In regards to Lev's arc: The reason why I think it felt forced is because of how the game exposes the motive for his "transition" (the act of shaving his head). Why did he do that? Because he is transgender? Or because he was going to be forced into marrying an elder? I don't think Lev would shave his head if it wasn't for the engagement, and if he would, then why was the part about the engagement even needed? I think it would be more believable if Lev defected from the Seraphites first and then lived his life as a man, free from the judgement of his society (which would result in death). Shaving the head and then expecting that the Seraphites would accept him as a Seraphite man doesn't make any sense, and someone who spent their whole life among the Seraphites should know that. Yara seems to be the voice of reason for Lev, as she is the one who tells him to run away. The only scenario in which I think this would be believable is if the Seraphite children are kept in a state of ignorance up to a certain age and thus Lev acted with innocence, not knowing that the transition would be so disastrously received by those around him, while Yara, due to being older, is more aware of the reality of the Seraphite society and thus tried to guide Lev to safety, but as far as I am aware there is no evidence in the game that that's the case. I also want to emphasize that the consequence of Lev's "rebellion" was going to be death. I'm not a trans person, but I'm sure that facing the judgement of their families, peers and society in general is an immense challenge and that along with the horrible prejudice definitely stops many trans people from coming out or accepting who they truly are for many years if not ever, and also that the reason why so many more people have been coming out as trans in the past few years is because they've been able to find communities who accept them. If it's already so hard to transition in the society we currently live in, imagine how much harder it would be in a much more extreme one, where a trans person would be literally hunted down, and the people who would affirm and accept them are non-existent. That's why I think the plot felt forced. If you find any of my points to be wrong or misinformed, I would love for you to ellaborate on your point and possibly enlighten me.
The timeline of events is this (according to Yara): Lev came to her and talked to her about how he felt on the inside. Yara told him to keep a lid on it. Things were seemingly fine as Lev quietened down. Then he got the news about the marriage thing. So he decides, "fuck it. Imma shave my head." Yara screamed at him, hit him (something she regrets). But then they decided that they gotta get the hell out of this situation. And I assume that some folks found out about what was going on (as revealed by Lev + Yara's dialogue and the dialogue from the Seraphites), so they decided to hunt em down. I am sure that they might have also been nervous that these two might talk to the enemy, as well. But above all: it was the fact that Lev went against their socieites STRICT roles. The idea is that he was ALREADY feeling different. When he expressed this to Yara, she told him to shut up about it. But then he gets his role assigned to him (about a week prior to them running). I am sure Lev struggled with this new potential reality for a WHILE, and what it would mean for him. He, UNDERSTANDABLY, found the thought monstrous. Plus, he was already feeling different. So he shaved his head. Partially as a way to cement how he felt inside, partially to make a statement to the Elders about who he is and to make clear that he DOES NOT want to be engaged to one of em. It was the result of: cementing how he feels + a way to protect himself from what might happen. Is it reckless? Sure! Yara freaks out on him, after all. Was it also done out of a sort of sense of survival? Absolutely! It comes off as some sort of crazy gamble to try and survive. I do think that Lev was, perhaps in his naivety, hoping that the people *might* understand. He was certainly hoping that his mom would (it is why he goes after her on Abby Day 3), but Yara was correct when she said, "You broke the rules, Lev! That is all she would care about!" You are right. A LOT of young LGBT folks (also adults, too) living in bad situations hide themselves. They also try to suppress that part of themselves. But a lot of em also express themselves in small ways. Some even do rebellious things! Some, when faced with grave danger, might take a BIG step to protect themselves, to reveal themsleves. Teenagers can be VERY short-sighted, stupid, reckless, and rebellious!
19:55 What Lev is describing here is that his mother was chasing him with a knife (hence the knife cuts on Lev's forearms), he tried to push her off of him. This made her hit the table and the blunt force trauma seems to have killed her. Lev didn't have a knife and he didn't stab her.
The whole idea of The Last of Us Part II having no fathers in it really hits hard for me. Here in America where I live, The Last of Us Part II was originally released just before Father's Day Weekend of 2020. I had lost my own father the previous year in November 2019, a good six months or so before the game released. Playing this game and playing as two protagonists who had lost their father and/or father figures was very cathartic for me in a sad way.
I wasn't aware that the game released so close to fathers' day. I'm sorry for your loss and I can't fathom how much the game must have impacted you considering your situation at the time. I hope that this video managed to give a clear exposition about the role of fatherhood in our lives and, in anyway, I pray that you take the best from your father to pass on to the future.
I like your take on the absence of fathers in TLOU2. Personally, the second game resonated with me even stronger than the first one. In the first one I strongly identified with Joel and became the protector of Ellie. She had to be safe and she deserved a happy life. What hit me most when Joel was murdered was not his death, but the impact it had on Ellie. Joel had it coming and he (or, by proxy, I) was expendable. It's Ellie who was worth protecting. I didn't feel that anything was forced on me, but that is certainly up for interpretation and I appreciate your respectful critique. Regarding Lev's visual transition: I don't feel that it's far fetched for him to shave his head to visually present as a Seraphite male when they wanted to force-marry him as a wife to one of the elders. This would have been a horrifying prospect for him (let alone possibly any minor), cementing his status as a (perceived) female in the community. It's not as if he wanted to undergo gender-affirming surgery (which he probably never heard of in this gated culture), he just wanted to be perceived as what he was. (Not sure if this makes sense from the perspective of trans persons, sorry if I'm completely off.) (Also sorry for the second comment, didn't want to edit my previous one that you already answered to. 😊)
Great video! I have never seen a video commenting on Lev from this viewpoint. Never have I considered Lev’s journey to be one of ‘transitioning’, maybe if you take it only at face value. To me, Lev’s story is very compelling and harrowing because it showcases how someone wants to escape their ‘biological destiny’ imposed by the community they find themselves in. And honestly, people just reducing it to a trans issue is just very lazy and disappointing. Again, great video!😊
TLOU2 is one my favourite games of all time. I think it’s just filled with so many heavy themes we normally don’t think about. Love, revenge, care, fear, depression, PTSD and so many more. I never thought about it in this context. Thanks for adding it to my list of things to think about when I replay the game :) Regarding Lev tho, I think it’s believable for him to kill his own mother give that he’s been raised in an instinct driven society. That is a lot more accustomed to killing in self defence. Great vid, you deserve a lot more subs, I’ll add mine :) Waiting on that GOW video
It left me with a hopeless feeling. I wonder if they will do the same plot for the tv show... I'm not sure if I'm ready for that because the death of Joel in the game was already bad enough to see (and those weren't even real people).
I definitely think my experience of being a depressed adolescent dealing with grief over the loss of my mother and a complicated relationship with my surviving father contributes to how much this game resonated with me. I identify strongly with Ellie and I understand why many have come to dislike her in this game, I just can't feel that way. I empathize so strongly with her and to experience her dealing with her emotional reckoning was very cathartic for myself. I loved that this game goes places most mass media won't and though I agree that it's not perfect, it's refreshing. But perhaps I'm in that niche audience that doesn't just engage with media to have fun and enjoy myself but to feel something a bit more profound. I'm looking for catharsis in a world where it's just so rare to find. And for people with complicated backgrounds I guess it takes stories going too far for most for us to feel that. I appreciated your deep dive into a lesser explored theme of the game, and your analysis of Tommy's role and Dina, Ellie, and JJ's dynamic was especially thought provoking.
I agree completely. It made me extremely angry at first when Joel died. To the point where I didn’t play it for almost a year. Glad I went back to it because it became my favorite single player game of all time (along with the original)
My least fav character is Tommy. At the beginning he was not willing to get revenge and was trying to convince Ellie the same...only when Ellie said that she will go wheather he comes or not then only he agreed...before tommy was kinda agreeing to Maria's thoughts of not going for revenge thing...and Maria didn't want Tommy to go because she is not ready to lose her husband over this....also Maria didn't care about Ellie and provided her and Dina with the horse and allowed them to go just to get Tommy back and only when Abby messed up his leg and eye in the theatre then only he lost it and wanted Ellie to go for the revenge without thinking about Dina, the baby and Ellie's safety! Also in part 1 he blamed Joel for them doing bad stuff for survival...but the fact remains that it kept them alive and if Tommy wanted he could have not followed Joel's way but he did so he can't blame Joel...which I found completly wrong ....have seen a lot of people always prasing Tommy and wants his DLC...I think it makes no sense...infact Dina is often trolled but the fact is she is the most important being in Ellie's life now...Dina was someone who was devoted to Ellie...she didn't care about her pregnancy and went with Ellie for the revenge adventure...she saved her many times...even Jesse knew how devoted and how much she loved Ellie....Ellie's only mistake was at the end which also happened because of Tommy! As he forced that revenge thing in her mind! But it was destiny otherwise Abby and Lev would have died...because Abby's story is not at all over....Ellie's and Abby's story always went together...we will see more of that when part 3 comes.
@@toohookedontlou Tommy just kept going downhill as the story progressed. Great insight on the fact that Abby and Lev would be dead if it wasn't for Ellie going after revenge, it's like a divine irony. Hopefully that will pay off in part III.
I like your take on the decisions made with the games story all though I gotta say I don't think I have any interest in finishing the game myself regardless. When the game switches to Abby it just throws the pace off so badly for me and knowing it's gonna be 12 hours I have to deal with that just makes me lose all interest. I already know every detail of the games story so im not missing anything anyway. I know it's not a bad game and the pace being thrown off is done that way for a reason and I do respect what they were going for with that move but in a purely gameplay enjoyment sense I just can't sit down and do it.
you don't wanna play the game, that's a-okay and it's your prerogative. However, I will say that KNOWING the game's story, plot vs. actively EXPERIENCING it yourself by playing it makes a WORLD of difference.
Oh man good stuff! You got a trans subscriber today. I’m a huge fan of TLoU2 and you hit the nail on the head. The expectations I feel like I face to take on the role of being a man in a lot of situations while still being expected to fulfill feminine roles can be so overwhelming. And the game is … absolutely about that. And I never noticed, I was too close to it. Fuck. Ow my soul.
the first game people resonated with joel because he also lived in our world(pre-outbreak) when things were normal. i think the second game is about how people who were born into the destroyed world(ellie abby yara lev ect), have backwards mentalities
I don't know if lev is trans if you really think about it many young girls in history dressed like boys to make predatory adults believe they are boys as a sort of deturant it makes more sense that as a child in a religious community lev saw some girls get to be soldiers such as Yara but probably never saw boys being forced to marry especially to an elder so in a childs mind I'll change to be a boy so i don't have to marry and i can be a soldier like yara i have the haircut and look like all the other boys therefore im a boy now lev is also the first in this community to ever go against forced marriage so never expected everyone including his mom to react the way that they did and i just went through the game again and I don't remember anyone specifying that lev is indeed trans i might be mistaken or missed something though
you dont understand what tommy has been thru you focus to much on the main characters that you forget how much the side characters have sacrificed just like TOMMY
18:10 lol what? So just because the dialogue wasn't in a cutscene it's not valid enough? Previously you mentioned that Lev's character "transitioning" wasn't believable, but when you mention that there's a believable explanation to it you dismiss it by assuming it was an afterthought. Your argument seems pretty "forced" to me man. Also, the actor for Lev is also trans in real life, and he had been cast for the game since 2017. That means that the plans for his character were very specific from the start of production, and clearly not an afterthought or just for inclusivity.
@@johngrizis The plot point about the engagement to the elder seemed to be an afterthought. The plot point about Lev being trans seemed to be the intention from the start. It seemed like the plot about the engagement came up as a way to make Lev's situation more believable. Never said the dialogue wasn't valid, I actually think it's better that it was included.
@@LionHuntington I don't see a good reason for that assumption. A lot of plot points in the last of us 1 and 2 are communicated through dialogue during gameplay. And it's not like anything else was happening during that segment, the game clearly wanted you to pay attention to the dialogue.
Mel was not murdered...it's not correct statement...it was self defense! Throughout the game...Ellie was defending herself..be it Jordan, Mel, Owen, Whitney...and Nora was anyways infected and even after Ellie smashing her with the pipe she was alive as she told her afterwards Abby's location so it's not clear what happened with Nora at the end and if people think that eventually Ellie took her and jumped downstairs and got her infected so that was also self defense as WLF soldiers surrounded her! That poor girl even let go Abby at the end after Abby snatched everything from her....be it Joel, her fingers, ability to play guitar and even her mother's knife!!
Interesting take, I'd disagree but I think it's more complicated than just it being in self defence or murder as Ellie is still the one instigating the moments before the fights take place, even if it was not her immediate intentions. I would say it's sort of both ends though I understand something like this varies between lots of different people.
"lev rebelling isn't believable." ahhh yes, of course. i forgot rebellion and teenager were not synonymous with each other. its not like ellie ran away during the first game when she found out joel wanted to give her away, its just "not believable." these types of criticisms and explaining it as being "forced' are lazy critiques imo. most of your video was a good analysis though
Great video, but your take on lev is very misinformed. You should probably research more on the trans experience to get a proper understanding of Lev's character as a transgender boy.
wow this is actually a very deep and overlooked take! i totally overlooked this, despite playing the game three times! amazing! thanks for enlightening us on this perspective 🫡
In regards to Lev's arc:
The reason why I think it felt forced is because of how the game exposes the motive for his "transition" (the act of shaving his head). Why did he do that? Because he is transgender? Or because he was going to be forced into marrying an elder? I don't think Lev would shave his head if it wasn't for the engagement, and if he would, then why was the part about the engagement even needed? I think it would be more believable if Lev defected from the Seraphites first and then lived his life as a man, free from the judgement of his society (which would result in death). Shaving the head and then expecting that the Seraphites would accept him as a Seraphite man doesn't make any sense, and someone who spent their whole life among the Seraphites should know that. Yara seems to be the voice of reason for Lev, as she is the one who tells him to run away. The only scenario in which I think this would be believable is if the Seraphite children are kept in a state of ignorance up to a certain age and thus Lev acted with innocence, not knowing that the transition would be so disastrously received by those around him, while Yara, due to being older, is more aware of the reality of the Seraphite society and thus tried to guide Lev to safety, but as far as I am aware there is no evidence in the game that that's the case.
I also want to emphasize that the consequence of Lev's "rebellion" was going to be death. I'm not a trans person, but I'm sure that facing the judgement of their families, peers and society in general is an immense challenge and that along with the horrible prejudice definitely stops many trans people from coming out or accepting who they truly are for many years if not ever, and also that the reason why so many more people have been coming out as trans in the past few years is because they've been able to find communities who accept them. If it's already so hard to transition in the society we currently live in, imagine how much harder it would be in a much more extreme one, where a trans person would be literally hunted down, and the people who would affirm and accept them are non-existent. That's why I think the plot felt forced.
If you find any of my points to be wrong or misinformed, I would love for you to ellaborate on your point and possibly enlighten me.
The timeline of events is this (according to Yara): Lev came to her and talked to her about how he felt on the inside. Yara told him to keep a lid on it. Things were seemingly fine as Lev quietened down. Then he got the news about the marriage thing. So he decides, "fuck it. Imma shave my head." Yara screamed at him, hit him (something she regrets). But then they decided that they gotta get the hell out of this situation. And I assume that some folks found out about what was going on (as revealed by Lev + Yara's dialogue and the dialogue from the Seraphites), so they decided to hunt em down. I am sure that they might have also been nervous that these two might talk to the enemy, as well. But above all: it was the fact that Lev went against their socieites STRICT roles.
The idea is that he was ALREADY feeling different. When he expressed this to Yara, she told him to shut up about it. But then he gets his role assigned to him (about a week prior to them running). I am sure Lev struggled with this new potential reality for a WHILE, and what it would mean for him. He, UNDERSTANDABLY, found the thought monstrous. Plus, he was already feeling different. So he shaved his head. Partially as a way to cement how he felt inside, partially to make a statement to the Elders about who he is and to make clear that he DOES NOT want to be engaged to one of em. It was the result of: cementing how he feels + a way to protect himself from what might happen.
Is it reckless? Sure! Yara freaks out on him, after all. Was it also done out of a sort of sense of survival? Absolutely! It comes off as some sort of crazy gamble to try and survive. I do think that Lev was, perhaps in his naivety, hoping that the people *might* understand. He was certainly hoping that his mom would (it is why he goes after her on Abby Day 3), but Yara was correct when she said, "You broke the rules, Lev! That is all she would care about!"
You are right. A LOT of young LGBT folks (also adults, too) living in bad situations hide themselves. They also try to suppress that part of themselves. But a lot of em also express themselves in small ways. Some even do rebellious things! Some, when faced with grave danger, might take a BIG step to protect themselves, to reveal themsleves. Teenagers can be VERY short-sighted, stupid, reckless, and rebellious!
19:55 What Lev is describing here is that his mother was chasing him with a knife (hence the knife cuts on Lev's forearms), he tried to push her off of him. This made her hit the table and the blunt force trauma seems to have killed her. Lev didn't have a knife and he didn't stab her.
I probably assumed Lev stabbed her due to the amount of blood spilled from her body. Thanks for the clarification.
The whole idea of The Last of Us Part II having no fathers in it really hits hard for me. Here in America where I live, The Last of Us Part II was originally released just before Father's Day Weekend of 2020. I had lost my own father the previous year in November 2019, a good six months or so before the game released. Playing this game and playing as two protagonists who had lost their father and/or father figures was very cathartic for me in a sad way.
I wasn't aware that the game released so close to fathers' day. I'm sorry for your loss and I can't fathom how much the game must have impacted you considering your situation at the time. I hope that this video managed to give a clear exposition about the role of fatherhood in our lives and, in anyway, I pray that you take the best from your father to pass on to the future.
I like your take on the absence of fathers in TLOU2. Personally, the second game resonated with me even stronger than the first one. In the first one I strongly identified with Joel and became the protector of Ellie. She had to be safe and she deserved a happy life. What hit me most when Joel was murdered was not his death, but the impact it had on Ellie. Joel had it coming and he (or, by proxy, I) was expendable. It's Ellie who was worth protecting. I didn't feel that anything was forced on me, but that is certainly up for interpretation and I appreciate your respectful critique.
Regarding Lev's visual transition: I don't feel that it's far fetched for him to shave his head to visually present as a Seraphite male when they wanted to force-marry him as a wife to one of the elders. This would have been a horrifying prospect for him (let alone possibly any minor), cementing his status as a (perceived) female in the community. It's not as if he wanted to undergo gender-affirming surgery (which he probably never heard of in this gated culture), he just wanted to be perceived as what he was. (Not sure if this makes sense from the perspective of trans persons, sorry if I'm completely off.)
(Also sorry for the second comment, didn't want to edit my previous one that you already answered to. 😊)
I was thinking the same thing
Great video!
I have never seen a video commenting on Lev from this viewpoint.
Never have I considered Lev’s journey to be one of ‘transitioning’, maybe if you take it only at face value. To me, Lev’s story is very compelling and harrowing because it showcases how someone wants to escape their ‘biological destiny’ imposed by the community they find themselves in. And honestly, people just reducing it to a trans issue is just very lazy and disappointing.
Again, great video!😊
@@juanabertoldo9847 Good point! I also think that trying to limit Lev to be only a trans commentary is a disservice to such a good character
@@LionHuntington Indeed!
Sounds transphobic to me but ok
TLOU2 is one my favourite games of all time. I think it’s just filled with so many heavy themes we normally don’t think about. Love, revenge, care, fear, depression, PTSD and so many more. I never thought about it in this context. Thanks for adding it to my list of things to think about when I replay the game :)
Regarding Lev tho, I think it’s believable for him to kill his own mother give that he’s been raised in an instinct driven society. That is a lot more accustomed to killing in self defence.
Great vid, you deserve a lot more subs, I’ll add mine :)
Waiting on that GOW video
It left me with a hopeless feeling. I wonder if they will do the same plot for the tv show... I'm not sure if I'm ready for that because the death of Joel in the game was already bad enough to see (and those weren't even real people).
I definitely think my experience of being a depressed adolescent dealing with grief over the loss of my mother and a complicated relationship with my surviving father contributes to how much this game resonated with me. I identify strongly with Ellie and I understand why many have come to dislike her in this game, I just can't feel that way. I empathize so strongly with her and to experience her dealing with her emotional reckoning was very cathartic for myself. I loved that this game goes places most mass media won't and though I agree that it's not perfect, it's refreshing. But perhaps I'm in that niche audience that doesn't just engage with media to have fun and enjoy myself but to feel something a bit more profound. I'm looking for catharsis in a world where it's just so rare to find. And for people with complicated backgrounds I guess it takes stories going too far for most for us to feel that. I appreciated your deep dive into a lesser explored theme of the game, and your analysis of Tommy's role and Dina, Ellie, and JJ's dynamic was especially thought provoking.
TLOU2 is the first game to ever evoke so many conflicting emotions. Easily the greatest game ever.
Why is that a good thing
It is the greatest game ever...too bad people can't understand it
@@toohookedontlou I think the people that like it don’t understand it.
I agree completely. It made me extremely angry at first when Joel died. To the point where I didn’t play it for almost a year. Glad I went back to it because it became my favorite single player game of all time (along with the original)
@@DapperDan93981 On the contrary, the people who don't like it don't understand it. Its a perfect explanation of humanity.
I was expecting a fantastic world and I’m just in it. But the world is ugly. And we’re all messed up. That’s the message the game managed to deliver
Bro this is really good right from the start, you earned a sub. Keep it up.
My least fav character is Tommy. At the beginning he was not willing to get revenge and was trying to convince Ellie the same...only when Ellie said that she will go wheather he comes or not then only he agreed...before tommy was kinda agreeing to Maria's thoughts of not going for revenge thing...and Maria didn't want Tommy to go because she is not ready to lose her husband over this....also Maria didn't care about Ellie and provided her and Dina with the horse and allowed them to go just to get Tommy back and only when Abby messed up his leg and eye in the theatre then only he lost it and wanted Ellie to go for the revenge without thinking about Dina, the baby and Ellie's safety! Also in part 1 he blamed Joel for them doing bad stuff for survival...but the fact remains that it kept them alive and if Tommy wanted he could have not followed Joel's way but he did so he can't blame Joel...which I found completly wrong ....have seen a lot of people always prasing Tommy and wants his DLC...I think it makes no sense...infact Dina is often trolled but the fact is she is the most important being in Ellie's life now...Dina was someone who was devoted to Ellie...she didn't care about her pregnancy and went with Ellie for the revenge adventure...she saved her many times...even Jesse knew how devoted and how much she loved Ellie....Ellie's only mistake was at the end which also happened because of Tommy! As he forced that revenge thing in her mind! But it was destiny otherwise Abby and Lev would have died...because Abby's story is not at all over....Ellie's and Abby's story always went together...we will see more of that when part 3 comes.
@@toohookedontlou Tommy just kept going downhill as the story progressed. Great insight on the fact that Abby and Lev would be dead if it wasn't for Ellie going after revenge, it's like a divine irony. Hopefully that will pay off in part III.
I recommend watching this video about Tommy:
ruclips.net/video/lSsq2eJT4tQ/видео.htmlsi=zFIN1fAJunnPKMoV
0:29 everybody but certain tlou subreddit🗿
Sir, sorry but.
The dust never settled
Its honestly still...STILL getting aggressive push back.
Haters gonna hate. Their loss.
I like your take on the decisions made with the games story all though I gotta say I don't think I have any interest in finishing the game myself regardless. When the game switches to Abby it just throws the pace off so badly for me and knowing it's gonna be 12 hours I have to deal with that just makes me lose all interest. I already know every detail of the games story so im not missing anything anyway. I know it's not a bad game and the pace being thrown off is done that way for a reason and I do respect what they were going for with that move but in a purely gameplay enjoyment sense I just can't sit down and do it.
Valid
you don't wanna play the game, that's a-okay and it's your prerogative. However, I will say that KNOWING the game's story, plot vs. actively EXPERIENCING it yourself by playing it makes a WORLD of difference.
Oh man good stuff! You got a trans subscriber today. I’m a huge fan of TLoU2 and you hit the nail on the head. The expectations I feel like I face to take on the role of being a man in a lot of situations while still being expected to fulfill feminine roles can be so overwhelming. And the game is … absolutely about that. And I never noticed, I was too close to it. Fuck. Ow my soul.
Why bring up you’re trans which I doubt
@@xragdoll5662”I doubt you’re trans bc why not”
great job, you have a lot of potential
Muito bom cara, é um jogo incrível com uma história espetacular, parabéns pelo vídeo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
the first game people resonated with joel because he also lived in our world(pre-outbreak) when things were normal.
i think the second game is about how people who were born into the destroyed world(ellie abby yara lev ect), have backwards mentalities
One of the greatest games/stories ever
Indeed
I don't know if lev is trans if you really think about it many young girls in history dressed like boys to make predatory adults believe they are boys as a sort of deturant it makes more sense that as a child in a religious community lev saw some girls get to be soldiers such as Yara but probably never saw boys being forced to marry especially to an elder so in a childs mind I'll change to be a boy so i don't have to marry and i can be a soldier like yara i have the haircut and look like all the other boys therefore im a boy now lev is also the first in this community to ever go against forced marriage so never expected everyone including his mom to react the way that they did and i just went through the game again and I don't remember anyone specifying that lev is indeed trans i might be mistaken or missed something though
Lev’s real name is Lily. Also, Lev is referred to as he throughout the game
Great video keep up the good work
you dont understand what tommy has been thru you focus to much on the main characters that you forget how much the side characters have sacrificed just like TOMMY
I enjoyed the game, but just didn't care about Abi or lev, story just wasn't as good
Amazing ureteric ❤
Really good video!
Keep up❤
18:10 lol what? So just because the dialogue wasn't in a cutscene it's not valid enough? Previously you mentioned that Lev's character "transitioning" wasn't believable, but when you mention that there's a believable explanation to it you dismiss it by assuming it was an afterthought. Your argument seems pretty "forced" to me man.
Also, the actor for Lev is also trans in real life, and he had been cast for the game since 2017. That means that the plans for his character were very specific from the start of production, and clearly not an afterthought or just for inclusivity.
@@johngrizis The plot point about the engagement to the elder seemed to be an afterthought. The plot point about Lev being trans seemed to be the intention from the start. It seemed like the plot about the engagement came up as a way to make Lev's situation more believable. Never said the dialogue wasn't valid, I actually think it's better that it was included.
@@LionHuntington I don't see a good reason for that assumption. A lot of plot points in the last of us 1 and 2 are communicated through dialogue during gameplay. And it's not like anything else was happening during that segment, the game clearly wanted you to pay attention to the dialogue.
@@johngriziscorrect....you have to read between lines
Mel was not murdered...it's not correct statement...it was self defense! Throughout the game...Ellie was defending herself..be it Jordan, Mel, Owen, Whitney...and Nora was anyways infected and even after Ellie smashing her with the pipe she was alive as she told her afterwards Abby's location so it's not clear what happened with Nora at the end and if people think that eventually Ellie took her and jumped downstairs and got her infected so that was also self defense as WLF soldiers surrounded her! That poor girl even let go Abby at the end after Abby snatched everything from her....be it Joel, her fingers, ability to play guitar and even her mother's knife!!
Interesting take, I'd disagree but I think it's more complicated than just it being in self defence or murder as Ellie is still the one instigating the moments before the fights take place, even if it was not her immediate intentions. I would say it's sort of both ends though I understand something like this varies between lots of different people.
"lev rebelling isn't believable." ahhh yes, of course. i forgot rebellion and teenager were not synonymous with each other. its not like ellie ran away during the first game when she found out joel wanted to give her away, its just "not believable." these types of criticisms and explaining it as being "forced' are lazy critiques imo. most of your video was a good analysis though
Great video, but your take on lev is very misinformed. You should probably research more on the trans experience to get a proper understanding of Lev's character as a transgender boy.
*The last of us part 2 is wasted potential 👎*
wow this is actually a very deep and overlooked take! i totally overlooked this, despite playing the game three times! amazing! thanks for enlightening us on this perspective 🫡