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Life is Strange: Forget Me Not #4 concludes this miniseries with an alternative universe twist on the characters from Life is Strange: True Colors. The finale is more intimate, as much of the plot was resolved in the previous issue. But do these low-stakes endings achieve the effect that Zoe Thorogood and Claudia Leonardi intended for the short series?
A Guide To Understanding Feelings
One of the intriguing themes explored throughout the miniseries, and highlighted with Alex in Life is Strange: Forget Me Not #4, is the concept of dwelling in one’s own emotions. Lily’s powers allowed her to erase people’s memories, and with them, their feelings. This was previously contrasted with Alex’s ability to perceive and manipulate emotions.
Currently, at the end of their journeys, they reflect on each other again: Lily is a young child who has endured the heartache and turmoil of others without fully understanding her own feelings; similarly, Alex has long used her powers to help others, much like Lily did in her innocent naivete. However, Alex has never truly allowed herself to sit with her own emotions, only those of others.
Now, Lily and her mother must confront their own memories. The relationship with Lily’s father is as complex as young love often is, marked by good intentions yet also inadvertently harmful. Meanwhile, Alex, without a mission, must come to terms with the need to feel her own emotions rather than those of everyone around her. For those who feel a deep connection to this franchise, as it often mirrors personal experiences, this moment resonates profoundly.
The world is complicated, and when it’s difficult to find personal happiness, the instinct is often to focus on making others happy instead. However, much like the advice given by flight attendants, “you must first help yourself before helping others.” This contradiction in the human experience highlights a crucial step in the healing process. To truly help others, we must first recognize and allow ourselves to fully experience our own emotions. Only by understanding who we are can we effectively confront and manage those feelings.
Cultivating A Sense Of Self
Addressing our emotions as described earlier reveals another theme central to Life is Strange: Forget Me Not #4: the definition of home and the memories tied to it. Once you have recognized and fully experienced your feelings to gain a sense of self, the next step is to identify where you feel safest and what memories originally shaped those emotions.
As the song Alex and Steph sing goes,
“I don’t wanna forget you. But for my own good, I need to.”
1Life is Strange: Forget Me Not #4. Titan Comics. 2024.
We cannot fix others, but we can work on fixing ourselves, and that often involves the painful process of letting go. Just as Lily’s actions of erasing memories helped and hurt those around her, sometimes forgetting is necessary to find our sense of home or a place where we feel safe.
But unlike what Lily did out of kindness in a child-like way, this isn’t forceful but gradual. Once you have identified who you are, what your feelings are, and what caused them, you can begin the process of becoming whole.
After going through that process, you can finally discover your sense of home. For Lily, this means reuniting with her mother, the person she initially ran away from, who struggled to understand the powers her daughter had developed. For Alex, home is found with her family, and though that family may evolve over time, as long as she is surrounded by those she feels comfortable with, she can always find a place to call home.
Life Is Strange: Forget Me Not #4 Wraps Up An Introspective Miniseries
Life is Strange: Forget Me Not #4 serves as a poignant epilogue to the story. With most of the key plot points already resolved, this issue focuses on the characters as they reflect and come to terms with their experiences.
More importantly, it reminds the audience that, beyond the supernatural elements, this franchise is ultimately about self-discovery — a reflection we should all take to heart.
References
- 1Life is Strange: Forget Me Not #4. Titan Comics. 2024.