#The game had to kill her because they knew damn well Joel and Ellie wouldn't have gone through Winter like that if Tess was around

[crimescrimson]

Joel Miller, Theresa "Tess" Servopoulos & Ellie Williams in The Last Of Us (2014): The Tragically Brief Family Unit

[lakemichigans]

tlou episode 8 thoughts!!

- man.... joel had the death rattle and everything...

- ellie trying to sound intimidating, i love her sm 😭 as much as i dearly love the "ditto for buddy boy" line, it felt wrong coming from this version of ellie. similar to how in the podcast they said it would've been strange for pedro's joel to say "you're treading on some mighty thin ice", i thought they would go the same route here. it's still cute though

- i love the addition of david being a christian preacher. i can imagine manyyy people only became religious after the world ended, making them more susceptible to manipulation than people who may have already been religious their whole lives. if you don't know anything about the bible except what your preacher tells you, you'll believe anything he says. you're desperate to find meaning and salvation in this cruel world and this guy is offering it to you on a silver platter (haha). finding out later that he just uses religion as a way to justify his own sick brain is like.... so real

- wow, david revealed himself quick. i knew we wouldn't get a super long fight scene with david as our ally like the game, but i expected at least one infected to be killed to solidify their bond before breaking it. that scene felt rushed to me :/

- the way ellie feels so much more comfortable being affectionate with joel because he's in this vulnerable state 🥺 if joel never got hurt, i truly believe it would've taken them YEARS to get to the point where ellie lays next to him and he rests his cheek on her head. being in danger speeds up the realization of "oh shit, there's no sense in building walls between us because it's already too late -- you feel like family to me and it would hurt me if you were gone"

- my god that kill in the basement was brutal. pedro captured the perfect amount of badass joel still on the verge of death energy lmao

- FUCK YEAH OH MY GOD that interrogation scene was literally perfection, i wouldn't change a single thing. my ass was CLENCHED kfjskfjs

- i like that the cannibalism is (kinda) less cartoonish in this version. i REALLY like (and by that i mean i'm very horrified by) the fact that only a few people know they're eating human meat while everyone else is left in the dark. especially the poor wife and child :(

- i didn't think it was possible to make the scene with david and ellie in the cage any grosser but they managed it ??? it was so visceral oh my god i want to kill that man. ellie is so smart and resourceful and it's devastating :( the way david uses her 'violent side' as a way to manipulate her is sick. it's such a typical abuser thing to do: "if you hurt me in retaliation you're actually just as bad as me" 🤢 it's written masterfully. i know that line will stick with ellie for a long time :( i'm choosing to interpret it this way because i despise the idea that the show-runners are implying that ellie truly does have a violent heart and is somehow kin to david because of that. i refuse to interpret it that way, ew ew ew.

- yooooo he said cunt

- i was worried the whole episode would feel rushed but i actually appreciate how it continues to ramp up as joel becomes more desperate to find ellie

- jesus christ.. they really went there.... i know it was implied in the game too but wow. i was in complete shock until the moment joel called her baby girl and then the floodgates opened. fucking hell man. poor ellie fucks sake

- i am so so so so glad that they still allowed ellie to save herself rather than be saved by joel. that has always been so special to me. although i wish ellie never had to live with the memory of killing david, it's so important that she was able to talk, think, and fight her way out of that situation. joel swoops in at the last second to COMFORT her, not to save her. it's perfection.

10/10 episode wow this one was brutal but easily my favorite?? i was on the edge of my seat for all 53 minutes even though i knew damn well what was about to happen. it was the perfect mix of action scenes compounding the emotional scenes

[gwencorp]

Except! ELLIE questions her every action of prosecution. In the first game, she said it herself: ’all the things that I’ve done, it can't be for nothing’ which implies it can't be just for the sake of surviving. Because apparently, before meeting and developing a relationship with Ellie, that’s what Joel’s excuse was for his actions: ’surviving’. Others don't question their actions. Especially ABBY. For instance, when she was about to slit Dina’s throat... Did she stop for a second when Ellie told her that Dina is carrying an innocent soul in her? NO. In addition to that, she uses it to fuel her motivation to continue until LEV had to remind her not to. IF IT WAS ELLIE, in her anger, even if she has enough fuel to murder Abby’s allies: had she known the girl in her hold is pregnant, she wouldn't have want to continue to kill the girl. Unless after release, the girl continues to try and attack her. ELLIE WOULDNT HAVE NEED ANYONE TO REMIND HER OF GOOD CONSCIENCE. She even was about to puke out of chronic stress when she knew that Mel was pregnant and she had killed not just Mel, but the innocent one in her belly.

Another thing that needs to be pointed out: Abby tortured Joel because she didn't want him to die until he felt so numb of all the pain. Her father died because he tried to stop Joel from taking Ellie away and stopping his effort of producing a vaccine that no one even knows would work. Abby also knew of this knowledge cause how many times have vaccine failed before they developed a valid one that works in this world? COUNTLESS TIMES. Abby’s father was a Dr. so obviously, he knew the chances were low. On top of that, fungus infection can't be cured by a vaccine ASDFHEHEW!! So Joel did the right thing for taking Ellie away, or else ELLIE would have died for nothing! Had Abby’s father let Joel take her away, he would have survived and still be breathing. Because Marlene had questioned him twice/triple times (can't remember): if it was Abby, what would be his choice? He knew damn well that he wouldn't sacrifice his daughter like that. YET HE STOOD IN THE WAY OF JOEL WITH A WEAPON IN HIS HANDS. Should Joel let him be stabbed? NO!

In tlou2, we could see how Abby’s father died. Although the description was vague, we know he was not burned to death, unlike what some of us did to him in the last game. Yet, Abby goes about her vengeance like some insane ------- with her line ’you don't get to rush this’. That is why we wanted to torture her too instead of just kill her in an instance.