Jill Valentine + Chris Redfield - Post RC apartments (RE3R/Veronica)
Jill's unsent letter (for Brad) from RE3R - "I'll be moving out at night. Five days. Wish me luck."
Concierge in Veronica trailer - He's made such a mess again. Think, I just cleaned it up a week ago! It's like a boulder rolled through here!"
RE Universe's reasoning for Chris:
The RE Veronica trailer already had me THRILLED by ONE thing, right off the bat, that I wanted firmly established from a potential CV remake or new Jill game—Jill moved into her OWN new place post RE3R. This is what the game was establishing from the opening section. Of course I wanted to see them continue to show the living spaces of more characters, but It was tiring seeing people literally trying to make the ending scene NOT about Jill, when NOTHING suggested ANYTHING else. Jill said, and it was shown in perfectly clear detail (for those who actually paid attention and LOOKED at her apartment and understood the lore establishing what she was doing and even what her immediate INTENTIONS were), that she was moving out of RC. She NEVER said she was leaving the country in RE3R.
Jill was NOT said or even suggested to be following OLD LORE, nor were Chris and Barry. Chris already established in RE2R that old "canon" was not valid in this new/current timeline, so it was weird to see people clinging to some things so hard. Chris was doing his OWN investigation somewhere in Europe, and later wrote to Jill and Barry in CODED language, he didn't plan on coming back to RC for at least another 6 months possibly. NONE of the stuff Jill said in her old diary, was ever acknowledged as still being valid either. BARRY NEVER RETURNED to RC for Jill in the current timeline of events. Chris told Barry not to think of following him, and BECAUSE Jill was going to continue her OWN SOLO investigation in RC, all he asked of her was to let Claire know he was okay, IF she reached out to her. None of this suggests an idea of them all going to Europe.
Jill was CLEARLY packing up her stuff to try and move out of RC, due to having her investigation put to a halt, thanks to Irons putting her under house arrest for obvious reasons, and we SAW all of the investigative work JILL did BY HERSELF in her apartment. She even has her CAMERA on her desk where she woke up from!
You know, just like CHRIS is shown having been doing HIMSELF in the CV remake trailer!
Naturally it did make me think of the man Jill had a photo of in TWO places in her apartment (by her desk and on her refrigerator)
Could just be a coincidence, and I also can't say it's OFFICIALLY meant to be Chris, but I'm just saying it gave 90s Chris vibes, and Capcom has shown they do deliberately drop hints with easter eggs in the form of assets. They even reused some assets in RE9 for a locker filled with Jill's things (they also moved Chris's desk to be beside Jill's and replaced the photo of the man on her desk, for her old dog). Someone even recently showed that the "daily report" easter egg asset you find in her apartment was named as Chris's Diary.
Yes, Jill originally had an unlockable diary with the same design, but as you can see in the current timeline, that diary doesn't exist, so this is an interesting choice (despite us not having any text for what he would've written). Likewise, this also would suggest, that whatever Chris would've had in his diary, would NOT be the same as it was originally. I'm not saying Jill did not possibly still leave where ever she went to (following the events of RE3R) to find him at some point, but the OLD lore is NOT valid with what they have been establishing in the CURRENT Timeline. Even REV2, RETCONNED Barry having any involvement post RC. So all of the plans to have Chris, Jill and Barry all agreeing to go to Europe was changed YEARS AGO!
Jill's original RE3 epilogue took place a couple of months after RE3 (so during the events of CV's time) anyway, and look at WHERE she ended up.
A messy apartment with Chris's knife and blood found. NONE of that has ANYTHING to do with RE3R's ending.
Jill was NOT depicted as LOOKING for Chris in RE3R. NONE of her focus was on Chris! The woman just found out an entity outside of UB that had it IN for UB even, made sure the City was bombed/was thwarting her efforts, and thus destroyed her efforts to save what was left of the city she called home and was trying to protect, and some people legit think Jill's focus was on CHRIS!
The letter she was writing to someone, that was left unsent, was a RESPONSE letter to Brad. It's right across from his letter, and she literally addresses what he brought up in his RECENTLY sent message he had a pizza delivery person pass on to her, which is why Jill gave him a TIMELINE on how soon she planned on leaving RC. That is Jill responding to Brad, inquiring about hearing she planned on leaving RC. HER request was for HIM to pick up with where she left off investigating UB IN RC, IF he found out something happened to her, since neither seemed to think Brad would be a "someone like her" that UB would come after directly, especially since he wasn't doing anything against them like she and Chris were. NO ONE else could check up on Jill anytime soon besides him.
I'll post this again, but it's like people REALLY were missing the point IMO. Jill was packing TOILET PAPER and DISHES even, to go to EUROPE to find Chris?!!!
Like, Jill was packing up all of this stuff and having it SHIPPED overseas, with NOTHING even suggesting she KNEW exactly where Chris was, let alone anything suggesting she planned to meet up with him? He didn't even send anything directly to her or Barry from all we know, he only sent them a coded message to the RPD. I wouldn't doubt they had discussed some things before he left, but Jill didn't even have anything from Rebecca or Barry. HER focus in the entire game was on what happened in RC, and even her failure to stop the bombing and holding those responsible ACCOUNTABLE. She dealt with some fears she had as well. She literally even tried to recruit Kendo during the story!
Jill even having this happen is a RETCON! Leon being able to find her letter for Kendo is a retcon! HER MIND was on her FUTURE BATTLES! Her last WORDS were about HER OWN DESTINY and choices THEN AND THERE! Jill NEVER suggested the stuff she had lined up for herself for when she had planned to leave changed.
AS JILL TOLD CHRIS herself in her LASTEST canon appearance:
"I'm not waiting for backup when there's a chance someone's in danger."
Jill HAS ALWAYS been portrayed as someone WILLING to take action ON HER OWN! Even in RE1, even without needing Wesker to give her an order to investigate, she was willing to take action ALONE, even for CHRIS! Jill NOT going to Europe with Chris (because Claire got Jill's lead role position in CV in the end), literally cemented Jill as her own character. They have a meaningful bond that will keep them connected, but she's NOT just Chris's FORMER partner, or even just a love interest. Chris and Leon are who Capcom claim are the "main characters" of RE, but Jill still exists as her OWN character. I'm GLAD, that currently she's NOT just some canon fodder foot soldier/nobody following Chris's lead. RE5 already screwed her over. I love seeing them work together, etc, but I also want to see Jill actually allowed to do something OUTSIDE of just one relationship. She's already been WASTED for nearly two WHOLE DECADES now, thanks to RE5, the same game where Jill being "dead" for Chris's story was ALWAYS part of the plot. Jill didn't even have DIALOG with WESKER! Now look at the state of the BSAA in the current events, and the FACT JILL has been COMPLETELY irrelevant in ALL OF IT so far.
"I decided then and there: the ashes of Raccoon City would be Umbrella's ashes too. I would end them once and for all." - Jill's closing statement in RE3R.
Jill said "I" not WE. This was Jill LITERALLY DECLARING WAR on Umbrella, and really whomever else (RE9 confirms the Connections involvement as well). It was ANNOYING AS HELL to see "fans" of Jill even LITERALLY thinking so little of Jill IMO. Seeing comments like, "Oh it must be Rebecca because the figure has on a green shirt" (as if that makes any sense), stuff about shacking up with Carlos, despite his irrelevance and absence no less, or like, "She went to find Chris, and since the shirt is green IT MUST be Chris's (even though his clothing would NOT fit Jill the same, and it's LITERALLY a re-skin of the same top she had on in her nightmare!).
The apartment shown at the end, establishes a few things THEMATICALLY, and established a DIFFERENT tone for Jill's story. That's intentional, just as much as her being shown ALONE. There was a calmer environment (bird's chirping even), it was a bright sunny day, a gentle breeze outside. There's some similar things that Jill had in her apartment in RC shown, a training bag seemingly indicating that SHE is spending her time PREPARING for what's to come. The broken capsule for the vaccine Nikolai destroyed (which was in the foreground), that she grabs, IS the main focus. Jill is not finding a knife of Chris's and thinking about him. NOTHING about ANY OF THAT was about Chris based on what they established. Bad enough seeing people defend the choice to have Leon go back to RC over someone like Jill, by saying she didn't really care about RC as much as Leon did, so it made more sense for HIM to be used. Like EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!!?
Leon had a knife from Marvin he kept in the current timeline, JILL kept the capsule that represented a MUCH larger loss for the city she LIVED IN, formed connections in, and SUFFERED for! BARELY making it out of RC even. THE VISUALS were also representing a CHANGE! Jill came from the military, and had on a military green tank top (kind of like her REmake alt skin). She just declared WAR in her final thoughts. Heck often undershirts come in variety packs anyway, and Jill did have other colors of clothing in her old apartment.
Jill overcame the STORM from her nightmare and was vaccinated (this would allow her to abandon that fear of becoming a zombie).
She LIVED through the HELL erupting outside of her home.
And THEN she MOVED (though not how she planned for obvious reasons). She was beginning anew. She had to start over after what happened, but her resolve and determination grew in the process, she dedicated her life to something bigger, and that's what always seemed to be what the post credits scene was about to me. She lost everything she had in RC, but again she had already been preparing for her move! Things did not go as planned, but she ESCAPED in the end, and established herself elsewhere, and she was moving forward with her mission. She said she felt EMPTY seeing RC destroyed all for greed, and she was now FUELED more passionately by her desire to END this evil in the world.
Jill CLEARLY had plans following her move out of RC (before the events in the game unfold). I've shown this before, but again..
She HANDWROTE a calendar for the final days of September all the way up to Oct 10th! Homegirl CLEARLY had things LINED up. The aftermath of what happened in and to RC, would impact her profoundly, and the ending was only focused in on HER!
I'm so GLAD this Veronica trailer put that stuff to bed it seems.
I love Chris has a tape recorder, a camera, pills, documents, etc. Showing he's been doing some investigating, and seemingly crashes right there on the couch. I love that the concierge is complaining about how messy he is, and how she just cleaned up after him a week prior to Claire's arrival. His furnishings are different from Jill's. Jill had a punching bag, Chris has adjustable dumbbells.
Yeah, I laughed my butt off, because it was annoying how people would just automatically write off the idea of Jill TRAINING in her OWN place, and some even bringing up a NON-CANON RE5 viral ad where Chris had a punching bag, to try to use that as some "fact" to TAKE AWAY from what is visually established for Jill's own narrative, and make it about CHRIS! TWO adjustable dumbbells, and that's it (thus far)! LMAO!!! THANK YOU CAPCOM!!! LET JILL have her damn training bag OKAY!!!
I'm loving we are seeing more and more visits to places these characters live in since Rev2! Chris was snacking on treats, smoking, has pills, a walkie/radio, some clothes are on the couch and floor, even his belt is on the floor, and you see that disorganized aspect of him.
^They literally reused some of Jill's pills even LOL!
Jill's RC apartment was messier than it normally would've been, and she also was taking pills and having trouble getting good rest (especially with the spies watching her), but this does make me curious to see what notes or audio Claire might be able to find pointing out what was going on with Chris.
Like I can't wait to see more. I already like this is changing the intro from CV, and doing something more believable for Claire, and I hope they actually explore CLAIRE herself this time around. I wonder how much more they will change, as everything since this RE engine era came about, has been bringing about both big and small changes. Making usually more solid connections, etc. Hell, the RPD in RE2R ACTUALLY has restrooms, and the STARS office accounts for fitting ALL of them!
Anyway, just felt like bringing this up. I enjoy Jill and Chris's dynamic, and all of that, but Jill can and DOES have things that are just for her, just like Chris has had his own journey without her. Not everything is about Chris, or a "relationship," nor should it be. I suppose it's possible this game could throw in some surprises about STARS's former members beyond Chris and Wesker (I'm still loving the lore RE9 gave to Barry tied to both of Chris and JIll, and even Leon), but still, it just felt nice to see Chris had his own apartment that is NOT Jill's new place from RE3R's ending established.
Pretty cool indeed as we saw Chris' Diary in the original RE2 which you can read here if you like.
In OG RE2, Chris' diary is actually on his desk at the STARS office (Unless you play Claire's B scenario, Leon will give it to her when she enters the office.). In the remake of RE3 here, Jill has his diary in her apartment. 👀
Going to include the images from Sonnybauer's post here, you can click on the images to enlarge or zoom in:
Pretty cool to see it's even specific about the asset. I never took it as more than a mere easter egg, because it's evident the original diary you unlocked as Jill in RE3 would be non-canon, as the lore in this timeline DOES NOT align with the original timeline, but I also always said that Chris's Diary from RE2, NEVER made sense being in the RPD, as it was, plus it clearly would be different, with the lore changes. I was THRILLED it was replaced with something that not only better aligned with the retcons that came with RE3+, but it's like it was stupid for him to outright state his next moves and leave it on his work desk! It should've been somewhere private! I saw some people complain, but it's like...it MAKES SENSE! It does make me wonder did she stop and look through things in his apartment before the house arrest (did he leave it in her place before he left?), because why even have his diary there?
The "agreement" to meet in Europe is NOT an established part of the current timeline of the RE engine games. Barry CLEARLY is not part of anything, and Jill didn't say a peep about heading out of the country (esp with her having lost everything as it is, and her own grief for failing to stop the bomb launch being NEW to her own story)...so Yeah this does make me wonder a little bit. Again, Jill was packing stuff up to MOVE not LEAVE the country in RE3R, and I heard plenty of "I" instead of "we." She's not shown thinking or looking for anyone else either. She got some military green on, similar furnishings to her old place, as well as a punching bag (people acting like she can't own one is sad), and grabs the broken capsule...a reminder of what was lost. That has nothing to do with Chris. People act like Jill wasn't out here planning for her FUTURE battles, when her ass LITERALLY was trying to RECRUIT Kendo! Homegirl had DATES marked on a 2nd calendar for Early October. Jill has always been one who thinks about the bigger picture. She ain't gonna just sit idle for nothing/nobody!
Barry has long been retconned from getting involved with anything post RE3, and now RE2R/3R both have it clear he never came back to RC for Jill. Chris tells him not to even think of joining him in Europe (which automatically invalidates the old lore/diaries). Chris only requested Jill to let Claire know he's ok, IF contacted. That's it. Even with Jill, there isn't anything established that actually says she had plans on going to Europe to follow Chris. It's still a possibility, but all she talked about (in her letter clearly meant for Brad) was having to move out of RC due to being watched and prevented from leaving her apartment. We saw her packing up a lot of stuff (even toilet paper and dishes LOL).
Had things panned out differently, she was wanting Brad to pick up with her solo investigation where she left off, as he'd be the only one left who'd know if something did happen to her, as Chris didn't plan on returning for several months as it was, and Barry was not returning. I love the idea of Jill making moves, and planning ahead, ala Sarah Connor. RE3R gave Jill a lot of agency back, instead of making it seem like Chris spearheaded everything, etc when he even said originally he found out about G thanks to Jill and Barry. I don't want her being some "follower" of Chris. It's why I Love DI had Jill doing what she felt was right, and being FIRM in it, and even giving directives to Chris, and all he could do is respect it. It showed she's no subordinate but a LEADER in her own right! It also reflects an equal balance in their dynamic. Chris values her skills and opinion. RE5 even had her telling him what he needed to do and focus on, and all he could do is listen because, he knew she was right.
I'd actually prefer that in any future stories. Let her do more stuff on her own. It doesn't mean she won't work with Chris ever again, etc, but let a girl have her own stuff and get the respect she deserves.
All that said, while this asset could just be an easter egg, I like the idea that she kept something containing personal thoughts/details of Chris's handy. Maybe she had thought about him at times, or maybe there was key info in it she could use later. We know she did think about things like with her old dog. She also had wondered if all of them were even safe from infection. So yeah, interesting tidbit. I wish the devs discussed the details of her apartment states as they reflect different things IMO.
I love both versions, but I do love how OG Barry is a bit more expressive when apologizing for running on about his family (like I can't believe I'm going on about my kids, and she clearly is troubled by Chris). I always felt it was deliberate how much more personal their ending is and how it reflects upon the private/deep (but not so secret to those who have observed them) connection between her and Chris.
Barry's whole conflict was about trying to protect his loved ones, and only through Jill's scenario do you experience his conflict. He did not want to betray his friends. You can even see with choices you make (and otherwise), moments where he's trying to keep her alive. He was fueled by a need to protect his family. Jill was being led largely by a need to find Chris. Wesker literally was telling her to investigate herself under the pretense of it maybe being Chris. Barry saw her eager to split up to find him again. The fact Jill would hold out hope/try and deny the grim reality she more than likely lost Chris, and it's primarily her focused on him despite Barry knowing him much longer...is very telling.
I just love how choices in gameplay could lead to subtle, yet deeply revealing moments like this. Even just showing the differences in how Chris and Jill handle their situation, yet both can't get past losing the other. Even typing on a computer showed she's much calmer and collected than him 😆 It's amazing attention to detail for a game/story that's 30 yrs old.
Sheva Alomar (Karen Dryer) and Chris Redfield (Charlie Kraslavsky) finally reunite in Resurrection: A Biohazard Story (2026); a fan-made film celebrating Resident Evil's 30th anniversary.
rlly fascinating phenomenon to me is when a character is extremely popular, and that popularity seems understandable enough because they've got something interesting going on, and then you look at the fandom and realize 99% of their fans don't actually care about engaging with any of the things that make them interesting and instead seem to be fans of an imaginary milquetoast version that exists solely for ship and/or angst content and is so far removed from the canon character they might as well be an unrelated OC at this point
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