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Kaidan and Garrus: The Love Interest and the Bro

I had a chance last night to sit and really think about how I feel about the two potential LIs, and thought I'd sort of make a post about how I felt about each of them, perhaps in the hopes that others feel similarly, but also as an alternative view for people who might feel oppositely. Please keep in mind I love both of these guys. I'm not trolling or picking on one or another; I'm simply making observations here and trying to sort my thoughts.

Now maybe this sounds like heresy to some, but to me Garrus never felt like he always liked you "that way." This feeling only seems to start up once you suggest it in ME2. To be sure, he always respected you and liked you as a colleague/friend/commander, but I never really sensed an underlying attraction until all the suggestive dialogue starts in the middle of the second game. There's something that's less-than-satisfying to me when I feel like I'm trying to convince someone to like me. His speech about not wanting to lose important people during his romance scene in ME2 is very poignant and sweet, but it can also easily apply to someone he cares for as a very close friend... I didn't get the sense that they pushed the romantic angle far enough for me, although I appreciated his hilarious attempts at flirtation. Perhaps this distanced feel is why his much more physical moves in ME3 feel sort of jarring to me; they always came off as forced. Perhaps it was the dialogue or the timing or something, but I was never sold on the mutual attraction/chemistry. I also thought it was a bit odd to add the turian/baby comment, which seemed a little weird to say right before a battle. To be frank, I wouldn't really want to hear any kind of baby-talk right before something like that, from any of them... it seems misplaced. But a lot of what he said that I did connect with were ironically lines that also play if you are just friends with him, like about meeting at the bar, which end up sort of cementing the feeling that we seem to serve best as close companions, but not necessarily more.

I would've liked to have seen a more graduated set of scenes showing his increasingly romantic manuevers, not just jumping right into the dip-you-down and snog you date shot. I suppose this really applies to almost ALL the romances in the game, though... more time with them would've really helped sell their feelings for Shepard, minus Liara who had way too much screen time with you even when she isn't a romance interest.

But getting back to Garrus' love vibe... I just wasn't getting enough of it. Part of me was afraid it was perhaps more of a "I respect this person so much, so why not?" thing rather than something else rooted in emotions. Kaidan, on the other hand, clearly has a thing for you before you even try to suggest anything, as is clear from the scene when he inadvertently calls you beautiful during the first time on the Citadel in ME1. While he shares Garrus' deep level of respect for Shepard, it's obvious his feelings go above and beyond simple hero worship as the plot progresses. What's interesting is that he often restrains himself and pushes that out of Shepard's view, whether it's to be professional or not distract her from important things. Garrus is similar in his approach (once he actually starts liking you that way) but there's something very touching about a guy who has always silently loved someone from afar, but doesn't wish to impose himself.

What also left an impression on me is how Kaidan isn't afraid to lay his feelings bare when he thinks it's important, whether that's a good or a bad thing. Garrus in general refrains from doing so, often coming off as quite a cool character because of it, but it's because of that aloof attitude that I didn't feel that he and Shepard had the kind of intimate connection Kaidan and Shepard had. By the time Garrus actually starts opening up emotionally, it's too close to the end of game and too late for me to really bond with him.

One thing about Kaidan that's unusual, however, is his reaction to getting dumped during his Citadel date depending on whether Shepard is male or female. There's something about how prickly Kaidan gets when FemShep dumps him that makes me wonder if Kaidan felt more passionately about her, or at the very least thought he had better chances with her than with MaleShep? For MaleShep, he resigns himself to the decision, doesn't fight it, as if there was some part of him that sort of knew it would never work despite his feelings for Shepard, and there's something in his tone that's quite tragic and unrequited.

Ultimately, I think a lot of how I feel comes down to their voices. Kaidan's voice is just dripping with emotional content. When his voice cracks or he has to take a breath to regain his composure, I really feel for him. I wish Garrus' voice shared some of that in his more intimate conversations; think about it, Garrus always sounds cool as a cucumber... imagine what that would mean if his voice cracked with emotion when saying something to Shepard, indicating she's seeing through his tough exterior to something vulnerable underneath? I just wanted a little more depth in his voice deliveries. :\

Overall though, I love both of these guys. Unless I'm forced by the game to drag Liara/Edi/etc along, these two will always be my main squadmates, and I take them everywhere. They complement each other so well... and really, who wouldn't want their back covered by the love of their life and their best bro?

#kaidan #garrus #mass effect 3 #Kaidan Alenko #Garrus Vakarian #romance