Hello fellow "Catherine" fans and happy holidays!
I've just heard the news for an updated version of the game and am personally excited for the potential prospects it could bring, but there is one thing that came up when reading the reviews of other fan's feelings towards a new character in regards to a topic I had first wondered about when the original game we all love and are familiar with came out that I feel was never really discussed by anyone- Was Katherine McBride becoming emotionally abusive towards Vincent?
I know that this might strike a chord with some people for several reasons, mainly that abusive relationships, both physical and emotional, are a real thing. I myself have known many people in my area whom have been victims of both types of negative relationships, and come from a family where one of my parents when drinking was very violent towards the other- so please understand that because of that experience and understanding of how bad that sort of thing can be in real life, and as a former psychology major in college, I am choosing to view this little-talked over theory as a third party. while I don't personally condone cheating in any way shape or form, even if at the end of the day "Catherine" is just a game, it would seem logical to believe that this viewpoint would explain why Vincent did indeed spend time with the second Catherine and even has the option of choosing her if he follows her route.
I personally have always had mixed feelings towards Katherine McBride as a character because, while she certainly has the personality of being an independant woman, which as an independant woman and a female gamer I can appreciate as more thought is given into female character personalities in games such as this, there were things in her actions and words to her partner the game developer's chose that always bugged me when this thought crossed my mind as someone studying the dynamics from a social/psychological viewpoint. You can be "Intelligent, assertive, dominant, and even goal oriented" without being abusive or negative to anyone. It's even acknowledged she is likely the more dominant partner in their relationship both in her official character profile and in-game by how Vincent pulls into himself at times when speaking with her.
It is stated in the beginning of the game and in their character profiles that Vincent and Katherine have been in a relationship for five years-perhaps longer if you take into account they knew each other when they were younger. It's not uncommon for couples whom have been together this long to live apart from each other, granted, but it's also more uncommon for them not to be. Could living seperately from his girlfriend be one way Vincent was trying to put up a wall of defense of some type?
It has been pointed out by other fans that she does try to control the relationship by taking full control of both their finances without truly hearing if Vincent is okay with this action, and while the way she tells him to lay off smoking and going out is understandable toa point, the way she does it in-game can also come off again as controlling to her partner in that she is not trying to compromise or ask to be heard first, but giving an order to him. since they are not living together officially, this seems very off to me and was one of the first clues I felt leaned towards the possibility theirs was not an entirely healthy relationship, and from the standpoint of an individual whom speaks when she wants a simple answer, I feel that if Katherine were completely as straight-forward a character as they make her out to be, she would catch on that her partner was unhappy and would have brought up the question more directly if there was a problem before making such decisions and playing games with him, which shows she has a selfish side to her personality, rather than purely ambitious towards the things that happen in both her career and personal lives.
One of the major arguments from "Catherine" fans when the original game came out and seems to be rearing up again now is how Erica began suffering from the nightmares due to not coming forward about her transexuality to Toby, a frequent bar-goer of the Stray Sheep, until the very end of the "Katherine True Ending" in the Wedding scene, because she could not provide children despite it not being acknowledged that they were a couple, despite Erica getting obvious amusement out of Toby's puppy-love for Erica, she never acknowledges Toby as a love-interest until the end of that one ending. Could it be said that Katherine's manipulation of her relationship with Vincent could be a new plotpoint that could land her in the same boat as being the second woman to have the potential of falling to the "Curses Wrath" and ending up in the nightmares as well because, while she is able to have children, her actions pushed the man she was with away?
While she eventually comes forward about her actions, it is only after she has made those attempts that she acknowledges the actions she chose were not ideal for a healthy relationship, which seems to clash with the personality of this character being honest and upfront.What I wonder and why I bring this up is if the game developers are going through with a reboot, should they perhaps include a new scene and dialogue where Vincent stands up to this and says; "If we are going to work things out, this needs to change. There needs to be more listening and compromise." (assuming Katherine is chosen) or should there be some scenario besides how he felt he was "following the herd" about how he felt trapped in that relationship itself because the two had these barriers between them? What are your thoughts on this?