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**Reincarnate** · 08-4-2013, 01:48 PM

Man, when I first hit the ending, I was very much not on Joel's side. Now that I've thought about it more, I can actually find it justifiable with all context considered.

THE ENDING:

Initially, I had set this game down after a few hours of play because I didn't see the big deal (i.e. why everyone was raving over this thing). Yesterday I picked it back up and got through the rest, and thought it was actually pretty interesting.

1. Joel is morally sketchy. He lost his own daughter, and so he's basically replacing Sarah with Ellie over time. Even though Ellie might be the only shot humanity has to survive, Joel decided to kill a bunch of Fireflies, doctors, and potentially (by proxy) the millions of innocents who will die in the future at the hands of the Infected.

2. The Fireflies were selfish for not being up-front about their intentions. Yes, Marlene had difficulty with the decision, but they never even consulted Ellie about anything. Ellie wasn't even aware she was put in a hospital gown or that they had reached the Fireflies. Nope, she was still unconscious from the previous scene where she was stuck underwater... only now she was about to get hacked apart without her consent. The Fireflies were also going to kill Joel after-the-fact, even though this entire delivery was a pre-arranged deal. Lastly, they didn't appear to have any sort of guarantee. Killing her without her knowledge just for the *chance* to study her brain (that may not even lead to a vaccine) is a grim notion. Did they not consider less... invasive means? If they screwed up, then what?

Moving on to the final scene:

We know from earlier in the game that Ellie's biggest fear isn't the Infected, but being alone. Everyone she's cared about in her life has "left her" except Joel. Ellie also feels a great deal of survivor's guilt because she's immune and has to watch everyone else die (hence her story about Riley).

I think Ellie knows something heavy went down with the Fireflies but doesn't want to know the details. She tags along with Joel's lie, I think, because she knows that Joel will treat her as if she were a daughter (and protect her). Who knows -- there will be other doctors, and maybe they can find a cure down the road through some other means.

The whole thing reminds me of the classic "Chopping up Chuck" moral conundrum.

08-4-2013, 01:48 PM	#1
Reincarnate x'); DROP TABLE FFR;-- Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 6,332	The Last Of Us (Ending discussion -- moral quandaries ahoy!) Man, when I first hit the ending, I was very much not on Joel's side. Now that I've thought about it more, I can actually find it justifiable with all context considered. THE ENDING: Initially, I had set this game down after a few hours of play because I didn't see the big deal (i.e. why everyone was raving over this thing). Yesterday I picked it back up and got through the rest, and thought it was actually pretty interesting. 1. Joel is morally sketchy. He lost his own daughter, and so he's basically replacing Sarah with Ellie over time. Even though Ellie might be the only shot humanity has to survive, Joel decided to kill a bunch of Fireflies, doctors, and potentially (by proxy) the millions of innocents who will die in the future at the hands of the Infected. 2. The Fireflies were selfish for not being up-front about their intentions. Yes, Marlene had difficulty with the decision, but they never even consulted Ellie about anything. Ellie wasn't even aware she was put in a hospital gown or that they had reached the Fireflies. Nope, she was still unconscious from the previous scene where she was stuck underwater... only now she was about to get hacked apart without her consent. The Fireflies were also going to kill Joel after-the-fact, even though this entire delivery was a pre-arranged deal. Lastly, they didn't appear to have any sort of guarantee. Killing her without her knowledge just for the chance to study her brain (that may not even lead to a vaccine) is a grim notion. Did they not consider less... invasive means? If they screwed up, then what? Moving on to the final scene: We know from earlier in the game that Ellie's biggest fear isn't the Infected, but being alone. Everyone she's cared about in her life has "left her" except Joel. Ellie also feels a great deal of survivor's guilt because she's immune and has to watch everyone else die (hence her story about Riley). I think Ellie knows something heavy went down with the Fireflies but doesn't want to know the details. She tags along with Joel's lie, I think, because she knows that Joel will treat her as if she were a daughter (and protect her). Who knows -- there will be other doctors, and maybe they can find a cure down the road through some other means. The whole thing reminds me of the classic "Chopping up Chuck" moral conundrum. Last edited by Reincarnate; 08-4-2013 at 01:57 PM..