What Makes A Man? A Study of Joel in The Last of Us Part 2 [cinematic discussion]

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  • Опубликовано: 21 дек 2024

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  • @philn0va
    @philn0va  3 года назад +1022

    Over the last month this video has gotten a lot of attention. i just want to say thank you so much to everyone for the kind words, and i'm very thankful for the impact it's had. i'll have more coming soon 🙏
    Also, I finally went and found the names of all the music I used -
    Union - Tolo
    First Flight - The Field Tapes
    To Wake Up - Benjamin Gustafsson
    Butterfiles Piano Sonata - Tony Anderson

    • @hkkold743
      @hkkold743 3 года назад +11

      Well deserved attention for sure! I can tell you put a lot heart into this. Seriously can’t wait for what comes next.

    • @Skips04
      @Skips04 3 года назад +24

      For so long i just hated neil druckman for killing of joel but boy ow boy what was I stupid you have given me such a nice perspective of joel and the whole game and how neil created this just thank you

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +13

      @@Skips04 wow, that's pretty cool. i'm really glad you liked the video 🙏

    • @butterboi5536
      @butterboi5536 3 года назад +3

      @@philn0va what are you working on next?

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +14

      @@butterboi5536 toying with a few different ideas, but possibly talking about uncharted 4 next

  • @realf4ke632
    @realf4ke632 3 года назад +5223

    He wasn't a bad man
    He wasn't a good man
    But he did his best

    • @EliteSlayer946
      @EliteSlayer946 3 года назад +196

      He was just a man no better than anyone else.

    • @vengeance1450
      @vengeance1450 3 года назад +186

      Like the other person said, nobody in the apocalypse is good, if you survived for more than 20 years then you would have had to kill at least 1 person, it doesn't mean your bad just because you kill in defense or do what you do to survive, it's just different rules in a different world.

    • @KAINSAMA
      @KAINSAMA 3 года назад +75

      "We are shitty people Joel"

    • @toch0418
      @toch0418 3 года назад +96

      @@KAINSAMA "We are survivors!"

    • @tayne-entertaynement
      @tayne-entertaynement 3 года назад +67

      I 100% understand what you're saying but I do believe he was a good man. If he wasn't - he would've ;left Ellie on her own. Ellie is what made Joel a good man and ultimately showed us, the players, that's who he is at his core. A father.

  • @Wolfie_2045
    @Wolfie_2045 3 года назад +2761

    Like Glenn said “I’d rather have you pissed off at me and Alive, then liking me and dead”

    • @allureoflore5675
      @allureoflore5675 3 года назад +63

      I feel that. At least you still have them and there is hope for change and fixing things

    • @akshatsrivastava8653
      @akshatsrivastava8653 3 года назад +34

      He was the real character in series

    • @niftyskates85
      @niftyskates85 3 года назад +5

      Not when the whole world is at stake and she's literally the only known cure

    • @ulfor24
      @ulfor24 3 года назад +39

      @@niftyskates85 Would you please play last of us 1?

    • @niftyskates85
      @niftyskates85 3 года назад +1

      @@ulfor24 i did

  • @daydreamer9587
    @daydreamer9587 3 года назад +4468

    Its also so sad to remember that on the exact day Joel meets his fate, Ellie was already planning on a special occasion to watch a movie with Joel. A movie he said he loved. Man...

    • @ABagelLeftOnTheRoadside
      @ABagelLeftOnTheRoadside 3 года назад +130

      OH YEAH! Welp... *TIME TO CRY AGAIN! TWT*

    • @lengendaryblackmgmt438
      @lengendaryblackmgmt438 3 года назад +93

      Damn damn damn 😭😭😭😭 RIP JOEL! The greatest father figure in games!

    • @anessamer
      @anessamer 3 года назад +113

      @@lengendaryblackmgmt438 Joel was the probably best video game character ever.

    • @isayweirdshityk
      @isayweirdshityk 3 года назад +16

      @@anessamer yep it’s a good up between him and lee

    • @yournarratordanny1204
      @yournarratordanny1204 3 года назад +48

      @@isayweirdshityk nah between him and arthur morgan

  • @Theeditor2828
    @Theeditor2828 3 года назад +1031

    One detail I’ve heard no one talk about is Joel’s blue shirt during the birthday flashback. A shirt we only see him wear in the prologue of the first game, it’s the shirt he wore with Sarah. A shirt he wears because at the museum he loves Ellie as much as he loved Sarah.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +108

      i never noticed that. nice catch

    • @thecowboy9698
      @thecowboy9698 Год назад +53

      It could be used to symbolize his moral alignment. From what I understand green is a neutral color and often used to signify moral flexibility. So it could be that the blue shirt was used to signify Joel is no longer the morally ambiguous smuggler he was.

    • @luxuranios6102
      @luxuranios6102 8 месяцев назад +3

      It ain't the same shirt, this one has a chest pocket, the prologue's does not

  • @yazminlares6000
    @yazminlares6000 3 года назад +429

    The shot of Ellie smelling Joel’s jacket always gets me, brings me back when I was 12 and I used to smell my grandpa’s clothes after his death.

    • @conman8982
      @conman8982 Год назад +8

      me too. smelling my nan’s clothes after she passed was one of the most painful growing up experiences i had last year.

    • @itsmeshaun7358
      @itsmeshaun7358 Год назад +4

      Same smelling my father's clothes 🙁

    • @anasshahid224
      @anasshahid224 Год назад

      ⁠@@itsmeshaun7358sorry for your loss my condolences 💐 🙏❤️🕊️

    • @anasshahid224
      @anasshahid224 Год назад

      @@conman8982 sorry for your loss my condolences 💐 🙏❤️🕊️

    • @anasshahid224
      @anasshahid224 Год назад

      sorry for your loss my condolences 💐 🙏❤️🕊️

  • @skylight6904
    @skylight6904 3 года назад +1400

    “Why don’t you just say whatever speech you got rehearsed, and get this over with”
    -Joel Miller, Badass till the end.

    • @serizaizumi6779
      @serizaizumi6779 3 года назад +31

      "You don't get to rush this...."

    • @andrewcheng2852
      @andrewcheng2852 2 года назад +48

      He knew he couldn't possibly guessed who Abby was trying to avenge

    • @formalholo
      @formalholo 2 года назад +3

      @@serizaizumi6779 😂😂😂😐😑😐

    • @JurassicLion2049
      @JurassicLion2049 2 года назад +59

      That moments not about being bad ass. Joel is undoubtedly one. That moment illustrates the point of being a man, a real man. That is accepting the choices you make, being honest of those choices, and not making excuses for them. Joel saved Ellie, a choice that makes sense to anyone who can see themselves in his shoes. But it was undoubtedly also a harmful act, a terrible act in the name of love. As much as Joel explains why he did what he did, as much as he knows that for him it was right, hes not excusing what he did.

    • @EyeGodZA
      @EyeGodZA 2 года назад +19

      @@lrsb1678 yeah, this; he knew it would come one day; he just didn’t know when. Kinda a “live by the sword” mindset.

  • @woods93bullet44
    @woods93bullet44 3 года назад +1205

    When Joel almost cried when Ellie said she would like to try almost makes me cry everytime

    • @nonbinsin
      @nonbinsin 3 года назад +35

      Almost? I fully burst into tears

    • @Seanlynchthegrinch
      @Seanlynchthegrinch 3 года назад +38

      It’s just so sad because he just didn’t want the person he cares about the most in this world to leave him, he was being the best father he could

    • @sumdumcat
      @sumdumcat 3 года назад +26

      If you look at his left eye after Ellie walks away, you can see the tears forming, and his facial expression shows just how hard it is for him to hold them back.

    • @ferminballesteros7462
      @ferminballesteros7462 2 года назад +4

      It sure made ME crie

  • @lockekappa500
    @lockekappa500 4 года назад +2266

    Well. That didn't suck.
    I'm gonna go cry now.

  • @LiaLia-lo3mt
    @LiaLia-lo3mt 3 года назад +1704

    For me personally Joel is the most admirable type of man that I wish I had in my life. He didn't live for himself, but for Ellie, he loved her more than anything in his life. He's the father figure I looked up to, because my father didn't give a shit about me growing up and I just didn't talk to people. If Ellie was the one who was murdered, Abigail wouldn't see another sunrise.

    • @siddharthsagar1506
      @siddharthsagar1506 3 года назад +43

      I may be really wrong here but maybe he is giving you some tough love to prepare you for the future. I am saying this because one there is a friend of mine who really hated his father but when he grew up and his father passed away, he longed for his father to be there and almost every skill he used in this modern world were passed on by his father.

    • @siddharthsagar1506
      @siddharthsagar1506 3 года назад +4

      @TheLee thanks for understanding

    • @RandySmores
      @RandySmores 3 года назад +61

      @@siddharthsagar1506 tough love as a kid is very different from tough love as teenager.

    • @stephengrigg5988
      @stephengrigg5988 3 года назад +26

      Joel sacrificed his soul at the end of the day, and like he said, he'd do it all over again. Doesnt make him good or even right, but he found his reason to live and he wasnt going to let her go no matter what.. even if the world depended on it. He's a horrible and brutal man, but I will not judge him, he's human, and did what he thought was best.

    • @r4dbit416
      @r4dbit416 3 года назад +32

      @@siddharthsagar1506
      Tough love is also known as i try my best but i’m pretty bad at it. A child needs support, not stress or whatever ‘’tough love ‘’ is.

  • @AGC479
    @AGC479 3 года назад +365

    Fuck me. It still amazes me to think that a game can make me feel such strong emotions for people that don’t even exist.

    • @mermaidgoat9351
      @mermaidgoat9351 Год назад +20

      The power of extremely good writing.

    • @frankxxx69
      @frankxxx69 Год назад

      Agreed

    • @angelinaoliver5587
      @angelinaoliver5587 Год назад +1

      The reason I’m binge watching all the TLOU takes and reviews on the game I just finished it 2 days ago and I’m still trying to process everything. Can’t wait for TLOU 3 if there’s even going to be a 3…

    • @lis-x7w
      @lis-x7w Год назад

      @@angelinaoliver5587I finished it a year ago and im still crying 😂😂😂

    • @XenonAdventures
      @XenonAdventures 11 месяцев назад

      @@lis-x7wfinished first almost 10 years ago 3 times and fixing to finish second and also watching show and hoping tlou3 will come out since it’s in development

  • @sourav2003
    @sourav2003 3 года назад +1634

    The way he chose to say "I saved her" instead of "I killed them"...

    • @smoker5989
      @smoker5989 3 года назад +141

      Because he didn't killed for revenge or something like Ellie and Abby he did it for love something the second game lacks

    • @thishandleisnotavaliable
      @thishandleisnotavaliable 3 года назад +40

      @@smoker5989 But even in the first last of us , his motivations was based of off revenge.
      He saved Ellie because he loved her but also because in a way it was his revenge.
      In his mind , the world took his daughter so why should he have to suffer again even if it meant a cure.
      Both games have revenge , the first one is lined with it and the second one is based on it.

    • @TBone4Breakfast
      @TBone4Breakfast 3 года назад +81

      @@thishandleisnotavaliable Except revenge was never in his mind. He saved her and killed whoever tried to stop him. Thats survival, not vengence

    • @thishandleisnotavaliable
      @thishandleisnotavaliable 3 года назад +10

      @@TBone4Breakfast That wasn't his main motive however did contribute to him saving Ellie.
      The world already took one daughter , so in a sense he got his revenge by saving Ellie.
      He saved her out of love , selfishness and revenge.
      Sarah's death is a massive reason for Joel saving Ellie , if Joel never had a kid , he probably wouldn't have said Ellie.

    • @PhrenSo768
      @PhrenSo768 3 года назад +55

      @@thishandleisnotavaliable what? he only thought about saving Ellie because he loved her as his own daugther. and not because he wanted to screw humanity out of pure revenge... he didn't care about the humanity becasue they betrayed him so he couldn't care less. he did not give a single shit about the world or revenge. Ellie was the only thing in his mind when he saved her.

  • @ran2182
    @ran2182 3 года назад +859

    Now i want a DLC with heartwarming events during the last 4 years in jackson

    • @SAMSARALIVEEEEEE
      @SAMSARALIVEEEEEE 3 года назад +56

      Agreed. Naughty dog are at their best when they’re writing Joel and Ellie, it’s brilliant character writing really.

    • @huskytzu7709
      @huskytzu7709 3 года назад +39

      Yes. I wouldn’t mind doing patrols or feeding the horse or shit as them with cute banters and moments

    • @travesdesign
      @travesdesign 3 года назад +3

      Agree... that would be perfect!

    • @travesdesign
      @travesdesign 3 года назад +23

      a DLC divided in 2 parts: before and after Joel told her the truth. We could play with both Ellie and Joel...

    • @loowisk1113
      @loowisk1113 3 года назад +2

      @@travesdesign Perfect idea

  • @andrewd.3469
    @andrewd.3469 3 года назад +677

    I asked my parents what they would do in the situation, and they said they of course would save me...this game is such a deep one

    • @cocob0l0
      @cocob0l0 3 года назад +123

      Every parent ever would save their child if it came down to it. I played part 1 with my father and even back then he told me that he would do the same as Joel. People who completely vilify him for doing so clearly don’t understand empathy or what it is to love. Hell even Jerry didn’t answer Marlene when she says “If this was your daughter, what would you do?” He’s left speechless. Because he knows if this happened to Abby, he would never either.

    • @pulpficti
      @pulpficti 3 года назад +6

      @@cocob0l0 it's a toxic, possessive kind of love though. If he really loved her, he would respect her wishes. He would burst into the operation room and take Jerry hostage and wake Ellie up, so she can decided for herself. Love sometimes means letting someone go. Ellie would want so sacrifice herself and Joel knows that and HE can't lose HER. Great Games

    • @cocob0l0
      @cocob0l0 3 года назад +67

      @@pulpficti The fireflies would have just killed him and taken Ellie if he tried to take Jerry hostage. It was either him or them. There was no time but it didn’t have to be that way. I don’t know why the fireflies were rushing everything. Could have ran some tested and waited but nope.

    • @pulpficti
      @pulpficti 3 года назад +5

      @@cocob0l0 Jerry is the only doctor capable of making a vaccine, therefore he's as valuable as Ellie maybe even more. Plus Marlene was still alive so this could have worked pretty good. That part is however not at all interesting because the interesting part is Ellies autonomy. Knowing she would want this he could also have just accepted the operation. I hear and read all the time that Joels decision wasn't selfish but it clearly was. He's not acting out of love because he can't bear losing another child. Understandable but still selfish

    • @cocob0l0
      @cocob0l0 3 года назад +37

      @@pulpficti I don’t think it’s selfish to want your child or child figure to... ya know... not die? Like I said, it’s every parent’s purpose in life. It doesn’t matter what happens to them, as long as their child is healthy and well... no matter what the cost is. Plus Ellie didn’t know she was going to die until she went back all those years later. You can see in part 1 she was excited to get out and be free with Joel. They should have just waited for Ellie to wake up and ask her themselves but, if you recall, the Fireflies never gave Joel or Ellie that chance

  • @peanusbenis5631
    @peanusbenis5631 2 года назад +140

    What I love about Joel's words "I would do it all over again." is that he's teaching Ellie that her life did matter, and does matter, even if it's not a life that has a global impact as she thought. She brought joy to people just by being alive, and there. Ellie only learned this lesson at the exact moment she decided not to kill Abby. Sadly it was too late by that point, because Dina was already gone.

    • @cargopilotguy305
      @cargopilotguy305 Год назад +3

      Dina and Ellie are like 20-21 years old. They hooked up for a few months.
      That relationship is not nearly as deep as the game wants people to believe.

    • @jaythoven_
      @jaythoven_ 11 месяцев назад +2

      @@cargopilotguy305 his analysis is pretty spot on but focused on the wrong person, it’s not late for ellie to reconcile with dina but she doesn’t have that chance with joel anymore but she still did forgive him that’s why the flashback scene on the porch played during ellie sparing abby when ellie said she’ll try to forgive joel

  • @xanjafilms7853
    @xanjafilms7853 3 года назад +616

    As a father going though the most horrible experience imaginable with my son. This gave me hope to keep fighting for his safety. I just want you to know this video gave me a much needed boost.

    • @angelserrano8386
      @angelserrano8386 3 года назад +31

      You got this brother.

    • @xanjafilms7853
      @xanjafilms7853 3 года назад +18

      @@angelserrano8386 Thank you, seriously that means a lot!

    • @xanjafilms7853
      @xanjafilms7853 3 года назад +9

      @tree-bark888 Thank you very much, we are pushing through this horrible situation and I really appreciate that!

    • @petechavez8724
      @petechavez8724 2 года назад +8

      Hope all is going well man! Keep fighting!

    • @oskarmiklaszewski6421
      @oskarmiklaszewski6421 2 года назад +10

      Keep it up champ. Hope You and your son fought trough the problems

  • @justinfowler7988
    @justinfowler7988 3 года назад +308

    Joel may not be a good person
    But he was a good ass father

    • @lavarball528
      @lavarball528 3 года назад +7

      Which makes him a good person lmao

    • @dog8438
      @dog8438 3 года назад +19

      @@lavarball528 different things

    • @Ice.muffin
      @Ice.muffin 2 года назад

      @@lavarball528 Ikr.

    • @GUIFI27
      @GUIFI27 Год назад

      ​@@lavarball528Bro, imagine your father have murd3red a guy for no reason. You going to say he is a good guy bcs he is a good dad. It dont make sense.

    • @CoolHandLuke813
      @CoolHandLuke813 6 месяцев назад

      And yet, a lot of these people actually think Ellie and Abby are good people 😂😂

  • @ryanharlowbass
    @ryanharlowbass 4 года назад +749

    This game embodies the relationship of me and my own father. I think that’s why it means so much to me. Joel and my father William are spitting images of each other. It’s quite poetic to me.

    • @alishahzad181
      @alishahzad181 3 года назад +21

      I feel the same man. The relatability strengthens the impact of the game by a mile.

    • @NoNameJ1622
      @NoNameJ1622 3 года назад +18

      My father looks so much like Joel too.

    • @userjoao
      @userjoao 3 года назад +18

      same. and my dynamic with my dad is very similar to joel and ellie

    • @sasuke921231
      @sasuke921231 3 года назад +9

      ohhh this one hit the nail even tho when a child doesnt have a father but too embody or think how it would feel to have a father pictures it really well for this game i love so much

    • @vengeance1450
      @vengeance1450 3 года назад +5

      @@NoNameJ1622 Your dad's handsome then (no homo of course)

  • @The_Story_Of_Us
    @The_Story_Of_Us 3 года назад +1955

    I like how Joel is almost glorified in this game. Ellie’s memories of him almost always paint him as loving and sympathetic, similarly Abby’s memory of her father is the same. This a story where daughters cling to this idea of an idyllic father figure when clearly there are issues at play, they aren’t perfect even if loving and they make mistakes, bad ones. But because of how much the child loves the parent, how painful it is to lose them and how hateful that makes them towards the facilitator of their torment, they can’t bring themselves to intentionally remember their parent in their flawed entirety because that’s an obstacle to their hatred, dissonance to their passionate vindictiveness. Such an emotional overload demands they warp their brains into edifying what they lost. Joel had to be perfect, Jerry had to perfect, otherwise, what am I doing? No one EVER says the word “revenge” in this game. Both Ellie and Abby call their pursuits justice, when that’s not what it is. And the fact that they feel this way at all is indicative of how deep their pain really is and how unconditional true familial love really is.

    • @lockekappa500
      @lockekappa500 3 года назад +119

      Incredible take, and perfectly descriptive of both Abby and Ellie's paths in this game. Well done.

    • @hkkold743
      @hkkold743 3 года назад +28

      This is such a great comment!!

    • @calvinbernard
      @calvinbernard 3 года назад +37

      Tlou has such a profound story in which each character development is carefully thought out. Aside from joel and ellie's story, i somewhat emphatize with abby because she was put in the position where her "justice" was justified for everything she had lost. One of the greatest games i have ever played anyway.

    • @JurassicLion2049
      @JurassicLion2049 3 года назад +48

      Bro, can you speak at my funeral? That was so beautiful.

    • @69meplease100
      @69meplease100 3 года назад +11

      Joel did nothing wrong

  • @JFRESH-pz2nf
    @JFRESH-pz2nf 3 года назад +712

    You know, I always wonder how crazy a Last Of Us 2 would be if it was Ellie that died and Joel lived. How dark, brutal, merciless it would be. If Ellie died saving or protecting Joel, leaving him to feel the same way when sara died, having failed to protect his daughter twice now. How sadistic he would be, full of rage, no remorse, compassion, empathy, nothing but rage, hatred, vengeance. Nothing to loose but one thing to gain, find and kill every single person that harmed Ellie and everyone else in his way. The menacing, sadistic, enraged man that he truly is. That would be one hell of a game.

    • @TheHmoobkey
      @TheHmoobkey 2 года назад +67

      One what if... I'd love to play

    • @vanthursday
      @vanthursday Год назад +102

      That will be just God of War. Kratos already passed that. Even Kratos already wants to move on.

    • @bluespiral4678
      @bluespiral4678 Год назад +7

      Manhunt lol

    • @Daltonator87
      @Daltonator87 Год назад +104

      That would be so heartbreaking but I think that Joel would probably end his own life like Henry when Sam died. His character wouldn’t have anything to latch onto so the story wouldn’t have anywhere to go. You can’t replace a daughter figure with another daughter figure ya know.

    • @joopsmiranda9219
      @joopsmiranda9219 Год назад +19

      Uninteresting as hell

  • @dragonzord_reptar
    @dragonzord_reptar 3 года назад +390

    "If I ever were to lose you" -Joel
    "I'd surely lose myself" - Ellie
    I'm not crying you are!!

    • @Spentastic
      @Spentastic 2 года назад +8

      Pearl Jam song from 2013 the year the infection took hold the year Sara died…..

  • @jeremyday9056
    @jeremyday9056 3 года назад +335

    Oh man, this made me tear up. Just thinking about those two long years that Joel spent with a gaping hole in his heart just wondering if he would ever be close to Ellie again. Then... he finally gets a chance. And that's when IT happens. I am just SO glad that he did not have to die wondering.

    • @28goldenboy
      @28goldenboy 3 года назад +39

      You are correct. I just finished the game yesterday and I was thinking the same about how in Joel's last moments he did get to see Ellie caring for him attempting to save his life. Even though he met his fate in such a horrible way, something tells me he died complete.

    • @jeremyday9056
      @jeremyday9056 3 года назад +4

      @@28goldenboy Absolutely.

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 3 года назад +4

      It honestly concerns me that there are people who still vilify Joel for what happened at the hospital to this day

  • @tylenmartinchuk1952
    @tylenmartinchuk1952 4 года назад +2482

    Now do Arthur Morgan

    • @DinoMan_6
      @DinoMan_6 3 года назад +148

      Arthur Morgan is best represented as a true Brother-Uncle type person. Joel will always have that #1 Father type status. But a video would still be cool.

    • @thesavagehawk3048
      @thesavagehawk3048 3 года назад +13

      I really want this now lmao

    • @toonpacha2396
      @toonpacha2396 3 года назад +17

      Dude, YES! I’m currently playing RDR2 and I like the guy

    • @tomie3222
      @tomie3222 3 года назад +13

      @@toonpacha2396 I’m just answering this comment so that you share your feelings again once you end the game...

    • @liamcorston9124
      @liamcorston9124 3 года назад +6

      @@toonpacha2396 yes give an update please 😂

  • @willhudsonfilmmaking3463
    @willhudsonfilmmaking3463 3 года назад +320

    I feel the Actor who plays Joel, needs to see this

    • @abdullahaltuwaijri8550
      @abdullahaltuwaijri8550 3 года назад +21

      He’s Troy Baker, he played a million characters, I doubt he’ll care

    • @smoker5989
      @smoker5989 3 года назад +65

      @@abdullahaltuwaijri8550 he should care because Joel is probably he's most loved character

    • @choose3373
      @choose3373 3 года назад +50

      @@abdullahaltuwaijri8550 Troy really enjoyed playing Joel and enjoys being an actor in general. I’m sure he’d care but I just doubt he’d have the time to see the video.

    • @nasirkhan-ch8sw
      @nasirkhan-ch8sw 3 года назад +2

      He care..

    • @rorensu_
      @rorensu_ 3 года назад +2

      @@abdullahaltuwaijri8550 stfu

  • @isabelleliu151
    @isabelleliu151 Год назад +89

    My favorite part of this video 10:20:
    "When it comes to family, when it comes to someone you love, whether it's romantically, familial, platonic, every man needs to have an endless reserve of patience. Because it's that patience that allows for and respects the pace that those around you choose to live their lives at. Their understanding, their learning, their shortcomings and respective growths. none of them can happen and be appreciated without patience.
    And at the very ending of the game, we see that the patience Joel demonstrated as he waited for Ellie gave her gift. Something so important, a life-changing skill that you can only learn by choosing it at each available opportunity. Forgiveness."

  • @allensu9363
    @allensu9363 Год назад +29

    6:22 the balance between toughness and tenderness is a huge point in the last of us part 1. Bill and Frank shows what happens if Joel is too tough and argues with Ellie all the time. Sam and Henry shows what happens if Joel is too tender and doesn’t let Ellie defend herself or teach her how to live without him.

  • @katielol7050
    @katielol7050 3 года назад +223

    people who said he made the wrong choice at the hospital don’t understand what it’s like to be a parent and the protective nature that kicks in when your kids life is at risk. he did what any parent who loves their kid would do

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 3 года назад +7

      Some people still think that to this day, either the million dollar question has never remotely crossed their minds or they would absolutely sacrifice their own if it means developing a vaccine. Which is concerning

    • @nova_raindrop1257
      @nova_raindrop1257 3 года назад +6

      @@ryanhowe6543 Facts. And think about it, the world is destroyed and a lot of the population is dead. Buildings and roads are destroyed. Even if the vaccine was made, the world was never gonna be normal again.

    • @abigailslade3824
      @abigailslade3824 3 года назад +15

      I would do the same for any child let alone the children in my own family.

    • @kyan7708
      @kyan7708 2 года назад

      @@nova_raindrop1257 I think deep down Joel also knew a vaccine (which has a slim chance of even working anyway) wouldn’t solve anything. The 20 years of infection has broken and ruined everyone and everything and the millions (or billions who knows) of infected don’t magically disappear. It would take centuries to get the world even remotely back on track but it would never be the same.

    • @ThugOG30VIPs3rd-T
      @ThugOG30VIPs3rd-T 2 года назад +1

      Frfr

  • @NoNameJ1622
    @NoNameJ1622 3 года назад +161

    “Sometimes that’s just what the heart needs... time.” That hit me deep. It’s real

  • @ManlyPelican
    @ManlyPelican 3 года назад +124

    I love how long it actually takes Joel to confess. You can tell he is using everything inside him to not let the words come out.

  • @KuuchWizard
    @KuuchWizard 2 года назад +94

    Joel’s angry face after Jerry says “think of all the lives we could save” always gets me. Top notch

  • @philippebaillargeon5204
    @philippebaillargeon5204 3 года назад +334

    "Jesus Chris Joel, what did you do ?"
    "I saved her"
    You can see in his eyes that he doesn't regret anything and he accepted what he choose

  • @13yooldrhino79
    @13yooldrhino79 3 года назад +409

    its joel's self awareness that i love, abby's narrative always trying to force her into the good girl persona who does not have any control over her choices, while Joel actually accepts his choices and admits that he would do it all over again.

    • @beepbopboop7727
      @beepbopboop7727 3 года назад +14

      I think a lot of Abbys life before Lev was regretful, but isn't that the same think we could say about Joel's life before Ellie and after Sarah?

    • @gersoncelaya7574
      @gersoncelaya7574 3 года назад +41

      @@beepbopboop7727 I think so too, but I think the writing was too weak to emphasize that side of Abby, which is why a lot of people struggle to acceptt that about her. Like I think that deep down her character was supposed to be remorseful, but they never made that clear, it made her look cartoonishly evil

    • @raymonddavis9277
      @raymonddavis9277 3 года назад +17

      @@gersoncelaya7574 Exactly! Abby never feels remorseful for any of her actions (albeit killing Joel who saved her life moments earlier, or masscaring a group of her friends) yet gets everything she wants. While I know this wasn't Naughty Dog's intention, it felt like that one bratty student in Middle School who was treated unjustly, because she was the teacher's favorite.

    • @pooty195
      @pooty195 3 года назад +14

      @Raymond Davis Abby expresses remorse multiple times in the game to Lev/Yara as well as Owen. Constant nightmares. Even her face in the scene after killing Joel certainly doesn't look like she's proud of what she's done. I have a feeling the level of remorse you're looking for could never be matched in a way that would make sense for her character since Joel is someone we all loved for years but also someone Abby has hated for years.

    • @raymonddavis9277
      @raymonddavis9277 3 года назад +14

      @@pooty195 Owen expresses a intresting prespective about revenge to Abby, but instead of exploring this intresting side, it just leads to a out of nowhere sex scene. Also the nightmares Abby has is never related to Joel, just her Dad dying or the death of Lev. At least that's how I interpreted it.

  • @Caterfree10
    @Caterfree10 4 года назад +917

    Man, that splice where you have that "I don't know if I can forgive you, but I would like to try" over where Ellie opts to not kill Abby, that's what I really do think was going through Ellie's mind. We only get the bit of Joel on the porch with his guitar as players, but I think this way is how Ellie actually saw it in her mind, which caused her to stop. It's not really her forgiving Abby, I think. But it's a step toward healing, and maintaining her humanity in the process.

    • @b.e.z6831
      @b.e.z6831 4 года назад +29

      I always thought this was obvious but I guess not

    • @captaincodypotato8386
      @captaincodypotato8386 3 года назад +4

      So good .

    • @jeff2v
      @jeff2v 3 года назад +35

      thats exactly what everyone who didnt like the ending didnt get.. i think ellies journey to get revenge ultimately became ellies lesson to forgive.. imo. ellie was never that revenge driven because of Joel's death.. she was more so angry that she finally wanted to try to forgive joel, and after having lost 4 or so years because of her confusion about joels actions.. when abby takes joel away from her, and her chance to properly forgive him.. she was angry about the way everything was left off.. and at the end.. when ellie finally lets abby live and says "just take him".. that hurt, cause it was meant about Joel, not lev.. also, the fact that joel was alive and saw ellie come after him, I would like to think Joel went with peace feeling that Ellie had finally truly forgiven him, and she still cares..

    • @marcileatherboots1
      @marcileatherboots1 3 года назад +14

      @Caterfree10 ... I so 100% concur with you. As Ellie is drowning Abby, she is remembering her last conversation with Joel. What is so beautiful about this game is that Naughty Dog doesn't spoon feed us. The story says what it needs to and relies on us to piece it together. I believe the only way anyone cane hate Part 2 is if they don't understand the story and can't piece the narrative together. I mean the haters are probably bigots of varying degrees also, but that's a separate discussion.

    • @zyonhenderson67
      @zyonhenderson67 3 года назад +10

      @@marcileatherboots1 THANK YOU! It really pisses me off that people think Ellie just forgave her because Abby was a "good character" or because she just couldn't do it. There are so many underlining themese that can be found not just in the conversations or flashbacks but even in the environment. It baffles me that people did not realize that. Naughty did a phenomenal job but people just decided to be pricks man

  • @thisguy8106
    @thisguy8106 3 года назад +229

    "I saved her" gives me chills every single time..

  • @MrDidikong
    @MrDidikong Год назад +9

    Your monotone perception of Joels attributes is genuinely so soothing, using such direct words in describing how he isn't perfect but was true to what he believed in and nothing could stop him when protecting the ones he loved was amazing. 10/10

  • @skye295
    @skye295 3 года назад +26

    I’m gonna be honest I think I’ve cried every time watching this video. You did a wonderful job doing his character justice. Joel was always at his core just a father trying to do right by his daughters.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +2

      thank you 🙏

  • @LeonardoAlves-vj8kl
    @LeonardoAlves-vj8kl 3 года назад +120

    I guess what pissed Ellie so much is also the fact that Abby took away her chance to forgive Joel, and seeing him gone kinda hits her hard because she wasted two long years resenting a man she actually loved. Honestly I believe this is what haunts Ellie throughout the game, her ptsd episodes and all. But in the end she backs off when she realizes what Joel means to her and how she wants him to be remembered. I must say though that I found the game emotionally exhausting, so I really hope they make the Part 3 with Ellie probably looking for redemption with her friends, Dina and with herself, so we get a "happier" ending 😅
    But just the fact that this game is generating so much discussion and different perspectives is already a proof that it is GREAT and a magnificent piece of art. It's undeniable how hard the story hits and how much it gets you thinking about a lot of stuff, even if you "hate" the game because it wasn't what everyone was expecting it to be.
    Thanks for this video!! It helped me put some of my thoughts to words, especially when talking about selflessness.

    • @SiChuanChilli
      @SiChuanChilli Год назад +1

      well said bro well said

    • @khimaros
      @khimaros Год назад +2

      Love your comment, 100% how I feel. After the first play though I was exhausted. Think I stared at the title screen for an hour. Having just finished play though number 6, it’s a masterpiece for me, extraordinary

  • @marceloriffo1988
    @marceloriffo1988 4 года назад +482

    So glad I got to see this. What a masterpiece this is.

    • @humandeviant8739
      @humandeviant8739 3 года назад +4

      Same🥺

    • @menohero
      @menohero 3 года назад +3

      Me too. I am glad. I hope i remember the game as potraited here, not as a disappointment.

    • @thisguy8106
      @thisguy8106 3 года назад +4

      I agree.

    • @AlphaDog-ri8lk
      @AlphaDog-ri8lk 3 года назад +1

      I Disagree if I was in a happy environment for four years I wouldn’t forget that there’s evil on the earth and let my guard down and love everyone meeting them for the first time you need to have a balance to survive and that’s logical thinking

  • @vali.s5109
    @vali.s5109 3 года назад +80

    that.. pissed off look in his eyes when he says with a half voice ''I saved her...'' it hits just so fucking hard

  • @Danziii
    @Danziii 3 года назад +68

    I think that Joel was lost after Sarah's death, it took until meeting Ellie that he was able to find himself again and to learn to be happy again. He had something to fight for, not to just survive.

  • @darinito9174
    @darinito9174 3 года назад +69

    Joel’s character arch is extremely moving in the Last of us. The flip of his persona, the choices he makes, it all makes you just appreciate the creativity by Naughty Dog.
    Joel isn’t perfect, but he sure is close.

  • @knurdyob
    @knurdyob 3 года назад +167

    Many people said that ellie remembering her last conversation with joel at the end was a bit contrived, myself included, but the more I think about it I really like how we see that short shot of joel, remembering her last conversation with him: "I don't know if I can forgive you, but I would like to try". At that point she realized that, because her pain was caused by not forgiving joel, which led to intense feelings of guilt, forgiveness is the path to move forward. resentment was the cause of all her pain to begin with, she would just be making the same mistake twice if she didn't "try to forgive" abby. I think at that point she realized that her words to joel are equally applicable towards abby as well.
    Resentment towards Joel led her to feel an intense guilt, she should've forgiven him, but sadly she started it too little too late. She couldn't let resentment ruin her life again, so she forgave abby, as she wished she could've done with Joel to avoid all that pain.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +21

      yep. they told us everything we needed to know with that short little flash of joel and the conversation it represented.

    • @vallykoool
      @vallykoool 3 года назад +3

      yea but isnt it strange that she forgives HIS KILLER? she killed everyone but not the one she really wanted...

    • @redred2395
      @redred2395 3 года назад +9

      @@vallykoool I can’t believe you can read and listen to all of this and still say that

    • @vallykoool
      @vallykoool 3 года назад +6

      @@redred2395 man dont get me wrong...i always defend this game against the haters, i understand why ellie spared her i do and the arguments from above are good and it makes sense but it still feels strange and a little bit forced (like u kill everyone but u finally understand that revenge sucks only in the end when u fight the one u wanted, the one who ruined ur life) plus, him/her biting my two fingers would make me even more mad and would make me change my decision..

    • @3lankfac32
      @3lankfac32 3 года назад +2

      @@vallykoool but Ellie brought that on herself if she didn’t go after her she wouldn’t have lost her fingers

  • @Ziphias
    @Ziphias 3 года назад +68

    There are tons of reasons for why I love the character of Joel so much; Troy's performance, him being such a honest depiction of a conflicted human in a post-apocalyptic world, the fact that his motivations are so understandable, his past and I could go on.
    He's almost like a mythical character to me. I feel like this video strengthened these qualities, while also presenting some new perspectives on him and for that I can't thank you enough. Your cinematic approach works really well. This video definitely deserves all the attention it can get!

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +4

      thank you so much 🙏

  • @raymondray6987
    @raymondray6987 3 года назад +242

    “Good Men, we are violent, stubborn, and will not stop, will not regret any of our actions, to fight for the ones we love,” ww2 American solider interview

  • @terryroberts5309
    @terryroberts5309 10 месяцев назад +2

    The flowers left outside his house after his death showed how much he was liked he must have been like a hero for a lot of ppl a mentor for the younger groups like Jesse

  • @mih568
    @mih568 2 года назад +2

    7:50 owww his smirk after what ellie said😭💗i miss him so much like he's real how is it possible

  • @emmiebunny04
    @emmiebunny04 3 года назад +19

    You can see Joel fighting back his tears as Ellie tells him she wants to forgive him.

  • @royataylor7797
    @royataylor7797 3 года назад +56

    joel has to be one of my favourite characters from anything *ever*. naughty dog did a wonderful job making him feel so real. the depth this character has and the love he has for ellie is something so relatable which is why i can't help but feel a genuine sense of loss every time i see his death scene. i honestly could have played a whole game of just joel raising ellie after the events of the first game. this was an excellent video essay and you bet i cried like a baby.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +3

      thank you 🙏

  • @joshuabaker67
    @joshuabaker67 3 года назад +348

    I’m glad to see that there’s people out there that loved this game despite all the horrible press over Joel’s death. In reality death never comes at a poetic time and this game exposes that. Joel got ripped from us just like Abby’s father was ripped from her and the writers made us feel that loss.

    • @WisdomofTheStar
      @WisdomofTheStar 3 года назад +22

      You might have just made me like this game with that comment

    • @Anhtique
      @Anhtique 3 года назад +42

      Exactly. People felt lied to, cheated, robbed, and angry over Joel. That doesn't make the scene bad, it makes it what it intended to be

    • @paloma8423
      @paloma8423 3 года назад +11

      Exactly! People forget the power in storytelling comes not only from it being able to make us feel good, but also with how hard it's able to hit us and make us feel angry, hopeless, and upset.

    • @johnsoapmactavish9921
      @johnsoapmactavish9921 3 года назад +14

      Except we don't give a shit about Abby or her dad since we literally had a whole game focus on Joel and Ellie. You really thought you did something huh? Joel's death is one of the most forced and worse writing executions in video game history

    • @joshuabaker67
      @joshuabaker67 3 года назад +6

      @@johnsoapmactavish9921 That’s your opinion.

  • @musicalgamer5395
    @musicalgamer5395 Год назад +6

    As a young, 21 year old about to either re-enlist in the military or Leave in a year, this video helped me get a better grasp of myself and the decisions I will be making. It helped me even calm down on my worst days. Thank you.

  • @dominick1750
    @dominick1750 3 года назад +15

    The production value of this video is phenomenal. The clips used, the way they’re spliced, the implementation of music, and the contents of the discussion itself all blend together to reframe a beautiful picture of a story that I love. I am blown away. You have gained a loyal subscriber, and I’m so excited to see more from you.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +1

      thank you 🙏

  • @ProfessorM_PhD
    @ProfessorM_PhD 3 года назад +130

    Joel is a direct descendant of Arthur Morgan and no one can change my mind

    • @samuelsalcedo6875
      @samuelsalcedo6875 3 года назад +13

      He's out of line, but he's right

    • @yashkaliapiano
      @yashkaliapiano 3 года назад +9

      @@samuelsalcedo6875 I understood that reference

    • @EroticOnion23
      @EroticOnion23 3 года назад

      How can you be a direct descendant without carrying his last name?? 0.o

    • @samuelsalcedo6875
      @samuelsalcedo6875 3 года назад +3

      @@EroticOnion23 I mean... Arthur did have a son, and clearly this was just for the meme, but if you really wanna put some thought into it you could easily picture the kid surviving the attempt on his life (I think Arthur said someone killed him and the mother) and knowing his father is a wanted, dangerous man, he could just as easily go somewhere else and use a different name. And yeah, I just made that up off the top my head, and it's not to be taken seriously... But yeah, you get the point.

    • @samuelsalcedo6875
      @samuelsalcedo6875 3 года назад +2

      And with that story I don't mean the kid is Joel. No. He's old, but not that old. I meant the kid could've had descendants using another name like... I dunno, Miller? Instead of Morgan.

  • @benmac7552
    @benmac7552 4 года назад +149

    RUclips recommendations just blessed me with this video.

  • @autumnaticfly2965
    @autumnaticfly2965 4 года назад +43

    This is the kind of understanding this game needs. I agree with everything you said. Joel was a real keeper and they paid respects to him. Amazing job you did here, friend

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  4 года назад +9

      thank you very much

    • @Pedro_Le_Chef
      @Pedro_Le_Chef 3 года назад +3

      Much respect. Beaten by a golf club after giving himself up like an idiot even though just four years ago he was an absolute force to be reckoned with

  • @ashtonjensen726
    @ashtonjensen726 5 месяцев назад +3

    One of my favorite video essays. I watch this every couple of months just to feel something again

  • @QuantumJG90
    @QuantumJG90 3 года назад +3

    This made me cry. I’m playing the Last of Us for the 17th time. It’s not a New Game +, so I’ll play it again. Then The Last of Us: Part 2 for the 5th time. Despite Joel being killed off in the second game. The second game is brilliant.
    I know he spent 20 years, as a drifter. Murdering anyone and doing anything to survive. But he lost his daughter. Taking a child off a parent, takes away so much from them. Their existence becomes pointless.
    Then he meets Ellie. Who he’s reluctant to be around at first. But then they bond. There’ll never be a game like this one. The fact that I got to exist, when this game came out. Is amazing.
    It’s sad to see what Ellie loses in the second game. She goes on a self-destructive journey. Hopefully in the third game, she finds a way to find peace.

  • @isaabdullahi9097
    @isaabdullahi9097 3 года назад +67

    I can finally move past my anger with Naughty Dog...
    I can now mourn Joel alone and quietly in my heart....
    Great video, man

  • @kiyuuiiu__682
    @kiyuuiiu__682 4 года назад +72

    Man, this might be one of the best videos I've ever seen. Brilliant work!

  • @bippityboppity4322
    @bippityboppity4322 3 года назад +68

    I really like how you tied in Ellie’s ability to start to forgive Joel, with her ability to spare Abbey’s life. That was a “lightbulb” moment for me. I also really like your explanation for how Joel easily gave away his name to Abbey because at that point he was a changed man. I stumbled across this video in my recommended and I’m glad I watched it!

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 3 года назад +1

      Living in a community like Jackson with people you love can do that to anybody. Since it’s been 4 years, I doubt that was his first time introducing himself.
      I also find it odd that a lot of people don’t acknowledge that they were being chased by a horde of infected in a blizzard and instead said “oh, they just waltzed into a trap”

    • @bippityboppity4322
      @bippityboppity4322 3 года назад

      @@ryanhowe6543 I think a lot of people really cared about Joel, and wanted to rationalize why his death “couldn’t” make sense to console themselves. Absolutely no evidence for that, just my own anecdotal experience lol

  • @dalenogari
    @dalenogari 2 года назад +24

    Anyone who doesn't understand Joel's choice to save Ellie is because he's not yet a father/mother . If I had to choose between the world or my son, I would choose my son 200x without even thinking about it.
    Amazing Video !!!

  • @AntonioHernandez-kn3pv
    @AntonioHernandez-kn3pv 3 года назад +13

    This has to be one of the most beautiful and eye opening essays I’ve heard in a long time thank you. Can’t wait to see what’s next

  • @redndead8993
    @redndead8993 4 года назад +131

    Wow, I actually came very close to crying several times in this video.
    Beautiful

    • @Alababm
      @Alababm 4 года назад

      i did once

    • @saramcq
      @saramcq 3 года назад +5

      Very close? I wiped away tears multiple timesss

    • @redndead8993
      @redndead8993 3 года назад +3

      @@saramcq I lost my father very recently, his funeral was last Wednesday. I'm wanting to replay the first and second game, I'm expecting this whole story to make me absolutely break down crying now

    • @saramcq
      @saramcq 3 года назад +3

      @@redndead8993 oh gosh I am so sorry I've lost a parent as well and it is not easy. Sending lots of good vibes your way

    • @redndead8993
      @redndead8993 3 года назад +1

      @@saramcq Thank you, I very much appreciate it. I'm sorry for your loss as well

  • @elitemook4234
    @elitemook4234 3 года назад +84

    A key point everyone seems to overlook is that the fireflies never told Ellie that they'd have to kill her to get the cure. At a point in the university she outright asks Joel if he thinks 'it will hurt' and Joel says he believes that they'll only have to draw some blood without Ellie correcting him. Because she didn’t know. Then take what happens when they find the fireflies and Joel has every justification to react as he did.

    • @samuelsalcedo6875
      @samuelsalcedo6875 3 года назад +16

      It was all just wrong. A desperate last attempt at trying to save a world that was long gone. They weren't even sure if they could actually make the "cure", and Abby's dad when confronted by Marlene about if he would still go through with the procedure if It was his own daughter instead of Ellie... He hesitated, obviously.
      Man, I love this game and the characters (except for Abby) but it's all so damn tragic for everyone.

    • @StephaneBergeronPixelyzed
      @StephaneBergeronPixelyzed Год назад +4

      Exactly. And medically, the way Anderson was going about it makes no sense. Think about that dispassionately: regardless of who it is or any moral or ethical considerations about Joel's choices in the moment, the Fireflies had ONE subject with immunity. As far as they knew, she was completely unique in the entire world. And yet, their first move was to do a lethal one time procedure on her... with NO guarantee it would even work! How does that make any sense?
      The fatal procedure should have been step 5 or 10 or 50 in the process.... not the first damn one! You get a small sample of Ellie's cordyceps growth first through a non-lethal less harmful procedure. You test with that. Then you take another and another if needed. Removing the whole of what was inside her all at once and killing her right away makes absolutely no scientific sense to me regardless of any other consideration. I'm surprised no one ever mentions this.
      Everything about the end of part 1 and the scenes with Anderson and Marlene in part 2 on the day Joel and Ellie got to St-Mary's angered me exactly because of this (on top of the emotinal turmoil this story causes as you got attached to these caracters).
      Anderson and the Fireflies went at it it like complete presumptuous assholes and that is not even considering they never consulted Ellie (or Joel) to tell her what they would be doing to her which makes the whole thing even more shitty. Murder indeed... but also gross incompetence IMO. With stakes that high, killing their subject as the very first step he does just for a "chance" for a cure is just mind mindbogglingly stupid to me in the story.

  • @christrump9368
    @christrump9368 3 года назад +10

    This is literally my favourite TLOU video now. Definitely find myself rewatching once a week. The points made, the music choices, the editing.... it’s just so spot on. Thank you.
    Would love to see more.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +4

      thank you very much. more videos coming soon 🙏

  • @timolos
    @timolos Год назад +8

    I’m sad this RUclipsr hasn’t made more videos. This video is among the best video essays I’ve seen.

    • @fraktux
      @fraktux Год назад +1

      I was just thinking the same. I've watched this video 3 times already (once per year)

  • @Kasanovaa
    @Kasanovaa 8 месяцев назад +2

    I find myself coming back to this video regularly. I wish you made more content but I understand that life gets in the way. Wherever you are or whatever you’re doing. I just want you to know that this video is an absolute masterpiece and it’s helped pull me out of some dark times. Thank you for taking the time to edit and share this content with us. I hope you come back one day but if you don’t or can’t… I wish you find/found comfort in knowing that this video brought happiness and peace to a lot of people.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  8 месяцев назад +1

      thank you so much, that means a great deal 🙏 I hope to make more content in the future

    • @jojivlogs1323
      @jojivlogs1323 8 месяцев назад

      @@philn0va I also come back to this video quite often. In fact the way you described Joel as man who is both tough and tender really helped me with my own understanding of masculinity and the kind of man I want to be. Id be very interested in your future content, but if nothing else thank you for this video it has meant so much to me over the years!

  • @matthewgonzalez2727
    @matthewgonzalez2727 3 года назад +28

    I cried. A beautifully executed take and exactly how I view Joel and his actions. I take care of my mother and two sisters alone and I can say that so many of these characteristics you dissected do truly make a man or simply a good person.
    Thank you. You’ve earned a subscriber.
    EDIT: revisiting this video again nine months later. Hope we’ll see more from you soon!

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +1

      thank you 🙏

    • @shuraowen
      @shuraowen 3 года назад +1

      Hey good luck to you, too.

  • @christerkolterjahn9336
    @christerkolterjahn9336 3 года назад +10

    After watching this I had to play the birthday level, probably the best level ever made. And I cried a river or two doing so.
    I have always identified strongly with Joel. When I first played TLOU, I was 47 and my twin daughters were 14), and when I played TLOU2 (with Elsa, one of my daughters) I was 52 and she had just turned 19. Elsa studied music and art, and in one class they played TLOU, watched "the Road" and then wrote an essay about these two post-apocalyptic worlds.
    And with both of us loving TLOU, it was a no-brainer to play TLOU2 together. In my opinion, it made the whole emotional rollercoaster even better. The sadness, loss, anger, and love for the characters deepened even more (at least I think so). And even if we were both really angry and sad - we both loved Abby's story.
    Life isn't fair, life isn't a smooth ride. But seeing the hate towards Naughty Dog just makes me sad. They've made two of the best, most emotional games ever.
    And as a personal note, I can testify to life's shittiness - in the last decade, I've lost my mom to cancer, lost part of my foot to cancer, lost an eye and have had severe chronic eye pain for 9 years, lost my brother to suicide, I also have a daughter with severe epilepsy (not the one I played with). Sometimes I'd like stories with happy endings, but the stories that have helped me through these years are stories I can relate to in some way. And no story have done this better than TLOU!

  • @absolutedealer
    @absolutedealer 3 года назад +75

    This game is a story-telling masterpiece. No video game has ever came close.

    • @gregwxst
      @gregwxst 3 года назад +1

      @David Mutchler I'd say that's second, two of my favourites!

  • @christophermorley6615
    @christophermorley6615 3 года назад +2

    My man drops one video essay, absolutely kills it, and is never seen again? Bro you need to do some more this is amazing

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад

      haha thanks.. I will soon hopefully 🙏

  • @blacktimbs8354
    @blacktimbs8354 3 года назад +14

    ever since the game released and everybody said ''Joel's death is out of character he would never trust strangers like that'' I always did my best to convince people that the joel from the first game would never trust a stranger, sure, but in tlou2 we have been thrown forward for like 4-5 years and in that time joel became a whole different person. I'm happy that someone made a video saying the exact same thing

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 3 года назад +5

      Completely agree.
      They seem to also ignore that He, Tommy and Abby were chased by a swarm of infected in a blizzard with rather limited options

    • @gaunterodimm4206
      @gaunterodimm4206 3 года назад +1

      In a bloated game that half of was just to make stupidly obvious point, they could've soared half an hour to show us the hypothetical new Joel, they didn't.
      The sequel was nothing but betrayal for old fans.
      I wish I could've played the sequel first, maybe then I wouldn't so deeply despise the story.
      Oooof and the stupid binary controversy, in my opinion that was what killed the game and story.

  • @daltonbewley731
    @daltonbewley731 3 года назад +41

    You know, I didn’t really like The Last of Us 2. But this gave me a whole different perspective, and I really did enjoy your point of view. I thank you for this video because for the first time in a long while I actually cried some. Beautifully well done!

  • @Akristinaaa
    @Akristinaaa 10 месяцев назад +1

    I've watched just about every TLOU-related video on the internet, and this might just be my new favourite. This left me absolutely speechless. I checked your channel and was bummed to see that there aren't more videos like this haha
    But seriously, I can't believe I've found this so long after it was made. Everything about the video was so well done I don't even know where to begin.
    With all that being said, thank you for making such a thoughtful and enthralling monograph.
    I'll be returning to this video many times, I have no doubt.

  • @leoandreberg3467
    @leoandreberg3467 3 года назад +17

    This game in my opinion was beautiful and a masterpiece. Never have i ever felt so close to the characters and at the same time felt so many emotions thru a game

  • @vthelastrun3290
    @vthelastrun3290 4 года назад +145

    Wow mate you good, it makes me angry to watch other youtubers talking crap coz they really didnt get the story but you are dead on point thanks and hope to see more, to be honest i like all the characters in part 2 coz they really involved in what they believe in, its a game about emphathy

    • @leighronrobinson7307
      @leighronrobinson7307 3 года назад +8

      Ok its a game about empathy. Abby got everything she wanted. She got her revenge and her redemption. I should have empathy for her because she is a woman? Which seems to be a big thing in this game: women good men bad smfh

    • @lloydcaskenette1095
      @lloydcaskenette1095 3 года назад +6

      @@leighronrobinson7307 Exactly... Abby is the worst character ever. The game was trash. The video is great but it's as if he played a different game.

    • @pulpficti
      @pulpficti 3 года назад +33

      @@leighronrobinson7307 Abby wanted a happy life in Salt Lake City with her father, her best friends and her first love Owen. Then came Joel and took that from her. Because she can only think about revenge she loses Owen. She can only focus on training and killing, preparing herself for Joel. Yes she got her revenge but you list that as a positive for her when it clearly wasn't. She wanted to enjoy this moment but she couldn't because she was confronted instantly with the consequences. Owen is now in a relationship expecting a baby, Mel doesn't talk to her since. Manny seems the only really close friend left. So literally everyone of her friends die plus Owen and plus Yara who she tried to save so hard. Yes she gets her redemption but her life is fucking ruined. Only positive is Lev and maybe a purpose again with the fireflies. Ellie didn't have her redemption yet, she just started her journey. But that's because Abby and Ellie are on the same path but at different times. Ellie is now at the same point Abby was after killing Joel. Abby instantly saw and felt that it wasn't worth it. Ellie realized the same thing but luckily sooner than Abby. So I think Ellie got a hopeful ending. I don't understand this women/men bullshit you talking about though. Literally every character is at times portrayed as an asshole and other times as a good guy.

    • @papu1867
      @papu1867 3 года назад +18

      @@leighronrobinson7307 ah yes. This game is all women good men bad. What a logical statement that makes perfect sense

    • @glyle2504
      @glyle2504 3 года назад +12

      @@leighronrobinson7307 I’m sorry what???
      Abby wanted to have a father-hers got killed needlessly
      She completely devoted her life to avenging him, tearing all her friendships in the process, including her lover
      When she finally killed Joel, she felt no better-and the nightmares she’d been having got worse
      After finally killing him, all her friends were murdered in response
      She-just like Joel-regained her humanity through kids. This relationship cost her the faction she was a part of, and one of those kids was then killed right in front of her face
      When she hunts down the person that killed all of her friends, she lets them go, and when she tries to move on, she gets captured and tortured for months
      So yeah, she got her revenge, but it didn’t help. Her redemption didn’t stop her from losing literally everything. Her entire life up to 3 days from the end or the story is gone. And somehow you got the idea that your empathy is supposed to come from...her vagina??? *REALLY?* For fucks sake dude, you’re hopeless. It’s actually pathetic

  • @apnerds
    @apnerds 3 года назад +8

    Without a doubt one of the best videos I’ve seen in the platform discussing Joel and The last of us Part II. I’ll make sure to have my subscribers come and watch this video because this video deserves all the views in the world. Absolute perfection 🙏🏼

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +3

      thank you very much for the support 🙏

    • @ddp5406
      @ddp5406 3 года назад +2

      Yes, thank you for bringing me here bro...amazing stuff

    • @lockekappa500
      @lockekappa500 3 года назад

      Nice to see you stumbled upon this! Really enjoyed your videos on Abby, as she's a part of this game I struggle with most, you opened my eyes to a few things.
      And yes this video is something else, I pushed it on every media platform I knew of. Every discord server I was a part of. Finally the algorithm picked it up, and the rest is history.

  • @carlito___fml2652
    @carlito___fml2652 4 года назад +23

    Underrated channel; great ideas and fantastic editing.

  • @rudaam3
    @rudaam3 3 года назад +2

    That's my first ever comment on a youtube video, I wanna thank you very much. The part you talk about Joel patience was specially great. I hope you read this, thanks.

  • @xellffs6258
    @xellffs6258 3 года назад +2

    I've avoided this video for a year... I've never been subbed to your channel.
    @2:14 I had to quit the vid. Because I'm already sobbing damn it.
    I'm now subscribed.

  • @laster509
    @laster509 3 года назад +28

    "A live changing skill" me "Don't talk about skillshare for the love of God 😂

  • @sergedombrovsky4650
    @sergedombrovsky4650 3 года назад +6

    Bro, this is truly an astonishing, sensuous and touchy work. It captured my attention from the very beginning of the video by its right chosen music, competent editing, and the level of drama you put into it. I was literally obsessed by looking forward what you’re going to say about the last trait which a man should possess. My admire.

  • @bindu996
    @bindu996 4 года назад +13

    Damn you got me crying for him all over again . Great video

  • @gehhds
    @gehhds 3 года назад +1

    off topic but oh my gosh the way you set up your videos is incredible. The way the music plays in the background setting up the mood and when you paused it so joel’s words could be heard super clear is just chefs kiss
    great work! keep it up

  • @jaredmiller349
    @jaredmiller349 3 года назад +199

    Thank god someone finally understands that it was 100% feasible that Joel opened up to Abby and the strangers like that. People change all the time.

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 2 года назад +16

      I thought it was a little obvious too, especially being shown that side of Joel with Sarah and later on with Ellie in the first game.
      Plus: they were chased by a horde of infected in a blizzard! How is that not acknowledged?!
      But Cole Macgrath is a completely different character in inFAMOUS 2 and that’s okay…Sometimes, I just don’t understand people

    • @quinnmarchese6313
      @quinnmarchese6313 2 года назад +19

      the people whos biggest criticism of part 2 is that joel wouldn't have been as trusting of Abby from the beginning clearly only took a surface look at the original, if they have played it at all

    • @milkman-30
      @milkman-30 2 года назад +1

      Exactly, especially since it was 4 years later

    • @bradmace6144
      @bradmace6144 2 года назад +11

      Nah it's not realistic for him to be like that to random people... no no no

    • @ThugOG30VIPs3rd-T
      @ThugOG30VIPs3rd-T 2 года назад

      @@ryanhowe6543 fools just cherry picking

  • @saramcq
    @saramcq 3 года назад +7

    This is so beautiful. I love that you chose not to say anything when it came to the "forgiveness" stage of the video. Just letting the game and your editing speak for itself. Such a pivotal moment in the game (that I dont think a lot of ppl understood?). I really think you got Ellie's emotions (the grief and guilt of not having closure or being able to forgive joel) spot on. Also idk if anyone has mentioned this yet, but your speaking voice is *chef's kiss*

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад

      thank you so much sara! i'm really glad you liked it all

  • @gagebrewer1680
    @gagebrewer1680 3 года назад +3

    This video is literally my favorite video on RUclips right now and has been for weeks. I listen to this video all day long wether I’m doing work or hanging out. This video is so amazing please make more

  • @Unixxx_21
    @Unixxx_21 3 года назад +7

    This video of yours made us realize that TLOU2 is also a tribute to Joel. Thank you for this kind of content man!

  • @fizz5611
    @fizz5611 Год назад +4

    This video is so well made, the fact that your channel is also still this small is criminal, this video also completely flipped my view on the writing decisions made at naughty dog and made me respect the way Joel’s death was handled, it was a brutal death but it was rooted in truth. Keep making videos man, you have a bright future ahead

  • @elgeeie
    @elgeeie 2 года назад +1

    I lost my dad a few years ago, and the events that played out between Ellie and Joel in the second game do kind of mirror certain things in my own life. For the last couple of years there was tension and I wasn't really talking to him anymore, very similar to how Ellie decided to distance herself from Joel. I did have a few last good memories with him before he passed. While I may have been less mature, being a teenager at the time, the conflict mostly stemmed from his side of the situation. Deep down he was a good man, far from perfect, but he tried to be the best dad he could be. I see a lot of my dad in Joel.
    Watching this video made me cry, because in many ways this game was therapeutic for me, and this video was such a beautiful exploration of this beloved character, really clarifying what it is that makes him feel so much like a real person. It helped put certain things in my own life into perspective as a side-effect, some grief I haven't really dealt with, but was able to thanks to this character. So, in short, I just wanted to thank you for making this.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  2 года назад +1

      wow, thank you very much for sharing... 🙏 i'm glad the video could be helpful, and i'm very sorry for your loss.

  • @FoxamPL
    @FoxamPL 3 года назад +324

    it really pains me that Joel and Tommy helped Abby and she still killed Joel. I don't know what i would've done but that broke her for me

    • @aaronholmes1253
      @aaronholmes1253 3 года назад +161

      Her view on joel is a lot like people who read the leaks for the game before it came out and made assumptions. She had a view of him that she hated and she stuck with it despite him showing hes a good man. Hatred is a hell of a thing.

    • @paulkyle
      @paulkyle 3 года назад +54

      @@aaronholmes1253 that's actually an interesting analogy

    • @rypiggylebruski5235
      @rypiggylebruski5235 3 года назад +26

      I think they could’ve placed her story better. Personally I think they should’ve put Ellie’s day 1 then Abby’s instead of all at once. Because I hated Abby and almost flat out refused to play her story during Seattle day 1. Jesse was one of my favorite characters in the last of us 2 so that was tricky. But then Abby meets Lev, a kid who like Ellie needed help. Then I had a reason to follow her story.

    • @paulkyle
      @paulkyle 3 года назад +52

      @@rypiggylebruski5235 Well developers considered this story structure as well but again. This game wants to challenge you. It want you to feel strong emotions. (Excuse my terrible conditionals grammar) If they were to constantly switch from one perspective to another you would've been like "ok I get it there's two sides to the same coin, Ellie stop please". But that isn't what devs we're aiming for. You gotta be in the mindset Ellie's in until the very last second of the Day III. And then the perspective switch hits the hardest. And you're not constantly comparing Abby and Ellie after each chapter. You take the journey with Ellie and then challenged to question everything you've done in the last 3 days

    • @carinnnx7734
      @carinnnx7734 3 года назад +4

      you’re so right sir

  • @MM-hi
    @MM-hi 4 года назад +126

    The joel we see in part 1 is not who joel is, the world has turned him into a cruel, unforgiving and brutal man. Its only when he meets Ellie he begins to become a father again, which is why his decision at the end of part 1 is so impactful. People that say joel would never trust abby or her friends completely disregard the development of his character, and the joel we see in part 2 is the real joel, one who is caring, forgiving and a loving father.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  4 года назад +21

      exactly

    • @romanus5896
      @romanus5896 4 года назад +7

      you got it my friend!

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 3 года назад +10

      Thank you!
      Some people just don’t understand the character, I think the worst are the ones who vilify him for the ending of the first game, which concerns me because they might as well say they would have let their own die because it’s the “right thing/selfless” thing to do. Those people kinda scare me

    • @jasonalv7436
      @jasonalv7436 3 года назад +8

      @@ryanhowe6543 There actually people who thinks that Joel's choice in the end of the first game was very inhuman and I cannot disagree more. That is probably the most human choice a game character could possibly make

    • @ryanhowe6543
      @ryanhowe6543 3 года назад +1

      I can understand not exactly agreeing with his choice, but I do think it’s worth considering “would I have really done different if it was (one of) my own?”
      It’s the people who still vilify him for it to this day are who concern me

  • @antivalentine1277
    @antivalentine1277 3 года назад +7

    damn, I finished watching this and went down to see the page expecting millions of followers and only 987.. You deserve so much more this was a fantastic video. thank you.

  • @Xloudy684
    @Xloudy684 4 месяца назад +2

    12:27
    First time I saw this, I cried, man. Coming back to it a year later, and yes, I still cried 😂. Patience, forgiveness, understanding that people are living their first lives, man… I can’t help but tear up when that song plays.

  • @aidsman762p
    @aidsman762p 3 года назад +1

    I need to say thank you, it’s very rare that I bumble across a video of this quality and that video manages to make me reevaluate my experience with a game I had extremely strong feelings for.
    I’m astonished that this video has only around 9 thousand likes as I’m finding it it deserves much more.

  • @sandmoon4335
    @sandmoon4335 4 года назад +24

    THIS IS AMAZING. Thank you philn0va for making this powerful video. Your thoughts and words were deeply great, and you explained Joel as someone we should see, not someone we knew from the previous game. If Naughty dog or Neil Drukman would've seen this, they would be proud.🙏🏽❤

  • @logantatman5938
    @logantatman5938 3 года назад +4

    How is this man sitting on only 2K subs? I just watched a professional documentary, including fitting background music, clean edits, a clear story, and poignant and provoking thoughts. Give this man the subscribe.

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +1

      thank you 🙏

  • @bipenkumarshrestha5764
    @bipenkumarshrestha5764 3 года назад +8

    You are honestly a good person. The way you portrayed the character of joel... It hits you right there. You worked really hard to make this video. Appreciate it man! We really loved joel even he was a fictional.

  • @noyoudontgettoknowmyname6217
    @noyoudontgettoknowmyname6217 3 года назад +1

    Come on, I gotta throw out some praise for the way this guy opened this video. Fucking brilliant the way you did the editing and music for the start of this, gave me fucking goosebumps

  • @yeetistic6184
    @yeetistic6184 3 года назад +1

    I have seen several million videos on this website over the years, and to be honest, I think you made the best one

    • @philn0va
      @philn0va  3 года назад +1

      thank you 🙏

  • @RickLag8514
    @RickLag8514 3 года назад +23

    There are some interesting parallels between Joel and another Troy Baker character, Booker Dewitt. Both are murdered due to the unforeseen consequences of the choices they made for their daughters, neither see it coming, and they are the villains of the bigger picture. Just thought that was an cool similarity

    • @staciissmith
      @staciissmith 3 года назад +2

      Ah yes! Bioshock infinite I love the series..that game in particular brings the whole series full circle and I really like your comparison between Booker and Joel because I agree!

    • @Pedro_Le_Chef
      @Pedro_Le_Chef 3 года назад +1

      How is Joel a villain? Everything he ever did in the time playing as him is justified. His past as a hunter does not define him, especially after he saved Ellie's life and helped the Jackson community.

    • @RickLag8514
      @RickLag8514 3 года назад

      @@Pedro_Le_Chef He is the main antagonist of Abby for years of her life, and their meeting is what kicks off the main conflict for the rest of the game.

    • @Pedro_Le_Chef
      @Pedro_Le_Chef 3 года назад

      @@RickLag8514 He is the villain of someone we weren't attached to. We were Joel. Trying to make the audience feel bad for sympathizing is a risky move. It didn't work out for tlou2. Neil is no George RR Martin