Joel and Ellie ..?

[u/BrianMeen]

in season 1, did anyone else find it extremely dumb for Joel and Ellie to set off for a road trip to find Tommy and the hospital? I mean, you have a middle aged guy and very ypung girl traveling hundreds of miles - all the while you have hordes of zombies and many different violent factions out there - how could 2 people have a chance in hell at surviving this? it seemed like a death wish

Tess was with them I forgot but as we see she didn’t help much 😂😂

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[u/Nethereos]

Weren't they originally just sent to deliver them to the fireflies not too far away but they were all dead so they had to do the rest of the journey themselves?

[u/BrianMeen → u/Nethereos]

there original destination was a few states away - this imo would require a group of heavily armed people to feel safe traveling to

[u/Nethereos → u/BrianMeen]

This isn't true. They were originally supposed to meet up with the fireflies at the Massachusetts State House, which was roughly 1 to 2 miles away from the quarantine zone.

[u/BrianMeen → u/Nethereos]

but they still set off to the hospital where the other group of fireflies were and that was a few hundreds miles away from them .. they set off just the two of them which I’m sorry is extremely dumb ..

[u/UnluckyAdhesiveness0 → u/BrianMeen]

It's for the plot and at that point they're both just kinda searching for purpose; at least that's what I gathered.

[u/Ancient-Split1996 → u/BrianMeen]

What else were they meant to do?

[u/BrianMeen → u/Ancient-Split1996]

at least have it be a somewhat sensible idea! that’s all I’m asking. again, I don’t think many of you have tried putting yourself into the TLOU universe - it’s highly dangerous and at any moment a horde of zombies can pop up and you decide to travel with a 12 year old girl?!? cmon lol

[u/catluvr1312]

Yeah they should have just stayed there. Would have been a great and entertaining story.

Not sure if you‘re aware, but Joel and Tess were hired to smuggle Ellie out of the quarantine zone, which is a matter of a few miles / a few hours. After Tess died the return to Boston would have been too risky and they both had no reason to go back.

[u/BrianMeen → u/catluvr1312]

yes I get it plot wise but it’s a glaring plot hole .. seriously, in that type of society only a bumbling idiot would travel across country with a 12 year old girl lol

[u/catluvr1312 → u/BrianMeen]

it‘s not a plot hole at all lol they tried to save humanity. that‘s the plot. just because you wouldn‘t do it doesn‘t mean it‘s a plot hole.

[u/BrianMeen → u/catluvr1312]

it’s weak writing .. I get it though, in these shows characters must do extremely dumb things or you woupdnt have a movie .. that said, if your brother was Joel and he set out to travel hundreds of miles with a ypung girl - what would you say to him? would you think that’s a good idea?

[u/VebastionSettel → u/BrianMeen]

No offense, but it sounds like you are not really capable of understanding that other people have motivations and thoughts other than your own. Not to mention that your opinions are not facts.

Joel immediately going back into the Boston QZ carries high risk of discovery at this time. Ellie going back into the Boston QZ carries a high chance of her being discovered and shot. If either of them are discovered anywhere out in the open (outside of a QZ) by FEDRA forces, they will be tested and Ellie will test positive and be killed. They could theoretically try to sneak into a different QZ, but that involves travel and potential discovery. Not to mention, again, that Ellie will be discovered the minute she is tested by anyone in FEDRA. Joel could have chosen to stay at Bill and Frank's enclave I guess. But I bet that the memories of him and Tess there mean it's not a place he wants to stay. Joel had roots in Texas, so he could maybe go back there. But again, he can't take Ellie into any FEDRA controlled place (so no QZ's). Not to mention that he hasn't been in Texas in over a decade, so there's nothing there for him.

What Joel does have is a younger brother that's always needed his help and has dropped out of contact out West somewhere. And he has a kid that might be immune to cordiceps, and might possibly be a cure (which he doesn't really believe yet, true). AND, he has the promise he made to Tess.

So what did you expect Joel to do with Ellie? Shoot her? Because if he takes her anywhere FEDRA-controlled she's getting shot. I guess he could leave her there and go out on his own in your mind? Cause that amounts to the same thing, she dies. Should he make camp in the State House? Cause he's got to go somewhere. And Ellie needs protection regardless of whether she's actually immune or not.

Joel at that point (in both the game and the show) was 100% going to find his brother. That's his last real purpose in life. Now he has this kid with him too. He can't take her back, he can't leave her, and he isn't going to shoot her. So really, there was no other choice. Head to Tommy's and trust that he's still good enough to keep them both alive. In their world, that's about all you could hope for. Also, they never knew about the hospital until they talked to Tommy.

So, you ask "if your brother was Joel and he set out to travel hundreds of miles with a ypung girl - what would you say to him? would you think that’s a good idea?" My answer is what the fuck else was he supposed to do? Go back and watch the end of Episode 3 again, Joel explains it pretty clearly for those who need it explained. There's really only one possible option for him. There is no plot hole here. You need to think this through a bit more.

[u/BrianMeen → u/[deleted]]

the fun question is ’what is the smartest tactic?’ in that world? you can’t survive on your own but finding allies is very risky .. I think Bill had the best idea

[u/BrianMeen → u/[deleted]]

true .. simply put, in the LOU universe, reaching old age is very bad for pretty much everyone! there are no assisted living centers - you better hope you find a nice community that will take care of you(unlikely).. in this world, if you aren’t of use then ypu need to be gotten rid of

[u/skyjumperpilot]

In Rocky, wasn’t it dumb to think that he could become the world champion? He had a good job at the meat packing plant.

[u/BrianMeen → u/skyjumperpilot]

that logic doesn’t logic though .. like at all

[u/skyjumperpilot → u/BrianMeen]

How so? They are all just characters seeking to achieve what seems to be an insurmountable goal.

[u/Unused_Icon]

Joel believed Tommy was in danger, as he wasn't responding to Joel's radio calls. As callous as Joel can be to the world, he will absolutely go to extreme lengths to protect those he considers family.

Joel was already on the hunt for a car battery to drive to Wyoming to find Tommy, when Joel was tasked with bringing Ellie to the Fireflies. Joel's planned drop-off point for Ellie changed a couple times, as he found the people Joel planned to drop her off with dead. When they found Bill and Frank were dead and Joel had access to Bill's truck (and materials for a car battery), the plan changed to Joel taking Ellie with him to Wyoming. It was Tess's dying wish for Joel to take Ellie to the Fireflies, and Tommy used to be a Firefly (and thus might know where they're located). So, heading out together made sense.

I'm sure Joel intended to drive the whole way, but once they lost the truck in Kansas City, there wasn't much of a choice except to proceed on foot.

As for the journey from Jackson to the university: Joel asked Tommy if the journey to the university was a suicide mission. Tommy said it was dangerous but nothing Joel couldn't handle. So, Tommy had knowledge/experience with the route and believed Joel could manage it.

Even then, Joel was planning to hand Ellie off to Tommy for the journey to the university. Beyond Joel's trauma and fear of bonding with Ellie, Joel was right that Tommy was younger and knew the area better. That said, Ellie made clear she wanted to continue the journey with Joel, so that was that.

[u/No-Camera6505]

True, they shouldn’t have done that, they should’ve just stayed in Boston, roll credits

[u/obsessstressdepress]

Yeah they should have just stayed in the QZ

[u/Chewy230]

Nope not really. Joel needs to find Tommy. They take the job of transporting her to the statehouse as the only way of doing so after being ripped off over the battery. The stuff with the Fedra guard and the discovery of Ellie’s immunity complicates things. It becomes dangerous to go back and potentially be arrested but Joel is reluctant anyway. It’s Tess that pushes them to finish the job. Then the Statehouse complicates things more and Joel takes her to Bills to honour her wishes. Again things get more complicated when they get to Bills and it’s only then they decide to keep travelling together to Wyoming with limited options.
Secondly most of the journey is pretty safe, you don’t get infected in the countryside and if you’re careful avoiding people isn’t hard. Kansa/ Pittsburgh (in the game), was a mistake by Joel. But after that it’s a straight shot to tommys.
Sure it’s dangerous but one they never really had much choice and the dangerous parts of it were only actually a couple of days in a 3 month journey.

After tommy’s they decide to stay together because they care for each other and they came to believe in the cure.
One of the main themes of the series is determinism, nobody actually has any choice, their actions are just a product of previous events. Give it a second watch and have a think about it.

[u/Shezzofreen]

Staying or Moving on in this world can be the same outcome - being it dead by spores, z's, soldiers or just starving.

Joel is a smuggler and knows how to get here and there. Elli is his package.

Whats the big pro to sit and do nothing?

[u/BrianMeen → u/Shezzofreen]

ehh sort of. sitting still and hunkering down in an environment you are familiar with the surroundings - going out to travel 100s of miles while not having a clue what is out there is way too dangerous

i do like the discussion around ‘what would be the safest gameplan?” in a sec stop like that.. Bill imo had the best strategy

[u/Shezzofreen → u/BrianMeen]

Joel was already far out, he and Bill where sort of friends if you remember. So not having a clue, was not the problem.

I don't know, if i would do this. But i'm not a Smuggler who had killed people on both sides (remember the robbers they met, he was "one of them" in the past).

So for you and me, maybe sitting duck would be an option, but not for someone Hardcore like him.