[Warning: Spoilers for The Last of Us: Part 2 below]
One of the most shocking moments in The Last of Us 2 happens early on, and there are likely many players who feel like one of their favorite characters deserved a better ending. Unfortunately, The Last Of Us: Part 2 failed to deliver the closure fans of the franchise desired.
The Last of Us: Part 2 released on June 19th after a near seven-year gap between its original, which debuted in 2013. Unfortunately, reactions to The Last of Us 2 have been mixed for various reasons. One of the main problems fans of the franchise have is that The Last of Us: Part 2 decided to make a drastic choice regarding one of player's most beloved characters, something many players did not want and even less saw coming.
[Final Warning: Spoilers for The Last of Us: Part 2 below]
Granted, most characters don’t meet a satisfying ending in a post-apocalyptic society dominated by zombies and vicious factions, like the ones in The Last of Us franchise. But just because it may have been unrealistic or even mildly inconvenient doesn’t mean the sequel shouldn’t have attempted to provide players with more finality when they made the decision to kill Joel in The Last of Us: Part 2.
Why TLOU2’s Joel Deserved A Better Ending
Players may have observed the similarities between Joel’s death and that of his daughter Sarah in the first game. Both moments were equally shocking and unprecedented. They also served to set up the rest of the game’s story while also majorly pulling at the player’s heartstrings. Even more, the moment Joel rushes to save his daughter and then Ellie tries to save his life are equally suspenseful, and of course, equally defeating when there’s nothing either of them can do, making it all the more frustrating.
However, the main difference between Joel and Sarah’s death is the amount of time players spend invested in the former. After all, players spend upwards of 90% of the original game playing solely as Joel. Players grieve with him as they watch him lose his daughter and later his partner, Tess. They observe the incredible character development he undergoes in The Last of Us, moving from stone-cold and broken to open and caring, at least towards Ellie. But even more, fans had to wait six years for The Last of Us: Part 2 to finally release. Many had expectations that they would get to play as Joel for a large portion of the sequel, just like it was in the original game. While there may be plenty of flashback scenes showing the years Ellie and Joel spent together after escaping the Fireflies, knowing how he eventually dies puts a damper on those moments. It’s not even that they’re bittersweet – it’s as though the moment is ruined by already knowing what will happen to the characters in the future.
Finally, Joel’s death wasn’t fair to players for the simple fact that it wasn’t fair to Ellie. Of everyone, she deserved to have a break from pain and loss. She’s under 20 years old and she’s already lost most of the people in her life, including her parents. Joel became a father figure to her, so losing him was the equivalent of losing a parent all over again. After everything she and Joel went through in the first game, they deserved to have more time together than the few years they got, especially considering the time it took Ellie to accept what Joel had done to the Fireflies.
Moreover, it felt like rubbing salt in the wound that Ellie had to witness Joel die in front of her in The Last of Us 2. She was literally inches away from him and couldn’t do anything, leaving the players to feel powerless. The entire graphicness of the scene felt unnecessary, and at times, almost too painful to watch. Even more, it was almost unbelievable for players to see Abby kill Joel after having been forced to play as her minutes earlier – time which could have been better spent giving players final moments in Joel’s shoes. It's even worse that they have to play as Abby for the second half of the game. For the player, knowing they played as Joel’s killer is unsettling, and adds to the lack of finality Joel’s death has overall.
There were endless ways the game could have gotten rid of Joel, but the route it went left players with little closure, even by the end of the game. Needless to say, The Last of Us: Part 2’s decision to kill Joel so early on in the game is controversial, and there remains many reasons why this character deserved a better ending.
