Why I think Fireflies are DUMB and Marlene is cruel
I re-watched episode 9 and this scene caught my attention
Okay, I know Marlene said the patrol didn't know them, but their behavior is still stupid to me.
They didn't know it was Joel... Yes, that JOEL (damn dangerous dude).
What did they see? The girl and probably her dad in the open space and yet they decided to waste the stun grenade launcher.
I'm assuming this isn't something you can buy on ebay in post-apocalyptic times.
So?
What should they do?
They have the upper hand, they're obscured, they've got guns, and these two can't see them. In addition, Joel is not holding a gun in his hands, but has it slung over his shoulder.
It would be enough to fire a warning shot in the air and shout: "Stop! You are surrounded! Put your hands up! Tell me who you are and what you are looking for!"
Is it really that hard?
I'm under the impression that it is because fireflies are untrained and unorganized.
I saw a similar situation in episode 7.
Seriously, didn't any of the fireflies (with more than two brain cells) say, "Hey, this young girl with no experience is supposed to guard the warehouse by herself? Maybe someone older and more experienced should be with her? You know, so she doesn't do anything stupid. Like she don't go to quarantine zone and go get friend? I'm just saying"
I know FEDRA is evil anyway, but the fireflies will never defeat them. Why? Because FEDRA has a structure, a hierarchy and they are organized.
And now Marlene...
She is surprised that Joel made it to their base.
“We lost half our crew crossing the country. I had five men whose only job was to protect me. I still nearly died. How did you do that?"
My assumptions are that Marlene may have assumed Ellie was already dead.
How long has it been since she last saw her? Four months? Half a year?
She couldn't be 100% sure that Joel wouldn't abandon Ellie.
Don't get me wrong. I love Joel. I love what a great father he is to Ellie, but Marlene didn't know that.
To her, Joel was a smuggler who was supposed to smuggle Ellie in exchange for a reward.
Any other smuggler would have decided after a week that all the hard work wasn't worth it.
So what am I aiming for?
I don't think Marlene was prepared for Ellie's arrival. The fireflies and the doctors weren't prepared either. The entire laboratory facilities were probably not prepared (assuming there were any at all some laboratory).
And yet Marlene decided to kill Ellie. She didn't want to spend even one day with her friend's daughter.
Why?
Because she is cruel and blindly believes in something that has no logical or scientific basis. She stubbornly wants to save a world that no longer exists and that will never exist again.
And she's also cruel to Joel. She says, "I owe you a favor. We all are."
And yet she denies him the most basic thing, which is goodbye.
Anyone who, like me, has lost a loved one without being able to say goodbye to them knows how painful it is.
And she's also cruel to Anna. She promised her that she would take care of the baby, and what she did...
1/ She gave Ellie to FEDRA
2/ She gave Ellie to Joel
Again, I love Joel, but to Marlene Joel is a cruel, brutal, heartless smuggler.
3/ She gave Ellie to a doctor who shouldn't even be called a doctor (Hippocratic Oath says something to someone? "Primum non nocere")
Probably this doctor could have been blind, deaf, and paralyzed in his right arm, and Marlene would have agreed to the operation anyway.
She says: Our doctor thinks...
Thinks? what the fuck? He should be sure. IN 100%. Because if it's true and Ellie is the only chance to create a cure, then you can't assume anything... YOU HAVE TO BE SURE OF IT
But the peak of her cruelty for me are these words: I do understand. I am the only one who understands...
How dare you? How fucking dare you say that! You don't understand anything!!!
You didn't lose your baby. For twenty years you haven't had the same nightmare that one day became true again. You don't know what it's like to be a parent again. You don't know what Ellie's been through. You didn't see her fear, her tears, her laughter. You weren't with her the first time she drove the car, the first time she slept in the woods, the first time she saw a giraffe.
you know nothing jon snow
Ok, and back to fireflies and their stupidity again.
If Ellie was so important. Why was the operating room so poorly protected?
At least three soldiers should stand by the doctor and not move even when they hears shots.
But again they showed their disorganization. Why?
Perhaps the biggest mistake is not having the right leader.
Imagine if someone like Joel was their leader. Someone who always expects the worst. Someone who thinks first and then acts.
That's why fireflies are stupid to me. Because first they act (throw a grenade, carry out an operation... they hand over the children to a smuggler) and only then... wait... No, they don't think. They only act.
And what do they get in return?
Angry Joel in killer mode :D
So seriously. It wasn't even Joel's fault. The fireflies asked for it.