The Last of Us | 1x9 Look for the Light - REACTION!

Just like the ending of the game, this season finale really hit us hard. They even added some extra things, just to make it all that much more impactful. Absolutely amazing adaptation overall, and now we really can't wait to see how they handle Part 2!
Remember this is not a substitute for watching the actual show. If you haven't seen it, please do so (available on HBO Max) and then come back to the video afterwards.
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#thelastofus #season1 #finale #episode9 #reaction #review

[@KatSonny]

Please remember to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE! If you want to support the channel, consider becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/KatSonny And yes, we know the Giraffe was real and that Laura Bailey (Abby) played one of the nurses 😉 Thank you so much for watching! Danish word of the day: (A) CHOICE = (ET) VALG

[@DaveRedsky]

When you say ot looks somewhat real but it was a real giraffe 🤣🤣🤣

[@KatSonny]

@@DaveRedsky the HEAD was real, as can be seen from BTS footage. However it has been manipulated on with a blue screen, making the movements and the edges look canned/fake.

[@matthewcharles5867]

There was no choice to make in the first 2 episodes we are told There is no cure or vaccine available or possible due to it being fungi. So attempting it when the medical system is already broken beyond repair is pointless. The fireflies are essentially fedra with a different uniform.

[@KatSonny]

@@matthewcharles5867 Well, at that time they didn't know about the possibility of someone being immune. That potentially could change things, and it still might down the line. We won't know until we get to it.

[@PedroHenrique-mz3we]

• I never realized how Ashley and Bella were similar before this episode, makes the casting even more impressive!

[@hadoken95]

Yea now that you say it, that is really interesting how while Ashley never looked like Ellie from the game, and neither does Bella - they sure do look like each other.

[@Joshuaiva]

Literally beautiful casting

[@kobewankenobi248]

@@hadoken95Ashley was the face model and obviously motion capture for Ellie. So to me, she does look like her in the game. Especially when you really get a good look at her

[@hadoken95]

@@kobewankenobi248 Really? I'll have to look closer cause she totally looked like Elliot Page back in the day to me. In fact I remember that being a thing because of Beyond Two Souls.

[@HuhNeat]

@@hadoken95 Yeah I seem to remember after the announcement but before the release, they tweaked Ellie’s face to look less like EP’s and more like AJ’s.

[@kevjohn2006]

Kat's reaction was so heartfelt and brutal...

[@swordmonkey6635]

It's cool how Ashley sort of has a passing resemblance to Bella in their facial structure. I completely buy her being Ellie's mother.

[@jeffblue19onTwitter]

Kat, you are such a trooper and super mom for powering through these reactions despite constant exhaustion. We appreciate you; both of you. On a personal note, it makes me hopeful for the future when I see two kind, intelligent, caring, empathetic people like you helping raise the next generation of humans. Just from the little we "know" about you from your channel and what you've chosen to share over the years, I think it's safe to say that you're going to crush parenting. As always, thank you for all the amazing content. The emotion and insight you share is so appreciated and always so well articulated (even when you're sleep-deprived and feel like you're not making sense lol). I wish your family nothing but the best. 🐘🤍

[@jeffblue19onTwitter]

Neil Druckmann said on the podcast that when they tested the game, players overall were split 50/50 on Joel's decision, but 100% of players who were parents agreed with it. He stressed there was not a single exception. It's a great episode of the podcast, especially with Ashley being on. Troy Baker hosts with Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann every week and I highly recommend this one. So good.

[@lggonda]

People who are not parents have the ability to approach the question philosophically. People who are parents do not.

[@cooliostarstache5474]

​@@lggonda I'm not a parent and would probably do the same thing. I would do the same thing for my brothers and my parents

[@muddabuwshi6510]

Hearing Ashley Johnson her voice is just something else. It's like having a cold pillow on a warm day. Words can not describe how hyped i got when i heared her speak, i didn't even noticed it was her at first.

[@jubilantsleep]

I love her voice. Bella does an excellent job mimicking it also

[@Toastypanda18]

I’ve loved your reactions for years and The Last of Us did not disappoint. Thanks for your dedication, especially now that you have become parents!

[@kosoul2k11]

Confirmed the giraffe 🦒 is real! CGI was made around it to match the location. It was filmed somewhere separate

[@midnightsunrise44]

Again, you two never fail with your reactions. You make me cry right along with you!

[@quietdemon8138]

So cool to see Ashley play Anna aka Ellie’s mom, having game Ellie birth her show counterpart is so poetically beautiful to me but in terms of Joel’s decision and actions at the end to me they are completely justified, as a father myself I would’ve done the same to get to either of my daughters especially after what the Fireflies have done in the name of ‘revolution’, me and my wife cried watching both the episode and your reaction as I think any mom and dad would and I just wanted to say thank you so much for reacting to it

[@bigouncee]

The world took Sarah from Joel, so Joel takes something from the world back

[@rx7dude2006]

I don't believe Ellie in any way thought it would kill her.Remember the way she tried to save Sam, she had no clue what was involved.

[@elheber]

"No halfway with this," she said after Joel told her about the danger. Ellie was suffering from survivor's guilt and severe recent trauma. Joel recognized this, and that's why he told her about the time he almost ended his own life, and how he felt like he was "so ready" at the time. This was not the right time to give Ellie this choice. She is in a bad place right now. Joel just wanted to buy her more time for her to maybe find something worth hanging onto life for.

[@rx7dude2006]

@@elheber That is a good take on it, very nice.

[@17thknight]

I mean, part 2 of the game definitively confirms she'd have been willing to die for it without a second thought

[@rx7dude2006]

@@17thknight That is so far after the fact it has no bearing.

[@thatboysnarly4471]

@@rx7dude2006 2 years is not so far

[@RedDragonRob]

Ashley Johnson (Ellies Mom and VA for Ellie in the games) and Laura Bailey (One of the nurses and VA for Abby in 2nd Game) made this episode so special. Loved all the cameos and the fact that both of them are great friends IRL (and are on Critical Role together.)

[@bartbakker742]

fun fact. one of the nurses was played by Laura Bailey. in the last of us 2 she is the voice of abby.

[@dddd1344]

A cure might have slowed the infected, but it wouldn’t do anything to the cannibals. At best it’s half a cure. How can we expect Joel to sacrifice Ellie to save what would be the richest and most powerful people left. It’s even more complicated in a society where self interest is so much more dominant than moral decision making. Both Joel and Marlene were ruled as much by fear of what Ellie would choose as much as their love. Love is always selfish to some degree as much as we might wish otherwise.

[@rockandrollfantasy86]

Plus there would be a large amount who would refuse to get the vaccine so it would reduce numbers of infected but it would still last a long time after a vaccine and may never be eradicated.

[@JAY-ns1dg]

I never played the game and loved this show so much ! Joel was in John Wick mode in this episode... No mercy, just one goal...Brilliant !

[@NATHANIELJELKS-PLANEJANE-FAN]

You Did Not Just Say John Wick, Low Vibration, OMG. He's More Like James Bond/Secret Assassin Style In The Apocalypse

[@elheber]

People are calling him Joel Wick and The Joelminator in that scene.

[@uweschmitz]

That was a really awesome Episode to End the Season! And I really felt the pain that Kat (and you Sonny) felt in the beginning and during the Episode - those Tears where real emotions! I am one of those that never played the Game (or even had heard of it before this Show was announced - maybe because I don't own a PS at all) and this Episode hit me as a Father of one Kid (also a Daughter) very deep too. I could totally understand Joel's reactions (or put myself in his shoes) and what he felt and did. He really now does see Ellie as (kind of) his Daughter that he needs to protect at all cause and means necessary. In his Mind he's not loosing another Daughter - he'll do anything for Ellie. At the End, when he figured out what they are going to do with Ellie (the surgery - and basically killing her to get her Brain) and Marlene giving him the Knife from Ellie - it was the same for him as getting the Watch back the Days from Sarah - the last thing he ever gonna see from her (Ellie). That was trigger enough for him to "snap" and go into "I'll kill everyone in the way to get to this Child"! And I felt it and understood his emotion. The Music and the "muffled" original Sound (The shoots) where more impactful as they showed it - as if they just let the original Sound. It showed (me) that Joel was more in a trance-state to just get to Ellie in time to save her, then consciously going through the Hospital, he killed everyone in it's way to his destination - save Ellie! Him not telling the truth about what happened in the Hospital was his way of trying to protect her too. (I know from other Reactor comments that this will not end well for him in the Future - but I might would have done the same, if I where in his Shoes at that moment) As always - I really enjoyed watching you two throughout this TV-Show and hope you're doing better by now after this Heartbreaking Finale... Greetings from Germany, Uwe EDIT: I have to add that I didn't watch the "Spoiler" Part of your the Reaction! 😉

[@diaphanouswaffle]

Thanks so much to you both for your thoughtful & lengthy (I mean that in a good way) commentary, helping us process this show...the journey with this story gave me such intense emotions, and watching reaction videos is my way of coping with that. You provide quality content and deep analysis, it almost felt like taking a class (again, I intend this as a compliment) exploring The Last of Us, and you also include plenty of feeling so it's not just dry intellectual discussion. Thank you again :)

[@thedarkknight2221]

Ellie: So time heals all wounds does it? Joel: It wasn’t time that did it….. 😭😭😭😭😭 I played this game 10 years ago and to this day it is one of the single greatest stories ever told. I remember debating with other gamers for over a year about if Joel made the right decision or not. The question of “You have a chance to save the world but the cost is that you lose the person you love the most in the world after already suffering that pain before”. The answer, the REAL answer, is that both Joel and Marlene made the wrong decision, because that decision should’ve been Ellie’s to make. In the Last Of Us (GAME) podcast Neil Druckman talks about how Joel and Marlene had no right to take that choice away from Ellie. She would’ve said yes, and then Joel would have no choice but to respect her wish. She wanted the deaths of all the people she had lost, Riley, Tess, Henry and Sam, to mean something. Even if it cost her her life. And even though a small part of her knows in her heart that Joel was lying to her she feels that she can’t let herself believe that the only person she loves in the world took away her chance to save the world. Also I love that Ashley Johnson got to play Ellie’s mom Anna. It was a beautiful full circle moment that the woman who plays Ellie in the games played her mother in the show. And Lauren Bailey who plays Abby in Part 2 plays one of the nurses in the OR. And it sucks that even though we have to wait a couple more years for season 2, it will be worth the wait! Until then, Endure And Survive!

[@KatSonny]

Yup, that was our thoughts as well. It definitely should've been up to Ellie. And yeah, loved how so many of the actors from the games were included in small roles throughout the season!

[@tiagoalves2056]

@@KatSonny Fun fact: one of the nurses in the surgery was played by Laura Bailey, the voice of Abby in Last of Us 2, & Vex in Legend of Vox Machina.

[@DeathByHentai]

The only mistake Joel made was lying about it and not telling her the truth sooner. Just like we don't let kids decide many things because they are kids and not adults, Ellie didn't get to make this decision.

[@thedarkknight2221]

@@DeathByHentai Ellie has experienced too much pain and suffering to be considered a child.

[@victorewah2659]

What Joel made very clear in this episode is that he would do anything to prevent having his heart crushed again and torn from his chest. Unless you experienced loss in the same manner as Joel did with Sarah you could never fully understand what motivated him in that hospital, which I fear went somewhere beyond just love for Ellie. Joel in essence recovered a part of himself that he had lost so long ago and he's intent on never letting it go EVER again, if he can help it anyway. For 20 years, Joel has just been existing and once he met Ellie he actually began living again; so ask yourself, if you were Joel could you just give that up to go back to how you were?

[@ro4eva]

As a parent; as someone who has lovingly raised a son, I would move heaven and hell to save him. If I never experienced being a parent, I'm sure that I would think differently, but I am glad that I am a parent.

[@RoxxSerm]

I his situation, with skills like his... I'd kill them all to save my girl. But I would have to live with the knowledge that I am a murderous disgusting monster, forsaking all of humanity, robbing them of a chance for a healed world. Because that's what Joel is.

[@farin71]

A so beautiful emotional reaction, thank you two for that

[@nonagrey3422]

What a fantastic finale. What a fantastic season!

[@AdmiralZhou]

Great reaction, can't wait for season 2! And that was a real giraffe! There's a behind the scenes photo floating around online

[@KatSonny]

Thanks! We can't wait for season 2 either! And yeah we found out about the Giraffe afterwards as well 👍

[@bartolomeestebanmurillo4459]

Interesting way of explaining why Ellie is immune to the fungus. I read that most parents agreed with Joel's actions. Fun to see Ashley Johnson again, you could hear Ellie's voice come out! It's ok Kat, plenty of mommas and a lot of people got emotional seeing the beginning.

[@KatSonny]

Very interesting, indeed! We are parents, and even though we understand his decision (and might've done the same if it was our kid), we still think it was wrong. But then again, the Fireflies didn't exactly handle the situation all that well either. Bottom line, Ellie should've been given the choice. Loved seeing and hearing Ashley in this!

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@@KatSonny I listened to the podcast right after the episode and Neil said that they did playtesting back before releasing the game. And people where 50/50 about Joel's actions at the end, among people who were not parents. But among all the playtesting parents ALL of them agreed with Joel's actions.

[@KatSonny]

@Quotenwagnerianer Huh, that's interesting. In our mind it still isn't as simple as "do you agree or not", as we as parents 100% sympathize with Joel - but even with that being the case, it wasn't his (or the Fireflies) choice to make.

[@aerospaceengineering1730]

@@KatSonny My issue with the fireflies is that the doctor didn't even try to test anything else before going straight to killing Ellie - that should have been the last resort after exhausting every possible test and all the analysis, But no they went at it immediately without actual consent of Ellie.

[@アキコ2003]

Most people who 100% agree with no doubts or remorses are just selfish people. Sorry not sorry

[@JordanJMyers]

Such a great episode. Great 1st season. Can't wait until season 2, mostly lol. Sucks it's gonna be 2 years. Great reaction y'all.

[@bertinamiller9626]

I'm a non-gamer who changed my mind about the ending- I was spoiled to the ending and didn't like Joels decision but once I saw more episodes and learned more about the hypothesis the doctor made; I changed my mind about it. She wasn't in a good frame of mind to make that choice even if they had given it to her.

[@shaharadegan9993]

Fantastic reactions to the series episodes all around! So glad I found your channel❤

[@thomasmain5986]

Marlene said to Joel, Ellie would have agreed to having her brain sliced and diced, if she had been asked, to save humanity. The issue with that statement, is that they never asked Ellie, they told her they were doing test's. They did not seek permission to kill her. When Ellie wakes in the car, she was expecting to wake up.

[@G1Transformed]

@Kat & Sonny, 26:31 Yeah, choice is a huge issue here, but how did this series classify Ellie in the beginning? We were told that she was cargo. Ellie was Firefly property. She wasn't seen as a person, and that's why (or how) it was easy for Marlene/the Fireflies to do what they did to Ellie, putting her life in their hands, doing to her as they pleased against her will. When you think about it, the Fireflies were no different from David. Yikes! Marlene and Riley spoke of the Fireflies as the saviors of humanity, as a group that wanted to return the power to the people, but that was their own delusions talking, the things they told themselves to justify what they were doing. We saw what they were doing in the Boston QZ in episode one. The Fireflies were a group of terrorist, period. Their activities is what pushed FEDRA towards extreme totalitarianism. Their gorilla tactics are why FEDRA soldiers were restless and becoming more brutal towards the people they were supposed to protect and why public executions had become a thing. Don't get me wrong, FEDRA was bad from the beginning, and we saw that with what happened with Sarah and again in Bill's story with how they rounded up Bill's neighborhood only to drive them a few miles away and kill them all in an open field. Yes, it was wrong what they did, and no one should condone what they did, but if you look at it from a military point of view, it's pretty strategic. FEDRA, as demonstrated by the soldier that fired on Joel and Sarah, had a very strong chain of command. The soldier that shot at Joel didn't want to do it, but he sure did follow orders. FEDRA needed to hold the line, and they needed to keep it protected at all costs, so they were taking in chances, no matter what. The Fireflies were wolves in sheep clothing. They didn't like FEDRA, an arm of the old world. The Fireflies hold FEDRA accountable for how things played out. To be honest, I don't think the Fireflies are entirely against everything FEDRA's doing, they just think they can do it better which is why they want to replace the current with themselves. Let's not forget that this better way of life group lead by Marlene turned Riley into a child soldier! Yes, I'm aware that students at the FEDRA school will all be soldiers when they turn 17, but why is the better way of life doing the same thing? Why did this better way station Riley in a mall that they didn't clear? Why did they station her alone? Why did they leave her to build their pipe bombs? FEDRA, in military fashion, had their weapons and wares manufactured in factories, and by members of society in their Atlanta QZ. Not everyone in FEDRA was bonkers. Ellie turned the picture on Captain Kwong's desk, which revealed that he was a family man. What's more, he cared about Ellie! Ellie likely reminded him of the girl in the photo, his own daughter, and he wanted Ellie to be better than she was showing them. He had seen her test scores and new that their was a better person behind the rebel constantly causing him trouble. The episode that introduced this side of FEDRA, showed us that everyone in FEDRA isn't like the jerks in Kansas, but it also showed that FEDRA looked after their own first, before the people they protected...and sadly, I'd say that that's the military side of FEDRA speaking. Soldiers are holding the line, putting themselves in harms way, so why shouldn't they have better things? They need some form of incentive to lure recruits. But let's not overlook the fact that FEDRA gave Ellie a choice! Ellie was given the chance to stay on her trajectory to be a grunt--which is what the Fireflies made Riley--but she was offered the chance to turn things around and become an officer. Marlene had decided Riley's fate, and she was turning Riley into a spy to infiltrate the Atlanta QZ. FEDRA offered everyone in their care a choice, that's how they earned rations! Fast forward to this episode and how the Fireflies treated Ellie. They removed her choice, rather they didn't give her one. They lied to her. They treated her as a thing, property and not a person. If you don't think of a person as a person, but as a thing or property, you can justify the horrible things you're doing to them. History showed us this with the enslavement of indigenous peoples in underdeveloped continents like Africa and the Americas. Ellie's story isn't unlike what happened to enslaved Black Americans and how their lives were used at the expense of extending the lives of those enslaving them. Ellie's a post apocalyptic Henrietta Lack and her genetically altered cells might someday create a vaccine and other drugs to come in the future of this new world as Henrietta's immortal cells continue to do to this day. Like Henrietta, Ellie's blood was taken against her will and shipped to doctors on the other side of the country and tested. Like enslaved Black Americans Ellie was shackled and held prisoner against her well. Like enslaved Black Americans, she was property of the Fireflies. The Firefly surgeon that was going to operate on Ellie is a post apocalyptic James Marion Sims, the guy responsible for modern gynecology, he was going to make his medical breakthrough at Ellie's expense and he didn't care because Ellie was expendable...not unlike enslaved Black Americans ='( Joel is both wrong and right. Joel lied to Ellie, and deep down Ellie likely knows that he did, but Joel's lie is important. Ellie has survivors guilt. She blames herself for the deaths of those who made it possible for her to get as far as she did. She feels that she owes it to those people to go through with whatever procedure that could possibly save the world. That said, I don't think Ellie realized that she would have to die, but I think she was prepared to do anything short of death, but we'll never know because she was denied a seat at the table. Joel's lie set Ellie free, freed from an obligation that had made her quiet at the end of the journey. Even if the Fireflies had given Ellie a choice, it is unethical to believe a 14 year could possibly understand what was being asked of them or that they could honestly consent to such a procedure. Nevertheless, the Fireflies didn't want to Ellie to get in their way of taking a huge step forward in their attempts to takeover FEDRA. Joel killed everyone he came across for a number of reasons, but most importantly to make sure that people wouldn't come after Ellie and that those who knew of her and how to do what the Fireflies wanted to do would never be an issue again. Joel wanted Ellie to live, to live a life, to have the life his own daughter Sarah never got to live. Was it selfish? Maybe. But Joel created a space in which Ellie can decide what to do with her body should the opportunity come again. Best of all, she'll be able to make an informed decision and actual consent to whatever procedure science would like to perform. Joel ended a lot of lives, but that's not on him. Everyone at St. Mary's was on board with what they were doing, and they were willing to sacrifice a little girl for a chance that they too could be like her someday. Assholes!

[@Groagun]

I really enjoyed the spoiler discussion, I feel/felt the exact same way about Part 2.

[@jontaiakatay1956]

I have been following your reaction videos for a while. Keep up the the great job. This is the first reaction channel I watched that did not bash the Last of us part 2 story.

[@nataliew.2965]

this is why I love watching shows “with” y’all lol - you get it!! without mincing words, you never stoop to glorifying or cheering on violence in media just for the spectacle of it; there’s always a discussion of the role that violence plays in the overall plot and what the various perspectives on it could be. i fully agree with you here - the core issue is that neither Marlene and the Fireflies nor Joel gave Ellie the informed choice she deserved. based on what came before, we can ascertain that Ellie would choose to sacrifice herself, but she should’ve been given the chance to actually make that decision and properly say goodbye to Joel. beyond that though, I understand why Marlene made the choice that she did; she didn’t know all that Ellie went through on her journey with Joel, and her ultimate goal was quite literally saving humanity, so she figured the most humane and honorable way to do so would be to just let Ellie pass without fear or conflict - without even knowing it was happening, really. then, we have Joel, a broken father who’s already lost one daughter and couldn’t bear to lose another. I can’t even fathom what it’s like to lose your only child, but I can imagine there’s a lot of, “if I had another chance, I’d do everything in my power to protect my child and keep them alive.” so, that’s what he did - nothing else mattered, not even the fate of humanity. it WAS a selfish, narrow-minded, and love/grief-driven decision, and I do get it. I get why both Joel AND Marlene felt the way they felt and made the choices they did. Ultimately though, the ACTUAL choice should have always been Ellie’s - and that’s why this narrative is so damn good. **I should also add - saving humanity and the collective species will always be more important than any individual in my book (the trolley dilemma, if you will), so I’m always more inclined to side with the Fireflies in terms of stated values and goals. I just analyzed it more from the perspective of characters/narrative/fiction lol.

[@MrCypher317]

one of the nurses is Laura Bailey the voice of Abby from part 2...

[@Yoriichi_Sengoku]

Don't ever mess with a Joel that has recently found a purpose in life

[@chedmania]

Kat your sweater is amazing!

[@Martmyte]

It was a real giraffe! They filmed that part in a zoo :)

[@Ozai75]

The Giraffe looks real because it *was* a real Giraffe :D

[@KatSonny]

Yeah, we found out! haha

[@GfYs86]

Truly enjoyed this reaction. Thank you

[@bowi1332]

Pedro and Bella are so good, especially Bella, IMHO.

[@mksongbird]

HBO released a 30-minute feauturette on the making-of the first season. some great interviews and behind the scenes looks at the production and filming. the opening scene was filmed with twelve-day old twins.

[@ORION___]

I know it can seem too quick but some years ago a woman give birth in 2 minutes and in 2021 (or maybe 2022?), another one set the record in less then 30 seconds with one single push. She felt the head, quickly wake up her husband but he couldn't even reach the bathroom or make a call cause the baby came out just like that. It's a bit unusual but it can happen!

[@arndnaj]

I would have done exactly as Joel had done, and, just as Joel, I'd have got what was coming to me. When they showed that one firefly laying on the floor with a bullet in his head, I got weepy. None of them deserved what they got there, and picturing Abby seeing all her friends and family murdered, and then seeing her father, put me to tears. As I said, I'd have done exactly what Joel had done, and I'd have gotten what was coming to me.

[@jubilantsleep]

Ellie came out fast so she could help her mom fight

[@vinnyp1259]

That intro was brutal. Ashley nailed it!

[@bigmamabecky30ross2]

Oh the feels indeed, you being a pretty new Mommy ( Kat ) this hit you pretty hard huh. Love your reactions guy's.

[@michaelkb8783]

I'm not much of a sci-fi/fantasy (no star wars, got, marvel) guy, but I love TLOU so I tuned in for your reactions and really enjoyed.. I'll see you for Season 2. Thanks!

[@KatSonny]

A little late, but thank you so much for the support ❤️

[@JonathanForres-de1jo]

G'day from Aus guys. I believe Ellie was coming to the possibility of her not surviving the procedure. Well done to you for catching that. Most people think she's "broken" after David. But consider the fact she doesn't just kill David, she destroys him! She erases him from the world. It's not like he got what he was after anyway so I agree with you guys, she wanted to save the world and she was willing to die to do it! Great reaction! Jon.

[@pincharmonix]

Kat I love your sweater!

[@Jim-ho3cm]

Love the reactions guys! That episode really makes you question your moral compass, which is why I think this show is so amazing

[@midwestoutdoorsman]

They should have said there were 11 unsuccessful attempts before Ellie.

[@joeokabayashi8669]

Knowing the story of Part II, I appreciate your point that there are ways to introduce the story in order to give a wider audience acceptance of what is to come. It's been a great journey with you covering this series. I look forward to future content from you, including the Dannish word of the day.

[@DylanW216]

If they gave a backstory to Dr. Anderson and even alluded to Abby in this episode it would be all people talk about and take away from Joel and Ellie. So I’m glad they didn’t touch that shit.

[@chandlermorgan708]

Both Marlene and Joel Robbed Ellie's ability to made a choice

[@aysuppatruck6185]

Giraffe looks real because it is real. The rest is CGI, this was filmed at the zoo.

[@michaelacker4493]

I read that Neil Druckman asked 100 parents and 100 non-parents what they would do. All 100 parents agreed with Joel and the non-parents were split 50-50. As a parent myself, I would absolutely go Joel mode to save my children.

[@rhetoric2k]

I too loved the 2nd game. Any form of media that starts out with you wanting to kill a character and then by the end it makes you feel sympathy for that same character, is incredible. For sure, it's emotionally draining. For the life of me, I don't know how they're going to pull off the second game.

[@jubilantsleep]

I’m replaying the second game now. It’s my third play through. I have to take breaks from it. So heavy.

[@noHOPEof]

(perhaps a spoiler IF 'one' views the mention of a ferris wheel thusly) ~ 50 % of the fellas in B.Wave have posted thorough playthroughs (varying vid running times) ohh .that. crossing a b r i d g e segment great discussion Hosts *-* cheers.

[@phillipcrook3424]

Immediately got Vader hallway sequence vibes from the hospital kill scene 😁

[@SugerFreeJazz]

"The giraffe looks real " tilts head "somewhat" Talking about a 100% real giraffe

[@DavidGowers]

The issue of Ellie giving consent aside (which I agree, both Joel and the Fireflies REALLY should have given her the choice) I think the writers made it really hard to argue against Joel's decision with two choices they made. 1) they made the Infected a less dangerous threat in that they didn't show anywhere NEAR as many of them as there were in the game, and really only had two scenes of the Infected in big numbers. IMO that made other survivors a far greater threat than the Infected, and made a cure far less important 2) a GAME SPOILER, at the end of the episode when Ellie is telling Joel about Riley, the writers omitted her line "I'm still waiting for my turn" which basically tells us exactly what Ellie would have chosen to do. Side note: I don't know if I missed you saying something about it while I was typing this comment, but I love that they included Abby's MoCap/VO actor, Laura Bailey, as a nurse helping with Ellie's surgery. I haven't seen the pic yet, but apparently Laura posted a photo on Instagram or Twitter or something where she's posing over the doctor's 'dead body' lol

[@blastingweevil2968]

this episode for me was all about joel and the fact he has now accepted ellie as his daughter and his parenting instincts have kicked in. anyone who is a parent will understand totally what joel was thinking when he started his rampage, as a aprent you protect your child no matter the cost and you do whatever you have to do. you can clearly see that Ellie has healed joel and made him whole again and he wont ever loose that again.

[@RoxxSerm]

True. Love and self preservation turned Joel into a selfish blind monster. It hurts to see such a likeable supposed hero of the story fall. For all the right reasons. But still. It's a tragedy after all and not a happy show.

[@DinosaurNick]

There was a lot of debate over it but that girraffe was a real giraffe

[@SanctumGamingNetwork]

The giraffe was actually real, they said they brought in trained giraffes, there’s even some photos on set from them.

[@lilkingMJ]

Well to make you feel better Part 2 is my favorite game of all time. Lol Absolute masterpiece. So it’s awesome to see others who comprehended the story fully ❤

[@Molda22]

i always liked your reactions and personalities and i always liked the fact the you have empathy and intelligence but after hearing what you said in the spoiler talk about the second game my admiration of you grew 100x times more. So sad there is so many people who hated the second game and the story etc and i am 100% sure that if they adapt the second game and they dont drastically change it, peoples reaction will be the same again maybe even worse. It will be another shi*storm all over again all over internet. So sad and i agree 100% about everything you said. Thanks for your reactions.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

Great reactions! Actually there were two things that were true about Joel's story. A Raider did kill everyone.....because Joel used to be one! What's also awesome is how Joel's description of what happened at the hospital mirrors his "shootout" story.

[@Dularr]

SPOILERS COMMENT I suspect season 2 will give Abby backstory first. With the events leading to Joel event at the end of season 2. Then season 3 is the revenge story.

[@Flufferz626]

Us grown adults crying over giraffes. 😢

[@diannebdee]

Trivia: In the HBO "The Last of Us" podcast with Troy Baker, Craig Mazin, and Neil Drukmann, Mazin confirmed the giraffe was real. They brought one over from the Calgary Zoo so Bella and Pedro could have something real to react to. The family were CGI. According to Pedro Pascal, he said they are going to start filming in the Fall. HBO is being generous in giving us TLOU season two, and HOTD season two in 2024. It was made known that season two was not going to be taking us to game two. We are going to see what happened in that five year time jump. To me, I don't think Ellie knew what was going to be required. Like you said in the commentary Ellie thought it was just about giving some blood. How could she know without the internet, that the result had to be her death...... To me there's one thing missing in this and that is her learning what was going to happen other than taking a bit of blood. I think they didn't give any information in terms of what was going to be required. I don't really think Ellie understood. That was one thing missing from the series. This is my opinion. Other than that the show was flawless and perfect. Pedro and Bella were flawless. For me if I were in Joel's position, I would have done exactly what Joel did. No one knew until Marlene told him what was involved did he know the cure would mean her death. That's why Joel wanted to see her, and Marlene refused that. While neither were giving Ellie a choice, Marlene was being so crass in not allowing Ellie to make a choice. They flashbanged her and Joel and the last thing Ellie knew Joel was lying on the ground. We didn't see Marlene have that talk with Ellie. So in that Ellie was NOT given the choice Marlene claimed Ellie did. Joel, however, was me in that if someone was going to kill my "child" I would fight to get to her and the "cure" be damned. I just don't see Joel actually being a parent and knowing those parental feelings was going to allow this. Marlene didn't do what Anna begged in taking care of Ellie. Instead Marlene shoved her in a FEDRA orphanage and that was it. Then suddenly she shoved Ellie onto Joel and Tess. That's not taking care of per Anna's wishes. As for Abby's father having children and a family. I'll say this, would he have allowed what he was about to do to Ellie, someone ELSE'S child, to happen to his own child? Would he have allowed a doctor to in effect euthanize Abby? And that's in effect what that doctor, Marlene, the fireflies were doing. They were going to euthanize a fourteen year old girl who was thrust into this situation without her consent. So for me I'm solidly on Joel's side and when and if that happens with Abby, I'll be really mad because the whole point of the matter is that Abby didn't know her father was going to in effect euthanize a girl no older than her for a maybe. I wanted to hug Kat throughout the whole reaction. Girl you and I are the same. I bawled my eyes out from start to finish. So I god you girl. I got you. A question for Sonny who is a father now: If you had a daughter like Ellie and the same conditions in this episode, would you have done the exact same as Joel? I hope you don't mind me asking. Sorry for going on for so long, but love your discussions at the end and I guess I wanted to feel like I was in the room with you guys. Sorry. Sending a ton of love, hugs, and peace to you all including Little Sonny and Grandpa. ♥♥♥♥

[@TrentRidley]

Sorry for the long comment.... but here it is anyway, haha. I knew a few tidbits from the first game, such as Sarah's death occurring on the night of the outbreak and that the story centred around Joel guiding Ellie across country and forming a father-daughter type bond along the way, I haven't actually played the games, however, so this series has been quite the journey. Ellie's birth scene was amazing... and tragic... and scary... and beautiful... and really interesting as the likely source of her immunity. What a devastating thing for Marlene though. They certainly were very different people, but like Joel, Marlene was someone hardened by this world. They also both made the same mistake at the end, taking the decision away from Ellie. I love that following the flashback they then opened up with Ellie's trauma and the change in her personality, hard as it was to see. It is realistic, though, as the experiences she has had over the previous months would undoubtedly damage a person. Especially a teenager, their hormone riddled bodies and brains being generally ill equipped to deal with their emotions as it is, haha..... we've all been there. Some of the conversations in this episode were so well crafted. The one where Joel tells Ellie they can still turn around, go live a quiet life back at Tommy's, and she responds that they have to go all the way with their mission perfectly foreshadows Joel's conflict later in the episode. He knows Ellie would probably choose to die for a shot at saving humanity, but he just can't stand to lose her. I also loved the conversation where Joel discusses trying to kill himself. It was the most honest and vulnerable Joel has been with her throughout. I think he realised she was needing that from him, but it was also something he simply wanted to give to her to show just how much she had come to mean to him. He was expressing to her that as dark and painful as it may get at times, you will find the light and the beauty again. You will find yourself again. That of course culminated in the moment where he indicates to Ellie that it was she that had healed him from the wound that was the loss of Sarah, she who had led him back to the light, the beauty, and to himself again - such a touching moment. Seeing Joel come from being this person who was extremely closed-off and bitter for 20yrs to this moment of open vulnerability and hope was such a great representation of that healing and how far their relationship had come. The sound design on the hospital rescue scene (where Joel rescues Ellie from the surgeon's knife) was amazing. The music was dominant, with the sounds of gunshots, spent shells pinging on the floor, and the occasional agonised scream heard underneath it. That, and the music itself, created a great deal of tension and left a sombre sense in the air. This was no moment of triumph or joy and I think we got that same sombre sense from Joel in the car afterwards. Sure he saved Ellie, but he again had to kill to do it and he also understands that he may have just resigned humanity to eventual extinction. You can see in that moment that he's hugely conflicted and he knows that he acted somewhat selfishly, but he so desperately wanted Ellie to have the chance at a full and decent life that Sarah never got. He also knows that Marlene was probably right when she said that Ellie would give her life for a cure. Afterall, that's why he lies to her, right? Because she would have chosen to sacrifice herself and would be pissed that he did what he did. Despite this, despite knowing that Ellie would probably choose the surgery, he still couldn't bring himself to let her go. Whilst we can all make the argument for why Joel should have acted for the greater good, I think we can all understand why he didn't also, so it's super hard to be highly critical of him. I think it's this juxtaposition that makes this ending such a compelling one. Ultimately, however, as I said above this should have been Ellie's decision to make (or at the very least she should have been in on the decision making process) and both Joel and Marlene took it from her. They should have fully informed her and then supported/helped her in making her decision in her own time and free from pressure or coercion. Joel and Ellie's final conversation was again brilliantly crafted. In opening up about Riley I think Ellie was essentially saying to Joel, "Hey, this is my deepest, most painful secret and I'm about to be totally honest with you about it, so I expect you to be the same when I ask you about what happened back at the hospital." She obviously has her doubts about Joel's story, but I think she so desperately wants it to be true, so desperately wants to have not been betrayed by the one person she trusts and loves in this world, that she's willing herself to accept it. Deep down, however, I think there's a part of her that knows he's lying. Please, no spoilers, but I can't help thinking that Joel's lie is going to come back to bite him in the second game/season. Through all this trauma and adversity they've slowly built a loving relationship on a foundation of openness and trust. This fact was really highlighted by the conversations they shared throughout this episode, so I suspect that trust will be broken when Ellie learns the truth about what happened at the hospital and that she still might hold the potential for a cure. Though it pains me to say, I think this will likely be a major source of conflict between the two next season. Anyway, this first season has been great. The writing, the music, the casting, the directing, the locations, the cinematography, the acting, etc, etc, etc has all been top notch. Special mention of course for Bella and Pedro, they've carried this story brilliantly. Thanks for your reactions, let's do it all again come season two.

[@A-AronX]

The giraffe is real. It's in the Calgary (canada) zoo. I've met him multiple times 😊

[@KoshNaranick]

this episode went dark and not what I thought.. damn!

[@AlfeyHolmes]

It was a tough watch... And the series itself is an amazing adaptation, all the changes made sense and elevated the story beyond its video game origins. Great reaction, guys. I really like that sweater/blouse of yours, Kat. It looks so 90s

[@RunningTogether]

I certainly agree that Joel acted largely out of selfish reasons, and his lie to Ellie at the end is the actual most selfish and least defensible part of his actions. But if you look at him saving her from a known-to-be-fatal risky experiment with no guarantee (and likely a very sim chance) of saving the world that is being done to her without informed consent by people who by their own admission are not acting ethically (Marlene says that it should be Ellie’s choice at the end, but she didn’t give her that), who are seemingly not terribly competent (they completely failed to handle an unarmed man with two armed men, for example), who have not based their theory of how they will create a cure on anything more than speculation of one doctor (as far as we can tell), and who didn’t try any of the normal scientific method you’d expect when trying to create a cure (keeping her alive until they’re more certain to study her immunity in vivo would just be basic smart science), it’s pretty clear that most of his actions before lying to Ellie are at least somewhat defensible morally. Experimenting on people without informed consent is among the worst crimes of history (e.g. Tuskegee syphilis experiments, and many more). Since his options and time were very limited to save Ellie, defense of others is a strong moral defense for most of those actions. But in the end, rather than telling her the truth so she could choose to seek out more competent and more ethical help to save the world, and even sacrifice her life in the end of it came to that (which should however be far off and a last resort), he took away her agency with his lies as the fireflies had done (though at least less fatally). Those lies are the truly selfish action and (while understandable emotionally) are not morally defensible. Ideally he would have helped her seek competent doctors to try to biopsy her safely for fungus samples to grow and experiment with, as well as exploring possible other explanations of her immunity since no one knows for sure what caused it yet. Perhaps to keep her safe and maximize chances of finding a real cure or vaccine, he could have found a doctor to train with to learn how to perform biopsies and take other samples so they could make their own samples to take to experts without initially revealing her secret. Great reaction as always!

[@telchar]

At 16:25 I read the caption as "our kid HAD a lot of elephant themed things" and my heart dropped before I went back and re-read it. Gave me a scare haha.

[@KatSonny]

Aw man. One line tragedy there...

[@tonydigital6017]

Everytime I see Kat....I think of MØ singing Mercy.

[@tomassoejakto]

In the first episode, Marlene said she knew what Joel was capable of. It's not the smuggling thing that earned him his reputation. Joel is capable of great violence. But not just being violent for the hell of it. He's violent to protect anything that allows him to go on. And he trusts himself with that side of him completely, he becomes hollow and calm. And a calm mind is crucial in a survival situation.

[@zhulimoon46]

When Kat cries, I cry ;)

[@Chief-qk5pb]

I also cried during the intro and I’m not even a mom 💀

[@ev1Lsect]

That giraffe was real.

[@cerda8112]

One aspect that I've not heard is the difference between adoptive vs bio parent. Adoptive takes awhile to switch that in your mind that u r a parent. First hand knowledge. I got a family overnight when my GF. Moved in. I have these 2luttle girls. The mind switch like Joel takes awhile. 7yrs later GF n I break up. N I lost my kids. Had no recourse. I would do anything to get them back. dark thoughts about the person who now had them. So yes I get his journey as adoptive parents Love love love kats commentary ALWAYS QWEEN I HAVE THINGS TO SAY. YES ALWAYS LOVE

[@bowi1332]

One message is that there is no ultimate villain, IMHO. Both Marlene and Joel acted egotistically. (Marlene also had a bit of ideology behind her decision.) Marlene did not want to tell Ellie or let her talk with Joel because she wanted to protect her own (Marlene's) sanity and mental health. As Kat mentioned, Marlene also didn't want Joel to convince Ellie against the surgery. On the other hand, Joel destroyed Ellie's metaphorical "light in the dark" by killing everyone at the hospital. The saddest thing is that Joel also did all of this in order to protect his own mental health and sanity. It's funny. We're in 2023, and we keep telling stories about how rationality and passion can both be dangerous. 😅

[@parappasan]

Great reaction and discussion guys! I fear the day you decide to cut post-reaction discussions like so many others.

[@Tortuosit]

I just wanna say I loved this show. Don't know the games. 🎉🎉🎉

[@dustfan]

I wonder if season 2 will start with the line, "What is the cost of lies?". Find it kinda funny Chernobyl starts with that line and TLOU ends with a lie.

[@bowi1332]

good catch

[@bigbrain1031]

“A hero would sacrifice you to save the world, but a villain would sacrifice the world to save you.”

[@nataliazart]

I think Joel did the right thing but in a bad way. Ellie even doesn't have the age to consent that kind of thing. And he knew that she was traumatized and she was going to give her life because the guilt that she feels for being alive. I don't think she was in the right place to make a choice. She felted like she didn't deserve to be alive. I think that's the reason because he lied to her. She deserved to live like everybody else.

[@swordmonkey6635]

I think a lot of time transpired between the last episode and this one. For one, Salt Lake City was a very long way away from where they were in the last episode. Another is the easy way Joel talks about Sara makes it seem like they've talked about her enough since we last saw them to where it's not uncomfortable. Joel's completely healed as well.

[@joana8615]

Salt lake city is 5 days walking from jackson, max. There's the whole david detour, i think a big chunk of the time was dedicated to joel healing. If he'd been healthy, they would have made it to the hospital in a week or so

[@swordmonkey6635]

@@joana8615 Yeah. I don't see the two of them making it over the Rockies in the condition they were in right after Episode 8. I was thinking a span of 2 to 3 weeks transpired. Ellie's a tough person, but in the end, she's still 14 years old and they're both probably slightly malnourished. They're both burning tons of calories walking and traversing land that's dangerous.

[@lordhorg999]

I loved the second game we are the majority for sure

[@michaelpaz5052]

I've seen so many reactions to Joel's lying at the end, but I've never seen such disappoint as I did in Kat's face. Made me feel sorry for her.

[@Sawyer1982OAC]

I watched some other reactors that didn’t play the game and a bunch had exactly the reaction I expected: “I don’t know if I agree with Joel right now…” I think the series did its job amazingly

[@MoY206]

Eliie is Blade 😆. Both badasses.

[@luwirap]

I love how kat's motherhood is being triggered by a crying baby... *Virtual hugs*

[@lolololalala8225]

I didnt like the ending that much, that he didnt tell the truth to her. Also if Ellies mother was still alive and they took her kid to be killed in the hospital, she would have done exactly the same as Joel did. And probably hunted down Marlene too for doing it.

[@EzekielG91]

That was fast XD, it's not fair says kat

[@arndnaj]

I was put tears in the game and movie when Marlene was murdered.

[@E-A-Z-Y]

Hell hath no fury like a father scorned

[@gailseatonhumbert]

I'm pretty sure Joel only killed people in the hospital who had weapons except for the doctor. Hardly medical ethics on display by the Fireflies and the doctor. The doctor doesn't even know if it will work it's just a theory of his. Completely against medical ethical standards and she's only 14. The sound design for Joel's attack was brilliant. You don't have the excitement of a standard gun fight in a program. I don't find Joel selfish in his actions on this and I don't even have children.

[@Glaceonmon]

2:21 Terra from Teen Titans

[@ZaneEX]

The giraffe was real lol

[@eschiedler]

It's pretty obvious that Ellie knows she will have to die and chooses it because of what everone else went through around her. She is shocked by her survival and wants some closure from Joel, the anti-hero who is her last connection.