‘The Last Of Us’ Finale Finally Got Love And Masculinity Right

Spoilers.

All those who faithfully tuned in for the post-apocalyptic TV series “The Last of Us” Through its first season, the past two months were wild and bumpy.

It’s true in every way. Thematically, viewers have seen everything, from a brotherly reunion, a cannibalistic religion, the tragic birth of a beautiful girl to the tragic death of a deaf brother and his tortured sister. These contrasts are striking. 

It’s been more turbulent morally. Three episodes into the series, we were introduced to Bill and Frank. They reject the natural order in their relationship, as well as their responsibilities as men. By committing suicide together, they are sending the message that selfishness can be “It is so romantic“Love is coercive,” and healthy masculinity could mean renoncing the responsibility to protect the vulnerable within one’s care. 

The finale provided a beacon of hope in a dark valley.

Joel and Ellie — now bonded into a compelling father-daughter-like relationship by mutual self-sacrifice, shared experiences, and equal but opposite trauma — finally make it to their destination: the hospital where the Fireflies and their resistance leader Marlene have planned to create a cure for the deadly Cordyceps fungus using Ellie’s unique immunity.

It’s not an easy road to reach the hospital. They exchange puns while walking through an old Army medical camp. Then, they are attacked by armed Fireflies. Joel wakes up in the hospital. But Ellie is still missing.

Marlene won’t tell you at first that Joel was worried, but the girl is now doing well and being prepared for surgery. Marlene says that Ellie’s antidotal cells will be removed to create a vaccine that can then be distributed to the rest of the world.

Joel is the one who puts all of it together. Cordyceps is a host. The operation will result in her death.

“We didn’t tell her. We didn’t cause her any fear. There won’t be any pain,” Joel is furious. Marlene reacts. She is wrong. Even ignoring the harm of refusing informed consent to a healthy child and her guardian it is certain that Ellie will feel the pain.

Joel shows love when death threatens him and the person he is caring for. Joel, unlike Bill or Frank, shows that masculinity does matter, especially in crisis. 

Joel defeated a pair armed Fireflies that tried to take Joel out of the building. They were trying to take Ellie away from an anesthetized Ellie. Joel then seizes the firearms of the Fireflies and saves Ellie. He destroys all who stand in his way, including the doctor holding a scalpel to Ellie’s head. Hippocrates is no match for a surgeon with a lofty goal of saving the world — but neither is a match for a surrogate father separated from his child. 

There is bloodshed. Lives are lost — and with them, the hope for a cure. It could be called toxic masculinity. Others refer to it as morally “dark gray.”

Americans lost sight of many important things while trying to save the world from a viral epidemic. “All in this together” Somehow, it became an excuse for doing everything separately. Families moved their parents into dangerous nursing homes, in order to stop the spread of the disease and show they care. Parents gave their children experimental shots and put them in front of screens to make them feel better. Informed consent went out the window — job or jab, pick one — for the “greater good.”

Americans have done the exact same thing with technology, human sexuality and other matters. We’ve put a smartphone in everyone’s hands, and many people have added pronouns to their email signatures. Children are sucked into the gender-bending rabbit hole of TikTok or Tumblr, in the name of progress.

Joel could have told Ellie what really happened to her when she was unconscious. Perhaps she would have offered her brain to science. Joel realized a simple truth that we have forgotten: Saving the world begins with saving your own lives.

Kylee Griswold serves as The Federalist’s editorial director. Her previous roles included copy editor at the Washington Examiner magazine, and editor and producer at National Geographic. She holds a B.S. A.S. in Communication Arts/Speech, an A.S.in Criminal Justice, and she writes on topics such as feministism, gender issues, religion and the media. Follow her Twitter @kyleezempel.