Stuff like this is why I always assumed the Fireflies are full of shit at the end of The Last of Us and had no idea how to make a cure and were just going to murder a person for nothing. I assumed that was the intended reading, but maybe it's just a splash of bad writing in an otherwise brilliantly written game and show?
https://slate.com/culture/2023/03/last-us-finale-hbo-season-1-vaccine-ending.html
@othermaciej @jwz I always read it as ‘Joel’s past trauma in regards to losing his daughter causes him to make a selfish decision.’
@sleepy @jwz think that’s the authorial intent (though perhaps the more nuanced: “he would sacrifice the world for the one he loves, and does”. I think it’s meant to be objectively true and specifically actually believed by Joel.
But it’s not very well supported by the actual cure scenario, which makes it seem more like he’s rescuing his loved one from deranged quacks.
@othermaciej @jwz I haven’t watched the show. It’s been years since I played the original. Never played the second. Kinda done with misery porn.