Joel Miller commits a mass capturing at a hospital to “save” his adopted daughter Ellie Williams from being killed throughout a surgical procedure that would’ve doubtlessly resulted in a remedy for the fungal an infection that devastated human civilization. Back in 2013, for individuals who performed the sport, this was a surprising finish to a narrative already outlined by a lot human dying and distress. The expectation may’ve been that both Joel or Ellie would die — particularly in mild of different zombie-related tales well-liked on the time. Instead, we noticed the hero of the story turn into a monstrous villain, all within the service of saving one woman’s life.
This ending has brought about a decade-long debate that’s by no means fairly been settled. Just in January, an article titled “Do you need to be a parent to understand Joel” printed on TheGamer, a gaming information website. Now, a brand new viewers can ponder the ethical ramifications of Joel’s determination, due to showrunner and author Craig Mazin’s HBO adaptation of the story.
To rapidly recap: Joel and Ellie lastly attain the Firefly hospital situated in Salt Lake City. The Fireflies throw a stun grenade on the duo on sight, with Joel waking as much as hear that Ellie is being ready for surgical procedure. He’s given no different selection however to just accept this. Instead of accepting, he murders his escorts out of the hospital, takes their weapons and proceeds to shoot nearly each individual within the facility — even those that quit their weapons and beg for his or her lives. He enters the pediatric surgical procedure space, shoots the surgeon and takes Ellie to the storage. Marlene, the chief of the Fireflies — who we be taught on this episode’s chilly open has identified Ellie since start — begs Joel to “do the right thing here.”
Instead, Joel murders Marlene, and lies to Ellie about what occurred on the hospital. He says there are different immune folks, that the try to discover a remedy had already failed, and that the hospital was attacked. While the present and the sport by no means say this outright, gamers and viewers can learn the doubt on Ellie’s face as Joel swears by his story.
Throughout discussions with many individuals during the last decade, I’ve discovered that folks nearly all the time agree with Joel’s actions. A mom I spoke with not too long ago advised me, “Oh I would do the same. Screw humanity, that’s my baby.” Then there are individuals who condemn Joel for stealing that call away from a younger lady, arguing that his lie was merely manipulation to maintain Ellie in his life. It will get difficult when you think about Ellie’s admiration for Joel and their understood however unstated love for one another. Ellie is just not Joel’s organic daughter, however after a 12 months of mountaineering via the hellscape of the post-apocalypse, they’ve bonded in ways in which exceed the {qualifications} for a “found family.”
Ellie additionally tells Joel that after they’re finished discovering the remedy, she would comply with Joel wherever he goes. Ellie can image a future dwelling with Joel and occurring extra adventures. Joel internalized this and made this future a precedence over all the things else — together with doubtlessly saving humanity from the brink of extinction. But she additionally mentioned that each one that they’ve been via, and the dying and trauma they’ve skilled “can’t have been for nothing.” Her try at saving Sam’s life in episode 5 echoes within the finale; she feels decided to avoid wasting who she will be able to save.
Regardless of how you are feeling, it’s fairly clear that what Joel did was egocentric. He might say that it was to make sure Ellie has a future, irrespective of the fee. But it’s simple that he had Sarah, his murdered daughter, in thoughts as he “rescued” Ellie. In episode 6, HBO laid the groundwork together with his new confession (not featured within the sport) to his brother Tommy: Joel struggles with the potential for shedding one other younger woman in his life. His largest worry is being unable to “protect” her. In the season finale, we be taught that Joel did not take his personal life after Sarah’s dying. If Ellie died, he would see no additional level in dwelling. He reiterates this level in his penultimate phrases of the season: You discover one thing to battle for. He thinks this line is likely to be good recommendation for Ellie, however actually, he’s simply telling on himself. Ellie is the one thing he discovered; that’s how he’s in a position to preserve going.
The present provides new wrinkles to arguments each for and towards Joel’s determination.
A brand new scene added for the present hints at how Ellie may need gained her immunity. Ellie’s mom, Anna Williams, performed by the unique Ellie from the video games, Ashley Johnson, was bitten by an contaminated as she gave start. It’s all zombie magic and organic fiction, however infecting pregnant ladies might’ve been a conceivable method to replicate Ellie’s situation. The Fireflies selected not do that, regardless of Marlene’s information of what occurred to Ellie.
In the sport, it was by no means clear whether or not Ellie gave consent to the surgical procedure. The present, in contrast, does make it clear: She didn’t. Instead, the Fireflies advised her nothing earlier than sedating her. Marlene says this was finished to keep away from scaring Ellie. Still, I feel it’s truthful to imagine the Fireflies did this not out of concern for Ellie’s psychological well being, however to keep away from granting her an opportunity to make the choice herself.
Joel additionally murders Fireflies who beg for his or her lives. In the sport, each Firefly soldier was an aggressor. But within the present, there’s a person who lays down his weapon and places his fingers up. Joel fatally shoots him with even much less sympathy than the soldier who gunned down Joel’s daughter 21 years in the past.
In the tip, it’s clear that Ellie’s company on this determination was taken away from her by all of the adults in her life, Marlene included. It’s a darkish, tragic twist on the protagonist who might’ve saved the world. In “The Last of Us,” the protagonist has that selection stolen from her utterly.
Ellie’s journey ends with Joel’s lie. The last tragedy of “The Last of Us” is that Ellie in all probability feels she has no selection however to just accept the lie. Her biggest worry is ending up alone. As she says, in spite of everything that’s occurred — even after the lie — it could possibly’t have been for nothing.
Read all of our “The Last of Us” recaps: