Thanks so much for watching guys! For anyone interested, I wrote a post-apocalyptic novel, “Caesaria: Book I”. If you like the sound of a Game-of-Thrones-Meets-Fallout-New-Vegas, but in CANADA, this book might be up your alley. 😄 Link: www.amazon.ca/CAESARIA-Book-I-Lydi-Scott/dp/173904200X
Losing Jackie as a corpo is extra tragic since in that lifepath him and V have known each other for years and with him V loses one of the few, maybe the only, genuine human connection they had up until that point.
Corpo V feels like the one that the most appropriate ending is the one where you and Johnny agree to the secret option in Op55N1 and then go with either Tenperance/Sun ending, though Sun feels far more appropriate for a Corpo V thay feels they have no real connections left in the world.
He was annoying at best. Always getting in my LoF causing me to move and expose myself. Always making stupid comments, and generally being a pain in the ass to work with. Just like every other named NPC in this game, I can live with none of them and I'd be happy about it.
Sadly he did. But don't be sad chooms be happy. As of right now we still have 6 months to live and my V REALLY want to keep living. So CDPR please if you make another cyberpunk I'll be waiting to bring hell to NC once more.
This past recent time I played I was like, oh shit his jackets red…his arch…uh oh shit…arasaka colors are red and black…oh shit, there’s a literal bright red fucking carpet leading to the doors to konpeki. Guess bros colorblind.
Something I learned that fucked me up is that you can keep calling Jackie after Act 1, and when you hit certain flags V will update Jackie about how they're doing by leaving voice mails because that's an actual therapy thing for the grieving process.
I always give Jackie’s voicemail a call after V recovers from the Saka heist, and I make it a point to order myself a Jackie Welles from Claire every trip I make to the Afterlife. Rest easy choom, to this 🍻.
If you pick up the belt in cyberpunk you learn that Jackie's dad beat both him and his mum, until Jackie was old enough to fight back, which caused his dad to be hospitalised and his dad never came back after that
@@huuweeei think it must have changed in one if the updates, you used to have to choose one item for the Ofrenda but now you can take them all and choose at the casket instead. The game used to prevent you from scanning the other items once you chose one so it was easy to miss. I think it was a really clever idea to hide so much of Jackie's back story like this because it means players who cared enough about him to investigate will get to learn those details. If you're not invested in the character you'll probably just choose one of the items in the first room but if you're listening properly to Misty she is subtly telling you there's more to find. If the player cares about Jackie, then V is portrayed as a more caring friend and that's really clever writing imo.
"When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you... Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion." Rest in peace to a night city legend. I always chose the book to remember Jackie. Rest easy choom 💙
@@kadewade8726After trying each of them I'm pretty sure the book is the best representation of who Jackie was, but I don't think even V knew that side of him til it was too late. Sometimes I think it's more realistic to choose a different item because the others are more reflective of who Jackie was to V. Sometimes I choose the book because it seems like V is the only one to really understand Jackie from that perspective, except for Misty who might have just kept it to herself if V didn't help her connect to Mamma Welles.
Jackie and Johnny contrast as Johnny replaces Jackie after Act I as V's most constant companion. Jackie wants to be a Night City legend. Johnny is a legend and exposes how hollow that goal is. Jackie is friendly, supportive, forms close emotional bonds, and is motivated by love. Johnny is hostile, dismissive, egotistical and motivated by hate. Jackie is idealistic innocence - comparatively - and Johnny is bitter cynicism. However, the fact that V's positive support can alter Johnny into assuming some of Jackie's positive traits shows that part of why Jackie is Jackie is because of V's emotional support during the time they've been together. Be it six months or with Corpo V, longer. V and Jackie were symbiotic in that they brought the best out of each other. As good friends do.
One of the things I love about the scene with Misty in Jackie's garage, is in how her body language betrays her true feelings when talking to V, in the first room. You first see in her in a near fetal position outside, despondent, withdrawn, grieving. You go inside with her, and she starts expositioning to V about Jackie. But this is the part I loved. When you mention finding the key to his Inner Sanctum, she says "I shouldn't go in there, that was his heart, etc etc." But where is she standing? RIGHT next to the door. Arms folded across her chest, but standing right next to the door. And what happens when V unlocks the door? Before it's even fully swung open Misty pivots on her left shoulder and slides in like an eel into water, SO desperate to see what was in "Jackie's Heart" And what do we find, prominently on display, as a center piece in his sanctum of sanctums? Her Mandala. The thing she taught him. And the pain, and relief, love, and loss in her voice then, is just so amazing to me. When V asks her if she's alright, she says she's more than alright, but doesn't elaborate. But the reality is that the reason she's alright, is that she saw that Jackie had genuinely cared about her. That he wasn't just feeding her bullshit about her mystic hoodoo nonsense so he could get some tasty output. But no, that he genuinely cared for her, and was trying to incorporate what she was teaching him, into his life. And I thought that was such a wonderful bit of storytelling on the part of Misty and how she behaved. Which makes the line Jackie feeds the cop at the lockdown checkpoint in the intro scene, have a totally different context. It sounds like he's just trying to feed the cop a line of bullshit, a pity story about a hardup guy trying to be good to his girl. But in reality, it's all 100% true. That he's trying to be a better man for her, and she's literally waiting for him at home right now, and she will genuinely be worried if he doesn't show up. Jackie was being totally genuine in that moment. I wish they had incorporated Misty more into the narrative, she was voiced so well, and had such an interesting place in the Night City tapestry.
It blows my mind that she and Meredith have the same voice actress! She’s awesome. Ughhhh this comment hit right in the feels, thank you for leaving it. I’m looking forward to making Misty’s video someday
@@lydiscott Yeah she was a really cool character, sadly underutilized though. This was a really good video by the way! Nice dive into everyone's loveable doofus.
MIsty does alot of that. If you visit her during your playthrough, and you can do this at various stages, she can Lay tarot for you, which will have great foreshadowing of your current (main)mission.
If you looked at the belt in his shed, Misty talks about how his dad used to beat he and his mom with that belt until he stood up to him and beat him, driving his father away.
WOW I legit have never found that! Woooow!!!! I found the photo for the first time while recording, but not the belt! Omg thank you for telling me. I had a strong suspicion his dad sucked. Sad to know that’s true.
@@lydiscott I posted this comment when I was very very tired or I would have also mentioned how easily missed the belt is (tbh I still don't know how many items are possible offerings to his shrine) Your video was great and your guess was right on the money; I've seen a few of your videos on Cyberpunk and they've all been great!
It's crazy how well cdpr made these characters likeable in such a short time. By the end of act one I was choked up at Jackie's death and didn't buy anything until I paid vic back..
Jackie obviously didn't know Dex would shoot V or that the chip would resurrect them, he actually trusted V to give his share of the payout to Misty and Mama Welles, that's honestly so heartbreaking considering a lot of mercs would just shrug and take the full payout.
Jackie is a boy in a man's body. I'm replaying the game right now, just finished Act 1. He's a lovable guy, but he's also incredibly naive. You could also say that he's a dreamer. Someone who has seen rock bottom and truly believes he can make it to the top. A deeply human character.
I have a headcanon that Dex always planned for the hiest to be his last. His reputation was destroyed and when his back was to the wall he said he chose the quiet life. My headcanon is he hired V and Jackie because they were the right combination of disposable and competent, he hired bug because she was a hacker, he would need one of those, but he also figured she was probably going to fry and arasaka's systems. His plan was to take out V and Jackie and then take the chip and sell it off as quick as possible, probably hire a ripper to change his appearance, fake his death, maybe take out the ripper to tie up any loose ends, which is why V and Jackie walk into the tower with no facial coverings and no disguises except a suit, so arasaka would have their faces, then he would probably leave the city behind. How the whole things plays out only really works if you believe Dex never intended for Jackie, V, and Bug to live by the end.
To be fair, it would look suspicious if Jackie and V walked into Konpeki Plaza wearing facial coverings, and if everything went according to the stated plan, Arasaka likely wouldn’t have any definitive suspects. It almost worked too, unfortunately, T-bug was not a good enough netrunner to crack the ICE before Saburo arrived, which is something that Dex should have been able to account for, given the high profile nature of the carrier’s visit, lighting off the rest of the plot. If things had moved maybe 10 or 20 minutes faster on our end, we would’ve gone into the hotel, gotten into Yorinobu‘s room, grabbed the chip, and then left out the front door to Del before Saburo arrived. That being said, Dexter was absolutely always going to fuck us over, even if things went well. He wasn’t a good fixer. The reason that T-Bug wasn’t a good enough netrunner is the same reason that the other people working on the job are Jackie and V, two relatively inexperienced mercs. It’s because the three of us don’t really know what a job like this would be worth, even if he didn’t intend to kill us and take the money for himself, the likelihood that any of the other people involved know a fair rate for the job or how much the chip would go for is pretty low, so he could easily pay less than the agreed-upon amount.
Yet barely a day after Takemura found his fat ass and killed him, Dex was always a busta and died begging for his life, he talked the big game of going out in a blaze of glory but when it came down to it he showed how much of a coward he really was.
Biosculpting and cybereyes means we can evade facial recognition, while a halfway decent fixer could have found a fresh target to sell the Relic to. The thing is, the real objective of that night was Saburo Arasaka, and everythjng else was a setup to bait Saburo.
@@trevalyan006 And more than that, a good netrunner, or even a half decent one, could easily erase all evidence of Jackie and V from the digital records of Konpeki Plaza, and expecting the receptionist to remember the faces of every single person who came into a hotel of that size on a given day isn’t reasonable.
Honestly, and probably an unpopular opinion, but the heist was set up damn near perfectly. It was almost the perfect job. The only reason it failed was because the damn Emperor showed up and got flatlined by his own kid. If he had decided to come just a couple of hours later, or if T-Bug had been just about an hour or so faster, they would’ve been in and out with no one the wiser. Now whether or not they could have laid low enough to stay off of Arasaka’s radar is a different story, but the heist itself would’ve gone well.
@@Lenguages-dq3kv well tbh, it, and to an extent, V, WAS doomed no matter what. The people involved, their fates, people's fates who get involved with V later on, and ultimately V's fate no matter what ending you choose is proof. David and V are the same in that they're doomed by Night City to be the brightest stars that burn out the fastest. Even if everything went picture perfect in the heist, SOMETHING would have went wrong Elsewhere. When you gamble with Night City, the house always wins.
The arasaka ending with Jackie becoming a engram must be the most chilling thing ever, especially his last words to V are spooky af, cdpr has so.e incredible writing.
In all honesty no clue. But whoever was "in charge" of writing him. But for one reason or another Jackie will always be in our heart's. Rest easy Jackie you at least made it to the big leagues. @@rawallon
@@rawallonMarcin Blacha was the story director while Tomasz Marchewka was the lead writer , however there are 18 credited writers for the game in who had various roles including the English translators, who deserve major credit for the amazing job they did translating the game from Polish to English
Really good analysis! Jackie couldn't do it on his own, and he knew that. Someone else pointed out that Jackie had been running the streets as a merc for YEARS before V returned, yet had no real name for himself. But V returns to NC and, six months later, they're getting latge jobs? V helped elevate Jackie. He definitely knew he was dead the moment he got shot. Even though he doesn't take another hit, he tells V he can "see how the chips are falling". He's got his head in the clouds, but he also has a keen sense of reality when it comes to merc work. He acts like Superman but knows he's just Jimmy Olsen.
Just one tidbit that is yet another showcase of how much Jackie values V's insights is that if you chose the nomad path you have a dialogue option when you first see Jackie on his motorcycle. Jackie is excited to have this well known motorcycle and loves the sound of it, V points out how everyone will hear him coming and what he can do to fix that, and despite the fact that enjoys that aspect of his bike, he IMMEDIATELY follows V's advice. Prioritizing V's opinion over what he prefers.
One thing I noticed when Jackie is dying, depending on the dialogue option you choose, he calls V "miho" or "miha". When Jackie called V miha, I knew he really loved V as like a sibling/very close family. ❤
1. I wish we got to do a few more small gigs with Jackie 2. As a former English teacher - for whom the bell tolls does have a lot of parallels to Jackie, V, and Misty - the biggest is the struggle for identity, power of love, sacrifice/loyalty, and the struggle with our mortality
The saddest part about Jackie is that they did cut so much stuff from act 1 that you see him twice before the heist in action, three times if you chose the Nomad path and than get this dumpload of sad and death for a character you barely had any chance or reason to bond with. Just a "hey, this character is a good friend of yours, here you have a montage that proves it." Really would loved to have a bit more content (and context) before shit hits the fan.
Jackie's death is probably the only character death that affected me so personally. Out of all the games i've played. none affected me as much as his. Even years later i find myself sometimes saying "See you in the major leagues hermano"
I really enjoy listening to you dissect the characters and environments of Night City. It adds an extra layer of depth and perspective I didn't have prior that makes the game even more engaging during my next playthroughs.
The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man! Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.
preem vid...I have seen people breaking down the lore, world building, story and little details of 2077 but never the characters. You are the first person I come across to do so. Which is sad, because I believe 2077 has some of the most realistically written characters I have ever seen. Would love to see a video on Johnny, Kerry and Judy. Three of my fav characters ever.
Awww genuinely that is sad! I hope more people share their perspectives of the writing in this universe, it’s awesome! Thanks so much for watching. Excited to say Judy is next week’s subject. 😄
Growing up where i did was rough, and i knew a guy a lot like Jackie. He was someone who was involved in some bot so great thins but i saw how he used it to pass out toys, food, and meds to people who needed it. He did his dirt but at his core i think he was a genuinely good person right up until the day he died. Jackie as a character hit so different. Fantastic video, just started a proper playthrough after only olaying a little when the game first came out. Excited for more. 🔥
It's amazing how much forshadowing was in the prologue. You mention the Konpeki Plaza red lights but theres more, the red of Deshauns vest, the red of the Maelstrom logo, even his bike is red, the more you progress through that part of the story, the more red there is around, even the chip was red. All that Jackie that he ignores till his death.
Jackie was a Night City gem. A little dense at times but loyal to a fault. He cared about the people in his life and was willing to do anything to make sure they lived a safe and happy life even if it meant putting himself in harms way at times. Unfortunately people like that are easy targets in places like Night City. Too kind for their own good and easily manipulated. T-Bug probably told Dex this and that's probably why he met with Jackie first. V would have been a little harder to convince and T-Bug would have known that as well. Though loyal like Jackie she was much more cautious than him and in the end would have had doubts and if up to her probably would have said no to the heist. The only reason I feel she went through with it is because Jackie was dead set on doing it. Cautious and doubtful or not she wasn't about to let Jackie walk into a death trap alone. If he was gonna do it and there was any chance she could get both of them out of there alive she was gonna take it. Unfortunately this heist was doomed from the start and so were they. Jackie because of who he is was always fated to die young and V being his best friend was fated to go down with him. That's just the sad reality of Night City. It's designed to eat people like them alive.
one of my favorite moments during the side quest when your searching for something to leave on the ofrenda you have the option to grab the belt that's on his desk & misty tells you that Jackie had enough because his dad would not only beat his mom & him as well until he finally stood up for them & whopped his ass & kept his belt & she said that if Jackie ever saw him again he'd whip out the belt & open another can of whoop ass on his dad that made me smile.
Great video. Only thing I have to say is in Misty states Jackie's father was abusive until one day Jackie beat his father up and threatened to kill him if he did it again. He even went so far as to keep his father's belt to use it to beat him if he returned.
If the video doesnt exist already i'd love to see you cover the VooDoo Boys, people really hate them and it saddens me to see how people hate them even though they're just looking out for their own after losing their only home
To be fair 90% of VDB hate comes from the fact that Placide is an absolute asshole. "This hardware is shit" he says about my legendary++ tier sandevistan. If you say so pal lmao
I don't know why but because I did the corpo v starter, I always viewed v as the little brother of the group considering that arisaka mentally pushed v to his limit while also being physically taxing on him, I imagine that Jackie was Vs last bastion of sanity and when V Lost everything Jackie was able to be the first person to help him out of the pit arisaka threw him in After the time skip with Jackie as his sort of backbone v was able to put his counterintelligence experience to the test and become a moderately successful Merc with Jackie. I think to an extent v believed Jackie was actually bulletproof for some moments hence why he felt like he needed to help Jackie with the plaza heist to prove that he could be a legend with Jackie. But of course just because of V being a noob at the merc profession, V was a particularly fast learner who was able to grasp info with a little bit more nuance including kind of sniff out that Dex was putting on a show. Even getting a sense of Evelyn and what she's been up to. We also see that the corpo mindset hasntv entirely left them . Being able to decipher Meredith's intentions combined with sniffing out a bugged credit card not to mention understand how the corpo game works however I do think there is a little bit of trauma from his arisaka days when he gets mad at the receptionist in the plaza and tells her to not think just do your job which implies that V made that mistake before and paid for it When we lose Jackie to the game it is by far the most emotionally profound moment in V's life He had lost someone who had saved his life who had been his emotional life support through the dark days at the corporation The man that gave him confidence to go out and try his hand at the attempt of being a legend. Jackie was a source of strength for V. And now that V was dying he had to cope with the fact that he needed to fight his battles on his own. V came out of The plaza heist More methodical more skeptical into an extent more desperate
I tell you what when I started the game and he died I thought I messed up and missed some key item. But it's hard written into the game.I legit was debating weather to finish the game or not. I took about 5 hours to explore during the pro log. And my minimal experiences with him made me want to see who he became later on in the game. For the short time I played with that character his death was heavy throughout that whole game. It's the very reason why I chose the nomad ending. So I could pass his story on and potentially have a happy ending with Panam. You know my V's first born was named Jackie. "Enjoy the afterlife Vato."
Jackie is with us for such a short time, nevertheless he is in the background and in our heads throughout the entire story. For such a small role to have such an impact is incredible.
Jackie is a lit like the tragic hero Achilles even down to calling himself invulnerable, deciding that becoming a legend was most important to him and getting himself killed to do it, very Greek tragic hero honestly
The great videos aside, I really appreciate the way the ads are on good beats on the video, never feeling like they're interrupting the video too much.
Yeahhhhh I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed you’d cover Jackie, definitely is a shining personality that keeps things lighthearted and funny, but also struck me as the manifestation of the ‘human heart’ that so many had to hide in Night City. Good analysis!
Wow, great analysis on Jackie, there were a few things I didn’t caught on, like how he tries to present himself better through acting tough and buying the custom bike. As far as Jackie’s father though, when you check Jackie’s garage you can find a belt and Misty mentions how his dad used to beat him and his mom with it, until Jack fought back one day and made him leave, kept the belt, and swore to beat him with it if he ever came back, so we definitely know Mr. Welles senior wasn’t a good man. Lastly, during the Nomad and Streetkid lifepaths we can see that Jackie shows appreciation to those who are like him, as Nomad V mentions they too grew up among people he considered family, and Streetkid V was friends with Pepe and willing to help him out with Kirk’s threats of breaking his legs if he didn’t pay him. These two instances are what makes Jackie think “this guy/gal is alright, I’m giving them a hand”, and also the reason why they became good and close friends (I’m not mentioning Corpo V because they went way back, thus the fact Jackie stuck his neck out for V after Arasaka wanted to kill them).
OMG I NEVER FOUND THAT BELT WHAT?!? this game I swear, I doubt I’ll ever find everything! Omg thank you for telling me, and also, AWESOME point there about the bond between him and V! Thank you so much for watching, and for the comment, I want to go back now and replay his offrenda ahhh
Belt in Jackie’s little shack. Misty mentions it was his Dad’s who used to beat Jackie and Mama wells until one day Jackie fought back and beat his father black and blue and threatened to kill him if he ever laid another finger on him or Mama Wells. He never came back after the beating Jackie gave me.
When you find his father's belt in his garage, Misty tells you Raul used to beat him and his mother. One day, Jackie fought back and got his father hospitalized before leaving entirely. He kept the belt in case his father does come back
We know jackies dad beat both jack and his mom with a belt, until jackie put him in the hospital and told him to delta. After pops got out of the hospital he bounced. Jackie kept the belt in his garage
That scene when you're hiding from the Arasakas in the penthouse was super heartbreaking, if you look over at Jackie holding the briefcase, he looks so terrified and childlike standing there. I'll never forgive CDPR for not letting you give the big guy a hug in that moment
I love your channel, and I’m definitely on the ‘please make a video about Johnny Silverhand’ train. I love his character. The narcissist with true convictions. Even if they were a mask, he was committed to them in the end. At least, for Alt. God, I love this game. The way that fate ties in, how Misty is taken seriously, the way that even seemingly irredeemable men shine silver in the end, and the City that swallows them all.
Only found this channel yesterday and already a huge fan, watched 4 your videos back to back. Really excited to watch more. Keep up the amazing content!
I loved this video, had me in tears as I type this. I love how much you seem to understand the characters in the game. I understand them but only from a certain point of view. You have all of their character so deeply understood. I envy you. Excellent job on this video series. I started with your T bug video and had to come see what you said about the others. I wish we had been given more time with both Jackie and T-bug.
Ngl he kinda reminded me of my father with the emotions, not in the readiness to protect and fight tho, mine's anxious af and probably wouldn't handle conflict well. But the viibe of an adult with teen like emotions who gets into things without significant strategy relates. Sadly tho, until very recent massive failures in life he'd been a lil closer to Jackie's father as well. Only to finally see himself clearly after things hit the fan.
Great Analysis Ms. Scott. Honestly I do wish Jackie had been around more sort to act as a lifeline to V (Since he was so good), someone he could seek out for advice when Silverhand seemed impossible to understand. And heck maybe he, V, and Takamura could have been the Three Musketeers that lead the charge to take down Arasaka. Also I would love to see you cover the members of Section 9 from Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex Anyway thanks for the awesome video and I hope you're having a lovely day!
That would’ve been awesome. Ugh! It’s heartbreaking seeing him in Mikoshi if you don’t send him to his moms. Would always rather storm the tower with him. Poor guy. And ooooh that would be fun to do!!!! I will add it to my list. Thank you so so much! Hope you’re doing well, Echelon!
I think little side content involving the chip holding some semblance of Jackie’s consciousness would’ve been neat. Sort of like a final goodbye to him, or his comments on certain actions after his passing. Maybe he scolds us for being too brutal, or congrats us on doing the right thing.
Just noticed the billboard above Jackie in the Welcome to Night City cutscene says "Focus on winning this fall" Jackie focuses on his post-job plans instead of how to complete the job. Jackie is injured when you jump/fall from the ledge outside Yorinobu's suite.
One thing I would have liked is for another DLC but it tells the story of those 6 months before Act 1, allowing for more scenes and missions with Jackie while also getting to know Jackie, Misty and Vic much more. The length of time you get to spend with Jackie in the game is quite short, so it would have been nice to get a DLC that Jackie heavily involved in. For me, having a DLC like that would be the chef's kiss to this game.
I see Jackie as being a few years older than V...maybe even pushing 30. This very much plays into the 'older brother' vibe we get from him...and it's also the age where men start to realize that if they haven't made it yet, they'd better do something to 'make it' soon. I see the whole game as a meditation...even kind of a morality play...on the futility of seeking power/wealth/glory. None of it ever comes in a morally clean fashion [according to the game]....sometimes you risk your life, sometimes you risk your soul and seemingly inevitably you lose one or the other...or maybe both. Jackie is just the first in the game to discover this...and his only commemoration is the memories of his family and friends, and a drink at the Afterlife he'll never taste.
I never took Jackie’s gun until the final mission. Got Johnny’s pistol and Rebecca‘s shotgun through the whole game, but the moment came to start the final mission, I took Jackie’s gun so he can be with me for one last ride. A symbolic gesture.
I just discovered your channel and I honestly thought you had way more subscribers. Your content is very well made and super entertaining! Also your narration is really amazing! Can't wait to hear more!
Very good video as always. It seems like the “cannon” life path is street kid based off the advertised V skins. This means Jackie and V started their friendship stealing from Arasaka and getting caught dead to rights in a car. Its a nice closed loop sort of thing.
@@lydiscott yea 😢. But I think if Jackie was to say anything about his passing it would be that we should remember how he was not how he is. To this 🍺.
"I want to be a Night City Legend. You're going to get me there." He's the type that we all knew and probably even hung out with in our teens and twenties, and when we hit our thirties and forties avoid like the plague. In the game, second only to River Ward in having the presumption that your continued proximity means you're there for what he wants you to do. The kind that will completely suck you dry to elevate himself without even meaning to. Being a bit older when this game came out, I don't like Jackie because of that reason. I've been burned by a few friends like that, and because of that personal experience, I wince every time the game forces V to recall him as such a powerfully strong friend. Then again, V never has the time to search his soul and do the math the way most people do when struck by a friend like that. I like your nuanced approach, you don't paint him as completely dumb or completely awesome.
I think CDPR wrote jackie initially as a character that you would trust and then he would betray you. If you look into some of the hints into the game, I feel like wasn't as good as a choom as they make him out to be. First off lets talk about their meeting. Nomad V, Jackie admits he was going to kill him and stiff him the fee but saw he had talent that he could use and decides to be his friend for escaping the drones. Streetkid V almosts gets zeroed. There are hints that Jackie throughout the intro of the game was perhaps jealous of V and going to backstab him in order to drive the player, V into getting revenge. I think its more cyberpunk to show a society where good people will betray you not because they are bad but because they can't help themselves when you put flawed people in a bad situation. The main problem is since Jackie is essentially a training character until the player escapes Kompecki plaza, you can't make the main character hate Adam Smasher or Dexter Deshawn on a betrayal story. You need revenge of your best choom and team mate. To be honest, its hard to feel any empathy for Johnny Silverhand's motive to get back at Smasher. While smash is scary, I don't personally have any issue with him. Johnny to be honest, is an unreliable narrator and thinks he was the center of the whole Arasaka bombing. In reality that was Morgan Blackhand's op and JOhnny just had a personal motive to get revenge for Alt. Johnny is a massive asshole. Having both V and JOhnny not like each other initially like a bad buddy cop movie but learning from each other and coming together to zero Smasher was by the books, a better story, and so the "best friend" who died as "dreamer with the heart of gold" was created. There is another video essay I should share that talks about if Jackie was really the friend you think he was. I think he was, just that CDPR had to do some rewrites but left a lot of hints that shows he wasn't. Can't wait to see you do a video on Viktor, the ripper doc who laid it out straight and didn't exploit V like David's doc. However, before any of that, I would love to see your video essay on Johnny. Technically we never really meet Johnny, just a memory engram that thinks hes Johnny and the second hand stories of what people tell V about him. Hes way more fun and complex and I would love to hear your take.
Nah, I disagree. I think Jackie's initial characterization was to give us a sweet little path from "potential enemy" to "best choom" in a couple of scenes. It's the Night City way: you run into someone you don't know or can't trust, you get out your iron ... if the opportunity arises, you take advantage of them. The fact that Jackie didn't, speaks volumes of what a great guy he actually is ... in limits. It's all to give us the foundation of V's and Jackie's relationship, everything is aimed at giving his death the most effective emotional impact.
@@davideberhardt6150 maybe that's how it played out but look at the dialogue. when you first enter night city, nomad v is desperate for a job. He just lost the backers, street kid v was back to night city from atlanta and corpo v lost his power, status and connections. V is in a voluntarable state and each time jackie says hey we have chemistry. Or i have a feeling and gives him a place. A person he just met a second ago. i think it's important to understand that jackie is a con man and manipulative. there are several hints that he's using V and av can't see it. When crossing the bridge he manipulates then cop by saying he will play "nice jackie" When he talks, he talks about making it big, that he's better than the shit around him and how he's never going back. He exhibits dark triad personalities even though he is charismatic. On the way to the heist, you can tell he's hungry for fame. To get to the big leagues. At the hotel he doesn't understand Yurinobus intention on why he spits at his father's money, why he started a gang. Even at Dex's meeting, he knows he needs V. He doesn't seem to not take the job seriously, which was the biggest job of his life. There's a reason why he never made it before V. He almost sounds like he didn't impress Dex and needed V to impress Dex for the both of them. Jackie, despite reading poems and hemingway, he's not as good at cutting deals, leveraging his brain like V. Nomad v was cool at crossing the border and out running the drones, street kid v would have gotten away if not busted and corpo v has connections and resources. V had the it factor and Jackie saw it and latched on to him. Lastly i find it strange he gets a neurovirus the night he borrows Vs car. He seems to do stuff without letting v know. He also wanted v to slot the chip and not him and said he ran a high tab with vik. While i think Jackie was using V, maybe it wasn't all a con and he genuinely liked V but he also needed him to climb night city. It just seems like he was out for him ultimately. I think the dialogue and writing shows that really obviously but then they just killed him because it's a way to dump v in a shitty situation with nothing and don't need jackie after johnny is introduced. Jackie was the players training introduction but Johnny was the real friendship. not because he was good but because they both had a mutual interest. Jackie was basically a training introduction character. Characters whose life or death acts as events in the main characters journey. i'm not saying jackie is all bad but dying before your true colors are revealed doesn't mean you attribute them as flawless. I think Jackie was more personally motivated than we think. he also didn't seem to care about t bug very much. I think the writers changed up jackie's role to V because his death and loss to V makes V motivation change as well as making V alienated after the heist and feeling a deep loss. Like it or not, Johnny, was a way more honest a friend to V in comparison. in fact after learning he was an engram said he wanted v to live and would die for v to get his body back.
Couldn't help liking this boisterous and buffoonish, and at the same time kind and honest guy from the start, despite occasionally getting a bit annoyed by his recklessness. We've been a good team: bold, tough and eager-to-act Jackie and cynical, cautious and reserved Vince. Btw, T-Bug was a comrade in arms too. The heist, when you lose your teammates one by one (Bug first with Jackie following) was really harrowing.
I think they could bring Jackie back he was the first to put the relic in and that was a prototype. They could work it that a few nanites escaped the relic and began slow repairs due to Jackie's critical condition.
A lot of people liked his character. When he dies in my play through, I always seem to say out loud, "It's about damned time. Now I can really have some fun!"
Isn't it like if Jakie held on the Relic just a little bit more... He would be the one revived with the ghost of Johny Silverhand stuck in his head? LOL
It's possible, the Relic saved V from the gunshot to the head from Dex. I don't think it would work though because the Relic appears to be shutting down due to Jackie's injuries. I suspect the difference is that Jackie is dying due to blood loss, while V was dying due to traumatic brain injury. I don't think the Relic can bring people back to life, but the specific nature of V's injury happened to coincide with the Relic's function. Since it's designed to rewire neurons it was able to prevent V's death, but Jackie had no head wounds and the Relic wasn't able to be stored safely in his head because his body was already shutting down. Just guessing, it definitely occurred to me that we might be able to save Jackie with the Relic but since the game doesn't let you I guess there's an in universe explanation. TL;DR: the Relic isn't supposed to save people V was just very lucky.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks so much for watching guys! For anyone interested, I wrote a post-apocalyptic novel, “Caesaria: Book I”. If you like the sound of a Game-of-Thrones-Meets-Fallout-New-Vegas, but in CANADA, this book might be up your alley. 😄 Link: www.amazon.ca/CAESARIA-Book-I-Lydi-Scott/dp/173904200X
Ordered.
@@TheMecoolerest001OMG THANK YOU!!!
If its half as good as the videos you are churning out then I have already won.
Say less, I'll go get my copy now!
Snagging a copy!
Losing Jackie as a corpo is extra tragic since in that lifepath him and V have known each other for years and with him V loses one of the few, maybe the only, genuine human connection they had up until that point.
Even if the Corpo intro feels the shortest, it’s the fact that we got history with Jackie that makes it my favourite.
@@lydiscottbased. Also I want to compliment you for having such a good mic when some youtubers with far more subscribers have worse microphones.
Corpo V feels like the one that the most appropriate ending is the one where you and Johnny agree to the secret option in Op55N1 and then go with either Tenperance/Sun ending, though Sun feels far more appropriate for a Corpo V thay feels they have no real connections left in the world.
It's also pretty sad in Nomad lifepath because V loses their family and gains Jackie as his only family in NC
He was annoying at best. Always getting in my LoF causing me to move and expose myself. Always making stupid comments, and generally being a pain in the ass to work with. Just like every other named NPC in this game, I can live with none of them and I'd be happy about it.
Bro did NOT avoid mean reds
Bro ran into the meanest possible reds. 😢
Sadly he did. But don't be sad chooms be happy. As of right now we still have 6 months to live and my V REALLY want to keep living. So CDPR please if you make another cyberpunk I'll be waiting to bring hell to NC once more.
This past recent time I played I was like, oh shit his jackets red…his arch…uh oh shit…arasaka colors are red and black…oh shit, there’s a literal bright red fucking carpet leading to the doors to konpeki. Guess bros colorblind.
@@titustavares335 Maelstrom's colors: Black and _RED._ 😢
@@henryviiifake8244 CD Projekt RED
Something I learned that fucked me up is that you can keep calling Jackie after Act 1, and when you hit certain flags V will update Jackie about how they're doing by leaving voice mails because that's an actual therapy thing for the grieving process.
I always give Jackie’s voicemail a call after V recovers from the Saka heist, and I make it a point to order myself a Jackie Welles from Claire every trip I make to the Afterlife. Rest easy choom, to this 🍻.
the PL ending where Misty is wearing Jackie’s jacket while leaving NC forever is even more sad but fitting for their characters 😭
Agreed. I like to think that Misty leaves NC in every ending, we just aren’t around to see it.
If you pick up the belt in cyberpunk you learn that Jackie's dad beat both him and his mum, until Jackie was old enough to fight back, which caused his dad to be hospitalised and his dad never came back after that
This adds a whole new level of irony to Valentino values. Omg I’ve never found this in any of my playthroughs. This game, I swear!
Found that in my first one. Killed every member of Arasaka I came across beyond that. It effected me so oddly personally 😭😭
Aint need to pick it up, you get that story delivered by Misty once you scan it with your kiroshis.
@@huuweeei think it must have changed in one if the updates, you used to have to choose one item for the Ofrenda but now you can take them all and choose at the casket instead.
The game used to prevent you from scanning the other items once you chose one so it was easy to miss.
I think it was a really clever idea to hide so much of Jackie's back story like this because it means players who cared enough about him to investigate will get to learn those details. If you're not invested in the character you'll probably just choose one of the items in the first room but if you're listening properly to Misty she is subtly telling you there's more to find.
If the player cares about Jackie, then V is portrayed as a more caring friend and that's really clever writing imo.
"When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you... Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion." Rest in peace to a night city legend. I always chose the book to remember Jackie. Rest easy choom 💙
I usually take the basketball. Something similar but it's a sign that people can get out from NC. Sadly Jackie just isn't one of them.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls...for it tolls for thee
@@MortalWombat047I did the book on accident and loved it and did the basketball after and was disappointed so I went back with the book
Thanks guys that means more than anything in this world
@@kadewade8726After trying each of them I'm pretty sure the book is the best representation of who Jackie was, but I don't think even V knew that side of him til it was too late.
Sometimes I think it's more realistic to choose a different item because the others are more reflective of who Jackie was to V.
Sometimes I choose the book because it seems like V is the only one to really understand Jackie from that perspective, except for Misty who might have just kept it to herself if V didn't help her connect to Mamma Welles.
Jackie and Johnny contrast as Johnny replaces Jackie after Act I as V's most constant companion. Jackie wants to be a Night City legend. Johnny is a legend and exposes how hollow that goal is. Jackie is friendly, supportive, forms close emotional bonds, and is motivated by love. Johnny is hostile, dismissive, egotistical and motivated by hate. Jackie is idealistic innocence - comparatively - and Johnny is bitter cynicism. However, the fact that V's positive support can alter Johnny into assuming some of Jackie's positive traits shows that part of why Jackie is Jackie is because of V's emotional support during the time they've been together. Be it six months or with Corpo V, longer. V and Jackie were symbiotic in that they brought the best out of each other. As good friends do.
One of the things I love about the scene with Misty in Jackie's garage, is in how her body language betrays her true feelings when talking to V, in the first room. You first see in her in a near fetal position outside, despondent, withdrawn, grieving. You go inside with her, and she starts expositioning to V about Jackie. But this is the part I loved. When you mention finding the key to his Inner Sanctum, she says "I shouldn't go in there, that was his heart, etc etc." But where is she standing? RIGHT next to the door. Arms folded across her chest, but standing right next to the door. And what happens when V unlocks the door? Before it's even fully swung open Misty pivots on her left shoulder and slides in like an eel into water, SO desperate to see what was in "Jackie's Heart" And what do we find, prominently on display, as a center piece in his sanctum of sanctums? Her Mandala. The thing she taught him. And the pain, and relief, love, and loss in her voice then, is just so amazing to me. When V asks her if she's alright, she says she's more than alright, but doesn't elaborate. But the reality is that the reason she's alright, is that she saw that Jackie had genuinely cared about her. That he wasn't just feeding her bullshit about her mystic hoodoo nonsense so he could get some tasty output. But no, that he genuinely cared for her, and was trying to incorporate what she was teaching him, into his life. And I thought that was such a wonderful bit of storytelling on the part of Misty and how she behaved.
Which makes the line Jackie feeds the cop at the lockdown checkpoint in the intro scene, have a totally different context. It sounds like he's just trying to feed the cop a line of bullshit, a pity story about a hardup guy trying to be good to his girl. But in reality, it's all 100% true. That he's trying to be a better man for her, and she's literally waiting for him at home right now, and she will genuinely be worried if he doesn't show up. Jackie was being totally genuine in that moment.
I wish they had incorporated Misty more into the narrative, she was voiced so well, and had such an interesting place in the Night City tapestry.
It blows my mind that she and Meredith have the same voice actress! She’s awesome. Ughhhh this comment hit right in the feels, thank you for leaving it. I’m looking forward to making Misty’s video someday
@@lydiscott Yeah she was a really cool character, sadly underutilized though. This was a really good video by the way! Nice dive into everyone's loveable doofus.
I never noticed that Misty's "avoid reds" thing was actually an omen for his death. Yet another great use of foreshadowing
MIsty does alot of that. If you visit her during your playthrough, and you can do this at various stages, she can Lay tarot for you, which will have great foreshadowing of your current (main)mission.
If you looked at the belt in his shed, Misty talks about how his dad used to beat he and his mom with that belt until he stood up to him and beat him, driving his father away.
WOW I legit have never found that! Woooow!!!! I found the photo for the first time while recording, but not the belt! Omg thank you for telling me. I had a strong suspicion his dad sucked. Sad to know that’s true.
Was wondering why the belt wasn't brought up in this vid lol
Jackie was a certified CHAD all the way. Great video. Hoping there’s more to listen to while I work.
oh, that's nice *snaps photo*
@@lydiscott I posted this comment when I was very very tired or I would have also mentioned how easily missed the belt is (tbh I still don't know how many items are possible offerings to his shrine) Your video was great and your guess was right on the money; I've seen a few of your videos on Cyberpunk and they've all been great!
It's crazy how well cdpr made these characters likeable in such a short time. By the end of act one I was choked up at Jackie's death and didn't buy anything until I paid vic back..
Same here. Vik’s great!
Jackie obviously didn't know Dex would shoot V or that the chip would resurrect them, he actually trusted V to give his share of the payout to Misty and Mama Welles, that's honestly so heartbreaking considering a lot of mercs would just shrug and take the full payout.
Jackie is a boy in a man's body. I'm replaying the game right now, just finished Act 1. He's a lovable guy, but he's also incredibly naive. You could also say that he's a dreamer. Someone who has seen rock bottom and truly believes he can make it to the top. A deeply human character.
I have a headcanon that Dex always planned for the hiest to be his last.
His reputation was destroyed and when his back was to the wall he said he chose the quiet life.
My headcanon is he hired V and Jackie because they were the right combination of disposable and competent, he hired bug because she was a hacker, he would need one of those, but he also figured she was probably going to fry and arasaka's systems.
His plan was to take out V and Jackie and then take the chip and sell it off as quick as possible, probably hire a ripper to change his appearance, fake his death, maybe take out the ripper to tie up any loose ends, which is why V and Jackie walk into the tower with no facial coverings and no disguises except a suit, so arasaka would have their faces, then he would probably leave the city behind.
How the whole things plays out only really works if you believe Dex never intended for Jackie, V, and Bug to live by the end.
To be fair, it would look suspicious if Jackie and V walked into Konpeki Plaza wearing facial coverings, and if everything went according to the stated plan, Arasaka likely wouldn’t have any definitive suspects. It almost worked too, unfortunately, T-bug was not a good enough netrunner to crack the ICE before Saburo arrived, which is something that Dex should have been able to account for, given the high profile nature of the carrier’s visit, lighting off the rest of the plot. If things had moved maybe 10 or 20 minutes faster on our end, we would’ve gone into the hotel, gotten into Yorinobu‘s room, grabbed the chip, and then left out the front door to Del before Saburo arrived.
That being said, Dexter was absolutely always going to fuck us over, even if things went well. He wasn’t a good fixer. The reason that T-Bug wasn’t a good enough netrunner is the same reason that the other people working on the job are Jackie and V, two relatively inexperienced mercs. It’s because the three of us don’t really know what a job like this would be worth, even if he didn’t intend to kill us and take the money for himself, the likelihood that any of the other people involved know a fair rate for the job or how much the chip would go for is pretty low, so he could easily pay less than the agreed-upon amount.
Yet barely a day after Takemura found his fat ass and killed him, Dex was always a busta and died begging for his life, he talked the big game of going out in a blaze of glory but when it came down to it he showed how much of a coward he really was.
Biosculpting and cybereyes means we can evade facial recognition, while a halfway decent fixer could have found a fresh target to sell the Relic to. The thing is, the real objective of that night was Saburo Arasaka, and everythjng else was a setup to bait Saburo.
@@trevalyan006 And more than that, a good netrunner, or even a half decent one, could easily erase all evidence of Jackie and V from the digital records of Konpeki Plaza, and expecting the receptionist to remember the faces of every single person who came into a hotel of that size on a given day isn’t reasonable.
Honestly, and probably an unpopular opinion, but the heist was set up damn near perfectly. It was almost the perfect job. The only reason it failed was because the damn Emperor showed up and got flatlined by his own kid. If he had decided to come just a couple of hours later, or if T-Bug had been just about an hour or so faster, they would’ve been in and out with no one the wiser. Now whether or not they could have laid low enough to stay off of Arasaka’s radar is a different story, but the heist itself would’ve gone well.
Then comes the question if Dex and T-bug would've betrayed both of em.
I agree. I like her videos but this constant repetition of "The Konpeki heist was doomed no matter what" is just wrong
@@Lenguages-dq3kv well tbh, it, and to an extent, V, WAS doomed no matter what. The people involved, their fates, people's fates who get involved with V later on, and ultimately V's fate no matter what ending you choose is proof. David and V are the same in that they're doomed by Night City to be the brightest stars that burn out the fastest. Even if everything went picture perfect in the heist, SOMETHING would have went wrong Elsewhere. When you gamble with Night City, the house always wins.
The arasaka ending with Jackie becoming a engram must be the most chilling thing ever, especially his last words to V are spooky af, cdpr has so.e incredible writing.
who wrote it?
In all honesty no clue. But whoever was "in charge" of writing him. But for one reason or another Jackie will always be in our heart's. Rest easy Jackie you at least made it to the big leagues. @@rawallon
Wait, Jackie becomes an engram? How? I know that V can, but how can Jackie?
@@jonathanrich9281 if you give Jackie's body hone
@@rawallonMarcin Blacha was the story director while Tomasz Marchewka was the lead writer , however there are 18 credited writers for the game in who had various roles including the English translators, who deserve major credit for the amazing job they did translating the game from Polish to English
Really good analysis!
Jackie couldn't do it on his own, and he knew that. Someone else pointed out that Jackie had been running the streets as a merc for YEARS before V returned, yet had no real name for himself. But V returns to NC and, six months later, they're getting latge jobs? V helped elevate Jackie.
He definitely knew he was dead the moment he got shot. Even though he doesn't take another hit, he tells V he can "see how the chips are falling". He's got his head in the clouds, but he also has a keen sense of reality when it comes to merc work. He acts like Superman but knows he's just Jimmy Olsen.
Just one tidbit that is yet another showcase of how much Jackie values V's insights is that if you chose the nomad path you have a dialogue option when you first see Jackie on his motorcycle.
Jackie is excited to have this well known motorcycle and loves the sound of it, V points out how everyone will hear him coming and what he can do to fix that, and despite the fact that enjoys that aspect of his bike, he IMMEDIATELY follows V's advice. Prioritizing V's opinion over what he prefers.
One thing I noticed when Jackie is dying, depending on the dialogue option you choose, he calls V "miho" or "miha". When Jackie called V miha, I knew he really loved V as like a sibling/very close family. ❤
Omg I’ve never noticed that! Now I’m like “oh god did I say something to make him not say that ahhhh” lmao
1. I wish we got to do a few more small gigs with Jackie
2. As a former English teacher - for whom the bell tolls does have a lot of parallels to Jackie, V, and Misty - the biggest is the struggle for identity, power of love, sacrifice/loyalty, and the struggle with our mortality
Great video choom! I still tear up when I hear "see you in the big leagues, jack"
Thank you so much!!!! Ahhh yeah. Uggghhh poor Jackie 😭
The saddest part about Jackie is that they did cut so much stuff from act 1 that you see him twice before the heist in action, three times if you chose the Nomad path and than get this dumpload of sad and death for a character you barely had any chance or reason to bond with. Just a "hey, this character is a good friend of yours, here you have a montage that proves it." Really would loved to have a bit more content (and context) before shit hits the fan.
Jackie's death is probably the only character death that affected me so personally. Out of all the games i've played. none affected me as much as his. Even years later i find myself sometimes saying "See you in the major leagues hermano"
“Maaadres, V…This is the best day of my fuckin life!”
😔
Misty: “Avoid mean reds”
Me: walks in wearing a red jacket
I really enjoy listening to you dissect the characters and environments of Night City. It adds an extra layer of depth and perspective I didn't have prior that makes the game even more engaging during my next playthroughs.
The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man! Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.
preem vid...I have seen people breaking down the lore, world building, story and little details of 2077 but never the characters. You are the first person I come across to do so. Which is sad, because I believe 2077 has some of the most realistically written characters I have ever seen. Would love to see a video on Johnny, Kerry and Judy. Three of my fav characters ever.
Awww genuinely that is sad! I hope more people share their perspectives of the writing in this universe, it’s awesome! Thanks so much for watching. Excited to say Judy is next week’s subject. 😄
@@lydiscott best girl lesssgooo
The Heavyweight of Heywood. 12 rounds, buddy.
Growing up where i did was rough, and i knew a guy a lot like Jackie. He was someone who was involved in some bot so great thins but i saw how he used it to pass out toys, food, and meds to people who needed it. He did his dirt but at his core i think he was a genuinely good person right up until the day he died. Jackie as a character hit so different.
Fantastic video, just started a proper playthrough after only olaying a little when the game first came out. Excited for more. 🔥
It's amazing how much forshadowing was in the prologue. You mention the Konpeki Plaza red lights but theres more, the red of Deshauns vest, the red of the Maelstrom logo, even his bike is red, the more you progress through that part of the story, the more red there is around, even the chip was red. All that Jackie that he ignores till his death.
Jackie is one of my favourite characters from the game. Thanks for doing such justice to his character.
Jackie was a Night City gem. A little dense at times but loyal to a fault. He cared about the people in his life and was willing to do anything to make sure they lived a safe and happy life even if it meant putting himself in harms way at times. Unfortunately people like that are easy targets in places like Night City. Too kind for their own good and easily manipulated. T-Bug probably told Dex this and that's probably why he met with Jackie first. V would have been a little harder to convince and T-Bug would have known that as well. Though loyal like Jackie she was much more cautious than him and in the end would have had doubts and if up to her probably would have said no to the heist. The only reason I feel she went through with it is because Jackie was dead set on doing it. Cautious and doubtful or not she wasn't about to let Jackie walk into a death trap alone. If he was gonna do it and there was any chance she could get both of them out of there alive she was gonna take it. Unfortunately this heist was doomed from the start and so were they. Jackie because of who he is was always fated to die young and V being his best friend was fated to go down with him. That's just the sad reality of Night City. It's designed to eat people like them alive.
I never realized that Jackie bought the bike with the money from Sandra gig. If he spent them on blood pump implant instead he might've lived.
Can’t help but wonder!
Jackie got shot by a drone. The subsequent fights didn't help. He dies trying to protect V.
It's who he is.
one of my favorite moments during the side quest when your searching for something to leave on the ofrenda you have the option to grab the belt that's on his desk & misty tells you that Jackie had enough because his dad would not only beat his mom & him as well until he finally stood up for them & whopped his ass & kept his belt & she said that if Jackie ever saw him again he'd whip out the belt & open another can of whoop ass on his dad that made me smile.
The red lights gave me chills cuz im on my fifth playthrough and i never noticed that i remember the conversation but i never put two and two together
when Jackie died tears were rolling down my cheek
Honestlyyyyy it was so sad. Still gets me each time.
I cry every time. 😭 Jackie is one of my favorite video game characters ever.
I seriously cry every time.
Why first person cut scenes where necessary
“When Icarus flew too close to the sun with his wax wings he fell in to sea.” The city of dreams indeed
Great video.
Only thing I have to say is in Misty states Jackie's father was abusive until one day Jackie beat his father up and threatened to kill him if he did it again. He even went so far as to keep his father's belt to use it to beat him if he returned.
If the video doesnt exist already i'd love to see you cover the VooDoo Boys, people really hate them and it saddens me to see how people hate them even though they're just looking out for their own after losing their only home
Would LOVE TO! They’re the most interesting gang, IMO. Kinda wish we saw more sides of them.
@@lydiscott I doubt we will considering fan reception of them, I love them tho!
@@DrixPunkto be fair they were somewhat expanded in Phantom Liberty even though it isn't much
To be fair 90% of VDB hate comes from the fact that Placide is an absolute asshole. "This hardware is shit" he says about my legendary++ tier sandevistan.
If you say so pal lmao
@@PlotsAndPointsPlacide: "Hardware is shit"
Me: *using Blackwall Cyberdeck from Phantom Liberty*
Cyberdeck AI: "The fuck you call me?"
Jackie was my favourite guy, love at first sight fr, so depressing that he dies right away :( best boy
I don't know why but because I did the corpo v starter, I always viewed v as the little brother of the group considering that arisaka mentally pushed v to his limit while also being physically taxing on him, I imagine that Jackie was Vs last bastion of sanity and when V Lost everything Jackie was able to be the first person to help him out of the pit arisaka threw him in
After the time skip with Jackie as his sort of backbone v was able to put his counterintelligence experience to the test and become a moderately successful Merc with Jackie.
I think to an extent v believed Jackie was actually bulletproof for some moments hence why he felt like he needed to help Jackie with the plaza heist to prove that he could be a legend with Jackie. But of course just because of V being a noob at the merc profession, V was a particularly fast learner who was able to grasp info with a little bit more nuance including kind of sniff out that Dex was putting on a show. Even getting a sense of Evelyn and what she's been up to. We also see that the corpo mindset hasntv entirely left them . Being able to decipher Meredith's intentions combined with sniffing out a bugged credit card not to mention understand how the corpo game works however I do think there is a little bit of trauma from his arisaka days when he gets mad at the receptionist in the plaza and tells her to not think just do your job which implies that V made that mistake before and paid for it
When we lose Jackie to the game it is by far the most emotionally profound moment in V's life He had lost someone who had saved his life who had been his emotional life support through the dark days at the corporation The man that gave him confidence to go out and try his hand at the attempt of being a legend. Jackie was a source of strength for V. And now that V was dying he had to cope with the fact that he needed to fight his battles on his own. V came out of The plaza heist More methodical more skeptical into an extent more desperate
I tell you what when I started the game and he died I thought I messed up and missed some key item. But it's hard written into the game.I legit was debating weather to finish the game or not. I took about 5 hours to explore during the pro log. And my minimal experiences with him made me want to see who he became later on in the game. For the short time I played with that character his death was heavy throughout that whole game. It's the very reason why I chose the nomad ending. So I could pass his story on and potentially have a happy ending with Panam. You know my V's first born was named Jackie. "Enjoy the afterlife Vato."
Jackie is with us for such a short time, nevertheless he is in the background and in our heads throughout the entire story. For such a small role to have such an impact is incredible.
Jackie wanted to become a legend.
He attempted one of the maddest gigs, died and got a drink named after him. He is a legend, after all.
Jackie is a lit like the tragic hero Achilles even down to calling himself invulnerable, deciding that becoming a legend was most important to him and getting himself killed to do it, very Greek tragic hero honestly
We knew he was going to die, it was in the trailer, and yet it was painful to watch him die.
Misty telling Jackie to avoid mean reds...
My corpo V in his old arasaka suit: 😅
The great videos aside, I really appreciate the way the ads are on good beats on the video, never feeling like they're interrupting the video too much.
Yeahhhhh I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed you’d cover Jackie, definitely is a shining personality that keeps things lighthearted and funny, but also struck me as the manifestation of the ‘human heart’ that so many had to hide in Night City. Good analysis!
Wow, great analysis on Jackie, there were a few things I didn’t caught on, like how he tries to present himself better through acting tough and buying the custom bike. As far as Jackie’s father though, when you check Jackie’s garage you can find a belt and Misty mentions how his dad used to beat him and his mom with it, until Jack fought back one day and made him leave, kept the belt, and swore to beat him with it if he ever came back, so we definitely know Mr. Welles senior wasn’t a good man.
Lastly, during the Nomad and Streetkid lifepaths we can see that Jackie shows appreciation to those who are like him, as Nomad V mentions they too grew up among people he considered family, and Streetkid V was friends with Pepe and willing to help him out with Kirk’s threats of breaking his legs if he didn’t pay him. These two instances are what makes Jackie think “this guy/gal is alright, I’m giving them a hand”, and also the reason why they became good and close friends (I’m not mentioning Corpo V because they went way back, thus the fact Jackie stuck his neck out for V after Arasaka wanted to kill them).
OMG I NEVER FOUND THAT BELT WHAT?!? this game I swear, I doubt I’ll ever find everything! Omg thank you for telling me, and also, AWESOME point there about the bond between him and V! Thank you so much for watching, and for the comment, I want to go back now and replay his offrenda ahhh
@@lydiscott Hahaha, well, let me know if you find it next time you do the ofrenda, and once again, great analysis on Jackie.
Thanks for making Jackie more familiar. His death has more meaning for me now.
Belt in Jackie’s little shack. Misty mentions it was his Dad’s who used to beat Jackie and Mama wells until one day Jackie fought back and beat his father black and blue and threatened to kill him if he ever laid another finger on him or Mama Wells.
He never came back after the beating Jackie gave me.
This is an excellent analysis of the tragic life of Jackie. Great video!
I dont fully agree with your analysis of Jackie but I'm so grateful that you made this video
When you find his father's belt in his garage, Misty tells you Raul used to beat him and his mother. One day, Jackie fought back and got his father hospitalized before leaving entirely. He kept the belt in case his father does come back
We know jackies dad beat both jack and his mom with a belt, until jackie put him in the hospital and told him to delta. After pops got out of the hospital he bounced. Jackie kept the belt in his garage
I kinda expected him to reappear at some point and try to harm Mama Welles, only to be utterly obliterated by V.
That scene when you're hiding from the Arasakas in the penthouse was super heartbreaking, if you look over at Jackie holding the briefcase, he looks so terrified and childlike standing there. I'll never forgive CDPR for not letting you give the big guy a hug in that moment
I love your channel, and I’m definitely on the ‘please make a video about Johnny Silverhand’ train. I love his character. The narcissist with true convictions. Even if they were a mask, he was committed to them in the end. At least, for Alt.
God, I love this game. The way that fate ties in, how Misty is taken seriously, the way that even seemingly irredeemable men shine silver in the end, and the City that swallows them all.
I still wished there was something I could do to save Jackie. I would love to see how V interacts with Jackie and Johnny Silverhand.
Jacky is such a cool character. Love the exploration of his story!
Only found this channel yesterday and already a huge fan, watched 4 your videos back to back. Really excited to watch more. Keep up the amazing content!
Thank you so so much for that, seriously!!
Thank you! I love the approach you have brought to all the Cyberpunk videos. 👑👑👑
Thank you so so much for even watching! That means a lot. Will keep them coming!
Just think, jackie was minutes away from having johnny trying to take over his body
That would’ve been an interesting duo lolol
Debatable cause he did bleed out.
V's death was clean and instant
And V dies from getting shot in the head which the relic immediately repairs. Idk how the relic would work on a death that isnt head related
"Misty knew... She always knew"
I loved this video, had me in tears as I type this. I love how much you seem to understand the characters in the game. I understand them but only from a certain point of view. You have all of their character so deeply understood. I envy you. Excellent job on this video series. I started with your T bug video and had to come see what you said about the others. I wish we had been given more time with both Jackie and T-bug.
Your writing and speech are really impressive.
Aww thank you! Glad you think so 😁
15 minutes into the game I knew he was gonna die 😢
Anyone who seen the adverts on TV knew he would die I still hate that we lost him though. He was a great character
Awesome video! CDPR did such an amazing job creating these characters and making them so human so that we can relate and empathize with them
Ngl he kinda reminded me of my father with the emotions, not in the readiness to protect and fight tho, mine's anxious af and probably wouldn't handle conflict well. But the viibe of an adult with teen like emotions who gets into things without significant strategy relates. Sadly tho, until very recent massive failures in life he'd been a lil closer to Jackie's father as well. Only to finally see himself clearly after things hit the fan.
Great Analysis Ms. Scott. Honestly I do wish Jackie had been around more sort to act as a lifeline to V (Since he was so good), someone he could seek out for advice when Silverhand seemed impossible to understand. And heck maybe he, V, and Takamura could have been the Three Musketeers that lead the charge to take down Arasaka.
Also I would love to see you cover the members of Section 9 from Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex
Anyway thanks for the awesome video and I hope you're having a lovely day!
That would’ve been awesome. Ugh! It’s heartbreaking seeing him in Mikoshi if you don’t send him to his moms. Would always rather storm the tower with him. Poor guy. And ooooh that would be fun to do!!!! I will add it to my list.
Thank you so so much! Hope you’re doing well, Echelon!
@@lydiscott Thank you I am and always love getting your responses
I think little side content involving the chip holding some semblance of Jackie’s consciousness would’ve been neat. Sort of like a final goodbye to him, or his comments on certain actions after his passing.
Maybe he scolds us for being too brutal, or congrats us on doing the right thing.
Just noticed the billboard above Jackie in the Welcome to Night City cutscene says "Focus on winning this fall"
Jackie focuses on his post-job plans instead of how to complete the job.
Jackie is injured when you jump/fall from the ledge outside Yorinobu's suite.
Good to see new videos about this game. I play it everyday.
Jackie was best boy, no question.
This was an awesome video! I watch a lot of these styles of videos and it felt just as researched and well-presented as a 1 mil sub channel
One thing I would have liked is for another DLC but it tells the story of those 6 months before Act 1, allowing for more scenes and missions with Jackie while also getting to know Jackie, Misty and Vic much more. The length of time you get to spend with Jackie in the game is quite short, so it would have been nice to get a DLC that Jackie heavily involved in. For me, having a DLC like that would be the chef's kiss to this game.
I though Jackie chases off his dad protecting his mum as that’s what I think Misty says when you inspect the belt in his garage
the running theme of night city is literally get rich or die trying lol
Great video & analysis. I love this game.
this made me like jackie a lot more, i loved this!!
I see Jackie as being a few years older than V...maybe even pushing 30. This very much plays into the 'older brother' vibe we get from him...and it's also the age where men start to realize that if they haven't made it yet, they'd better do something to 'make it' soon. I see the whole game as a meditation...even kind of a morality play...on the futility of seeking power/wealth/glory. None of it ever comes in a morally clean fashion [according to the game]....sometimes you risk your life, sometimes you risk your soul and seemingly inevitably you lose one or the other...or maybe both. Jackie is just the first in the game to discover this...and his only commemoration is the memories of his family and friends, and a drink at the Afterlife he'll never taste.
I never took Jackie’s gun until the final mission. Got Johnny’s pistol and Rebecca‘s shotgun through the whole game, but the moment came to start the final mission, I took Jackie’s gun so he can be with me for one last ride. A symbolic gesture.
I just discovered your channel and I honestly thought you had way more subscribers. Your content is very well made and super entertaining! Also your narration is really amazing! Can't wait to hear more!
The part where you can talk to Jackie's own Engram in mikoshi makes me so sad 😭 if you needed a refresher why you were doing all this that was it
This was a fantastic video, thank you for this
Very good video as always. It seems like the “cannon” life path is street kid based off the advertised V skins. This means Jackie and V started their friendship stealing from Arasaka and getting caught dead to rights in a car. Its a nice closed loop sort of thing.
Great point! Awww crap now this makes things even sadder lmao
@@lydiscott yea 😢. But I think if Jackie was to say anything about his passing it would be that we should remember how he was not how he is. To this 🍺.
Don't worry I'll make sure you never fade away choom R.I.P. Jackie gone but not forgotten 🫡
"I want to be a Night City Legend. You're going to get me there." He's the type that we all knew and probably even hung out with in our teens and twenties, and when we hit our thirties and forties avoid like the plague. In the game, second only to River Ward in having the presumption that your continued proximity means you're there for what he wants you to do. The kind that will completely suck you dry to elevate himself without even meaning to. Being a bit older when this game came out, I don't like Jackie because of that reason. I've been burned by a few friends like that, and because of that personal experience, I wince every time the game forces V to recall him as such a powerfully strong friend. Then again, V never has the time to search his soul and do the math the way most people do when struck by a friend like that. I like your nuanced approach, you don't paint him as completely dumb or completely awesome.
Love all ur cyberpunk content excited to see whats next
Thank you so much, I’ll be looking into Judy’s story for the next Cyberpunk vid 😄
Love your videos!
Aww thank you! 😊
I think CDPR wrote jackie initially as a character that you would trust and then he would betray you. If you look into some of the hints into the game, I feel like wasn't as good as a choom as they make him out to be. First off lets talk about their meeting. Nomad V, Jackie admits he was going to kill him and stiff him the fee but saw he had talent that he could use and decides to be his friend for escaping the drones. Streetkid V almosts gets zeroed. There are hints that Jackie throughout the intro of the game was perhaps jealous of V and going to backstab him in order to drive the player, V into getting revenge. I think its more cyberpunk to show a society where good people will betray you not because they are bad but because they can't help themselves when you put flawed people in a bad situation. The main problem is since Jackie is essentially a training character until the player escapes Kompecki plaza, you can't make the main character hate Adam Smasher or Dexter Deshawn on a betrayal story. You need revenge of your best choom and team mate. To be honest, its hard to feel any empathy for Johnny Silverhand's motive to get back at Smasher. While smash is scary, I don't personally have any issue with him. Johnny to be honest, is an unreliable narrator and thinks he was the center of the whole Arasaka bombing. In reality that was Morgan Blackhand's op and JOhnny just had a personal motive to get revenge for Alt. Johnny is a massive asshole. Having both V and JOhnny not like each other initially like a bad buddy cop movie but learning from each other and coming together to zero Smasher was by the books, a better story, and so the "best friend" who died as "dreamer with the heart of gold" was created. There is another video essay I should share that talks about if Jackie was really the friend you think he was. I think he was, just that CDPR had to do some rewrites but left a lot of hints that shows he wasn't. Can't wait to see you do a video on Viktor, the ripper doc who laid it out straight and didn't exploit V like David's doc. However, before any of that, I would love to see your video essay on Johnny. Technically we never really meet Johnny, just a memory engram that thinks hes Johnny and the second hand stories of what people tell V about him. Hes way more fun and complex and I would love to hear your take.
Nah, I disagree. I think Jackie's initial characterization was to give us a sweet little path from "potential enemy" to "best choom" in a couple of scenes. It's the Night City way: you run into someone you don't know or can't trust, you get out your iron ... if the opportunity arises, you take advantage of them. The fact that Jackie didn't, speaks volumes of what a great guy he actually is ... in limits. It's all to give us the foundation of V's and Jackie's relationship, everything is aimed at giving his death the most effective emotional impact.
@@davideberhardt6150 maybe that's how it played out but look at the dialogue. when you first enter night city, nomad v is desperate for a job. He just lost the backers, street kid v was back to night city from atlanta and corpo v lost his power, status and connections. V is in a voluntarable state and each time jackie says hey we have chemistry. Or i have a feeling and gives him a place. A person he just met a second ago. i think it's important to understand that jackie is a con man and manipulative. there are several hints that he's using V and av can't see it. When crossing the bridge he manipulates then cop by saying he will play "nice jackie" When he talks, he talks about making it big, that he's better than the shit around him and how he's never going back. He exhibits dark triad personalities even though he is charismatic. On the way to the heist, you can tell he's hungry for fame. To get to the big leagues. At the hotel he doesn't understand Yurinobus intention on why he spits at his father's money, why he started a gang. Even at Dex's meeting, he knows he needs V. He doesn't seem to not take the job seriously, which was the biggest job of his life. There's a reason why he never made it before V. He almost sounds like he didn't impress Dex and needed V to impress Dex for the both of them. Jackie, despite reading poems and hemingway, he's not as good at cutting deals, leveraging his brain like V. Nomad v was cool at crossing the border and out running the drones, street kid v would have gotten away if not busted and corpo v has connections and resources. V had the it factor and Jackie saw it and latched on to him. Lastly i find it strange he gets a neurovirus the night he borrows Vs car. He seems to do stuff without letting v know. He also wanted v to slot the chip and not him and said he ran a high tab with vik. While i think Jackie was using V, maybe it wasn't all a con and he genuinely liked V but he also needed him to climb night city. It just seems like he was out for him ultimately. I think the dialogue and writing shows that really obviously but then they just killed him because it's a way to dump v in a shitty situation with nothing and don't need jackie after johnny is introduced. Jackie was the players training introduction but Johnny was the real friendship. not because he was good but because they both had a mutual interest.
Jackie was basically a training introduction character. Characters whose life or death acts as events in the main characters journey. i'm not saying jackie is all bad but dying before your true colors are revealed doesn't mean you attribute them as flawless. I think Jackie was more personally motivated than we think. he also didn't seem to care about t bug very much. I think the writers changed up jackie's role to V because his death and loss to V makes V motivation change as well as making V alienated after the heist and feeling a deep loss. Like it or not, Johnny, was a way more honest a friend to V in comparison. in fact after learning he was an engram said he wanted v to live and would die for v to get his body back.
Couldn't help liking this boisterous and buffoonish, and at the same time kind and honest guy from the start, despite occasionally getting a bit annoyed by his recklessness. We've been a good team: bold, tough and eager-to-act Jackie and cynical, cautious and reserved Vince. Btw, T-Bug was a comrade in arms too. The heist, when you lose your teammates one by one (Bug first with Jackie following) was really harrowing.
Good stuff, subscribed!
I think Jackie is a fantastic character.
I think they could bring Jackie back he was the first to put the relic in and that was a prototype. They could work it that a few nanites escaped the relic and began slow repairs due to Jackie's critical condition.
The worst part is knowing how the shard worked Jackie would temporarily comeback.
A lot of people liked his character. When he dies in my play through, I always seem to say out loud, "It's about damned time. Now I can really have some fun!"
Isn't it like if Jakie held on the Relic just a little bit more... He would be the one revived with the ghost of Johny Silverhand stuck in his head? LOL
It's possible, the Relic saved V from the gunshot to the head from Dex.
I don't think it would work though because the Relic appears to be shutting down due to Jackie's injuries.
I suspect the difference is that Jackie is dying due to blood loss, while V was dying due to traumatic brain injury.
I don't think the Relic can bring people back to life, but the specific nature of V's injury happened to coincide with the Relic's function. Since it's designed to rewire neurons it was able to prevent V's death, but Jackie had no head wounds and the Relic wasn't able to be stored safely in his head because his body was already shutting down.
Just guessing, it definitely occurred to me that we might be able to save Jackie with the Relic but since the game doesn't let you I guess there's an in universe explanation.
TL;DR: the Relic isn't supposed to save people V was just very lucky.
Always hurts me when Jackie dies... he was a true bro.