I want to talk about an idea that’s been on my mind. A lot of people came into part 2 waiting for wish fulfillment. I don’t want to get into the debate over Joel’s, but from what I understand about the western gaming community and the last of us’ fan base, a lot of people were expecting another game dedicated to Joel and Ellie running around.
I’m glad that the developers took a strong stance away from this idea, but there’s another thought that’s been on my mind. The authors can recognize that pain is permanent.
For context, a lot of games, shows, and movies tend to feature tragedies, traumas, and other events that cause pain as reversible. Hell, physical regeneration from immediate injuries or even resurrection is commonplace throughout franchises like deadpool, warhammer, and other mainstream slop.
The last of us’ developers treat pain as permanent. Even if the forces that caused the suffering are removed, the effects and the legacy of the pain itself never go away or fully leave one’s life.
In part 3, Ellie isn’t going to come out any less broken than she did by the end of part two. If her ending is retconned, it’ll feel completely half assed. How the fuck do you even approach such an idea. So many people in her life are dead, so many hopes were crushed, and so much hasn’t changed. Even if her physical condition improves, what am I saying, it won’t.
The third game is going to be intense. I don’t think anyone is going to be ready for the loneliness in it.