A Defense And Critique of The Last of Us Part 2
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Is this a Defence or a Critique of The Last of Us Part 2, Well its both. I'm trying to answer a couple of key questions. Should it be called good or Bad? Does it deserve your respect or your hatred? Is it to be defended or maligned? I give my perspective in this very lengthy In-Depth Critique on why I believe its misunderstood and should earn your respect, despite its missteps.
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1:19:00 okay... The scars know NOTHING about Lev's 'gender identity switch/transition'.
Yara says Lev ONLY told her, and she told him to keep it to himself. And she thought it was just a phase, but after Lev was assigned his "role" in the community (to be a bride to an elder) Lev shaved his head in protest, and they IMMEDIATELY had to run and had been on the run until they came across Abby.
There was never a "coming out" moment, there was never a "I AM A BOY, AND MY NAME IS LEV!!!" moment, lol. Does that seem like Lev? They call him an abomination because a woman shaving her head goes against the primary principles of their beliefs. We see that same thing from fundamentalist in several religions. Hell, a woman could be killed for doing less in some actual religions, so it's not hard to imagine a bunch of super-future zealots taking something like that very personal.
That's why they aren't "dead naming" Lev when they call him Lily and "she". That's literally all they've ever known him as. Yara says even their mother doesn't know about Lev's gender indentity and that she'll kill him if she finds out the full truth. In reality the ONLY OTHER PERSON Lev had ever told his name to was Abby.
So it's not this story of "being who you want to be" or "speaking your truth" or pushing an agenda... we're literally catching Lev at the beginning of his journey... Even he can't bring himself to attempt to put it into words. *He never even expounds upon it because his gender identity isn't even why they want him dead... they want him dead because he and Yara abandoned the sect, and Lev spat on their beliefs and traditions on his way out.* Because for THEM, it's that simple.
Sorry for the late reply. First off, thanks for engaging with the video and taking your time to post a comment. I've posted this video around and all i get is "you talk funny, can't watch" and "2 seconds in, this guy has nothing interesting to say" without hearing me out at all. So, I thank you for that.
Now as for you comment. I don't think we even disagree, as I mostly agree with you. There are aspects about lev character, I find strange. Its due to trying fit this type of character, in this style of setting. A square peg into a round hole, so to speak. It just doesn't gel that well for me. However just because its odd for me, doesn't mean its bad. My point is, that the most interesting thing about Lev as a character, is that he's going through an identity crisis. Except he isn't, as when we meet lev, hes already accepted himself and the consequences that come along with it. As such, he doesn't have much left to offer as a character. They're in a sense, skipped by the most interesting part about him.
Obviously, because they want Abby to change, not lev. Yara and lev are used as the catalyst to make Abby see her own hubris, so to speak. Lev in my personal opinion, is wasted potential. Not saying I'm right, its just my two cents.
good to see a review that actually tries to look on a more positive way of what the game achieved
not just the bad
This is a really nice in depth critique of the game. I’ve watched a lot of these videos and appreciate how much you compared part 1 and part 2. I’m an hour into this vid and looking forward to seeing the rest!
So, I'm two years late but I had to comment. First, you did a great job with this critique, and given that this game has so many different topics to cover, you managed to cover most of the important stuff so props to you.
While I agree for the most part with your critiques, I gotta disagree with the criticism towards Abby's body. She's been full of rage after her father's murder and she was never a lanky character to begin with, even as a child, unlike Ellie. It's only logical that she gains that much muscle after she spends almost all her free time training to be able to kill Joel when she finds him, even turning down Owen in the flashbacks to go train instead. Plus, despite that, she's not thaaat ridiculously buff, it's just that many people aren't used to seeing women with muscles at all, and compared to how lanky Ellie is, Abby winds up looking way bigger. I personally like her design because it's a visual reminder of how consumed she was about getting her revenge, to the point that she looked like she lived in the WLF gym.
And about the game overall, you're so right that the transition from Ellie to Abby always felt jarring. Going from such a big climax to the most cliché scene blatantly recreating the giraffe scene just feels cheap. I remember that in the concept art for TLOU P1, it was originally going to be a zebra but they chose the giraffe instead, so it seems like they just gave their leftover ideas to Abby. I've always wondered how much better and smoother it could've been if part 2 started with Abby's gameplay. Imagine that climax, having played as Abby first and finding Ellie at the theatre, wondering why is she there, how do they know each other, what does Abby mean she let them both live before, and where is Joel, AND THEN you switch to Ellie. It would keep the momentum going because the player will already care and know about Ellie from part 1, so we can skip the cliché look-at-this-character's-humanity scene. The player would be even more engaged because the last time we'd seen Ellie, she was a pretty innocent kid aside from the violence she had to endure to survive. It would immediately hook the player and keep things interesting because you are dying to know what Ellie's been doing since part 1, why did she kill Owen and Mel, and where is Joel. How the game played out, it snuffs any intrigue because all you know about Abby after the switch is that she killed Joel and you're either willing to forgive her or you force yourself to tolerate her gameplay until you get back to Ellie, or you quit the game altogether, which was what a lot of people did.
I love both their storylines, but playing as Ellie first kinda made both sections very lackluster because you know exactly what the game is doing. They want you to empathize with Abby, but they also don't let you get to know her as a fully fleshed character without a direct comparison to Ellie, so Abby ends up feeling like a rehashed, remixed version of Ellie and Joel from part 1.
Superb analysis. Thank you.
Nice.
Sup
Conclusion, always teach your child who was born in a zombie apocalypses to play golf
Other conclusion, always kill every witness when exacting revenge.
First! Let's goo!!!!!!!!
1:06:07 I understand why they structured the narrative the way they did, and I agree that it can be jarring and make it difficult to get immersed in any one thing when you're constantly bouncing back and forth between characters... but I think the execution of two separate campaigns didn't work that well. I think it hurt the overall pacing and I think it separates the player from the narratives a bit further than it should have.
The days in Seattle are very long, at least days one and two... had they gone "day 1 abby, day 1 ellie." There's more than enough time in each to have the player get involved and invested. I mean Ellie's Day 1 is like 5-6 hours. Alone.
But if they weren't going to alternate days, I feel like Abby's section should have gone first. Narratives are supposed to present set-ups and payoffs. This game routinely dishes out pay-offs before the set ups and that takes the wind out of several of the the things that happen in Abby's section.
But I also understand that they wanted to put as much time and space between Abby killing Joel and the player playing as Abby. It's a tough call, but I think this story should have been told alternating day for day, culminating in A SINGLE meeting in the theater.
This was a good analysis and it even further strengthens the case of hate this game had achieved. It warrants the dislikes and criticisms. I don't think it's deserving of a 0 out of 10 score because there are things that highlights our own humanity in it but your take on TLOU2 made me love the first game even more. Its not even about the game-play at this point but the narrative and its final drive. TLOU2 will go down as one of the worst experiences I have partaken in my life but I am glad some found solace in it. Thank you for sharing!
overall, it's a really well done critique
Decided to add this critique to my reddit post if that's ok. Wonderful critique, loved the ending especially regarding how Ellie felt after the dance scene, and mostly your incite into Ellie's headspace and motives. Here's my reddit post, hopefully it gets this video the recognition it deserves! www.reddit.com/r/thelastofus/comments/j2jntp/sources_of_diverse_analysis_and_praise_for_part_2/
Ellie: *kills hundreds of people by cutting their throats, burning them alive and turning them into red smudge with EXPLOSIVE ARROWS*
Game: I don't see a problem with this...
Ellie: *tortures someone once by smacking them to death with a pipe*
Game: Don't you see how horrible and evil Ellie has become?! She's loosing it!
Ouuuu interesting accent ☺️
If the flashback scene where we see Ellie tell Joel she is willing to try and forgive him is meant to represent Abby stealing that moment of reconciliation from her, why does she release her? You can say that she comes to the realization that killing her won't undo the pain she's been experiencing as a result of Joel's death and that it was never about killing Abby to obtain a sense of catharsis. But this doesn't explain why at that exact moment, she suddenly has an epiphany about the way she's treated Joel over the years. What connection does this have to her letting Abby go? If Abby serves no significance to Ellie's decision to spare her, then what was stopping her from ending her life just like she did with Nora, Owen, Mel, and a multitude of people killed through gameplay. Her decision is completely haphazard and arbitrary, ultimately weakening the game's entire point of forgiveness and perspective. I think if the writers wanted to communicate the point of Ellie symbolically ending the cycle of violence, they should've established an emotional connection between Abby and Ellie. You know what would have been a beautiful and powerful ending? Ellie doesn’t engage Abby with violence but asks a simple question after cutting her down and following her to the boat with Lev. “Why’d you do it?” Abby would then respond “Because he ruined my life, he left me alone and without a father. If I had to relive that moment I would do it again. ” No matter how Ellie responds to this, it is incredibly significant that she hears an explanation from Abby because it would establish an emotional connection between them. Ellie would understand that they are not so different and that Abby was hurt just as much as she was. She could even relate it back to the conversation she had with Joel in which he mentions that if he got a second chance to save her from the hospital he would do it all over again. Not only would Ellie recognize that people will often commit horrific and despicable actions out of sadness, pain, and love but that perhaps she, Abby, and Joel are all a part of a cycle of violence that leads to nowhere but emptiness.
By the way, your analysis was incredibly inciteful and brilliant, great job with the video👍
The true answer why Ellie doesn't kill Abby will always be that she's the director's OC, so she can't die. She's got the protection of the trope "creator's pet."
@@crazyinsane500 Yep, originally Naughty dog was going to have Ellie kill Abby (which makes sense narratively) but they decided to change it because they felt it didn't fit her character even though they're the ones who made her a revenge obsessed maniac in part 2. It's just strange how people praise this game for its bold storytelling when ND can't even commit to the story they're telling.
Greats points and the real answer would be for dramatic effect. But you've asked a honest question, so ill try and give an honest answer. Look, the ending is more nuanced then people give it credit for. As such, you have to infer a lot of the meanings and symbolism. To start i wouldn't say the story is about forgiveness, since no one in the game is actually forgiven. Even that scene with Ellie and Joel is just the start of reconciliation. Ellie never outright forgives Joel, or Abby for that matter. The perspective part just illustrates that there is no heroes or villains. Now this is In my opinion, but i think there moments in the game to back me up. Ellie was on a misguided revenge tale, believing torturing and killing Abby and her group would give her an emotional release for the loss of Joel. To make them suffer, to keep it simple. Each time she had a chance to make them suffer, it was ripped away. Nora gets infected, Mel is pregnant etc, etc. So, eventually Abby is the only one left. However she is already been tortured and suffered extremely. This is why i think Ellie hesitates to fight her at first, because she been already robbed of that moment. When shes choking Abby. Shes about to get the moment she longed for. Except she crying in pain, not relief. I believe she finally understands in that moment, that Abby being dead will not fix her own broken relationship with Joel. The pain is still going to be there regardless. So why in that moment? First, Because abby is the last one left. If you ain't getting your catharsis by choking the actual murder herself to death, then you never will. Second Abby looks defeated and pathetic. if it wasn't for lev i don't think Abby would even fight back. It would akin to a bully torturing you as child, then many years later becoming a homeless man. You lose most of your hate against that person and just feel sorry for him. I think thats what they where going for with Abby before and after appearance btw, not some woke agenda. Finally, I don't buy into the ending that she is stopping a cycle of violence. In my opinion she still hates Abby and there no forgiveness there. The key point is that Ellie remains guilt ridden over Joel, regardless of what happens. So, in my opinion, she lets Abby go, because Abby doesn't matter anymore. That moment is when comes to the conclusion. Her guilt will Joel can never be relieved, no matter what she does. Letting Abby go is an acceptance of that fact. So all she can do is move on. Obviously this is just my opinion and its fair to say that I might giving the game some undo credit by seeing things in the best possible light.
Anyway Thanks for watching and commenting, really appreciate it.
@@tbcoop Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my points. You mentioned that Ellie hesitates to fight Abby due to the fact she's already been tortured and suffered, essentially robbing her of that moment of revenge. However, this doesn't make much sense. The notion that Ellie is seeking relief from the desire of inflicting suffering on those who have wronged her isn't clearly expressed or developed throughout the game. Ellie isn't going after Abby, or her friends, to accomplish some self-aggrandizing fulfillment of vengeance or to one-up them in the imposition of suffering, she's doing it to kill an individual who has caused her an immense amount of trauma and pain. A person who rid her of the chance to reconcile with Joel before his death. Ending that pain was her entire objective no matter how far she had to go to achieve it. Abby's friends were just a means to an end, given the fact that she initially feels guilt for torturing Nora and killing a pregnant woman but continues her selfish pursuit to hunt Abby down anyways. She even jeopardizes her relationship with Dina, leaving behind the one person in her life that represented comfort and happiness. That decision further accentuated her descent into a tragic and unhealthy obsession, there was no going back for her. So when she sees Abby in a dejected and malnourished state, that shouldn't matter to her because her ego and selfishness don't derive from proving to herself that she COULD kill Abby, it derives from her obsession with seeking revenge to relieve her of the pain and guilt she's been experiencing since Joel's death. That's why your analogy about the bully doesn't relate to Ellie's situation because, in order for her to feel sorry for Abby, she needs a specific reason to feel an ounce of pity for her given all that Ellie has sacrificed. She didn't feel it for her when she tortured and murdered her friends or when she threatened Lev's life so why does she feel it when she's at the cusp of getting her revenge? It doesn't make sense, and Naughty Dog knew that but they decided to essentially redeem Ellie because they were afraid to commit to her becoming a monster.
Also, the writers have come out and stated that Ellie sparing Abby was her ending the cycle of revenge, but based on the story that was actually told, they didn't actually earn this conclusion. The reason I mention this is because I understand that this is simply your opinion and that you believe the ending possesses nuance because you have to infer a lot of meanings from it. But I argue that this represents an excuse for Naughty Dog not committing to the story they were telling because it resulted in an incoherent execution of ideas, themes, and characters. I feel as though when we critique a piece of media, we shouldn't simply give them credit for presenting complex themes but give them credit for how they are implemented within the story. The Last of Us 2 is a clear example of that, a beautiful-looking game that gets lost in its own ambition, and while I appreciate their attempt to tell a bold story, I'm not going to give them credit for not capitalizing on that boldness.
Once again, while I disagree with you I still appreciate you for responding to me. You didn't have to but you did anyways. Thanks