i love how TLOU ep 7 frames ellie in the scene. it makes her look and feel so small, vulnerable, unsure, even amongst euphoric colors and teenage giggles. all the negative space around her is full of fear and worry-- but not of infected or fedra or fireflies. she's scared and thrilled that Riley is showing her this world beyond her imagination, sharing laughs and colors and twinkling lights... and wondering what the fuck is the punchline. we simmer in that anxiety, checking the corners for her, holding our breath, and frantically clawing for the future--
and when the camera levels her gaze, we still see ellie; small, scared but brave... and we start to see ourselves; young, clumsy, desperately reading in between the lines. it doesn't matter that the world has beyond ended or that they live in a shell of what society once was, what matters most is making the most of this moment with a person you really love and admire. always. no, cos fuck everything else, ellie wants to be here with riley and she wants everyone to see that. her eyes shimmer with that desire. her actions betray her 'secret' admiration, and tlou wants us to see that, to know that this is a beautiful part of life, of ellie, of us. love can't be contained or make us feel small-- they won't allow us to ever just view ellie as weak, pitiful cargo or simply 'a child,' we see her as our past, present, younger, naive, wisened selves. and we're forced to meet ellie eye-to-eye on these moments that really count and believe that loves carries us on (spoiler: it does) ❤️