As usual, my commentary is in italics, except for dialogue.
Last time, the doctors warped into the middle of a road with fields on the sides through a dead rabbit.
They look around briefly, then talk.
Dr. Rosalene: Poor thing. What's with all the roadkills today?
Dr. Watts: Don't you look at me like that.
- Rosalene turns towards Watts, then to the rabbit.
Dr. Rosalene: Smells like a farm.
Dr. Watts: And roadkill.
- Watts turns away from Rosalene.
Dr. Watts: Deactivate the scent simulator or get away from here already.
You might be wondering if the doctors forgot to say something about the rabbit here having little to no relation with the rabbit killed during the wedding. In fact the rabbit memento is given almost no attention from this point onward, even though it's clearly an absurd connection. You might be thinking that perhaps it has some significance in this memory, but as it will soon become apparent, it is of little if any relevance.
Furthermore, this incident here pokes even more holes with the little stunt Watts had to pull to get a memento out of Johnny, back in the sixth entry. I mean, if the memento doesn't have to actually connect two memories meaningfully, why not make it any trivial thing? How about a random tree, or perhaps a plank of wood being a "memento"?
The two doctors continue down the road, trucks and buses passing harmlessly through them. They eventually spot a blue horse parked in the upper field, and move towards it, gaining a memory link in the process. Watts then comments on it.
Dr. Watts: Whooa...
- The horse neighs in response.
Dr. Rosalene:...Don't do it.
Dr. Watts: (turning to Rosalene and exclaiming) Don't do what?
Dr. Rosalene: You know what.
Dr. Watts: Don't not ride this horse?
- Rosalene is stunned at Neil's response.
Dr. Rosalene:...What're you, five years old?
Dr. Watts: (turning back to the horse and exclaiming) Okay! I won't not ride it!
- Watts proceeds to mount the horse. The horse neighs in response.
Dr. Watts: (exclaiming) HYAAA!
- The horse begins to trot off as Rosalene rushes towards it for a while.
Dr. Rosalene: Quit wasting time, Neil.
- The horse neighs at a distance, and Neil exclaims.
Dr. Watts: OH CRAP!!!
Dr. Rosalene:...That can't be good.
- The scene shifts to Watts, where we see the horse on a full fledged gallop now, with Watts stuck facing opposite to it on the saddle. Rosalene is left speechless at this sight.
Dr. Watts: (screaming) AHHHhh, DO SOMETHING!!
Dr. Watts: (screaming) DON'T JUST STAND THERE!! HELP MEeeeEEEeee....!!
Dr. Rosalene:...Damn it, this was not in the job description.
Not only is this yet another cheap slapstick scene, all that happens here is making Watts even more of a punching bag. We've progressed up to Johnny's pre marital life now, and this is where the doctors stand - still too absorbed in their petty squabbles to usefully deduce anything about their patient or his request.
Rosalene makes a note from this, then explores the farm a little, and runs into Johnny and River seated on horses. A silhouetted figure to their front is interactable, so she activates them, triggering some dialogue and a memory link.
Her note berates Watts, and gets rewritten by him when he rejoins. That's one of the few genuinely funny moments in this game, and also likely the only reason to visit the notes page.
John: Is that really a good idea?
Silhouetted Person: She should be OK. She's not new to this anymore.
John: (turning to face River) But she has never done it by herself before...
River: I'll be fine. I'm not a child.
- River's horse suddenly begins to gallop, and she shouts.
River: Ah-- ...! Ack!!!
- River's horse gallops away, John rushes towards her for a bit.
John: (shouting) RIVER--!!
- The horse is heard galloping away to the distance, and a few moments pass. Soon, it returns on screen, and Johnny turns towards it. River brings the horse to a halt in front of Johnny.
River: (excitedly) What's the matter? Let's go!
- River makes her horse gallop away again. Johnny follows at full speed this time.
Johnny: (excitedly) Hey, wait up!!
- Rosalene looks on at the horses galloping away.
Dr. Rosalene: (thinking) ...Huh, I wonder if Neil has got off that horse yet.
Dr. Watts: (screaming from off screen) EeeeVAAAAaa!
- Rosalene watches bemusedly as Watts' horse gallops on screen and then off, with Watts still stuck looking backwards.
Dr. Watts: (screaming from off screen) THIS IS ABOUT 19% MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE!!
Dr. Rosalene: What a moron...
- Bemused, Rosalene turns to the horse near the silhouetted person.
Dr. Rosalene: (thinking) ...Better go save his bum.
She then mounts the horse and rides into the fields herself. She gains three memory links by ramming River and someone else on a mount. Eventually, she rams Watts himself off his horse, causing him to fly all the way to the thatched shelter near the field's entrance. He finds a silk handbag, which is the memento to the next memory.
This whole sequence is bizarre. We end up doing little in terms of investigation, mostly just ramming people with an ethereal horse and unscrewing Watts out of a mess he got himself in. I also have to comment on how odd the memory links are - is simply touching the patient's relatives enough to make them now? At least the memento makes some sense this time.
The doctors prepare it, and warp to...
...a clinic, going by the doctor in the chair there. River and Johnny sit in front of him, perhaps waiting on the doctor for advice. The doctors warp in, and they speak.
John:...Is the diagnosis certain?
Dr. Lee: Yes, we've reached a consensus on the results.
- The scene shifts to the doctor looking at the couple.
Dr. Lee: Unfortunately, like many cases of pervasive developmental disorders, this is a rather late diagnosis.
Dr. Lee: Had you known when you were a child, Ms., it could've saved you a lot of trouble.
River: Do you have any books on it?
- The doctor places a book on the table.
Dr. Lee: This one is by Tony Attwood; he's one of the specialists on the subject.
- River gets up and walks towards the table as the doctor continues.
Dr. Lee: You can borrow it free of charge for now; just don't elope with it.
- The doctor pushes the book towards River, she takes it.
John: Thanks, doc.
- River goes back to the bench and begins to read.
Dr. Lee: Now... Are you two a couple?
River: Unmarried and without any other current legal affiliation.
Dr. Lee: Yes, I see.
Dr. Lee: Well, I could give you a referral to a specialized counselor, if you wish.
Dr. Lee: Is there anything unsettling in the relationship?
River: No.
Dr. Lee: And you, sir?
- Johnny turns towards the doctor, but is silent. A moment later, he replies.
John:...No, it's fine.
Dr. Lee: Nonetheless, sir, you should also give the book a read.
Dr. Lee: It'd help you understand her condition.
John: I'd... rather not.
Dr. Lee: Why is that?
- Several moments pass, but Johnny doesn't answer.
Dr. Lee:...Well, it's your call.
Dr. Lee: In the meantime, there is a thing called equine therapy that might help her.
Dr. Lee: A ranch just north of here offers it, I can contact them for you.
- The scene shifts back to the doctors, watching from the entrance to the office.
Dr. Rosalene: (turning towards Watts) Told you so.
This scene mostly just confirms that River had autism, Johnny had her diagnosed for it, and, as alluded to in the previous memory, had attempted equine therapy for a while. It's rather dreary and long winded for what it does, especially since it doesn't progress the plot in a meaningful manner. The only thing of interest in this scene is Johnny refusing to read a book on his fiance's condition, which could charitably perhaps be interpreted as an attempt to build his character, but mostly ends up just being mild foreshadowing for something which should've been revealed quite a bit earlier.
John: Excuse me, could you please silence the clock?
John: The ticking really bothers her.
River: It's not that severe. I'll be okay.
Unknown Person: No problem, it's standard policy.
Unknown Person: If there's anything at all that makes you uncomfortable, just let me know.
- The unknown person proceeds to stop the clock's ticking.
John: Thank you.
Rosalene: Huh, I guess that explains the ones in the house.
She makes a note of it, then the doctors gather their last memory link by interacting with Johnny again. He just reassures River that their appointment will be soon.
The memento for this scene is the formerly ticking clock. They prepare it and move to...
The clock is another nonsensical memento, it has pretty little to connect it to the clock back in the clinic, especially since this one doesn't tick and is in a room generally filled with people. Note also that contrary to most memories before River's death so far, this doesn't have River near or alongside him. The doctors will make much of this fact soon.
The doctors warp in, and Rosalene exclaims upon looking at Johnny.
Dr. Rosalene: Psst, look!
Dr. Watts: (exclaiming) I know! I can't believe he once paid to see this crap in theatre!
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) No, you idiot... Look, we leaped!
- Watts turns to look at Johnny himself.
Dr. Watts: (exclaiming) Holy overcooked macaroni, the kid's in the theatre all by himself! What a loser!
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) You go to the theatre by yourself all the time...
Dr. Watts:...That's different No one's competent enough to match my taste.
Dr. Watts: (exclaiming angrily) But that aside, how could anyone last through this rubbish?
- Rosalene is stumped by Neil's response. She turns to look at Johnny again. Johnny looks around for a bit, then leaves the hall.
Dr. Watts:...And thus, this movie sucks on both physical and metaphysical levels. Q.E.D.
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) C'mon, let's go.
Dr. Watts: (looking at Rosalene) What? Oh, right.
Watts being a giant douchebag, as is to be expected. I hope by now my problem with such scenes has been thoroughly established so I don't have to trot them out again every time they happen. I'm not sure whether I prefer the characters to be hollow over being characterized as incredibly unlikeable people, like here.
The doctors leave the hall and find Johnny moping outside. They get a memory link for this. While Johnny is interactable, trying to do so simply has Watts object to talking to him and Rosalene nudging him to look for mementos instead. This gets another memory link.
So is TRYING to interact with Johnny enough for memory links now? First touching his relatives, now just thinking of talking to him? What next, will the mere sight of him give memory links?
The doctors can then make the silhouetted people vanish. But this doesn't give anything. Watts complains about this, but Rosalene shrugs him off.
Not only is this a bizarre sequence, it's also wholly unnecessary. Presumably it's Rosalene searching for River, but in that case she wouldn't be silhouetted, would she? Given that Johnny clearly remembers her in nearly every other memory, she would've been fairly visible if she was in the crowd.
They also run into Johnny at the entrance of the cinema, looking for someone. Interacting with him makes Watts berate him and drops a memory link. Upon returning to the entrance of the cinema hall, Watts relents.
Dr. Watts: Well, there's nothing here.
- Rosalene turns towards Watts.
Dr. Watts: Hate to say it, but I guess I have to nag something out of him again.
Dr. Rosalene: All yours.
Dr. Watts:...At least there's no olives this time.
- The scene shifts to Johnny moping. A few moments pass, then River emerges out of the hall. Johnny takes a while to notice her, but is surprised when he does.
Johnny: (exclaiming)...River?
- Johnny gets up to his feet immediately.
Johnny: (exclaiming) You were in there this whole time??
- A few moments of silence pass, but River does not answer.
Johnny: I waited for you at the lobby, I thought you didn't come!
River:...Why did you leave? I thought we were watching the movie together.
Johnny: Huh? I'm the one who should ask that!
River: What do you mean?
River: We were watching the movie together, and then you left.
Johnny: (exasperatedly stretching his arm and leg) We weren't watching it together... I didn't even know where you were!
Johnny: (pulling back his arm and leg) If you saw me in there, why didn't you come and find me?
River: (curiously) What difference does it make...?
River: We were watching the same movie in the same room.
- Johnny is stunned at her response. The two look at each other in silence for a while, then Johnny suddenly laughs.
Johnny: (laughing)...Hahaha!
- River looks at Johnny curiously.
River: What's wrong?
Johnny: You're so weird...
- River is stumped at hearing this.
River:.. Do you not want to watch the movie together anymore?
Johnny: (running towards River, exclaiming) Of course I do!
Johnny: (exclaiming) Come, let's head back in before it ends!
- Johnny has River follow him into the hall. The scene moves back to the doctors.
Dr. Watts: I feel like I should make a clever remark.
Dr. Rosalene: You feel wrong.
Dr. Watts:...Well, let's hope our ride's waiting for us in there.
While the scene above was clever about displaying River's autism and how it influenced her relationship with Johnny, it again failed to build the two any further than currently established. By itself, this would've been a cute if unremarkable scene; however the fact that this far into Johnny's life we still lack clear definition for either him or his wife, who is prominent through most of his life, is rather troubling.
The doctors get their last memory link re entering the cinema hall. River's platypus is the memento now. They prepare it and leave, Watts making a last minute comment about how the platypus is convenient for them.
Watts isn't correct here, while the platypus was definitely rather close to Johnny as a memorable keepsake for River, so far it has merely acted as a memento or memory link granter in.. 3 memories at this point, 4 if we count this one. It has been about as significant as, say, River's copy of The Emperor's New Clothes, or the olives Johnny likes. Not only that, but there are memories where it has featured without granting memory links, or even being interactable. However, it will suddenly shoot in prominence soon...
The doctors then warp into...
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