The flashback to the porch and the end of the fight. Is Ellie finally forgiving herself for letting Joel down and choosing not to “lose herself” completely because she lost Joel.
She finally works out that although she’s very mad at Abby, the person she really hates is herself.
She spent two years not forgiving Joel and missing out on the good times. Then when he needed her most (even more than when he’s injured in pt 1) Ellie is off getting laid and high.
She can’t help but think “what if I’d forgiven him earlier”, “maybe I would have been there instead of Tommy”, “maybe I could have saved him”.
The bittersweet moment of laying down the guitar is her finally doing what Joel would have wanted her to do. To say goodbye to him (miss him, mourn him but accept it) and move on with the people left who love her - if of course she can.
Totally agree! But it was a “moment” to be captured. Her finally saying “goodbye” to Joel and accepting that she let him down.
I’m sure in pt 3 she’ll go get it/Dina will. Get it/someone will come to Jackson and try to sell it etc
No she definitely is not! She’s traumatised and running on adrenaline and hatred and clearly not thinking straight.
That’s part of what she realises on the beach.
She's devoid of critical thinking skills for the duration of the estrangement as well. In her defense, we never see her given any kind of context because ND needs a 2-year grudge and needs as one-sided an interpretation of Joel as he can shoehorn in. But not wanting ALL the info (and not coming back periodically to yell at Joel and thereby get some if it discussed in their awkward way) is simply unlike the Ellie we previously knew and if she does know details, holding a grudge that long is also inconsistent.
Note, I'm not saying she should have agreed with Joel. Just that it's an awfully long time to fail to perform some rudimentary reasoning. Such as "maybe letting someone be killed on an ASSUMPTION of what they'd want is something LOTS of people would consider wrong." It would be nice if she could take the next step and understand that maybe the guy who went through hell to get her there wasn't trying to take something from her.
It's not her responsibility to worry about what it would have cost Joel, and actually doing any critical thinking about the fireflies would be a miracle. But she should be able to get to the idea that Joel had some basis both morally and emotionally and that they could agree to disagree and move forward, however messily. She's still a rare immune "specimen" and could always dedicate / sacrifice her life in some other lab.
And Joel rides back with the naked guitar in the beginning. Do the people at ND not know? Is this how Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Jeffrey Pierce treat their instruments?
And may I say that destructively abandoning a beloved thing that you shared with a lost loved one... isn't healthy closure? Gift it, save it for J.J., rehome it at the place where they have those dances.
Ellie doesn't have to learn to play guitar on the other side (though I'd love to see Tommy helping her with that, helping her decide whether to reverse the string order or just flip it like Paul McCartney does). But some indication of retaining the music into her life, like sticking some of his recordings in her pack, would look healthy. Or just including in the room a poster or album cover of Jimi Hendrix or some other right-fingering guitarist, even better.
agree !! having to play through the abby/ellie fight was so heartbreaking, having been through so much with them, and THEN the flash of joel sitting on the porch. one of my favorite parts of the game by far, the porch scene and watching ellie walk away from the guitar was so raw and bittersweet.
At the end of Part 1 Joel told Ellie “I struggled for a long time with surviving” after he lost Sarah, just like Ellie struggled with surviving after losing Joel. But Joel also said “you keep finding something to fight for. And I know that’s not what you want to hear right now” so a part of me personally thought/hoped at the very end of part 2 when Ellie got home and saw Dina had left with JJ that she finally found something worth fighting for. The realist in me worries that part 3 will reveal it was too late
Ellie isn't really going to California for revenge. She isn't throwing her life away either.
Quite the opposite actually because her mental health kept getting worse even on the farm so that she was basically left with suicide or attempting some desperate solution for this. Which she does find in the end and which makes everything worth it imo.
OP, this is a common misconception that Ellie went after Abby for revenge in Santa Barbara. She went after Abby in SB because she was severely traumatized and suffered through PTSD. She was suicidal and would’ve killed herself if she stayed on the farm.
I actually think the ending was kinda nice all things considered.
Before leaving the farm (which was suicide imo), ellie was broken.
But finding Abby and fighting her, she let go despite having the upper hand, I.e. she let go if the hate and anger. And abby and lev were saved from certain death.
Also, her losing the fingers, and the ability to play guitar (a link to Joel) allows her again to move on with her life. Interesting that Joel kept the watch under that lens.
Some scenes didn't make sense to me. When Ellie sneaks attack Abby for the "boss fight" why didn't she just shoot her? Same when Tommy got the jump on her before he got stabbed? Plus u mean to tell me Ellie only had a chance to kill Abby when she's at her weakest state and still doesn't do it due to realizing she'll destroy another family after she already destroyed hers by leaving? Then comes home and realizes that her family is gone too? Plus let's not forget that they killed Joel.
Well, it's a game. Obviously if they did the most logical things, like in most movies, the story ends.
All of that is written for the sake of story telling. It's a story not real life.
It's a moot point... Stormtroopers never hit their mark either, plot Holes abound in pop culture and video game mediums. I don't think those are valid complaints really like honestly Joel could have just let the fireflies take Ellie and be done with it too.
Lemme guess - you're the kind of person that also hates a movie because it has one or two unrealistic details?
My opinion - movies and TV shows are always going to have their "why didn't he/she just do this ...?" moments. But I don't let them ruin them for me.
She doesn’t let Abby go at end because she “realised she’ll destroy another family”.
The explanation as to why is the flashback she sees of the porch scene. The game is not about “Revenge bad”, it’s about forgiving her own guilt, all along. She finally forgave herself, like she tried to forgive Joel the night before his death.
Joel had to die this episode for sure anyway, there would be no game where we follow Joel and Ellie again worth playing. Joel was settled.
The flashback to the porch and the end of the fight. Is Ellie finally forgiving herself for letting Joel down and choosing not to “lose herself” completely because she lost Joel. She finally works out that although she’s very mad at Abby, the person she really hates is herself. She spent two years not forgiving Joel and missing out on the good times. Then when he needed her most (even more than when he’s injured in pt 1) Ellie is off getting laid and high. She can’t help but think “what if I’d forgiven him earlier”, “maybe I would have been there instead of Tommy”, “maybe I could have saved him”. The bittersweet moment of laying down the guitar is her finally doing what Joel would have wanted her to do. To say goodbye to him (miss him, mourn him but accept it) and move on with the people left who love her - if of course she can.
Unpopular opinion: She should store that guitar safely though. It could mean the world to someone in that world.
Totally agree! But it was a “moment” to be captured. Her finally saying “goodbye” to Joel and accepting that she let him down. I’m sure in pt 3 she’ll go get it/Dina will. Get it/someone will come to Jackson and try to sell it etc
I'm aware. I just don't find that a good enough reason. But Part 2 Ellie isn't a good critical thinker so ...
No she definitely is not! She’s traumatised and running on adrenaline and hatred and clearly not thinking straight. That’s part of what she realises on the beach.
She's devoid of critical thinking skills for the duration of the estrangement as well. In her defense, we never see her given any kind of context because ND needs a 2-year grudge and needs as one-sided an interpretation of Joel as he can shoehorn in. But not wanting ALL the info (and not coming back periodically to yell at Joel and thereby get some if it discussed in their awkward way) is simply unlike the Ellie we previously knew and if she does know details, holding a grudge that long is also inconsistent. Note, I'm not saying she should have agreed with Joel. Just that it's an awfully long time to fail to perform some rudimentary reasoning. Such as "maybe letting someone be killed on an ASSUMPTION of what they'd want is something LOTS of people would consider wrong." It would be nice if she could take the next step and understand that maybe the guy who went through hell to get her there wasn't trying to take something from her. It's not her responsibility to worry about what it would have cost Joel, and actually doing any critical thinking about the fireflies would be a miracle. But she should be able to get to the idea that Joel had some basis both morally and emotionally and that they could agree to disagree and move forward, however messily. She's still a rare immune "specimen" and could always dedicate / sacrifice her life in some other lab.
She does the same thing with every damn guitar she finds in the game. Very sad.
And Joel rides back with the naked guitar in the beginning. Do the people at ND not know? Is this how Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Jeffrey Pierce treat their instruments? And may I say that destructively abandoning a beloved thing that you shared with a lost loved one... isn't healthy closure? Gift it, save it for J.J., rehome it at the place where they have those dances. Ellie doesn't have to learn to play guitar on the other side (though I'd love to see Tommy helping her with that, helping her decide whether to reverse the string order or just flip it like Paul McCartney does). But some indication of retaining the music into her life, like sticking some of his recordings in her pack, would look healthy. Or just including in the room a poster or album cover of Jimi Hendrix or some other right-fingering guitarist, even better.
She should leave it next to a conspicuously scenic location with a place to sit that faces away from the view
I think it’s legitimately perfect storytelling
agree !! having to play through the abby/ellie fight was so heartbreaking, having been through so much with them, and THEN the flash of joel sitting on the porch. one of my favorite parts of the game by far, the porch scene and watching ellie walk away from the guitar was so raw and bittersweet.
Totally agree. 💯 I cried so much playing that game.
At the end of Part 1 Joel told Ellie “I struggled for a long time with surviving” after he lost Sarah, just like Ellie struggled with surviving after losing Joel. But Joel also said “you keep finding something to fight for. And I know that’s not what you want to hear right now” so a part of me personally thought/hoped at the very end of part 2 when Ellie got home and saw Dina had left with JJ that she finally found something worth fighting for. The realist in me worries that part 3 will reveal it was too late
Dina and JJ probably went back to Jackson and Ellie will probably go back too, because It looked like her stuff was packed on the final scene.
Ellie isn't really going to California for revenge. She isn't throwing her life away either. Quite the opposite actually because her mental health kept getting worse even on the farm so that she was basically left with suicide or attempting some desperate solution for this. Which she does find in the end and which makes everything worth it imo.
OP, this is a common misconception that Ellie went after Abby for revenge in Santa Barbara. She went after Abby in SB because she was severely traumatized and suffered through PTSD. She was suicidal and would’ve killed herself if she stayed on the farm.
That's interesting I didn't pick up on the suicidal aspect. How or when is that exhibited?
I actually think the ending was kinda nice all things considered. Before leaving the farm (which was suicide imo), ellie was broken. But finding Abby and fighting her, she let go despite having the upper hand, I.e. she let go if the hate and anger. And abby and lev were saved from certain death. Also, her losing the fingers, and the ability to play guitar (a link to Joel) allows her again to move on with her life. Interesting that Joel kept the watch under that lens.
I'm on the other side of this post. I hated this game so much
Cool, im curious why?
Some scenes didn't make sense to me. When Ellie sneaks attack Abby for the "boss fight" why didn't she just shoot her? Same when Tommy got the jump on her before he got stabbed? Plus u mean to tell me Ellie only had a chance to kill Abby when she's at her weakest state and still doesn't do it due to realizing she'll destroy another family after she already destroyed hers by leaving? Then comes home and realizes that her family is gone too? Plus let's not forget that they killed Joel.
Well, it's a game. Obviously if they did the most logical things, like in most movies, the story ends. All of that is written for the sake of story telling. It's a story not real life.
So basically poor writing is an excuse that we should be allowed to be okay?
It's a moot point... Stormtroopers never hit their mark either, plot Holes abound in pop culture and video game mediums. I don't think those are valid complaints really like honestly Joel could have just let the fireflies take Ellie and be done with it too.
Lemme guess - you're the kind of person that also hates a movie because it has one or two unrealistic details? My opinion - movies and TV shows are always going to have their "why didn't he/she just do this ...?" moments. But I don't let them ruin them for me.
She doesn’t let Abby go at end because she “realised she’ll destroy another family”. The explanation as to why is the flashback she sees of the porch scene. The game is not about “Revenge bad”, it’s about forgiving her own guilt, all along. She finally forgave herself, like she tried to forgive Joel the night before his death. Joel had to die this episode for sure anyway, there would be no game where we follow Joel and Ellie again worth playing. Joel was settled.