
41 Confusing TV And Movie Plot Holes
The last time I talked about annoying plot holes, I mentioned the big one in A Quiet Place: why don't they live by the waterfall? But I have another smaller one — where does that nail Evelyn steps on come from? How had no one stepped on it before? Wouldn't someone have noticed it and removed or covered it? And why was there even a nail randomly sticking up from a stair to begin with?
Also, you see this newspaper identifying that the creatures are attracted by sound. Now, I haven't seen the Day One sequel, but I assume this invasion happened pretty quickly. Did they really have time to print newspapers? And isn't printing...well, pretty loud? They were just delivering newspapers as usual during all of this?
Who put down this sand in the woods to make people's feet quieter? Wouldn't that have been loud? Where did they even find the sand? Don't they live kind of in the middle of nowhere?
Maybe I'm missing something here, but in the second film, why do they have to send an encoded message about their location? Like...the monsters don't understand English, do they? And if I remember correctly, this song was also about the monsters fearing water? Wouldn't they have wanted to spread that message more explicitly?
I also mentioned some Disney examples in the last post, but I have more, especially from Tangled. First of all, why does Mother Gothel tell Rapunzel her real birthday? Couldn't she just lie so Rapunzel doesn't realize the lanterns are connected to her?
Rapunzel's tower appears to have a working stove/oven and a sink. Are we supposed to believe that Gothel made this all on her own?
And how'd she get the furniture up there? It's established that she gets up using Rapunzel's hair. There's also a blocked-off entrance and a trapdoor in the floor that Rapunzel doesn't seem aware of until the end, with just a ladder, but she'd still have to move it without Rapunzel noticing. And how did she get up to the tower when Rapunzel's hair was shorter?
I'm not gonna otherwise question Rapunzel's magic hair when it comes to keeping it clean and untangled, and not getting caught on things, or even being too heavy for Rapunzel – 'cause, y'know, magic — but I will take issue with how a few kids braided Rapunzel's wildly long hair into THIS.
A few things in the most recent season of The Last of Us bothered me. Like in that big battle episode, why was their big solution exploding canisters of gas RIGHT NEXT TO A WOOD WALL that was keeping the infected out??? Doesn't that seem dangerous and counterintuitive?
I know Ellie questioned this, but I'm still convinced Dina's pregnancy tests would've all been expired. I also call BS on her finding so many. It's been decades of this; I don't buy that in-demand medical items haven't already been scavenged from literally everywhere.
But my biggest issue is with the spores. They seem to literally only exist in one spot to create that one scene for Ellie and Nora. Why do the spores exist in only one location? In the game, they're in a ton of different poorly-ventilated areas. It feels like the show just threw them into one episode and didn't want to deal with them the rest of the time.
In another recent example, let's talk about this season of Severance. Near the end, Outie and Innie Mark fight over the idea of reintegration. Why does Outie Mark never mention Petey??? Innie Mark directly challenges the existence of reintegration, and Outie Mark bringing up Petey (whom he couldn't have known about otherwise) would've been proof that it works. He didn't have to mention that Petey died if that was his reason.
It feels like the show completely forgot about Petey. It also feels like they forgot about Reghabi for a large stretch.
And why is reintegration working so slowly this time? It feels like they just decided that for plot reasons.
In The Umbrella Academy, how are Lila and Diego's children — and Allison's daughter — able to exist if the siblings made it so that they never existed? The train took them to the correct timeline, I guess, but still. How could they have done that if their parents never existed? Wouldn't they just fade from existence once they got there?
I never totally got the whole Elder Wand thing from Harry Potter. Harry doesn't disarm the Elder Wand from Malfoy, because Dumbledore has been buried with it. He disarms Malfoy's wand from him — so it makes sense that Malfoy's wand's allegiance changes to Harry, but why does the Elder wand's allegiance change if Malfoy never even held it, and Harry never took it from him or anyone else?
And WHY DOES HARRY NOT USE THE ELDER WAND TO REPAIR HIS OWN WAND IN THE MOVIE?? He does in the books, but in the movie, we're just supposed to believe he uses Malfoy's old wand forever?
On You....HOW does Joe manage to bring and assemble that cage everywhere he damn goes???
I also think it's so obvious that Nadia doesn't report Marienne in the cage to the police because the writers didn't want Joe to be caught red-handed. I *maybe* buy Marienne, starving, paranoid, and terrified of Joe's capabilities, suggesting that wild plan, but I don't buy Nadia, just a regular college kid, going for it. I also don't buy Joe believing Marienne was dead just from her blood pressure lowering. He's seen enough dead bodies to know the difference.
In Hannah Montana, Miley's dad is the famous in-universe musician Robby Ray. He's also Hannah Montana's manager. You're telling me NO ONE put together the fact that his daughter Miley is Hannah? Sure, he wears a "disguise" as Hannah's manager, but that disguise is literally...a mustache. As I admittedly watched this show over a decade ago, I did some digging on this one, and it turns out Robby publicly refers to Hannah as his daughter while presenting her with an award. However, it's also common knowledge, at least where Miley lives, that she's Robby's daughter. So what gives???
I know this isn't the only film to do this, but why do Yelena and her dad speak in English to each other in Thunderbolts?
And how does everyone get to that one spot in Bob's mind? Yelena struggles to get there, and she's the one who knows Bob best and the only one he actually trusts. The others show up quickly after, at the exact same time, pretty soon after she gets there (and she went in way before them). How?
And how does Bob gain control of his powers so fast? He goes from trying out his powers on a glass of water, immediately shattering it, to being all-powerful and completely in control in the next scene. This happens in a lot of movies and TV shows, and it always pisses me off. Give us a training montage, at the very least!
Also, I don't know if this is really a plot hole, as they haven't had time to explain it yet, but how does Selena just announce the new Avengers like that? Is there not still plenty of evidence that she's been experimenting on humans? I mean, Bob's right there. And how in the world is she going to have John Walker be in the group after he publicly beheaded someone with Captain America's shield? And she really got a whole press conference ready that fast in an active situation zone?
In Stranger Things, I'm still not buying that Hopper survived just by jumping down a little lower, without at least becoming permanently injured in some way. The blast literally vaporized the other people there!!!! And how did the Russians get him out of there so fast before the US Army showed up?
On a similar note, how did Sherlock actually fake his death in Sherlock??? They explain a few different versions — that each has its own issues and feels wildly unrealistic — but never confirm the real one, and it feels lazy. And why was it so important for him to stay away from John for two years? Couldn't he have discreetly confirmed the truth without alerting Moriarty's remaining cronies?
In Sinners, why does Stack stay away from Sammie for all those years? Stack "promised" Smoke, but like...is he not an evil vampire now, whose main goal is to turn Smoke and Sammie? Why would he care about that promise, or stick to it after Smoke was dead? Why would he even let Smoke go; wouldn't he try to turn him again the second he let go of him? Even if Vampire Stack was trustworthy, we're supposed to believe Smoke actually trusts he'll leave Sammie alone, or even has time to talk it through? He shows up to save Sammie moments later!
Dan's reveal of being Gossip Girl still makes absolutely no sense to me. There are multiple instances when Dan simply couldn't have been Gossip Girl, and that's not even counting all of the Gossip Girl blasts he seems shocked by when he's alone. They also then frame Gossip Girl as a "love letter" to Serena, which is just absolutely ridiculous, considering how much he tortured her.
Also, on Pretty Little Liars, Mona's explanation for becoming A makes no sense. She states it's because Aria, Spencer, and Emily took Hanna away from her. But...they weren't even talking when A started sending messages. In fact, A is literally what brought Hanna and the girls back together. And why torture Hanna along with the others? She arguably got it the worst, considering Mona hit her with her car and constantly tormented Hanna over her eating disorder.
I won't excuse what Mona did to Emily, but Emily came out fairly quickly, so there wasn't much to torture her over anymore. Spencer and Aria were being groomed, and those things frankly should've been outed to the adults in their lives. But Hanna? Beyond threatening to expose her stealing (which she literally does in Episode 1), most of A's torture centers are around Hanna having been "fat" and trying to get her to relapse.
Cece is even worse. She tortures the girls because they "moved on" when Ali was dead. Except...she tortures Ali too? Also, how did Jason just forget he had another sibling? And HOW DID CECE FUND THE DOLLHOUSE???
I have to bring up a continuity plot hole with Pretty Little Liars because it's SO bad. Season 3, Episode 13 is Halloween of their Senior year. Season 5, Episode 12 is Thanksgiving. Almost two seasons passed in a matter of weeks??? This includes Caleb recovering from being shot, Ali coming back from the dead, all of Ravenswood, Ezra's betrayal, and much, much more.
In Mickey 17, how does Mickey have memories of his past selves who have died? They upload his consciousness into each new version, but how do they have access to the new memories that he's created just before dying, assuming they don't have access to his body?
I guess this is less a plot hole than something I just refuse to believe, but it just makes no sense to me that there would EVER be another dinosaur park created after the dinosaurs got out the first time. Jurassic World shouldn't exist.
Lost has so many plot holes I should probably ignore it entirely, but one that still bothers me years later is the reveal that Libby had been in the psych ward with Hurley. What did it mean??? What were they trying to tell us?? SO many things were never explained on Lost, but this one really irked me because it genuinely felt as if they forgot about it, and it was such a huge cliffhanger at the time.
In Avengers: Endgame, we see Hawkeye's family just chilling when they dust. Same with a ton of Avengers-adjacent people, like Yelena, Scott, and Nakia. Was just no one aware the world was about to end? I know the big battle was in Wakanda, but wasn't there a battle early on in Infinity War in New York? Natasha didn't even want to warn her own sister?
This is a sillier plot hole, but it's a funny one. Rhodey and Scott appear to have seen Hot Tub Time Machine, but...Sebastian Stan is in that movie. Did they not notice that Bucky was just casually in a movie?
Hot Tub Time Machine came out in 2010 too, so that was while Bucky was still the Winter Soldier. Guess he was also an actor on the side?
Why didn't Fury ever call Carol before the very end of Infinity War? I know Carol said she was off helping other planets, which, fine, but you're telling me Fury didn't use the device ONCE during the massive global threats of the preceding movies? He didn't even TRY to contact her?
Speaking of Carol, how did she find Tony and Nebula at the beginning of Endgame?
I have sooo many questions about the cure on The Vampire Diaries. Katherine takes the cure, leading her blood to become the cure. Silas then takes the cure from her, leading to her rapidly aging. It appears you don't age while the cure is in your blood. But then later, when Stefan takes it (and then gives it to Damon), the show acts like they're going to grow old slowly, like a normal human? The whole plan was for Damon to take the cure and grow old with Elena. But wouldn't he still look young and be immortal until someone takes the cure from him? Was the plan for someone to do that when Elena was near death, so they'd die together??? Stefan also mentions in this scene that Damon has eternity with Elena, which makes no sense as Elena is human at this point.
Also, Silas drinks ALL of Katherine's blood to ingest the cure, but later, you only need a syringe. What happens to the rest of the person's blood? It's just normal, then? Or could you make multiple cures?
Let's talk about when Bonnie brought back the cure from the prison world. How the hell did Bonnie get 200 miles off Nova Scotia alone? And this is, like, a fake world, right? How is the real cure there, with no Silas or any other people existing?
Also on TVD — and The Originals – all the Originals have different accents. But...they're siblings? At least Rebekah, Elijah, Kol, and Klaus are somewhat similar (I still think Rebekah sounds Australian), but Freya is full-on American.
Finally, on Revenge, how is Sammy still alive when Emily/Amanda comes back almost 20 years later???

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brenda Song Defended From 'Weirdo' Trace Cyrus After Allegations Of Fake Pregnancy During Romance
Brenda Song is receiving an outpouring of support from fans amid bombshell allegations from her ex-boyfriend, . The brother of pop star recalled harrowing details of their seven-year relationship, accusing the Disney alum of telling "lies." However, fans think Trace, who has been making headlines for bizarre social media rants, is only seeking attention. The drama began on Wednesday, June 11, after a fan insulted Trace in an Instagram comment section. "Ahhhh, now we know why Brenda left. Good riddance," the user wrote, as seen in a screenshot shared on X. The "Seventeen Forever" star didn't take the remark lightly and decided to spill the tea on what ended the relationship. "Yes, because she stole thousands of dollars from me and faked multiple pregnancies," Trace replied. He alleged that Song lied to his family about being "terminally ill," giving them a breast cancer and brain tumor diagnosis. "It was all a lie," he slammed. The 36-year-old further claimed that his mother, Tish Cyrus, confronted the "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" actress for her lies. However, due to the humiliation suffered, Song never associated publicly with his family. "Thanks for reminding me of another scenario where I was a great, loving person and someone did me wrong for no reason," he added. Trace continued his outburst online, this time accusing Song of faking an abortion. "Oh, she also faked an abortion with fake blood covering the bathroom floor," he penned. The Metro Station guitarist recalled he and Tish took Song to the hospital, where "all the lies started unraveling and [they] realized it was fake." Trace then took to his Instagram Stories to give an update on when things with his ex-girlfriend finally came to an end. He explained that the "Wendy Wu" actress visited him after allegedly lying about "the best surgeon in Chicago" removing her tumor. Calling it the "funniest part," Trace claimed he embarrassed Song, writing: "She didn't realize we were catching on to her lies. So when she showed up to my house with a bandage on her head claiming she just got out of surgery I ripped it off exposing no surgery had been done." Per Page Six, the Cyrus sibling concluded his rant, calling his ex-girlfriend's actions "proof of how f–ked in the head child stars are." He then expressed hope that Song is doing better mentally. Trace's post wasn't well-received by fans online, who believed he was trying to cause an unnecessary stir. "She's been in a new relationship for years, and this loser is still talking about her like we're supposed to care. Move on horse face @TraceCyrus," this user on X blasted. Another fan urged, "Ummmmm…. Leave Brenda Song alone, you weirdo," while a third comment read, "He's just mad that Brenda is in a happy marriage and has a successful career while he's a flop." This fan theorized, "2012 breakup. Trace [is] clearly hurting for money. Sorry Metro Station didn't work out." Other branded the "Prescriptions" singer for being "bitter" and a "misogynist." Trace and Song's relationship dates back to 2010 after they went public, following his breakup with Demi Lovato. A year after their debut, the former couple announced their engagement in an October 2011 tweet by the guitarist. However, they broke it off less than a year later. The ex-lovers continued to date on and off for six more years before finally going their separate ways in February 2018. US Weekly reports that Trace released a track named after Song that detailed the breakup. The "Running Point" actress has since moved on with fellow actor Macaulay Culkin, to whom she is engaged. Together they have two sons, Dakota, 4, and Carson, 2. Trace's outburst at Song comes just days after he publicly attacked his father, Billy Ray Cyrus. In a disturbing Instagram post, the aggrieved son labeled the country artist "evil" and "pathetic." The music artist slammed his father for being "so hungry for fame," expressing frustration that Billy chose the spotlight over their family. Trace was particularly offended that the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer flew to Italy with Elizabeth Hurley. He alleged that Billy skipped out on his maternal grandmother's funeral in LA to vacation with his new girlfriend. "You're the lamest man to ever walk planet earth," Trace wrote of his dad.


Forbes
13 hours ago
- Forbes
Hollywood Drops The Hammer On AI, Midjourney And Stable Diffusion
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 16: A sign refers to A.I. as striking SAG-AFTRA members and supporters ... More picket outside Disney Studios on day 95 of their strike against the Hollywood studios on October 16, 2023 in Burbank, California. Contract negotiations between the actors union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down last week in the strike which began July 14. (Photo by) The simmering tensions between creative industries and artificial intelligence companies erupted into open legal warfare this week, as Disney and Universal filed a landmark copyright lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, while Getty Images' high-profile case against Stability AI began in London. Mickey Mouse et Minnie Mouse présentant la maquette d'Euro Disneyland. (Photo by Yves ... More Forestier/Sygma via Getty Images) On June 12, Disney and Universal filed a 110-page complaint in Los Angeles federal court, accusing Midjourney of 'systematic, ongoing, and willful' copyright infringement. The studios allege that Midjourney trained its AI on 'countless' copyrighted images, then enabled users to generate unauthorized reproductions of beloved characters like Darth Vader, Shrek, and Homer Simpson with a simple text prompt. The complaint includes side-by-side comparisons of original movie stills and AI-generated images, and language characterizing the image generators as a 'bottomless pit of plagiarism.' AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 09: David Holz, now CEO of Midjourney, speaks onstage at the Leap Motion & the ... More Disappearing User Interface panel during the 2013 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Austin Convention Center on March 9, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Photo byfor SXSW) Midjourney, which reportedly generated $300 million in revenue last year and boasts over 20 million users, did not comment on the lawsuit. In a previous interview, founder David Holz has described his popular AI model in ways I'm sure he wishes he could take back. 'It's just a big scrape of the internet,' he said. 'We weren't picky.' NEW YORK - JUNE 15: Cast of "The Lion King" perform on stage during the 62nd Annual Tony Awards at ... More Radio City Music Hall on June 15, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage) *** Local Caption *** 'Piracy remains piracy, and the fact that it is perpetrated by an AI company does not diminish its infringement,' said Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's chief legal and compliance officer, in a statement. 'Our world-class intellectual property is built on decades of financial investment, creativity, and innovation, investments that are only viable due to the incentives enshrined in copyright law.' Kim Harris, general counsel for NBCUniversal, echoed the sentiment: 'We are initiating this action today to safeguard the hard work of all the artists whose creations entertain and inspire us, as well as to protect the significant investments we make in our content.' Legal experts say the case will hinge on whether Midjourney's outputs are 'transformative' enough to avoid infringement, and whether scraping content from the internet without consent crosses a legal line. 'The similarity is so strong there,' said Dustin Taylor, an IP attorney at Husch Blackwell. 'If the courts agree, this could set a precedent that fundamentally changes how AI companies train their models.' Canadian filmmaker James Cameron joined the board of directors for Stability AI, in September, 2024. ... More (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images) While Stable Diffusion's influence has waned, Midjourney remains among the most popular image generators. One of the reasons behind its popularity is that it creates ultra realistic cinematic images that look like they are from big movies. There are dozens of other companies that do this, too, including Runway, Ideogram, Freepik, ChatGPT, Grok, and Leonardo (owned by Canva), to name just a few. These lawsuits will have a chilling effect on their use, creating a new hierarchy in Generative AI, with companies like Google's Veo, which indemnifies its users, as do others like Adobe. Moonvalley's new AI model, Marey, is trained on fully licensed content. Small shops like Invisible Universe and Toonstar train their own models without external data. Runway has a deal with Lions Gate to do their same thing with their IP. DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Craig Peters, CEO of Getty Images speaks onstage during Vox ... More Media's 2023 Code Conference at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel on September 27, 2023 in Dana Point, California. (Photo byfor Vox Media) Across the Atlantic, Getty Images' lawsuit against Stability AI began in London's High Court. Getty accuses Stability AI of scraping millions of its copyrighted photos to train Stable Diffusion. Getty CEO Craig Peters told CNBC, 'We're spending millions and millions of dollars in one court case… AI companies are making the argument that paying for access to creative works would 'kill innovation' by raising costs, but taking copyrighted work without permission or compensation is really stealing.' Stability AI has admitted to using some Getty images for training but claims its practices fall under 'fair use' and that its models do not reproduce original works directly. 'Artists utilizing our tools are creating works that build upon collective human knowledge, which is fundamental to fair use and freedom of expression,' a Stability AI spokesperson said. Getty is bringing a parallel lawsuit against Stability AI in the United States. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 29: Bryn Mooser speaks onstage during WSJ's Future of Everything 2025 at ... More The Glasshouse on May 29, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by) Bryn Mooser, head of new, AI-focused Asteria Studios, partnered with Moonvally to create an AI video generator trained exclusively on licensed content, Marey. 'There's no question to me that the studios are right. AI models must have consent,' he said on the AI/XR Podcast last week. Disney and Universal are seeking up to $150,000 per infringed work, but this is not about the money as much as it is defeating the fair use argument, which will set the legal and ethical boundaries for how AI companies use copyrighted material in the years to come.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘The Last of Us' Creator on Pedro Pascal's Return Making You Cry for an Hour
Note: This episode contains spoilers for season two episode six. Pedro Pascal's return to HBO's The Last of Us in a flashback-filled episode packed an emotional wallop, filling in several blanks in Joel and Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) tumultuous relationship. Starting with a look at Joel's abused childhood, a series of sequences followed, set during Ellie's birthdays — since the duo settled in Jackson — and showing what went down on the porch the night before Joel's murder. More from The Hollywood Reporter Alexander Skarsgard Kisses Pedro Pascal on Cheek During Ravenous Standing Ovation for 'Pillion' Inside The Hollywood Reporter's Star-Studded 'Die, My Love' Cannes Premiere Party With Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson and Surprise Guests Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Ari Aster's 'Eddington' Cast on What the Film Says About America: "We're on a Dangerous Road" The scenes throw all sorts of complex lighting into previous events, but perhaps most simply, they remind the audience of Joel's extraordinary level of caring for Ellie — showing that the two had started down the road of reconciliation before Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) changed their fates forever. Below, Neil Druckmann — who co-wrote the PlayStation game The Last of Us Part II and serves as a showrunner on The Last of Us, directing this week's episode — discusses some of the hour's pivotal moments and tangled moral and emotional quagmires. This might be one of those rare episodes of TV where people cry repeatedly through the hour, not just in one key moment. Well, I'm glad it worked for you. Just to see Pedro and Bella one more time; to see their happiest they've ever been, maybe the saddest they've been with each other, and the angriest they've ever been. And it was such a joy to explore all those nuances along the way. I'm extremely proud of how it turned out, and I was really nervous. That porch scene, especially, means so much to myself, to my co-writers on this episode, Craig [Mazin] and Haley [Gross], and to everyone that worked on the game and the show. But specifically, when I was working on this episode, I had two people on the front of my mind, which were Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who originally played these characters in the game. They gave such brilliant performances for very similar scenes that I wanted to honor what they've done, because they helped create those characters. I just re-watched the game version of scene (watch it below). For this, I was particularly caught by Ellie asking Joel those questions that had been on her mind for so long, and the choice to just have Joel just be silent and nod. In the game, Ellie asked those questions at a different point. Here we took several flashback scenes and collapsed them into the one on the porch. So Ellie has to understand what Joel has done, get angry at him, and then move towards forgiveness — all within one scene. I thought Bella gave a beautiful performance. I can't imagine how difficult that would I remember the day of shooting, I pulled Pedro and Bella aside and mentioned how important the scene is and how powerful it can be, and how important it is for their characters. Specifically, 'This is your last conversation with each other. You've been withholding all this stuff, all these questions, so hold nothing back.' If you watch Bella's Ellie this season, she wears more of a mask than Ashley's Ellie in the game. Here, the masks are fully off. And now Joel knows that she knows, and the last gift he can give her is to give her the truth. And since they were 'yes or no' questions, it felt like he wouldn't even need to say it, he could just nod or shake his head. One thing that fascinates to me about this season is the structure, which is obviously taken from the game, as well, where you lose Joel, and then have these flashbacks and each one changes how you view their relationship and his death, though they're much more spaced out. Yeah, let me talk to you about our thought process. You're right that in the game, these scenes are spaced out, sometimes hours apart. If we spaced out these scenes and planted them throughout the season, I believe they wouldn't land as powerfully because they're short moments and work better when they're next to each other and you can just see the comparison — it's like their relationship is slowly deteriorating. If we put one in an episode, and then you have to wait a week to see the next, you have to remember what the last one was, and then wait another week again. I think the show would start feeling like it has a template — 'What's the Joel flashback this week?'Also it was important that the audience, like the characters, miss Joel. So we would kill him early in the season, we decided not to show him back until close to the end of the season. Then it became a question of where should it land. It felt appropriate to land after Ellie has just committed the darkest, most violent act she's ever committed in her life — torturing an unarmed woman to try to get information about where Joel's killer is hiding. There's a contrast of 'look how far this character has come.' They're almost unrecognizable in that scene. Here's our reminder of who they were, and what they're fighting for — the memory of this person. That makes a lot of sense. I did wonder if there was a part of you that would have been tempted to hold the porch moment to the series finale, and also wondered if the pragmatic issue of not having Pascal signed beyond season two might have factored into that. No, but let's assume we could shoot it and hold it and reveal it later. Craig brought this up to me and I bought into it immediately: He [pointed out] that when you buy the game, you have the entire story. You could play for the whole thing in two days. We have to take into account that the story is being delivered week by week, season by season, with more story coming potentially years later. There would be a high risk of the porch scene not landing if he held onto it. When I was looking at the porch scene, one of the comments read: 'Ellie's vengeance wasn't just about killing the people who took Joel from her, but about taking revenge on them for taking away her chance at forgiving him.' Is that true, do you think? I agree with that interpretation, because we get to see that Joel hurt Ellie maybe the worst way possible — by taking the choice away from her to honor the people that died on her journey to be delivered to the Fireflies. Ellie's so angry, and she means it when she says, 'I don't know if I could ever forgive you for that, but I would like to try.' She wanted to move towards that forgiveness, because I think she understood that — as much as Joel hurt her — his motivation was unconditional love, and she shares that unconditional love for him. Now she can never get the chance. Oddly enough, the simplistic reaction I had to watching the scene was relief — 'Oh, they weren't in quite as bad of a place, relationship wise, when he died as we thought.' There is something oddly reassuring about that. It's bittersweet because he was finally honest with her and they confessed their love to each other on in that scene, but they never moved back to when we saw them at their happiest at that Space Museum. Speaking of which, the rocket ship scene was one of my favorite cutscenes from the game. What did that scene mean to you? I've always liked that Ellie is fascinated with our world, that things we take for granted are like fantasy to her. And by the way, that quality of Ellie came from Ashley Johnson. She loved the idea of wanting to be an astronaut. So I wrote that to make Ellie more like her and now it has remained all the way through for another actor to reinterpret it. To me, it speaks to how children can just tap into their imagination and picture they are somewhere else. Ellie wants something that she could never have in this world, and Joel kind of gives it to her. Joel is amazing in this episode as the World's Greatest Apocalypse Dad that it also caused me to feel some annoyance at Ellie — like, 'How can you not appreciate this man more than you do?' Though I also understand that she's at an age where you naturally pull away from your parents and if there aren't things to be correctly mad about, you'll find reasons anyway. And, obviously, he was not perfect. There are several big lies my parents have told to me that only now, in my forties, I'm able to forgive and move past because I see their motivations were in the right place. And now, as a dad myself, I had this feeling of like, 'I know how to raise my kids better than my parents. I'm always going to be completely honest.' And there was a moment in time where I was too honest with my daughter when she was too young and it was about something violent and dark, and she was traumatized by it. It speaks to the complexity of being a parent and how difficult it is — even when you're doing the right thing, you might be causing your kids to hate you. That's the choice of the job. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise 'Yellowstone' and the Sprawling Dutton Family Tree, Explained