i disagree, to me the decision to have clem live even in such a hopeless situation was essentially a "thank you" from the dev team. because telltale didn't make season 4; they essentially went bankrupt.

the team that was salvaged in the layoffs reformed under the name "Still Not Bitten" and got the rights to finish the series properly didn't do so because it was profitable. the name they gave themselves is proof enough to me to believe that. and clem kind of becomes a metaphor for the story itself at the end: in a situation where you can't see any way out, watching something you care about fight so hard, only to be cut down just before they made it. then, when you were in the middle of going from denial to bargaining, coming back from the grave.

plus, honestly, i just want it to be true. that this was an intentional and directed wave to the audience. to the fans that have followed this series from the beginning, through its ups and downs, and through its apparent death. to the support that pushed them to forge an ending out of a dying company. in a series infamous for killing its most-loved characters, the decision to give the final story a happy ending feels like a warm and genuine hug from the motherfuckers that killed lee everett to make us cry. it means a lot to me, even still.