Joel and Ellie’s relationship has always been at the heart of the franchise, even if it was explored in unexpected ways come The Last of Us 2. The original game saw the two grow closer and closer, all the way to the point that Joel associated Ellie as his daughter (despite claims to the contrary). However, the most defining moment with the most impact came at the end of the original game.
Ellie feels strange after having left the Firefly facility, knowing there was something Joel was keeping hidden from her. She asked for the truth, but that wasn’t what she got during The Last of Us‘ ending. Instead, Joel lied to protect her and she responded with a distrustful “okay.” This phrase ultimately defined their relationship going into The Last of Us 2.
In this one word was packed a lot of emotion. Ellie had her doubt over what happened with the Fireflies, was suffering from her survivor’s guilty, and had a lot of anxiety about the future. After all, she had believe her immunity could be the cure for The Last of Us‘ Cordyceps virus. All of this comes into play.
At one point in The Last of Us 2, player see how Ellie went back to the hospital. This moment sort of enraptures the same ideas. She was confused as to the whereabouts of the Fireflies and how she didn’t get to see them, with Joel responding that he would do it again. Ultimately, perhaps more so through Abby’s perspective in TLOU2, players see that the Fireflies have likely disappeared. Abby and Lev were trying to find them when they were captured, making it seem like it was a trap for scattered Fireflies, but ultimately, the group’s fate is left uncertain. A feeling Ellie is ultimately all too familiar with.
Joel tells her that they had discovered others with Ellie’s immunity, although this is a lie. By diminishing her hope for a cure, because said cure would kill her, Joel forced Ellie to deal with all of those she lost, including Riley in Left Behind, Sam in The Last of Us‘ main campaign, and far more. Now, the lives of the fireflies are forced upon her, yet this guilt for Ellie never really ceases. Hate drives The Last of Us 2 as Ellie pursues Abby, but it’s also one more death on her conscience—she survives yet again.
Living in a post-apocalyptic setting implies anxiety about the future. Ellie thought there was promise, but that was taken from her. She’s uncertain how to move forward with Joel after learning the truth, but it is clear she wants to. Ultimately, this becomes engrained in her character, as she’s uncertain about a life with Dinah. This is seen in how she pursues Abby well after the events in Seattle went south, how she is still tied to Joel, and so much more.
Joel’s life as a smuggler and everything he learned to do came when Sarah was taken from him. The opening moments of The Last of Us are incredibly painful, watching Joel’s whole life change on the outset of the pandemic. Ellie is Joel’s way of healing, and while the events of the first game and the start of the second mar Ellie’s chances at that healing, it’s clear that Joel was too. The ending flashback sees Joel push Ellie to being with Dinah, finding that love which exists beyond understanding. Ellie is so caught up in the hospital event that it’s not immediately apparent, not until she realizes she can no longer player Joel’s guitar.
Joel, in his final moments with Ellie, tries to show her that her life does have meaning without being the sacrificial goat. It means something to him, to Dinah, to Jesse, and to everyone in Jackson, much like Joel’s life did too. His death turns the narrative of The Last of Us 2 to hate, but only hate that exists because love and meaning remain undefined. When Ellie said “okay” at the end of The Last of Us, it simply changed everything.
Right now, it remains unconfirmed if Naughty Dog is looking to move forward with another entry in the franchise, but it arguably should. There’s a lot of hanging plot threads from The Last of Us 2, regarding everything from Ellie and Dinah’s relationship to Abby and Lev’s future and even factions like Fireflies and Wolves to the Rattlers. There’s a lot of uncertainty what The Last of Us world looks like post-TLOU2, but if anything is for sure, it’s that Ellie has to carry on without Joel.
That pain, that trauma, and that hate doesn’t really go away; it’s changed Ellie by the end of The Last of Us 2. While may balk at the ending, it does have a ton of symbolic meaning behind it. Ellie had the upperhand against Abby, but she stopped. She let Abby go. Whatever that means in a literal way, it means that Ellie is attempting to let go symbolically. Letting go of that hate, that trauma, and that pain is not an easy process. Letting go of a loved one’s untimely and unjust death is never an easy process. The Last of Us 2 puts Ellie on a path to healing that needs to play out, and hopefully she realizes, it’s not okay to just be “okay.”
The Last of Us 2 is out now on PS4.
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