WARNING: Contains spoilers! đđť
Everyone was right in their own world.
When we look at TLOU I, we see that Joel is someone who lost his daughter, Sarah. This event deeply changed him. When he first met Ellie, he saw her only as a burden he had to deliver. But throughout their journey, everything they experienced, the conversations they had, and the hardships they went through together created a very strong bond between Joel and Ellie. Ellie had become like a daughter to Joel.
That is why Joel had two choices in the hospital: sacrifice Ellie or save her. Joel chose his own world and saved Ellie. In my opinion, his decision was completely understandable on an emotional level. If I were in the same situation, I would probably choose Ellie too.
When we look at things from Ellieâs perspective, however, the situation becomes different. At the beginning of Part II, Ellie was distant and cold toward Joel. One of the main reasons was that Joel had lied to her about what happened at the hospital. Ellie was angry with him, but deep down, she still loved Joel. It was in the middle of these complicated feelings that Abby took her revenge on Joel.
During that part of the game, we were also seeing everything through Ellieâs eyes, so we hated Abby. I wanted to find Abby and kill her too. At that point, the only thing we knew was that Joel had been brutally murdered. Ellie also didnât know the full story behind why Abby had killed him. So Ellie chasing after Abby out of anger and grief was completely understandable.
However, when we look at things from Abbyâs side, the story completely changes.
Abby lost her father when she was young. Jerry believed that the surgery could potentially help save humanity, although there was no guarantee that it would actually work. Despite this, Abby supported her father and believed in what he was trying to do. When Joel killed Jerry in the hospital, Abby lost one of the most important people in her life. So from Abbyâs perspective, wanting revenge against Joel was understandable.
On top of that, Abby had a strong bond with Owen. They had known each other for years and still had feelings for each other. However, Abbyâs obsession with revenge also damaged their relationship. Owen wanted to move on and live a different life, while Abby remained focused on finding Joel.
Later, Ellie killed many of Abbyâs friends, including Nora, Owen and Mel. She also killed Alice while trying to escape from the aquarium. Tommy killed Manny as well. Despite all of this, Abby still had several opportunities to kill Ellie and Tommy and chose not to. Even after learning that Dina was pregnant, Abby ultimately chose to let her live.
Jesseâs death was different. When Abby arrived at the theater, Jesse immediately pointed his gun at her, and Abby shot him without hesitation. Considering that Abby had spent years fighting as a WLF soldier and had become accustomed to violence, her reaction was understandable from a character perspective.
I think Abbyâs real change began with Yara and Lev. She risked her own life to save Yara, and over time, Lev became the most important person in her life. Abby was no longer focused on revenge. Instead, she became focused on protecting Lev.
We see this very clearly at the end of the game. Abby had been enslaved by the Rattlers and was nearly dead when Ellie found her. Despite her own condition, Abby immediately searched for Lev. After finding him, she carried him and tried to get him to safety even though she was barely able to walk herself.
When Ellie wanted to fight Abby one last time, Abby initially refused. She only agreed when Ellie threatened Lev. Even though both of them were exhausted and severely injured, they fought. In the end, Ellie chose not to kill Abby.
I think Ellie realized at that moment that revenge would not bring anything back. Even if she killed Abby, Joel would never come back.
That is why, to me, everyone was right in their own world. Joel was justified in saving Ellie, Ellie was justified in wanting revenge for Joel, and Abby was justified in wanting revenge for her father.
However, when I look at the whole story from a broader perspective, I find Abby a little more justified. After Abby got her revenge, she eventually stopped pursuing it. Despite losing almost everyone she loved, she chose Lev and tried to build a new life.
Maybe instead of simply saying that Abby was âright,â it would be more accurate to say that she managed to step away from the cycle of revenge and ultimately made the more honorable choice.
Thatâs my take on it. Do you think Abby was actually more justified, or does the distinction between ârightâ and âwrongâ become meaningless when we look at the story from both sides?
Iâm open to discussion.