The Last of Us ending discussion. September 27, 2013 by

Well over a month since its release, I still find myself contemplating over the ending for The Last of Us. Naughty Dogs latest project which introduces us to Joel and Ellie. Two people surviving a disease infested world.

For many, what they felt after the conclusion quickly juxtapose from one reaction to another. The biggest problem for them was that the ending did not give them a sense of closure. But this is what makes The Last of Us a magical and beautiful game.

Before beating the game, I was advised by friends to be wary of the ending. When they beat it, their initial reaction was to want more then what they were given. But as any great novel, the more thought you give to an ending the more perspective you gain.

What happened, do balls just drop off? The Last of Ends in a very open ended ending. After Joel rescues Ellie and escapes the fire fly facility, we see them travel across the country. They come to a stop and enter a forest in which Ellie follows Joel. Ellie then asks Joel if what he says is true, that if in fact she wasn't the cure after all. Joel tells her he isn't lying and Ellie simply replies, Okay.

Was Ellie really a sleep though? Although Ellie was in the operating chair, I believe she may have been a sleep but not for the entire course of events. Perhaps she was even slipping in and out of consciousness and was aware of what Joel was doing. In the car she may have pretended to be a sleep, so she can gather her thoughts and decide if she wants to follow Joel or leave.

But why? We ask why, because the whole journey we took with these characters was to find a cure. Most importantly we didn't know it would come at the price of Ellie's life. Joel who has once again become a father figure by learning to care for Ellie believes this is wrong, which is shown by his actions.

One of the recent Game Informer issues stated that Joel's sole purpose at the end of the game is to make sacrifices and save Ellie. He had no other choice in saving her, as he did in lying to her.

"By the end he's willing to sacrifice his soul, damning mankind to save this girl."

Having Joel been a parent already, who has lost his humanity in the world they live in, Ellie became the only thing he lived for.

For many the question is whether Joel was selfish or not? Which is something we all Interpret differently. I believe Joel was actually being selfless in lying to Ellie. Not only for the fact that they need and want each other, but because he was saving Ellie from her own desire to die.

For those who completed the game you learned Ellie wanted nothing more than to be normal and live her life. But even if a vaccination was made, it wouldn't be fair that she wont be able to live in an infested free world. She has survived in this world for her entire life, so why shouldn't everyone else. The way I see things, that world naughty dog created wasn't meant to be changed, it wasn't meant to be a happy one.

Tangent time: Lets assume a cure was made. This would mean producing millions of vaccinations, distributing them across the globe. Making sure everyone reacts the same to them and hoping the vaccine doesn't kill or infect the living population. Even if you give the vaccination to people, what happens to those already infected? Maybe you can turn them back, but most likely not. So you are left doing what you have always been doing which is surviving.

Another reason why Joel's decision was selfless, was because their relationship is symbiotic. As I mentioned before they need one another.Joel needs Ellie to redeem himself, redeem his soul. Ellie, who hasn't had parents can have the one thing kids need, a parent. Joel also allowed Ellie to continue to live, her desire to be the cure at all could have come on vein. It's more selfish to believe that because Ellie's sacrifice the world will be saved because she won't be part of that world. Her greatest dream will never come true.

The only way Joel would have been selfish was if he forced Ellie to accept what he did. Instead, we get the most open to interpretation answer from Ellie, a simple Okay. This declared that Ellie knew exactly what Joel did, but she was going to stand behind him whether he lied or told the truth. Her answer meant that she accepted what he did, that she trusts him enough to never question or be angry towards his actions in the lab. The okay signifies trust and love. She trusts and loves Joel. As any parent, trying to shelter their kid from harm, he loves her enough to lie to her. Thanks to him she can live and they will make it together. Thanks to her Joel will keep surviving and enduring with a purpose.

"Ellie has a good bullshit detector and Joel is a bad liar."

She had to have known, but just accepted it. Like having faith asking no questions.

(Cudos to naughty dog for expressing the emotion of love in a video game)

With a lot to think about and indifirences by the games ending, it's clear, at least for me that what Joel did was the right thing. The Last of Us may have been as close to perfect as a game can get. With Grand Theft Auto V out now, it's hard to see who will win game of the year.

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