First of all: I'm huge fan of the show - I think it's a masterpiece, however I do think the finale falls short, which is disappointing considering the series was nearly perfect. The acting and production of the finale were all exceptional, but it did feel way too rushed. I haven't played the games, but I have read about them and I've listened to every episode of the Last of Us official podcast, so I have a decent understanding of the creators' inspiration, intentions, & goals. I definitely appreciate the art of telling a story as concisely as possible, and I think generally, they've been extremely successful with that approach up to this point.
These are my thoughts on the where the finale had issues (again, the acting, production, & directing of the episode were all exceptional):
1. Even though the opening scene with Ashley Johnson as Ellie's mom is so amazing & beautiful (both because of the actual scenes, which were incredible, and because of what it represents with Ashley playing Anna; even though I haven't played the game, I can still recognize the beauty & significance in that, and I could feel the connection between Ashley & the character(s) & it's gorgeous), it raises some practical issues re: Ellie's immunity, namely that it could potentially be recreated. As awful as that would be, considering the stakes, it seems like there would be consenting individuals who would be willing to sacrifice their bodies and lives to the cause for finding a cure. The key is that they would be willing, consenting adults. Obviously there are many arguments that could be made re: the ethics of that situation, but it seems like it would be more ethical than volunteering an unconscious teenager without her consent (and at only 14 years old, Ellie couldn't ethically consent to the surgery even if she had been given the option). I know we're not supposed to consider these lines of reason, but I don't think we can help it as viewers when we're given that kind of background information. Plus, as others have pointed out, too - the leap to automatically perform a surgery that would kill the only known immune human seems incredibly hasty and not scientifically sound, not to mention extremely unethical (which I could look past as a reason to question the story logic, given the circumstance, if we were given absolutely no reason to believe there could be any other viable options, i.e., willing & consenting adult volunteers).
2. I don't feel like the series lacked infected as I've seen some people criticize (mostly fans of the game, I think), and I really loved that the show focused heavily on the characters and was very much grounded in reality (especially around violence), but I do think some infected in the finale, besides the one in the opening with Anna, would have helped drive home the importance of finding a "cure"/vaccine. I realize that it was likely avoided to make the action/violence of the climax & Joel's actions more impactful and I totally understand that & agree, but even if there was a scene (maybe before the giraffe scene) where Joel & Ellie had to avoid a group of infected, or even if we just saw more cordyseps growing on a building and/or they had to avoid walking on it... something to bring that threat back into focus to really highlight the consequences of Joel's decision to save Ellie over the rest of humanity. I also don't think we've seen just the two of them come up against any infected, and I think it could have been a really interesting addition to the episode.
3. I also think that the sequence leading up to the giraffe scene is the only place where the show fails by trying to follow the game too closely. Not the actual scene with the giraffe, which is stunning and so bittersweet & beautiful, and definitely achieves what it is meant to, but from the moment Ellie apparently notices the giraffe & drops the ladder to when Joel gets to her. I think the whole sequence after she drops the ladder (also, I cant help wondering how/where she saw the giraffe from there) while she's running toward it & yelling to Joel & he's chasing after her - it all just feels too video game-y, if you will. It really took me out of the medium in which I chose to experience this story, which is television (and truly, up to this point, some of the best TV ever created... and still, despite my issues with this episode, very good)... but it was strange IMO & definitely my least favorite part of the entire series. I feel like that segment of that scene could have been adapted to feel more natural for television. The rest of the giraffe scene was beautiful and definitely fit the medium better, and the dialogue between Joel & Ellie after that and before the hospital was great (and phenomenally acted by Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsey - the chemistry between those two was incredible throughout the entire series).
I think the final sequence in the hospital was perfect. Again, I haven't played the game, so I have no comparison, but it hit exactly how it was intended, and I didn't find it unbelievable (as I've seen some people criticize), as we have caught glimmers of how ruthless Joel can be (particularly end of Ep. 1 & in Ep. 8), and it makes perfect sense that he would execute that slaughter exactly as he did. Perhaps slightly far-fetched, but it was very easy to suspend disbelief given the character & his history & what's at stake for him.
Overall, it was still a great episode (8.5/10), but I truly feel that if the creators allowed themselves to be a little more flexible with the source material, and more carefully considered some of the details (the logistics of Ellie's immunity, the threat of cordyseps) & their TV-only audience, it could have been perfection, like the other 8 episodes in the series have been.
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