Last Of Us 2 Ending EXPLAINED - Why It's Dividing The Fandom

Joel's "Cheap" Death

Death IS cheap.

Very few of us live past 73 according to the latest data, and even fewer get to plan for a circle of family members, flowers and last words. Death in real life just... happens, and you have to deal with it.

In so many ways - especially in a fictional post-apocalypse - death can, and in this case, should, come at any time.

For The Last of Us 2, Joel's murder at the hands of Abby stems from her being the daughter of the lead surgeon you butchered in the first game.

Yes, Joel was saving Ellie, but it prevented the cure for humankind. On a bigger scale, it undid the work of multiple generations of Firefly members signing up to do the right thing for years upon years at a time.

Joel's death mirrors that of the surgeon from the first game - a character we didn't give a second thought to at the time, but whose role in this mythos was instrumental.

Joel's murder feels "cheap" because again, that's the point. Joel is a target Abby has been tracking for years; someone who in her eyes, came out of nowhere and destroyed her family and life's work on a personal whim.

Like some survivors who undergo trauma and enact a plan to ensure it never happens again, Abby has transformed her body into a living weapon. When finally given the opportunity, she unleashes a built-up fury that was harbouring for far too long.

Abby's attack is devastating to see and hear, but it succeeds in making both us and Ellie question her motivations more furiously than any other character in gaming history.

Again, you are not supposed to be okay with Joel's death. You just have to live with why it happened, and press on.