Why had been there giraffes within the Final of Us finale?

Becoming a giraffe into the primary season of The Final of Us might have appeared like a tall order, a minimum of to these unfamiliar with the sport. Earlier than that, the one place you might think about seeing such an animal is as a plushie, most likely forged apart and deserted to the weather (as we really did see, in an episode 2 Easter egg). However that was all setting the stage for the large — or, a minimum of, a huge — scene within the season 1 finale, the place Ellie will get to pet a giraffe.

Like a lot of the present, it’s a second pulled virtually instantly from the sport. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) remains to be recovering from battling her means out of a fundamentalist cannibal cult in episode 8. Joel (Pedro Pascal) can see she’s distant and never tremendous excited — a minimum of, till they’re exploring Salt Lake Metropolis. Right here the scene performs out virtually identically to the sport, full with Ellie passing Joel the ladder solely to let it fall when she first spots the animal. The 2 look on in surprise as a giraffe grazes on the crops overtaking the deserted construction they’re in.

The scene may appear vibrant, cheery, and even misplaced in an in any other case overwhelmingly bleak post-apocalyptic narrative. However like a lot of The Final of Us, the giraffe scene resonates on a extra heartbreaking stage, a closing quiet second between Joel and Ellie sealing within the violence to return later.

[Ed. note: The rest of this post contains spoilers for the finale of The Last of Us season 1.]

The entire of The Final of Us, as each a primary recreation and a primary season, builds towards Joel’s rampage: After so many chapters of Joel simply justifying violence — towards contaminated or ruthless people — the Fireflies’ hospital feels much less clear minimize. On the one hand, he understands that Ellie’s immunity is likely to be the most effective likelihood the world has for a treatment. On the opposite, Marlene says it “might” be a treatment, leaving a whole lot of room for him to prioritize the extra essential factor to him, Ellie herself.

Picture: Liane Hentscher/HBO

That bond will get sealed within the presence of the giraffes. After seeing her battle by means of a lot, connecting together with her by means of assaults from clickers and pun books alike, Joel had already stopped contemplating her “cargo” and began seeing her as extra of a surrogate daughter. As he comforts her on the finish of episode 8, “When We Are in Want,” he even calls her “child lady,” similar to he referred to as Sarah.

The giraffe second, then, is a strategy to solidify his imaginative and prescient of himself as a protecting father. After feeling her distance and trauma, the way in which Ellie lights up as she chases the giraffe is a reminder that there’s a child in there, with a complete world forward of her. For Ellie, it’s a reminder that there’s a peace and stillness in a world that (as we’ve seen it) has been so marked by violence and mayhem.

For Joel it’s a connection to his parental instincts (certainly, within the recreation Sarah even has that giraffe plushie in her room). You possibly can virtually see him deciding that he would do something for her, something to not lose her, even when it means murdering a complete group of medical professionals (or only a small battalion of Fireflies and a physician).

The giraffes could appear misplaced, however they’re a closing reminder for the season that one thing harmless and sort might survive on this world someway. For Joel that’s Ellie; for Ellie — nicely, it’s a fleeting look on the trusting life that will get corrupted by Joel’s lie. She’ll need to cope with the ramifications of his actions in season 2, after they’ve returned to the idyllic Jackson compound. However on the very least, she’ll have pet a giraffe.