At this point, when you hear that The Last of Us Part 2 is a divisive title, youвЂ™re actually not hearing about just one controversy. Still, the reactions that appeared in the days that followed The Last of Us Part 2вЂs initial leaks and eventual release have been somewhat surprising. After all, itвЂ™s the sequel to a game that was not only widely beloved but infamous for an ambiguous finale which some felt didnвЂ™t need to be resolved in a follow-up. In a way, it was inevitable that The Last of Us Part 2 would be controversial. We donвЂ™t know where Lev and Abby end up, but together, thereвЂ™s at least the possibility of a brighter future, and in a story as bleak as this one, itвЂ™s a redemption that was earned.This THE LAST OF US PART 2В article contains spoilers. The progress she has made though at least offers hope for whatвЂ™s to come. She is better, and even someone worth rooting for, but sheвЂ™s not good by any means either. Had she not been strung up for days she may well have succeeded. When LevвЂ™s life is in danger, she doesnвЂ™t hesitate to try to take Ellie down as brutally as weвЂ™ve come to expect. SheвЂ™s not suddenly some saintly pacifist who refuses to do harm no matter what. After Ellie cut them down, Abby leads her away and shows her to her own boat so that she can escape, all of her own volition.Д«ut though sheвЂ™s changed, Abby is still Abby. Lev had to stop Abby from killing Dina, Tommy, and Ellie in the theater, but the second time around, Abby didnвЂ™t need any outside help to control herself. By being honest with herself about her feelings towards Lev and her desire to switch trajectories, Abby is able to actually change. But Abby, on the other hand, refuses to lose Lev. Abby is no different, and thatвЂ™s why sheвЂ™s able to walk away not only first, but repeatedly.Д®llieвЂ™s desire to finish this feud is so strong, sheвЂ™s willing to pay any price to get it, including letting go of Dina and her son JJ. We canвЂ™t change people, they have to make that choice themselves, but oftentimes there are people we want to change for - not necessarily because we want to be better overall, but because we want to be good enough for those people to stay. Knowing that continuing this cycle of brutality will push Lev away keeps Abby in check, because she cannot bear to lose him. When Abby is threatening Dina, and Ellie tells her sheвЂ™s pregnant, Abby says, вЂњGood.вЂќ The only thing that stops her from slitting DinaвЂ™s throat is LevвЂ™s protest. Once that dream is shattered by EllieвЂ™s murderous rage, Lev is the only person Abby has left, and it becomes her new mission to keep him safe, no matter the cost.ДЄbby doesnвЂ™t change because she realizes itвЂ™s her moral obligation to be a better person, she seeks relief in paying for her sins by saving these kids, and only shows restraint so as to not lose Lev. She sees them as a way to feel less terrible about herself at first, and then as an excuse to finally break away from the violent, oppressive life sheвЂ™s been leading by taking them with Owen to Santa Barbara and abandoning the WLF once and for all. Much like how AbbyвЂ™s love for Owen is selfish, her love of Yara and Lev is as well. Once she grows attached to Lev and Yara, she exhibits the same behavior, taking on the scariest boss in the game - the Rat King - to save YaraвЂ™s life and keep Lev from losing his sister, and eventually killing her former WLF compatriots to protect him. Despite direct orders from her superior, Abby, who up until this point has been the pinnacle of authoritarian behavior, leaves the WLF base to find Owen and make sure heвЂ™s okay. Abby knows sheвЂ™s not a good person, and she needs some relief from that knowledge.Дay 2 also makes it apparent that Abby is a fiercely loyal person when she cares about someone. But AbbyвЂ™s ulterior motive isnвЂ™t to sweep Owen away in a tide of domesticity, itвЂ™s to help temper her guilt over abandoning Isaac to find Owen, and subsequently sleeping with Owen behind MelвЂ™s back in order to feel something.

While Mel is wrong about the reasoning behind it, she is correct that Abby is using these kids. Mel, OwenвЂ™s current partner, calls Abby out on this, implying that Abby is trying to use Yara and Lev to get into OwenвЂ™s good graces. Abby, clearly uncomfortable, reveals that she feels guilty for basically everything around her thatвЂ™s falling apart, and coming back for them was a way to ease her conscience. Her reasoning for returning is cemented when the kids ask why she came back.

The shift begins on Day 2, when she goes back for Lev and Yara in a fit of guilt and shame after sleeping with her otherwise-partnered ex, Owen. AbbyвЂ™s вЂњredemptionвЂќ is both refreshing, and far more believable, because itвЂ™s honest about the selfish nature of her changes.

Who plays abby in the last of us 2