CJ_the_DJ

"I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that, but I would like to try."

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In Defence of Ellie - A Discussion on The Last of Us Part II

I. Music

Here's some great and relevant music to listen to, while you read:

II. Introduction

As I'm sure you're all aware, The Last of Us Part II has been the subject of much controversy, and many elements of the game have received criticism: from Abby's character, to Joel's death, to the themes and how they contradict the gameplay, to the way Ellie was written. While I have my own takes on the other issues, too, the primary focus of this informal essay will be on the final point - the writing behind Ellie's character. Although she is one of the less criticised parts of the game, many have still noted that they feel her arc was poorly handled, and I'm going to hopefully address many of the arguments raised against it. I might discuss other elements of the game (e.g. Abby, the themes, etc) in future blogs.

Addendum: Even though the game released some time ago, I'm writing this now because I still occasionally have to discuss the matter, and I'd like somewhere to collate all of my various different points that I can refer back to. I would also hope to persuade some of the people who hold the opposing view.

III. Summary of my plan for this essay

The main argument against the writing behind Ellie's character, that I've seen, is that it's inconsistent - her making some of the decisions she did is unrealistic. There are two primary examples cited:

  1. Ellie abandons her girlfriend and child in order to travel halfway across the country to try and kill Abby, based on a "maybe". Many have claimed that this doesn't make sense, because she had a perfectly happy life with them.
  2. Ellie killed scores of people on her way to kill Abby, so she is clearly a cold-blooded killer. This means that her final decision to spare Abby based on a last-minute flashback doesn't make any sense.

In my opinion, these criticisms come from both a misunderstanding of Ellie's fundamental character traits and her motivations. The sections I will split this essay into in order to address this are:

  1. Is Ellie a cold-blooded killer?
  2. What is Ellie's motivations for wanting to kill Abby?
  3. Why did Ellie choose not to end Abby's life?

IV. Is Ellie a cold-blooded killer?

As covered prior, many frame Ellie in this game as someone with no qualms about murder and say this makes her final decision to spare Abby unrealistic. But is this really true? Is she someone with little regard for human life, driven mad by vengeance, or is she still very much capable of empathy - even towards her enemies? I hope this section will answer that question and prove the arguments against Ellie's character wrong.

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The primary evidence cited for Ellie being a merciless butcher is that she kills swathes of people in her revenge quest. However, this ignores the context blatantly provided within the game itself:

Upon entering Seattle, Ellie was instantly struck at by the WLF, who didn't know anything about her, and taken prisoner. She didn't attack them first - they were the ones who made it a fight. This is relevant because her killing them became about survival from the get-go: these were people who would end her life in a heartbeat if they had the chance. It doesn't make Ellie capable of killing an unarmed person in cold blood, nor does it show she is without empathy. In fact, the opposite is shown repeatedly throughout the story. The example that instantly comes to mind is when Ellie spares a random WLF soldier once she had the information she needed, and only kills her upon being attacked by a knife:

(1:29:18)

Ellie's more than capable of mercy: she tries to be ethical and doesn't kill without reason. But, now that the initial rebuttal has been outlined, let's go deeper:

Even when facing one of the people responsible for Joel's death, Ellie's objective is seemingly solely about finding Abby - not murdering them in revenge:

"Tell me where she went and I'll think about letting you go."

Credit: Ellie, The Last of Us Part II

She offers to let Nora go here, which aligns with the fact that all Ellie talks about prior is using Nora to track down Abby - she never talks about killing Nora herself. But, beyond Ellie's words, we have further evidence that she was never planning on ending Nora's life. As is likewise displayed in the video, she literally has a full-on mental breakdown and starts uncontrollably shaking after torturing and killing Nora - which she only did because Nora was dying anyway:

"I'm dead anyway."

Credit: Nora, The Last of Us Part II

This is definitely not the kind of behaviour a savage killer who's out of touch with their empathy would display. If she can't kill people who've hurt those she loved, could she murder anyone in cold blood? But, as a final example, let's look at Ellie's confrontations with more people involved in Joel's death:

"You guys can survive this. I just need her."

Credit: Ellie, The Last of Us Part II

Again, Ellie displays she is willing to let Abby's friends walk away - she only doesn't because they attack her. Of course there's still the question of her sincerity, but I think the way the line is delivered indicates it's genuine. Moreover, if the intent was that she did plan on and was capable of killing these people without being forced to then it begs the question as to why the scenario was written this way in the first place (the same actually goes for Nora's death).

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So, to summarise, the portrayal of Ellie championed by those who dislike The Last of Us Part II is fundamentally wrong. This will become relevant again in section VI.

V. What is Ellie's motivation for wanting to kill Abby?

Knowing why Ellie wants to kill Abby is relevant to understanding both her final decision to let Abby go and her choice to leave Dina. This section will address the latter directly, and tie into section VI - which will discuss the former.

--- --- ---

So, why did Ellie want to kill Abby? This is obviously because of revenge, but to say it's just that would be too overly simplistic. To preface, recall Abby's motivations for wanting to kill Joel:

Abby was suffering from nightmares after her father's death and sought to have them end. She thought revenge would alleviate them, but it doesn't, and she eventually seeks an alternative way of easing her own trauma - helping the two scar children - which actually does cause her bad dreams to end. Given that Abby is portrayed as Ellie's dark mirror throughout the whole story, one would surmise that their motivations are the same, and, indeed, Ellie is explicitly shown to be suffering from severe PTSD, as a result of Joel's death:

It was this that made her want to kill Abby. This helps explain why she left Dina because it shows that she wasn't happy with her life on their farm. Ellie was miserable due to the level of trauma she had to endure and desired a release from it: just like Abby. Given such, I don't understand how it's remotely unrealistic that she left her girlfriend and child. Moreover, to go deeper, let's look at the way PTSD manifests itself:

(Click Me.)

Per the link provided, it causes extreme negative emotion and makes feeling positive emotion virtually impossible. Ellie would be feeling emotionally numb, and disconnected from those she loves: so why on earth, in her mind, should she stay?

In fact, to put the final nail in the coffin, "self-destructive and reckless" behaviour is literally included in the symptoms, so it isn't at all a leap to suggest someone in Ellie's shoes would leave their loved ones to go on a suicidal revenge quest.

--- --- ---

In summary, Ellie's actions are fully consistent with what you'd expect from someone suffering from PTSD.

VI. Why did Ellie choose not to end Abby's life?

This final section will cover why Ellie chose not to kill Abby, and how it's absolutely not inconsistent character writing - tying into/referencing both prior sections.

--- --- ---

Firstly, I want to emphasise that to kill Abby here would be cold-blooded murder, something which, as shown in section IV, Ellie has never been demonstrated to be capable of doing. Ellie's still in touch with her empathy, and Abby clearly displays she does not want to fight:

"No. I'm not going to fight you."

Credit: Abby, The Last of Us Part II

Furthermore, Abby has spared Ellie's life twice - the second time being after Ellie had killed multiple of her friends:

Ellie knows she's not murdering a monster here, she'd be killing someone who's repeatedly shown compassion. Furthermore, Ellie's unwillingness to kill Abby isn't something that just appears at the last second: she literally cuts her down, walks with her down to the beach, and is just standing around until she's hit by one of her PTSD flashes. This goes back to the point I made in section V, that Ellie's motivations primarily stem from wanting the end of her own suffering, not really an inherent desire for slaughter - she doesn't have the stomach for it.

So, with all that in mind, why is it unrealistic that upon remembering her moment of forgiveness with Joel, Ellie realises she should let Abby go?

I'd say it's a perfectly sufficient catalyst given everything I've written thus far.

To refute one final criticism, I've seen people complain that it's illogical Ellie conveniently has this flashback at that precise moment, but really, why wouldn't her last moments with Joel cross her mind in the moment where she faces his killer? It's directly tied to her current action, so I don't see the problem.

--- --- ---

In conclusion, I'd definitely say everything in the game regarding Ellie's character is perfectly consistent, and all creates the exact same picture: one which was incredibly moving and well-written. If you disagree, however, feel free to share your thoughts, and I might offer up some of mine in response.

That's all.

:)

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