Cockeyed Optimist

[troublewillfindme]

Let’s not mince words here. Central’s spent the better part of the twenty year interlude between EU/EW and XCOM 2 in a not great place. Tygan notes he’s developed a ‘fondness for distilled spirits’ and Central himself makes reference to reaching out to “that hustler who runs the Black Market for help in restocking the bar.”

And, honestly, who could blame the man? The organization he’s so clearly dedicated to lies in ruin, along with many of his friends and colleagues. The Commander, the person in whom he puts a tremendous amount of trust and to whom he shows extreme loyalty, is MIA. The aliens have not only taken over, but in doing so, they’ve managed to smear XCOM’s efforts to repel the invasion in the first place. So, it doesn’t feel great to be him. It’s no wonder there’s such a change from the Bradford of EU/EW to the man we meet in XCOM 2; he’s still recognizable, but life has taken its toll.

There are two quotes that stand out to me as I start my second WOTC playthrough. Taken in juxtaposition, they offer an interesting portrait:

Central: I can see the appeal of the ADVENT therapy clinic. Few minutes under the knife and you’ve got a clean bill of health. Too bad you need a chip to get in.

It’s a randomly triggered dialogue on board the Avenger, and I was really surprised the first time I heard it. To put it mildly, long term heavy drinking has consequences. Serious consequences. Central’s not talking about a fountain of youth; he’s talking about a basic clean bill, which, while I do not think this is what Firaxis intended, could open the doors to some questions about just how well Bradford’s holding up. Especially given how wistful he sounds.

The second quote comes from a debate Central and Tygan have, another randomly triggered event. I wasn’t fast enough to transcribe it all, but this gist is ‘what can the Resistance offer those in the City Centers?’ Tygan highlights gene therapy as ADVENT’s trump card (pardon the phrase, my American friends), and Central counters with this:

Central: You’re wrong, Doctor. We can offer them freedom. They just have to endure the pains of being human.

Of course, we have Central’s steadfast devotion to his ideals (which is good, because we Commanders would still be in the tank without him) and a belief that those ideals can stand up to some serious temptation. He’s willing to stick by them --- and he’s willing to believe that, given the chance, other people will stick by them too, even when doing so isn’t easy.

It’s a nice piece of writing, a great ‘show, don’t tell’ moment about Central and his ultimate faith in people. For as much as he has been battered and bruised (and he has!), as much as he has had his hopes dashed and heart broken (the vilification of XCOM, false leads on the Commander, lost friends), and as much as he still has to put up with(man, some of JULIAN’s comments during Last Gift are COLD), he is still willing to get up, to put down the bottle, to keep up the fight.

Chip away at the veneer, and you find EU/EW’s Boy Scout there, still intact. Just a little worse for the wear.