InThe Last of UsSeason 2, the tragedy of Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) journey is becoming even harder to ignore — and according to the show’s creators, that’s no accident. Speaking on the official HBO podcast for the series,Craig MazinandNeil Druckmannopened up about Ellie’s increasingly dark path, and how characters like therapist Gail (Catherine O’Hara) are starting to recognize that the damage done to Ellie might be too deep to undo.
“This is sort of the question of the entire thing. What does it mean to be saved, and can it happen at all in this world? Is someone doomed to go down a path that we would call wrong? Gail’s point here is arguable… She is presenting the fatalistic point of view, which is Ellie’s broken. She’s broken. She started broken. She got more broken.Now she is really broken,” Mazin said, summarizing Gail’sseriouslydark assessment of Ellie during their intense therapy session. “Some people just can’t be saved.”
According to Mazin, that viewpoint — as harsh as it sounds — may not be entirely wrong. “There’s a difference between lying and being a liar,” he revealed, referring to Gail’s observation thatEllie has learned to mask her true feelingsand intentions at every turn. “We have seen Ellie lying from the beginning. She didn’t even tell the Fireflies her real name.” The idea that nurture can only go so far — and that nature might have already set Ellie’s course — hangs heavily over the episode. “Nurture can only do this much,” Mazin said, echoing Gail’s words. “The rest is nature. You are who you are.”
Is Ellie Doomed in ‘The Last of Us’?
For Druckmann, the contrast between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie is key to understanding why Gail sees Ellie’s future in such grim terms. While Joel was haunted by guilt and driven by a need to save others, Ellie’s rage is more outward and indiscriminate. “Joel wouldn’t pursue vengeance,” Druckmann explained. “He would try and save people, and he would blame himself if he failed.Ellie is different. Her anger — it’s dangerous, and it goes outward.” Even Tommy (Gabriel Luna), who is struggling with his own grief over Joel’s death, seems to recognize that Ellie’s relentless focus on revenge is leading her down a path with no return.
“What do you do when your method of control in the world is taken away, and now you are passive, and you have to watch the horror over and over? You can imagine how, over the course of three months, this is going to ferment in her brain into something that is very dangerous and very angry.”
The Last of Usairs on Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO. You can listen to the podcast above.
The Last Of Us
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Source:The Last of Us Podcast
