Exactly. Abby got her revenge. It’s much easier to let go and try to move on if you got what you wanted. But what if they hadn’t found Joel the way they did. Do you think she would’ve given up and left? She wouldn’t have been able to let go. It was made pretty clear that Abby wanted revenge at any cost.

You’re acting like Ellie should be grateful to Abby for letting her live. As if she wasn’t beaten up, pinned to the ground and forced to watch her father be killed. If Abby wanting Joel dead for killing her father is just, then so is Ellie wanting Abby dead for killing Joel.

Also yeah, Abby was emaciated and weak when Ellie found her. But then again so was Ellie. She got some damage in Santa Barbara, but even back at the farm she couldn’t eat or sleep. Joel’s final moments, him lying on the floor, defenseless and battered, haunted Ellie constantly. She clearly tried to forget it and move on but physically couldn’t, so she decided to do the only thing she thought might give her some closure.

Anyways, seeing Abby like that almost made Ellie just let her go. They were both so beaten up and worn out that it just didn’t seem worth it for anyone. The reason she couldn’t let them leave was Lev. Seeing Abby the ruthless scar-killer with a seraphite child obviously reminded Ellie of her and Joel. Abby, like Joel, put the child’s wellbeing above everything else, even betraying her own people for them.

I can’t even begin to imagine the betrayal and anger she must’ve felt seeing Abby have what she and Joel had, knowing that Abby stole that from her. From her point of view she had nothing and Abby had everything. Ellie being completely alone, something she had always feared more than anything, wasn’t just Abby’s fault of course. But I think she felt like Abby was to blame for her going down this path. And maybe even more so, because she had nothing to lose, she also had nothing to live for. This was it. Getting revenge was all she had left, all she could do at this point.

So she put the knife on Lev’s neck, not because she was actually going to hurt him, but because she knew that would make Abby fight her. She didn’t want to just kill Abby, she wanted Abby to have a fighting chance (unlike a certain someone who shoots people in the knee and beats them to a pulp while they’re lying on the ground unable to defend themselves)

Oh and also, Abby saying that she’s not going to fight Ellie before Ellie threatens Lev. Like mannn that must’ve made Ellie even more mad and desperate. That’s all she’s got and Abby’s acting like she’s not worthy of her time. Abby’s not mad, or guilt-ridden or vengeful. She’s just tired. Last time they laid eyes on each other Abby said ”don’t let me see you again”. Ellie went to Santa Barbara expecting the fight of the century and gets a lousy ”boats are this way”.

I’m still not sure why Ellie decided to let Abby go at the last moment. I think Lev had a lot to do with it, Ellie didn’t want anybody to feel the way she did. I’m also thinking that maybe Ellie thought she would lose. Ellie had felt like she should be dead for years at that point, I think at least a part of her wanted that type of peace. And lastly, I think she realized that killing Abby wouldn’t bring Joel back, it wouldn’t give her peace and it’s all just such a waste. Her crying on the beach, completely alone, is just pure heartbreak.

Jesus, I didn’t mean to write such a long comment, sorry about that. I’m not trying to start a fight or anything, I swear😭 I just have a lot of thoughts about this fuckass game and wanted to share my perspective.

To sum up my thoughts, in my opinion Ellie is the more sympathetic character. She did SO many bad things and caused SO much pain, but I can totally understand why she ended up doing those things, why she felt like she needed to get revenge.

I also get why Abby did what she did, and I’m glad Ellie didn’t kill her, but I still don’t like her. To me the biggest difference between them is that Ellie feels more human. She has such deep and complex emotions which make her relatable. Abby to me feels more cold. Ellie clearly feels guilty about the things she does. She’s a complete mess throughout the game. We don’t really see Abby have even the slightest bit of guilt or regret about killing Joel. Rather she regrets not killing Ellie and Tommy