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Life is Strange: Partners in Time #4 brings the first story arc, entitled “Tracks,” of this second volume to a close. And boy does it pack a punch; this issue gets incredibly emotional, yet brutally honest, and ends on a reveal that I speculated about last issue. This might be the strongest arc the entire series has had, including the first volume.
Chloe’s Brutal Honesty
So that big cliffhanger from last issue is resolved, but not exactly the way you would expect. Yes, Max did successfully keep the High Seas band alive, ensuring no one got hit by the storm’s falling tree. But it’s a Catch 22 situation as things can never go exactly as planned for Max. Tristan had crossed over to her universe, but by rewinding time, she sent him right back to the universe that has Chloe. The risk that Tristan took was for naught, as Max took the power out of his hands in an incredibly reckless action.
And that is the real kicker in Life is Strange: Partners in Time #4. Max didn’t think it through; she acted on instinct and high emotion, there was no clear head or rationale behind it. She may have saved lives; she can’t be sure because the High Seas band could have been a bit hurt but still very much alive after the crash. She never once took the time to check and assess the damage, which is a bit ironic considering her powers over time. She lost her chance to communicate with her Chloe via Tristan as a universe hopping middleman. And this one reckless action is going to have severe consequences with the trio’s relationship in this universe.
No matter how much Max loves Chloe from her universe, she is still with a Chloe, just not her Chloe. But that’s the thing, she has been with this Chloe and Rachel for years at this point. They matter to her just as much as her Chloe. Yes, her relationship with them is a bit different, this Chloe isn’t her lover, for instance, but their lives still matter not just to her but to the universe at large. So, Chloe rightfully gets brutally honest with Max. She states that Max acted recklessly, played God with hers and others’ lives, without a second thought. Additionally, Chloe points out the absurd notion that Max seems to weigh the original Chloe as more important than the Chloe sitting right in front of her.
When Max suggests just reversing time again to prevent her past self from making the mistake just to talk to Tristan to check on the status of Chloe. Rightfully, Chloe, the one standing right in front of her, gets angry. She has a life too, and it matters just as much as her namesake, and Max taking parts of her life out of her hands, eliminating her choice via time travel, is a violation of her trust and her consent. Brilliant stuff by Emma Vieceli and Claudia Leonardi, the writing and the art combine to make a magnificent and emotionally honest scene that stayed with me for a long time after reading.
The Mystery Of Pixie
So, let’s get into the implications of the ending for a second here. Pixie has some sort of power or wider cosmic connection to the multiverse. She can see Tristan even when his powers make himself invisible to everyone else, and she was able to predict or possibly see the event that led to the crash of the High Seas band in the other universe that Max prevented from happening. That is some multi-layered vision, being able to see through not only the multiverse but also through another universe’s alternate timeline that was changed via a power.
Naturally, this brings the question to mind: what exactly is Pixie? There are many theories that are bouncing in my head, and I think that is a strength of Life is Strange: Partners in Time #4. This is the ending of an arc, but it leaves us wanting more with great character work as mentioned above and the mystery building around Pixie. Is she a seer of some kind? A fellow powered person like Max and Tristan? A fragment of the multiverse made manifest, maybe the Transect itself? Only the creative team can answer these questions, but boy, does it keep my head spinning. These past two issues have just had really excellent cliffhangers.
Life is Strange: Partners in Time #4 Is Truly A Beautiful Conclusion To This Arc
So, yeah, I loved this Life is Strange: Partners in Time #4. I really, really love this series, and I think the second volume so far just has been top tier, with the potential to overshadow the already great first volume. Seriously, if you are not reading this series, go pick it up; you will not regret it at all.