Jinn I went back to re-read our past exchange about Osborne. My views haven't really changed on the matter, although now that a few months have passed and my thoughts have settled, I believe I can pinpoint the source of my frustration: the character is simply underwritten for how complex he's meant to be, and his appearances in CS4 were too quick and rushed. I understand that with how many characters the game ended up featuring, it'd be nigh impossible to give everyone extensive screen time, but I believe Osborne needed way more exposition. I need a deeper understanding of his history, motives and interaction with the evil entity.
I'd also like to know your thoughts regarding Rean/Osborne's relationship.
In CS2 Rean spends most of the game telling and showing how much he appreciates his adoptive father, Baron Schwarzer. That relationship is completely eclipsed by sudden love and admiration for Osborne in CS4 (which culminates in the finale). Throughout CS3 and especially at the end, Rean's hate for Osborne seems unsurpassable, so the 180 he does in CS4 seems absolutely bonkers, even when you take into account him finally understanding Osborne's story.
PS. Oh, just an interesting completely unrelated tidbit that hadn't crossed my mind before: the reason George insisted on being called 'Georg' while he was 'evil'. Georg was the name of the Ouroboros Professor in the TitS series, but what's the association with George? Hmmmm...
Oh, and this might lead me down yet another rabbit-hole of a rant regarding the Ouroboros masks and some of those specific characters' development (Angelica, George, Crow). What the hell was that all about? Calling it cheesy would be doing it a service. I don't know if you have any different thoughts on the matter.
