The Last of Us Episode 9 : Look for the Light REACTION

The Last of Us Episode 9 Reaction Look for the Light of Syntell and Mikel-Claire. In this video, Syntell and Mikel-Claire react to the intense and emotional finale of The Last of Us Episode 9. They share their thoughts and feelings on Joel's controversial decision and discuss the tragic consequences that follow. Join them as they analyze the complex characters and themes of this critically acclaimed game, and look for the light in the darkness of this unforgettable story. Don't miss this powerful reaction and review of The Last of Us Episode 9!
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Chapters
00:00 Spoilers!
00:29 The Last of Us Episode 9 Reaction
25:11 The Last of Us Episode 9 Review
25:35 Thoughts on Joel lying to Ellie about the Firefly incident
26:40 Sacrificing certain things for the Greater Good
27:40 Did Joel make the right decision?
28:03 Sacrifice Ellie for the entire World?
28:52 The Last of Us Journey
30:37 Ellie's decision
30:55 Perspective
33:46 Ellie's Mother lied
34:14 Thoughts on The Last of Us and Season 2
36:34 Episode 8 and 9 should have been combined
38:13 Adaptation and new characters
39:39 Frank and Bill
40:34 More action sequences!
41:08 The Last of Us Story
42:39 Season 2: Same actors or recast?
43:41 Mikel-Claire channeling her Oscar tears
#TheLastOfUs #Reaction #Episode9

[@Deltadivaix]

I love how Syntell has the universal look of someone trying not to give spoilers. He always has this perplexed, surprised look on his face where he's trying not to spoil information for Michel Claire. You guys did a great job this season, and I have her recommended your channel to many others. I like your in-depth reviews and analysis.

[@Syntell]

😂 I'm not trying to ruin everybody's fun. Thank you for checking us out and spreading the word. Can't wait until next season.

[@blacprophet1153]

I have not played the game but I know one thing Joel is a killing machine! I also thought the episode was short! But I'm lost because if this is the end of their quest then the world will slowly die! Ellie is the one hope left in this world of darkness! Also the lady that played Ellie mother is she the voice actor for one of the characters in Vox Machina?! I also didn't understand why the doctors would go straight to killing Ellie! They don't know if that experiment will work and any sane doctor would never just kill Ellie she is too important!! I would think they would run test first but to kill her made no sense to me! Ellie is too important!! Good episode but I'm sure that Ellie knows that Joel is lying! I think the fire flys or the government will still come after Ellie because she is mankind's only hope!!

[@blacprophet1153]

@@gabaghoulspizza Yes. I also didn't understand how the doctors just assumed that cutting on Ellie's Brain and killing her is the only way to save humanity! Ellie is to important to make that mistake! I would analyze her blood first to see if we can create a cure! However, I would never just outright kill Ellie she is perhaps the most important person on the planet!!

[@LaCheeserie]

@@gabaghoulspizza she should have asked Ellie and had Joel in the room. She didn’t know how much they bonded

[@HuntingViolets]

@@blacprophet1153Going straight to killing Ellie is ridiculous. That doctor was incompetent. Also, maybe they should start quarantining people to see whether they can find more people who are immune. (I realize this has logistical challenges, but it would make sense to put some effort into this avenue of investigation.

[@Cornberry]

It’s crazy how Ashley resembles Bella, like I could not be more happy with such appropriate casting

[@OnlyInRushville]

Ashley Johnson portrayed Ellie in the game. Her playing her mother here is just... chefs kiss.

[@Syntell]

Just the perfect amount of meta.

[@likeicareusewe]

The giraffe was actually real. There's a behind the scenes pic of Pedro with it. Couldn't believe it

[@Deltadivaix]

Thank you cuz I was wondering. At some points it looked super real and some others digital. If I were them I would be super hyped for an experience like that.

[@latinasawntop]

@@DeltadivaixI’m sorry but I had a stroke reading this 😭

[@Deltadivaix]

@@latinasawntop I'm so sorry. I just went back and reread. Voice type is so unreliable right now. I don't know what's going on with youtube on my phone. LOL I'm going to go edit it. Lol

[@Syntell]

Oh wow. We're so used to seeing CG we just assumed it wasn't real.

[@TherapyGel]

@@Syntell It was touched up with CG so that might be why it looks a bit off at times. Still a beautiful scene!

[@reece6583]

Joel lying also made me think of episode 6 when he & Ellie approached the Dam. Joel said he doesn't know exactly how it conducts electricity so don't even ask. Ellie responded "you know you could've just made something up and I would've believed you."

[@ianterrellbrown]

Great call back. And now they have grown closer and she cant trust him as readily.

[@Syntell]

WOW, great call back!

[@analmf1210]

That occurred to me too.

[@HuntingViolets]

@@ianterrellbrown She can trust him to have her back, though.

[@jubilantsleep]

Ellie jumped out of her mama so she could help fight the infected! Ellie has always been a fighter!

[@Syntell]

😂 Ellie stays ready. "Don't make choke out an infected with this umbilical cord"

[@girlcalledamelia]

It's a real giraffe from the Calgary zoo :) They didn't take the giraffe to the set. The crew went to their enclosure at the zoo and set up blue screens for the scene. Pretty cool.

[@orcasin112]

Ellie and Blade both came into the world the same way.

[@Deltadivaix]

When he goes on the shooting spree it comes across so much like a video game which I love! He was on the hunt to find Ellie. I loved it.

[@Syntell]

Another great action scene. I just wish there were more of them.

[@gsc8845]

The giraffe is a real one. There’s a photo of them feeding it before the bleu screen affects were added.

[@means_well]

11:46 and a Mazel Tov to you as well!

[@Syntell]

😂 We kind of dropped the ball on that one a little bit.

[@julieharden2433]

"Her water broke. That means the baby's comin'". LOL

[@acslater017]

11:43 When I used to play TLOU with my girlfriend, we’d yell “Mozeltov!” whenever we threw a Molotov cocktail at someone 😅

[@snootyvegans]

🤣🤣

[@ALROD]

You know, I think what also led Joel to do what he did was the fact that Ellie didn't know she'd die. Marlene didn't ask Ellie because she didn't want to deal with the fact Ellie could've said "no" and she'd kill her anyway (she had promised her mom she'd protect her), so instead of knowing the answer, she went with it. Joel, seeing that wasn't fair, basically became unfair by killing a bunch of people who probably had families of their own, and put them in the same position he is in without Sarah - someone being taken from them. If Ellie were awake and willing to sacrifice herself for that cause, I think the outcome might've been different.

[@johnyd1911]

💯 She even said after it was all done she'd go with Joel anywhere....

[@fullmetalb5241]

She wasnt letting Ellie make the choice, but she was absolutely correct that Ellie would have wanted to go through with it. That's literally the entire point.

[@ALROD]

@@fullmetalb5241 It was never clear to me Ellie was willing to die (maybe I missed something, idk), especially because she was always talking about making plans after she met up with the fireflies. I see Ellie as thinking she'd just get some blood collected or something. In the end I think she would've said yes anyway, but I also feel Marlene didn't want to run the risk of hearing a no and decide to do it regardless. I also think if the plot made it clear the cure was not a certain thing that would work, I would understand Joel's side more. Joel instead felt his personal needs were more important, which is unfortunate. At the same time I wonder if a cure would save an already lost world - is it to far gone to even try a cure?

[@loco_logic]

​@@fullmetalb5241 Not necessarily. The point to me is that Ellie wasn't given a choice _at all._ We can assume what she might have agreed to, but we simply don't know. The tragedy is that she was never given the opportunity to decide for herself. It's easy to exclusively vilify one side or the other, but the truth is ALL the adults in this scenario failed Ellie (and potentially the world) because of their own cowardice and self interests.

[@fullmetalb5241]

@@loco_logic there is literally 0 you need to try to explain to me about this story

[@daroe2340]

It’s pretty brilliant that they made a video game out of the trolley problem. It’s especially interesting adding in the “if that one person on the train track was your kid” angle.

[@eds464]

Joel's decision is a great conversation piece which could swing either way. But it seems clear Marlene was never going to ask Ellie. I also believe Ellie would have wanted to do the right thing. I also think that going ahead with the procedure without asking Ellie erases any possibility (for whatever reason) that Ellie gets to say no. This also creates a never ending argument loop for both sides. That Marlene never ask Ellie's consent, that Joel selfishly took away a possible cure etc. There was never a real guarantee that the surgery would work so for me I'm fine with Joel's decision.

[@Syntell]

In episode 1 the scientist being interviewed said there was no way a cure could be made. It may have all been for nothing from the very beginning.

[@nickv1212]

@@Syntell What are the chances that the doctor never thought someone could be immune to it though?

[@dipsydoodle2728]

@@nickv1212 he was talking about regular fungi (and there are medicines for fungi like candidae but they can actually be toxic) to do what that Firefly doctor wanted to do is very very hard to do NOW it’s impossible with No technology and no manufacturing too Also just because she’s immune doesn’t mean her immunity will work for everyone and it certainly isn’t helping the ones already infected When you think about it Ellie’s life started with a lie to protect her and Joel lied to protect her too

[@HuntingViolets]

It just makes no sense that they go straight to killing their only test subject. They should have tried to set up a system for quarantining infected people to see whether they turned and done research with Ellie if no one else was found. (For all we know, the kid who tested positive and was killed early on could have been immune.)

[@HuntingViolets]

@@SyntellThey always say things are impossible and then they find a way, but I don't think lobotomizing your only test subject is a reasonable response. It makes me think the doctor is not even competent. For that matter, people have had large tumors removed from their brains and recovered, so that also leads me to wonder what they are doing to gather "cells" when they are so sure it will kill her. The doctor is also breaking the Hippocratic Oath, and it actually might be more important to keep certain standards during a pandemic, unlike, say, Kathleen. (Got a little off track there.)

[@victorias1227]

Thank you, Mikel-Claire! I've seen people put so much weight on Marlene denying Ellie a choice without putting equal weight on Joel, when Marlene's motivation for not telling Ellie is altruistic (she's kept an eye on Ellie since she was a kid, she knows Ellie would choose death) and Joel's motivation is based solely on his own needs. Marlene was best friend's with Ellie's mom, she saved her as a baby (you can tell she didn't believe the bite was before she cut the chord), she wouldn't even let her join the fireflies when Riley asked for fear it might put Ellie in danger, even when it meant not even getting to raise Ellie herself. She sacrifices like a parent. From that, it feels like she loves Ellie as much as if not as personally as Joel does. I really like the struggle between what the audience thinks is "right" and what they might do in either's shoes, and I'm excited to hear that tension discussed here. Thanks to yall both!

[@kaseanballou1389]

Fun fact Ashley is the voice of Ellie in the game. I thought it was interesting that she played Ellie's mom. I enjoyed this series so much. I can't wait for season 2.

[@margaretconnor5623]

1. If it's my kid, I ain't doing it. Fuck the world. 2. No guarentee it works. 3. Ellie is too young to just decide that. Maybe ask her and give her time to sit with it and see if she still wants to. No way were the Fireflies gonna ask her, let her sit with it a week then ask again and risk her changing her mind. She's a teenager. She doesn't have proper impulse control. You can't go with her impulsive immediate decision. Wake her, ask her, give her time, a week or two to sit with it, and ask again. But the Fireflies wouldn't have done that. They didn't want to give her a choice cause she could've said no. 4. I don't fucking trust the Fireflies. They were going to kill a child, forcing her to sacrifice herself without ever giving her the choice. They're in a run down hospital with limited supplies so even if it worked they can't mass produce it. AND even if they could, do you really think they'd have given it to everyone? Do you think they'd give it to FEDRA? Or the kids being raised by FEDRA? They've already shown they were willing to murder one child without giving her a choice, what makes you think they wouldn't do the same to all the kids being raised by FEDRA because they're affiliated with FEDRA. Or anyone else just trying to survive that didn't want to join the Fireflies. No. They'd use that vaccine as a weapon, choosing who lives and dies. They weren't going to save the world with it. They were going to save themselves and whoever they deemed worthy of it.

[@niamhfox9559]

It's interesting that Sarah dies because a leader of a group that is supposed to protect them decides that she has to die for the greater good, to protect others like Marlena decides for Elie. Joel has already experienced that exact situation at the start and failed. I loved that at the end Joel is telling Elie that he didn't do it because he thinks she is Sarah, that he did it for her. Only for her. Marlene did know she got it from the mother's bite, the doctor's theory was that it grew in her from birth.

[@OhyeahMrKrabz]

Joel going off on the fireflies was like a beatiful montage it was erie

[@Uberco]

The nurse that takes the IV out of Ellie’s arm is Laura Bailey. She voiced Vex in Critical role. She also voices a major character in the Last of Us 2.

[@angelsoler2786]

They used a real giraffe for this episode it’s not cgi. The background is but the giraffe isn’t

[@Awhnutz]

Fun fact, the giraffe is actually a real giraffe. They’ve just worked with professionals on set to make sure the giraffes were comfortable and everyone was safe

[@coladict]

Joel's "dad energy" this whole episode was off the charts.

[@thetexanjedi95]

My issues: 1) How the Fireflies went about it: They should've let Ellie decide and they should've let that decision happen in front of Joel so he'd know the truth. 2) Marlene's argument about how Ellie will die in from clickers and raiders because "the world is broken and you could've fixed it." Lady, the world has always been broken. People have always have been doing evil, the only differences now are that there's no law and order to combat this. Human nature isn't gonna change just because you find a cure for cordyceps. Also, how are you planning on distributing this cure if it even works? I didn't hear any guarantee that it would work. 3) Joel ain't in the right either with how he handled it, but I get it.

[@abraaodasilvaamorim5383]

Fun fact, it's not a cgi giraffe

[@nobodyexceptme7794]

In certain shots it's def cgi isn't it? Close ups were real

[@stressoutspiderman]

@@nobodyexceptme7794 yea, it certain shot, not all are cgi giraffe

[@Babylauncher3000]

It was CG when they first saw it, when it walked away, and the herd. The real one was the close up one Ellie fed leaves too.

[@reece6583]

When I 1st saw Ellie in episode 1 I immediately thought the looked so much like Chrissy from Growing Pains

[@antp6150]

If Marlene was so confident Ellie would choose to sacrifice herself why didn’t she give her the choice? There’s no good guys there.

[@antp6150]

Great reactions thanks for the season.

[@crazyjackal]

Because she swore to protect her but knew when she learnt of her immunity that she would not keep that promise, so like Joel she denied Ellie her own agency, as her way of getting what she wanted and whilst also sparing Ellie the fear of death, which in her mind is the best she could do for her friend Anna.

[@desisshadow314]

"Upgrade" the look. Damn. For the thousandth time, she's a keeper.

[@panamakira]

This ending has divided gamers for 10 years since it came out lol and I agree that while Joel didn't do the "morally" right thing and it was ultimately selfish, I would've done the same. It such a difficult place to be in and we never had a guarantee that the cure would work anyway. It's very tough and it will set the stage for the next part of the story. I enjoyed your reactions a lot and it's interesting to still be talking about this story to this day. I think a lot of people have a lot of good points but at the end of the day, I don't see myself sacrificing someone I love for the "greater good". There are better people than me out there and while I completely understand Marlene, to this day I'm on Joel's side.

[@gailseatonhumbert]

Actually Joel stopping them killing Ellie was the ethically right thing to do.

[@Saint...]

Fun fact. The actor who played Vex in the legend of vox machina is playing one of the nurses in the operating room 😊

[@timothyhedrick5295]

@12:20 I thought the same thing when I saw that Giraffe, "Damn...that's some really really good CGI." But actually when you watch after the credits, turns out that IS A REAL DAMN GIRAFFE, and they blue screened everything around the window they actually fed it through. We had it right something was CGI, it just wasn't the giraffe.

[@troyvseverybody5397]

The powder bomb is most certainly from the game! Also in the game they made it a point to show all the generators in the background supplying power for the hospital. Great reaction and insight as always. Yall are becoming some of my favorites!

[@Syntell]

Thank you so much for checking us out. We hope to see you again for other series and definitely for next season.

[@Ehtepha]

Man’s said hydra !!! Love y’all 🤣

[@chipsalom]

Not only is Ashley Pike Trickfoit, she's also the original Ellie, giving birth to her own self, Bella as Ellie 😁

[@James-us8nt]

Was a real Giraffe. No CGI involved there. Really great seen. Loved that they did it.

[@dansmart3182]

Ashley Johnson is also Ellie from the game... and the waitress that waited on cap in the first Avengers.

[@Robsenmh]

ashley Johnson also played Ellie in the games

[@kilroy987]

Some people thought the game was cheap for leaving us in a state of polarization over what Joel did. As they passed on, the remaining fans identified heavily with both of them and their relationship.

[@tatitorodriguez376]

Ellie’s mom is the one who voiced her in the game.

[@coolguy473]

21:50 it is a good question, but they never asked Ellie. They were just going to take it, not knowing if it was even going to work.

[@Syntell]

It's pretty messed up they didn't give her the full truth.

[@dipsydoodle2728]

@@Syntell they didn’t and what’s worse even if they did and she said no they’d still do it we all know they would all for a maybe a chance a hunch on it might work

[@lunna45]

'They can rent a giraffe' They did. :)

[@mayniac23]

I love that y’all thought of Pike first when you heard the grunts! Haha I love Ashley so much! I’ve been playing TLOU2 again and all I heard was Ellie when she’s booking it 😂 and then when Ashley’s talking to baby Ellie it reminded me of JJ in 2 😭

[@kaleyrose47]

Rewatching these reactions because I’m missing the show! I think Joel lies to Ellie for 2 reasons. 1.) Selfishly, he can’t lose again. He probably knows Marlene is right-had Ellie been told the ramifications of surgery, she would have probably consented to dying. And he can’t bear to lose the girl who has finally brought him a sense of healing after 20 years. 2.) He lies to her to protect her from herself. He senses she’s traumatized and showing signs of depression, and probably tells her his story of attempting as a way to say, “I’ve felt that way before too, and it’ll be okay and get better.” He’s probably worried that if he tells her the truth, given Ellie’s mental state, she may become suicidal and try to hurt/harm herself. He carries that burden for her.

[@Syntell]

You can always come back home. Here's to round 2

[@yvmap6799]

This is the reaction dynamic I wanted and was looking for, someone who played the game and an unspoiled reaction of someone who didn't. I love both perspectives as someone who played the game myself. Plus I love watching blerds like myself.Hopefully yall go into season 2 without her watching. Bout to watch yall old vids

[@Syntell]

Thank you for the wonderful compliment. We had a great time watching this season. I'll try my best to keep Mikel-Claire off of my Playstation until next season.

[@アキコ2003]

Actually ellie getting operated was her definition of finishing what they started. By being rescued they actually went all the way there for nothing.

[@bobthabuilda1525]

But that kinda doesn't matter because Ellie is still a kid. She wouldn't be allowed to make that kind of decision for herself in our world, and she shouldn't here, imho.

[@アキコ2003]

@@bobthabuilda1525 yes because kids and teens have no needs or opinions, especially not the ones who go through war and mature 20 years even tho they are 10 physically, we must ignore and treat those kids as inferiors, the things they go through don't matter ir change them at all

[@nesseihtgnay9419]

thats a real giraffe guys

[@rhokesh4391]

Literally only came here to see Ashley 😅I know what you meant when you said you can't help but hear Pike, her voice is so distinctive.

[@hiryufilms5486]

Me: *Throws a mazel tov cocktail at a group of raiders* The Raiders: "L'Chaim!"

[@songwright]

Ellie's mom is played by Ashley Johnson. I think she looks and sounds like someone who could be Ellie's mom. Laura Bailey plays one of the nurses. Both of these actresses are starring voice actors in The Legend of Vox Machina.

[@Deltadivaix]

I don't know if you guys noticed, but baby Ellie had a little cordycept on her ankle. That showed she was infected. Sorry for all of these individual post but for whatever reason KZbin will not allow me to edit my post.

[@Syntell]

We definitely missed that

[@HuntingViolets]

Mykel-Claire makes a good point about it perhaps not being the surgery itself that would kill her but that it might upset the balance of her immunity and would the previous infection kick in then. I have no idea whether that would be possible, but it's an interesting thought.

[@kaleyrose47]

It’s spring time so I think about a month or two has passed.

[@Syntell]

Good point. The leaves the giraffe ate were a great clue.

[@bouncyshak]

So interesting. I initially interpreted it as Joel's mind cracking and refusing to go through the grief of loss again. It's almost like Ellie is a mental bandaid for him and not a real person. He's talking about Sarah all the time now and it seems to be less and less about his love for Ellie. He took her autonomy and she's almost become a hostage of his love. Because... that's NOT his daughter, despite their depth of feeling. But having seen different reactions to this, my mind is opening to his rationalization. He did the father thing and made an executive decision, whether his "daughter" eventually resents him for it or not. Parents do make tough calls like that, especially with minors. He was 'right' in that sense. Even if she decided to sacrifice herself, no child of 14, traumatised and depressed, should be given a choice like that. I guess I'm imagining that when Ellie learns about the massacre and blocked vaccine, she may start to look at Joel as her kidnapper (a guy that got way too attached to her because his mind broke in an apocalypse, and blocked her destiny). And I would understand that too.

[@ducktape160]

im a giraffe i can lick my eyebrows and breath through my ears

[@abelaberdeen3757]

A quote from the Twelfth Doctor in "Dr. Who" that fits... "Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose." And I agree....the Fireflie doctor "thought" it would be a cure. He wasn't sure.

[@parrisj21]

Right ! Ellie did look older in this episode

[@Nightwing-ce1tx]

An entertaining and good season ender and I liked the question the episode introduced but the ending definitely felt abrupt . I thought we would get a 90 minute episode. I think I'm going to go ahead and watch how part 2 of the game plays out. My answer to the question would be an easy one especially looking around at what humanity has become for the most part in this series/video game.

[@ObliqueReference]

It was a real giraffe. It's just that giraffes look like CGI horses.

[@dansmart3182]

Pretty sure that Giraffe was real. The scenery was cgi.

[@chriskringle5191]

Fun Fact: The woman who plays Ellie's mom (Ashley Johnson) is the motion & Voice Actor for Ellie in the Video Game.

[@nitish.anand99]

He said it guys, you all can stop typing now.

[@dizzisliving2355]

The way they probably had a baby that looks so young is they do use premature babies. I'm fairly certain that babies have to be a certain age before they can be used in film so when they have a scene with a newborn they use usually premature babies that are a month or so old. They still look like newborns a lot of the time. At least close enough

[@Syntell]

It's still hard to believe they found a baby so young. I'd rather see a real baby than a CGI baby. Especially for a moment like that.

[@Deltadivaix]

I posted an article from variety. The babies were two weeks old twins. Baby snorkeling sets it's just that they can only work for a certain time. So usually when they use really smaller young children they use multiple children, meaning triplets Twins and quads.

[@BluEx22329]

I didnt know they could have infants on shows like that. That baby had good acting lol

[@Syntell]

The baby is about to hoist a Emmy out of it's crib.

[@BluEx22329]

@@Syntell real talk! Lol

[@HuntingViolets]

It would be cool if we got an episode devoted to how Tess and Joel got together even though we know how they story ended for them. Seeing Anna Torv again would be a treat.

[@brie1026]

Baby Ellie was played by a pair of 3 week twin babies; their pregnant (non-actor) mom was recruited while getting her nails done

[@Syntell]

Wow, 3 weeks old and already a working actor.

[@johnrico4056]

Love your channel ❤

[@Syntell]

Thank you so much for checking us out and leaving a comment. We hope you check out some other project. And definitely hope to see you again next season.

[@dumpster_fire_sloth]

Some people think that it wasn't Anne being bit before cutting the umbilical cord that caused Ellie's immunity, but the fact she cut the cord with the knife she had just stabbed an infected with.

[@Syntell]

Now there's a great point.

[@DeterminedFC]

doesnt make sense

[@dumpster_fire_sloth]

@@DeterminedFC ?

[@josezepeda315]

The giraffe is real! The set was all blue screen lol

[@mowgli6345]

13:52 Nah that edit was outta pocket lmao

[@nltoriola89]

Ashley Johnson portrays Ellie on the game.

[@fabainful]

It’s been months since episode 1 to 9

[@BluEx22329]

Like 2

[@scooter1687]

i only know the actress that plays ellies mom from the daughter in WHAT WOMAN WANT and BLINDSPOT

[@theonarte8048]

as much as i love joel and ellie, even when i saw this in the game i felt quite... not right of what joel did. After all the horrors they saw, family and friends dying in front of each other, people resorting to raiding, brothers killing brothers, cannibalism. this was his chance to make it all end. like literally a life-changing, world-turning decision and he chose to be selfish (no hate i get it). The way Ellie is immune is such a once is a lifetime coincidence, like so many things had to align for her to be immune and so much had to happen to get them exactly at the crossroads they were in. There will prolly never be another one like Ellie ever again. Not to mention how much she had talked about wanting to save the world the whole series.

[@gailseatonhumbert]

What Joel did was not "selfish" it was ethical

[@theonarte8048]

@@gailseatonhumbert would've been 100% ethical if his intention was to not have her go through the surgery without her knowing. but when he said "you don't understand" after marlene explained the procedure tells me he thinks she won't understand because he has personal reasons why he can't let it go through. That he has a personal bond with her and he can't deal with another Sarah again. If his intention was 100% ethical he wouldn't feel the need to lie about exactly why he disrupted the cure making process. He is not the only person who has bonds with other people. He's not the only person with a daughter out there who could use a non apocalyptic world to raise a child. His intention could've been ethical but his actions say otherwise. But again, can't blame him. We saw his journey, we have a bias towards him than the rest of the world in that universe.

[@DOESlab]

THey can't even guarantee it will work tho, or that the doctor is going to be able to replicate what Ellie has in a lab. Marlene even said "might" and "the doctor thinks" It's not established science with other peer reviewed experiments, it's never been done before. So it's basically a science experiment, not 100% known

[@ddebarre7192]

I think any parent's decision is going to be what Joel's was. My huge problem with Marlene was that she didn't give Ellie that choice. Of course, neither did Joel. From the POV of the audience, you can see that neither of them chose what's best for Ellie. Ellie is the only one who can make that choice. I love watching your reactions!

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

I guess some would call the Ar15 an upgrade over the Mini14...but as someone who has owned both weapons, I'm partial to the Mini14.

[@FDFAMetal]

the giraffe is real

[@JULIASMITH-eg9kp]

Ashley Johnson played Ellie in the game and Ellie’s mom in the series and had Ellie’s knife. Marlene is best friends with Ellie’s mom. Giraffe is real. Damn drs and fireflies not telling Ellie she’s not going to survive the procedure. Joel had to lie to Ellie. They went back to Tommy’s town.

[@firehammock3021]

Great Discussion

[@BluEx22329]

Ellie is blade

[@troikas3353]

It doesn't matter what Joel wants. The only person that can decide what Ellie does with her life and her body is Ellie.

[@jaymanuel3396]

Joel killed Marlene, but he should’ve killed the nurses too! They know who he and Ellie are now!

[@Syntell]

That may have been done on purpose. . . just saying

[@jaymanuel3396]

@@Syntell - yeah I know how the story goes. I said this of the game too. Would have saved them a lot of hurt.

[@tricepnm8590]

Yea I’m definitely not going to sacrifice my kid. Also they are going on a chance or possibility. Call me a villain but I would’ve done like Joel. Seeing historically how many people were unwillingly experimenting upon I just couldn’t do it. She needed to know what was happening to her. My only hiccup with Joel is that he shouldn’t have lied to Ellie. As vulnerable as they had gotten I wanted him to say Ellie I love you like my daughter and I couldn’t see you dying like this so I made a choice. I always say anyone can be the villain depends on who’s telling the story. As someone who has not played the game, I loved the series. I do wish we got more of the doctors and Marlene on how they got to their theory on Ellie’s brain. I felt there could’ve been more.

[@RafaAkd]

Joel has been carrying with him the fact that he lost Sarah for the “greater good” (which is the reason the military killed non infected people), and he did nothing about it. He wasn’t going to go through that again. Wrong decision and selfish, 100%. But perfect character arch

[@snowman1928]

Ellie wasn't given a choice, she was forced asleep and they chose for her, Marlene was a hypocrite.

[@WagnerWolf7.62]

Do you have a firefly problem? If ya do call Joel the pest exterminator and he’ll come on down and exterminate fireflies, even in the apartments or even in the local hospital! Be sure to call Joel the pest Exterminator!, also I wouldn’t ever sacrifice a child for a cure society had its chance in the last of us so no i wouldn’t even dare to do that at all.

[@Syntell]

😂🤣

[@brandonj7458]

Ellie LITERALLY said she was going to do it guys what's the confusion WHEN did people forget what they hear??? Oh yeah when their FEELINGS get involved smh....tsk tsk

[@BMdegen]

mazel tov to you too

[@jamesquinn8558]

Nobody’s taken his second daughter this time.

[@analmf1210]

Oh no, I asked my mom. She told me that she would say: "Sacrificing my child? for humanity. I see. OK, sacrifice yours first" That's why there are two answers: 1 answer as a mother or as a father; personally I would kill everybody, probably even the nurses, one of them can stab me going out and kill my child on top of that. I also understand is not just rage that moves Joel, is fear; Ellie is getting ready for surgery and they told him that a while ago. I would be afraid to be too late, for my daughter, my son, or even for my husband. "you surrender? , good for you but I don't have time. Get out of my way (dead)" Blame the freaking fire flights and their great ideas. Or answer 2, as a stranger, and comfortable on my couch with all the time in the world to decide, killing is killing, forget the greater good, is a sin, and they have been sinning since the beginning of the show, sometimes unnecessarily, just moved by fear that they must learn to control. Maria knew a little about that, Of course, they release their killer instincts outside of their comfort zone but that's another story. And also, if by killing, Joel is ruining the chances of humanity, worse, is selfish, bad in every sense. I honestly don't know what Ellie would want. All of this, assuming that they have the certainty that this works too, because unfortunately, Marlene said, "he thinks it could...". And we start all over again :)

[@auggiedoggie4968]

They just gave Ellie Blade's origin. SMH

[@Syntell]

I see what you did there 😂

[@tomassoejakto]

Been going around YT watching reactions to this finale and every one of you points out how the guy didn't cover the baby's ears as ordered. That extra is going to become more extra from that point on. BTW the giraffe is not CG. The setting is though.

[@luisleonardocruzpoveda3277]

increíble

[@BluEx22329]

Wild

[@alwaysbam]

Rip Marelene. I like her alot better in the show. Great work Merle Dandrige Joel. Ellie is not Sarah. She did not want to be saved from her fate. She wanted to be the cure. Joel projected on to her his loss. And now he's a liar. Smh.

[@stressoutspiderman]

Yea, i feel bad for marlene

[@BluEx22329]

Didnt realize their names were that close

[@BluEx22329]

I love how both perspectives have a good point, it would have been good/bad either way depending on your perspective

[@BluEx22329]

Part 2

[@Syntell]

Sometimes parents lie to their children in order to protect them. I'm not saying it's right, but I does happen. Joel's attempt to not repeat the past is a major reason this decision was made. I agree that Joel is projecting his issues, but I do believe it's done out of love for Ellie.

[@victorias1227]

Does anyone else have a hard time believing that in 20 years, there's never been a baby born before Ellie in that exact same situation? Like, nobody ate a granola bar on their way to the hospital during labor, turned 24 hours later in the initial outbreak, & nobody noticed a weirdly okay baby? I always found the whole "we're positive no cure or immunity could ever be found or generated [a variant that gives immunity organically shows up after only 20 years]" thing to strain my suspension of disbelief anyway, but this seems like an extra reach to me. Anyone else agree?

[@chuckjones5379]

There very well may have been other babies born under the same circumstances. But as Tess eluded to earlier in the series, just because she's immune to the cordyceps that doesn't make her immune to being ripped to shreds, or killed by raiders or other things. And those children raised in QZ's wouldn't necessarily have been exposed to cordyceps during their lifetime to even find out they were immune. This is keeping in mind it was illegal to go outside the zones and was punishable by death. Just my own thoughts. Obviously these theories can be passed off as plot armor too lol.

[@Noblemiss]

I really enjoy your reactions, so it breaks my heart that I have to disagree with you on part of this. You pointed out that Joel took away her choice. But didn't the Fireflies already do that? They admitted that they did NOT tell her what they were going to do because they didn't want to scare her. So, she wasn't given a choice. I DO agree that he should not have lied to her. She deserves to know what happened. She is extremely intelligent for her age and she has seen enough by this point that I think she would have understood Joel's decision...eventually (more than likely not at first). The other point I disagreed with is that Joel was being completely selfish by killing the doctor and preventing him from probably finding a cure and saving the world. I have a few issues with this. First off, I say good bye doc! Do they really want us to believe that he was the only doc remaining in the world that can do that work? And do we really believe that she is the only person on the planet that is immune? I know that these docs are no longer governed by laws, but there is a code of ethics which states first and foremost "Do no harm!" Those ethics also state that you must share all the information with the patient so they can make the proper decision for themselves. I am of course referring to "Informed consent". These guys denied her that. What Joel should have done was told her the truth, and give her the choice of looking for another doc, or going to his brothers town. (In case you are wondering, I am a Licensed Clinical Master Social Worker LCMSW. Informed Consent is a major part of our code of ethics!) I have watched several of these reactions videos. And most of them agree with you on this point and I find that shocking! Seems to me that these reactors are putting a lot a faith in a doc that wants to murder a child in an unproven experiment! Lastly, cognitively speaking, do you really think she is the right frame of mind to make this important decision? In fact, in the "old" world, due to her age, this decision would have been given to her parents/caregivers, although she would still have a say. To summarize; I believe the Fireflies were completely wrong in their actions and decisions, but at the same time, Joel was wrong for not telling her the truth. I do want to reiterate that I absolutely enjoy your videos and its rare that I disagree with you. So please note that this comment is given with all due respect.

[@calvin20877]

It was a real Giraffe 🦒 ❤

[@marcialopez7228]

So Marlene promised ellie mother to protect her but is okay with ellie being sacrificed!?🤔🤔🤔 Yeah that's cap Marlene is a horrible friend

[@Syntell]

In hind sight yeah, Marlene might have lost her invite to the cookout. But I get where she's coming from since it's not her kid and humanity is on the brink of extinction. But it's still foul