DForce
NaughtyDog Defense Force
Let me guess - the "symbolism" of TLOU 2 was that you don't have to be so hateful towards other people and spare them right even after they kill your loved ones? Abby killing Joel made sense because he killed her father. Ellie didn't kill Abby even though she should have and had every right too. Let me know how you feel if someone kills your mother and father and if you spare them and be like "oh, it okie!
This is the biggest mistake in your argument.
Here's something you have to realize
Joel was not Ellie's father.
Ellie and Joel had a rocky relationship for 3 years after the first game and she then spent the 2 years hating him. This was not the father-and-daughter relationship every critic wants to believe.
Ellie knew what Joel did was wrong, and because of this, she knew Abby's actions were justified.
She traveled to Seattle to find out answers and she got them when she killed Nora who told her why they killed Joel. This entirely changes Ellie's perspective and her quest for revenge. She went to California because of guilt. Right before Ellie left, Dana told her that she doesn't "Owe Tommy anything."
Let's say you woke up one day and found out that your friend was brutally beaten to death. You want the person who committed that act to either die or spend the rest of his life in prison. But what if find out a month later that the person was defending himself from your friend and it was caught on tape? Your entire opinion of that person would likely change. This is not a 1-for-1 comparison, but people's thoughts do change after finding out the truth about what happened.
The ending was not "symbolism." Deep down she knew what Joel did was wrong and caused the death of many people to save her.
He trusted Henry and Sam in the first game. He trusted to follow them to their hideout without knowing anyone there. This "Joel never trusted anyone" narrative is bogus. Joel would in fact trust more people like Sam and Henry. Even Jackson brought in new people and they were recruiting people all the time.I understand we are besties now! Muh symbolis!!!!1111" yeah genius symbolism. No fuck off with that, shit ending, shit story. 1st game had amazing story but 2nd game disrespects the 1st. Why did Joel all of a sudden decided to help random people in TLOU 2? Real Joel from TLOU 1 would never ever trust anyone. Instead, he just walks himself into a fucking ambush like the idiot he is and goes against his morals. Very inconsistent character writing.
Also, Joel didn't even walk into an ambush. They were being chased by a horde with limited options for safety. They needed to find shelter and they weren't going to outrun anyone.