The Psychology of Adversity in The Last of Us Ep1 — Therapist Reacts!

Btw, the showrunners say the expression on Ellie's face at the end when Joel kills the soldier isn't meant to be fear - it's meant to be fascination. Ellie's never had someone stand up for her before, and as we'll find out, she's certainly got her own taste for violence.

The addition of "was RILEY a terrorist?" Laid me out😭 just the crushed look of anguish and (self?) Loathing on Ellie's face. Fantastic acting.

One thing I’d like to add: That look on Ellie’s face when Joel was killing that soldier, the creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said on the podcast accompanying this show that there’s a stark difference here. When Joel kills the old lady in the opening right in front of Sarah, SHE is horrified, she’s in shock, she’s crying, all of it. ELLIE however reacts differently. Less scared. They described the event as ”activating her”, she’s leaning in. That there’s a sort of strength to that act, a capability for violence (she asks Marlene earlier ”what are they capable of?”) and here she sees it, this strength and capability to fight back that was just employed to protect HER, this stranger, this man, just beat a man to death to protect her and there’s a sense of admiration in that, because we have seen the whole episode, Ellie is a FIGHTER, she’s direct, confrontational and as the games get into, there’s a righteous fury in Ellie when she’s being wronged, she has a very hard time taking it on the chin and moving on smartly like Tess does and so that demonstration of strength fascinates her on some level. And here’s what I think, she WANTS to be capable of that to protect herself and also to protect the people she cares about, Marlene mentions Riley and we see it’s a sore subject for Ellie, having lost her first love just three weeks ago. What Joel just did for her is something she WISHES she could have done for her best friend, but couldn’t… This is a HUGE part of Ellie’s character in the games, this aggression and also how deeply this incredibly lonely person craves attachment and how traumatic it is for her to lose that.

I’m glad you brought up the compassion of the fedra agent. Everyone I watched the show with said she was being cruel and manipulative and I was baffled, she was so kind in his last moments.

I like the agent who confronted Joel during the initial outbreak. He absolutely did not want to hurt Sarah or Joel, but as he was given the order, you could hear the heaviness in his voice. His regret at what he justifiably had to do to contain the outbreak was compounded when he gave Joel that "I'm sorry," that got him killed. It made me feel for the guy.

OH yeah, in both the game and show, Joel has: -PTSD -Depression -Issues managing anger -Substance abuse (only in show, but kind of could see it in the game as well with that Joel) just overall is a concoction of "don't mess with this guy because he will explode". And these feelings and mental illnesses only grew over time IMO. He never got help for them because there was no help to get. Something added to the show, which I like, and explains why Joel and Tommy are so capable, it shows that Joel was a Desert Storm war vet. But what this also means is... it's possible he already had undiagnosed PTSD issues from war... and now those are worse than ever.

I love how accurately they portrayed Sara, the directing and especially the actress just did it! 1 of the most heartbreaking scene in video games is when Sara died, she is an angel but she didn't die in a peaceful way like she supposed to or like the other protagonist on the show/game, she died feeling fear and pain and that is heartbreaking. That scene makes Joel.

Anna Torv is so good at doing reserved without being wooden. Absolutely holds her own while John Noble chews scenery in Fringe. Was so happy to see her pummeled face show up in this.

One scene that I loved that you didn't cover was when Ellie was talking to Joel and she asks Joel if had done the route they were going on previously. Ellie basically says "So I know if we'll be okay" and at that second Joel's father instinct kicks in and answers her in a way thats supposed to calm her worries down but without being a weirdo.

Thank you for analyzing the episode! I am autistic and the acting in The Last of Us is so subtle I miss half of the stuff. It's like being really myopic with no access to glasses and then someone with 20-20 vision describes the surroundings to you. Very helpful!

Damn, I didn't realize the child who fell in front of the gate was infected😭. The dub in my language referred to the child as a girl, and the burned body was a boy, and I didn't notice the red screen behind his shoulder while he was tested. I only connected these two moments after this video🙈

I feel like this whole show is going to be a case study on the concept of moral injury - can we even recognize ourselves anymore if we allow atrocities to go on? I'm definitely more anxious under stress, but I'll still battle through where I can - I just worry that I wouldn't survive a scenario like this. The QZ doesn't appear to have much in the way of medical facilities, and I'm on three different medications.

I really appreciate your analysis of the fedra agent and how she handled the situation with the young boy. I work in an animal shelter and while we are no-kill, we still have to make euthenasia decisions for those who cannot recover from injuries, illness, or the stresses of the shelter, and to those who are not safe to the community. We get a lot of judgement from those who don't understand among the public, but it is never easy and we make those decisions with a heavy heart and after exhausting all other options. Sad dog stories ahead, proceed if you wish. Just the other week we had three dogs pass over the course of three days. I helped send the first one over the rainbow bridge, my first time being present for the process. He had become one of my favorite dogs and I did my best to tell him that he was a good boy through words and pets, and took off his muzzle as he went, but I'll be one of the first to admit he was not safe around strangers or children. I felt hollow after it was done, and I cried on my drive home later that day; it was the first time I cried for a dog who I knew would probably have to meet Jesus sooner than any dog deserves. And the next day I cried for the dog who could barely handle the shelter on arrival. He seemed to be doing better after he got a quieter kennel with more space, and he was starting to grow in me, but had reached his breaking point and had to leave us too. And then the next day I cried as an adopter brought back a giant lovebug of a corso that went home only a week prior, and had succumbed to heartworm in the guy's kitchen because his previous owner left it untreated for four years. The adopter was trying to get the dog from them for ages, and was overjoyed that he made his way to us, and then to him. He said he was the best dog he ever had, and we can only be glad he got to pass on in the love and peace of someone's home, someone who cared for him for far longer than he owned him. And I cried for them again just now as I typed this. It's never, ever easy, especially when you bear witness to it yourself. But someone has to make the call and do the deed, and the most you can do after that is to try your best to make them feel safe and cared for, for them as well as for yourself. It can only be that much harder to do for a fellow human. RIP Hooch, Nestle, and Zeus. You were the best boys, the world just did you dirty

Thank you very much for your video, Georgia, I was hoping that you'd cover this show, and you didn't disappoint. Pedro always seems to end up travelling or fighting alongside a child, be it "Prospect" or "The Mandalorian", and he and Bella have sublime chemistry.

I know Anna Torv (Tess' actress) from Fringe, and there, she also played a character with a lot of inner strength and composure. I think she plays the part of Tess brilliantly here.

loved this one! the break downs were lots of appreciation and explanation. there is bound to be lots of extreme behavior in dramas, so it's nice to know how those behaviors can be portrayed realistically and respectfully in media. great job!

Hi Georgia! Great video from the start. Also good point about how anxiety and worries can lead one to just focus on ways to get rid of the discomfort. Excellent analysis of the microexpressions. Excellent points about Tess. I haven't seen The Boys, but you're spot on about how calm and collected she is. So tough to stay calm and strategic in that situation. I didn't think about the body language before about literally opening up (vs. closing off when anxious) when I watched the scene yesterday, but that is spot on. Great point about anxiety too. It makes sense that it helps us react quickly. It can be tough to find the right balance in a stressful situation but it looks like Tess has. I agree that she understands body language and dynamics very well. Your point about how Joel realized that he needs to walk it off to get the adrenaline to work through him reminds me of how exercise can help with stressful situations. Also great advice of not texting, calling, talking, etc. and taking a pause instead. I concur that it is very helpful. But I also like how you contrasted Tess with Joel and how being able to act quickly under pressure can be helpful and important in certain situations (like at the end of the premiere) too. Great analysis about Ellie and contrast with Tess. I didn't think about the difference in effectiveness of their approach, but you're spot on about that too. Tess was definitely much more effective in defusing situations. And Marlene is similar in that regard too. The show does such a good job in showing different approaches to stress and how various responses are needed for different types of scenarios. Awesome reaction. You do a great job at analyzing the various characters' reactions and body language. It reminds me of how you also analyzed body language in Arcane. :) Keep up the awesome work. Have a wonderful week :). Cool Joel cosplay too :).

I really love how you talk about mental health using movie/tv sources. I think this really helps to understand better because on tv emotions arent hidden.

Ooh, this is nice! These were also my fav scenes! Plus whenever Ellie curses or flips off, seriously the way she talks, her mannerisms and even her voice is soo similar to videogame Ellie! I had to check if they got Ashley Johnson to do a voiceover for the character or sth like that. Even though I knew all the major events to be expect from this episode, I still cried at Sarah's death. Somehow it was even sadder than the original version. I also really liked Tess, they took her original character and put on a lil bit more on the calculative side, feels more realistic. Sad that she too is gonna die. The last scene was also one my favs, I think this show really knows how to portray people in emotional situations and how they react, because it all feels too real. Not just reacting but even the aftermath of it. The fedra agent was very unexpected though, I'd not think of finding such a gentle officer in the middle of the apocalypse. 40 secs rule is interesting, whenever I get into a situation where I or the person in front of me or we both are very agitated, I usually go to another room or get some air for a minute or two and come back and it feels different and we can talk again. Did not know there was actually such a thing. Nice to know. Also, I see you did not forget the watch :) Nice vid!

Anna Torv is such a great actress, so underrated