The Last of Us Season 1: Was Joel Right?
The first season of The Last of Us has reached its conclusion, as Ellie and Joel return safely to Jackson, Wyoming. However, with no cure in sight for the Cordyceps infection, the show has set a stage of uncertainty for future seasons. Throughout the acclaimed HBO series, the world has witnessed the relentless lurking of dreadfully contagious infected. But amidst all this gruesomeness, the show offers plenty of reasons to rejoice, starting with the wholesome relationship Ellie and Joel share that progresses from initial hostility and hatred to love and care.
Sadly, things turn awry for Joel (played by Peter Pascal) towards the finale when he takes extreme steps of confronting the Fireflies and even kills Marlene to save Ellie from becoming their scientific guinea pig for the cure. Fans might conclude that Joel’s actions were a striking replica of what Marlene did. Indeed, Marlene never fully informed Ellie about the consequences of her decision of becoming a scientific experiment and essentially took away the young girl’s free will of making the informed decision by concealing some important facts. Joel undeniably decided for Ellie and robbed her of the ability to make decisions for herself. Even further, he killed her so-called guardian, Marlene, appointed by Anna (her mother) on her deathbed to save Ellie from worldly harm.
Fans might argue that Joel’s decision of bailing out Ellie from the hospital was not entirely an act of selflessness or love. A long time ago, Joel lost his baby girl Sarah to a FEDRA soldier, and when he saw the same almost happening to Ellie, he couldn’t resist going to extremes to save her. This has led some to believe that Joel’s decision stinks of selfishness, as he didn’t want to repeat the past of seeing his loved one getting killed again at the hands of stupidity.
Throughout The Last of Us Season 1, fans witnessed a sweet evolution in the relationship between Joel and Ellie. We saw them go from fighting against each other over trivial issues to fighting for one other through thick and thin. And the best of all these moments was when Joel fought the entire crew of Fireflies for Ellie in the finale, who were willing to sacrifice a young girl full of hopes and dreams for mere speculation of finding a cure. Yes, no one but Joel had the guts to do what it takes to make things right. And he just doesn’t do right by Ellie, but also, in the process, relearns to love a daughter figure. Obviously, by saving Ellie, he unintentionally makes sure Anna’s wish to protect Ellie is fulfilled as well, which was Marlene’s job to do in the first place. In this regard, Joel was right about what he did, but maybe if had he gone a little less harsh than what he did, it would have put him in a better light.
Knowing both sides of Joel’s decision, it is impossible to come to a unanimous conclusion. He was right, but he was wrong too. Frankly, it has been left to the audience to put Joel on a morality check and character trial, and based on their perception and bias, they come to separate, definitive conclusions. But most of all, many will agree: Joel was right in his way. And in no way, fans can throw hate on him. But it can also not be ignored that Ellie deserved at least the truth from Joel, if not the decision-making power for her life.
Season 2 will deal with the consequences of Joel’s decisions. If the television show follows the game faithfully, the more hardships are in store for Ellie and Joel. As of right now, amidst the Writers Strike in Hollywood, The Last of Us Season 2 is officially delayed, per The Direct. As of this writing, production isn’t projected to begin until early-2024, which means the upcoming season likely won’t arrive on HBO until late-2024 or even early-2025.
The Last of Us Season 1 has finally met its destined conclusion. With Ellie and Joel returning safely to Jackson, Wyoming and no sight of a cure for the Cordyceps infection in the future, The Last of Us has set an even scarier and uncertain stage for the upcoming seasons. Undeniably, the world in the acclaimed HBO series has been witnessing the relentless lurking of dreadfully contagious infected throughout the season. But, amidst all this gruesome, be assured, the show offers plenty of reasons to rejoice. Starting with the wholesome relationship Ellie and Joel share that goes from initial hostility and hatred to love and care.
Sadly, things turn awry for Joel (played by Peter Pascal) towards the finale, when he takes extreme steps of confronting the Fireflies and even kills Marlene in order to save Ellie from becoming their scientific guinea pig for the cure. While this might seem appreciative and acceptable to many, there is so much that needs to be read between the lines to reach a concrete conclusion. So, without any delay, read to find out whether Joel was right or not.
Why Joel Was Wrong
At first, the whole incident around Joel and Ellie in the season finale seems all right and even has the audience cheering for him when he takes on a couple of Firefly rebels to rescue the young Ellie. But if fans take a moment and chew over what exactly Joel did, they might conclude that his actions were a striking replica of what Marlene did. Indeed, Marlene never fully informed Ellie about the consequences of her decision of becoming a scientific experiment, and essentially took away the young girl’s free will of making the informed decision by concealing some important facts.
Sadly, even worse than Marlene were Joel’s impulsive actions that cost not just human lives, but possibly years of hard work in finding the Cordyceps’ cure. Joel undeniably decided for Ellie and, naturally, yet again, robbed her of the ability to make decisions for herself. Even further, he killed her so-called guardian, Marlene, appointed by Anna (her mother) on her deathbed to save Ellie from worldly harm.
Fans might even argue that Joel’s decision of bailing out Ellie from the hospital was not entirely an act of selflessness or love. A long time ago, Joel lost his baby girl Sarah to a FEDRA soldier (via Screen Rant), and when he saw the same almost happening to Ellie, he couldn’t resist going to extremes to save her. This has led some to believe that Joel’s decision stinks of selfishness, as he didn’t want to repeat the past of seeing his loved one getting killed again at the hands of stupidity.
Why Joel Was Right
No doubt, throughout The Last of Us Season 1, fans witnessed a sweet evolution in the relationship between Joel and Ellie. We saw them go from fighting against each other over trivial issues to fighting for one other through thick and thin. And the best of all these moments was when Joel fought the entire crew of Fireflies for Ellie in the finale, who were willing to sacrifice a young girl full of hopes and dreams for mere speculation of finding a cure.
Yes, no one but Joel had the guts to do what it takes to make things right. And he just doesn’t do right by Ellie, but also, in the process, relearns to love a daughter figure. Obviously, by saving Ellie, he unintentionally makes sure Anna’s wish to protect Ellie is fulfilled as well — which was Marlene’s job to do in the first place. In this regard, Joel was right about what he did but, maybe, if had he gone a little less harsh than what he did, it would have put him in a better light. But again, there was no substantiation that the Fireflies would have, yet again, exacted revenge on Ellie and Joel.
Knowing both sides of Joel’s decision, it is, undoubtedly, impossible to come to a unanimous conclusion. He was right, but he was wrong, too. Frankly, it has been left to the audience to put Joel on a morality check and character trial, and based on their perception and bias, they come to separate, definitive conclusions. But most of all, many will agree: Joel was right in his way. And in no way, fans can throw hate on him. But it can also not be ignored that Ellie deserved at least the truth from Joel, if not the decision-making power for her life.
What Will Happen in The Last of Us Season 2?
Bygones be bygones, Season 2 will deal with the consequences of Joel’s decisions. If the television show follows the game faithfully, the more hardships are in store for Ellie and Joel. As of right now, amidst the Writers Strike in Hollywood, The Last of Us Season 2 is officially delayed, per The Direct. As of this writing, production isn’t project to being until early-2024, which means the upcoming season likely won’t arrive on HBO until late-2024 or even early-2025.
