Ranking Every Van Der Linde Gang Member in Red Dead Redemption II

hey everybody henryfilms here back with another Red Dead Redemption 2 video today's video is by far the most requested topic I've gotten so far and that is ranking every vanderlund gang member in Red Dead Redemption 2. this video is going to be longer than usual so I'll keep the intro short remember to like And subscribe if you enjoy the content and then of course remember to comment video suggestions on more content that you want to see [Music] Leopold Strauss is the worst he's a schemey amoral slime ball that you don't love to hate like you do Micah my heart sunk anytime he was on screen because I just knew that meant Arthur would have to do some evil [ __ ] being a lone shark Strauss is the human equivalent of a malaria-stricken mosquito sucking you dry and killing you in the process he exploits good honest people struggling to get by and destroys entire generations of families all for a few measly bucks and as you know this very greed is what led to Arthur Contracting tuberculosis it's definitely satisfying to kick him out of the gang in chapter 6 but by that point the damage had already been done Arthur's already gotten one foot in the grave by now and we can't take back the countless lives that had been ruined by strauss's actions so yeah like I said Strauss is the worst and I'm sure not too many of you are upset to see him in last place [Music] I really do love Tilly I think that she's a total sweetheart and a very kind person and while not adding much in terms of muscle Tilly like the other women in the gang does her part in keeping the camp afloat in day-to-day tasks and chores and she still sometimes finds her uses and missions as a distraction or bait of some kind but my problem with Tilly is she doesn't have much to offer in terms of memorable personality traits or important story beats she's just kind of there there and nice even her most substantial moment in the story is her being captured and playing the Damsel in Distress role Tilly rarely gets the opportunity to take initiative and show off her character and she doesn't leave much of a mark because of it she gets a cute ending though and I'm happy she got to escape the gang and live a happy married life but apart from that I really don't have that much to say about her [Music] Karen is similar to Tilly and the fact that I wish we got more of her in the main story but I have her above Tilly because when she does pop up she leaves far more of an impression for me whether it's the bank robbery with her or her transition to alcoholism after the loss of Sean she starts off the story so full of spunk and life and warmth in her face even considering the Rock Bottom circumstances the gang is faced at the start of the game but by the end she's gone total slovenly Street bomb and disappears completely from the gang probably to drink herself to death somewhere it's really sad but I find it a little more interesting and engaging than Tilly her romance with Sean is also really cute and sad once he's gone overall I just think she has a lot of character thank you and whereas Karen had a clear Arc Pearson is similar to Tilly in the sense that he's more or less the same all-around good dude throughout the story he's is a normal guy a wholesome Uncle type he's the camp cook so sure he may be an accomplice to thieving and murdering but so is everyone in the gang and yeah he did inadvertently get Arthur captured and tortured by the o'driscolls that one time but that's more so on Dutch since he's calling the shots Dutch was warned by everyone around him that it was probably a trap hell even Pearson acknowledged it it was Dutch and Micah who like always decided to pull the trigger on meeting with calm anyways a lot of my love for Pearson comes from him owning the General Store and Rhodes and the epilogue with everyone else dead or gone he's an extra comforting reminder of John's old found family and I always love to stop by Pearson gives silly Uncle energy but not nearly as lazy as well Uncle I'd love to hang out with this dude what a guy foreign I feel bad ranking so many of the few female members towards the bottom of the list but that's more on Rockstar for under utilizing them so much Mary Beth is just sort of there she's one of the younger members like Lenny and Tilly so she's sweet innocent naive for it I just want the best for her better than being stuck with the gang as a fellow artist I relate to her desire to want to create and to tell stories and so her happy ending being a successful romance novelist really pulls at my heart strength she gets so giddy about her love for storytelling and it's really sweet unfortunately when it comes to actually contributing as a gang member and to the main story as a whole that's where she's lacking which is okay sometimes characters are just Side characters and she works as a really wholesome inclusion in a game full of so much hardship I'm really happy that she's here Reverend Swanson is similar to Mary Beth in the sense that he's not a huge part of the story but his inclusion is wholesome and inspiring a welcome change of pace compared to all the members who fall off the deep end by the end of the story in the beginning Swanson is annoying sloppy and constantly intoxicated but through the events of the story he comes out of his alcoholism to become a better man ending his Arc with one of the best scenes in the game giving advice and acknowledgment to Arthur and how far he's come his potential to be better in foreshadowing his inevitable fate in a game full of likable characters succumbing to Darkness it's nice to see someone find his way into the light [Music] a lot of gang member rankings put Molly towards the bottom and I don't really understand that I think her story is super interesting fleeing her life in Ireland of nobility and aristocracy chasing the adventure and Allure of the American frontier meeting and falling in love with Dutch along the way Dutch has a pattern of indoctrinating younger idealistic women like Molly and later abandoning them starting with Mrs Grimshaw to Annabelle now Molly we see glimpses of Dutch flirting with Mary Beth starting around chapter three this is also when most players start getting annoyed with Molly but I feel like she gets the same treatment in the community as Skyler white does in Breaking Bad she's young and in love and Dutch is a manipulative gaslighting snake who has completely brainwashed her into constant paranoia and hysteria it's incredibly sad to watch unravel throughout the story I felt bad watching the way Dutch treated her in Camp and her inevitable drunken betrayal didn't even bother me that much because it felt Justified or maybe not justified but I understood where she was coming from and the fact that it's later revealed by agent Milton that she didn't actually snitch makes her death all the more more depressing she had it all in Ireland and didn't realize it Chasing The Phantom of an age that no longer existed dying just like the wild west itself her story is tragic and I have a lot of empathy for her coming from sheltered aristocracy she probably didn't know any better her life as a noble woman in Victorian era Europe must have felt like prison it's no wonder she fell victim to the Allure of Freedom Dutch and the promise of America fed to her even if she did actually snitch and Milton was just bsing she's nowhere near as scummy as a rat like Micah she's just a kid really [Music] Josiah turlani is just a lot of fun he's a magician and a con man so he's very eccentric he isn't tied down to the gang being the only member to freely come and go as he pleases but every time he does appear in the story it's a treat he's a free spirit and you can tell he's genuinely happy with his lot in life there's probably a correlation between his happiness and his lack of commitment to the gang and to Dutch seems following Dutch isn't the key to Freedom after all anyways trelawny's just pure fun it's entertaining to watch career con men like him and Hosea work their magic and yeah he's also a supernatural entity functioning as a physical manifestation of death's inevitable and final judgment no I'm just kidding [Music] Bill Williamson is an incredibly sad case his father drank so much that his brain rotted into mush and he died and then carrying on after his father's death its clear Bill also has PTSD left from his time in the Army he never got the love and support that he needed as a child and now he's completely lost he's been lost for decades at Camp Bill recounts how he had hit his Rock Bottom before he met Dutch and that Dutch saved him from his downward spiral into degeneracy so while he may not be the smartest he's undoubtedly loyal sticking with Dutch until the very end I think bill has good intentions I don't think he's seeking to manipulate or control anyone he just wants somebody to care about him and to give him purpose it's sad to see Bill's thought process be so childlike and stunted being laughed at and mocked by everyone in the gang you can see he's going down the same dark path as his father when it comes to the bottle and with his only sense of purpose being the gang now that that's unraveling it's easy to see how someone of Bill's mental faculties ends where he does in Red Dead 1. foreign he gives some of the most bro Vibes out of anyone in the camp whether it's strumming the guitar and singing campfire songs or nights drinking out with the boys Javier is always down to unwind and have a good time make no mistake however Javier may be chill but he is deadly cross him and you won't know what hit you it sucks to see him side with Dutch in the end but like Bill once you know their backstory it's understandable as to why they think so highly of Dutch this found family meant everything to them and while he does stand with Dutch and Micah in the final standoff he points his gun in the air as opposed to aiming it at Arthur even by the end of the game Javier still seems to have mostly held it together which is why like Bill it's sad to see him become the shell of a man he once was by the events of Red Dead 1. finally Javier has my favorite style out of anyone in the gang his fits are always drippy as hell whether he's going for more traditional ponchos and sombreros or a contemporary suit jacket and bowler hat he wears it all he looks great well I know that by the time Jack grew into an angsty tween in the epilogue many fans got annoyed with him but since I'm ranking the gang members I'll focus on his toddler version throughout the main story when the gang's still together with that being said I think little Jack is adorable he's too pure for this world and to be stuck in such unfortunate circumstances it's very sweet seeing all the gang members look out for Jack and that they let him have fun and be a kid it's nice watching is a strange relationship with John evolve from Jon not even acknowledging Jack as his son to the two playing and sword fighting with sticks of course there's also the fan favorite mission where you take Jack fishing it's the purest thing ever how guilty he feels after losing his mom's sewing thimble and when he makes her a flower necklace as an apology it's just oh it's so cute knowing where his story winds up in Red Dead 1 makes it all the sadder seeing his wide-eyed kid with dreams and so much potential I really love that these two games have a character we watch grow from boy to man and that we get to spend so much time with at different points in his life [Music] our next slide is taken by another Marston family member Abigail Roberts Abigail functions as a sort of straight man to the gang's Antics and to all of John's [ __ ] she's a voice of reason she can be incredibly kind and caring but also Stern responsible and No Nonsense I was definitely on her side during the first half of the game John needed to get his [ __ ] together she wants what's best for Jack and while Jon doesn't realize it she wants what's best for him too while I do wish there was a bit more to her character aside from just being Jack's mom sometimes she feels more like an accessory to John's story because I can't really think of many traits of hers outside of the relationship with John and Jack but that's also part of the reality that comes with being a mother it overtakes your life especially when you're already struggling to get by before you have a kid so I have so much respect for her not giving up Jon or Jack when I'm sure her life would have been easier off for it and I'm happy she got to live her quiet normal life with her family in the end even if it wouldn't last forever man in me will do Miss Grimshaw is a [ __ ] G she was one of the original members and you can see why she's lasted throughout all these years she's tough as nails and smart as a whip she takes No Nonsense and does everything to actually maintain the camp and keep everyone alive while Dutch is off reading and philosophizing and getting people killed his Grimshaw is a real one who stuck with us to the end and it was sad to see her get killed so unceremoniously regardless she is the vanderland gang just as much as Dutch or Hosea are she's also a mother figure to Arthur and many of the women throughout the camp and while it's definitely through tough tough tough love you know she actually cares about these girls and wants more than anything for them to be greater and move on past the gang someday [Music] ah good old Uncle what can I say he's a comic relief character there to crack wise get drunk and slack off and you know what more power to him I would hate not having him around hanging around Camp wouldn't be the same and the entire epilogue feels so off it's pretty meta to have your silly lovable Uncle character just called Uncle but hey he fits the role well he can strike up a conversation with anyone or at least he'll try to it was funny to watch him attempt small talk with Charles in the epilogue their Dynamic is hilarious Charles have I ever lied to you I hardly know you exactly I'm not sure why but I have a soft spot for Sean maybe I'm like Arthur in that sense on the surface he's Brash and irritating but he's not a bad guy in fact he's got a lot of heart heart and good old Irish spirit I love his accent and I think it makes all his quips and [ __ ] talking even funnier and more on brand his romance with Karen is also really sweet his Glee after his first kiss with her is so relatable and it's very cute how she slaps him and then walks off blushing and giggling I love that it's a shame to see him go his death scene was perfectly set up though with the game guiding your attention to the conversation assuming it will unfold to a natural conclusion and then the shooting will start and it'll be this big dramatic thing but just having it so sudden and matter-of-factly just interrupted with Sean's skull being blasted all over the street it felt super disturbing and raw and real foreign [Music] Lenny makes me so sad man he was only 19. 19. this kid was going places he was so smart his scenes challenging Dutch on literature are great it's nice to see someone finally call him out on his [ __ ] he was also just a great kid very honest and hard-working the saloon Mission with him is a classic at this point and his death in sandany liked Sean feels so sudden real and anticlimactic almost it's like after hosea's big Telegraph death scene for Lenny to be gunned down so suddenly an unceremoniously is really upsetting and man he was still a teenager and now he's gone from the world for good sucks thank you finally we have reached Micah we all love to hate Micah he's an irritating conniving mangy rabid flea bit and rat he's scum he's the lowest of the low worst of the worst he acts as a cancer to the vanderland gang in his manipulation of Dutch was the ultimate devil on his shoulder bringing the gang's downfall he's like a vulture who thrives in the wake of chaos picking at scraps and stabbing the backs of those who rode alongside him but even apart from the obvious snitching to the law or pinkerton's I guess they're technically not the law everything about his character is just the worst in a group full of wildly accepting and Progressive folks for the turn of the century you can always count on go to omica to remind us what year it is with his casual racism and sexual harassment literally no one in the gang besides Dutch likes him actually there's a few moments where Javier seems to be softening up towards Micah which is foreshadowing Javier's true nature I guess um Micah isn't anything complicated he doesn't see a huge transformation over the story doesn't go on some long Arc he starts and ends Red Dead Redemption 2 a piece of [ __ ] villains don't always need to be morally gray like Dutch to be interesting sometimes a story benefits from having a joker or an Emperor Palpatine or a mica that we can unambiguously hate Hosea Matthews is an interesting one generally he's seen as the voice of reason and a paternal figure to the gang and it's easy to say the Fallout would have gone a lot different had he still been around and sure it would have been a lot different but I don't know if he is this Saving Grace of the gang many fans make him out to be while not expressing it on the surface years of the outlaw lifestyle have deluded hosea's judgment just as it has Dutch while there are plenty of times where he had to keep Dutch in check he also had his moments of showing just as great nego and lack of judgment look at the whole gray and Braithwaite situation Hosea severely overestimated his abilities there he thought he was playing both sides like a fiddle and he ended up making a total fool out of himself when it all came crashing and burning literally bro you were not cooking leave the cooking for Catherine Braithwaite same goes for the Sand Dune bank robbery where even Dutch was having his doubts and Hosea pushed for it look where that got him Hosea isn't as egoanical or eccentric as Dutch so he seems to have it all together a lot more than he actually does or probably does the truth is Hosea is tired he makes many comments throughout the first few chapters foreshadowing his death and he's seen the writing on the wall for what it is the vanderlund gang is done the Glory Days are done and all he can do now is be a role model for the younger gang members in the time he has left and like Miss Grimshaw hope for something better for them one day Hosea is a very kind soul and he shows some of the most empathy compassion and common sense of anyone in the gang and he's such a joy to be around a comforting father figure the advice he gives to members like Arthur John or Lenny is so sweet and is dynamic with Abigail is also very underrated uh Hosea is great and really held the gang together thank you bro I [ __ ] love Charles he is such a goat he keeps to himself and doesn't say much but beneath that hard shell is a great guy with a good heart he's tough strong Charles is a Survivor having lived a nomadic hunting lifestyle before joining the gang he's super deadly I love how without question he's always willing to ride or die for Arthur throughout the entire story even at the lowest points we could always count on Charles to have our back and it's really nice to see him finally unwind and come out of his shell in the epilogue building features hope drinking and singing and dancing with Uncle it's also cool to see him find a sense of purpose and Duty outside the gang in chapter 6 with the Wapiti when he changed his cut that's how you knew [ __ ] was getting serious in that mission where Charles rides with you to storm the oil field and rescue evil flies is just so chef's kiss it is awesome thank you Sadie is in the same ballpark as Charles they're not main characters but they're as close to the peak as you can get with the screen time that they do have Sadie's transition from helpless Widow to badass Bounty Hunter is awesome to watch play out She's Crafty smart and still Tethered to morality even after losing everything her brother's sister Dynamic with Arthur is really cute like Charles she was a comforting presence to have around Camp her eagerness to get out there and fight instead of staying around Camp to cook and clean was very admirable you can tell in her short time with the gang she gained the respect of many of the older members and by the epilogue Sadie is as seasoned and dangerous a gunslinger as John or Arthur was if they did go with the sequel route for RDR 3 telling the rest of Sadie's story might be the way to go I'd pay anything for his Sadie Charles buddy Style game like their own Butch Cassidy in the Sundance Kid but that's just wishful thinking personally Sadie's probably tied with Charles as my personal favorite gang member that like isn't a main character I think her story is one of the best foreign as a whole I might have a slight preference for over Arthur but since we're just looking at Red Dead Redemption 2 for this video I have him at three which hey is still Peak Jon is amazing in this game which is apparently an unpopular opinion I don't know the backlash towards Jon's characterization in Red Dead 2 reminds me of that to Luke in The Last Jedi that being that fans tend to put these characters on a Podium of Mythic and legendary proportions expecting them to be perfectly stoic and badass and perfect and having all their [ __ ] together or at the very least being the same as the last time we saw them and that's super boring in my opinion getting to see Jon be such an irresponsible deadbeat piece of [ __ ] and grow into a caring and nurturing father and husband added a lot to his character and by extension to Abigail and Jack as well he's also got my favorite Dynamic with Arthur out of any of the other Camp members having both been raised by Dutch the two are essentially Brothers they are you in butt heads but not without deep love and care for one another they start off on bad terms in the game Arthur resents Jon for abandoning the gang but we watch their relationship grow to a point of Arthur forgiving him and saving Jon so he can leave to be with his family in the epilogue John's appreciation for Arthur's actions is so sweet and to get this whole extra chapter tying the events of the first game to the second and diving into John figuring out how to transition from The Outlaw to a quiet life makes for a fun conflict that is just as emotionally impactful but not as violently high stakes as thieving and killing this is the start of Jon's Redemption for his sins and it's poetic that it's kicked off by Arthur redeeming his thank you Dutch vanderlin is the charismatic leader in namesake of the notorious vanderlin gang every member of the Gang has a story about how they met Dutch but throughout all these stories you hear in cut scenes or at campfires one theme remains Dutch saves Dutch saves and Dutch will lead you Dutch will guide you this isn't just a gang it's a cult of personality as agent Milton describes it Dutch is the Messiah of all these lost souls he's utterly captivating anytime he's on screen whether it's a close-up capturing all the beautiful intricacies of Rockstar's motion capture and Benjamin Byron Davis's commanding performance or Dutch's looming presence throughout the camp spouting philosophy like he is some sort of Messiah it would not be controversial to call Dutch a narcissist I don't think he was always malicious though during the earlier years with Hosea and Miss Grimshaw taking an Arthur and John meeting other broken people along the way giving them purpose I think Dutch genuinely had good in his heart he was an idealist long in search of a lawless utopian dream he believed was promised to him by America and he honestly truly in his heart believed he could help those people too it isn't until the killing and dying all started catching up with his mental state until the dream faded away and civilization and law encroached on the west people he loved dropping left and right that devils like Micah swoop in and breed chaos Duchess downward spiral into total darkness is so masterfully executed by the writers at rockstar I feel there's not much more I can contribute to the conversation that hasn't been said before and of course that same goes for number one which you know never made I'm afraid there is nothing to be afraid of Mr Morgan take a gamble that love exists and do a loving that I can't even begin to describe the power of Arthur as a character and the profound impact his stories has had on me I don't even know where to begin and if I did get started I wouldn't have time for it in this video so I will dedicate an entire video to analyzing and appreciating Arthur's character at some point because I can't even begin to do it justice here I'll just say this Rockstar Games and Roger Clark created a character so real so honest so alive that it permanently altered how my brain will consume art forever like the amount of time we spend with him and the unique experience to gaming of living through a dying man only scratched the surface of why this character is so powerful and I can't wait to dive into Arthur Moore in another video but for now rest easy knowing that of course he'd be at the top of the list [Music] Good Fortune to church lay out astray all from your command that's the way that's the way it is that's the way it is the northern sky Trust anything

Channel: Henry Films

Views: 309,705

Keywords:

Id: d0ZVoxC3rjA

Length: 24min 43sec (1483 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 19 2023