#but also fuck KC and Silver Lake and the Fireflies

[the-blind-assassin-12]

I can’t stop thinking about...

How every single group of people shown to us in the show adaptation of TLOU - excluding Jackson - has adopted one if not more of the methods for control used by FEDRA that they all deemed to be so horrific. It’s just another way that this series plays with the themes of justification and morality and power, and another reason why this show works as well as it does on so many levels. Putting my rambles under the cut to save anyone from spoilers: 

In Kansas City, Kathleen promises her prisoners a trial, and then gives the command to have them executed without one. She also gives the order to have Perry burn the bodies instead of bury them, because its “faster”. We see both public executions and body burning in the Boston QZ, so this is straight out of FEDRAs playbook, which isn’t surprising considering how little time has passed since the rebel group took control of the city. But as an outsider, it’s hard to say “the good guys” won there, because those “good guys” immediately defaulted to the same things and actions that they rebelled over. 

In Silver Lake, David tries to dangle the promise of success and power in front of Ellie, just like the FEDRA officer did when he told her that one day she could be in charge. (I could write a whole dissertation on how extraordinarily fucked up and manipulative David is - DO NOT even get me started on the “violent heart” discussion - but for now I’m just going to talk about power dynamics. He’s very much one of those “this would all fall apart without me” kind of leaders, which diminishes the lives and contributions of the people in his group - just like FEDRA officers look at themselves as the heroes for keeping “order” (if you can call it that) despite the fact that it is the QZ citizens who do all of the actual work. It’s narcissism, and that never works as an effective leadership method. 

In Salt Lake, Marlene and the Fireflies pull the exact same shit with Ellie as the FEDRA officers do with that kid that wanders into the QZ. They tell that kid that everything will be fine, that they’ll get to have a treat and a toy and all will be well, when in reality they’re going to kill him. (Yes, I understand the child was infected and there was likely nothing to be done and termination was the “safest” way to control the spread of infection. I am highlighting the act of lying - and to an extent, handwashing - here.) This is the same thing that happens when Ellie shows up at the hospital. Marlene tells her that Joel will be fine, that she can see him after. She doesn’t tell her the truth or give her a choice. She lies so that she can force things to go her/their way, and, I think, to pat herself on the back for doing a good job of not scaring Ellie. (Again, I could go OFFFFFFFFF about Marlene in general but that would be a tangent all its own.) 

Jackson is the only settlement that we’ve seen that isn’t employing FEDRA techniques, and its no surprise that its the only one that is thriving. And if only 1/4 groups of people is able to keep from immediately turning ugly, then... well, I already agree with what Joel did, but this statistic only makes me agree with him more in that I’m not sure that world is worth saving either. 

#the last of us #tlou #hbo the last of us #the last of us hbo #the last of us spoilers #tlou thoughts #fuck fedra #but also fuck KC and Silver Lake and the Fireflies #when the instinct is to be ugly #then what is there thats worth saving?