Melissa Hutchison + Clementine
Melissa Hutchison
October 24, 1975
Voices Clementine in Telltale's The Walking Dead
Hutchison has been a voice actress since 2002, starting with She, the Ultimate Weapon where she voiced the character Chise for the English version of the show. Her first video game came shortly after, Superman: The Man of Steel, and her video game voice acting career kicked off from there. But her fame truly rose when she became the voice for Clementine in Telltale's The Walking Dead (based on the comics by the same name and not to be confused with the television series).
The Walking Dead is a survival adventure game that is separated into episodes and seasons. In season one, the game follows protagonist Lee Everett who is a university professor who has just been arrested for murder. He is handcuffed in the back of a police car when the officer swerves off the rode to avoid running over a deranged person. Lee wakes up to find himself still stuck inside the upside vehicle. The officer was killed on impact, so Lee makes his escape and is stunned when the officer comes back to life and tries attacking him. Lee manages to kill him and get his handcuffs off, and he realizes there are more dead people walking about. He reaches a relatively empty home and tries figuring out what is going on.
Enter Clementine, the little girl hiding in the tree house outside. She speaks to Lee through a walkie-talkie. Lee spots her outside and waves at her, and she warns him about the zombie sneaking up from behind him. Lee is pinned down when Clementine comes up, holding a hammer which she is too afraid to use herself. Lee takes it from her and smashes the zombie's head. She then explains to Lee that she was with her babysitter, Sandra (the zombie who just attacked Lee), while her parents were out of town. She isn't sure if her parents are safe or alive. Lee decides to look after her. They set out together in hopes of finding safety elsewhere.
They encounter various people together throughout season one, including different women who stand out from one another. Lilly (played by Nicki Rapp) in particular is quite outspoken and brash, and often argues with everyone in the group when they start trying to play by their own rules. Of course, Lilly is immediately the character everyone wants to hate, including myself, because of her brutal honesty. But, in all honesty, her tactics and personality are useful in a world that is taken over by zombies. No one can survive in a world if they allow their emotions to constantly get in the way. Nonetheless, she is just one example of the many colorful women characters in this game's universe who can either be left behind or forgiven when she kills another member of the survival group. Clementine reacts differently to each choice. She is merely eight-years-old and would rather not see anyone left behind.
Season one essentially revolves around the growing bond between Lee and Clementine. Lee still hasn't forgiven himself for murdering the man he caught his wife cheating with, but Clementine helps him hold onto hope that things will turn out okay. He teaches Clementine how to shoot a gun and to always keep her hair short so that no zombies (or "walkers" as they call them) or humans can grab her easily. Along the way, Clementine obtains a walkie again where a voice begins speaking to her through it. She confides in this person about her parents, and the man assures her that her parents are alive and once she arrives in Savannah (where her parents had gone before the world went to shit) that she will be reunited with them. Thus, the moment she and the group arrive, she slips away and meets the man in a hotel. While looking for clues as to where she could have gone, Lee is bitten on his forearm, leading the player to either cut his arm off or leave it. Unfortunately, neither choice really matters, because the infection has already spread by the time the decision comes about (if only the group would have thought about that sooner!).
On the bright side, kind of, Lee does find the man keeping Clementine hostage. The stranger is killed, and Lee and Clementine make their way out of the hotel. They get through the herd of walkers by covering themselves in guts. Clementine sees her parents among the walkers just as Lee passes out from the infection. She drags his body into a building where they share their final moments. Clementine can either leave Lee to turn or shoot him in the head. Choosing to put Lee out of his misery has the biggest impact, which shows in the following three seasons.
The season ends with Clementine wandering out onto a field alone. She sits on a log, then looks up, spotting two figures in the distance. The player can assume these are two of the surviving group members, Christa and Omid.
Season two reveals that the two figures were indeed the couple. Christa revealed she was pregnant in the last episode of season one, and she's far along by the time the events pick back up. Clementine witnesses yet another death when Omid rescues her from a bandit. Christa is severely depressed by this, losing her baby and showing resentment toward Clementine. These two are eventually separated during an ambush, leaving Clementine alone once again.
This time, Clementine encounters a dog who is friendly at first, but like all creatures in that world, it is starving. When Clementine finds a can of beans, she shares with the dog, but gets upset when the dog tries eating it all. She scolds it, and the dog bites her harshly on the forearm. Desperate, she ventures out, eventually finding a cabin inhabited by a survivor group. She sticks with this group throughout season 2, losing all of them along the way except for the baby who was born which she names Alvin Jr. She is ultimately left to care for him on her own until she finds another seemingly safe haven protected by fences and guards. The fascinating thing about season 2 is how we got to see Clementine grow up and learn to be even less afraid of killing and of walkers. But what isn't often mentioned is the fact that Hutchinson had to readjust her Clementine voice to make her sound older, and she makes these adjustments again for season 3 and 4. That kind of talent deserves immense applause, because it sounds so natural like the way a girl's voice would change as she grew older- nothing too drastic.
Season 3 switches to a different family entirely- the Garcia family. It shows their experiences from the start of the apocalypse and how most of them managed surviving. We are then taken to present time where we are in Javier's pov. We see that he is with his brother's wife, Kate, and his brother's kids, Gabe and Mariana. They eventually come across a town where they just so happen to meet Clementine. We learn that Clementine is searching for where they took Alvin Jr (aka A.J.). She agrees to team up with Javi, figuring they could help each other out. Although we aren’t in her head anymore, we still get to witness just how much stronger she’s gotten and how grown up she is. She still bears in mind the things Lee taught her (such as keeping her hair short). She even gets her first period in this game, and I’m immensely glad they didn’t skim over that detail. That is one thing that drives me insane about these type of games and stories. Just because the world ended means no woman gets their cycle anymore? Come on now.
And Hutchinson deserves the credit for making Clementine so amazing.
They encounter various people together throughout season one, including different women who stand out from one another. Lilly (played by Nicki Rapp) in particular is quite outspoken and brash, and often argues with everyone in the group when they start trying to play by their own rules. Of course, Lilly is immediately the character everyone wants to hate, including myself, because of her brutal honesty. But, in all honesty, her tactics and personality are useful in a world that is taken over by zombies. No one can survive in a world if they allow their emotions to constantly get in the way. Nonetheless, she is just one example of the many colorful women characters in this game's universe who can either be left behind or forgiven when she kills another member of the survival group. Clementine reacts differently to each choice. She is merely eight-years-old and would rather not see anyone left behind.
Season one essentially revolves around the growing bond between Lee and Clementine. Lee still hasn't forgiven himself for murdering the man he caught his wife cheating with, but Clementine helps him hold onto hope that things will turn out okay. He teaches Clementine how to shoot a gun and to always keep her hair short so that no zombies (or "walkers" as they call them) or humans can grab her easily. Along the way, Clementine obtains a walkie again where a voice begins speaking to her through it. She confides in this person about her parents, and the man assures her that her parents are alive and once she arrives in Savannah (where her parents had gone before the world went to shit) that she will be reunited with them. Thus, the moment she and the group arrive, she slips away and meets the man in a hotel. While looking for clues as to where she could have gone, Lee is bitten on his forearm, leading the player to either cut his arm off or leave it. Unfortunately, neither choice really matters, because the infection has already spread by the time the decision comes about (if only the group would have thought about that sooner!).
On the bright side, kind of, Lee does find the man keeping Clementine hostage. The stranger is killed, and Lee and Clementine make their way out of the hotel. They get through the herd of walkers by covering themselves in guts. Clementine sees her parents among the walkers just as Lee passes out from the infection. She drags his body into a building where they share their final moments. Clementine can either leave Lee to turn or shoot him in the head. Choosing to put Lee out of his misery has the biggest impact, which shows in the following three seasons.
The season ends with Clementine wandering out onto a field alone. She sits on a log, then looks up, spotting two figures in the distance. The player can assume these are two of the surviving group members, Christa and Omid.
Season two reveals that the two figures were indeed the couple. Christa revealed she was pregnant in the last episode of season one, and she's far along by the time the events pick back up. Clementine witnesses yet another death when Omid rescues her from a bandit. Christa is severely depressed by this, losing her baby and showing resentment toward Clementine. These two are eventually separated during an ambush, leaving Clementine alone once again.
This time, Clementine encounters a dog who is friendly at first, but like all creatures in that world, it is starving. When Clementine finds a can of beans, she shares with the dog, but gets upset when the dog tries eating it all. She scolds it, and the dog bites her harshly on the forearm. Desperate, she ventures out, eventually finding a cabin inhabited by a survivor group. She sticks with this group throughout season 2, losing all of them along the way except for the baby who was born which she names Alvin Jr. She is ultimately left to care for him on her own until she finds another seemingly safe haven protected by fences and guards. The fascinating thing about season 2 is how we got to see Clementine grow up and learn to be even less afraid of killing and of walkers. But what isn't often mentioned is the fact that Hutchinson had to readjust her Clementine voice to make her sound older, and she makes these adjustments again for season 3 and 4. That kind of talent deserves immense applause, because it sounds so natural like the way a girl's voice would change as she grew older- nothing too drastic.
Season 3 switches to a different family entirely- the Garcia family. It shows their experiences from the start of the apocalypse and how most of them managed surviving. We are then taken to present time where we are in Javier's pov. We see that he is with his brother's wife, Kate, and his brother's kids, Gabe and Mariana. They eventually come across a town where they just so happen to meet Clementine. We learn that Clementine is searching for where they took Alvin Jr (aka A.J.). She agrees to team up with Javi, figuring they could help each other out. Although we aren’t in her head anymore, we still get to witness just how much stronger she’s gotten and how grown up she is. She still bears in mind the things Lee taught her (such as keeping her hair short). She even gets her first period in this game, and I’m immensely glad they didn’t skim over that detail. That is one thing that drives me insane about these type of games and stories. Just because the world ended means no woman gets their cycle anymore? Come on now.
Unsurprisingly, Javi feels awkward having to assist her with that, but he does find her pads and tampons and assures her how natural it is to bleed and have cramps. She feels better because of his efforts, and I think that’s sweet that although Javi felt weird, he did his best nonetheless. Clementine does have evident feelings for Gabe who is her age, and they do share a kiss. I remember watching people play through this season on YouTube and how they all complained about the developers giving Clem a love interest.
“She doesn’t need one!” They all screamed.
True, she doesn’t. But we have to remember she’s about 14 now. She’s still a teenager. Cut her some slack. However, I wasn’t a fan of Gabe. Not because of his romance with her, but because of his blatant disrespect toward his stepmom and uncle. He did have to witness his sister get shot in the head, though, and it took him years to finally reunite with his short-tempered father, so maybe I can’t blame him too much. Either way, I appreciated the game devs making Clem feel like a real teenager who could still kick ass.
By the end of season 3, we are either left with Kate or Gabe (depending on your choices) with Javi. No matter what, though, Clem leaves after asking Javi to cut her hair. She is still searching for A.J. after all. She now knows that he’s at a farm and has been given directions. The game ends with a short cutscene of her making her way to the farm.
Season 4 is still not completed yet, but we have three episodes so far and are waiting on the fourth and final one. This is the last season in the series, so I was thrilled to return to Clem’s POV. She’s 17 now and is with 4-5 year old A.J. They have long since left the farm and are surviving out on their own. AJ is astonishingly mature for his age, though it’s evident he’s picked up on a lot of Clem’s survival instincts. He thinks of her as his mother almost despite knowing that she isn’t. So, in this season, we get to experience Clem acting as a mother figure to a child, making all her choices based on what’s best for him. This parallels Lee with her in season 1. The cover art for this season also parallels season 1’s! Clem has now fully stepped into Lee’s shoes whilst meeting a new group of surviving teens who were left behind at a boarding school. They are being hassled by raiders led by Lilly. Yes, remember her? She survived all these years as a raider and does show affection toward Clem, but with Clem’s determination to save the school, they become enemies.
This game also gives the player the choice to give Clem a romance again, with either the mysterious and hardened Violet, or the music-loving Jokester Louis. I appreciate the series did including so much diversity. We get a woman of color as our protagonist who is confirmed to be bisexual. I think Clem is a real inspiration for how great female characters can be done. She’s learned to fight back, learned how to survive even the most impossible situations, and remains herself at heart. She isn’t heartless or cruel unless you make her that way with your dialogue choices. But if you don’t, she can be a kind soul who can easily protect those she cares about.
Clementine is a true hero in video games. From an 8-year-old terrified of leaving her treehouse to a 17-year-old warrior leading her own group and fighting to end a war that has gone on far too long. She has survived 9 years in this world, and if you think about it, she’s mostly done so alone or with a young child. Not many could accomplish what she has. It may just be a video game, but it’s important for others to see a powerful WOC front and center in such a well-respected and beloved series.
And Hutchinson deserves the credit for making Clementine so amazing.
