The Last of Us: Part II - Forgiving The Unforgivable - Luke Stephens
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- The Last of Us: Part II is one of the most remarkable games ever made. I mean this in the purest sense of the word: it is worthy of remarking upon. And truly, this game draws many remarks from its patrons, both positive and negative. Love it or hate it, this game has edged its way into our hearts and minds and in this video Luke Stephens will break the whole thing down.
Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:11 - Prologue
51:45 - The Elephant In The Room Dead On The Floor
1:04:04 - Ellie's Time In Seattle
2:21:27 - HER Time In Seattle
4:14:14 - A Happy Ending? No.
4:47:12 - Closing Thoughts
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7:23 You know… For a very long time my position was that I had no problem with Joel Miller saving Ellie’s life from The Fireflies but I was vehemently against him lying to her about it all! But nearly 10 years later now I’ve finally come to be okay with his decision to lie to her about it all, as well.
Because I realized that Ellie is kinda Female Jesus and it would have been beyond cruel and unconscionable to put the burden and guilt of saving humanity on the shoulders of a child.
There’s a story in the Bible of Mary & Joseph loosing Child Jesus like the Home Alone movie and as they searched for him they found him in the Temple of his God and Father discussing spiritual and religious matters with the priest and scholars there and when his parents asked him what was he playing at?!
His response was: Didn’t you know that I’d be about my father’s business?
Jesus may have been prepped for his death at an early age but Ellie barely got to live. And she has no reason to feel obligated to save a bunch of humans who most of which have tried to either kill her or exploit her.
3:54:35 Joel & Ellie’s relationship and strong bond was built over months; while Abbie & Lev barely knew each other for 48 hours! And Joel did not work with or for the Fireflies, his brother Tommy Miller did. Marlene the Leader of the Fireflies came to Joel for help because his brother whom she dated vouched for him.
It was absolutely cringe-inducing when Abbie says to Lev, “You’re my people!” She comes off looking like some psycho-stalker who has problems getting way too attached to others way too fast.
There’s only two times in my life where I bought a strong bond and attraction forming between people who knew each other for a few hours or days.
1. Sarah Connor & Kyle Reese in Terminator
2. Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock’s characters in Speed
4:02:58 Oh my god… I just counted and from the moment Tommy successfully distracts Abbie. Ellie the Retard takes 5 seconds to pick her gun up off the ground and return fire against Abbie & Lev.
Tf?!
That’s it! At this point I no longer acknowledge TLOUP2 as a Sequel to TLOU or Canon. It’s just some wild, crazy and absurd Fever Dream.
TLOUP2 hates Ellie & Joel. And at this point I don’t even know who’s character assassination was worse? Ellie & Joel in TLOUP2, Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi or Daenerys Targaryen in Season 8 of Game of Thrones?
You mention playing on Survivor. Did you ever play it on Grounded ?
Honestly replaying TLUS II 2 years later since I touched it after the TV show is beginning to air, the game was really really amazing, the game itself was so so well thought out & designed, it was fun & exciting to play... without any of the shock or hatred & anger about what happened with Joel over 2 years ago it was actually enjoyable playing as Abby & seeing her PoV on everything, trying to put myself in Abby's shoes of why she was so angry & willing to torture/kill a stranger. I still think she's completely in the wrong for everything she did to Joel & what she made her group do to Tommy/Ellie since they saved her life immediately when they met her, but she still chose pure hatred & violence that won't bring her dead father back.
People might argue "Well Joel also killed the leader of the fire flies, possibly doomed their organization, doomed humanity" but the truth is there are other immune human beings out there & there wasn't a 100% chance Ellie's life would save the world, they were gonna kill her just for the chance and tell Joel "Sorry bud in the end we still couldn't make a good enough vaccine for people" if it didn't work out.
Whatever people believe I had a lot more fun replaying TLUS II this time, I enjoyed this analysis of the entire game a lot... even though it won't hold as special a place in my heart as the original TLUS ever will, TLUS II now has a place in my heart, there's pain there with Joel's loss but also understanding of humanity, the cycle of violence & vengeance.
Really pushing for that 10 minute mark, huh
Yeah i like Luke but he speaks fucking slowly, repeats stuff and stretches this shit to FIVE HOURS.
I was gonna say that
Careful with that joke. It's an antique.
@@altimanzify critique falls under alot of categories not just criticism. It's an analysis, assessment and philosophical understanding which explains why you think it's just a summary.
original comment
I think it's a small but really important detail that when Ellie has her panic attack flashback to going down the stairs in the cabin, we hear Joel yelling "Ellie! Help me!", which is something that he never said in the initial moment. It speaks a lot to the mental state that Ellie still has about that day and how she 'failed to save him'.
she shoulda said " joel why the fuck did you trust random strangers with guns you are better than this damn you writers"
PTSD episode*
@@chozer1 I think you may have misunderstood the point of that scene it seems
@@D14MBK this comment is a non argument since you dont point out anything else you're statement is invalid
@@chozer1 because he changed at the end of the first game also a lot of zombies were behind their back so it’s reasonable to look for help
Regarding the "boring" section where Ellie and Dina first arrive to Seattle:
I used to work at a funeral home, and one of the most common remarks I heard from grieving family members was that, in the days after losing their loved ones, all of the mundane, every-day activities they had to do felt very meaningless. Things like checking the mail, putting gas in the car, cooking dinner, etc all became extraordinarily pointless to them. I think this portion of the game is trying to emulate that feeling. You just saw Joel die, you're traumatized, and you're motivated to get revenge, but you still have to participate in seemingly meaningless, and otherwise boring, tasks to progress the game.
This is my interpretation. I'd like to hear other takes.
I really like that interpretation. Where other people complain about pacing, about sharp tonal changes, about rising action, I personally think this is where the game shines. I personally get the feeling (the more I play this game) that everything works, even the things that aren't fun are intricate and intentional.
That, or im a mindless ape who loves seeing ellie butcher random people with a pocket knife
@@sweett3253 ahahah facts
Yeah but that doesn’t work well in a game
Honestly, I did mourne Joel's death.
I played TLoU years ago but had a hard time finishing it, left the game and came back years later, when I finished it I had lost all connection to the characters, that is until I finished watching TLoU on Max.
I had to go back and relive the experience.
I
Upon finishing the game a had a renowned interest in both Ellie and Joel (kinda thinking about getting an Ellie and Joel tatt). So much so that I absolutely had to get Pt 2.
Thing is, like some of you, I knew what to expect in regards to Joel, I was heartbroken. I didn't finish the game in one sitting, I had to do it in parts, and there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to finish this game.
I had to.
But one thing I feel like it took me sometime to realize is that I was really grieving Joel. While I was at work I felt like my mind was not responding to things like I usually would, I dreaded doing things. I needed more time to process.
Upon finishing the game I still felt like l was missing something, still felt empty. I can't tell you how many videos of TLoU I've watched on RUclips to try and help me get through and understand what I was feeling.
This was a game that I simultaneously wanted to reach the ending and drop the game because I needed closure even though getting there was incredibly hard, especially that last fight.
When Ellie and Dina are in the subway tunnels, and Ellie picks up a partial newspaper clipping attached to the soda can, the newspaper talks about a woman and a community who came out of Outbreak Day with no infection, no outbreaks in their community, and they all attributed it to one individual woman, whom they claimed to be a Prophet.
To me, this is the origin of the Seraphites and where they came from.
Imagine what they would do if they found out Ellie was the same
I am certain that newspaper is discussing the origins of the cult. The newspaper indicates she was a doomsday prepper who had a "vision" of the outbreak, and managed to save her entire neighborhood due to her prepping.
There’s so much opportunity to make TLOU into an anthology series. I’d love a game about the origins of the Seraphites, the Fireflies, maybe Seattle on Outbreak Day (Ground Zero) and the immediate aftermath. It’s such a rich world Naughty Dog has created, despite being one of the bleakest dystopias in media.
Luke Stephens: "You don't get to rush this."
Alright, you win the comment section.
Underrated comment lol
Literally THE BEST COMMENT
lmaoooo
😂😂😂😂😂😂
1:00:00 Joel was only reading about space because he wanted to be able to bond with Ellie more. I don’t think he was actually into space. Edit: only pointing this out because I think it adds even more depth to the character. You walk into his house and see that he has space books, and then it dawns on you that Joel is was trying in many unspoken ways to get closer to Ellie after the events of part 1.
Yes, I whole heartedly agree. Its a nice touch and Is pretty cool.
Not only that, Joel also read the Savage Starlight comics Ellie read.
And dinosaur books
Omg I love Joel so much 😭
So Joel was on RUclips watching pearl jam concerts before outbreak. Learning entire songs that he remembers decades later. No tabs or tutorial videos. What a legend.
Joel honestly could’ve just claimed that he wrote it after and probably no one would’ve known any better
@@RussianDeathstroke Could you tell me the name of the song? I'm trying to find it since I never listened to it.
@@AtlanticSilkShake future days! It’s one of my favorites, and it’s going to be my fiancé and I’s first dance song at our wedding here in a few months
You would probably be shocked at how many musicians can't read music and learn to play things by ear.
When I was 9, my classmate was able to play welcome to jungle just by hearing it. Maybe is was truly blessed, but I think there are a lot of people that good because he always told me, even after playing it, he said he could play it better but he’ll need to practice, and that others can learn by ear much quicker than him
Something I think is important to mention is Ellie didn’t go to Santa Barbara for revenge, not really. Her PTSD is effecting her to where she can’t sleep, can’t live, she can’t function in her normal life. Images and events of the past are constantly haunting her, not allowing her to enjoy her time with this new family she now has. There’s also a lot of hesitation in her face when she’s talking to Dina before leaving. I think she’s leaving to kill Abby because she thinks it will “cure” her ptsd. Not because she still wanted revenge or that she felt she had to avenge Joel. Whenever someone has PTSD it feels like your not in control and your at the whim of someone or something else. Whenever she’s about to have the final fight with Abby her words are, ”I ‘can’t’ let you leave,” the word “can’t” implies that she’s not in control. IE she’s not making this choice because she wants to kill Abby for revenge or she wants to avenge Joel but she feels like she has to to be able to move on with her life. She thinks it will end her PTSD which is the force that she feels is in control. It’s because of this that I never lost empathy for Ellie. I didn’t want her to go after Abby again, but I definitely didn’t stop sympathizing with her and it’s precisely because of this. The last part of the game is hard to go through in terms of motivation as you don’t want to kill Abby, but this actually does match up with Ellie’s feelings if you think about. In the same way that Ellie doesn’t want to kill Abby, but she feels like she has to cure her ptsd the player at this point doesn’t want to kill Abby, but feels like they have to because this is a video game and you have to beat the final boss to see the end.
I agree 100% and this is a point I wish more people took into consideration when it comes to Ellie and her character in TLOU2. I’ve seen many comments and posts made about how unlikable Ellie is in Part 2 or how they can’t empathize with her and some even calling her ”the villain”. Especially her decision to leave for Santa Barbara is scrutinized. But I feel like a lot of people judge her actions from a ”healthy” point of view. What I mean by that is that people are judging this mentally ill and traumatized character for making seemingly dumb decisions and for acting irrationally, saying that ”it doesn’t make sense for her to leave everything she loves behind” or that ”I can’t relate to her, she keeps making decisions I wouldn’t make”. And I think we should try to understand Ellie’s state of mind a bit more instead of calling her stupid and reckless for just trying to cope with debilitating PTSD. Like, of course she’s not thinking in the same way as most of the players, because the people who’ve played this game haven’t (hopefully) gone through the hell she has. Her logic is skewed for a reason.
Like you said, Ellie is desperate to make the nightmares and panic attacks end and they’re so impairing to her life that she’ll do almost anything to make them go away. She doesn’t want to kill Abby, she feels like she needs to in order to ”get better”. And I think her deciding to go to Santa Barbara is exactly what should make the player understand this, instead of making them judge her even more harshly. Maybe that’s a mistake on the developers’ part for not making it clear enough, but regardless. People have asked ”Why would she abandon her perfect life and family just for the chance of being able to kill Abby?” and it’s a good and important question for sure, but they don’t seem to seriously try and think of the answer to that. Because in the end it’s actually quite simple: she’s just so desperate to get rid of the pain and suffering.
@@vissy9330 I don’t really feel like it’s a mistake on the developers part. I’ve never really dealt with PTSD, and I was able to catch that detail on my first playthrough. I just think the average player isn’t super observant on their first playthrough.
@@Shittyrapper Yeah I honestly don’t think so either and I feel like it should be pretty obvious from what we’ve been given, but I think you’re right about players not being observant enough to catch it, which is a shame with games like these. You really need to pay attention to everything, even the little details, to get the full experience the makers of the game want you to have. I just threw that point out there because a lot of people seemed to miss it.
That journey South actually cured her PTSD in then end. Just like Abby the image kept seeing of Joel finally changed.
@@thefjk it did cure her ptsd but that’s because she chose to spare Abby. She was finally able to forgive Joel through forgiving Abby.
Luke "don't worry we'll get into that later" Stephens
😂😂😂
"Regardless..."
Luke "might just be me" Stephens
Needless to say
The sacred words of a true critic
Anyone else just feel drained emotionally after this game or is that just me?
Yes, kinda like real life. The game was impressive and moving but maybe not always the most enjoyable use of time.
Definitely. I think that was NDs goal though
More like boring
@@craigtattum7706 lol
But if you found this game boring, I'd hate to see what you think is exciting. Probably Cyberpunk.
@@juanjogrande11 yeah, you were supposed to understand that she's just a little pawn.. but so is Joel.
We hate and love all of these characters. The end of the world isn't romantic, or nice.
It's the end.
I think a lot of people don't really consider that Ellie's journey isn't intended to mirror the end of Joel's, it's intended to mirror the beginning. You say that the choices Ellie makes are hard to empathize with while Joel's (in the first game) weren't; the difference is these aren't the same points in their journey. We know that Joel and Tommy did some really bad shit in the past, as evidenced by their rift and Tommy's line from the first game: "I have nothing but nightmares from those years!" I strongly suspect that Joel became a very dark and vengeful person after Sarah's death during the outset of the pandemic. We see hints of this based on his behavior throughout the game, i.e. interrogating the cannibals. Why would you need to interrogate and torture just to "survive" in the past? We know Joel is trying to get to Ellie in this specific instance but the subtext is that Joel's done this before and knows what he's doing. We even get the line "I've been on both sides..." when Ellie asks him how he knew the injured man in the road was a raider/hunter. I have a feeling if we were to see some kind of prequel, we would not be agreeing with Joel's behavior in much the same way that we may not agree with Ellie's in part 2.
My point is that Ellie is at the beginning of her journey but we've only ever seen Joel BEFORE his journey and at the very end. What we saw of Joel in part 1 would be the equivalent of seeing Ellie 10-20 years from the moment of Joel's death. Keep in mind these two events (Sarah and Joel's death) mirror and rhyme with one another in that they were both a catalyst for the deconstruction of a character. In part 2 we just get to see Ellie break bad, whereas in part 1 we time jump 20 years. In a way, part 2 is a thematic prequel, showing us the pain, rage and hate that that leads to such a broken person like Joel.
And Ellie is that guy's adopted daughter. With a dad like Joel and uncle like Tommy how else would her story even play out? Ellie leaving Joel's stuff and symbolically his influence behind is the best move for any future family she might have.
I like this interpretation!
Holy shit I might write this down somewhere.
I agree that Joel had to do some dark shit in order to survive and make sure others survived. That being said sometimes to survive you might need to torture someone for information. The game even shows an example with David’s goons in the first game. It’s dark but sometimes it would be necessary
Ellie’s story mirrors the first game. In the second game she goes to cure her mental trauma by ending Abby, but changes her mind at the last second. Just like Joel did with the zombie cure in the first game.
i think the first few conversations being very “high school” was a good thing, in the first game, joel and ellie didn’t have the people or the safety to have normalish lives, it shows that they have a community and new relationships now.
I agree. I liked it because I thought that Ellie had finally the chance to have a normal life as a young adult...only to be taken from her by violence
and they’re only 18-19
i thought it was pretty realistic, they're teenagers, they've all probably settled into Jackson it makes sense that stuff like that is going on LMAO
“The rat king fight wasn’t really that hard”
Me who died to it 11 times on normal: 👁👄👁
It really isn't that hard. But I guess you're a normie who never played games that require skill 💁♂️
@@frogglen6350 it's easy if you use fire and high damage guns. If you're low on these supplies at the time it would be hard
Lmao yeah I watched my friend try and beat it the first time and they gave up cikejrk
it was just hit and run for 3 minutes and it suddenly collapsed for me
@@frogglen6350 how old are you?
Ahhh, the good old days when everyone thought Abby was gonna be Ellie’s mom 😅
Lol, yeah
Leave that shit for star wars
Who thought tht🤨 i never heard this theory
I remember this.
Ohh damn that would have been so much better
"Abby conquered her fears... with Levs help she's achieved what she's thought was unachievable, she's crossed this- oh my God She fell...." this took me out 🤣🤣🤣
Where to?
3:17:25
just realized that since Our Future Days would have come out right before the outbreak happened, Joel probably learned it for Sarah, then outbreak, he decided to continue to learn it when he could, and then met Ellie. Him singing this song to her was the literal embodiment of him telling her that he saw her as his daughter and not just as a daughter figure.
Man, I really like that theory
That's why it's perfect for the game's tone, theme, and Joel's character. They really could not have settled on a better song. Honestly makes me tear up every time i hear Joel sing it.
The thing about the fights between Abby and Ellie is that as Abby, you have to defeat Ellie in the way Ellie is more effective gameplay wise, which is using stealth and patience. While as Ellie in the final fight, you have to defeat Abby using brute force only.
Great observation! Abby and Ellie win their battles in a way opposite of their characteristization. Great catch!😃👍
Irony at its finest
Another thing I noticed about the fight at the theatre was that it mirrors the fight in part 1 with Ellie v. David. Abby is hiding from Ellie and is forced to resort to sneak attacks. Ellie is forced to do the same in her confrontation with David. It goes to show that Ellie was once the prey but now is the predator. Joel even implies this at the museum when talking about dinosaur predators. He remarks that Ellie is a bit short for a predator.
Ellie should have won both encounters.
She has a fucking gun and keeps leaving her back open.
Abby has been hogtied for days after being barely fed for weeks. And Ellie has a gun.
@@DGenHero won both....idk man I like Ellie but Abby is a trained soldier
When Joel says “y’all act like you know us or something.” I can hear the coffin dance music slowly building up
That would be a very good meme if it didnt hurt so much.
Tbfh lol
@@moniquita720
"To be continued" would fit pretty nicely.
And you wouldn't have to rewatch the whole thing.
@@kirillazarov6865 YOU HAVE FOUND THE SOLUTION. It must be made then.
@@moniquita720
Absolutely. That would be the day.
Something that occured to me about this game is this:
Riley was infected. Sam was infected. Henry killed himself. Tess was infected.
Joel was the first personal connection she had that she could tie a blame to, that she could avenge
the sad part is she did blame someone for those first four detahs. She blamed herself in a way, feeling guilty because she knwe that woudln't happen to her bc of her immunity\
Still a serial killer
2:03:41 I think it’s also important to note here that Ellie is trying to emulate Joel’s torture method from the first game (Which we know because she tells Dina about it when they find Leah’s corpse), the key difference being that obviously Ellie cannot maintain control of the situation or even be seen as a serious threat like Joel could. I think this is just highlighting Ellie’s naivety (is that a word? I have no idea if that’s a word) and obviously this carelessness causes her to commit an act she deeply regrets. However, and this is probably a stretch, but I think this could be trying to show the player what happens when you’re motivated by love/care versus spite/revenge. In the first game, Joel tortures David’s men in order to find Ellie and keep her safe, and his experience combined with his motivation to protect Ellie allow him to pull it off. Paternal instincts are a very powerful thing- I can personally say that I know my parents would probably burn the world down if I was ever in a situation like that. However, Ellie doesn’t have this same instinct driving her, but rather bitterness and hatred for someone she doesn’t know, and it even leads her to KILLING a future mother and her child.
I know this is all very r/im14andthisisdeep and this is pretty obvious and a bunch of people have already thought this or commented it (or you mention it in the video and I just haven’t gotten that far lol) but I wanted to put my thoughts out there :) Really love this video man! Can’t wait to see more stuff from you
Well I certainly haven't seen somebody else share this view, which by the way I 100% agree with. Well worded and phrased. This is why I think we all like video essays, new perspectives and views to deepen our understanding of stories we love and care about not to mention, you get amazing gems like this in the comment sections.
And yes, naivety is indeed a proper word
"What are you watching for 5 hours?"
"A video game review"
"You are insane"
Actrual interraction with my mother.
I had the same conversation with my 11 year old when she asked what I was watching 😂
As long as you didn't tell her it was The Last of Us 2 she probably won't put you in an institution.
Same but with my wife.
She's not wrong.
Hi Mum
Joel being “old” doesn’t really matter considering only 4 years ago he crossed the country with a little girl dropping legions of bodies along the way, who were all younger than him and in their prime...he literally beat two young men in physical combat (David’s men) while he was wounded and then he tortured them for information before killing them both...
Joel and Tommy survived 20 years in the apocalypse, they are *the* two most capable and most dangerous men in Jackson and it’s precisely because of their age...it’s not like their using canes and hobbling around, they’re old but both of them are still physically very capable...if anyone is going to go out on patrols and be able to handle any situation thrown at them and survive it’s Tommy and Joel...so them doing patrols makes perfect sense.
Agreed, yet still the game (2nd game) has made them extremely "stupid" as in the first game he would NEVER EVER say his name or anything similar to people he just met, and in this game... he both told them and walked into a strange basement! What a dumbass they made him.
@Rómulo Figueroa it's pretty hard to override "killer instinct" as it were. A marine is still gonna be a marine years after leaving service, and realistically it'd be the same with Joel. He lost his daughter, survived in the apocalypse for years, and found a new daughter figure and a new home. He wouldn't soften up, he'd stay sharp and likely become even more protective and vigilant post TLOU 1.
I don’t think he’s implying that Joel and Tommy are incapable of doing patrols, I mean clearly the two of the most capable. I think he’s implying that after so many years of fighting and at this age, why would they want to🤷🏻♂️
@@ryantony7743 Because they must had been the most trustworthy and reliable people from the start.
Shaurya Sharma yeah that could be it. But I like that they are, it shows that even though they’ve found an easier more comfortable life to live in Jackson, they still are able to hold their own and fight effectively on patrols. Well hold their own until the other thing happens at least🤷🏻♂️
Almost two years on and this game still continues to affect me. Thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed every minute.
Though I enjoy single player games, I’ve never really gone to finish many as I get distracted easily. Both last of us games though are the exception. The second one especially just left me speechless.
Vince Gilligan has a rule about coincidences: as long as it's bad for the protagonist, it's kosher. To me, that's pretty much spot-on. If you do that, people may gripe intellectually, but emotionally there won't be any major upsets. Coincidences that make it easier for the protagonist, on the other hand, are definitely going to feel wrong.
Vince is the best so I'm down with this rule!
Wait? It’s okay for the protagonist but not okay for the protagonist? Could you clarify which way Vince was okay with? Is the first in your statement antagonist or the second antagonist
@@getoffthegames89 There is no mention of the antagonist. He's just saying that it's fine to write coincidences that harm or inconvenience the protagonist, but that it is not okay to write coincidences that help them.
@@getoffthegames89 Vince is okay with coincidences that are BAD for the main character/protagonist. So all the coincidences that lead Abby to Joel are okay, because they are bad for him. They make it easier for Abby, at that point the antagonist, to achieve her goal of killing him.
On the other hand, when we switch the Abby's perspective and she becomes our protagonist (structurally at least) coincidences that help her are no longer kosher. But coincidences that make it harder for her, like say a giant rat king guarding the only med kit in the hospital, are now fair game.
Make sense?
This reminds me of the difference between Deus Ex Machina (when an unexpected plot element saves our main characters) vs Diabolus Ex Machina (when an unexpected plot element empowers our villains), with the general consensus being: the former is bad writing, but the latter is okay.
coincidence
However, not to put words in your mouth, I don't think this rule is applicable as a way to excuse Abby killing Joel because the problem is, Abby is also a protagonist. Vince Gilligan's stories are very morally gray like TLOU, but his stories have clearly defined protagonists (Walter White, Jesse Pinkman and Saul Goodman), whereas TLOU2 has a clear dual structure where Ellie and Abby are both protagonists, so we don't want to see either of them aided by coincidence.
A little detail that nobody seems to have noticed or mentioned in the comments: When Ellie enters her room in the ending scene, she sees her stuff and the guitar case. On top of the case lies the record by the band Crooked Still that is featured throughout the relationship of Ellie and Dina. Asumingly Dina placed it in this spot on pupose for Ellie to find and to deliver a message. The first song on side A of the record is called "Can't you hear me calling" and the lyrics are:
The days are dark, the nights are lonely
Since you left me all alone
I've worried so my little darling
I've loved you so even though you have gone
Sweetheart of mine, can't you hear me callin'
A million times I loved you Bess
I mistreated you, lord, and I'm sorry
Come back to me is my request
I remember, dear, the night we parted
A big mistake has caused it all
If you return, sunshine will follow
If you stay away the rain will fall
The days are dark, the nights are lonely
How I need your sweet embrace
When I awoke the sun was shining
I looked up and I saw your face
Given Naughty Dogs obsession for detail and the fact that you clearly notice the record as the first thing Ellie touches in the room, I don't think it's a coincidence. This is a hint for Ellie that Dina at least is willing to forgive her and to take her back.
BTW Crooked Still are from Boston (as Ellie is) and the record is awesome.
Great review, Luke - thank you.
Oh that hurt 😔
Woaaah, deep...
This theory is much more mind-blowing than the bracelet one... Holy shirt.
I will fix the entire ending by emphasizing what ND already put there and it only requires 1 extra shot: After Ellie stops playing the guitar, there's a shot of her putting the mentioned record into the record player. The song starts playing...
And that's it. All of the sudden, this stupidly depressing and hopeless ending actually has some hope in it. And the hope isn't just for people who noticed the little detail of the song's lyrics being optimistic.
Damn i love that song, now i wont stop thinkin bout them
My man really made a FIVE HOUR critique on the game. He does too much for us! Always good stuff Luke!
If you like this you might want to check out joseph anderson. He makes similar types of videos. You'd probably like them.
TheAshenNamedJerry dont forget white light with his 7 hour long death stranding video. I also recommend a smaller channel Noah Caldwell-gervais
Check out Noah Cald-Well Gervais as well.
You can really just see all the passion he pours into the content he makes. Hope he can stay healthy and keep doing what he loves.
It's not a 5 hour critique. It's a 4 hour recap of the game with some of his opinion sprinkled on there
4:52:05 I did empathize with Ellie heavily, she was damaged and making the wrong decisions sure but it’s hard to say whether you would do that or not because your father wasn’t murdered. Both characters are driven by revenge and rage and very understandably. Also I don’t think the flashbacks were to show you who Ellie used to be, I think it was to to hit you in your feels and was to show Joel more and to show her pain and memories of him and little shots of what kept her going.
The memories hit in the feels but they're there for narrative purposes. They explain what happened to the relationship between Ellie and Joel. The way they are shown, we don't get the full story before literally the very end. In a way there's two stories running parallel in the Ellie part of the game. Same is true for the Abby part of the game. So essentially we have 4 stories running parallel and they intertwine, contextualize and recontextualize each other perfectly.
So I just finished my 4th go at this game. And this is my 4th time watching this whole video. I’ve created a tradition now to watch this every time I finish the game. I feel like he kind of gets a lot of the feelings I get from this even like 2 years later. Great game and great video.
Agreed
@@jakee5059 bruh you people never allow people to have opinions on the internet ☠️
There aren't too many video reviews on youtube that give TLUS 2 a fair & honest analysis showcasing what they did right & a few errors they made in the story they did tell, it did a lot of really amazing fun things that people haven't given it enough credit for, its an extremely well made & amazingly fun game/story to play through regardless of how fans feel about one of the fan favorite characters being killed off early in it
@@neltins5308a few errors?
"Stop the Cap!"
“Everyone I have ever cared for has either died, or left me. Everyone fucking except for you. So don’t tell me that I’d be safer with someone else because the truth is I’d just be more scared”
This quote from the first game really hits differently when you play the second game.
Another quote that hits different: "Once upon a time, I had somebody that I cared about. It was a partner. Somebody I had to look after. And in this world, that sort of shit's good for one thing: gettin' you killed."
Yup. Another one I come back to a lot is the whole "it can't all be for nothing" speech. It really makes Ellie's reaction upon finding out that Joel lied to her sting. She wanted so badly for her life to have some kind of greater meaning, it was what gave her all of that hope and optimism.
that's why I got mad at Ellie, she changed her personality because of a lie
I do disagree with your opinion on Ellie's decision to go after Abby in Santa Barbara. I think she needed to go, not because she was justified in killing Abby, or that killing Abby would give her peace, but that it would do the opposite, it would make her hit rock bottom. Throughout the story, and in the journal she keeps, Ellie talks about how she can't see Joel's face anymore, and how all she sees is his beaten, and bloodied face after Abby was done with him, but once she has that flashback of him on the porch, she could see his face again, and is able to draw his face in her journal for the first time from her now trauma-recovering memory. It's like what you talked about with Abby's dreams, once she started to go on the right path, and revenge wasn't clouding her mind, she started having better dreams. Ellie needed the same thing, but truly had to hit rock bottom, and lose everything to get there. The ending is really depressing, but I like to think she's on the right path, wherever it leads.
She ends up on a path toward redemption. Sparing Abby’s life is her first step. I’d love seeing another game, her character has a lot more potential
@@baldingsan457 yeah, she is redeeming herself after massacring countless others, and spari the only one that actually had it coming. Sure.
Denker Bosu read, please. I’ve said it’s her first step in a redemption path, not that she’s fully redeemed. A path to find her own purpose to live. Besides, by using those same standards, then Joel, who spent 20 years doing atrocities, is 1 year travelling across America to find a cure and save mankind to end up dooming it, redeems himself to live a more noble life, right?
She needed to lose Dina so she could end up entirely alone, calling back to her biggest fear from her conversation with Sam in the first game.
Yes. She looks her obsession with revenge in the face and says "No, the cycle ends here. This kid does not deserve this. I must be better than this."
The reason why Leah had pictures of specifically the entire group that killed Joel os because that is the Salt Lake crew. If you pay attention to the conversations during Abby’s section, it is shown in both the cutscenes and otherwise that the salt lake crew is specifically the group that travelled to jackson. They are abby’s friends and it is a vocally expressed FACT that they are more than just friends and are like a family. Issac even says that “you cant keep something from the salt lake crew”, once again hinting at how close knit they are. When we meet nora as abby you see how everyone in the salt lake crew is breaking rules left and right so long as it helps their friends. This, to me, explained in the second playthrough why Leah had pictures of all her friends. Also as abby, when we see the WLF’s preparations for the scar attack, we see that often people from the same crew are stationed at different places for long amounts of time. So considering how close they are, to me it made perfect sense that one of them would have pictures of their friends. Leah probably carried those pictures in her bagpack in thrir trip back from jackson as some of the pictures seem to be clicked during that trip. She was stationed at the tv stationed immediately after that journey and just had them in her backpack.
Thanks for this insight :) As someone who grew up & currently lives in Salt Lake I love that our city got some actual play time in this series!
I've re-watched this video two times by now. It' s a superb analysis. One point that I think It's important to mention is the final scene with Joel playing the guitar talking to Ellie after the incident whith her Kiss with Dina, Joel says that he would do thing all over again to save Ellie, upon hearing that, I think her guilt of being the one Who was supposed to save humanity was shifted to the one Who MUST own something to Joel, cause he did all of those things, killed all of these people, Just to save her, and she thinks that she likely has to do the same thing for him. I Think that explains more of her motivations and kinda gets easier to relate to her, even If you not agreee with her, at least on some decisions. This is one of the best games of all time, It's great that Luke treats it like a big deal.
Dude lol
I thought Owen was actually a good guy, it seemed that he was the only one on Abby's team who still had a moral compass
I actually agree Owen never really did anything explicitly horrible (at least In the context of this world) and I was actually rooting for him and I really wanted him to get to leave on the boat
@@kadenspencer8680 he was fine with abandoning his unborn child so.....
I agree except I lost most of the respect I had for him when he went in raw on Abby and cheated on his pregnant girlfriend...
@@SuperSaiyan3985 I just wanted to bleach my eyes
@@SuperSaiyan3985 Also to quote Dutch plan der linde "time to go to the M E G A G A Y Z O N E"
There should be a DLC where you play as Tommy’s part in Seattle. It just seems right
100% Agree. Honestly, I was one of the people who saw Joel's death coming a mile away after the announcement trailer and I was like "Man that's gonna suck." But was then looking forward to Ellie and Tommy teaming up on a revenge quest.
...Then the game comes out and Tommy gets shafted and we get Dina instead? Hmph.
Now I just want Tommy to get some attention in whatever form.
@@coffeepowered6033 they did tommy dirty in this game anyway, so i dont think they're gonna focus on him anymore. He is a straight white male afterall..
The Last of us: Tommys Revenge
yesssssssssssss
@@colinmcrae7562 you one of those
I feel like it’s ok for Ellie not to be “likeable” bc the bitterness towards Joel really changed her, and the revenge plot after his death really left her bedraggled. I think it made sense to make it such an arduous journey, a nice break from games that make it seem perfectly ok to murder dozens of people
I was still rooting for her, thats our baby girl
One of the most emotionally powerful games i have EVER played. Also i didn’t get on social media for a long time and didn’t watch any trailers. i broke down crying when joel died and i’m not afraid to admit it
There is an insane detail at the 42:00 mark actually. If you use your gun in that short sprint from when Joel and Tommy meet Abby to when Joel normally asks "Do you have a gun?" he will instead ask "Are you any good with that gun?". It's small potatoes but I was amazed they accounted for that.
Tommy enters the farm house:
Tommy:
“I used to be an adventurer like you... then I took an arrow in the knee.”
And a handgun through the eye
Oh wait not Skyrim
@@tomhaland3704 You mean a bullet to the eye?
@@Matt_Underwood I now like imagining he lost his eye to someone throwing a handgun at it
@@CayeDaws i'm imagining twdg2's scene involving someone ( carver ) repeatedly throwing a radio into this man's ( kenny ) face and ultimately destroying his eye, literally crushing it. but instead of a radio, it's the bottom of a handgun, ahaha. really not much of a difference.
Thank you so much for making this. I finished the game over 6 months ago and I'm still emotionally dealing with everything that happened, really appreciated going back through the experience this way and hearing a well thought out and honest critique about one of the hardest, yet best stories i think I've ever experienced. A true emotional roller coaster that even my wife couldn't wait for me to pick up the controller and start again
i haven't played either of these games, or watched anybody play them, but somehow watching this video still makes me cry at the end 😭😭😭
gotta say, the way this video is edited is absolutely phenomenal. the amount of times i've rewatched it is too embarrassing to count KSBSKSNSKS
but honestly that just goes to show how amazing this whole video is
This is what I've been waiting for, a neutral and in depth analysis, what a monster
Wow dich habe ich hier nicht erwartet
Neutral? He is asuming tuo much that people would symphazise with abbie.
Miikka Nurminen as they should, Joel killed her dad. That’s a legit reason to do what she did. Regardless of wether you like the character or not.
@@thanos5897 Her dad wanted to kill a child and just "hope for forgiveness" afterwards. Thats a legit reason for Joel to do what he did.
crimson alpha and that’s why I think it’s genius. Both believe what they were doing was right
Isaac letting the 'salt lake crew' go after joel was a direct parallel to Maria not sanctioning a revenge quest with a big group of people. Isaac is all about that violence, Maria isn't. She allows Ellie to leave very begrudgingly, knowing that is she forbade it, they'd go anyway, but she knows that it's not worth sending more (to their deaths). I thought it was a fascinating perspective on leadership, since from what we see, Maria and Isaac are in charge of probably around the same amount of people. Though the government structure of Jackson is left vague. Maria may be an elected head, and Isaac is clearly a facistic dictator who isn't above killing his own people (the guy with a promise from isaac to be extracted who was shot to death by wolves in the fedra convoy)
Blaed13 I agree 100%.
@Geralt of Trivia In Downtown seattle there is a convoy and when you open it you'll see a bunch of massacred soldiers and one of them has a note from Isaac that promised him to be rescued because he helped the WLF, it was a lie, he betrayed him and he never got rescued.
Watching this video in 2023 after the hype around the new tv show, I can't believe it's been that long since the 2nd one came out already. I loved how long and thorough the video was, don't apologise for it's length (thats what she said). I think you hit all the marks on it perfectly, and I still feel animosity towards the way the story took and made me feel, I can appreciate that it actually did make me feel something. Thanks for the effort it took in making the video.
This was one of the most beautiful, horrifying, and impactful games I have ever played. Its one of the few games that I sat in silence through the credits and I still think about it regularly. Truly a master work in my opinion. It may not be perfect or for everyone but it really stuck with me like many others before it have not.
100% agree
The writing is dogshit
It is implied by some dialogue Abby speaks out loud to herself that at some point in time, Isaac had the Prophet in custody and either had her killed or lost control of the situation and this resulted in her being killed by the WLF.
Abby makes a comment about how Isaac "turned her into a martyr" after you discover the aptly named Martyr's gate.
I particularly remember this because thematically I believe that there is irony in Abby realizing this about isaac, because Abby herself effectively turned Joel into a martyr.
The rat king arrival isn’t a convenient random arrival. The stretcher falling out of the ambulance attracts it to Abby
Also it really wasn't very convenient for abby at all; in fact just the opposite to be honest!
"you shouldn't boil yourself down to one trait. you're far more interesting than that."
I really needed to hear that since the "we don't need to talk about it" moment between lev and abbi made me think "I wish people really responded that way because she's right. I shouldn't have to talk about it." and that's one of the biggest reasons I keep it to myself and even avoid doing anything to change appearance or anything that would provoke questions or comments. it's easy to figure out, why do I have to write someone an autobiography with a special section dedicated to my junk? why is what everyone hides something I'm pushed to verbally reveal?
Hey, about the things you're avoiding doing so as not to provoke questions, I hope you're doing that for you and not for them. If there are ways you want to express yourself, I hope you'll do it instead of trying to blend in. Life's too short to live for them and not you.
I hope you're proud of this video because it's genuinely one of the best video essays I've ever seen. I only got through both the first and second game recently and all I've heard is hatred for the game without analyzing the full thing, but now that I've experienced it for myself in full and watched your video, I fully agree that this game is amazing and pushes the medium of videogame storytelling to a whole new level. I even got a membership for your channel because of this video. Thank you for taking the time to make this video, I'm sure it took a lot out of you to make it but the end product is truly incredible.
I disagree that it is a "stretch" that Joel and Tommy would still be going out on patrol. 1) In this world, probably every able bodied person takes turns providing security. 2) Tommy and Joel are experienced survivalists so it would make sense to have them be leaders of patrol groups. 3) Joel and Tommy would also most likely volunteer for patrols if they weren't assigned.
yes but i think the point he is making is that they both have important leadership roles and for them to go out at the same time on what are fairly dangerous missions seems reckless in the same way that the two heirs to the throne dont fly together
@@cyanideandsoda2326 i disagree. we see a flashback with ellie where she gets to use Tommy's rifle. He and Joel are both out on patrols. To me, it seems regular. And if you look at the log book in the beginning of the game with Dina, the logbooks shows a couple of times they were both on the patrol together
@@rightwhereyouwannab3 even tho it's a regular thing, it really should be Tommy and Joel leading the pack. To me, Tommy and Joel are one of the strongest and def the leaders of Jackson along with maria. To have two big shots go on patrol together and not say one big shot with the weaker ones is kinda weird. I mean you can argue that maybe Joel will only ever trust Tommy, Maria, and Ellie and no one else from jackson, but I doubt that would be the case since he has been there for so long. I agree with Luke that Tommy and Joel really shouldn't be patrolling and even if they were, Tommy and Joel should go out on separate patrols at the very least
@@StonedCrackerofHell that's a TOTALLY fair idea. But I'm just saying that the idea that it's a stretch that they would be on patrol is kinda dumb because we see lots of evidence through the game that that is something they did regularly. That's all I'm saying
Tanya ah I see what you’re saying. That is true. I think there was 4 other instances in the logbook if I recall where tommy and Joel were together. And that’s not including Ellie too I believe
Ellie has intense survivor's guilt and doesn't care about herself. Why she's on a self destructive path that you wouldn't personally take
Furthermore probably the worst survivor's guilt one could possibly have.
Couple that with the visceral trauma of physically seeing her father figure murdered. The reviewers saying “this isn’t her character” aren’t taking these things into consideration. Ellie isn’t Ellie by design. She’s a broken and hateful human being in this part of the story.
@@juanjogrande11 Honestly your opinion is emotionally biased and doesn't hold any truth as to the quality of the game. which is truly unfortunate that so many people are blinded by their emotions. The problems you listed are all addressed in the story if you pay attention, if you want a simple, direct storyline you can always watch a movie, as this game is significantly more complex. Art is supposed to make you think, question, and feel uncomfortable. All biased opinions aside, this game is a deserved so much more praise for it's artistic accomplishments.
@@juanjogrande11 I think ellie has paid a big price for not letting it go by traveling to California, losing her fingers and her GF. But she finally came back home and I believe she's finally moved past her PTSD of Joel getting killed etc. She's forgiven abbey and herself, and I'm hoping she's headed back to town to try to work things out with her GF (Dina, is that it?)
So I thought it was bittersweet, similar to the first game. First game is Def better though obviously. Oh and regarding your very first comment, there were probably hundreds of fireflies wanting to find Joel, listing descriptions of he and ellie, and they knew his name. I think it makes sense that abbey tracked him down after a few years, I'm sure many other people laid the groundwork for her to finally track Joel down. It's more believable than Tommy tracking down Abbey in California by speaking with a nomadic trader based on a matching description.
@@juanjogrande11 I see what you mean though! good points! lol
I watched this over the course of 4 days and I’ve gotta applaud how much effort and insight went into making this critique, especially considering the length. Awesome work man
I LOVE that they made you meet all of Abby’s friends directly after our beloved Ellie just ruthlessly murdered all of them. It’s a serious lesson in perspective, and a huge commitment to the story their telling. Not only that but a direct message to people who liked the first game for the wrong reasons.
The watched through all the way in one sitting gang, rise up.
I have a career and a family, sorry, NEET zoomer bitch
@@jarredlucas4000 I don't understand why you have to be so aggressive in a comment reply section.
@@jarredlucas4000 say what's up with you calm yourself you don't have to be gay
I listen to it at work at least once a week~
i don’t think I can stand up my legs are asleep
I felt so emotionally dead after finishing it. I sat on the couch in the middle of the night, staring at the now changed main menu. The game was painful in the purest sense of the word - I didn’t enjoy the feelings the game made me feel, but I can definitely respect it for the lengths it went through to make me feel such profound sadness and dread.
It’s definitely an experience kinda like Uncut Gems for me at least
@@seb______ yeah, I think objectively it’s poorly written and executed but I cannot deny that is was an incredibly powerful experience along with everything apart from the story being 10/10 for me. I’m always thinking, I can see how it is objectively poorly written but if it was so bad how was it able to illicit such emotion, is it that is was an actual success or that TLOU holds a deeper place in my heart than I ever knew (hence emotion as a result of my frustration).
This game make some 2020 movies look bad. Great game with a great story.
@@NormanWasHere452 yeah definitely agree with that. What the game lacks in story and pacing, compensates in emotions, music, the look, and the smaller, more meaningful moments to the characters which I can commend. It can be one of those things where it’s so bad but so good
Yeah I get full of sadness and dread when I waste time too.
You might call me crazy but the hardest hitting moment for me was the death of Yara. It felt so unnecessary to the story but yet so tragic after you as Abby went above and beyond to get the medical supplies for her surgery.
I agree, but I think that’s why it works so well.
Which one was Yara again? 😂☠️
I just spent the last week playing both of these games for the first time. I was one of the few that had literally none of either of these games spoiled for me. I will say that these are two of the best games I have EVER played from both a gameplay and narrative POV. Never have I been so emotionally attached to a piece of media as I have to this one. Initially, I was not excited to be playing as Abby but, only because I didn’t know who she was. It did feel strange for them to try building Abby’s character after knowing what she did to my favorite characters. That said, I was willing to continue because I had lost all hope for Ellie and was extremely disappointed in the decisions she made up to this point. Abby’s side quest to help Lev and Yarra felt extremely uncharacteristic to me but I did appreciate the parallel in the stories. The devs were trying to recondition the player to see that Abby is human too whereas, Lev was trying to make Abby see that the Scars are just as human as the WLF. Fighting Ellie as Abby made me feel like Ellie’s character is more akin to that of a mentally ill person compared to Abby who felt like a revenge seeking monster-particularly in that moment where she was going to kill Dina despite being told that she is pregnant. The stuff in California was as you say, dreadful. I felt sick while playing through that section because Ellie had once again made the worst possible decision. I also predicted that ultimately she would not end up killing Abby because she needed to solve her PTSD. Despite that happening as I had hoped, I still felt sick. And those last memories of Joel hit like a truck. Great games but I will NOT be revisiting them any time soon.
Dina not telling Jesse about her pregnancy isn't stupid, it actually makes a lot of sense. She probably doesn't say anything to him because she knows the moment Jesse finds out he's going to want to get back to Jackson with her, but Dina wants to help Ellie no matter what. She knows how important this is to Ellie and she doesn't want to be the reason why Ellie doesn't finish it. At least at this point.
It is stupid because she knowingly risked the health and safety of her and Jesse's unborn baby at the time to help Ellie avenge the death of a man she barely knows. Even when Ellie broke her her mask she was going to take it off to share with her at the risk of inhaling spores. I believe she had no intention of telling Jesse she was pregnant with his child and unfortunately he died never getting a chance to meet his son. Let that sink in.
@@leighronrobinson7307 the whole situation, the revenge was stupid. What I mean about "not been stupid" is that it makes sense, that it wasn't out of character or unrealistic. If we are talking about the story itself it wasn't stupid that she didn't told Jesse because it could be a realistic scenario. I can imagine someone doing that because there are reasons for it. But if we are talking about ethics, then yeah, how Dina managed her pregnancy was stupid. Ellie and her revenge was stupid. And I could go on about other characters...
@@lau.tizzir u also pointed out that Dina didn't tell Jesse about the pregnancy because the second he found out he would want to take her back to Jackson to get proper health care. Which woulda made alot more sense but for whatever reason she only would have left with Jesse if Ellie went with them. Ellie has been killing fully grown ass men since she was 14 all by herself as we have have seen in part 1 and Left Behind. She didnt need Dina's help with that at all.
And its also the same thing with Abby Mel and Owen. He was stuck on his feelings for Abby when his priority should have been Mel who was pregnant with his child. He and Dina are alot alike instead of focusing on their own more important issues they were focusing on on their lovers who were obbsessed with pointless revenge.
@@leighronrobinson7307 Yeah, Ellie can take care of herself but she never wanted to be alone. Dina wasn't going to be a bother, note that her first kill was when she was 10. She is as capable as Ellie. Of course, all of this changed the moment Ellie knows about her pregnancy, and at that moment Ellie goes alone while Dina waits. About Jesse taking Dina to Jackson making more sense, it depends. If you look at it from a logical and practical point of view then yes, that would make more sense. But I think that Dina wasn't being practical, but more like a person in love who acts irrational, putting the wishes of another person before her own well being. That's what most humans do all the time. Family, friends, lovers... many put them before your own interest.
As someone who did not have the Game Spoiled I can confirm that the Prologue does imbue a sense of Dread, a sense of everything Building up to some Tragedy but you have no idea what it is.
Even as someone who had the game spoiled, I could feel a sense of dread. I think it really began once we were introduced to Abby early on. I wasn't expecting that at all.
yeah, i thought the intro of this game was almost as good as the first one even if it was really different
Yep I was the same as you, I got clued in by some of the music, like the one that plays when Ellie leaves Jackson on patrol, everything is going fine but the music was telling me it won’t last
When Abby and Owen mentioned Mel and Jessie and Dina has their former relationship explained, I knew Dina was going to be pregnant and that everyone besides Abby and Ellie had a good chance of dying.
The title card music is so ominous after Joel closes the door
Luke, I played this game two years ago when it first came out. Binged it that whole weekend until completion. I was in the vast minority of my friends and colleagues who really did enjoy the game for what it was. However, I was definitely still confused about my complete feelings for the game. Much like most folks I really did want more Ellie and Joel action, a sequel that was honestly more of the same with much higher fidelity and newer mechanics, older characters with new stories to tell. In the end, I was happy with what we got, but it was still sitting with me in a strange way. But after watching/listening to this video and your very articulate words and thoughts throughout it has really helped me figure out my feelings towards this game, without swaying my general opinion of it. Spending the time reflecting on the game and getting your view on it, pointing out the many things that didn't quite register with me on my one single play-through of the game really made me realize that this was most likely, the only real direction they could have gone with the story. I won't go much further with this comment, explaining myself, but I just wanted you to know that a two year old video on a game that I played two years ago has really really helped me love and appreciate a very controversial game to both myself and the overall crowd of gamers who have played it (or quit playing it).
When I finished this game, going in with zero spoilers, it was about 2am on a Friday night going to Saturday morning. I sat there for about 15 minutes not quite sure how to feel. With no real questions about the story, the feeling of complete emptiness was still present. I wasn't satisfied, yet I find myself still loving this game due to how real this story felt and have it at my #1 game of all time.
25:45 Eugene went out on patrols with Dina, who's only 18-20. Which means she's only been going out on patrols for a couple years. Eugene died at 73. Needless to say Joel isnt even close enough to being too old to do patrols.
As for how the Seraphites' prophet was killed, I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in one or two of the collectibles. She was captured, presumably tortured, and killed by Isaac. There's one collectible in particular that details how one of the WLF soldiers started talking to her while she was imprisoned, and Abby remarks something like "look what you did Isaac, you turned this lunatic into a martyr".
I've seen alot of people miss that. I don't know how they missed it. It's literally martyrs gate lol
There is also a newspaper scrap about a woman gathering people around her and building a community during the days of the outbreak. It mentions that she and the people around her claim that she has revelations. But I am not sure if it is the same woman as the seraphite prophet. My take is that that's how it started. We gather from other findable items that there used to be "religious" fanatics in the Seattle QZ. So what we see is maybe the evolution of the movement that would become the seraphites.
@@Ebionarius yeah I'm pretty sure it's the same woman. She kept her community fed for 6 months and believed something bad was going to happen. That humans were too reliant on technology. That little scrap of paper on the backside of that can was probably the best note in the game. I wish we could've read it completely
@@sablemae8853
I like that there are clues to how the seraphites came into existence. But I wish we would have been able to learn more, since I am intrigued by the whole thing. I get that it being a bit hazy is realistic and adds to the mystery (after all, Ellie is young, and upon that a stranger with no prior knowledge of the events that occurred in Seattle, and the WLF soldiers are mostly younger people that probably don't know much about exactly what went down during the days of the outbreak). But it would have been better in terms of world-building.
I've read somewhere that the game was initially supposed to be more open world, with Jackson as some kind of a hub. In such a game the lore behind factions such as the seraphites might have developed further. But instead we got this linear, movie-like experience. I guess we have to be content with the creative decisions they took.
@@Ebionarius yeah I'd agree if this was an open world game where the lore and backstory can breath a bit. I understand why they didn't go too far into it considering we have Ellie's and Abby's stories to play. I think it'd be cool to get some of her story filled in by the factions game,comic or some other way. It does sound like they wanna tell more last of us stories
One of the sneaky ways that the developers tries to make you sympathize with Abby instead of Ellie is by giving all the best weapons and gameplay sequences
Though.., Ellie do have those mines. And they're OP as hell.
thats what i thought cus her part is way more interesting, pointless as hell and drawn out but interesting none the less
@@yungcris5211 right, Abby’s first 2 days in Seattle are directionless. The gameplay is solid tho
I truly appreciate you making this video. After playing both games this week I had to find someone to talk about this with. None of my friends have played the games so this really helped me a lot. Thank you again.
Me- "I love TLoU, but is Luke really gonna expect us to sit, and listen to him talk TLoU for 5 hours during our short lifetimes?" * Packs a bowl, and listens to Luke talk about TLoU2 for 5 hours
More like 10 bowls lol
@@mayorofbagtown9097 i would disagree but i smoked so many cigs that it probably would've been better to run to the kitchen, haha.
@@mayorofbagtown9097 lol
@@mayorofbagtown9097 Yeah all kinds of drugs tbh too, dope go with games like cigarettes go with coffee, it's not my fault, be responsible
Wow, a civil TLOU2 comments section, the heat must've really died down.
first comment section i see that isnt people pointing fingers at each other 😳
Yeah. Most people who previously disliked it are now just apathetic
Give it a week
Seems like most of those who hate this game are too busy spamming Naughty Dog's Twitter threads with "garbage of the year" because they ran out of talking points.
@@tristinmckinstry6467 It is shit tho.
It's funny to see Luke feeling what Ellie probably felt like by the end of the game (being ready to move on from the experience), even him not noticing
We now live in a era of gaming where games must be played twice or even trice, in order to understand the deeper, edgier and sensible stories that potentially trigger a discussion in every area of the gaming community.
This is like the episode "Homer's Enemy", which in its premiere, many people went upset and toxic for how dark was the ending. But then weeks, months and years after, many started to re-watch the episode and started to love it under new perspectives,. in a point it became the best rated episode of The Simpsons history.
TLOU2 is the "Homer's Enemy" of gaming.
I seem to remember I found a note that implied Issac interrogated the prophet. It was implied she died while being tortured like the scar when issac was introduced.
Yes
And Abby says something about Isaac “making her a martyr” implying he killed her
Long overdue answer, but regarding the Seraphite Prophet's death, close to the shrine Abby says "Isaac... you turned an insane person into a martyr, implying that he had her executed after her capture.
Isaac provided me one of my favorite fights, along with the freak known as the "Rat King." Isaac was almost super-human, he just wouldn't die!
@@aarone1981 he was choosen by the Marker after all. He want to make us whole
Nobody cares about Abby unless your psychotic. Nothing redeemable about her
@@neardarkroad1347 wrong universe brother, dead space is cool tho
I believe that the intro for Ellie and Dina being "so highschool" is to draw a parallel to the true brutality of the world at large. In Jackson they can worry about simple things like dating. They live in Elysium with food and bountiful luxury. For them to trade it all away for 3 days of intense bloodshed and personal growth.
Dude dude note. Loving the in depth detail. Playing this game on grounded has made the game even better.
the game did a fantastic job of showing numerous sides of the story and through the lenses of so many different characters, mainly Ellie and Abby. by the end of it i understood everything Abby has done and why she did it. the consequences of Joel's action made his death inevitable, but it was the decision made out of love. and that is also what humanity needs, to look past each other's flaws, to love, to forgive, and to have empathy. despite not agreeing with Ellie's rampaging quest for revenge, i still find myself cringing every time she gets hurt because i love her so much (also didnt help that the facial animation is so hauntingly realistic) and i love Joel so much that i understand the pain in her heart that is driving her to do all these insane things. you're not suppose to agree with Ellie, that is the point, she is still dealing with the lost of the person who loved her the most in the world, but she needs to see it on a broader picture and find forgiveness. Forgiveness not just to Abby, but also Joel, and herself. so she can find closure and move on to for a brighter future. and thank God she did in the end, she let go of everything. Ellie is still alive, and immune, Fireflies are regrouping, there are still good in this world like Lev and Abby. And so long as we are still alive, man kind, the last of us, can still find a way, if we just work together. it's actually a very uplifting message at the end of an incredibly tragic story. or at least, thats how i saw it.
@@fudgepacker2858 i completely disagree. i fell into the internet trap of hating on Abby and did not give this game a chance cause i thought she was a forced LGBT character made for woke agenda and ruining the story. but she is not. she is a straight female character, who is actually kind and warm-hearted, but living in a fucked up situation and not without flaws. she was not muscular and swole for no reason, there was actual in-story explanation for her appearance. in the flashbacks, you can see she looked like a completely normal little girl when her dad was still alive, living as normal a life a little girl can get in the apocalypse. but the distraught after her father passing, and the fact that she joined a military-centric organization like the WLF who has access to training facilities, it makes perfect sense that for years she has been training to be stronger as a soldier, and waiting for the day she can have her revenge on Joel, her father's murderer. there was nothing wrong with Abby. from Ellie's perspective we have all the reasons to despise her, but that is the point of the game, to find an understanding and forgiveness, no one has it easy in the world of the Last of Us.
@@fudgepacker2858 if thats all you have a problem with, her character model, then fair enough its your personal preference. for me personally, i simply dont get hung up on stuffs like that. its still a fictional world of zombies, a female character with muscular build simply doesnt bother me, also cause i have seen other stories with much more exaggerated designs, Abby is far from the absurd things i saw. maybe its a bit far fetched for a supposed realistic style world of the game, but also im personally is also a 3d modeler, i can appreciate her model in other aspects.
what i care more about is the story, what was it about, what were the themes, what was each characters represent. i thought LoU2 was a huge disaster base on internet banter, i didnt give the game a chance cause i loved the 1st game. but when i went into with a completely open mind, i found myself loving every aspect of it, including the agony and pain the story put me through. and for me, Abby was misunderstood, just like most people misunderstood this game.
@@fudgepacker2858 most of what you critic about was Abby's appearance, man. but its cool. Joel's death was meant to hurt, and im glad that it hurt so much like it did for everyone. Last of Us 2 was one of the few games that actually made me cry, like ugly cry, i couldnt hold back the tears, because how much i love Joel and Ellie. that last scene when we see the 2 of them talk on the porch was some of the most beautifully written dialogues i ever seen, its subtle yet so moving in every line. the whole story was agonizingly painful, but for me, in the end i found sympathy for every single character, Abby, Mel, Tina, Ellie, Joel, everyone, and i think it was a journey to seek understanding and humanity that both you the player and Ellie undergo together. not everyone managed to reach that same conclusion, and that what great work of art does, it sparks conversation and make you think. thats why for me this game was a masterpiece of story-telling.
@@fudgepacker2858 all i'll say is, when you feel like it, give this story another try, with an open mind. often you'll find things to appreciate about a story on a 2nd viewing that you didnt notice the 1st time round. it helped in that when i played, i already know Joel died cause it was all over the internet, and i already know Abby will be a 2nd playable character, so i knew what to expect. and i find the story to be incredible.
Fireflies: exist
Luke: THE INCOMPETENCE OF THE FIREFLIES-
😂😂😂😂
The first game repeatedly told us that the Fireflies were unreliable if not incompetent. From Joel and Tess rolling their eyes at the thought of them, to Marlene callously rolling her eyes after River was killed, to them not showing up at the capitol building, to them operating out of a dirty, dingy, mildew covered hospital, and so much more.
The game never proved that the Fireflies were incompetent, but it gave us numerous reasons to doubt them. The act of wiping them out to save Ellie wouldn't have worked as well as it did for the story if the player knew for a fact that a cure was guaranteed.
@@The_ScapeGoat To be fair, that doesn't exactly prove the Fireflies were unreliable. There are plenty of smaller bases and outposts that the US Military and WLF failed to hold. And one could argue that holding a Hospital, a place full of medical supplies with a decently armed force is more respectable than anything. Joel and Tess were also quite cynical in their world views.
@@The_ScapeGoat It's implied the cure was guaranteed. To say it isn't is to minimize Joel's choice at the end of the first game; to give up humanity and the betterment of the world to not lose a daughter figure.
Even in Part II, Joel is aware that a cure was going to be made. Even knowing this, he still makes the choice to save Ellie.
I know this game is very controversial and isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but like Ellie and Dina once said, “You can’t deny the view though”.
I just finished this video. Wow the work you put into this and the painstaking task of breaking your thoughts down is truly impressive. I subscribed. Great video man, thank you. 🙏🏾
just watched this whole thing in one go starting from morning, till late afternoon and the sun and weather portrayed at the end of the game and review seems to match up with the weather outside, i really feel like i was a part of this, you really noticed everything, thank you.
this game hurt in a way i didn't think a piece of fiction was possible of doing
a highlighted comment just means that youtube is showing you the comment you made/clicked into, not that the creator of a video highlighted your comment
@@disconsolate3235 meant to say that he liked it, which he did
Something kinda weird and stupid happend to me before the game came out. On twitter a few weeks before the game came out I saw a screenshot of Ellie by Joels grave. However the screenshot was so low resolution and pixelated, and the fact that the grave said used Joels full name "Joel Miller" which had never been recognised as canon until the 2nd game made me think it was a photoshop or something that someone made and was fake. Since Joel dying towards the end of the game wasnt a far fetched predication. It was only until I played the game I realised that it was real, by which point it didn't matter.
I've got to be the luckiest or stupidest person ever, or maybe even both. Anyway I'm glad that I didnt get it spoiled since it made the experience so much better.
Both Joel Miller & Ellie Williams were used to introduce the characters on the back cover of TLOU1 Japanese version
@@eFlower13Yes, but i wouldn't really consider that as cannon. Even the tlou wiki page listed it as non cannon. To me, it kinda felt like a fan thing, like "oh well a grave has got to have a surname so instead of making one up let's go with the closest thing we've ever had". It kinda sounds like a stretch in hindsight but at the time I bought it. Maybe I convinced myself of the fact since I didn't want the game spoiled? I dunno. All I know is I forgot about the screenshot until Abby refers to Joel with his full name right before he is killed.
Well i think the fact this made you dodging the spoiler is a good thing itself, haha. Japanese version was also issued by SONY / Naughty Dog, I personally don't see why it is not cannon. (I am from Taiwan, some players from my country love to collect Japanese version games, so that you have 2 choices : Original English voice, or Japanese seiyu performance to enjoy in one game)
I had the same situation with Game of Thrones' finale. The plot leaked and few days before the episode aired I read a youtube comment that described everything that happens in it. But I didn't take it seriously and I quickly forgot about it so I watched the episode as if I read nothing. Only after the finale I realized that I literally read the full synopsis of it earlier. Sadly I wasn't this lucky with Part 2 and I was spoiled of the whole game. It really damaged the experience.
How the hell did you avoid all the spoilers? Joel in one and all the assorted memes were everywhere
Narrator: "These graphics make it look like other studios aren't even trying."
Narrator 20 minutes later: "Rockstar has better graphics."
Rockstar has better grass and horse graphics.
I was thinking of other AAA games as well. Hell, even The Witcher 3, developed by an argueably AA team was also fantastic, and its been years since that one.
Rockstar nailed it with horse details, but gotta say, tlou2 has wayy better environments and combat animations
TLOU2 and RDR2 has the best looking games ever made. I don’t think there is one above the other, in some aspects TLOU2 is superior and vice versa
@@moniquita720 did u see the graphics of the horse balls?!
The future is now...
I’ve been rewatching a lot of your 2+ hour videos. I think this is your best one. I disagreed with you at so many points, but I always respected you. We reached the same endpoint but in different ways and that’s why I watch your channel. Never change, you’re one of the best
Unbelievable effort for this video! Absolutely loved every single minute! You are a legend👑
I'm so excited to watch this over the next few days
*Edit* Done. Wow this was a trip. I'm leaving this critique feeling unsure how I feel about this game, it seems to be a masterpiece, I feel that the story was (mostly) masterfully created and conveyed in an interesting way. All in all it was an impressive confusing experience. Thank you Luke for this great review, I applaud you, and am excited for the next critique.
How is this comment 1 day old 😳
Carmine Unate
Patreon i guess
@@TedsCoasterChannel yeah Patreon
Lightweight. Real ones watch it all the way through
@@MC-1177 but if I watch it like a series I can prolong the enjoyment
I’ve been waiting for this for so long, I got my popcorn
hi Capron how are ya
wait cappin cares about videogames !!
i’m in the same boat just needed to prepare myself for this moment 2 months later
ibsanely late but the title screen after you beat the game isnt of the resort, its catalina island. its supposed to show that abby and lev actually made it to the fireflies
I just remembered something that was said at one point in the game. After Abby, Manny, and Mel get saved by another group of WLFs, one of the guys that was there to rescue you had gotten shot in the hand. Once you arrive at the location you needed to get to, there is an interaction you can do with that guy, seeing if he is alright. He even mentioned about how he is likely to have all his fingers, and then Manny says that he would only need three anyway, with the guy then telling him to shut up or whatever. Thinking about this reminds me of how Ellie had lost her fingers at the end of the game, resulting in her only having the three left. Maybe this was some kind of very subtle dialougue foreshadowing? Idk. But it's still interesting as to how those may correlate, if at all.
During the scene with Ellie, Owen, and Mel, I came to the opposite conclusion from you. I think it's almost certain that at this point in the journey Ellie would NOT have killed them if they'd told her Abby's location, especially if Owen had mentioned Mel's pregnancy before attempting to fight instead of stupidly mentioning it after the fight's over. She'd just gone through the trauma of torturing their friend and she clearly second-guessed that decision after the fact. My interpretation was that she was thinking about these flashbacks and going through the steps to get to where she is at the end of the game when she lets Abby go without killing her all this time. If Owen and Mel had just talked to her and shown her where to go without attacking her I'm about 90% certain that she would have let them go. She was calm when she was first approaching them and telling them to inform on Abby, but it wasn't a 'dead inside' kind of calm. It looked more like a 'maybe we can do this without violence' kind of calm.
Yeah the way I saw it, while she had hyped herself up to kill Abby, she wasn't interested in having any other corpses on her conscious. And tbh I'd argue she wasn't truly prepared to kill Abby honestly.
Fully agree but since Mel and Owen don't have all the information and don't know Ellie like we do, they don't have any reason to think Ellie would let them live.
@@maoaadriao
Agreed, I'm certainly not arguing that Owen and Mel should have known. I think as the player/viewer, we're supposed to see this as a tragic misread on Owen's part. However, I WILL blame him all day long for holding the Mel pregnancy info to his chest until she'd already been stabbed.
Just as an aside, we also don't know what Tommy would have done with them once he arrived a minute later if Ellie didn't kill them. That's something that's open to speculation.
@@tristinmckinstry6467 exactly, it was NOT a revenge story. Ellie was telling herself she wanted to kill Abby but ultimately she needed to babystep her way into accepting the truth. Her actually going through with killing Abby would have ruined the brilliance of the script
It's actually an obscenely hackish choice from a writing standpoint to not only put Mel - for the only time in the whole game - in a garment that conceals her pregnancy and her pregnancy go unmentioned also for the only time in the game, when 100% of real humans in that situation would plead the pregnancy for mercy.
“It’s very high school” well they’re only one year older then they would’ve been when finishing high school so that tracks.
I actually liked it. I was like, "oh, teenagers." And then I was like "OH! TEENAGERS! YEAH."
@@moniquita720 Weirdo.
@@pathetic2399 thanks?
To me it seemed as if Dina was a few years older.
Kris they seemed to be the same age to me
I rare comment any RUclips vids, possibly this one will be my longest. I’d like to thank you for this amazing review. While I was I love with the first game (I only bought ps3 just because TLOU) I never dared to play the second. When I saw the trailers and leaks I knew that I wouldn’t be able handle the emotions and that this game is NOT for me. 2 years passed and I felt still the same, but listening to your reviews daily, I though that even if I don’t want to play, maybe I can listen to it through your review… I really appreciate your amazing point of view, that you were able to walkthrough this very upsetting story so calmly and reasonably. I’m still sure that I’ll never play this game, but now I can see what’s behind the drama around it. Your perspective and emotions helped me through this story, even just listening to was emotionally draining…
You make absolutely amazing, funny, charming brilliant and level headed reviews, I enjoy them so much and your voice is great to listen to. Thanks for the effort you’re putting in to these videos!
I've been replaying the first game and I took note of a conversation Ellie has with Sam about their fears. Ellie said she is afraid she'll end up alone. That really hurts.
I only clash with you on one fundamental issue. "Ellie is unlikeable." Unlikeable is such a reductive adjective that doesn't consider the nuance at all. I loved Ellie from the first game just as much as you did, (maybe more since I can't believe how much I love Ellie as a character) and I loved her in this game. Does she make a lot of bad choices? Yes, absolutely. Choices I would not have made if I'd been in her shoes also. But I know why she's making them. I empathise with where she's coming from. I understand how she feels and why she's blinded by this. Right on the back of her dealing with what happened in the first game, she loses Joel and can never fully reconcile that. So while I don't think she was making the logically right decisions I wholly understand the emotional driver behind what she does choose to do. And why she feels "finishing it" is the only way she can find peace. Even if finishing it means her being dead also. She's suffering from PTSD man, she hasn't had a night of peace and/or hopefulness since the night before Joel was killed. I don't find it hard to empathise with Ellie at all, because I've loved her for a long time and appreciate what she's going through.
Yeah, people act like Ellie should be this incredibly reasonable person when her life is so fucked up, in about 6 years she loses like 5 friends, goes through puberty, gets almost eaten and raped, Joel lies to her face about her immunity, loses 2 lovers, a father, a son, has PTSD, has survivors guilt and has the weight of the whole world on her shoulders because of her immunity and then people find it weird she isn't a completely sane person or they think she is evil or that Naughty Dog ruined her character and i just facepalm and think to myself, " so all this shit happened to Ellie and you blame her for changing, i would like to see how you would react..."
@@maoaadriao a lot of those same people have a hard time thinking Joel would've changed after reintegrating into society for five years, so I'm not surprised.
Thank you for putting into words what I felt about Luke saying that Ellie became “unlikeable”. I know this is his critique and a really well thought out one at that, but the parts where he calls her “unlikeable” is mainly him assuming that we all feel the same way. I love Ellie and her character has gone through so much during these two games, and as flawed as her decisions have been she will always be one of my favorite video game characters of all time.
@@maoaadriao to be fair the game really tries to make you feel like Ellie is being unreasonable. I actually liked her character up to a certain point and thought alot if her kills, especially among Abby's friends, were justified. But like said before, NaughtyDog didn't want Ellie yo be right alot, apparently.
Deaths of Owen and Mel are the prime example. They want the player to feel bad that Mel was pregnant, and to some extent the death of Owen was sad in hindsight, but then you realize that yeah, they deserved to die. Why? Because a) they could have just followed what she said, b) bith knew Mel was pregnant (which makes you ask why the hell was she here in the first place), c) Owen knows he was kind to her the first time, so could have played the sympathy card and d) they forced her hand by attacking. But the game need to make Ellie the bad guy to have their "there are no good people" theme running
@@tristinmckinstry6467 Joel was still going out on runs and please do ask if a veteran forgets his instincts and "reintergrates" after trauma after trauma. They don't, 20 years? No chance and that's coming from someone who had a dad in the South African military during the apartheid riots, you don't forget and it isn't that easy.
"hard time understanding" more like you can't grasp that people dont just forget and move on it reality and shit sticks around, being in a "society" doesn't change much in reality if you've lived through hell, paranoia, feelings of needing to be near an exit, by cover, not being the center of attention persists and I saw that in my dad till his death in everything he did.
Joel went through more than my dad ever could have, and he just forgets cause "integration lol" is pretty silly.
Tommy doesnt struggle walking because he got shot in the head lol, Lev shot an arrow through his knee.
It can be both. Depending on where the bullet went through his head could affect his motor functions.
@@Diphenhydra Occam's razor dude. Its hard to walk with a arrow shot through the most important part of your leg.
@@FXcheerios69 I was just saying there are multiple explanations that can work.
He used to be an adventurer
Jay Reifenrath I mean, getting shot in the head and then not being able to walk right can also follow occam’s razor. People can become fully paralyzed or have reduced motor functions from a stroke or seizure, nevermind a slug entering their brain.
I didnt have the game spoiled but I expected Joel to die. Even with that expectation the scene absolutely rattled me. It was harrowing and I think it did its jobs wonderfully. Even watching it again a year+ later i feel that same deep sadness and anger that I felt when it happened
So I’m somebody who had no spoilers from trailers or anything before playing and Joel’s death was SHOCKING to me and ANGERING and also heart-breaking… and it made me love the game even more. At no point did I predict it would happen like that, and it made me even more invested in the story. I can see how someone might feel more negatively or positively depending on what they knew going into it.
Not sure the point was to dislike Ellie. I believe the intention was to have you be at odds with her. She is like a friend or family member who continues to make the wrong decisions, but you are helpless to do anything but watch It happen. it is this false sense of control you have as a player. Like, you may control Ellie during gameplay, but the decisions you make will not impact the story's narrative. Every player will end up in the same chair, playing the same sad tune.
I never dislike ellie but yeah she made some bad choices she had deal with out come of it.but look at world she was in .there no right or wrong she had no time fix it.there was no way make people understand or even reason with them because people that were after her were all mind set get ellie kill her get cure no if or but no matter how many lives are lost.maybe in part 3 or down road into part 4 maybe ellie will find people that truly understand how's she feels Joel did even thou he had his own views on things Deanna as well Maybe Tommy.
My thoughts of Ellie during this game can be summed up pretty quickly:
She is fucking up in pretty much every decision she makes, but man I understand why she is. And I can’t say I’d act differently .
Ellie doesn't even act like a human you telling me you're gonna kill dozens of people and not kill the one person that deserved the killing? Why are Naughty Dog fans so edgy
@@trevorphilips9065 The point of the entire game is how we as people forget to see the consequences of our actions and that perpetuates the suffering of both sides, do you really think killing Abby would've made anything better in the end? Yeah I think it's a forced point to Ellie as a character just let Abby go because of a random moment of clarity, but it still fits the narrative.
Trevor Philips If you claim Abby deserved to die then so did Ellie. They are parallel characters that go through very similar arcs. It’s not as black and white as saying that Abby killed Joel so she HAS to be murdered as well because she is evil. And in regards to why did Ellie spare Abby, well I think there are some solid reasons, but I guess that if you still wanted to see Abby dead by the time the credits rolled the game just didn’t work for you. But it did for a lot of people. Everything here, of course, my opinion.
I think Tommy’s anger and obsession with getting Abby definitely has to do with his brain injury from the gunshot which explains why him and Marie split, he’s not the same Tommy.
Exactly
This reminds me of those theories from RDR2 of how Dutch went crazy cause he bumped his head on a trolley.
@@nicktaco117 I mean to be fair he definitely has some brain damage from it
@@braidenj152 yeah probably
i never thought about it that way that’s interesting
So glad I found your channel!! I love these long retrospectives and deep dives to games and you did an excellent job! You made me actually care about Abby and her side of things.
As someone who really enjoyed the second game, perhaps more than the first, I really appreciated this video.
I actually interpreted the dance scene a bit differently. Clearly Ellie was still upset with Joel over the events of the first game, which made her lash out him while he was defending her. As Joel is walking away you can see she kinda feels a bit of regret for going off on him like that. Then its cuts to her gearing up with Joel's Jacket on. This memory is the final motivation for her to go after Abby again. She feels so shitty for the way she has treated Joel which in turn wants to make things right in once sense or another.
*Intro starts*
*Hears Joel singing from the beginning of the game*
Me: NO, DON'T DO THIS TO ME.
That literally happened to me lastnight 😭 haha
Loved your video! The building at the menu screen after you finish the game is actually a famous building on Catalina Island, symbolizing that Abby and Lev made it :) And I also agree with the ending theory, that Ellie isn’t alone. As you can see her wounds have healed, she has new clothes and obv like you said Dina’s bracelet,, the ending is definitely a hopeful (borderline happy) one :))