u/-GreyFox

I don't know if I've said this before, but the more works you read by the same author, the more you understand their vision of the world, their philosophy, and who they are.

Sadly, Neil is quite the weasel, so you can't listen to him in interviews and believe everything he's saying, but if you understand the context, you can read the subtext, right?

But there's something no writer can do, not even me when I write a post, and certainly not Neil: he can't hide from his work. Once the work is presented, Neil is exposed as a "philosopher," as a person, and as an "author." He is laid bare for the scrutiny of anyone with a sufficient understanding of the craft.

A Second Chance at Sarah

Thanks to Gabriel Betancourt's interview, I discovered that a young Neil wrote a graphic novel called "A Second Chance at Sarah". And of course, I was simply super excited to read Neil's work. My expectations were quite low, which I admit helped a lot in motivating me to finish reading it. It's bad, no doubt about it. And I love these kinds of stories almost as much as I love zombie stories, no matter how bad they are.

That way you can't offer a thorough critique because these stories don't usually have depth. The purpose leans more towards entertainment than education. But what really caught my attention were the similarities to Part 2.

A Second Chance at Sarah vs The Last of Us: Part II

As I explained in my previous presentation, Neil introduces characters in a way that makes them relevant to the story, only to later discard them. This is a classic problem for a young writer: introducing many characters and then not knowing what to do with them. There are numerous examples in Part 2: Leah, Jordan, Nick, Whitney, Manny's father, Isaac, etc.

Cheap subversion of expectations

But the most important part is the ending, which is also defined by a decision and a sudden change of heart from one of its protagonists.

After Johnny's sacrifice, and believing his story about time travel, Sarah tells him that her sister's life is more important than the life of a future child she doesn't yet know, or even her own. Determined, she heads to the hospital only to reappear moments later, saying she changed her mind after having a vision of her future baby.

When you put the whole story together, it doesn't make sense. In the case of "A Second Chance at Sarah," everything points to the fact that you can't defeat the demon inhabiting the talisman, but Sarah, seemingly out of nowhere, changes her mind, saving the day. The whole story is heading towards a dark ending, the one Neil likes as we know, but it seems Neil changes his mind at the last minute for some reason. If you ask me, it must be his editor's advice, but this is just a hunch.

Gabriel Betancourt

Gabriel was an artist in charge of lighting during the development of The Last of Us (2013), he talks about other works and studios he worked in, not just Naughty Dog. And he also worked for a few months on Part 2 before leaving.

There are many things to take away, but I tried to share the most important/striking ones. You see, you can tell an artist to do their best work, and they will. But what happens if, instead, you show them the story they're working on, and what happens if you explain what you're trying to highlight? Now the artist's work has a focus. And every effort, every decision they make will be in service of your story.

That's the director's job, right? He stands before the “orchestra” and guides all the “instruments” toward the goal. These instruments includes the writer, of course.

Gabriel's first day at work

Then Gabriel tells us how, on their first day of work, Bruce and Neil prepared a 1 hour presentation for the entire team. By the end of the presentation, everyone knew what the story was about. Bruce and Neil were pitching a story to the team.

I shared some videos a while ago where Bruce explained that concept artists shouldn't just draw, but also play the game during development. So this point isn’t new to me, but the idea of ​​Bruce and Neil explaining the story to the team it is; and I will love to put my hands on that presentation.

Gabriel raising his concerns about the plot of Part 2 with Neil

And it is this understanding, even if incomplete, that led him to express his doubts to Neil about the direction of Part 2. Because every story, upon its conclusion, has an implicit, tacit, organic sequel. And Neil's response, to shake off a pointed question posed by Gabriel (I suppose), is to invent the idea of ​​a village/community full of immune people.

The Tacit Sequel / Ellie's immunity

I don't know what movies you've been spending your time on, so I'm betting on a classic: Rocky and Rocky II, knowing that "I Play Rocky" will soon be released in theaters.

Rocky's story begins with his gradual process of convincing himself that he's worthless. To such an extent that when opportunity knocks, he refuses it. He eventually accepts the opportunity. The deal he's set for himself is to last 15 rounds with the world champion. If he manages it, he'll prove to everyone, including himself, that he's worth something. Rocky endures all 15 rounds but loses the fight.

Now, what is the “tacit”/organic sequel to this story? Should it be someone who kills his girlfriend Adrian, and a Rocky going out for revenge?

This is the problem that Gabriel points out to Neil.

Balance

Gabriel previously discusses the appropriate team size for achieving a good result. He talks about the problems that lead to a game's failure.

In Part 2, Gabriel explains that the team was so large that the contribution they relied on in the first story was no longer possible, disrupting the balance between darkness (Neil) and light, between bitterness and sweetness.

Now you don't need Gabriel to understand that Neil likes darkness, the visceral; you just need to play Part II, or read any of Neil's works. But it does help you understand Neil's flaws and weaknesses, which are intrinsically present in all his works, or that Neil originally wanted to kill Elena in Uncharted 2, which shows that Neil has trouble understanding the tone (or genre) of the story being told.

Robert McKee

This is truly striking when Gabriel explains that Neil and Bruce attended Robert McKee's seminars, seminars in which McKee emphasizes the need for positive and negative energy in every beat for your story to come alive. Bruce and Neil attended the same seminar and left with different understandings.

This doesn't surprise me, as I've encountered a similar case in this sub where a user quoted McKee without understanding the text or the exception being referenced.

Benson Russell

From there we jump to Benson Russell, who was in charge of combat against the infected during the development of The Last of Us (2013). And I don't know how familiar you are with the technical aspects of video game development, but the PlayStation 5 has 16 GB of RAM, and they were only working with just 256 MB on the PlayStation 3. "RAM was our most precious resource," someone says in some of the interviews in the "Grounded" video. It was really scarce and made working difficult. The Last of Us (2013) is an incredible programming achievement for its time.

Take pride in your craft

So when all the work was scrapped to present Part I as "The Definitive Way to Play The Last of Us," I can understand Mr. Benson's anger with Neil. At the very least, you should include the original work with this pack, because without it, there would be no "Part I," or even "Part II."

Working with Neil

Listening to Bensons speak makes it clear that there was a lot of friction between him and Neil. Of course, we all know that Neil is capable of insulting even his fans if the reviews of his work are negative, right? So you quickly get an idea of ​​the atmosphere Benson (and Bruce) was working in if it came to opposing Neil.

We all have a co-worker we don't get along with, but this doesn't make us/them bad people, as Russell explains, it's just that when it comes to Neil it's inevitable to remember that phrase: "Always assume the worst and you'll be right".

A Great Director

Russell talks about many things, but he places great emphasis on "North Star." A director who knows the objective prevents the entire team from wandering aimlessly. He attributes delays in video game releases to programming without a clear direction, working for several months on one aspect of the game only to have it discarded and starting over on something completely different simply because an executive said it wasn't a good idea.

Story Comes First

This is the difference he noticed at Naughty Dog, where it was made clear to Russell from the beginning that the story comes first. Meanwhile, other studios would explore some kind of gameplay mechanic that seemed interesting, only to discard it after working on it for several months.

Quentin Cobb Job

Quentin Cobb was brought in to collaborate on The Last of Us (2013), having previously worked on Uncharted 3, to help with item placement in all scenarios. The system was failing, and Bruce asked for help. Quentin decided that the best way to implement the items was to place them one by one throughout each of the scenarios. What a painstaking job.

Everything you put on screen is saying something to the audience

This job gave him the opportunity to work very closely with Bruce, where he learned that Bruce not only proposes scenarios but also uses them to tell a story. And I don't know where Bruce grasped this idea, but McKee's seminars emphasize this aspect of screenplay. Everything you put on screen is saying something to the audience.

Character Development - Riley

From there we go to listen to Heather Cerlan, where she tells us how her working relationship with Neil began, where a curious Neil did his research for Left Behind, addressing the topic "Growing up as a closeted queer kid", in Heather’s words. Oh, shoot, I forgot to share the clip. Don’t worry, it’s quite short.

Author, Authority, and Authenticity

And I completely forgot about sharing that clip because what really excited me in this interview was Heather pointing out the lack of authenticity in Neil's story during the dance scenes and in Ellie's relationship with Dina.

To be an author, you must possess a vast knowledge of the world you've created. This knowledge will give you authority over your work, but you can't have authority if you don't demonstrate authenticity.

Lack of Authenticity

This is one of the biggest problems with The Last of Us: Part II, not just in this scene, not only as a "sequel" but also as a "story"—everything is overly contrived and convenient for the plot. Everything feels forced, and nothing is earned.

I hope you didn't miss the interviews. You can check them out on my profile.

The Last of Us: Part II Major Problems

Okay, yes. This post is going to be very, very long. I'll try to be as concise as possible, but that won't make it short. I'm sorry to say it, but you can skip it and get on with your life, not hard feelings.

Secondly, this post complements what we saw in "The Last of Us: Part 2 A Poorly Written Story," so you'd better keep that series in mind. And there will be more coming soon, yet I don't know how many, or when yet.

Index

Introduction

1. The Last of Us (2013)

a. Text and Subtext

b. The Duplicity of Life

c. Subtext vs Marlene, Joel, and Tommy

d. The Cabin

e. The Lie

f. The Beauty of Subtext

2. The Last of Us: Part II and The Subtext

a. The Cabin, Joel and Neil

b. The Last of Us: Part II Opening

c. The Dam

d. Inorganic Reactions

e. Lack of Subtext

f. The Theater

g. The Beach

h. The Hotel

i. The F.O.B

3. State the Obvious

4. Closing

INTRODUCTION

McKee talks about how the story you wrote, the one you poured so much effort and work into, should amaze you every time you read it. The idea behind these words is that the same thing should happen to your audience. And this is what happens to me every time I replay or watch scenes from The Last of Us (2013), for example:

1. THE LAST OF US (2013)

Beat

>HOMETOWN
[Setting: Texas. Joel walks into his house late at night, on the phone.]

>Joel: Tommy, I-...Tommy. Tommy, listen to me. He's the contractor, okay? I
can't lose this job. I understand... Let's talk about this in the
morning, okay? We'll talk about it in the morning. Alright, goodnight.

>[He turns on the light, waking his daughter on the couch.]

>Sarah: Hey.
Joel: Scoot.
Sarah: Fun day at work, huh?

It's brief and concise; the audience immediately understands the type of work Joel does, the financial problems he faces, and his character when he avoids his daughter's question/comment.

The scenes reveal intelligence; someone took the time to consider what to put on screen to make it work in conjunction with organic dialogue that, as such, says much more than it initially appears.

>Joel: What are you still doing up? It's late.
Sarah: Oh crud. What time is it?
Joel: It's way past your bedtime.
Sarah: But it's still today.
Joel: Honey, please not right now. I do not have the energy for this.
[She gets out a small gift box from nearby.]
Sarah: Here.
Joel: What's this?
Sarah: Your birthday.
[He opens it.]
Sarah: You kept complaining about your broken watch... So I figured, you know.
You like it?
Joel: Honey, this is...
Sarah: What?
Joel: It's nice, but I-...I think it's stuck. It's not...
Sarah: What? No, no, no, no.
[She sees he's just kidding her.]
Sarah: Oh, ha, ha.
Joel: Where did you get the money for this?
Sarah: Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs.
Joel: Oh, good. You can start helping out with the mortgage then.
Sarah: Stsh - yeah, you wish.
[Joel watches TV for awhile, then carries Sarah to bed.]
Joel: Goodnight, baby girl.

The most beautiful thing about The Last of Us (2013) is, of course, the relationship between Joel and Ellie blossoming in a decaying world; there's no question about that. But there's more beauty to be found in this script if you take the time to look for it.

When we look at this scene, we see Joel on one hand, worried about his financial future, obviously thinking about his daughter's well-being (though he doesn't discuss it with her), and on the other hand, Sarah, who is aware of the economic situation but at the same time firmly believes that having her father is all she needs. It is this attitude of a daughter who loves her father that restores Joel's lost spirit; it is this beautiful feeling that makes Joel exhale that tender/famous "Baby Girl."

The beauty in all of this is that nothing is said directly, but rather it works on a second level. Subtext.

>“To find out why a scene fails, the whole must be broken into its parts. An analysis begins, therefore, by separating the scene’s text from its subtext.” - Robert McKee -

a. Text and Subtext

>“Text means the sensory surface of a work of art. In film it’s the images onscreen and the soundtrack of dialogue, music, and sound effects. What we see. What we hear. What people say. What people do. Subtext is the life under that surface—thoughts and feelings both known and unknown, hidden by behavior.” - Robert McKee -

b. The Duplicity of Life

It's the very nature of the craft; every element you put on screen has meaning. This can be a help or a problem if you don't know how to use it. Subtext can hide ulterior motives, malevolent plans, but also something you don't want to talk about: recognition, friendship, honor, respect, or the honest feeling of affection between a father and daughter.

>“Nothing is what it seems. This principle calls for the screen-writer’s constant awareness of the duplicity of life, his recognition that everything exists on at least two levels, and that, therefore, he must write a simultaneous duality: First, he must create a verbal description of the sensory surface of life, sight and sound, activity and talk. Second, he must create the inner world of conscious and unconscious desire, action and reaction, impulse and id, genetic and experiential imperatives. As in reality, so in fiction: He must veil the truth with a living mask, the actual thoughts and feelings of characters behind their saying and doing.” - Robert McKee -

c. Subtext vs Marlene, Joel, and Tommy

The story gets a little complicated because trafficking a little girl isn't a good thing, so the question is: How do you have your protagonist traffic a little girl without turning him into that kind of person? After all, that's not the direction you want to take your protagonist in this story.

>[Setting: Quarantine Zone – The Docks – Back room of a warehouse.]
Ellie: Bullshit! I'm not going with him.
Marlene: Ellie...
Ellie: How do you know them?
Marlene: I was close with his brother, Tommy. Said if I was ever in a jam I
could rely on him.
Joel: Was that before or after he left your little militia group?
Marlene: He left you too. He was a good man.
Tess: Look, just take her to the north tunnel and wait for me there.
Joel: Jesus Christ.
Tess: She's just cargo, Joel.
Ellie: Marlene…
Marlene: No more talking. You'll be fine. Now go with him.

Neil and Bruce decide that Joel should refuse this job, only accepting it as a show of camaraderie and respect for Tess. While Tess seems to embrace Jerry's motto, meaning "You do what you need to do to get it done," Joel demonstrates that he hasn't yet crossed that threshold or embraced that ideology.

Then Tommy's name appears, who rejects the lifestyle of both (The Fireflies and Joel), but is able to continue recommending his brother, meaning that, despite the problems they may have had, Joel still has his heart on the right side.

There's a lot of subtext to read, especially regarding Marlene, who was initially looking for Robert, whose reputation and personality are very different from Tommy's or Joel's. Was Marlene really willing to leave Ellie, a child she supposedly loves, with a character like Robert? Later, the writers explain in Marlene's diary that it was a desperate decision after the whole operation spiraled out of control.

d. The Cabin

The subtext is clear: there will be no further conversation. Ellie isn't stupid, and she decides to escape. But this escape has at least two reasons. This is an Ellie who wonders if Joel loves her enough to come looking for her, or if she was just "contraband" all this time. And this is also an Ellie who fights for what she loves. Ellie is trying to break down the wall Joel has built over these past 20 years.

>[Setting Jackson’s Dam]
[Ellie and Joel watch them argue.]

>Ellie: Hey, what's that all about? Does that have anything to do with me?
Joel: We'll talk about it later.
Ellie: Did he tell you where the lab is?
Joel: We'll talk about it later.
Ellie: Later... Right.

On Joel's side, it's not that he hasn't grown fond of Ellie, but rather that he doesn't believe this world is a place to have a daughter. The values ​​that made it possible to sustain a family have been lost, and that's why his attitude changes when he first sees Jackson. Now he can offer Ellie the life she's been searching for. All of this is subtext.

e. The Lie

I suppose at this point you've realized the direction I'm taking. And I've already talked about this a bit, but here we go again:

Beat

>[Outside of Jackson]
[They climb to find a vista of Jackson in all its springtime glory.]

>Joel: Wow. Look down there. Just a little bit further now. Shit. Here, I got
you. Gimme your hand.[He helps her up the ledge.]
Joel: Alright, come on.
Ellie: Hey, wait. Back in Boston -- back when I was bitten -- I wasn't alone.
My best friend was there. And she got bit too. We didn't know what to
do. So...she says "Let's just wait it out. Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together." I'm still waiting for my turn.
Joel: Ellie--
Ellie: Her name was Riley and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess.
And then Sam.
Joel: None of that is on you.

Joel rushes to respond to what at first appears to be Ellie falling into Survivors Guilt, as this is what the text shows, but we must not forget the subtext.

>Ellie: No, you don't understand.

Ellie quickly dismisses that idea with this response: No. That's not it.

>Joel: I struggled for a long time with survivin'. And you-- No matter what,
you keep finding something to fight for. Now, I know that's not what you
want to hear right now, but it's--

Joel continues to believe it's survivor's guilt, but it isn't. Ellie knows Joel lied with good intentions, and she explains her motivation. She tries to explain to Joel why she pushed so hard during this journey. Ellie believes she owes it to Riley, and she doesn't want to die knowing she could have helped create a vaccine.

>Ellie: Swear to me. Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies
is true.

The subtext in this dialogue is simple. What would Ellie do if she knew Joel was lying to her? She would run away to find the truth. This is Ellie telling Joel, “I know you’re lying to me, but I need to know there was no way to create a vaccine so I can have peace of mind, because that’s what I owe Riley.” Ellie is seeking closure to her “Want,” echoing John Truby’s concept of “Wants and Needs”—what a character “wants” versus what the character truly “needs.”

>[There's a short pause.]
Joel: I swear.
The brief pause of Joel, who suddenly understands that Ellie knows he lied to her, followed by an honest response in the form of a lie, "I swear." This is poetry.
Ellie: Okay.
[The credits roll. The end!]

Joel's arc closes, while Ellie's story remains open with that "Okay," as she still cannot understand the words of her mother (or Riley) who tries to explain to her that despite the horrors and suffering of this world, life is worth living.

f. The Beauty of The Subtext

The most beautiful thing about The Last of Us (2013), besides Joel and Ellie, is the subtext. As a writer, you should have a complete understanding of the subtext that your story creates. McKee clarified that you must write on two levels. And if you forget this, you can end up writing something very different from what you had in mind. This is Neil's problem.

2. THE LAST OF US: PART II AND THE SUBTEXT

While we see and understand the bond of love that unites Joel and Ellie, Neil is quick to demystify this. While Joel loves Ellie and adopts her as his surrogate daughter, Ellie appreciates Joel, but their relationship is more one of admiration. Joel is her mentor, someone from whom she can learn and acquire the tools she needs to survive in this world. This is one of the first elements Neil attacks in his "sequel" by having Ellie live in Joel's garage.

a. The Cabin, Joel and Neil

For Neil, the story has no subtext; everything the characters say is direct, and there is no subtext. Thus, the fight in the cabin is about Ellie being disappointed in her partner because she believed they made a great team, and a cold Joel who won't hesitate to lie to protect himself. This is the "setup" Neil believes he set up to get his payoff during the final conversation with Ellie and Joel's "I swear."

b. The Last of Us: Part II Opening

Beat

>[Setting: Small house outside Jackson]
[Joel sits in an old, ragged chair and wipes a metal butterfly on a guitar fingerboard. He talks to someone who is behind the scenes.]

>Joel: I don’t know what happened. I was supposed to take her to the Fireflies and walk away. You go halfway across the country with someone... She needed her immunity to mean somethin’. Maybe I was starting to buy into that whole... cure business. Maybe I just wanted to do right by her. And then we made it. We found the Fireflies. And because of her... They were actually going to make a cure. The only catch... it would kill her.

>[We jump to the events of the first game. Joel bursts into the operating room. The surgeon grabs the scalpel from the stand and threatens him.]

>Joel: Sweet Jesus.
Nurse: Doctor?
Surgeon: What are you doing in here? I won’t let you take her. This is our future, think of all the lives we’ll save.
[We return to the present. The man who is sitting opposite Joel is Tommy.]
Tommy: Jesus Christ, Joel. What’d you do?
Joel: I saved her.

>[We see the footage of a bloody hospital. There are many corpses everywhere.]

Compared to what we've seen before, I ask you: What is the subtext of this conversation? Joel is directly and openly stating what he thinks/feels/did.

>Joel: C’mon, baby girl. I gotcha. I gotcha.
[The siren is turned on.]

>Firefly: (via speaker) Cover the exits! Don’t let him get away!
Joel: Oh shit.

>[Joel grabs Ellie on a smoke and runs out of the operating room. We go back to the present.]

>Tommy: Goddamn. That’s... That’s a lot. What does Ellie know?
Joel: I told her they just ran some tests. I told her... her immunity meant nothin’.
Tommy: And she believed you?
Joel: Didn’t say otherwise.

If your answer is none, you're right. There's no subtext. This is Joel speaking directly and openly with his brother, who fully understands what his brother has done. Joel made "a deal" with Ellie, betrayed her, killed a lot of people, and lied to her about it. He lied to Ellie about what was most important to her. It's a lot of information that Tommy is receiving, and yet he doesn't argue about it; he simply lets his brother continue talking.

How would the real Tommy have reacted?

c. The Dam

Let's remember that not much time has passed since Joel visited Jackson, to find Tommy happy to see him again, but totally distrustful of the deals Joel might be involved in.

Beat

>[Setting: Jackson’s Dam]
Tommy: I haven't seen a Firefly in years.

>Joel: But you know where they are. Now I'm not asking for much, Tommy. I just
want some simple gear -- enough to set me on my way.
Tommy: What makes you think I'd do this for you?
Joel: This isn't for me, Tommy. This is for your damn cause.
Tommy: My cause is my family now. You ain't talking about some walk in the
park here.
Joel: Jesus, boy...have Maria get some of your born again friends to do it.
Tommy: They got families too.
Joel: Tommy, I need this*.*
Tommy: You want some gear, sure. But I ain't taking that girl off your hands.

This is Tommy, who doesn't trust his brother easily and doesn't want to get involved; this is how he pressures Joel to tell the truth. Tommy only decides to help once he understands what's really going on between Joel and Ellie.

d. Inorganic Reactions

In the first story, the moment when Joel feels compelled to ask his brother for help is carefully crafted, culminating in him saying, "Tommy, I need this."

In Part II, the moment that leads Joel to this act of sincerity, this act of confessing to his brother without pressure, lacks any prior setup.

In the first story, Joel conceals his motivations until he has no other choice but to reveal them. In the second story, he speaks openly with his brother.

e. Lack of Subtext

We quickly discovered Neil's writing style; the characters express themselves flatly and directly. This is how the first story should be read, as Joel confesses: he betrayed and lied to Ellie. There is no subtext to be read during the final dialogue of the first story.

The shadows surrounding the Fireflies' actions, the filthy hospital and operating room—all of that should be forgotten. There's no subtext to be read. They were going to create a cure, and Joel killed them because he wasn't willing to lose a daughter. Joel telling Marlene, "You keep telling yourself that bullshit," lacks subtext. The story is flat and straightforward.

>“An old Hollywood expression goes: “If the scene is about what the scene is about, you’re in deep shit.” It means writing “on the nose,” writing dialogue and activity in which a character’s deepest thoughts and feelings are expressed by what the character says and does—writing the subtext directly into the text.”
- Robert McKee -

f. The Theater

When we look at the most climactic moments of Part II, the subtext is nonexistent; the characters speak and act exactly as they are thinking. Flat and direct.

Beat

>[Setting Seattle]
[Theater}

>[At this moment Jesse and Ellie come out to the room. Abby kills Jesse, and Ellie hides behind the counter.]

>Ellie: I know why you killed Joel. He did what he did to save me. There’s no cure because of me. I’m the one that you want. Just let him go.

>Abby: You killed my friends... We let you both live... and you wasted it!

Flat and direct, without subtext. If you recall the conversation between David and Ellie, or the final dialogue between Joel and Marlene, even when Joel ends Marlene's life, and compare it to this, the theater scene becomes cheap melodrama.

g. The Beach

The complete interaction on the farm creates a weighty subtext: Ellie is beyond good and evil, and this time, she will kill Abby no matter the cost. All that subtext collapses during the final battle when Ellie decides to let Abby go.

h. The Hotel

During the final segment, Neil chooses to show Joel lying to Ellie once again, a completely unnecessary event. They should have simply shown Ellie escaping towards the hospital, just as she escaped the dam in Jackson. She won't allow Joel to lie to her again; she'll escape in search of answers. But aside from that, what's the subtext of this fight?

Joel's confession at the beginning of this... thing... creates the subtext of a Joel suffering from keeping such a dark secret and feeling forced to confess it to his brother, which would eventually lead Joel to tell Ellie the truth during this flashback. Not to mention that a Joel who speaks openly with his brother is completely out of character.

i. The F.O.B

Isaac talking to Abby: What is the subtext during this conversation? “Abby, you’re my best man and I need you. Please do this for me.” The entire previously constructed image of a sadistic, psychotic, paranoid, and unscrupulous character falls apart. Neil seems to have great difficulty creating and sustaining subtext.

3. STATE THE OBVIOUS

The constant hammering of how much Joel loves Ellie, evident throughout the first story, doesn't seem to be enough for Neil. He adds Joel playing guitar and singing, Ellie's birthday at the museum, saving her at the hotel, and of course, "I would do it all over again."

The most critical/climactic moment of this whole... thing... comes with the Porsche scene, during the conversation between Joel and Ellie. Again... subtext? What is it?

Joel is convinced he did the right thing because he loves Ellie, something firmly established during the first story. Ellie, on the other hand, seems to be struggling to understand this… for some reason. She speaks bluntly and directly: “You knew what I wanted, and you betrayed me,” demonstrating her inability to grasp why Joel would do this.

The Ellie we knew, the Ellie who could read Joel's mind, his heart, and the problems he was going through, is gone. Now we have this "Ellie" who can't read subtext. An Ellie who needs things told to her directly to understand what's happening, so she can begin to reconsider the situation.

4. CLOSING

We're getting dangerously close to the topic I want to address in the next post, so I don't see a better time to wrap this up. But there are two things I'd like you to take away.

1. The desire to revisit The Last of Us to discover that subtext you didn't know existed.
2. The importance of subtext and how much it enriches the narrative.

The Last of Us has some good moments, thanks to the actors, but regardless of the actors' skill, bad writing is and always will be bad writing.

>“Actors are not marionettes to mime gestures and mouth words. They’re artists who create with material from the subtext, not the text. An actor brings a character to life from the inside out, from unspoken, even unconscious thoughts and feelings out to a surface of behavior. The actors will say and do whatever the scene requires, but they find their sources for creation in the inner life. The scene above is unactable because it has no inner life, no subtext. It’s unactable because there’s nothing to act.” - Robert McKee -