THE LAST OF US reaction Episode 9 "Look for the Light" season finale 

What an ending!!!! What was your reaction? What would have you done? Was Joel right or wrong? What was your favorite moment of the season? Cast and did amazing and Gustavo Santaolalla did amazing with the music! Early Drops & Full Reactions on Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here ru-vid.com/show-UC1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg

Ashley Johnson wasn’t just the voice actress for Ellie in Part I and Part II, she also was the performance capture artist as well, and Neil Druckmann said that Ashley herself informed a lot of the development of the character. She’s been this character for over 10 years now, and it was so special that she was person who birthed the show’s version of Ellie. Incredible. ❤

Ellie didn't know she was going to die. She was making plans with Joel for afterwards "I'll follow you anywhere". Marlene stated they didn't tell her so she wouldn't have anxiety.

the best thing I heard about this before was that everyone wants to save the whole world but Joel did save his whole world (Ellie).

Ellie knows he's lying, and she knows what Joel is capable off. That's the reason she interrupts him to ask him again. She literally said she didn't believe the blood thing would help Sam, but she did it anyway.

I took Ellie’s quiet “zoned out” behavior at the beginning to be a direct result of what she went through last episode. I think Joel was “chatty” with her because he knew she was traumatized. Just my two cents.

To me, that "ok" at the end has always meant "I know you're lying, and I know why you're lying, so I accept your lie, I'll allow you to lie to me, because I mean that much to you", but you can also see that she doesn't want to believe what she thinks happened. Things like these are the ones that made me fall in love with this story and the freaking nailed it on the show

Remember that Ellie is still suffering the trauma of the sexual assault as well which is weighing on her. I also believe that Ellie knows in her heart of hearts that Joel is lying.

Ep1- Marleen, shot in the gut talking to Joel and Joel agrees to take Ellie. Ep 9- Marleen, shot in the gut talking to Joel and Joel decides to take Ellie.

At this point it's been almost an entire year since they left Boston. With no communication the Fireflies assumed that they had died and they had lost their cure. They attacked them as they would any outsiders in their zone, no one was looking for them. Once they realized that they had her again they immediately jumped on working towards a cure again without considering anything. When Marlene tries to reason with Joel, saying it's what Ellie would have wanted isn't honest as they didn't give her the choice. Marlene was afraid if they gave her the option Ellie would say no. The Fireflies were in no way innocent, they've killed lots of bystanders to reach their goals. It was also said that they "think" it could make a cure, so it was good chance but not a guarantee but it was still not a question for them. It is important to note that while Marlene is the leader of the Fireflies, she couldn't tell them no as too many of them would disagree and she'd lose her command. They were going to go through with the surgery no matter what and let's not pretend that if it worked, they would just hand out that cure to everyone for free. They would hold onto it and use it as leverage against other governing groups to get their way for better or worse. It would just become another resource for people to fight over. Joel was the inverse, he was scared if they gave her the option, she'd say yes. Dismissing Joel's choice as purely selfish isn't correct. He cares about Ellie as if she is his own child and he wants her to be able to live her life instead of being a martyr for a cause that he never believed in. Joel believes the world is this way because of how people are and isn't convinced they deserve to be saved. Neither party gave her the choice. Ellie feels responsible for the losses of people that in her mind she could have saved, she does in a way blame herself. She thinks in completing this journey it would make those deaths of people she cared about have some value or meaning. Waking up in the car she's lost all of that meaning immediately as Joel lies to her. She's devastated. You see before the last scene her touching the scar again trying to think about what her life means now. When she confronts Joel, she is trying to explain all of this hoping that he'll give her a little more but he just doubles down on the lie. She chooses to believe him in this moment because he is all she has left. However she will always have doubts on the truth of what happened. Finally Joel wasn't the villain, but he was never the good guy. The Fireflies weren't the good guys in that their methods would kill innocent people to reach their goals, but they weren't evil. This is why this world is so compelling, why this story works so well translated from the game to a live action show. I think the most important questions are different perspectives. Would you give your life if you knew it might change the world? Are you allowed to say no? Does anyone have the right to disagree with your decision, to make that choice for you?

The game makes it a bit clearer that Ellie’s distance in this section is due to her trauma and loss of innocence with David. It completely changed her. But the scene with the giraffes helps restore a bit of hope for her in the world. The fact that Ellie isn’t given a choice is what saves Joel from outright being the villain here. Would Ellie have wanted to sacrifice herself if it could save humanity? Most likely. But she wasn’t given a choice here, and that’s not fair to her or Joel.

I really believe that Ellie knows he's lying to her but she's so attached now she is convincing herself that he's not lying. It's too much for her to tackle right now (deciding whether she wants to push it further).

My husband has a daughter. She is nine. Amazing, smart, funny kid just like Ellie. He said he would have done the same. If he lost his daughter he would have burnt the world down. I think it’s easy for people to say Joel made a mistake and was being selfish. He was. But you really have to have that love for someone to do that.

I don't think Joel would continue to bring her to the fireflies if he knew that they would kill her and not just test her blood

Ellie did not know about the brain surgery. Marlene said to Joel, "We didn't tell her. We didn't cause her any fear. There will be no pain."

11:20 I got so emotional during this scene. Joel admitting, but not exactly saying it, that Ellie gave him a new hope to life during the apocalypse is super heartwarming

They actors for the game weren't just "voice" actors btw, they used that motion captor tech on everything from their arms and legs to their facial features.

4:16 I thought it was just me. She really does looked like Bella. I thought it was Bella at first and had to look twice!

Marlene wanted to save the world, but Joel wanted to save his world ... He'll do it over and over if he had to🥺

Joel absolutely did villainous things in this and other episodes. And so did the Fireflies. To kill Ellie without letting her choose? Oof. That’s why the story is SO good. Everyone has good and evil motives. They really foreshadowed that in the show with the choice Henry made. Some shows try to make realistic characters by ONLY making them assholes and others pull their punches on the amount of bad a protagonist does. But this show gives us a sympathetic, caring, intelligent, dedicated protagonist who does absolutely unforgivable evil. They hit the sweet spot dead on. And the choice to play that haunting score instead of triumphant action music really captures the theme perfectly. I’m left saying, “It is not ok what Joel did, but he had to do it, but it’s really unconscionable, but it was the right thing, but…,” Which is why this is so brilliant.

Laura Bailey is also in this episode. The voice actress for someone in the second game. She's one of the nurses in the hospital.

About Joel being seen as a villain, I have always looked at it this way. When Joel lost Sarah it wasn't some random infected that killed her, it was a human. It was humanity of all things that took Joel's whole world away from him. So in his eyes he believes humanity doesn't deserve to be saved. And he sees Ellie as an opportunity to live the life he was denied from having. So this is basically Joel having a second chance to have a daughter and getting revenge on humanity in the process.

I love the discussion. I am convinced that Ellie knows, something wasn’t right. I am teamJoel. I don’t agree that the Fireflies prepared her for surgery immediately, without talking with Ellie and Joel about it. Joel said in episode 6, Ellie deserves a choice. I agree, it is all about perspective. Season 2 is going to be wild. I am looking forward to your reaction to it.

You gotta feel for the actress who plays Marlene. That's the second time she gets taken out by Joel in the carpark.

Mason is correct. Ellie 100% knows that Joel is lying to her.

Joel thought that Elliee was talking about survivors guilt, but that isn't what she meant. She mentioned Riely, Tessa, and Sam because they all died because of the cordyceps. She was trying to explain why finding a cure was important to her because it was personal. Ellie knew people who were close to her that she lost to this plague.

I personally think the reason she was acting so different before getting to the hospital goes back to the last episode. She was almost eaten by canibals and she had to hack them to death. That would be a lot for anyone to deal with let alone a 14 year old girl. I think Joel knew that and that’s why he was trying to make small talk and found the game and let her do her silly puns and stuff.

I'm excited for Season 2. When it ended I was just like "what that's it?" 43 minutes just went by sooo fast!

Bella didn't know that the procedure would cost her life. The immediately sedated her, never told her anything. Having said that the opportunity for her to decide her own fate was removed from her. She most likely would have gone ahead with the procedure.

Beautifully adapted! My thoughts on Ellie. The reason for her quiet behavior and coldness is due to what happened in the last episode. To be traumatized, not just by taking out David, but to also be taken advantage of as she was. We saw her lose a bit of a her innocence in a way at that moment and that takes a toll. Enjoyed the reactions! The Last of Us, a story of love and consequence.

probably one of the best shows to come out this year. HBO is on a roll! your reactions never fail to do it justice!

she was really distracted because the event that occurred last episode with david.....there is a big cameo of a voice actor in the hospital scene..

Amazing you guys had a respectful conversation with multiple perspectives within minutes, the internet is still arguing a decade later

One of the things we need to remember when discussing the rights or wrongs of Joel's decision, is his trauma (Sarah dying) but also the discussion Joel and Ellie had earlier in the episode about Joel's injury above his eye. He came clean and was very vulnerable when he explained that he had actually tried to end his life. And he asks her if she knows why he's talking about this. He is trying to show how much he cares, and how much she means to him. But it's also a bit of foreshadowing, that scene. If Ellie were given the choice, I truly believe she would have chosen to die, sacrificing herself for others just like her own mother sacrificed herself for her child. Ellie knows Joel's trauma, and going back to the first episode, I think Marlene probably told Ellie more about her beginnings than we saw on camera when they had her chained in that room. She probably knows generally what happened to her mother. She would have asked. Kids are curious. So she was sacrificing herself. I think this is going to be the arc for season 2, and she will realize what Joel actually did in lying, and not be happy about it. Then we'll have to see how they wrestle with all of that. I also feel that Ellie did not know she was going to have to die. First, she tried to use her blood as medicine for Sam. And second, she was surprised when she woke up in the back seat of the car. She asked why she had been given drugs, why she had been knocked out, and where were her clothes. That tells me she was not expecting that. Knowing that, it may have changed her thoughts on being the cure. Another thing to think about. Let me just say also I really appreciate your reactions to this. They are not superficial and I like how you guys try to flesh out everything. It makes for good dialogue

I definitely think she knows he is lying. I don't think he is a villian, just a parent.

Another reason I don’t think Ellie was prepared to die or sacrifice her self was because of the continuous reaffirming of life after they are done. Throughout this whole season there are countless times including this episode where she references life after they are done. It’s up in the air on whether she would’ve sacrificed her self but I don’t think she was going there prepared to do that because of the amount of times she referenced either going back to Jackson or the sheep farm after they are done with the fireflies. If she was prepared to die I don’t think she would talk about living her life with Joel afterwards or try to give the blood like you guys said.

The actor that plays Ellie's mother in this is the person that did the voice in the game, but she also did the Motion capture for the game and Ellie was based on how she looked. That's why she looks so much like Ellie, she was not only the voice but the face of Ellie in the games.

There was no guarantee that they even could even make a cure. The fireflies accomplice absolutely noting in 20 years.

She 100% didn't believe him, and I always thought it was obvious. Surprised by Dave's reaction.

When I first finished the game I felt exactly this: She strongly suspects he's lying, but she doesn't *want* him to be lying. He's her father in every way, and it would destroy her if he took away what she wanted because he couldn't let go of her. What happened to Riley informed her entire life. She lost the love of her life, and she had a chance to make that mean something and to die poetically, but Joel took that away from her. As to Joel, I absolutely see him as the villain but as a father you can't help but sympathize with his actions. For me what pushes him into villain territory is that Ellie would have wanted to die. It was her choice. It was what she wanted to do, even if it might not work, and he ignored that for his own desires. But guys, listening to your discussion is 10/10 because this debate has been going on in the fandom since the day the game released.

In regards to Ellie, I think it's a mixture of both Mason's and Appleton Oak's ideas. Ellie was sad and somber at the beginning of the episode because of the horrible things she experienced and her trauma in the last episode. A person doesn't get almost eaten and SA'd and walk away from that unscathed. You carry that pain with you, for the rest of your life. That was days or weeks ago for her, the wounds are still fresh. But I also think she was also thinking about having to leave Joel and that's why she said she will follow him anywhere when she has fulfilled her duty to the world. I also felt like she knew Joel was lying and that's why she asked. If you believe someone from the start, you don't have to ask them to swear something was true in the first place.

Ellie definitely didn't know she would be killed. You have to remember that she was making plans with Joel right before they got to the hospital. She said after we do this we can go wherever you want. That she'll follow him anywhere.

The detail with the doctor picking up a scalpel was in the game as well. I think it's neat, because it shows how much of a nerd he is. A valuable nerd who had other people protecting him.

Omg that post discussion is everything, plus yall comments throughout that are hints for part 2 and what's to come. Can't wait till season 2. It's ginna be chaos

This episode is the most accurate to to the game, from the ladder to the giraffe's to the minivan. To the: "Okay." Spot on.

I think one of the reasons I was so opposed to the idea of having a sequel was, when they first made The Last of Us, this was the actual ending they'd envisioned and I thought it was perfect. It opened up so many conversations and we all had the discussion about what Ellie's "Okay." meant. I loved that it is left ambiguous. For me, I always thought that she knew deep down that he was lying but she chose to believe him.

In an earlier episode, in the scene where Joel says he wants a sheep ranch, Ellie describes what she thinks will happen with the Fireflies as "they'll take my blood and run some tests or whatever" so I don't think there's any reason to believe she knew she'd die from doing this. However, I do think it's more ambiguous whether she believed Joel or not. Bella herself said she thinks Ellie can tell Joel is lying, but the games made it even more uncertain (and there are things from the second game I can't spoil that also make me think she's unsure about his level of truthfulness) But it's possible they changed this for the show and she DOES know and they're gonna go a slightly diff route with how things play out later

Another Last of Us game series actor is in this episode besides Ashley Johnson. Playing one of the nurses in the operating theatre is Laura Bailey who is a very very prolific anime and video game voice actor (over 70 anime/animated series and over 150 video games) Laura voices one of the new main characters in Part2 but also did some minor voices in the first Last of Us game.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's a co-incidence that Ashley looks like Bella - I'd say that one of the reasons Bella was picked was because she had similar characteristics to Game!Ellie, who had been designed with Ashley in mind. I also took Ellie's silence this episode as PTSD after David - I think she 100% thought that she'd go to the hospital, drop off some blood, and then go, as she said, wherever Joel wanted. In terms of the morality, I think neither the Fireflies nor Joel come off as the heroes here. I personally believe you can't ask someone to die for you, no matter how great the cause. It's far, far too much to ask. They have to volunteer. That's why I think the Fireflies come off bad here - They didn't even *ask*. they just jumped straight to cutting her brain apart. What makes Joel come off wrong is that ultimately, Marlene is right. Ellie 100% *would* have volunteered, had they sat down and explained the situation to her. Ultimately neither Joel nor Marlene asked Ellie what she wanted to do - Marlene because she was afraid she'd say no, and Joel because he knew she'd say yes. To me, that then raises the question of - Should a fourteen-year-old be allowed to make that decision? The closest parallel i can draw in real life is to wartime service, where young men and women sign up to do what they think is right, knowing that it might cost them their lives. In the US, the minimum age of enlistment is 17. Where I am, in the UK, it's 16. I know the apocalypse changes things, but I genuinely don't know whether it's morally right to allow a fourteen-year-old to die for the "greater good", even if she wants to. I'm perched right on the fence and I lean either way depending on the day. I think that indicates a top-tier moral dilemma. I take her final "okay" before the credits as, if not belief, acceptance. I think she knows Joel isn't being entirely truthful with her, but I think, at that moment, she's willing to let it go because she trusts him. I think a major driving factor for Joel is that he doesn't believe the world is worth saving. He's jaded, and he's seen the horrific things human beings can do to one another. I think, from his perspective, he 100% thinks the human race isn't worth Ellie's sacrifice. Final edit: I am praying that the success of The Last Of Us means they'll take another stab at Uncharted, this time as a TV show, seeing as it's made by the same studio and chunks of it are written by the same people, and even stars the same cast.

I think the biggest thing was the fact that Ellie wasn't given the choice to CONSENT to the operation before going in. She was given no info, just knocked out and prepped. I feel like she was sad that their journey was coming to an end and the next chapter is unknown for her. 'Will he leave meafter this?' sort of thing So stoked to see Ashley Johnson as the mum 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 As a fan of the game this was incredible 😊

At the end of the episode I think Ellie was just still completely processing everything... Including Joel's 360 turn around on his kindness..

Ashley did mocap for Ellie, so though not identical there is a likeness between them. Bella was casted because of her similar appearance to Ashley/Ellie but also just her acting and overall appearance. It’s natural. Ashley was then cast as her mother for her similarity to Bella/Ellie. I love how it all circles back. Lol

Pedro has been hitting it out of the park. Mando, Last of Us, I can't wait to see what comes next.

This season went by soooo fast. This episode was perfect. 💜

That was cute. "They did an amazing job with casting, that actress looks a lot like Ellie." Ellie in the game looks like Ashley Johnson (mocap performances) and they probably thought about that when casting Bella.

It’s great that they got the Game Ellie to give birth to the TV Ellie. Kind of a passing of the baton.

The ending of the Last of Us and the debate it cause is what makes it so great. We’ve been discussing this for years as gamers of the decision Joel made was right or wrong and I love that the show stuck the landing!

What's so tragic is that this all potentially could've been avoided if the Fireflies just communicated and asked for Ellie's consent. Marlene even said "What would Ellie do? She'd wanna do the right thing." If she really believed that, why didn't they let Ellie make the decision herself and tell Joel directly "This is what I want." He may still have been against it, but it would've had a lot more weight coming from her than from Marlene saying he's selfish

Ellie's melancholic state is due to the trama she suffered with David. I don't think she believes she will be separated from Joel at that moment - they talked about future plans. And she definitely knew he was lying. To me, she questioned him in the end to test him, and her "okay" at is acknowledging that he is someone she can't fully trust anymore but she is choosing to try to move past it. We will see in this next season how she deals with that distrust.

Watching your reactions to this show has been a pleasure. Coming from a huge fan of both games, it was a treat seeing all your insights and commentary.

Great reaction guys! Marlene never gave Ellie the option either. It didn’t come across in the show that Ellie knew it could be a one-way ticket for her. We’re left with knowing that Joel did the right thing for himself to not lose another daughter. But Ellie, despite her characterization as “always doing the right thing”, could’ve also changed her mind. And that’s a possibility that Marlene probably didn’t want to entertain. Beauty about this episode is that all perspectives are valid and until you’re in that moment, you never really know what you’re gonna do. Druckman in the Podcast explained the genesis of that moral dilemma when he had a conversation with his Dad. Worth listening to. Thanks again guys!

These vids(and frankly, all of your reactions) are the hilight of my week! Thank you guys

I felt the genuine parental love from Joel towards Ellie, overall an almost perfect first season!!! ...still not enough zombies though 😬

Agree with the praise to all the subtle realism details of this show. One I REALLY loved --- did you catch his first long pause on his escort out of the building?? He was reading the hospital floorplan board to see what floor peds surgery is on. Really nice touch. Oak, pediatrics is 0 to 18 years old and would have the appropriately size equipment they would need, mask, etc, for surgery.

The first thing I notice was the actor playing. Anna looked exactly like an older version of Ellie. At first I thought somehow they did some kind of CGI because I swear this is just Ellie and an older age. The episode was fantastic. I know people are going to say it wasn't long enough but it said so much in that short span of time, especially during the hospital Shane when he's walking through taking out the fireflies. And I like how they muffled the sound. And I want to say that was because of his hearing but it didn't take away from anything because you knew exactly. He had a mission to do and he was not going to anyone stop him. And I would like to thank you guys for being honest jerking with those of us who've never played the game

the parallel scene between Joel holding Sarah and holding Ellie tho💔 i knew right away that time he would not risk a soul to shoot the gun first like what happened with Sarah🥺

This was a wild ride ! Glad y’all enjoyed it love y’all’s channel so much ❤❤❤🎉

I cried so hard during the episode. Excited to see your reaction.

“doctors, maybe they have an ellie at home” true. lol. lmao

Great show guys enjoyed the whole series. I forgot who mentioned it but one of you guys said the creators wanted these kinds of discussions when they wrote it and that is true. These same conversations and discussions happened ten years ago when the game came out really cool to see people discovering it all over again via the show now.

man I really love yall discussions. Yall really go in and give your own perspectives

On the official podcast they say play testers of the game were basically 50/50 as to whether they agreed with Joel’s decision apart from parents who 100% agreed he did the right thing.

Ellie was never told that she would die for the possibility of a cure. She might've done it anyway but by not telling her, they took away her choice thus, making Joel's actions totally understandable. I think Ellie's somberness at the beginning was due to the trauma she went through. It changed her completely, which is why Joel looked so relieved when she started laughing at the giraffe. I do think that she knows Joel is lying to her (She's making a decision to believe him) but I don't see him as a villain. It's the selfish side of love, especially the love of a child. That hospital scene was brutal but oddly beautiful. The music really elevated it. Perfection.

Alternative happy ending! Marlene and her crew of doctors sit Ellie and Joel down calmly and explain them everything honestly. If Marlene was right about Ellie (which i think she was) then Ellie would be okay with dedicating her life to find the cure, even at 60% succesrate. Ellie would be able to explain to Joel that this is the only way forward in a way he could accept. He could have his goodbye and go on to perhaps live happily having had closure. But blindsiding him this way, it could ONLY end in disaster. I guess Marlene thought she had picked the coldest macho dude in Boston, who wouldn’t bond with a strange 14 year old, to escort Ellie, but this whole plan just backfired massively on her.

I didn't play the game but I remember well someone posting a video with that giraffe years ago. Cool seeing it "live" now. Fav Ep was nr 3. Because it hit home of my own lost love.

Ashley Johnson did amazing in that opening scene even though I kept saying she looks and sounds just like Ellie. I love how they shot that hospital scene it really gave the tv audience who didn’t play the game that same feeling of us who did which is did Joel really do the right thing even though we know why he did it.

She will have some memories come back from that night as we go in Season 2 and it will be an issue!

Ashley Johnson looks like Ellie since not only did she voice Ellie she did the mocap

Great reactions! And thank you for being one of only a few reactors who realised why Ellie was being distant & quiet; knowing it was an indicator of her trauma.

i’m finally glad someone realizes how loud a gun shot is definitely in close corners. that baby felt every bit of that shot from head to toe

I grew up with the first game and can confidently say season 1 was fantastic. One of if not the best video game adaptations! The second game is great too, a little controversial but I can’t wait to watch it and for you guys to see it!

Important to note, they were fully willing to kill the only immune person they knew about, and Marlene states that the doctor *THINKS* thats how the immunity works and *THINKS* it *COULD* be a cure.

Gents, your discussion after the show (actually, after everything you watch) is EXACTLY why I love hearing your reactions - respectful disagreement, good-humoured banter, intelligent observation and appreciation for the storytelling and execution! Your differing opinions have been the perfect way to end S1, especially given how jam-packed with morally-grey choices and what-would-I-do moments each episode has been! What a fantastic adaptation this has been - long may the game AND the show receive the plaudits they deserve!

The reason think Ellie was quite and not talking like she usually do because what almost happened to her got to realize she is still a kid. About the end I think Ellie was trying to convince her stuff that the person she trust and look up to wouldn’t do that and the truth is to scary to accept.

Im coming back to this video when i finish the episode.. DAMN, like.. it’s 6:46 AM for me.

Joel revealing he attempted to unalive himself really broke my heart-it makes it hit harder when you remember how much he tried to help Henry not do the same-he’d been there before. I imagine it was additionally harder for Pedro to perform that scene because he lost his mom the same way when he was younger. I think Joel maybe could sense some depression in Ellie and wanted to share that story with her to tell her he’s been there and that she’ll be okay. ❤

Just wanna say I loved your conversation at the end and it has me very excited to see your reactions to what comes next

I think y’all are both right ..she knows he is lying but doesn’t want to believe him because she scared of being betrayed by the only person she loves and trust like Maria said “the only people that can betray us are the ones we trust “and she also is disappointed about the cure not being real and that she is just a nobody again like she was in fedra school .

I have been waiting for this

I saw a comment somewhere that summerised everything i was thinking when talking about Joel and his choice. It went like this: "His personal feelings for Ellie aside, Joel was absolutely in the right to stop the surgery. There is so much wrong with the way the fireflies handled Ellie both medically and ethically. From a medical standpoint they went straight for terminal neurosurgery after having her in a lab for like, a day? No additional long term tests run? No long term bloodwork? Stress tests to see how her body handles the theoretically symbiotic fungi? Long term tests or observations to see how her body may change over time having this fungus? That's not even counting the fact that she’s the only known carrier of this immunity-granting fungus, so if anything goes wrong with the extraction of the fungus from ellie that's it. No time to try to find another solution, just head to life ending surgery immediately. The development of this vaccine would have been groundbreaking even in the modern world pre-cordyceps, yet they give it a fraction of the time and consideration, and with a sliver of the research and development resources that would have been available before the outbreak. It was a long shot even under the best of circumstances. Also there is the consideration that the story of The Last of Us occurs roughly 20 years after outbreak day, and the attending surgeon for Ellie’s surgery looks to be in his 40’s, if we’re being generous, which would likely have made him around 20-25 around the outbreak. This would have put him as being a med student or resident at best once the world ended, not a neurosurgeon with years of experience. How qualified is this guy really to even perform this surgery in the first place? Or even recommend that performing a terminal surgery is the only way to extract those cells from Ellie? Or guarantee they’d be able to take those cells and successfully reproduce them in a lab with minimal staff and resources as well as the lack of ability to even sterilize environments properly because it is the POST APOCALYPSE. Do they have all the relevant specialists to develop this treatment? One neurosurgeon is not going to be able to accurately and safely perform this literal MIRACLE on his own, not without a massive amount of help and resources that the Fireflies almost certainly do not have access to. Then even assuming that the cure was somehow made and worked perfectly, how do you have anywhere near the logistics possible to produce a vaccine/treatment on a mass scale and distribute it to quote “everyone”? That's all the materials required to safely store, transport, and administer this vaccine to all the people in all different geographic situations in at the very least, the continental US. This would be impossible unless the world had returned to some state industrialization, which it is clear by the end of The Last of Us that it has not. This would all even be assuming the treatment interacts with all people properly and is always administered correctly. AND assuming that the cordyceps doesn’t adapt and overcome the treatment once it has been used in a massive population. That's way too many assumptions and “if’s” to be able to justify choosing to immediately end Ellie’s life. And THEN there's the complete lack of moral/ethical considerations. Not only was Ellie never offered the chance to give informed consent to this life ending procedure, and was purposefully kept unconscious the whole time, even if she was awake and fully lucid she’s likely not even able to give informed consent at the time. Not only is she a minor, but at the time in the story she’s clearly displaying strong symptoms of PTSD, possibly depression, potentially has survivor’s guilt, and she could be prone to making reckless, self-distructive, or even suicidal decisions because of it. Even if Ellie said “yes, please kill me with this surgery for the vaccine” there’s no way to guarantee she is capable of fully coming to that conclusion in a completely informed and rational way on her own. Not to mention the fact that the fireflies would have been pressuring the hell out of her to go through with it. And if Ellie said no, they almost certainly would have forced her to go through with it anyway. Like Marline had even said, the fireflies made it seem as though there was no other choice, when there absolutely was. Joel was absolutely right to step in and stop an incompetent group of wannabe saviors from rushing to recklessly and needlessly kill Ellie."

you guys should really check out the "inside the episode" specials they did after each episode, especially episode 9 because they explain everything with the actors, game-maker and the producer. they're also releasing/released a "the making of the last of us" which would be great to check out!

Joel did what he needed to do to save Ellie. Everyone always says they would sacrifice one for the greater good but if that was your loved one, would you say the same thing? I would be like Joel killing everyone in my way to save my loved one. Also I don’t think Ellie knew she was gonna die because Marlene said to Joel that they didn’t tell her anything and so she’s not scared. I think she felt like she was going to be okay and follow Joel wherever he goes after this visit.

I think it’s important to understand that a human killed his daughter. A soldier. Following orders. Not an infected. Not a crazed lunatic. A soldier at the onset of the pandemic before it even got bad tried to murder him and his daughter. In his mind, you could easily argue, humanity isn’t worth saving and wasn’t 20 years ago either. Without condoning or condemning his choice, you can understand it.

It was a doctors theory with 2003 scientific knowledge who knows if her sample would be enough or was even the answer. Maybe a spinal tap first? Throwing a stun grenade when the fireflies had to know they where looking for a man and teenager……….they are bonded thru this cross country trip both with losses. Can’t wait for Season 2, the music, sound, sets/locations and story. Great reaction!

For context around the Giraffe scene, here in Salt Lake City, Utah, we've got a zoo where, at least when I was a kid, they had Giraffes! I'd like to think may have fed the parent of the Giraffe that Ellie feeds as a kid 😁 Druckman is such a genius.

I can say that they did the thing for "fight your way to save Ellie" so _accurately_ good as in the game. That's how would i exactly imagine as he unleashes his wrath against the *Firefly Militia NPCs.* I played the Remastered version of the game and going guns blazing yet they wore armor. Pain of the asses that's for sure unlike the show where they didn't go fully-armored up for their helmets and vests. Poor dumb bastards they are trapped there with him XD

love the subtle looks that diamond dave gives us, trying not to spoil it to the other guys but also saying “they have no idea whats about to happen” 😂. Try to avoid any spoilers about the second game, it makes the show more fun to watch and gives it more tension.

Mason is absolutely spot on with his analysis at the end, nice mate!

Just realized that vantage point around 15:19 is like someone is peeking out of a door while hiding and it's probably a very important person from part 2!!!!!

I think Joel did the right thing, there's no guarantee this would even work, and then Ellie would be sacrificed for nothing. She should've at least been given the choice. This was so well done, glad y'all enjoyed it! 😁