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When it comes to heartbreaking moments in Mass Effect, the number one spot will always belong to the exit of Dr. Mordin Solus. But in second place is Garrus and Shepard’s promise to each other before heading to war against the Reapers, a scene so poignant, it almost made Jennifer Hale break down.
She recalls doing the scene for the Behind the Voice podcast, mentioning that it's the time during her tenure voicing the female Commander Shepard where the emotions started catching up to her. "The goodbye scene with Garrus kicked me hard," she says.
"90% of the work – maybe 85% now – is cold reading. I've never seen a line until I say it," she continues. "That scene with Garrus took me by surprise. I saw it, and I was like, 'Oh – oh…' And as I was doing it, I was starting to break, I was starting to cry, and I was like, 'No, no, no!'"
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In her words, "Shepard doesn't cry," and she took a moment to re-center herself before restarting the scene. The exchange in question is deeply impactful, with two soldiers who've been through hell and back realizing this might be the final time they get to square up together.
As is typical of both, there are no tears, only a solemn vow to find each other afterwards for an alcoholic beverage or three when all is said and done. Garrus breaks rank to order Shepard to give the Reapers hell, something they absolutely take to heart. It's poetic and heartrending, and given the lump in my throat revisiting it on the back of this piece, I can only imagine what it was like in the booth for Hale.
After three glorious games performing as Shepard, Hale's been emphatic about returning to the role in Mass Effect 5, if BioWare will have her. If the series does bring back the commander, maybe Garrus can make an appearance, and they can go for that drink. Hey, we can dream, right?
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