldn't want to.
you're back!! I literally keep rewatching your videos, ty for the content 🙇
I never left, these videos just take awhile lol. But thank you! I'm glad to provide :)
One thing I don't agree with is that the three Ardat-Yakshi is a retcon. When Samara said that their were three Ardat-yakshi in existence, she never said that there were ONLY three in existence. She only personally claimed responsibility for three. She has stated that after the mission, she would resume her duties as a Justicar, which may include hunting other Ardat-Yakshi that exist. To me, that signals that she is well aware of the fact that her daughters are not the only ones.
“I have three daughters, and I know of three Ardat-Yakshi. It is as it sounds.”
Pretty sure that’s the line. I agree with you, but I can see how one could think otherwise.
Great video! It's really nice to see Samara get some proper attention and in-depth analysis. One thing, though. This will either be me being a pedantic ass, or pointing out a save against "dammit retcons". Hopefully the latter. I haven't played Mass Effect for a few years now, so apologies if I'm wrong, but I don't remember Samara ever saying there were "only" three Ardat-Yakshi. She does say there are three, she has three daughters, it's how it sounds. I personally think she's just being direct about a confession, but wording it a little oddly. Like... "Yep, there's three for sure, and I have three kids, you know exactly what I'm telling you here" but not bringing anyone else's business into it, you know? I COULD say she maybe didn't know about others at that time, but that doesn't really make sense. Awkwardly wording this "confession of responsibility for the problem" is more... normal?
Anyway, not sharing to be all "uhm ackshually" just.. hoping that this will help patch one plot hole/retcon that might not actually be one, or might not have to be one. And it all comes down to whether or not she ever SPECIFICALLY said "only" when counting Ardat-Yakshi.
Love Samara, though, great character, and the worst armor. Also, love the detail about her view of Thane. Was too busy ugly-crying to think about it during my own playthrough. Samara really does deserve more appreciation.
You make a good point, but nah I looked through the dialogue. She's pretty explicitly saying only three exist, she even says there may be more out there that she doesn't know of. Which we know isn't true because she knows of the monastery.
@@pikmonwolf Oh! Well dang, fair enough. I must just be overdue for another playthrough, it looks like. Honestly don't remember her ever VERY SPECIFICALLY saying "only" three, so I've always been able to handwave the wrong info. Buuuut, wrong's wrong, so I'll have to go to assuming she just wasn't waving anyone else's business around. (Cause I don't wanna assume Samara's just plain wrong in there)
Great video. On Morinth I still feel they could have done more to make her a more interesting character, while still leaving her an irredeemable monster. People like villains but morinth just doesn't do anything interesting or have any interesting conversations. She feels as though every loyalty mission needed a paragon renegade choice and so we got betray samara for no real reason and recruit morinth, without giving morinth enough screentime to make it feel like a decision with any upside. I like that morinth will try to kill you and sleep with you, but thats really it. She has no depth, which is fine, but then also has no flair which makes her a real nothing character
I think that's a very valid criticism. I agree that giving her more energy wouldn't have hurt.
You know what both her loyalty and recruitment missions are probably around top five in the game good character.
As I said, her recruitment Mission has a biotic god, how can you top that?
You have some of the best deep dive ME videos out there. Thank you for the time and effort you put into providing this content! ❤️😸
Glad you like it
Samommy
The one that got away 😢
Actually I'm pretty sure her goal was to kill the one that got away :P
YES FUCK SHES LITERALLY MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IM SO EXCITED TO WATCH THIS
Samara rocked my world. She was absolutely fantastic and mysterious. Incredibly confident in her abilities and she looks amazing. I really, really like her
12:03 bless your soul for this cut to
I've always felt that Samara's self-sacrifice for her last living daughter was a more satisfying end for her arc than interrupting so she could live. To me it represented her realization that her life as a Justicar had reached its conclusion, as continuing on in adherence to The Code would no longer be in service of the justice she sought. Yes, it's touching that her daughter finds a solution in the same way that Samara's swearing of an oath to Shepherd allowed her a workaround to help in ME2, but it undercuts the power of Samara's choice to not allow The Code to dictate that she kill her daughter.
What we learn about Samara & Morinth is that the "crime" that Samara condemns Morinth for isn't the lives she takes. Samara and her adherence to The Code leaves PLENTY of room for innocent lives to be lost (case in point, the police department in her recruitment mission). It's lamentable for innocents to die, but it's not a primary motivator. No, what makes Morinth the most dangerous fugitive in the galaxy is that she represents a danger to the Asari race (for political reasons, explicitly from Samara's mouth), and that she was not willing to make the sacrifice of giving up the life she lead for the good of society. Falere & Rila made that sacrifice, and when Morinth did not, Samara gave up her own life to make that decision for her.
As you laid out, Samara had to compartmentalize herself through The Code in order to be able to hunt and kill Morinth. Severing that through abandoning The Code would have placed that blood on her hands, which she could not do. But that's not everything there is to Samara's feelings about Morinth. In conversation back on the Normandy, Samara talks about how she is PROUD of Morinth for not meekly accepting her lot in life, but fighting to be who she is. She knows she must stop her, but she's still unwaveringly proud of someone that she describes in absolutely glowing terms. And those glowing terms aren't for the child she knew before this all went down. Everything great she says is about Morinth NOW. It's about the Morinth that she dedicated 400 years of her life to stopping and killing.
And that's what makes her sacrifice so powerful to me. It's honouring her love for Morinth, and holding true to the sacrifices of her past self and of her children. It's honouring Rila's sacrifice moments before. And it's the ultimate gift she can give to Falere, who has proven herself trustworthy on the deepest level. After all, if Samara can so casually accept that Falere will keep to her word of staying in the wreckage of the monastery in the interrupt ending, then she can accept that Falere would be able to live freely in the galaxy without restrictions and supervision, holding to her OWN code in the same way Samara has for centuries. That's the gift that Samara's sacrifice would be. She would die so that her last remaining daughter could LIVE, not just survive. Samara's death would set Falere FREE.
In the resolution we get where Samara lives, Falere offers to live alone in the wreckage of her sister's tomb, with nothing to do but mourn and waste away. That's no life, and yet we're supposed to see it as the "best" outcome, and it's one that Samara agrees to without ZERO consideration or objection. It's out of character selfishness from Samara, allowing her heroic daughter to suffer just so she can live out the rest of her days.
The only "survival" outcome I can see that would be true to Samara's excellent character would be for her to respond to Falere's offer to stay in the wreckage of the monastery by saying that she will stay WITH her. That would have been a beautiful, touching, and character-consistent send off. The kind of bittersweet ending that Mass Effect 3 generally did very well.
Good write up, but even if Samara dies, Falere still remains at the monastery.
I've always thought of samara as a very "meh" character, and while I still don't really see much reason to take her on missions, your video has made me appreaciate her character, her quests and the overall role she plays in Mass Effect much more, to the point I actually look foward to play her quests and write some fanfic with her.
Great work as always, can't wait for the next video in 10 months :D Would love to hear you thoughts on Kasumi and her loyalty mission.
Thanks, glad to have converted you lol
I always look at her as the better Liara, where Liara is the idealized alien waifu who needs to get rescued before joining your crew, Samara starts off by killing someone before making it clear that she'd do the same to you.
It's definitely a rare sight to see an asari with this much combat experience. She put even the commandos to shame.
@@pikmonwolf Not to mention with such Biotic capability
"Not needing to be rescued" doesn't make a character better. Especially nowadays, where there's a massive dearth of female damsels in distress.
@KopperNeoman It does in my book, but I'm not referring to Mary Sues.
I feel like the 'only 3 AY' isn't exactly a retcon, it might just be worded in a strange way, more of a 'I have 3 children and (so) there are 3 (more) AY in existance today' rather than, 'I have 3 children so there are (only) 3 AY in existance today'
It comes off more as the public isn't made aware of there being more, you're simply told your kids are the only ones.
I get your point, but nah she's pretty explicit in how she says ONLY 3 exist.
Or knowing about the monastery doesn't imply that she knew how many lived there. Probably just a retcon but I think this is a good head canon for the retcon.
She's actually my preferred romance in any given trilogy run. There isn't a lot of content, but it feels like... less is more? That, and I feel that their platonic connection is actually sweet in its own way.
The ME modding scene could possibly extend her romance in some ways, but it isn't so bad the way it is.
I think that makes sense. Since the romance has a rather small presence, particularly in 1 & 2, a pseudo romance kind of fits more.
This video is wonderfully timed. A dive into underappreciated character in - my opinion, admittedly - underappreciated game, of the time when BioWare still were... well, bioware, and not just an empty label.
Yeah it's sad how companies turn over their best employees and end up ship of Theseusing themselves.
Been awesome discovering your channel at the same time I'm revisiting the trilogy. Love your content, keep up the good work!
I kinda do wish they could’ve fleshed Morinth out more in ME3. Maybe she could’ve arrived in time to save Rila but ends up indoctrinated herself or something cause for all the horrors she inflicted she did seem or it would’ve at least been reasonable to write that she cared about her sisters.
I do agree that it would've been cool to see her get some screen time in 3. Having her at the monastery and basically reveling in its destruction would've been interesting.
@@pikmonwolf I agree. like I get the decision to recruit her doesn’t make sense so they wouldn’t put a lot of effort into acknowledging it but she has the same model, & same voice actress as Samara so they could’ve put her at the monastery with just a few extra recording sessions and maybe a couple of different animations.
It would’ve been interesting to see the results of making such a twisted decision
Samara is actually one of my favourite characters in the Mass Effect series.
the king is back
lets fucking goooo! new mass effect video essay from the cool youtuber guy!!
Woot woot!
Really interesting analysis.
Personally, i've always sympathized with Morinth, even though i'll pick Samara zverytime.
Her character is very tragic, her species and her mother basically condemn her to a tasteless life because of something out of her control.
Of course, she is a dangerous psychopath, but it's hard to blame her for the upbringing and destiny she got assigned.
In that regard, she reminds me of both Kratis and Baldur from God of War.
I do agree, and I kind of like that angle in that she was given an immensely unfair lot in life, but that in no way justifies her horrid actions. She essentially 'proves' that the tragic fate forced upon is justified.
@@pikmonwolf
Well, yes, but it think it's her upbringing and what was expected of society that ultimately condemn her to a horrific path.
You're not born psychopath, you became one, while her actions are not justified and she needed to be put down for good (which is why i'll choose Samara), she's not the sole reason all of this happened, she was basically ask to giveaway her life and free will in order to live, with no valid alternatives.
I don't know if it's the case, but to me, what her story wanted to tell is how dogmas and lack of collective care can corrupt an individual to terrifying degrees.
I ADORE Samara. She’s arguably my favorite character in the series. I really really like Morinth and wish she was properly fleshed out. Thanks for this video!
I'm guessing she asked for a car and someone was devout enough that they let her borrow it? Heck, there might be Asari that would stick to helping Justicars even in quite the problematic situation that is reaper invasion.
I mean if adjust a car asks are you really going to say no, at that point it is effectively carjacking somebody lol
@@pikmonwolf I believe you were making fun of people who said "just a car". I assume that is a hilarious autocorrect issue ;)
I'm gonna push back on this a bit. This is a societal pressure thing. And a self-pressure thing. If we are going that route, philosophically we're not far from "Is any act truly consensual?" question. And looking in from outside perspective is the best, except in true life we would have had MUCH more data to study it. We don't have this in this case, because we lack experiences of whole Asari people across ages.
I could write a lot more about this, but it's not that they can't say no, it's that to them it would be... antithetical to them being them to say no. I went first past the door several times. They asked for volunteers and I didn't want anyone else to catch a bullet. Plus it wouldn't be me if I allowed someone less experienced or younger to risk more. No one forced me too, I forced myself. I don't think that I was being forced to "attempt" suicide.
Perfect timing. Just went on my lunch break to watch this.
What's for lunch?
@@pikmonwolf Pizza rolls. 😊
@@Rainbowhawk1993 Ooh nice, pepperoni?
@@pikmonwolf Nah. Regular cheese 🧀
@@Rainbowhawk1993 Oof, a shame. I think the meat adds a nice savoriness in each roll.
I don’t know why but Samara’s loyalty mission is my favorite.
Wow, I didn't even know you could like, pseudo romance Samara. That's kinda neat, though I agree with all your opinions on the matter
Yeah you have to not have locked a romance in by the time you've exhausted her dialogue for the option to appear. So it's easy to miss.
I think another reason why Samara would sooner die than kill Falere is because Falere is innocent. The circumstances that destroyed the monastery aren't her fault. The stories Samara tells Shep in ME2 and 3 establish that Samara will not kill innocents. I also appreciate that once Shep stops Samara, her daughter reasons w/her by "speaking her language" as it were, stating she lives by her own code and could have left the monastery at any time. They may have a strained relationship, but it's clear Samara and Falere love each other dearly.
I agree. Samara clearly cares for mercy more than she lets on.
Please do these for every squadmate. I adore these videos and have already watched them several times
I plan to romance Samara in my next male Shepard playthrough. This is just icing on the cake.
I feel like Samara would’ve gotten more appreciation if her “romance” had a lot more depth.
I don't think it lacks depth, but rather, it isn't satisfying. Romances definutely get more love.
New viewer here, absolutely loving the videos. Nice work.
Thanks!
Love your Mass Effect videos.
Thanks mate!
Would you ever consider doing a video on our favorite Krogan? :D (Well, first favorite Krogan) Wrex! His character growth from 1 to 3 is amazing!
It's definitely something I hope to do at some point. Though it would likely end up being about the Krogan overall, similar to how the Legion video was about the Geth.
Who doesn't appreciate Samara?
She is a great biotic and has a strong moral compass. Sure, she can be a little rigid with the Justicar code, but can be persuaded to see things from another perspective and she acknowlages the error of her ways.
And she is damn sexy and has that hypnotic voice.
As I said, I think everyone likes her, but people tend to just leave it at that and not really dig into all the nuance and depth.
Honestly I think something that would've been cool with Samara vs Morinth would be that you still have the option to choose between them, but even when Shepard steps in to help Morinth, Samara still overpowers manages to overpower Morinth and kills her, causing Samara to leave the squad and have a few choice words with Shepard. I found the option to choose Morinth to be nothing more than a meme in my play throughs and I feel like this change makes it really show how powerful Samara and Justicars as a whole are, but can also make the player feel like shit for making such a dumb choice.
Honestly that would be a pretty funny troll option.
I see her saying that “there are only three Ardat-Yakshi in existence” as the only ones she cares about are her daughters. The others are of no interest to her as the entire reason she became a Justicar was to hunt Morinth. Her other daughters were content to live in the monastery (and it seemed like she intended to visit them regularly).
I'd say that the dialogue is pretty explicit that she is saying those are the only ones as literally says she does not know if there are others in existence. But I think that's a pretty solid headcanon.
samara was always in my top 3 fav squadmates 😭❤ i always get her as early as I'm able to so i can bring her with me on as many missions as i can
It stinks how long you have to wait to get her, Thane, and Tali
you brought up great points. especially around loyality mission. She probably could have done it by herself but swore an oath to you. Even then on the mission Shepard is following her plan and trusts her enough to believe it will work
Fun memory when I was doing my max difficulty run in Mass Effect 2 I prioritized Samara’s missions to get to the final mission (because I knew the loyalty mission didn’t have combat.) and after I realized I was good enough at combat to do all the missions.
On the topic of how her story goes in ME3, I would much rather they had gone for the Minority Report approach. She's a justicar enforcing justice, but the asari have imprisoned people for something they might do, and not for what they have done. That would be a clear clash with her code as well as her experience with Morinth, and knowing what Ardat-Yakshi are capable of. The clash between her code and her as a mother suddenly sees them both on the same side of things, but that puts her in conflict with society itself as the asari don't want Ardat-Yakshi to be accepted, they want them hidden. I feel like that would have been a far more interesting story than simply claiming her code demanded these asari be imprisoned.
As for the outfit, it's just my headcanon that all asari clothing tend to lean towards that style. Given asari have no concept of different sexes, they probably walk around topless and wear clothing that doesn't hide their bodies at all simply because "what's there to hide? We're all the same." It was absolutely a choice by BioWare to sexualize her as well as everyone else, and if there was a character that SHOULDN'T have been sexualized it should have been the literal holy warrior fighting evil throughout the galaxy.
That's an interesting story idea, I dig it. I think the only issue is that both Ardat-Yakshi and Justicars are ancient, and so this clash realistically would've happened millenia ago.
@@pikmonwolf Maybe not. The Ardat-Yakshi being hidden away may simply be a modern thing to hide them from other species. Which, granted, the asari have been galactic for at least 2000 years so that's still millennia. lol
Either way, it could just be a case of "enough is enough," and Samara was the first Justicar to actually stand up for them.
I think most Asari in the games, outside of the dancers, dress fairly modestly. It's shown they tend toward long dresses. It's only "story" Asari like Liara, Samara, Aria, and Benezia who buck this trend, likely to make them stand out as characters.
@@jeangentry6656 Asari that interact with other cultures more often would be less likely to dress that way. The immodest dress of sorry culture isn't something most other species are used to, so they simply don't. It would be like a human walking around in a bikini on the Citadel. Outside of certain places that would be weird.
But Asari that are used to being in asari space, such as Benezia or Samara, or those who just don't give a shit like Aria? They dress along with the culture.
This is all head Cannon though so ignore me. Lol
no, i fully realise how good samommy is and completely appreciate her.
Samara is a character I really enjoy.
Something about hwr dedication to her code and not speaking to much of her past made me want to know more about her.
While shes not my favorite, Hard to stand next to tali wrex garrus and mordin, shes always one i enjoy interacting with. I think that can be said for all the me2 sqaud mates aside jack miranda and jacob for me personally atleast.
Even when i do a full renegade run.
I always hit that paragon interupt to stop her from ending it all. I couldnt save thane legion or mordin but i can prevent her death.
Yeah she's a great character and definitely deserves the happy ending.
She absolutely does.
A video on Strawberry Mommy?!
YIPEE!
I actually like Samara's outfit but then I'm a weirdo perv with a thing for tall dominate women in skintight bodysuits. Step on me Samara-Mommy lol.
Its criminal you make such good content that gets good views but the sub count is low. Hit that button people!
Thanks lol. Hopefully it keeps climbing
This comment is more about your other videos than this one but I'm surprised to see so many fans hate some things I actually thoroughly enjoy. I spent a lot of time just playing the games in isolation without interacting with any fans so I was oblivious to common consensuses. Specifically, watching peoples' takes on the DLC and Kai Lang is so fascinating. Liie what, people hate Firewalker and Arrival? I'm so surprised, Arrival being a favorite of mine and adoring the Hammerhead's gameplay, level design and overall look (also always loved the Mako, also surprised people don't like that). And I also liked Kai Lang as a reoccurring threat throughout ME3 and the books, I honestly don't really understand the criticism.
I'm curious, did you read the books before playing 3?
@@pikmonwolf First time I went through the trilogy (around late-2017 and early-2018) it was just playing the games back-to-back, I didn't engage with the tie-in media. After I liked the trilogy so much I bought the first 4 books, the film and all the comics and went through them. Summer of 2018 I played Andromeda and afterwards bought the 3 Andromeda books as well. So unfortunately no, I did not read the books in their intended chronological placement alongside the games but afterwards.
PS: Nexus Uprising is the best of the 7 books, no idea if that's a hot take lol
She was my favorite character from that series. I loved her whole vibe. I placed her in my party the most due to how _cool_ I thought she was. I recall being surprised that so many other folks thought she was just _ok,_ but then again I did pick Lae'Zel as a romance choice for Baldur's Gate 3. So yeah, she alone made the Asari race interesting to me. Damn, but she was the first character I ever met in a video game that I was completely blown away by. Like head over heels and it wasn't even _lust-based_ based I just adored her design and felt a kind of kinship to her. That and she felt the most sci-fi to me out of all the characters. But yeah, that game really did a number on me.
I miss Samara very much.
Her daughter is the succubus but she's the one who controlled your mind
i love her
I love and hate how much sense her rejection for a romance makes, I WANT HER DAMMIT ;O;
Fine video, pikmonwolf, thank you so much for a dive into beautiful blue beauty Samommy!
On my Paragon run, Samara for me was pretty much a boring paladin archetype squadmate and I got no problems with that. However, on my Renegade run my ass was caught on fire when she threatened Shepard to kill him after Reaper War for his "violation" of asari Code. Bruh.
First, Shep took down a lot of asari commando and at least one matriach so chill out.
Second, Samara's willingness to bend her Code is exactly the problem. It reminded me of Executor Pallin in ME1. When you talk to him before exposing Saren, Shep and Pallin discuss idea of Spectres - agents above the law. Palin scoffs at the idea of Spectres and despise it, claiming that he never had to broke the law to get the job done during his time in C-Sec.
Third, Samara basically can (possibly) fabricate any bullshit, claiming that her Code says so since pretty much no one is able to verify it. She can hate our renegade choices all she wants, but she pretty much does exactly that - results first, rules and morality second. She says that she will kill Detective Anaya on Illium and confirm that assessment of her character. Not that she is doing it without ample reasons, but doing it all the same. She stands on very shaky moral ground of her Code that hardly should be applied to other races.
To be honest, Renegade Shepard should be able to 1v1 her in ME3.
Also, asari is well aware of their sex appeal and actively use it, so her outfit make some sense.
I mean we know that Samara definitely abides by the writing of the code, if she was willing to fabricate it she wouldn't blow her brains out to save her daughter.
I'd say she chooses rules/morality more than it initially seems. In her intro scene she's demanding information about Mornith, and she tells the merc that if she gives that info up, she will leave. Samara only kills the merc after she refuses to comply. Samara gave the merc a way out- she didn't take it. Also, she obeys the cop on the condition that Shep gets the info she needs. Samara comes off as harsh and cold, but she tries to avoid bloodshed where she can.
@@jeangentry6656 True. I mean analysis of pikmonwolf was pretty accurate and insightful - Samommy is more of a person with feelings than just embodiment her Code. It's just this one moment that I had issue with.
Good video.