And The Oscar Goes To...
'Everything Everywhere All at Once' dominates the Oscars and rightfully so!
Hi! 👋🏼
I hope you have been doing well. I’m back to bringing you another newsletter filled with pop culture news (mainly Oscars and The Last of Us) and some music.
The 95th Academy Awards were held last night, and one film kept winning. A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Oscars, including best director, picture, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, original screenplay, and film editing. As reported by Variety, the last time a film received the most awards was back in 2008 with Slumdog Millionaire.
But the emotional speeches made by Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan deserve an award just as well. Both had me and pretty much the entire internet crying. The two are such acting legends, and I’m so glad to see them awarded for their amazing talent.
Also, can we take a moment to celebrate this reaction? Ke Huy Quan’s joy this entire awards season has constantly made me smile, and I’m so happy for him 🥹
Joel And Ellie’s Journey Comes To An End… For Now.
HBO’s The Last of Us had its season one finale last night, and my emotions are still at an all-time high. If you haven’t watched the series or caught up yet, skip this because I’m about to talk up a storm.
I came to learn about the game that is The Last of Us back in 2021. I binged watched both gameplays (parts I and II) in two days and then grieved (I’m not kidding) for an entire month. I immediately fell in love with both stories — from Joel and Ellie’s father-daughter relationship to the conflicting endings of both games.
Fast forward to today, having now played both games and watching the season one finale, I can still say that my feelings towards the ending of part one have remained the same — I still love it, and I still agree with Joel’s decision (Sue me! Actually, please don’t).
In episode nine, “Look for the Light”, Ellie is still dealing with the trauma she experienced in the prior episode (David can go to hell, he’s nasty.) Both she and Joel reach Salt Lake City, and before they make it to the new Firefly base, they have a few heart-to-heart moments.
Plucked right from the game, the giraffe scene had me crying again. For a moment, Ellie is able to forget what she went through and experience the wonderment that comes with being a kid. Likewise, Joel allows himself to smile and feel joy after a long time. And though it’s short, this moment carries so much weight, especially for these two characters moving forward.
Then there’s also the scene where Joel confides in Ellie.
Earlier on in the season, Joel tells Ellie he received the scar from someone who had shot at him. It’s then revealed that the ‘person’ was Joel himself. This entire scene is entirely different from the game, yet it adds much more weight and depth to Joel and gives an inside look at his mental health, something I’m glad they explored.
Their heart-to-heart is cut short when the two go to the hospital where the Fireflies are stationed. Ellie is captured, and Joel is knocked unconscious.
When Joel wakes up, Marlene tells him that the doctors are prepping Ellie for surgery and think (key word — think!) that they can create a vaccine. However, the catch is that Ellie would die.
Joel — who can’t deal with losing someone he loves again — fights his way to the operating room, killing everyone in his path. It’s an intense scene that gamers know all too well. And when Joel finally finds Ellie, his decision (killing the lead surgeon) is easy but also one that will lead to significant consequences (I’m looking at you, TLOU2). With Ellie in his arms, Joel flees the hospital, but before leaving, he kills Marlene.
Driving away from Salt Lake City, Ellie wakes up, and Joel lies and tells her that the Fireflies weren’t able to create a cure and that there are others who are immune. The two then go on a hike to Jackson, and it’s there that Ellie confides in Joel and tells him about Riley, and talks about her survivor’s guilt. However, before Joel can give his advice, Ellie asks him to swear that all that he told her about the Fireflies was true. Joel lies once more, and Ellie takes his word.
For fans of the game, there has always been a divide.
There’s the side where fans believe Joel did nothing wrong, and then there’s the other side where fans think that what he did was selfish. But, above all, the central question that is always asked is: Should Joel have lied to Ellie?
My thoughts on this are endless, and to write about it would take up the rest of this newsletter, but to keep it short — I get why Joel did what he did, and I don’t think it was possible to make a vaccine. And even if it were possible (TLOU2 reference here), I don’t think it would be easy to get it into the hands of every person PLUS convince certain groups (governments, cults, etc.) to get things back to how they used to be.
All the questioning and debate that comes with The Last of Us is what makes it such an amazing story. It’s supposed to make you feel all the emotions you go through and question all character decisions, all the while finding empathy.
P.S. Ashley Johnson (voice of Ellie in the games), aka Anna, Ellie’s mother, was such a beautiful way to have her participate in the show. I was full-on sobbing during the beginning of the episode and just… round of applause for her performance.
Pedro Pascal vs. Hot Wings
For those who have watched The Last of Us finale and haven’t watched the latest episode of Hot Ones, may I suggest Pedro Pascal’s episode as a cure to your TLOU blues? I’ll be watching… again, of course!
Here’s What I’ve Been Jamming Out To
In my last newsletter, I talked about Daisy Jones & The Six. With four episodes already in, you better believe I’m hooked. I’m here for all the drama between the characters but, most of all, the music. And there’s one song I can’t get enough of from the show.
Yes, it’s “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)”, and I listen to it daily.
But to throw it back, I’ve been on an early 2000s kick (when am I not?) and have stumbled upon two songs I forgot entirely about. Daniel Bedingfield’s “If You’re Not The One” and Melanie C’s “I Turn To You”. When these songs started playing, y’all… the nostalgia hit hard.
✨ this must be the end of the newsletter
Thanks so much for reading! Keep an eye out for the next newsletter, and until then, have a fantastic week.
P.S. A few weeks ago, for United By Pop, I interviewed two amazing artists — mazie and vivi rincon. So if you feel like adding an article or two to your reading list, let it be these!
Thanks again 💗
-Samantha