Do We Still Follow You Anywhere? Last of Us Episode 9 Non-Gamer Reaction | First Time Watching 

It's such a fascinating, horrifying, beautiful ending. Ellie knows he's lying to her. Maybe not the extent of the lie, but she knows he's not being honest about what happened at the hospital. But she also knows he loves her and that he's the only person who never abandoned her, and that's enough for her to bury her doubts and accept what he's telling her at face value, because the truth would be too painful.

As a man with a daughter I cried through the entire scene with Joel fighting to get to Elle. I couldn't stop. I had to see him get to her. There is no limit to the number of people you go through to get to your little girl as a dad. And he is 100% Elle's dad at this point

Well, Ellie's Mom played by Ashley Johnson is actually the voice actor and do the mo-cap for Ellie herself in the game.

THESE are the reactions I've been waiting for. Gamer reactions are fine and all. But I really wanted to see someone with fresh eyes seeing it and reacting. Good stuff.

Ellie was dissociating, a common PTSD symptom and coping mechanism.

She said “these people could have their own little families” then she said he might be important for saving other people’s lives” every gamer’s reaction 😬😬

there's this phrase that simply explains everything about this game that i love, "the world took something important from joel (sarah) so he took something important from the world (ellie/the cure)"

We now know why when Riley asks the fireflies to let Ellie join they refuse. Marlene didn't want Ellie's life to be on her hand.

I was crying from the first minute I stg and it didn’t stop until the end credits Super excited to see your take on this finale

The Fireflies don't give Ellie a choice because they're not going to take no for an answer. They feel like they have to do this to make all the morally questionable things they've done over the years worth it. So in that case the most merciful thing they can do is not let her feel any pain or fear before the end. Marlene's pragmatic, but not quite enough. She should've killed Joel too if she wanted this to go smoothly. But while she was there when Ellie was born, she wasn't Ellie's mother, she didn't raise her. She thinks she understands, but she doesn't, not really.

Yes! It is Pike! She's also the voice of Game Ellie.

You recognized Pike's voice 😂 Yes, Ashley also played Ellie in the game.

Ashley Johnson who plays Anna was Ellie in the game so this was a pretty special moment for her

In the beginning Ellie is quiet and really distant because she’s traumatized and dealing with ptsd following the previous episode, she’s only 14, that would have a horrendous effect on your psyche

I'm glad that at least someone is acknowledging that every single person that Joel killed in that hospital has a family, a loved one or could be important. Joel wasn't thinking about that.

Nia on seeing Marlene _"Thanks freakin god!"_ Me: 😶

This was the happy season....next couple seasons are going to be daaaark....and I cant wait

15:45 that is Ellie's knife, that was left for her by her mother. When we first meet Ellie... she has that knife. marlene gives it to Joel here cuz it was confiscated from Ellie when they were ambushed. Plus, I guess that's her way of giving Joel a memento of Ellie, and a weapon.

To be fair Marlene begged pretty hard for life for someone who was about to casually end a child’s life for a possible cure. I don’t blame Joel for his choice at all. Especially as a parent.

I love the immediate relief when you see Marlene and then the shock soon after 😂

The Dr. "thinks" it could be a cure.

i really thought i had no more tears left from the other episodes… nope it just keeps coming 😭😭😭

The line that she says she’ll follow him wherever he goes delivered perfectly such impact

"All of these people could have their own families"

joel 20 years ago carried a different girl away in his arms but was held up at gunpoint. he's probably been living that memory everynight wishing things went differently. no way he would hesitate to kill marlene at all when held at gunpoint carrying ellie.

"All these people could have their own little families..." Oh, you have no idea

When you realize you remember the OG Ellie (aka Ellie's mom) as a kid.....feel so old now...

“All these peoples could have there own little families”😅 you just wait.

I've thought about it more, and there's even more reasons why Marline was wrong to go through with the surgery. What's special about the cordyceps in Ellie isn't the strain, because it's the same as in everyone else infected. It's the timing of her infection. Now that they know how her immunity works and what to look for, they can use any sample from any infected to grow it in the lab and produce those chemical messengers. And the idea that they couldn't just do a biopsy to get a sample from her, but had to remove her whole brain for it shows their doctor isn't fit for the task.

Even thought I knew how this was gonna go, the “ok” and cut to the credits made me gasp. The exact same feeling as when I first finished playing the game😭 I very much enjoyed you crying every episode ❤️

I always took the ending as Ellie having doubts about if Joel was telling the truth about the hospital, but because it's Joel she's willing to accept it as the truth. And Bella killed it, but in the game they portrayed that moment of "ya know what, I trust you" in Ellie's eyes a little better. Loved your reactions to this series!

Yeah you hit it on the head, the way Ellie became immune is so specific, the amount of things that have to happen in a short timeframe… It would be such a rare occurrence, and no one knows that this is how immunity is achieved so it’s also not like anyone would even know to try to reproduce it

If you look back certain episodes you’ll see some quick shots of giraffe plushies slowly built up to the actual giraffe scene.

Such an amazing part of the game. Im so glad it is now a show and more people can experience such masterful writing. Cant wait for season 2.

7:32 I don’t think it was a mutation from Ellie’s mom since it looked like her bite got worse. So whatever happened in those few seconds of getting bit and cutting the umbilical cord is why Ellie is immune.

You have no idea what will happen in the last of us 2 Madness will become another level

Ellie knew Joel was lying, and she knew why. In the end she accepted that, hence the 'okay'

The show tells us several times there is no cure. Scientists are all going on a maybes chance. Not good enough for Joel at this point. But he also didn't have to lie to her about that.

You have to remember that Ellie was sexually assaulted in the previous episode. Maybe it wasnt clear in the tv series but that was the intention of the leader. Have to also remember that Ellie is 14 in this tv series. I think anyone would be traumatized after an experience like that not to mention a young person like Ellie still is.

You knowing ashley johnson as pike is so iconic lmao i have to stan you now for the rest of my life

Joel be like: eh doc you know you could just do a simple brain biopsy to take the samples right?

I LOVED this episode. It was savage, beautiful, devastating..it was perfect 😭

I’m so glad you understand the moral conundrum of Joel’s decision. So many people I watched immediately sided with Joel, you’re one of the few who actually questioned his decision and both sides, which is what the creators were aiming for. The director said he wanted to show how love can also have a downside.

Today, at the age of 54, Polish voice actor Krzysztof Banaszyk, who provided the voice of Joel in the Polish version of the game, died. He did it brilliantly. And not only him. The entire Polish "cast" of the game did it brilliantly. "Ellie", "Tommy" and all the rest.

ND: The original ending that for a long time we discussed is Ellie would believe the lie and you’d see them walking off to Tommy’s town and the camera would track up and you’d feel like, they’re going to be ok. It was about a week before we shot that scene and we thought, this isn’t honest, this doesn’t feel right, Ellie would know, I don’t buy it, we have to change this. This is an Ashley thing but no matter what the acting direction is, she’s going to nod her head and be like, ‘OK… OK’. And throughout shooting, a lot of her improvisation for Ellie involved saying, ‘ok’. And I thought, you have to end on that. Whatever it is Joel tells her, she has to just be like, ‘ok’. So Ashley, when you’d say that to Neil, you weren’t being glib, it really was a matter of trusting his direction. Is that the same feeling you wanted Ellie to communicate to Joel? AJ: That’s how I was playing it. Obviously she has a bullshit detector, she clearly knows he’s lying, but she says, alright, let’s see where this goes. ND: And it’s also like, how do you approach that? Would she start asking very detailed questions? Why would they release me before I woke up? Why wouldn’t I talk to someone before leaving? Was Marlene there? No, she would just ask the one obvious question: are you lying?

I'm here to see you emotionally distraught

This show was a fun series to experience along with you, Nia. Your reactions were insightful, emotional, and entertaining and I'm glad to have seen these videos. I'm almost sad that the series is over. But at least there's still the rest of Firefly to enjoy with you, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you react to next!

so fun fact the woman that plays Anna Ellies mom is Ashley Johnson voice of Pike in the legends of Vox machina and the voice actress for Ellie in the game she is literally the mother of Ellie in every way :D

I stand with Joel on this one, as a parent from that perspective. I wouldn’t want to lose the one thing that is my world to save the rest of humanity. Especially after what humanity we’ve seen so far. I feel like there has to be another way. :( maybe not. But I empathize with Joel storming through there to save the one other person he now loves. Also did Ellie know they had plans to basically harvest her organs?

She was extra quiet on that day because survivor's guilt was eating away at her. She had it for a long time. And her blood being the key to a vaccine brings that front and center to her mind all over again. She's always wondering "why me? why am I the one who survived?" ever since Riley died. And then Tess, and Sam and Henry. And all the injuries Joel suffered to protect her. She has that weighing on her mind as she's finally reaching her destination.

Joel was just telling Ellie what she wanted to hear when he said there is more people that are immune cause he does not really know

I am so glad I found your channel. Yeah, I think you are right on with how you were thinking about their relationship moving forward.

It wasn't the bite that caused Ellie to have the amunity from Cordyceps. Anna (Ellie's mom) used the same knife that she killed the infected to cut the ambilical cord which contains stemcells that can take on many different rolls during the babies early developmental process. In this case they cause the cordyceps to mutate the way they did.

Ah, what a relief, an empathic and smart person to review and comment this :-) thanks for that

Loved your recognition of Pike! Ashley Johnson is the best. Your tears during the beginning of this episode; those are a mother's tears!

ellie was depressed bc of her traumatic experience w david

“All these people could have their own families” You don’t realize how important of a statement that is.

Yeah that cliffhanger had every fan blown for 8 years.

There's no force greater in the world than a parent defending their child.

Yeah, it hits you right in the gut, this one. Love your reactions :) PAPA Bear vibes from Joel. Don't mess with his cub

I love seeing that initial first time reaction when it ends

The following table is a rough estimate (or guess) of the day's accomplishment. The distance traveled and camp location was not evident. It assumes a 20 mile day. 835.3(?) - Total miles fm Amicalola at AT mile 826.8(?). 20.0(?) - Miles for AT day 47, Mar 30(?). 17.6 - Avg. miles per day. +0.1 from yesterday’s 17.7. 19.9 - Avg. miles per day less the 5 zero days. Jun 15 - Estimated Katahdin date. No change from yesterday’s.

*NO SPOILERS* @16:56 there is someone fleeing down the hallway to escape. You can see a long braid as the person runs away. This 100% has to be Abby, a character who is VERY important to the second game and who will be very important for season 2 and potentially season 3 (depending on how they film game 2).

Marlene: "I'm sorry. I have no other choice." Joel: "I do." 💀

Ashley Johnson did a great job in her scene, and is also the one who plays Ellie’s VA! Yes so also voices Pike too in Vox Machina 😂

Joel: They stopped looking for a cure. Nia: Oh, we just lying? Well, can't keep looking for a cure when you're dead, so technically not a lie...

hahah i love how 90% of people who recognize ashley usually say "it's Ellie!!". this is the first time i've seen someone recognize her because of vox machina

Haha. You just said "reunited and it feels so good" 😁

The second Joel turns around in that stairwell he's committing to slaughtering every single last Firefly in that building. He can't just shoot them in the leg. They know about Ellie now, they think killing her will lead to the cure. He either lets them kill her, OR he has to slaughter them all, because if he doesn't, as he says to Marlene, they'll just come after her.

“All those people also could also have their own little families” You’re the only reactor I’ve seen comment this.

trading the fate of all mankind against the life of one person. the ultimate villain.

I've literally been in tears every episode. Amazing show. You should play the games if you haven't already & also have the tissues ready

The immunity didnt pass from Ellis Mom to her. Her Moms bit looked infected like Tess bit does after few hours. Ellies never looked like that.

I will never not cry at "it wasn't time that did it"...

I enjoyed how much the show expanded on stuff that may have only been in notes or tape recorders, and getting more insight into Joel and Ellie. Guess if there was a criticism it would be that whole fungal neural vein thing that was only used in one episode. like as a replacement for spores it didn’t factor in much, reminds me of old tv where there would be something established in a show that was only true for a single episode.

The opening to this last episode is one of the greatest opening sequences for this show.

Loved your reaction! The first I've seen so far that mirrors my own issues with Joel. Ellie is smart. Even if she chooses the lie he told (which I think she does on purpose), eventually it will eat at her and it will turn her against him because she can't trust his word anymore.

Not only is Ashley Johnson (Pike, and the voice and MoCap actress for Ellie in the game) in this episode, but Laura Bailey (Vex!, and the voice and MoCap actress for an antagonist in The Last of Us 2) is one of the doctors in the operating room scene 😁 such a fantastic show and game. Shows that the hood guys arnt 100% good and really makes you think and question yourself

The way Joel says "I swear" at the end in the game it's almost like he's saying it might as well be the truth.

That’s the beauty of the ending. It’s made to make you feel uneasy and conflicted. The fireflies didn’t give Ellie a choice, but Joel didn’t give her a choice either. Ellie being immune gave her a purpose. She’s lost so much to the infection. That’s why I believe if given the choice, Ellie would have chosen to sacrifice herself. Joel definitely knows it too. The array of emotions passing over Ellie’s face is heartbreaking, because she knows deep down something isn’t right. That small but impactful line of “Okay.” Says a lot, doesn’t it? “The only people that can betray us are the ones we trust.”

"Woahhhh it's a giraffe" was sooo cuteee😭

One of the nurses at the end is Laura Bailey (vex)!!! She played a few people in the game too

'they could have their on little family' -this is really important for season 2

"all these people could have their own little families” giiiiirl you don't even know..... jokes aside, I've been loving your reactions!! you cry just as much as I do 😂

I can still remember the back and forth after the game first came out and Joel’s decisions in the hospital. There was plenty of arguing going on then

12:45 The reason he told her this story was to let her know that the pain will always be there, but if you find someone that you love and want to live with, it makes life worth living and you can slowly move on.

Marlene's biggest mistake was knowing for a fact how dangerous Joel was from the start and still not killing him while he was unconscious. Leaving him alive so she could tell him about Ellie and the surgery that *might* yield a cure but would definitely kill her, whether she owed it to him or not, was a huge risk. The show has foreshadowed this from the start. Marlene told Joel she knew what he was capable of. Tess told Ellie she and Joel weren't good people. Bill's letter said "We have a job to do, and God help any motherf***er who gets in our way." Tommy said he and Joel murdered innocent people. We watched Joel have a PTSD flashback and beat a Fedra guard to death with his bare hands, snap a man's neck, stab another man in the neck, torture and kill one of his friends with the same Buck 119, and crush another of his friends' skull with a pipe. All to protect Ellie. And it all led up to us seeing what Joel is truly capable of doing to protect a little girl he'd come to love as a daughter. Whether he was right or wrong, I can't blame him. I have a daughter. I'd watch the world burn before I'd let harm come to her.

Joel fights so hard the entire episode from beginning to the end.

Thank you for YOUR journey :D Also, just a thought, maybe Marlene could have figured out how Ellie was immune many years later by remembering that incident with her friend, and then maybe she can recreate the scenario with another pregnant person lol

Ur right, marlene was late when ellie was born!! If she had not been slacking, she might have made it there in time to make sure ellie’s mom didnt get bit. It’s her fault ellie is even immune, and ellie shouldnt be sacrificed without her own consent bc of it.

That was my concern. What if they Kell her. And it doesn't work. Their not even gonna try her blood etc. And to not tell her is bad, in my opinion.

I don’t think Ellie’s immunity is from a mutation, simply because that completely invalidates the Fireflies’ attempt at a cure. A lot of people like to believe that the cure would not have worked, but I don’t think that was the intent as it would take the sail out of Joel’s choice, making it is a lot less impactful if he was just 100% in the right.

LOL! I had the same reaction as you there at the end, Huh? It's such conundrum about what to do but no Ellie no part 2. Still I wish the Fire Flies would have been straight with Ellie and given her the choice.

LOL I thought I was the only person alive who thought of the hospital robe being the one with the open ass 🤣

I like to think with this part of the story, around Ellie's birth, that the answer to immunity was right in front of Marlene and the fireflies but they are really just too stupid to realize it; being "INOCULATION" via Ellie being exposed during birth from the umbilical cord and the cordyceps stayed docile and/or were kept in check by her immune system from minute 1. Essentially, all of this could have been avoided if Marlene and the Doctor just tested instead of jumping to "lets cut her brain out". Like test her blood, saliva, urine and/or spinal fluids and they'd probably get enough answers, BUT the most probable thing was: "minor inoculation" but either at birth or a young age, and even then they could also just test that too! The spinal tap could be performed would almost positively contain the fungi infection as it grows in the brain/brain stem, which is connected to the spinal cord and shares fluids. Since the fungi communicate all over the body, as evidence of her wounds not getting worse as the aggressive fungi see that she's already infected, they wouldn't need the fungus directly from the brain. Also if you think about it, Ellie might have been able to pass her version of the fungi to others via bites, or blood transfusion which could work like inoculating them. Some say this would have saved Sam from the earlier parts of the story, but just smearing blood on a open wound, that was also infected with the aggressive version, probably wouldn't be enough. Also also, even if they were able to figure out a vaccine, which is very unlikely since fungal infections are even still hard to deal with and no vaccines even exist, idc what the creator of the story says, being able to then study the genome, replicate the chemical compound, then produce enough of that compound IN A POST APOCALYPTIC WORLD would be damn near impossible and would probably only serve to be used in a politically charged manner for the firelights to gain power (you know, since they are terrorists).

First time reactions to the "Okay" are always exquisite. I love to watch this type of videos. I do think the final beat in the game was better, tho.

18:05 - 👀 **runs index finger & thumb together across lips** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I played the game, I was 100% with Joel in his choice to stop the surgery and save Ellie any way he had to. But when watching this episode. I was and still am so conflicted about it.

Laura Bailey one of the nurses is Vex.

The woman you see in the beginning of the episode. She's the voice of Ellie in the game

"All these people... could have their own little family"....