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The last of us Season 1 has finally met its scheduled end. With Ellie and Joel safely back in Jackson, Wyoming and seeing no cure for the Cordyceps infection in the future, The last of us It set a more harrowing and uncertain stage for the seasons to come. There is no denying that the world of the hit HBO series has been witnessing a relentless continuation of the horrific infected throughout the season. But amidst all the awfulness, rest assured, the show offers plenty of reasons to rejoice. Starting with the wholesome relationship Ellie and Joel share that goes from initial hostility and hate to love and care.
Unfortunately, things go awry for Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) towards the end, when he takes extreme steps to confront the Fireflies and even kills Marilyn in order to save Ellie from becoming their scientific experiment pig for a cure. While this may sound discretionary and acceptable to many, there is a lot that needs to be read between the lines to come to a tangible conclusion. So, without any delay, read on to find out whether Joel is right or not.
Why was Joel wrong?
At first, the whole incident surrounding Joel and Ellie in the season finale seems okay, and he even has the audience cheering for him when he takes on two Firefly rebels to save young Ellie. But if fans took a moment and chewed through exactly what Joel did, they might conclude that his actions were a stunning replica of what Marilyn did. In fact, Marilyn never quite told Ellie about the consequences of her decision to become a science experiment, essentially taking the little girl out of free will to make the informed decision by hiding some important facts.
Sadly, worse than Marilyn was Joel’s impulsive actions that cost not only human lives but possibly years of hard work finding the cure for Cordyceps. Joel undeniably decided in favor of Ellie, and of course, once again, robbed her of the ability to make decisions on her own. Furthermore, he kills her guardian, Marilyn, who was appointed by Anna (her mother) on her deathbed to save Ellie from worldly harm.
Fans might even argue that Joel’s decision to rescue Ellie from the hospital wasn’t entirely selfless or loving. A long time ago, Joel lost his baby Sarah to a FEDRA soldier (via Screen Rant), and when he saw almost the same thing happen to Ellie, he couldn’t resist going to extremes to save her. This led some to believe that Joel’s decision smacked of selfishness, as he did not want a repeat of the past of seeing a loved one killed again at the hands of stupidity.
Why was Joel right?
No doubt around The last of us In the first season, fans witnessed a wonderful development in the relationship between Joel and Ellie. We’ve seen them go from fighting against each other over petty issues to fighting for each other through thick and thin. And the best of all of these moments was when Joel finally fought the entire Fireflies crew for Ellie, who were willing to sacrifice a little girl full of hopes and dreams just to speculate on finding a cure.
Yes, no one but Joel had the guts to do what it took to make things right. And he not only does what Ellie does right, but also, in the process, learns anew to love the daughter’s personality. Evidently, by saving Ellie, he’s unwittingly making sure that Anna’s wish to protect Ellie is also fulfilled – which was Marilyn’s mission in the first place. For that matter, Joel was right about what he did, but perhaps if he had been less ruthless than he did, it would have put him in a better light. But then again, there was no evidence that the Fireflies would once again get revenge on Ellie and Joel.
Knowing both sides of Joel’s decision, it is undoubtedly impossible to reach a unanimous conclusion. He was right, but he was also wrong. Frankly, it was left up to the audience to put Joel to a moral test and personal experience, and based on their own perception and bias, come to separate final conclusions. But most of all, many will agree: Joel was right in his way. And no way, fans can throw hate at him. But it also can’t be ignored that Ellie deserves at least the truth from Joel, if not decision-making power in her life.
What will happen in the second season of The Last of Us?
A past past, Season 2 will deal with the consequences of Joel’s decisions. If the TV show faithfully follows the game, the more hardships Ellie and Joel will face. As of now, amidst the writers’ strike in Hollywood, The last of us Season 2 has officially been delayed, according to The Direct. As of this writing, production won’t continue until early 2024, which means the next season likely won’t arrive on HBO until late 2024 or even early 2025.
